Review: "Then He Kissed Me" by Maria Geraci

Synopsis:
Lauren Donalan was once Whispering Bay’s golden girl—the rich, bubbly blonde cheerleader who married the high school football star. When her mediocre marriage falls apart, she returns home and starts a vintage clothing business, determined to prove she’s more than just a pretty face with a trust fund.

Nate Miller may have been a nerd in high school, but now he has a beautiful girlfriend and is set to take over Doc Morrison’s medical practice. Still, the good folks of Whispering Bay find his no-nonsense approach more than a little unsettling, leaving his future in town a great big question mark. And things go even further downhill when his well-intentioned marriage proposal goes awry.


Lauren doesn’t need a man to complete her, yet when she finds herself set up on a date with Nate, she can’t help but notice how sexy and confident he is. In fact, every time the former introvert kisses her, she sees fireworks. But, only a big love will make Lauren change her mind about commitment. As Nate attempts to win Lauren over, a real estate co-op threatens Lauren’s business—and Nate’s ex still has a thing or two to say about their previous relationship. Now Lauren has to decide to go big or go home, in business, as well as in love.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

I loved, loved, loved this book. After reading That Thing You Do, I was excited to see if Lauren would get her happily ever after and I am thrilled that she finds it with Nate. Lauren and Nate are both wonderful characters in their own way, and while one may not peg these two as soul mates when you first meet them, what you find is that their individual eccentricities are perfect together.

Nate is a bit of a nerd. Yep, I said that. He's a bit awkward around people in general, not just women. He likes to stick to "facts" and not spend time with those messy emotions and relationships. The irony isn't lost on me that at the beginning of the book he has been in a relationship for THREE YEARS. I think the only reason he has been with Jessica for all that time is that he's disengaged with the relationship and she never noticed, being the narcissist that she is! I love that Lauren was at the restaurant to bear witness to his very public humiliation by Jessica. What a perfect beginning to their relationship - although they didn't know it at the time. The author weaves a wonderful, funny story that navigates a relationship trying to start; a woman who struggles to figure out her first adult, mature relationship while observing her father degrading health; and a man who is trying to find his place in his medical practice and in Whispering Bay. I think that Nate is incredibly patient as Lauren tries to figure out how to approach her son about her relationship with Nate, and when Lauren continues to insist that Nate make sure his feelings for Jessica were done. I loved the scene between Nate and Jessica at his house when she refuses to leave, so he does! What a perfect way to deal with that situation, and a great way to make a powerful statement to Lauren about his feelings for Jessica, and for Lauren!

We get another humorous look at the Bunco babes as they welcome Lauren into their fold, play Bunco with their significant others, and welcome a new baby into the fold in a quite humorous way!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Links:
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About the Author:

Maria Geraci was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised on Florida’s Space Coast. Her love of books started with the classic, Little Women (a book she read so often growing up, she could probably quote). She writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. The Portland Book Review called her novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, “immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.” Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, was nominated for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA ® award.

Her current addictions include watching the STARZ adaption of OUTLANDER to drool over Sam Heughan, hitting the beach on the weekends, and searching for the perfect key lime pie recipe (but not the kind they served on Dexter).

Website: http://mariageraci.com/