Romance has never been one of my favourite genres. I still have hangups from the days where a romance novel meant one of those Harlequin cheese-fests with a half-naked guy on the cover that were so annoyingly formulaic they made my head ache.
While I do read romance and erotica, it never ranks high on my list of things I read unless there is a primary plotline to engage me. With a title like "It Starts With A Kiss", I wasn't too sure what to expect in the way of a strong and engaging plotline. However, knowing the standards of Kyanite Publishing is the reason I wanted to see what this story was about.
Once again, this is a case of 'I'm glad I got to read this'. As with many of the titles that this publisher has invested in, it was a great story—even if romance or erotic romance are not your things. If you are worried about the word "erotic", don't be. Seriously, it's not heavy on any sort of erotic content and the few parts that are there are done very tastefully. Don't let that word be a reason to avoid this wonderful story.
Right from the word go I can sympathise with Celeste Cho, our delightfully sweet protagonist working in some crap conditions. I swear J.L. describes Celeste's terrible boss so well that I had flashbacks to some of the terrible bosses I've had my life. In fact, I'm sure her situation is one we can all relate to.
J.L. does a wonderful job of setting the scene right from the first page. This is, first and foremost, science fiction. Though the romance element is strongly present, the science fiction plot is equally as strong. This is a well-developed futuristic world with enough tidbits of techno-babble to make most science fiction fans happy.
For those that live for the dynamics between characters than you will not be disappointed with the wide variety of personalities in the main cast. I love how they work together, or sometimes don't work together. JL didn't create characters, she wrote real people. That's how they read on the page and I loved it.
Even if romance isn't your thing, this is a great science fiction story. It just happens that the romance paired well with it. I found almost all the romantic or even slightly sexual stuff, very well done, no purple prose or awkward wording. It was incredibly well-done, you'll see when you read it.
So, what are you waiting for? Go, preorder your copy now.
I loved this book! JL is a master at world building and creating characters that feel like real people
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with that!
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