A very enjoyable listen
The collaboration between Harper Bliss and Abby Craden is always very promising. And then she Kissed me makes for a quick but very enjoyable listen, a great way to spend a weekend or part of your summer holidays.
Sadie Ireland is back home from LA where she’s a successful actress in a very popular TV show. Having recently divorced, she’s looking forward to reconnecting with her family and celebrating her 40th birthday. But she wasn’t counting on meeting her old best friend Devon Douglas. Their friendship was cut short when Devon tried to kiss Sadie when they were sixteen. Twenty-four years later, their reconnection brings not only the potential of rekindling their friendship but also the chance to explore an unexpected attraction…
This is a second chance, coming out, celebrity romance by Harper Bliss. Second-chance romance is a fantastic trope to build up from a past connection, show character growth and establish the idea of a couple that was meant for each other despite the odds. The author did a great job to capture this reconnection and developing a romantic relationship.
Ms. Bliss is usually very good at building chemistry between the main characters and this novel is no exception. There is a clear imbalance in where both main characters stand at the beginning of the story. Devon is a lesbian who was once in love with Sadie, a straight girl who rejected her more than twenty years ago and who is now a successful actress living in LA. Even though this is a coming-out story, the focus isn’t on sexual identity but more on how both characters reconnect with each other and how they reconcile their past to build a future.
Both main characters are very well fleshed out with very different family backgrounds and personal situations to overcome. Their chemistry together is good from the start but it builds up stronger with every interaction. As usual, Ms. Bliss consolidates this with excellent intimate scenes. Family plays an essential role in this story and the cast of secondary characters strengthens this. Additionally, if you’ve read A Breathless Place by this author (another celebrity romance that I highly recommend), you can catch up with Izzy and Leila’s news.
The story setting is in a small seaside town in Northern California, a special place to practice surfing which plays a very important role to help the main characters reconnect and strengthen their bond. It also gives the vibe of a relaxed environment and a happy place for both Sadie and Devon.
Abby Craden has narrated a good number of books by Harper Bliss and is an ideal performer for both the emotional and the sizzling parts that are always present in her stories. As the novel is written in first person from the point of view of both main characters in alternate chapters, Ms. Craden found the perfect voices that reflect their personalities. There’s a range of emotions that the characters go through and Ms. Craden performed the different levels of intensity like the pro she is. 4.5 stars.
Length: 6 hours, 46 minutes
