Review: Just One Kiss by Carly Phillips (Dirty Dares #2)
Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Wildfire Marketing.
"As unexpected as this is, I'm glad it's happening with you."
She turned her head to face him. "Really?"
He loved her. Was this the right time to say so? Would she believe him? He moved in closer. "Really, Jade. I love you."
Two books in and Carly Phillips's Dirty Dares series continues to give me all. The. FEELS! The first book, Just One Dare, served as the crossover from the Kingston Family series to this new spin-off, the Dirty Dares, featuring another branch of the author's quite extensive Dare clan. Just One Kiss is the story of Jade Dare and Knox Sinclair. She's twenty-six and the in-demand event coordinator of the family-owned Meridian Hotel; he's thirty-three and owner of a professional football team, the New York Warriors. Both of them are familiar with betrayal; after all, her then-fiance and his then-wife cheated on them...together. To make matters worse, Jade's ex just happens to be Knox's former stepbrother. Neither Jade nor Knox is in the market for a relationship, but one night together should be enough. What happens when one leads to more and hopes of forever?
Ah, I absolutely adored Jade and Knox's story! Maybe it was that hint of the forbidden--or what may be considered "forbidden" by some--what with Jade's ex being Knox's former stepbrother. It could've been how those who truly cared about them most were rooting for them while also being supportive. Heck, it was both, and add to that the fact that I'm normally iffy when it comes to the secret baby story angle but ended up loving that this was more of a surprise pregnancy that merely took a bit for Jade to find her bearings, and I was a happy camper. I loved seeing these two falling for each other and realizing what they truly wanted for themselves and the family they were creating. Another thing I was moved by was Jade coming to terms with aspects of her past, i.e. her mother's abandonment and mental illness, and Knox's relationship with Holly, his former stepsister whom he actually considered more of a true sibling. If I had to nitpick, the one thing that I noted was how "stepbrother" and "half-brother" seemed to be interchangable terms, but they actually are two very different familial relationships. Other than that, I loved Just One Kiss, which gets five-plus stars, and cannot wait for more from this series!
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Read my reviews for the Dirty Dares series:
Just One Dare (book one) - five stars - My Review
Just One Kiss (book two) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)
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Release Date: 16 August 2022
Date Read: 11 August 2022
Learn more about Carly Phillips.
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