Bea Reviews About That Kiss by Jill Shalvis

Series: Heartbreaker Bay #5
Publisher: Avon
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 23rd, 2018 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* |
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Blurb from goodreads:

When love drives you crazy . . .

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.

the best thing to do . . .

No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.

… is enjoy the ride.

As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.

My Thoughts:

ETA:This should have posted at midnight last night but apparently, I forgot to take it out drafts and didn't realize it until a few minutes ago. Sorry!

Aaaah, I liked this one so much. Joe comes across as a bad ass and the strong silent type, and he is both of those but there's more to him. Kylie is quiet, determined, and hesitant when it comes to romance. Together, they have fun and let down their walls to let each other, and other people, inside.

 This book works fine as a stand alone so you can jump into the series here if you want, or start at the beginning and follow everybody's journeys. Joe and Kylie were minor characters in those books so you won't miss much of their romantic journey if you start here.

Joe and Kylie shared a spectacular, amazing, kiss recently but that was it. Neither one followed up afterwards, instead continuing on their separate paths. Then several things happen. Joe wants to purchase a mirror hand made by Kylie for his sister's birthday, and Kylie needs investigative help when a treasured carving made by her late grandfather is stolen. Joe takes the case in exchange for the mirror. But there's a catch - Kylie insists on being an active participant in the investigation. Joe reluctantly agrees but several times he tries to cut her out and leave her behind, which pisses off Kylie. Kylie stands her ground and calls Joe on his behavior. She doesn't want or need his protection. She does need to be part of the search for the carving which has deep sentimental value for her - it was carved for her by her grandfather shortly before his death.

Both Joe and Kylie are carrying around guilt for events that happened in their past, actions they believed that they were responsible for. With help from Joe's sister Molly, and from each other, as well as an outside party, they come to understand where their responsibility for those actions ends. They realized they were taking on unnecessary guilt and managed to let it go. It was nice to see them come to terms with their pasts and how they were able to help each other. Joe, especially, realized that he needed to stop carrying the world on his shoulders and let other people have responsibility and own their actions, as well as letting others find their own way without him rushing in to save the day. He's been closed off emotionally for so long in some respects, and yet in others he's very much a caretaker. He looks after his sister, though she doesn't want or need it, and he looks after their father, who does need some assistance. Even so, he doesn't let them all the way in but keeps them at bay.

But she'd meant what she'd said. She didn't think she had the ability to hurt Joe. He held too much of himself back for that. 

Kylie was raised mostly by her grandfather as her parents were teens when she born and her father took off, abandoning them, and her mother, though well-intentioned, was flighty. In fact, Kylie and her mother reversed roles with Kylie being the mature caretaker of the pair. But they come to understand each other a little better and near the end of the story, when it matters, her mother is there for her.

I liked the mix of romance and mystery in "About That Kiss". It's not a romantic suspense but the mystery is fairly important to the story. I was sure I knew who the guilty party but I was wrong. I do wish that Shalvis had given us more in the way of clues as to the perpetrator's identity, but otherwise I enjoyed that story line. Also, Tina needs her own romance and HEA. I hope Shalvis is working on it.

"About That Kiss" was sweet, fun, emotional, and steamy. It's an excellent addition to the Heartbreaker Bay series.

Some favorite quotes:

She blinked. She could tell he'd carved it himself, but beyond that she had no guesses. "Did you make a ..." She turned it around in her palm but it looked like only one thing. "A penis?"

He paused to stare at the carving and then laughed. "Okay, yeah. Let's go with that." He waggled a brow. "For when I can't be with you. Beware of splinters."

She didn't bother hiding her emotions like he did. She had no interest in keeping herself in control. And actually, her willingness to let go was one of the things he loved about her. There was just something appealing about how she put herself out there, no worrying about outcome or the possibility of getting hurt.

"Well, no matter what happens, pizza will always be there for you," Tina said. "Through thick and thin, in crust we trust."

"And it's not like he isn't really hot," Haley said. "What?" she asked when they all just stared at her. "I'm gay. I'm not dead."

Molly grimaced and put her fingers in her ears. "Guys, please. He's my brother."