I couldn't get into this. ( )

4.5 stars.

A Single Kiss by Grace Burrowes is a phenomenal contemporary romance that is sweet, thought-provoking and poignant. A wonderful opposites attract love story, this first book in the Sweetest Kisses series is a beautifully written novel that is emotional and quite compelling.

Hannah Stark is a single mom with a heartbreaking past who finds herself temporarily working as a family lawyer in Trent Knightley's law firm. Working for Trent is about the only perk of her new job and he is not only her boss, he is a friend and mentor. The two are also attracted to one another and when their paths unexpectedly cross outside of the office, Hannah and Trent decide to explore their passion.

Hannah is very closemouthed about herself and her life outside of the office. She has many layers that take much of the novel to peel back but bits and pieces of her traumatic childhood are slowly revealed to readers as she fights for the best possible outcome for her clients. Despite the scars from her upbringing, Hannah is a loving and compassionate woman, but she is very apprehensive about revealing her secrets to anyone.

Trent is idealistic but pragmatic and he is very passionate about his chosen profession. He wholeheartedly believes in the legal system but it is not until he gets to know Hannah that he sees how imperfect it can be. He is loyal and confident and despite his dedication to his career, he is very devoted to his family. Trent is stunned by the depth of his feelings for Hannah, but he is also endearingly uncertain about acting on his attraction.

There are definitely sparks between Trent and Hannah, but they are both reluctant to indulge in an office fling. They easily settle into a comfortable working relationship and a friendship grows naturally out of their mutual respect for one another. Hannah is surprised by how easily she begins to trust Trent, but she still remains very guarded and self-protective. Their romance is sweet and sensual, but Hannah refuses to divulge her closely guarded secrets until she comes close to losing everything she holds dear.

A Single Kiss is an incredibly heartwarming romance with a charming cast of well-developed characters. The plot is unique and Grace Burrowes does not shy away from realistic, hard hitting topics. It is an absolutely captivating story that will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next installment in the Sweetest Kisses series. ( )

When an author switches genres on a reader, the first reaction of that reader is HOLY CRAP! Not again!!!! And if that author is one of your all time favorites, then you literally go into full “panic attack” mode. Don’t ask me why. It just IS. The second reaction is to eye the book, and then keep moving it to the back of your TBR. The third reaction is to close your eyes and open the book, read a couple of passages and a) scream because you now know the book sucks or b) literally grin from ear to ear with happiness, telling yourself, you knew it all along it had to be good. After all, it is written by HER!

It is no secret to all of you how much I adore this woman’s prose and now I have to thank her for turning me onto a genre I wasn’t so keen on reading, contemporary romance.

In ‘A Single Kiss’ Grace Burrowes creates a story that is real, heartwarming and heartbreaking as well as funny and just sweet.

No matter the century, her heroes are well rounded and well grounded that they jump off of those pages and become very real human beings. They are someone you just may know with problems just like yours. In this story, she took a very difficult subject of foster children and family law, and weaved a very tender and even humorous romance around it.

If you’ve never read this author, now’s the time to start. This story is fast pacing and once you start reading it, there’s no way you could put it down. And if I still didn’t convince you, how about you grab her FREE novella A Kiss for Luck and a prequel to this series?

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher ( )

Grace Burrowes's first foray into contemporary romance and it was fantastic. Terrific characters, intense emotions, and a really sweet romance made this an impossible to put down book. Hannah is a single mother and recent law school graduate. After working several temporary jobs, she has interviewed for a job in the corporate law department of the Knightley brothers' law firm. There's just one catch - they need her to work six months in the shorthanded family law department first. That is absolutely the last place she wants to be, but she'll tough it out for the short term. Trent is intrigued by his new associate. She is beautiful, but also very cool and private. She has made it clear that she's not happy about working family law, but he's quickly impressed by her attention to detail.

I loved Trent. He is first and foremost a gentleman, and very protective of the people who work for him. There are several instances over the first few days where he makes it plain to Hannah that he is not just her boss but a friend also. He is also overwhelmed with work right now, so he pairs Hannah with another lawyer in the department to learn the ropes. He is unaware that this other lawyer has been playing fast and loose with the rules, but Hannah experiences it firsthand. I loved Trent's reaction when he found out, but that also put Hannah by herself handling cases in court the next week.

I also loved Hannah. She is a strong woman who has been through a lot in her life so far. She grew up in the foster care system which is why she feels so strongly about family law. She experienced the worst of it from a foster child's perspective. She also has a seven year old daughter who she is very protective of. She has secrets from her past and guards her privacy zealously in order to protect herself and Grace. Though she hates working family law, she is very good at it, and there are some fantastic scenes of the cases she deals with.

The development of the relationship between Trent and Hannah is wonderful. Trent was hurt in the past and has believed that he is past any possibility of a new relationship. There is a vulnerable side of him that shows, as he worries that he is going to do something wrong with the things he starts to feel about Hannah. He also senses that she has secrets, and is sensitive enough not to badger her about them, but makes himself available for her to confide in when she's ready. He also has a gentle, but insistent way of getting her to do what he wants when he tries to take care of her. There are some really wonderful scenes of him showing his confidence in her courtroom skills, and the effect that confidence has on her. Hannah has never experienced a loving relationship of any kind, and Trent's treatment of her quickly starts to crumble the walls she has built around her heart. She is so used to depending only on herself that she doesn't quite know how to handle Trent's insistence on helping her, but she finds herself wanting to lean on him. For someone who feels that her people skills are somewhat lacking, I thought that she did pretty well with Trent. I loved the way that she would touch him, straighten his tie in an almost, but not quite motherly way. It was terrific to see her open her heart to Trent and start to trust him with her past. However, there are still some issues that pop up at the end that make her wonder if a future with Trent is possible. I loved the lengths that he went to in order to make their happy ending become real.

Throughout the story is a thread dealing with the lawyer that Hannah worked with at the beginning. His actions and deceptions had gotten him fired, which he blames on Hannah. He is determined to get revenge, and several times during the book we get his point of view. The things he does are really terrible and cause Hannah's worst fears to be realized. I loved the way that Trent and his brothers were there for Hannah and Grace and helped them through the crisis. The scene in the courtroom was wonderful, especially the testimony by Grace's friend Henry.

The two little girls in the story were adorable. Merle is Trent's daughter and Grace belongs to Hannah. The two girls are in the same class at school and become friends well before their parents do. Each girl is very protective and caring of their parent, and it was really sweet to see how strong those relationships are. They are also typical little girls with the imaginations to go with it. I loved their imaginary unicorns.

The secondary characters were all wonderful. Trent's two brothers were so realistic. I loved the way they all teased each other, but were also there to support each other when needed. It was really sweet to see the two brothers with their niece, and the way she had them wrapped around their fingers. Mac and James each have their own law specialty within their firm and I loved seeing how each is portrayed within that specialty. There is also a side story involving two judges who are friends of the Knightley brothers. I loved seeing the advice they are given. There is also a surprise twist involving these two judges and Hannah, which makes an especially satisfying ending to the book.

I also enjoyed the lawyer/family court setting. The realism of the cases shown was heartbreaking at times. I could really understand Hannah's stress over what she had to do, considering her history. I could also see Trent's happiness in doing his best to get his clients what they needed. ( )

After a string of successful Regency and Victorian romances, Burrowes has written her first contemporary.

Trent Knightley and his brothers hire Hannah Stark, a young single mother, for their law firm. Although she is destined for the corporate law department, first she must endure a stint in family law. After growing up as a foster child, Hannah has a hatred of family law and of courtrooms. While falling for Trent, and his family, she comes to doubt her decision to become a lawyer. A further complication arises when her daughter is threatened by a disgruntled former co-worker.

Delightful characters and realistic drama. This perhaps suffers a little by leaning too heavily on Burrowes's own career as a family court lawyer, but that is a minor caveat in an affecting romance.

Recommended. ( )