Kisses Between the Lines: An Echo Ridge Anthology

Welcome to Echo Ridge, New York, where romance finds its way into the lives of the people who walk the streets of the close-knit community. In these five novellas, listeners will experience the power a book has to change a life, make dreams come true, and bring two hearts together.

My thoughts are in italics after each summary.

The Kiss Thief by Rachelle J. Christensen - -The old Echo Ridge library is in desperate need of a renovation. Librarian Britta Kleins heart refuses to be swayed by musician Milo Geissler and his irresistible dimpled smile. But when he helps her find a key classic book, Britta wonders if there is more to life than books and order.

There were parts of this story that I loved simply because my dad is German. Sadly, he didn't have the accent because he's full-blooded German born and raised in America. :) Anyway, Britta is so determined to never get involved with a German boy because of the way she was teased growing up that she almost misses out on the love of her life. I loved how being around Milo brought out the little bits of her childhood that she did love until finally she was willing to take a risk. I also loved the music metaphors throughout. Lovely!

I give this one a 4.

The Lion, the Witch & the Library by Lucy McConnell - - Jennifer Solomons birthday wish is to have the one person shes been too shy to go after: Kirke Staples, her best friend. Friend, as in don't fall in love with the man. But its too late. In her efforts to win Kirkes heart, Jennifer is forced to decide what type of woman she wants to be.

Jennifer was a lot of fun from the very beginning. The story starts with her realizing she wants more from her best friend. Unfortunately, he's been actively trying to get the attentions of Bay Barrington (an actress who comes to visit and causes a TON of trouble!). Kirke is a bit frustrating to me. He's attracted to Jennifer, but he keeps thinking that since he put so much time and effort into meeting Bay that he needs to follow through with that. Stupid clueless men! There's some great drama as both of them go back and forth trying to figure out what they really want.

I give this one a 4.

The Last of the Gentlemen by Cami Checketts - - Working nights and struggling through life, Emma Turner doesnt leave much time for romance. But when her sons good-looking lacrosse coach takes an interest in her children, Emma has to fight off desire and banish her daydreams. If only she could tell that to her heart.

Chayton finally gets his chance at love! I really liked him as a character in the Christmas stories. He might not have been right for Chelsea, but he was just such a good guy you couldn't help hoping he found love soon. And Emma is such a sweet and deserving recipient of his attentions. I love how he does everything he can to make Emma and her girls smile simply because he likes to see them smile. He truly is like a knight in shining armor riding in to save the day.

I give this one a 4. 

Much Ado about a Kiss by Heather Tullis - - The one thing Fay doesn't need right now is a guy in her life, especially her brother's irritating best friend from high school, whose kiss made her heart flutter. Why does he have to upset her just-fine world? Not this time. Not if she can help it. But can she?

Oh! This story made me so sad for Fay. She's been stressing over a kiss for years not knowing what was really behind it. I love Fay and her artistic approach to life and the cafe. Austin remembers the kiss quite differently than Fay. They both have to come to a new understanding of what happened then in order to move forward with their feelings now. 

I give this one a 4.

Pride & Persuasion by Connie E. Sokol - - Lindy Marchant is roped into the Echo Ridge library fundraiser to become an assistant for Armand D. Beaumont, a bestselling detective writer. While Armand inadvertently assists Lindy with the shop, she uncovers his painful truth and an inconvenient growing attraction.

After getting a glimpse of Armand from The Kiss Thief, it's nice to see what was going on with him and Lindy. We've got two strong personalities butting heads and they don't even know why! There are some fun surprises along the way and both find their futures are more hopeful with each other in their lives. 

I give this one a 4.

I really enjoyed the collection as a whole. It was clean, sweet, and all the stories were well written. I give the entire thing a solid 4.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure