Bella Moore thought she had everything she ever wanted. The host of a hit reality show, she’s at the top of her career. So when her show goes on hiatus for six months and she finally has downtime, she decides to return to her roots and visit her sister in Cherry Lake. What she doesn’t expect is to love the town and the temporary chef position she’s taken on at the Lake Hotel.

Jake Woods is focused on his son and his job as the local fire chief. Things are moving along nicely until the new chef at the Lake Hotel almost burns the place down. Jake knows that Bella inherited a mess from the chef before her and he’s keen to help her.

After weeks of working together in tight quarters, Jake and Bella can’t ignore the sparks between them. But Bella’s stay in Cherry Lake is only temporary and Jake still hasn’t recovered from losing his wife a few years ago. They’ll have to decide whether or not the flame between them can survive without the heat of the kitchen.

Titles in The Moore Sisters of Montana include:  Christmas Glitter – Valentine Kisses –

Title:  Valentine Kisses
Series:  The Moore Sisters of Montana #2
Author:  Ann B. Harrison
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  February 5, 2018
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4 stars

Sometimes in order to get a well deserved happy ever after you have to be willing to make changes, compromises and not expect the person you love to do all the changing for you.  This is something that Jake will eventually have to grapple with as his friendship and attraction with the temporary new chef at the Lake Hotel begins to turn to something far more serious and complicated.  Jake is a widower raising his teen son, his job as fire chief brings him in contact with Bella during a fire in the hotel’s kitchen.  And even though neither one was looking for long term, things get complicated when love enters the picture.

I really liked the characters in Valentine Kisses, even if I occasionally wanted to have a stern conversation with Jake.  Bella is a whirlwind in danger of burning out from her schedule and work on her reality show.  This break is everything she needs and a lot that she wasn’t expecting like a handsome fireman and his likable son.  Love is often complicated, and it’s not always easy to have everything fall neatly into place for everyone involved.  I believe that this story shows that you cannot expect only one person in a relationship to be making the changes.  A couple either finds a medium ground with compromises and adjustments or the love can turn bitter in the future.  I adored Jake’s son, and he has some of the  best comments of this entire story.

I enjoyed my time in this world, and I believe you would as well.  I’d recommend Valentine Kisses for any Contemporary Romance reader who loves a good story, relatable characters, a few challenges to overcome and a happy ever ending that is so well deserved.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available for the Kindle