Book 836: Summer Kisses (Kiss Me #2) – Charlie Novak

When this review request came in it was a no brainer.* I adored Patrick and Connor from Strawberry Kisses and was super curious about Aaron and Josh’s story because they were  at each other’s throats so much in the first book!

This one couldn’t be any more opposite. Whereas Strawberry Kisses was full of sweetness and adorableness, Summer Kisses was full of fire and passion and swearing and bad decisions. It worked just as well, just from totally different perspectives and attitudes.

Honestly though, the most enjoyable aspect of this novel was the second chance Aaron and Josh got. When they first met, they were both young chefs making their way in the London culinary scene and they were HORRIBLE for each other. Aaron had substance abuse problems to start (not to mention the swearing and bad attitude in general) and Josh’s falling unreservedly for him drew him into the orbit and it was not going to end well.

A swell of emotion crested in my chest, washing over me like a tidal wave on the shore. It should have frightened me. I should have walked away right then and there—left this man behind in his bed with his dreams where he wouldn’t hurt me. Because I knew he would. It was just a matter of when. Men like Aaron always did the hurting in the end. They were like sunshine . . . like the patterns light casts on the wall—beautiful to look at but impossible to catch. They were fleeting and could only be enjoyed while they lasted. You couldn’t bottle them for later. It was impossible. If I were a sensible man, I’d have gotten out already. I wouldn’t be waiting for the axe to fall. (Chapter 6)

When it did end it could’ve been incredibly underwhelming, but Novak’s writing really brought out the pain in both characters and not only did they both sober up independently, they carried a torch for each other for years. Then through happenstance (fate?) Josh applied for a chef position at the restaurant we meet them in which Aaron and his best friend Ben own and run. Of course, it’s awkward AF, but Aaron agrees to hire Josh and they work together for years avoiding each other as much as they can and fighting the sexual attraction.

The opening scene of the novel let me know this one was going to be pretty different from the first in the series, but it worked well before flashing back to share all their history. It was a sex scene and I was a little worried Novak was going super male (think Damon Suede) with the wham bam gratuitous sex scenes throughout the entire novel, but it really slowed down after that. There were definitely more sex scenes that were hot and heavy, but you could feel the passion building even in the flash backs. But really the story was about how far Aaron and Josh had come as individuals and the fact that they were horrible for each other the first time, but this time the could have a healthy relationship but they were going to have to work for it.

Maybe the best relationships, the ones that really worked, were the ones where one person always fought for it. Where the other person really tried to listen. Everyone went through shit, that was just life, but maybe the couples that made it through were the ones who were in it together. That didn’t mean every relationship was the same, but it had to mean the basics were: love, trust, communication, openness. The rest was all window dressing to some extent. (Chapter 29)

I loved the couple of shout outs for Leeds and Yorkshire, but this one killed me:

‘Yes, well, my mother is from the wilds of Yorkshire. Nobody fucks around with a northern lass and gets away with it,’ I said grinning. (Chapter 16)

Legit cackled while reading this in the pool on vacation and got a couple of looks.

I do have a bone to pick with Novak though, I’m so mad I have to read yet another series (woe is me, right!?). I remember seeing the book Natural Twenty from her Roll for Love series come across in a review request, but what I didn’t know was that it tied into this series and I clearly didn’t read the synopsis because there’s a bookstore owner and clearly some gaming going on (duh DND Roll for Love series), but damnit now I have more books to read. [This is ALL sarcastic, I’ve already downloaded it and am trying my best NOT to read it right away to get through some other works first.

Recommendation: If Strawberry Kisses was a sweet slow burning romance, this is fast burning wildfire that somehow brings new life to what it burned down. The passion and love (often coming across through fighting/teasing/arguing) between Josh and Aaron was really well written and Novak kept things at a boil even when I felt I was ready for things to simmer down, but it worked. I’ve now added more of Novak’s books to my to-be-read list thanks to this one.

*I received a copy of Summer Kisses via Gay Romance Reviews in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “I stared darkly at the Kilner jar on the polished-chrome kitchen counter, trying to work out which asshole thought I needed a fucking swear jar.”

Closing Line: “I had everything I ever wanted.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)

Additional Quotes from Summer Kisses
“I should have booted him out there and fucking then. But I didn’t. Because some part of me knew I needed this man with his whiskey smiles, dancing eyes, and tricky tongue. The man who came for a fuck and stayed for toasties . . .  The man who made me feel alive just by looking at me.” (Chapter 5)

“I’d lived in Yorkshire long enough to tell where people were from. I’d grown up between Bradford and Leeds, but I got the feeling Aaron was from a little farther into North Yorkshire.” (Chapter 6)

“He had a gentle Irish brogue, a round face, and runaway honey-coloured hair that always made me think of Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. Patrick had the same inner strength too. I’d thought at first he wasn’t going to be tough enough for a professional kitchen, but he had a core of fucking steel.” (Chapter 8)

“The first thing he [Patrick] did was come out, and I was so fucking proud of him and so fucking grateful that he trusted me enough to tell me, especially as saying it out loud seemed to be a new thing for him. God, nobody deserved this sweet fucking man. Nobody in the history of the world was ever going to be good enough for him.” (Chapter 18)

“‘I don’t know why you love grape. It’s not a flavour that belongs in drinks.’
‘I don’t get why you hate it,’ he said. ‘And besides, it’s not that weird. It’s super popular in some places.’
‘Yes, but one of those places is America, and I wouldn’t trust most of those fuckers with food, even if my life depended on it.'” (Chapter 24)

“‘Look at these,’ I said pointing them out to Josh. ‘They made Pokémon drinks!’ The colourful cans were filled with fruit-flavoured fizzy water, each with a different Pokémon on the packaging. I hadn’t played any of the games in years, but Ben and I had been mad collectors of the cards during primary school. It filled me with a warm hit of nostalgia. I picked up a bright orange can with Charmander on it, turning it over in my hand.” (Chapter 24)

“There was an art in Japan called kintsugi, which was the art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold dust. It didn’t try to hide the breakage or pretend the damage wasn’t done; it just acknowledged it and treated it as part of the object’s history. Not to get too poetic, but sometimes I felt like that’s what Lexi was helping me do. I wasn’t going to pretend I hadn’t put myself through some shit, or even gone through some shit—because apparently being bullied for being the ginger gay kid counted as trauma, no matter how much I tried to deny it—but I was there, and I was standing, and I was even some semblance of a functional adult.” (Chapter 30)