Only One Kiss by Natasha Madison
Only One Kiss to know. It took only one kiss to “feel it,….. it creeps into you with out knowing. It’s the air that makes your lungs breathe.” Sometimes love sneaks in even when you aren’t looking for it. This might be one of the most romantic hockey romances I have ever read! I was pulled in from page one and could not put it down until the very last page.
Ralph is raising his 5-month-old daughter on his own. He is just getting back into training after the birth and the death of his girlfriend, but his sole focus is still on Ariella. Ari owns his whole heart. Ralph is very much living moment to moment. He is trying so hard to be present with Ari that he hasn’t really healed or dealt with the lingering issues from losing his girlfriend.
Candace is a social media expert and she looks after elite few athletics and doesn’t have room on her books for anyone else. Through a series of favors and connections Candance decides to help Ralph out. It doesn’t hurt that her heart is captured by Ariella
The instant connection between Ralph and Candace is magic. You can feel it coming off the pages every time they come together. Ralph’s awkward responses feel so genuine, just because you are a hockey player doesn’t mean you have the swagger. I like the realness and natural progression of this romance.
One of the things in this story that I felt was so compelling was Candace’s desire to be a mother and to have a family of her own. Even with her desire to one day have this she isn’t actively looking for a relationship. She isn’t ashamed of this and really embrace it. She very successful and her social media skills are very much in demand. It really shows that a woman can want and have success while still wanting to have babies and family. She doesn’t give up who she is even just to be part of an instant family. Ralph respects this. He isn’t pushing for her sole focus to be on his and Ari. When she jumps in to help him in a moment of crisis, he questions to make sure it isn’t going to interfere with her work.
I really enjoyed the small glimpse of the stars of the This is Series. Zara and Evan are some of my favorites. This is book one of the Only One Series and it is off with a bang. I cannot wait to see what amazing stories follow. If you are looking for a truly romantic story with the perfect balance of steam and laughs, I highly recommend Only One Kiss. This was a 5/5 read for me.
