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    Once Upon a Kiss
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    Once Upon a Kiss
    Unavailable
    Once Upon a Kiss
    Ebook407 pages7 hours

    Once Upon a Kiss

    By Jayne Fresina

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "[An] amusing and self-aware retread of Pride and Prejudice... [a] witty romp."—Publishers Weekly

    The Perfect Hero

    When handsome, mysterious Darius Wainwright strolls into town, the Book Club Belles are instantly smitten with this brooding good looks and prideful demeanor. It's as if he walked out of the pages of their favorite new novel, a scandalous romance called Pride and Prejudice. But Justina Penny can't understand why her fellow Belles are starry-eyed in the newcomer's arrogant presence—surely a wicked Wickham would be infinitely more fun...

    Justina is the opposite of Darius's ideal woman—not that he's looking for romance. But when he discovers her stealing apples from his uncle's orchard, he can't resist his own thieving impulse. A stolen kiss from the mischievous Miss Penny leaves Darius wanting much, much more. If it's a dashing villain she desires, Darius is more than willing to play the part...

    Book Club Belle Society Series:

    Before the Kiss (novella)

    Once Upon a Kiss (Book 1)

    Sinfully Ever After (Book 2)

    How to Rescue a Rake (Book 3)

    Praise for The Most Improper Miss Sophie Valentine:

    "Eminently witty."—Publishers Weekly

    "Decidedly humorous, as well as sensual...a true charmer of a read."—RT Book Reviews

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateJun 3, 2014
    ISBN9781402287770
    Unavailable
    Once Upon a Kiss
    Author

    Jayne Fresina

    Jayne Fresina sprouted up in England. Entertained by her father’s colorful tales of growing up in the countryside, and surrounded by opinionated sisters, she’s always had inspiration for her beleaguered heroes and unstoppable heroines. She lives in upstate New York. Visit www.jaynefresina.com.

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    Reviews for Once Upon a Kiss

    4/5

    8 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book was just delightful :D The pages flew by and I was charmed by it. I do hope all the books in this series will be as good.

      It's a book a book club (yay), and they are reading Pride and Prejudice. And the author weaves her spell and the book read a bit like PP then too. More fun for me.

      Our heroine is, gods, crazy! Ha, in a good way. I loved her. She did all the wrong things, said the wrong things, she just wanted to have fun, to lose her bonnet and get her petticoats dirty by jumping in a puddle. Justine was then a great heroine.

      Darius does not know what to do with her. He is more the Mr Darcy kind of guy, quiet, reserved, but he sure got to me at once too. They bring out the best in each other, yes even when bickering.

      Great couple, fun things happening, a bit of Pride and Prejudice, and more promised as the rest of the book club will find love too. I can't wait.

      An amusing and charming book.
    • 5/5
      Calling all Pride and Prejudice fans, this book is for you. Once Upon a Kiss follows the (mis)adventures of Justina Penny. As our heroine, she is spirited, bold, and at times foolhardy. You see, Justina hails from a small country town, has a rather loud mother whose whole mission in life is to get her daughters wed, specifically her older, very attractive daughter, a tolerant father, and an independent streak. During one of Justina's grand schemes, she meets Mr. Darius Wainwright. He just so happens to be a very rich bachelor whose broody stares, quiet disregard and general uptightness rub Justina the wrong way. They proceed to snarl, fuss, and be drawn to each other's company. Remember the comparison I spoke of earlier? This should all sound vaguely and charmingly familiar.
       
      Justina and Darius never fail to give the reader interactions full of humor, witty banter, and heartfelt emotion. Justina slowly reveals that maybe a lot of her outrageous antics can be attributed to always playing second fiddle to her sister. There are many times you will hurt for Justina as blithe comments about how attractive her older sister is and how there is really no hope of any gentleman wanting to marry her are tossed her way by her mother and friends. It gradually becomes clear that not all roll off her back. This shared secret hurt is what draws Justina and Darius together. Darius also harbors some pain from growing up in an older sibling's shadow. He grew up stuttering, unsure, and awkward to his older brother's loquaciousness and general pleasantry. When they meet for a second time a year later, they fairly crackle and sizzle with tension. Darius, having inherited a manor in Justina's hometown, finds he is willing to stick around longer than planned as he finds, despite his best efforts, being drawn to Justina. Each interaction just intensifies their chemistry.
       
      There is no Big Misunderstanding, life or death situation, or overly contrived plot points and this story is all the better for it. Instead you have a cast of secondary characters that you will hope get their own stories. There are three other ladies in Justina's book club and perhaps two other ladies in the wings, how many books did Jane Austen write? There is a secondary couple that includes a captain who goes off to gain fortune and fame after a lady feels she must turn him down for a more promising prospect, which will have you guessing as to what the next book will be about. All in all this was a quick read that will have you gleefully turning the pages. While it is fluffy, there are enough little moments of deep emotion that spring up and pleasantly surprise you. Once Upon a Kiss is a delightfully fun read you won't want to miss. I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for the upcoming books.

      Received a copy via Netgalley for an honest review.