Review: After the Kiss by Lauren Layne

Title: After The Kiss
Author: Lauren Layne
Published: August 26th 2013
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.

Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.

My Thoughts:

This one was surprisingly a lot better than I expected it would be. The premise is very How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (as others have pointed out), but I think this one goes a lot deeper. And I liked that, a lot. There was more to the relationship than meets the eye.

Julie is the type who fights a relationship where you're settled down and comfortable, where it goes beyond the first moments. Seeing her struggle to fight while wanting a real relationship was impressively balanced. And Mitchell, well, it's hard to imagine a girl not desiring more than just a couple dates. He's the type to want more than just a fling, but he's trying to prove he can have a fling. But the chemistry between Julie and Mitchell is beyond what either of them expected and not at all what they planned.

After the Kiss showed the line between truth and pretending. Julie and Mitchell managed to discover where they really stand despite the games being played in the background. I liked how Lauren Layne got me invested in their relationship and I can't wait to see what's in store for the others in the rest of the series, including the next story, Love the One You're With.

My Rating: