THEN HE KISSED ME by Christie Ridgway

Publisher: Berkley
Date published: January 2011
ISBN: 978-0425239179
Contemporary romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by publisher


The Tanti Baci winery has been in the family for generations but now it’s in trouble. To save the winery, the three Baci sisters have the great idea to turn it into the perfect setting for weddings. Stevie Baci has her own business…the Napa Princess Limousine…where she chauffeurs people about. Now her ex-boyfriend and his real princess fiancé are planning their wedding at the winery and Stevie has to organize it. Add into the equation the princess’ brother, Jack, a real alpha male and things get interesting. Especially when Jack and Stevie are caught in a somewhat compromising situation and Jack announces that they are engaged! Jack has always enjoyed his life of wine, women and song, but when he meets Stevie she drives him crazy, and not always in a bad way.

I think that you can see from my rating that I wasn’t really over excited by this story. It was an ok read. There were certainly lots of witty and snappy dialogue between Stevie and Jack, and some heated moments too. There were also some interesting secondary characters as well. I got a bit lost sometimes as the story hopped around a bit. I also felt the story was a bit flat, because it certainly sagged in the middle. Of course, it’s fun reading how people find their true love, but I missed some excitement…something to hook me and get me turning the pages. What I felt was when is this going to end?

I know readers who are big fans of contemporary romance will enjoy this one. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THEN HE KISSED ME by Christie Ridgway

Publisher: Berkley
Date published: January 2011
ISBN: 978-0425239179
Contemporary romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by publisher


The Tanti Baci winery has been in the family for generations but now it’s in trouble. To save the winery, the three Baci sisters have the great idea to turn it into the perfect setting for weddings. Stevie Baci has her own business…the Napa Princess Limousine…where she chauffeurs people about. Now her ex-boyfriend and his real princess fiancé are planning their wedding at the winery and Stevie has to organize it. Add into the equation the princess’ brother, Jack, a real alpha male and things get interesting. Especially when Jack and Stevie are caught in a somewhat compromising situation and Jack announces that they are engaged! Jack has always enjoyed his life of wine, women and song, but when he meets Stevie she drives him crazy, and not always in a bad way.

I think that you can see from my rating that I wasn’t really over excited by this story. It was an ok read. There were certainly lots of witty and snappy dialogue between Stevie and Jack, and some heated moments too. There were also some interesting secondary characters as well. I got a bit lost sometimes as the story hopped around a bit. I also felt the story was a bit flat, because it certainly sagged in the middle. Of course, it’s fun reading how people find their true love, but I missed some excitement…something to hook me and get me turning the pages. What I felt was when is this going to end?

I know readers who are big fans of contemporary romance will enjoy this one. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

CRUSH ON YOU by Christie Ridgway

Three Kisses Series book 1
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: June 2010
ISBN: 978-0-425-23513-3
Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Publisher


Alessandra Baci is determined to make her family’s winery’s first wedding go off without a hitch. Piece of cake, right? Of course not….she has had bad luck since her wedding never happened and now to keep a promise to her late father, she enlists the help of bad boy Penn Bennett, a TV star, sibling to the Baci Sister’s biggest rivals and so handsome, he makes Alessandra want to either kill him or jump him. Sparks fly as these two find themselves falling for one another. Can Alessandra begin to believe in happily ever after with her family’s biggest rival?

CRUSH ON YOU is a light-hearted romp that is a perfect autumn afternoon read. Ms. Ridgway delivers a great story that keeps you glued to the edge of your seat, giggling at the antics of the characters and a fast moving storyline. The writing could have been a little tighter though there are a lot of mentions of ‘Groom/bride-to-be’ that got on my nerves a bit after awhile. The characters are multi-dimensional and likable. The secondary characters of Gil and Claire are what stole the book away from Penn and Alessandra in my opinion. They have a secondary romance playing out while Alessandra and Penn bicker and fall for one another. It kept me glued to the pages and made me eager to see what would happen next for those two.

Alessandra and her sisters find out that the family winery is on the edge of financial disaster and unless they can bring in some fresh cash to the business, they may lose it all. Alessandra dreams up a way to drum new business in hosting weddings at the family’s wedding cottage. Called the ‘Nun of Napa’ ever since her fiancée never showed up for their wedding, Alessandra has carried the heartbreak for the last five years. When she meets Penn Bennett, she finds herself equally smitten and annoyed with the man. Penn is the host of the hot TV show, Build Me Up, and when he comes home for a spell, he finds himself smitten with Alessandra. Neither looking for anything permanent, can these two find a way to let past ghosts lie in the past and move on to a future that can be full of romance and love? These two are fire and ice together. I love how Penn was able to call Alessandra on items in the book that she did to him and Alessandra learns a few things as well. They are well written and kept my interest through the book.

CRUSH ON YOU is a fun read that will leave you wanting more. I have never read this author before and found this latest book to be a perfect story for when I want a ‘laugh out loud, cheering for them’ story with unforgettable characters. Almost makes me want to check out Napa Valley to see if I could find a Hollywood hottie of my own. If you enjoy light-hearted romance, than this is a perfect story for you. I cannot wait for the next Baci sisters story hopefully coming soon.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.