Just One Kiss - Barbara Freethy

Just One Kiss

By Barbara Freethy

  • Release Date: 2020-10-06
  • Genre: Contemporary Romance
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 320 Ratings

Description

"Just One Kiss is my favorite story in the series so far. Barbara Freethy has once again shown that she is an amazing storyteller. I could not put it down. I loved every page. Just One Kiss is a second chance at first love story and is filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming moments." Patti - Goodreads

Hannah Stark takes care of everyone else, from the patients she nurses back to health, to her family, who can never seem to get it together. She'd love to find someone she can trust, someone she can lean on, someone she can love, but that someone will not be Jake McKenna. The ruggedly attractive owner of Adventure Sports might still make her palms sweat, but Jake broke her teenage heart years ago.
 
In the twelve plus years since they were a couple, Jake has given up on forgiveness from Hannah. He'd really like the chance to set the record straight, but that would mean revealing secrets he has sworn to protect. So, they dance around each other, never getting close enough to the lingering sparks to start another fire.
 
A stormy Christmas eve at the lake changes everything. A woman in trouble and a death-defying rescue gives them a chance to start over as they are now—if they can find the courage to trust each other. Will these two enemies turn into lovers, or will they reject the fate that has once again thrown them together? 
 
The irresistibly romantic and heartwarming fun continues in the next book in the WHISPER LAKE series, JUST ONE KISS, from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy. 

What the readers are saying about Just One Kiss…

"I devoured this book in one setting! The story was captivating! As with all of Freethy's characters, they are so well developed that you become completely invested in their story. They are real, not perfect and each with their own flaws!" Booklovers Anonymous 

"Barbara Freethy is one of my favorite authors because her books have the perfect blend of romance and suspense in every book, and Just One Kiss was no exception! This story was a heartwarming tale about second chances and forgiveness, mixed in with a mystery that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. Right now the real world feels like a dark place to be sometimes, and this book was the perfect escape." Kate – Goodreads

"Barbara Freethy does what she does best by giving you real people with real feelings, a lesson in forgiveness and a Christmas story with some zing to it." Lois – Goodreads

"A wonderful Christmas time second chance love story with a side of second chance family reunion. Exciting, romantic and a bit of suspense create a great read." Peggy - Goodreads
 
"Just One Kiss is my favorite story in the series so far. Barbara Freethy has once again shown that she is an amazing storyteller. I could not put it down. I loved every page. Just One Kiss is a second chance at first love story and is filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming moments." Patti- Goodreads

"This is a story of family, second chances, forgiveness, secrets and love with the wonderful residents of Whisper Lake during the Christmas season, a time for miracles to happen! A wonderful addition to this series!" Robin – Goodreads

Reviews

  • Just One KISS

    5
    By mel082363
    I loved this story because it was about a first love and them gettin back together! Very well written as Barbara’s stories always are!
  • Great Story!

    5
    By cmatinale
    What a wonderfully written story about second chances with family and romance. Hannah and Jake’s story was so much fun to read and left me wanting more. This is a fabulous series, so looking forward to reading the next book. Barbara Freethy writes the most wonderful books. You can’t go wrong with reading any of.
  • Add to your TBR list

    5
    By ledoss
    Another installment in the Whisper Lake series. I admit, I had a small problem getting into the storyline, there was much drama and angst that I put the book down several times before finally picking it up and digging in. Actually enjoyed it, once I gave it a chance. It is all here, the above referenced drama, angst, romance and steam. There is also a bad guy who rounds out the story with a side of action and crazy. Grab this one. It is worth adding to your TBR list.
  • Terrific Feel-Good Story

    5
    By LoveDachshunds
    What a joy to read! A trip to Whisper Lake is always a pleasure. The story of Hannah and Jake is a wonderful story with romance, mystery, and stories of forgiveness. When you add in Christmastime and kids, it’s extra special! Barbara has put together a great group of characters in Whisper Lake that I enjoy reading about. This book is a terrific feel-good story and a perfect get-away from the stresses of daily life. Just One Kiss is another great addition to the series. I hope this series has many more books to come!
  • Just One Kiss

    5
    By Jen G F
    ARC for honest review with no compensation Just One Kiss is book 4 in the Whisper Lake series by Barbara Freethy and another awesome addition. This book will keep you reading and anticipating what will happen next...second chances to right a wrong, secrets, emotional, heart warming, looking for family, building family relationships, forgiveness, some tears, mysterious circumstances and opening their hearts to maybe finding love and so much more! What an amazing series!!
  • Just One Kiss

    4
    By Ellen/Oceanside
    Whisper.Lake.....JUST ONE KISS..#4...Barbara..Freethy Hannah an ER nurse, dead tired, and being five days before Christmas in Whisper Lake, full of visitors. Since thirteen has kept the family together, forgiving them for their demands, especially her mother. Eight hours of work and she had to check on a furnace in one of the rental cabins, for her. A heavy snow, a flat tire, and Jake came by. Finding a young boy alone in the cabin, mother leaving a note. Hannah didn't want help, but needed Jake to take them back to town. Jake, a first crush and first humiliation to forgive him yet for those memories, seemed impossible. A child Brett, a trusting smile and the innocence of one that is young, before the hurts of people. Excepting his mother left him alone, isolated in a cabin out from town. For for what reason a note saying no calls to police. A story that tugs on your heart, of the drama in families and as in this story Hannah always stepping in to help and has no family of her own. A story of forgiveness and healing, enjoyable and well done. The 4th in this good series full of memories in Whisper Lake. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
  • Wonderful Second Chance Christmas Love Story

    5
    By Patti_L.
    I received an ARC of Just One Kiss by Barbara Freethy as a member of her review team for an honest review. I can truly say that I absolutely loved Just One Kiss, it is an incredible second chance love story. It is the third book in the Whisper Lake series and a Christmas romance. Each book in the series gets better and better, but I think that Just One Kiss is my favorite story in the series so far. Barbara Freethy has once again shown that she is an amazing storyteller. I could not put it down. I loved every page. I really enjoy how the book is told from the perspective of the main characters. I love getting the insight and feelings from the different characters. Just One Kiss is a second chance at first love story and is filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. I love the lighter moments where I find myself smiling and laughing out loud and the bittersweet moments that cause me to sigh, say aww to myself with tears filling my eyes. Just One Kiss is filled with such moments, and with so much emotion. It is filled with all those things that we have come to love and expect in a love story, especially the poignant and bittersweet moments that filled this page turner. Just One Kiss is the story of Jake McKenna, a sport enthusiast and owner of Whisper Lake’s Adventure Sports and Hannah Stark, an emergency room nurse. Hannah and Jake were high school sweethearts, but Jake stood Hannah up for prom and then cheated on her the same night, publicly humiliating Hannah. Both Hannah and Jake left Whisper Lake after graduation and have only recently returned home. Hannah has done everything to avoid Jake when in his nearby. Jake rescues Hannah on a snowy day when she gets a flat tire when checking on a problem at her family’s rental cabin. When Hannah gets to the cabin, she discovers a four year old boy, Brett on the couch. It turns out Brett is the son of Hannah’s sister, Kelly who left home fifteen years ago. As the spirit of Christmas embraces Hannah and Jake, Hannah lets her walls crumble and lets Jake back into her heart and love. I love how once again, Barbara Freethy incorporates the title of the book in to the story when Hannah tells Jake that it only took “just one kiss” for her to fall in love with him. I love that both Hannah and Jake share secrets with each other, especially Jake, whose secret cost him his relationship with Hannah. I love that they were both so vulnerable and that Hannah changed because of Jake’s rekindled love. I loved that Just One Kiss is a more than just a romance, there are dilemmas that both Hannah and Jake are facing that need to be resolved. I love that there were multiple storylines: trying to locate Kelly, Hannah’s relationship with her mother, Katherine a recovering alcoholic, Jake’s relationship with his father, Davis, but most importantly Hannah and Jake’s story. I love how all the storylines get so beautifully resolved because of the miracles of Christmas. I love all the descriptions of the Whisper Lake setting that Barbara Freethy detailed, it makes me want to visit. Just One Kiss is filled with the poignant and bittersweet moments in the story as well as the plot twists, that I have come to love and expect in Barbara Freethy's stories. I love the cast of characters in Just One Kiss and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series. Who doesn’t love family and friends that always have each other’s backs? Reading Just One Kiss felt like a family reunion, because the reader was able to catch up with the other characters in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed Just One Kiss, who doesn’t love a second chance at first love story.
  • Angsty and Awesome

    5
    By Grinandstampit
    Just One Kiss had grabbed me from the very beginning. It was fun to return to the characters of Whisper Lake. I loved the community events that the characters participated in as we caught up with them a bit. But as per author Barbara Freethy, she once again nailed it with her balance of intrigue and romance. Barbara Freethy brought two characters together that had a prior relationship and a lot of angst. When Hannah has to ask Jake for help it begins the journey of their reconnecting. Several events occurring long ago are revealed as they impacted the characters lives. This will be a book you won’t want to put down.
  • Just One Kiss

    5
    By Texas109
    Just One Kiss, the latest book in Barbara Freethy’s Whisper Lake series is a lovely story of forgiveness and redemption set at Christmas. So many secrets have caused so much hurt: Hannah and her first love, Jake; Hannah and her mother; Hannah and her older sister; Jake and his father. Readers will discover that some secrets, however, can be deadly. Can Jake and Hannah’s attempt to solve a mystery, and fulfill a small child’s Christmas wish bring reconciliation to anyone? Ms. Freethy’s fans know her plots and characters never disappoint and are guaranteed to keep readers up until the last period. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. Most highly recommend.