Kiss and Tell (Italian Stallions #8)
Mari Carr
Blurb:
Overcoming a
difficult childhood, Miles is proud of the life he’s forged for himself. He’s
got it all. A hit cable show, amazing friends, and Joey, the greatest cohost a
guy could ask for. When Joey throws a curveball into their well-ordered
existence, falling for Lucy, the most obnoxiously cheerful person he’s ever
met, Miles knows he should be supportive. What he shouldn’t do is kiss the
chatty woman to shut her up.
Lucy’s dreams are
bigger than her family’s farm, but leaving home isn’t an easy proposition. When
Joey invites her to hit the road, touring the country with him as he films his
show, she jumps at the chance. However, travel isn’t what entices her most.
Because for her, the greatest temptation is the charming Joey…and his
infuriatingly grumpy, sexy best friend, Miles.
Themes: Menage
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating:
Review:
Whenever
I start a series finale it is bittersweet feeling, a feeling of leaving behind friends
I have gotten to know and love, but the best thing about books is that we can
always return to their pages again and again and visit. This series finale is no less a departure
even knowing that s spinoff is coming and we will probably be getting cameos
from some of our favorite characters and also getting a brand-new adventure with
all new characters as well. Mari Carr’s worlds interweave so beautifully
through series, from the sensual Wild Irish of Baltimore,
then the even Wilder
second generation of Baltimore Irishmen and women that ultimately led us to the
sexy Italians of Philadelphia and now we will start an all-new series of sexy Mountain
folks in Northern Virginia (Perfect Storm).
If you are looking for the basic and staid relationship, tame lovers, and calm
waters of a lot of romantic stories, I warn you to turn away now, because not
only will you never find that in any Carr romance, Kiss and Tell was definitely
nothing like that. This story is filled with the angst of three people that
find themselves in a situation none of them ever imagined they would and reaching
for a life they never imagined they would want. Luckily the adventure of life
is often filled with surprises and these three got to experience that
firsthand. I am sad to see the end of these series, but truly looking forward
to the new series beginning with Lucy’s family and getting to learn more about
them. Let the fun and games begin!
Joey
Moretti and Miles Williams have been best friends for
years, ever since they first met and became cohosts of their kickass TV show,
traveling the country and meeting amazing entrepreneurs and business owners.
But when they arrive at the home of their newest guests, in the beautiful mountains
of Northern VA, they never could have foreseen how much their world was going
to change. Joey is looking for the woman
that will finally complete his heart, the love like his siblings and cousins
have found, and when he first sets eyes of Lucy Storm he is sure he’s found
her. Miles is attracted to Lucy as well,
but he’d never poach on his best friend’s girl and he has no interest in the
kind of relationship that the Moretti family has made common. Lucy Storm is brewmaster
at her family’s brewery, but she has bigger dreams, if she can ever convince
herself to follow them. When these
three are together the sparks fly, but with Miles working hard to deny the magnetic
pull and Joey working hard to prove that they would make a perfect threesome, cross-purposes
cause severe tension and could cause a rift.
When Lucy agrees to join them on
a short trip to expand on her dreams and see a bit of the country, the passion explodes
between them all, showing them that some things truly are undeniable, but their
relationship has to have an end date—doesn’t it? After all, can three people
with such different ideas for their future really build a lasting relationship?
Only time and love will tell.
Wow,
could three ore perfectly matched—even though it didn’t seem like it at first
characters have existed? I loved getting to know Lucy and seeing her interacting
with her family (also a good way to introduce future book characters) was intriguing
to say the least. There was definitely a
dynamic in the family that was heartbreaking, due to the loses they’d suffered
in the past and the way they’d dealt with them.
I loved Lucy’s carefree, sweet, intelligent, and always sunny
personality, which was a perfect balance to Miles’s sometimes dark and gloomy
moments. She obviously had her own pain
and issues, but once she reached for what she wanted to refuse to let anything
hold her back which I loved. Joey was a bit of a character, even for a Moretti,
and more than once I wanted to laugh at his stubbornness. Some men just have to learn the hard way
though that you can’t just barrel through life, forcing others to do what you
want them to because you think you know what is best for everyone. His strength, wit, caring, bravery, and dedication
remind readers that sometimes if you work hard toward a goal you will get
exactly want you want; his willingness to ask for help when it comes to areas
that he is clueless—namely relationships—reminds us that he is resourceful and
willing to give his all to get the love and relationship he wants. Miles is an
interesting one; more than once I wondered if he truly would find his way to
open his heart to Lucy and come to terms with the relationship Joey offered
them. He obviously hasn’t as easily accepted
the alternative relationships that now fill the Moretti family, and he
certainly believes that kind of relationship isn’t for him (or them). While I could understand his concerns it seemed
to me that he was more unwilling to confront his own fears and accept what his
heart and mind were telling him every time he was around Joey and Lucy. Sometimes our instincts are smarter than our
higher brains and we just need to pay better attention. The moments when he opened up, showing his humor,
devotion, love, and intensity of emotion I could perfectly understand why Lucy
fell for him and Joey was certain he was the perfect third for them. They truly were the perfect side to make an
equal triangle.
Kiss
and Tell was a beautiful story of three people reaching
for what they wanted out of life and find the beauty and fulfillment of a true
love and HEA. I loved every moment of
the sensual, humorous, sometimes sad, but always beautifully written tale of
Joey, Lucy and Miles finding their way to love. Joey was a brash, sexy, in-your-face, and
hilarious Italian hottie that stole the heart of a southern girl while teaching
his best friend that sometimes we have to give up our preconceived notions of
love in order to truly find it. Miles
was a passionate, brutally handsome, somewhat broken, Yankee that needed to
have his heart healed in order to find his way to trusting in love again in
order to open his heart to the sexy Brewmaster and sharing her with the brother
of his heart. Lucy was the sweet and loving small town, mountain girl who’d
devoted her entire life to her family, but when these two sexy city boys came
into her life she finally decided to give herself a chance at reaching for the
stars and the big dreams she’d always stifled.
The passion between these three simmered and sparked in various ways from
the very beginning, but the times when they let it have free reign certainly leave
us wondering if those mountains were safe from the raging fires they were creating.
I am dying for the stories of the rest of the Storm family and their new series,
beginning with Lucy’s oldest cousin Levi (Taken by
Storm). All-in-all Mari Carr makes
you forget that she’s ending a series even though there are tears and cameos
from so many of our favorite characters from past series as she brings Miles,
Joey, and Lucy to their HEA in the fabulous conclusion to the Italian
Stallions. Fantastic Mari, just fantastic.
Fun
note: for those that have read Mari’s Sparks in Texas
series, you’ll recognize a few characters, and for those that haven’t (or like
me that have it on their miles long TBR, you’ll want to get right on that after
this story)
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
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