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N. N. Light
Mar 203 min read

5++ stars for Kissing Kin by Karen Hulene Bartell #pnr #paranormalromance #romance #bookreview #wrpbks #giveaway



Title: Kissing Kin

Author: Karen Hulene Bartell

Genre: Paranormal Romance

 

Book Blurb:

 

Maeve Jackson is starting over after a broken engagement—and mustering out of the Army. No job and no prospects, she spins out on black ice and totals her car.

 

When struggling vintner Luke Kaylor stops to help, they discover they’re distantly related. On a shoestring budget to convert his vineyard into a winery, he makes her a deal: prune grapevines in exchange for room and board.

 

But forgotten diaries and a haunted cabin kickstart a five-generation mystery with ancestors that have bones to pick. As carnal urges propel them into each other’s arms, they wonder: Is their attraction physical…or metaphysical?

 

My Review:

 

Can Maeve find the home she’s always craved in a place of ghosts and mysteries? Kissing Kin is an unexpected paranormal romance to savor, like a fine wine. Dual timelines overlap as Maeve and Luke discover old family secrets and fall in love. The descriptive narration propels the reader to a small town in Texas where the townsfolk are friendly and welcoming. The world-building is immersive and well done. But it’s the characters who make Kissing Kin an unputdownable read.

 

Let’s start with the characters. Maeve is a woman at a crossroads. Released from the army, commonly called mustering, and hurting from a broken engagement, she’s not sure where to go or what to do. She travels to a town her grandmother spoke of, and discovers Luke is a distant relation by adoption. There’s a strong connection between them, but what does it mean? Maeve soon learns love is much more than physical attraction. Can she find romance while helping her ancestors find peace?

 

I connected with Maeve right away. She reminds me of myself right before I met my beloved. Her emotions are well executed without being over the top. She’s realistic and level-headed. Her experiences in the haunted cabin are authentic. I enjoyed reading from her viewpoint.

 

The rest of the characters (including Luke and even the ghosts) are so well written and detailed, they became a part of me. Each character has their own voice and identity. The full cast of characters captured by heart and imagination.

 

The writing is emotional and poignant. Karen Hulene Bartell has a gift for storytelling, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Her originality comes across in many ways, but none more so than reading the history of Maeve’s ancestors through the journals. Such a creative way to tell a story.

 

If you’re looking for a unique paranormal romance with engaging characters, pick up Kissing Kin. It’s one of the finest romances ever written.

 

My Rating: 5++ stars

 

Buy it Now:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special Giveaway:

 

On Goddess Fish’ Full-Service tour for Kissing Kin, one tour reader will receive a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.

 

Enter here:

 


Author Biography:

 

Author of the Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, as well as Kissing Kin, Fox Tale, Wild Rose Pass, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle and more, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, IT technical editor, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her mews—three rescued cats and a rescued Catahoula Leopard dog.

 

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Reviewed by: Nancy

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