Book Sojourner: Review: Kiss Me Kate by Katy Regnery

Kiss Me Kate by Katy Regnery

(The English Brothers #6)

February 13, 2015

240 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Contains: strong language, explicit sex

Source: eARC for Honest review

Kiss Me, Kate is the sixth of six books about the Philadelphia-based, wildly-handsome English brothers (and one lovely cousin!) who are all on the look-out for love.

Kate English, cousin to the beguiling English Brothers, has relocated to Philadelphia and now works with her cousins at English & Company. The problem with moving to Philly? It was where Kate met her first love, Etienne Rousseau. Since the move, Kate can’t seem shake the painful memories of a romance that broke her heart.

Etienne Rousseau, neighbor and arch-enemy of the English family, is recently single and has every intention of enjoying his newly-minted bachelor-status. That is…until his brother inks a deal with English & Company, forcing Etienne to work with his one-time lover, Kate English. Though he wants to hate the girl who once destroyed his life, he can't deny the fierce attraction or hide the deep tenderness he still feels for Kate.

With vibrant flashbacks of their passionate, teenage love affair making it impossible to ignore their unresolved history, Kate and Etienne will commit to unraveling the secrets of their heartbreaking past to make way for a breathtaking future.

I have loved reading this entire series, and ending The English Brothers with Kate and Etienne's story was perfect. Kate, cousin to the English brothers, and Etienne, her first love, were briefly introduced to us previously. But the hints and peeks into their history nowhere close to revealed the truth of their past, their love, and the events that lead to their separation.

Previously, I was under the impression that Etienne was a true scoundrel and wronged not only Kate, but Amy his ex as well. But this is the beauty of Katy Regnery's writing. She not only delves into the deep inter-workings of a character, but also the true nature of their life. Without giving the story away, I will just say that this story blew my preconceived notions about Etienne out of the water. Though he may not be perfect, he is a true gem, a big hunk of swoony yumminess, and oozing with so much love it's palpable. I loved getting to know him. He is way more than just a pretty face. Seriously, you can't help but love Etienne.

Then there's Kate. She's all kinds of awesome herself. I love that she has curves, is intelligent, is a bit of a crazy cat lady, and is willing to hang in there until the truth comes out. And that's one of the wonderful things about this story. Though a significant amount of time has passed, once Kate and Etienne are faced with finally discovering the truth of what separated them in their youth, their honesty and openness was quite refreshing. I loved their interactions, their communication, and their chemistry. Of course, that chemistry includes a boatload of passion that refuses to be extinguished, making their story exciting in many ways.

And don't get me started on the ending. I loved it! I loved the family dynamics. I loved the culmination of events. I loved Kate and Etienne! I loved it all - the whole beautiful story, the whole beautiful series. I highly recommend this book and this series to any lover of romance. I'm looking forward to rereading The English Brothers series, and am looking forward to the next spin-off series, The Winslow Brothers.