When I requested this book to read as an ARC, I did not realize that it was a continuation of a previous book. That being said, I was able to read this one pretty easily without having read the first book. Anytime there was something from the previous book alluded to, the author briefly explained what was going on and what happened in the previous book so that you got the gist of what was going on. I was not confused at all, which is a good thing. Reading this book made me want to read the first one, but I am not sure there is a point since it seems like all the high points were covered in this one.I enjoyed the way Ms. Grayson wrote and I would most definitely read another book by her. She writes in a very fluid manner and draws the reader into her work. I was sucked in and wanted to know everything that was happening to the characters. There was not a ton of character development and I still really would have liked to get to know some of the characters better, but not every book is written that way, and that is not a bad thing. Thoroughly Kissed is just a nice book that allows the reader to get away from the world and enjoy a little romance without any of the heavy plot that can be in some other books.Since I am moving out west in less than a month, I loved reading about the places that we will probably drive through. I have one complaint though; Ms. Grayson was quite rude when she mentioned Sheridan, Wyoming. “The only place I’d feel comfortable stopping in the middle of the night between here and Billings is Sheridan, and it’s not the friendliest city I’ve ever been to.” Pg. 239 of the ebook.Now most readers probably just skimmed over it and didn’t think much of the sentence, but I take offence to it. Sheridan, Wyoming is my new home and we chose to move there specifically because of the hospitality that it offers. It is a beautiful, friendly city centered in the Big Horn Mountains. Before Ms. Grayson, or any other author, decides to say hurtful things about a city, maybe actually going there and meeting the people would be a good thing, and if Ms. Grayson did go there and had a bad experience, I don’t think knocking a small town that really is friendly and has many neat experiences (Huge rodeo in July) and a strong history (Buffalo Bill and the Wild West show) to offer visitors, is a good thing to do. There were other ways she could have gotten the point that it was too long a drive across to readers without mentioning Sheridan, Wyoming in a negative way.Overall, this is a great romance novel that really didn’t have any bodice ripping. Now it does have a lot of sexual tension and kissing and sex are a big overlapping theme, but it doesn’t happen in the book, you just know it happens after the book ends. I would recommend this book to adults only because of the sexual tension and overall theme.I received this book as an ARC. I do not get paid to review books; I do so in order to assist you in recognizing books that you might enjoy.Please read more of my reviews on my blog: sarahereads(dot)wordpress(dot)com
Originally published at http://www.torimacallister.com on May 31, 2012It's an interesting phenomena in romance when publishers reissue books. As a reader, I think it generates a love/hate relationship - love, if the book was great to begin with and it's hard to get a hold of or hate, if the author is so prolific that you end up buying a book you've already read because the cover looks so different and you're desperate to read anything by that writer. With a lot of publishers purchasing author backlists, usually for ebook reissuing, this is becoming more of a landmine, but the good news for readers is that we benefit from more great books on the market.Prior to getting a copy of this novel from NetGalley, I hadn't read anything by Kristine Grayson, the penname for the prolific powerhouse of Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Rusch has published dozens of novels and short stories in various genres, particularly in the area of fantasy fiction, so paranormal romance definitely seems like a natural fit for her Kristine Grayson persona.Thoroughly Kissed is the second in her Fates series, succeeding the story, Utterly Charming, but it's totally feasible to read them independent of one another (a fact I was happy to discover a couple of chapters into this novel). Utterly Charming was the story of Prince Charming in the Sleeping Beauty tale, who is now a 1000 year old magician living in modern times as a cutting edge chef. He has guarded Sleeping Beauty's glass coffin for all that time but when she awakes he has lots of problems, not the least of which is the fact that he is attracted to the lawyer he hired to help him with this situation. Moral of the story: really pay attention to prophesies since you're not always interpreting them correctly.In Thoroughly Kissed, Sleeping Beauty, who has taken the name Emma Lost, has managed to forge a life for herself in the last 10 years, including becoming a highly successful history professor whose expertise on the Middle Ages has landed her book deals and television interviews. She's incredibly content with her life at the university in Madison, Wisconsin, with her lovely house and crazy cat and when men fall at her feet from her beauty she just ignores them - they never really see her, after all.But in just one day, everything changes. Emma inherits her magic (which she is supposed to get in a few years, but it seems her 1,000 year sleep made it come a little faster) but she has no mage nearby to train her and things are getting a little out of control. Part of that loss of control is the arrival of her new department head, Michael Found, who thinks Emma is a shady academic who doesn't know the first thing about the Middle Ages. She's bowled over by his incredible good looks and simultaneously put off by his condescending attitude while he fights his attraction to her beauty and intelligence tooth and nail.[image error]
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I really enjoyed Thoroughly Kissed! It is kind of a slow read, but not boring at all. In the book there is not a lot of romance going on. You really get to meet the characters and see them grow before the romance comes into play.This is a new spin on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Emma's story is a bit different than the one we grew up reading. I liked her version and I was able to understand why she made the choices she did. Darnell was my favourite though. I just loved it when he attacked the pizza boy!I would recommend Thoroughly Kissed to anyone who loves fairy tales and don't need a lot of adult situations in their books. I know I was excited to find out when I finished Thoroughly Kissed that there are six more in this series. I can't wait to get my hands on them.
—Juliet Davis
Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...Imagine waking up after a thousand years have passed and finding out you’re in a whole new world full of things you never even thought of. That would be the worst thing, right? No, finding out you have uncontrollable magic is the worst thing…Ms. Grayson based this story of the premise of what happens after Sleeping Beauty awakens. She makes her main character a very attractive but cautious female (look what the first kiss did!) and turns her into a college professor who teaches history about England during the middle ages. After all, she’s an expert at it since that was right before she went to sleep for a long time. Her problem arises from a new department head who believes she has the history all wrong and that her book is “bunk”. When she gets upset with him, all his furniture in his office disappears. That’s just the beginning of magic going wrong.Her new department head, Michael, gets concerned about her and her wayward magic, so he agrees to go on a road trip with her to her mentor, where she can be trained in magic. The author adds all kinds of spicy encounters while on the road where Emma quickly tries to reverse any magical spells she’s done in error. Along with the magical side of the story, which I really enjoyed, the author adds a budding romance between the two professors. Emma has this irrational fear of being kissed, so there’s a bit of a conflict there. However, based on her past experience, who can blame her?Emma’s challenges keep the story interesting and author’s writing flows well. The ending is unusual and very appropriate for this couple. The final pun in the story is a real groaner, but it made me smile. This author won’t bore you; you even get to meet the Fates.Why not step alongside Emma and walk down the rough path she has to take to true happiness? You’ll be glad you did.
—Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews
Kristine Greyson's Thoroughly Kissed charms readers with her fairy tale re-telling of the sleeping beauty story. Thoroughly Kissed is a feel-good romance read filled with magic, humor, and romance.This is a re-vamped Sleeping Beauty tale, told in the modern day about what happens to Sleeping Beauty when she wakes up 1000 years after being spelled into sleep. Oh, and the kicker, a kiss put her into the spell (instead of freeing her with her handsome prince). So, sleeping beauty has to catch up 1000 years worth of history, she is terrified of kisses, and she just came into her mage magic and her only helper is a deliciously handsome professor.I really liked reading Thoroughly Kissed. This book is a very sweet read, Emma (Sleeping Beauty) is just adjusting to life in the 21st century when she is thrown for another loop, she gets her magic. Her magic is out of control, causing wishes to come true and her cat to become a lion. She needs help getting to her mentor, and her only helper is the reluctant Michael. Michael is very stubborn and rude to Emma in the beginning of the book, however as he gets to know Emma, he softens towards her and begins to believe her remarkable story.The romance in this story is very sweet, it is not an instant love, the relationship between Emma and Michael develops at a believable pace and is not based on sex. There is plenty of humor and fun throughout the story, Emma's magic creates some interesting and funny problems as she travels to her mentor. Both Emma and Michael have to grow a bit through the book, Michael has to accept that there is more to the world than he knew, and Emma has to come to terms with her past and let go of anger.I highly recommend this book to any readers who loves fairy tales. This Sleeping Beauty re-telling is creative, cute, and fun to read. As Thoroughly Kissed is releasing in June, it is the perfect beach read and even though it is book 2 in a series, it can be read as a stand alone title. Also, the romance is very sweet and clean, it is not overly sensual and graphic. So, readers who like their romance on the sweet side, I say definitely pick up Thoroughly Kissed.I received this book for review*
—Heather Book Savvy Babe
