Review: "The Kiss List" by Ellie Hall

The Kiss List by Ellie Hall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Still reeling from a recent breast cancer diagnosis, Everly LeFevre was stunned again when her cheating fiance's mistress showed up at the church on their wedding day and tried to convince him to marry her instead. She fled to her best friend Heidi's home in Michigan but was left with no way to pay for her treatments after her wealthy father cut her off and her ex cleaned out their joint bank accounts. Desperate to get her friend the help she needed, Heidi arranged for Everly to meet her older brother's best friend, professional football player Grey Adams, who agreed to marry her and add her to his health insurance that same day. They haven't seen or spoken to each other since their wedding, but the memory of the kiss they shared after being pronounced man and wife has stuck with them both.

Six months later, Everly is thrilled to be cancer free and starting a new job as an etiquette coach at Blancbourg Academy d'Etiquette in Concordia, a small island nation north of England. She's in for yet another shock when she arrives, however; her first client is none other than Grey. He's been sent to Blancbourg along with several of his Boston Bruiser teammates to clean up their acts following a prank gone horribly wrong. Unbeknownst to his friends, over the past few months Grey has been struggling with several issues in his personal life, and it turns out that Everly may just be the perfect person to help. Is their marriage of convenience destined to become a true love match?

As someone who has battled breast cancer, I am more sensitive to the topic than most, but I loved how sensitively and compassionately the author dealt with it in this story. I particularly appreciated that she acknowledged Everly's issues with accepting how her body had changed after surgery, which is an aspect that often seems to be ignored. At the same time, I loved that the overall tone of the story remained relatively light and fun despite the heaviness of some of the topics addressed. For example, the various Fight Club references made me laugh, and I also enjoyed Everly and Grey's witty banter. They had such a strong connection, and after everything they'd been through both individually and as a couple, their HEA was especially sweet.

Overall, this story gave me all the feels and I highly recommend it for fans of sweet/closed-door contemporary romance. I look forward to the next book in the series.

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

CW: Breast cancer; Grief; Death of parent

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