Review: "Insta Kiss" by Jen Atkinson

Insta Kiss by Jen Atkinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Entertainment reporter Bethany Barns has been having a tough time since her best friend Ebony McCoy moved away, so she's not thinking very clearly when she accepts a date with co-worker Brad to attend the newspaper's annual Christmas party. After a terrible evening in which Brad keeps trying to kiss her even though she's told him that it's not going to happen, Beth decides to prove her point by marching over to the handsome stranger standing under the mistletoe and kissing him instead. It just might be the best kiss of her life, but Beth has a rule against kissing any guy more than once, so when she gets a text from Ebony, it's the perfect excuse to walk away. A few minutes later, Bethany is shocked to learn that her mystery man is actually Tate Wilhelm, the newspaper's new assistant editor and her new boss. She was convinced that the assistant editor's job would be hers, putting her and Tate immediately at odds. It's even worse when she discovers that Tate has moved into Ebony's former apartment a few floors below her own. She's determined to do whatever it takes to prove that the job should have gone to her...even if that means ignoring her inconvenient attraction to Tate and his efforts to make a connection with her.

Tate and Bethany had great chemistry and I loved their witty banter. He seemed like a genuinely good guy, though his internet stalking may have been a bit out of bounds at times. I completely understood why Beth was upset about not getting the promotion, but at the same time, I think she was mad at the wrong person; she unfairly took her feelings out on Tate when the real villain was the newspaper's senior editor, Clark, who passed her over without an explanation. That said, the real obstacle to their relationship was Beth's trust issues, which were also completely understandable. I felt so bad for everything she went through with her late fiance, especially the lack of closure that was preventing her from moving on. His approach was unconventional (think "You've Got Mail"), but Tate turned out to be the perfect person to help her work through that baggage.

Overall, I adored this laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, and heartwarming story. I highly recommend "Insta Kiss" for all sweet contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans and look forward to the next book in the series.

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