Yet another absolute winner from one of my favorite go-to authors Molly O'Keefe, NEVER BEEN KISSED is a poignant tale of two lonely and broken souls finding healing and love together. Ashley Montgomery is the daughter of the Governor of Georgia. Out of step with her political family, she's been working in a refugee camp in Kenya. She was kidnapped by Somali pirates and held for ransom for 3 weeks, until her brother Harrison negotiates her release. Brody is the man Harrison sends to retrieve Ashley from the pirates. Brody originally worked for Ashley's family as a bodyguard ten years ago, but resigned after Ashley kissed him while she was in the throes of a teenage crush on Brody.

Ashley is emaciated and emotionally traumatized from her captivity, and flees her family's political machinations in order to nurse her wounds in private. She hires Brody to help spirit her away and take care of her while she recuperates from a severe beating with concussion. Brody takes her to his hometown to hide out, and installs them in a tiny apartment above the bar that his brother is running.

Shortly after Brody was adopted as a child, his adoptive mother had a complicated pregnancy requiring a long hospital stay and then a premature delivery. His adoptive father, Ed, was unable to cope and froze Brody out, setting up a life-long pattern where Brody would sacrifice his own wants for his younger brother and fade into the background. Brody now usually avoids his family, but bringing Ashley home stirs up old hostilities between Brody, his brother, and his dad.

Brody and Ashley eventually succumb to the lust thats been growing between them, and Ashley tries so hard to keep her heart safe from Brody, assuming that he will reject her again and walk away without looking back.

She'd been so convinced her loving him was something she could survive. She was used to not getting her happy endings. Joy, unless she brought it with her, was often a barely growing plant in the desert.

But he would devastate her when he left.

I will hoard this, she thought, because a drought is coming.

When Brody eventually lets Ashley and his family into his closely guarded heart, I felt that same catharsis that Brody does as I was reading. The love was fought and strived for, and well earned.

NEVER BEEN KISSED is alternately funny and heartbreaking, with hot sex scenes smattered through. The tale feels vibrant and true, just as messy and engrossing as real life, but so beautifully told that you just sink in to the plushness of the growing love between Ashley and Brody. There's a secondary love story between Brody's brother and nearby café owner, and the secondary characters are delightful.

O'Keefe has a deft touch with humor and lyrical turns of phrase that made me hum with delight every chapter. I can't recommend this series more highly- go forth and read this NEVER BEEN KISSED today! You won't be sorry.

Book Summary

Perfect for readers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Rachel Gibson, Molly O’Keefe’s second novel in her exciting new series—The Boys of Bishop—features an irresistible romance and unforgettable characters in a page-turning story that delivers equal parts emotion and humor . . . with a little edge to boot.

As the daughter of a wealthy politician, Ashley Montgomery has had enough of her parents’ expectations for her future and is going her own way, volunteering to work at a refugee camp in Africa. But her act of charity turns dangerous when she takes a boat trip and is abducted by Somali pirates. Enter Brody Baxter, who was a bodyguard for the Montgomery family ten years ago and doesn’t think twice about coming to Ashley’s rescue. Handsome and tough, Brody has always done what needed to be done. So he swoops in, saves Ashley, and brings her to a place where she can rest and recuperate without the glare of the press and her demanding family: Brody’s small hometown of Bishop, Arkansas. But Ashley soon realizes that she’s not the only one in need of healing.

Holed up with Ashley in a tiny apartment over his brother’s bar in Bishop, Brody is tempted and torn in ways he never anticipated. Beautiful Ashley, vibrant despite her ordeal, fearless enough to love him beyond his wall of self- punishment, is now determined to save him. But with a little faith and a lot of love, they just may find happiness in each others’ arms.