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.
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.
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