***Scroll to the bottom for my rating***

Ahhhhh! I wanna fangirl over this book; it was so amazingly heartfelt and deep and well-written and just ah! First 5-star read of the year, no doubt. I'm so giddy after reading this - my thoughts 5 minutes after finishing Kissing Bandit.

As I attempt to write this review, my thoughts on everything I want to say are running rampant. Praise here, compliments there, swooning north, giddy south, it's hard to focus, but this is one of my favorite feelings after a great read.

Kissing Bandit by Margaret Rose is a heartfelt slow-burn romance focused on regaining trust, exploring new career choices, and letting your destiny win out. With a super protective, openly emotional, caregiving MMC and a risk-taking, happy-go-lucky FMC, you can't go wrong. I instantly became obsessed with Francesca and John's relationship. 

If you like age gaps, small-town settings, road trips, only one bed, a cinnamon bun hero, and a slow burn, this book is for you. And let me tell you, Margaret Rose KNOWS how to write a slow burn. I was on the edge of my seat, being taunted over and over, until presto, magic. Everything about it had me in a chokehold.  

I LOVE it when you go into a read hopeful, and it turns out to be everything you want and more. Kissing Bandit by Margaret Rose makes me want to hug my family, go antiquing, and ferociously make out with my boyfriend. A variety of emotions were evoked from me throughout the story. I even had goosebumps toward the end. It was so great!

Without spoiling any of this read's beauty, I can confidently say that this was expertly written. It is a product of love and commitment to the craft that tackled important issues including but not limited to verbal abuse, family trauma, and relationship boundaries, which, among other reasons, is why I am rating this story 5 out of 5 stars and a 3.5 for spice. I cannot wait for the next book in the series. 

I want to wrap up this review by saying thank you to @sunnybabepr for the continued opportunity to be one of their book influencers and be a part of such an amazing and welcoming team. 

Thank you, Sunny Babe PR, for selecting me as one of the readers of this ARC and blessing me with my first 5-star read of the year because of it. I am so grateful and can't wait to see what I read from you next! 

As always, thanks for reading! 💜

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

*Please note that this is a review of an ARC, the book will be on sale on February 6, 2024*