Review: Kiss and Don't Tell by Meghan Quinn

KISS AND DON'T TELL

by Meghan Quinn

Series: The Vancouver Agitators #1

Publication date: September 21, 2021

Format: Audio

Source: Purchased

4.5 Stars

Five hockey players, a cabin in the woods . . . and little old me, Winnie Berlin.

Sounds like the start of a fantasy, right? But it's not. It's my reality.

It all started when I got lost in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. A wicked thunderstorm sent my car mud sliding into a ditch and for a girl whose survival skills involve finding the nearest Starbucks, I was in deep trouble.

Forced to abandon my car in search of help, I stumbled upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Soaking wet, irritated, and in desperate need of a hot shower, I knocked on the door for help only to be greeted by five boisterous, burly, and insanely attractive men.

Not just men.

Professional hockey players.

I hit the motherload of fantasies, right? Wrong.

Because as it turns out, one of them is my ex-boyfriend's half-brother. And when I end up crashing in their spare bedroom for the night, things take a very unexpected turn.

I'm not sure any amount of survival skills can protect my heart from Vancouver Agitators star goalie, Pacey Lawes. But as long as we kiss and don’t tell, maybe everything will be okay.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUDIBLE

When Winnie’s car ends up in a ditch while she’s trekking through Canada, she doesn’t expect help to come in the form of five hot hockey players. But that’s exactly what she gets when she knocks on the cabin door looking for assistance. Pacey, and most of the others, convince Winnie to stay until her car can be towed and, after her initial reservations, she agrees. What ensues is a super fast, super swoony romance between Winnie and Pacey and I was 100% there for it.

There was so much to love here. Winnie was a total sweetheart, still grieving the loss of her mother, and still smarting from the wounds her ex inflicted when he walked away just when she needed him most. Quinn knows how to write a swoony hero and Pacey was a shining example of that. Kind, thoughtful, and funny (not to mention sexy AF), Pacey was the total package. Of course, he was dealing with his own issues – or rather, avoiding his own issues – so that came into play. I really appreciated seeing how their relationship evolved once they left the bubble of the cabin. Add to the mix Pacey’s teammates/friends, and that amped up the humor to laugh-out-loud levels. Each guy had a distinctive personality, and I loved their banter and trash talk. But when it came down to it, they were genuinely there for one another. The conflict with Winnie’s ex/Pacey’s half-brother was handled well without being overly dramatic, which I appreciated.

The only downside for me was Winnie’s friend Katherine. I guess she was meant to be quirky and provide some comic relief, but I have rarely encountered a more annoying character. I swear, I couldn’t figure out why she and Winnie were friends. Thankfully, she was balanced with Winnie’s other BFF, Max, who was solid gold.

The audio performances were so spot-on and done with such feeling and emotion that I was sucked right in and totally invested in every character. Jason Clarke and Vanessa Edwin somehow managed to give each and every character a distinctive voice so I always knew who was talking.

Meghan Quinn is an author who can be hit or miss for me. Sometimes her humor devolves into too silly and over the top for my taste, but everything in Kiss and Don’t Tell struck just the right balance for me. I loved these characters and can’t wait for each of these guys to get their own book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

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