A Holland Kiss

by Dawn Michelle

Dutch and Tulip are in love.And famous because of it. Yet they've never even kissed.As the world's largest Dutch kissing couple, Dutch and Tulip are the larger-than-life version of the cute little statues you see in people's yards. For decades, Dutch and Tulip have stood at the entrance to the town park, blessing couples as they married under their loving eyes.They are Holland, Indiana's claim to fame. But when a storm damages Dutch, the small town considers selling the aging couple.Discovering that Dutch and Tulip are in danger, Lily Mein knows she must save them and her own dream of getting married beneath the 57-foot couple.Problem is...not everyone wants Dutch and Tulip saved.Even bigger problem...Lily has no groom. Oh sure, she's found one; he just doesn't know it yet.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2011

About the author

Dawn Michelle is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling paranormal romance author that started out as a girl next door turned mother of two and household champion. After years of watching her husband write novel after novel and not trying to write the stories she was interested in she decided it was time she showed him how it was done.

Reviews

[Nicholas Bridgman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a charming story about Lily, a resident of small town Holland, Indiana, and her quest to save Holland’s huge landmark Dutch and Tulip statues from being sold. I especially like how each chapter begins with an imagining of what the pair of statues might be saying to one another, about events unfolding in the plot, as well as about Dutch’s hungering for a kiss and Tulip’s wanting her flowers. The plot follows the statues’ imminent sale, which would deprive Holland of its most famous landmark, underneath which many couples have kissed and married. Lily feels passionate about keeping the statues in Holland, but a council member has another idea. The story follows Lily’s work gaining the public’s support and raising money for the statues’ restoration, as well as her being targeted by nefarious forces who have other plans for the statues. Meanwhile, a love story also unfolds between Lily and her lifelong crush, Jay, who she is madly in love with. Overall, this was a pleasant read, I found myself wanting to return to the small town world of Dutch and Tulip to continue the story.

[Dystopian Mayhem · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Dutch and tulip story and scenes, but nothing else was interesting or romantic.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Holland Kiss by Dawn Michelle
Lily Mein, pronounced Mine, has been in love with Jay Heimershmitt for as long as she can remember. She is good friends with his cousin Jonas...who is just as good looking as Jay but just don't pull her heartstrings the same way. Her dream is to marry Jay underneath Dutch and Tulip...the 57' high mascots of Holland, whoever has married under them in the past seems to have had their marriages blessed by the couple. When suddenly she sees her dream being snatched away it sends Lily into high speed action. The town is considering selling the couple because of the upkeep cost.

We follow Lily on her journey to save Dutch & Tulip, the cute little kissing dutch couple. Only when they were first set up 50 years ago a miscalculation has kept them a few inches away from kissing. As Lily wins the battle to keep them she must than raise the money to restore them, find a way for Jay to love her instead of the gal he is now dating, put up with the town watching her every move because she is a second grade teacher, laugh at her eighty some year old neighbor Ruth and her antics and on top of everything else...someone in the safe town of Holland is now vandalizing Lily's home, car and threatening to destroy her beloved statues.

You can't help but feel for Dutch and Tulip. Every day for 50 years Dutch has asked Tulip for a kiss and she replies by telling him he must give her the flowers first.

Being from a Dutch background and growing up seeing windmills and “Dutch & Tulip” in the yards, I could relate to this story. I really enjoyed it. Dawn wrote it in such a way that my heart went out for the couple when Dutch couldn't wipe Tulip's tears or hold her. She also keeps you on your toes trying to figure out if Jay or Jonas have feelings for Lily or not. I hear there may be a sequel coming as well and look forward to that. I never heard of Holland, Indiana but it really is a town in the Southern tip of Indiana. In this book, unsure about real life, it's a German community not the Dutch community that is in Holland, Michigan. This story is told from Lily's, Dutch's and Tulip's points of view.
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[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily lives in Holland, IN, works as a teacher in the local elementary school as a teacher and she loves the two fifty plus feet statues of a Dutch Kissing couple, the biggest in the world. The problem is that they are almost fifty-years-old and in need of a major restoration job. 'Dutch' and 'Tulip' are almost kissing but due to a miscalculation in their original placement they cannot touch each other for a kiss. Over the years it has become a tradition to have A Holland Kiss under Dutch and Tulip and many couples have married at their base. The head of the town council wants to sell them to another town in Holland. Lily rose to the challenge of saving them but it will take a large amount of money if the town votes to keep them. Someone tries to stop her and the committee, so the mystery and the twists and turns make a good story. Lily also has her own dreams of a blue-eyed hunky blonde named Jay but they are not a couple; the road together looks impossible with more twists and turns to make this a good romance. A Holland Kiss offers great romance and great mystery with the addition of humor for a good story that I recommend.

[~Gen hearts books.~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Dawn Michelle's style of writing. I loved most of the characters, except maybe Glen and Britni. I wondered what happened to Britni after she and Jay broke up. I loved that Lily got her happy ending. She also got her Holland Kiss with Jay. It was so great that they knew each other since they were children. Dutch and Tulip finally got their Holland Kiss after fifty years. They were cute as a couple. I loved this book. It was one of the best clean romances that I have ever read. I liked Anthony. I hoped that he would find his true love and move to Holland or somewhere near Holland. I'm hoping for a sequel or a series for this story. I'd love to read about it.

[Parichita Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple clean romance with the characters in the place called Holland. I enjoyed that the author braided the culture of the place in the main story and included the outlook of the "pride of Holland". Lily, as a character, was an okay character. I wish she had grown a bit more by the end of the story, but I still enjoyed reading about her. The simple characters, simple romance, and everyday plot-- a story to relax with after a tiring day at office.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really cute story. Who'd have thought the fate of a giant kissing couple could cause so much trouble for one person... or an entire town?! Lily Mein is a school teacher in small town Indiana who has been in love her whole life with a man who doesn't even know she exists

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seemed kinda cheesy to me initially, but turned out to be pretty funny. There was some over repetition said by the statues, but overall cute.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's a very cute and a bit magical story. Parts of it are very corny, especially the discussions between Dutch and Tulip, but I loved it just the same.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked it. It was a fun read.

[Lanelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how the beginning of each chapter is from Dutch and Tulip's point of view.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read