An Unexpected Kiss

Christmas in Snow Valley #1

by Cindy Roland Anderson

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

*NOTE TO READER: THIS IS A REVISED EDITION WITH A BONUS EPILOGUE.

Lucy Phillips doesn’t want to spend her Christmas vacation dodging her ex-boyfriend, so when he turns up at the airport to give her a ride home, Lucy panics and asks a complete stranger to kiss her. Although the kiss is incredible, Lucy never expects to see the guy again. Is it bad luck or destiny when Lucy comes down with a sore throat and the new doctor in Snow Valley is none other than Cole Taggart, the guy she kissed at the airport?

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Clean Romance, Contemporary, Holiday, Novella, Chick Lit

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2014

Reviews

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this book doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. I really enjoyed this one, it was the perfect Christmas Chick-lit read.

Lucy is going home to Snow Valley, MT to visit her family over Christmas break. Her matchmaking mama is trying to get her to get back together with her ex, but she wants nothing to do with him. So, when he shows up at the airport to pick her up she panics and asks Cole, the hottie stranger from her flight, to kiss her. He willingly complies and that small action changes their lives forever.

This was a fun, lighthearted read. The romance was sweet, but I also liked how Lucy wanted to change Cole's opinion on Christmas, not only by doing fun Christmassy things, but also by serving others. What better way to show what a wonderful holiday Christmas really is than by helping others. Even though this is a novella, I felt like everything played out at a nice pace and wrapped up nicely.

This is part of a Christmas anthology, but will also be available on its own. I look forward to reading the other books in the series, I loved the setting of Snow Valley, MT.

Content
Romance: Clean, swoony kisses

Source: Review copy in exchange for honest review.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the way this one started out with a bang! Lucy does not want her ex-high school boyfriend to get any ideas about them getting back together. So when he shows up at the airport to bring her home for Christmas, she grabs the first guy she sees and begs him to kiss her. Thinking that incredible kiss was that, imagine her surprise to run into him again...as the new doctor in her hometown.

Lucy is a fun character who always seems to run into incredible situations. She's good for a laugh and a smile, as Cole soon discovers. Cole is a lot of fun, as well and is a swoony guy.

I loved the setting--a Christmas spent in Snow Valley would be magical and amazing. It was great to see the characters get into the events and celebrations with so much Christmas spirit.

Content: Clean!!

*I received a copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

[Valerie Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that was a cute book. I loved cole. I liked Lucy too. She wasn't too annoying. Her mom bugged me! I loved her idea of the true meaning of Christmas. It was perfect.

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 estrellas

Argumento:
Lucy Phillips no quiere pasar sus vacaciones de Navidad esquivando a su ex-novio, así que cuando él aparece en el aeropuerto para llevarla a casa, Lucy entra en pánico y le pide a un completo extraño que la bese. Aunque el beso es increíble, Lucy nunca espera ver al chico de nuevo. ¿Es mala suerte o destino cuando Lucy cae enferma con un dolor de garganta y el nuevo doctor en Snow Valley no es otro que Cole Taggart, el chico que besó en el aeropuerto?

Me pareció muy bonita la historia... de esos romances tiernos con un poco de comedia, eso sí, fue muy rápido como los protas se enamoran y es que de verdad no dan mucho tiempo prácticamente todo transcurre en casi 2 semanas (creo) jajajaja

Pero tiene muy buenos personajes (me gustó mucho la interacción entre Lucy y Cole), buena trama y lo más importante a mi parecer, que disfrutas leyéndolo... por eso mi calificación!!

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Unexpected Kiss introduces you to Lucy. Now she is just trying to live her life and come home to a nice family holiday: Christmas. Unfortunately, her mother and ex-boyfriend are still trying to make them into something that they aren't: a couple. So, when a handsome young stranger with cool blue eyes is standing next to her, she's desperate enough to ask for a kiss.

Luckily, he does it but then things don't go as planned. Mostly because that kiss is still on their minds and her ex-boyfriend is still hung up on her. As for the handsome stranger? Well, he's the new doctor in town and he goes by Cole.

Now I liked getting to know Lucy and Cole, but I think she was self-sabotaging. I get that she didn't want her mom to get wind of him, but I thought he was good enough. They were cute together and couldn't stop kissing - which is a good sign in my book.

In the end, things ended up working out and the epilogue/proposal was pretty freaking cute.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was adorable!! I was looking for a cute Christmas romance and this completely fit the bill!! Such an enjoyable little love story to totally put you in the Christmas spirit!! Loved it :)

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy Phillips' mother is determined to marry Lucy off to her high school boyfriend, Lance. It's been seven years since they broke up, but Lance still thinks he's a senior in high school and he wants Lucy to be part of that fantasy.

Her mother has arranged for Lance to pick up Lucy from the airport when she comes home to visit for Christmas. In a moment of insanity, Lucy panics and asks a handsome stranger in the airport to kiss her. She was hoping to send a message to Lance, but instead she set things in motion that could turn her carefully planned world upside down!

Cole Taggart has an ex-fiancee who has made him extremely cautious where women are concerned. He is buying his uncle's medical practice and moving to Snow Valley, Montana. When a beautiful stranger asks him to kiss her in the airport, he finds himself unable to forget that kiss...

I want to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie about Cole and Lucy!

Content: Very clean
Source: Amazon.com

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars.

This was a cute short story. It was sweet, clean, festive and romantic. It put me in the Christmas spirit.

Lucy and Cole met on a plane on the way to Lucy's hometown of Snow Valley, Montana. Lucy, an IT professional was going home to visit her family for Christmas whilst Cole, a doctor, was moving permanently to Snow Valley to take over his uncle's family practice.

When they landed, Lucy gave Cole an unexpected kiss in the terminal, to fend off an ex-boyfriend (Lance) who had pined for her since high school. Their brief encounter left an impression on both of them. They met up again when Lucy visited her local doctor (Cole's uncle William) for a sore throat. They quickly became friends. When they started to develop deeper feelings for each other, they both had to re-assess what they truly wanted out of their lives.

For a short read, it was a fun escape. The Christmas theme, gave the story an added cheerful touch.

[Tandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. 2.5 stars. It was...just okay.

March 18, 2020 listened to audiobook. Still leaving my rating at 3 stars. This was cute. Fluff.

[Kathryn Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this audio book!!! I'll be reading more of Cindy's books!

[Sharon Hogenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lighthearted, predictable Christmas romance and one I read every couple of years or so. It was my introduction to Cindy Roland Anderson, and I'm glad I found her books!

[JaneReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe not a very realistic story, but it was a entertaining. The characters made me laugh. Lucy has come home for Christmas and spontaneously kisses a stranger at the airport to avoid her high school boyfriend. Later she finds out he's new to town and she will have to interact with him. The kiss evokes feelings they didn't expect and both have plans for their lives which will keep them in two separate states. A friendship develops as they play secret Santa to a new family in town. Lucy loves Christmas and ends up teaching their stranger about the Christmas spirit. Will the sparks between them and the friendship inspire a change in their career plans?

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:
1) Cole. He was a stand up guy and just needed a little push to defrost his slightly cold heart. I love how much he cared about his uncle, too.
2) The MCs' relationship. Although it had a rather unorthodox start, the way that it developed had a natural feel and was quite sweet. I like especially that neither of the MCs was too proud to go after what either of them really wanted.
3) Lance. OK, maybe he was a little dense in the beginning, but he was a genuinely nice guy.
4) How the community all came together to help a family in need. I like that the Christian message was genuine and subtle in this story; true love equals action.
5) How clean the language and content of this story are.
6) The dual povs.

What I didn't like:
1) Lucy's mom. What is her deal? Why's she so pushy?
2) The abrupt ending.

[Debra K · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a more detailed review, please check out my review below:

Debra's Book Cafe


Debs :-)

[Teya Teya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clean, really cute, it was cliche in a couple spots and she made those spots really cute. There was one spot that was borderline and I was worried but she glossed right over it and I was glad. It showed the christmas spirit and was very sweet.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute

This was a great read to get me in the Christmas spirit! There was romance but also a reminder what Christmas is really about. I loved Lucy's excitement for Christmas and her desire to share it with Cole. Cute, sweet, quick read :)

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute read! I really enjoyed this one! I fell in love with the characters and the town of Snow Valley.

[Chesney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun book to get you into the Christmas spirit. I love the interaction between Lucy and Cole. Lots of sighing.

[Kathy Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book! I really liked it! Wish it was just a little bit longer.. like 1 chapter or a small epilogue so I can have closure! ;) Hehe.

[Harmony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clean romance with no sex or swearing. It is also a sweet and charming story that found me smiling often while reading it. I found Lucy and Cole endearing. I was annoyed that she is yet another blond, seriously author's venture out past the blondes! That didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book though.

The story begins with a super cute meet. I groaned with Lucy over Lance and his refusal to hear "I'm not interested". So, what happens with him in the end was unbelievable. He spent 7 years pining over Lucy, begging her to basically love him and then in a couple of days, he's suddenly with somebody else? Sounds to me like he's just desperate to be with someone and anybody will do, poor Allie. I'm glad that the author resolves the Lance issue so nicely, it was just too big of a stretch for me.

Cole is a sweetheart. He tries so hard not to fall for Lucy but yeah, it's a losing battle. He's got too big of a heart to keep that up for long. He's also strong, sexy, and very swoon-worthy. Lucy was harder for me. I'm not really sure why she was so opposed to love and relationships. Her parents have a fantastic relationship and she never had her heart broken. So, it made no sense and made it hard to like her. She does eventually show some warmth and less neurosis so I wound up liking her as much as I did Cole.

Their romance is super sugary sweet. It had me smiling the whole time. I found it funny that a guy with such a big, soft heart was such a Grinch! Lucy's determination to make a Christmas believer out of him was adorable. It went a long ways towards me warming up to her and overlooking her silliness with relationships and love. Their hunt for a Christmas tree was awesome in the perfect romance novel way.

The proposal was one I've never seen before in a book. It was so well done, I loved it. It was also something that Lucy needed to hear and feel. The HEA was perfection. (I love Lucy... snickers)

I've read three books by this author and they've all been 5-star ratings. This author has a way with words, I finish her books smiling and with a happy heart.

[Carole Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randomly stumbled upon this in Audible's library. It fits a couple of challenges and I love this cover. Maybe it's the shoes? They are so freakin' cute!!

Here we follow Lucy and Cole. Lucy's mother is playing matchmaker and trying to get her to go back out with her ex. Lucy doesn't want to spend her holiday vacation dodging her ex, so when he turns up at the airport to give her a ride home, she panics and asks a complete stranger to kiss her. The kiss was incredible, but she never even got his number or full name, so she expects never to see the guy again. When she comes down with a sore throat she goes to see the new doctor in Snow Valley and it is none other than that stranger...Cole.

This was so cheesy and cute. I could totally see this being one of those Hallmark/Netflix cheesy Xmas movies. Lucy loves the holidays and Cole is slightly grumpy because his parents and ex burned him so he is slightly bitter.

She is home for the holidays but her mother won't stop trying to force her ex on him. Poor Lance. The guy just wants love. I kinda felt bad for him but he needed to take the hint. SO desperate it was cringy....plus he needs to stop wearing that lettermen jacket from High School....they have been graduated for years.

Lucy and Cole become friends and partners in helping a struggling family get an amazing Xmas and real feelings flame up. Yes, there was the lust of course, but I loved how they became strangers who shared a kiss, to friends, to partners for a good cause, and then more. There was some drama near the end, but it was an easy fix. Honestly...I don't think it was really warranted.

This was sweet. There are some Christian moments but it doesn't take over the story. I didn't even realize this was technically a Christian romance novel until I saw it listed on Goodreads after I finished. So nice there.

The narration was okay. I feel like I heard her voice before but I can't pinpoint where. There wasn't a lot of differences between the characters. But it was just enough so you didn't get confused.

But yes, this was cute. Very cheesy and Xmas-y. I'll give this 3 stars.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another romance novel that started off really well.

Finally, a hero doctor Cole, whose main asset is not the amount of money that he makes or possesses. Plus, we have a heroine Lucky, who has a master's degree in Computer Science and graduated cum laude. Cole and Lucky both have beauty and brains.

What's more, Lucky throws herself into Cole's arms, at the train station, when he is still a complete stranger to her, begging him to kiss her, because she is desperate to get rid of her relentlessly pursuing admirer Lance, who has come to pick her up. Certainly not very conventional! Perhaps not completely realistic, but very well executed.

We also have tons of great humour, a clean story with just nice kissing, so what could possibly go wrong?

If you like the traditional clean romance novel, then nothing goes wrong and you may have a five star romance novel, but I just thought (or silently hoped) that this romance would not follow the beaten track. Unfortunately, I could not have been more wrong.

The computer science degree is sooo made up. The writer mentions some technical terms, such as HDMI and surge protector, but it remains very unconvincing, at least for me.

In the end, the most important thing is that Cole and Lucky end up married, and a lengthy epilogue follows about how everybody loves everybody soo much, and then Cole proposes and the whole family goes on honeymoon, and Lucky ends up thinking about her future children, and then I just ended up more of less skimming through the last pages.

Still three stars because of the great, unconventional start and great humour.

[Hattie Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok! So this was cute! I had just read her book “Her Stand In” which from me got 5 stars. Let me tell you the reasons I gave this one 3 stars.

1. I noticed some story similarities that I didn’t care for because it kind of caused me to pause and be like wait... which book am I reading again? Similar mothers, similar wardrobe for the characters, similar explanation of his ex and his mother

2. The Christmas theme was a little too heavy for me in this one. But I mean it is the start of a series of Christmas ones and I think Her Stand in, while still happening at Christmas isn’t a part of an actual Christmas series. This one was a little too much “trying to melt his grinch heart.” I felt like it was a little too cheesy and hallmark for my liking. And again, I didn’t feel that as much with her other book.

3. So many times through it I was rolling my eyes at Lucy! Like get it together girl! Haha!

HOWEVER.. I loved the Epilogue and this author has a beautiful way of writing clean romance.. I love the sweet kisses she writes in and the back and forth from each of their perspectives. I will definitely be reading another one of her books. Maybe I will try the summer series next. Haha.

[B. D. Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful clean romance novella. The unexpected kiss occurs after Lucy deplanes from a flight where she briefly met Cole. At baggage claim Lucy sees Lance, a former boyfriend, approaching. Previous attempts to make Lance get the message that Lucy is no longer interested in him have not been successful. She is in no mood to deal with him again so, in desperation, she elects to take decisive action. Cole has just picked up his luggage and is standing close by. Lucy rushes up to him, throws her arms around his neck, and says, “Please. Just go along with this, okay? I’m Lucy and I need you to kiss me. Right now.” Oddly enough, this very unconventional scenario comes across as totally believable to me. The story that follows is touching and kept me riveted from the opening scenes all the way to happily ever after. Along the way the personalities of the many varied characters in Snow Valley kept me entertained and the plot twists kept me interested. I concur with the other reviewers who awarded five stars for this offering.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this via audiobook and loved it!! It is a sweet and wholesome story of unexpected love and evaluating what your most important priorities in life are. Lucy Phillips and Cole Taggart come from polar opposite family backgrounds and it was so enjoyable to read how Lucy tried to get Cole into the Christmas spirit, once she got over the shock of seeing him again after their initial meeting. There is a lot of cute banter, some of which had me laughing out loud, and the romance was tender, sweet and swoony. One of my most enjoyable and lighthearted reads of the year! This author is new to me and I look forward to checking out more of her books.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Unexpected Kiss was such a fun read. I have really enjoyed the books I’ve had the pleasure of reading by Cindy Roland Anderson so when I saw this was available, I snatched it up. Of course I had to wait until Christmastime to read it but it was worth it. I liked the main characters a lot and the way they met was cute. I’ll admit the buttinsky mom made me cringe more than the stalker ex-boyfriend, maybe because I’ve known a few of those and they can be—scary. Fun story.
4 ½ Stars. Squeaky clean.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally....a great story that made reading a pleasure to read again! Have had several duds lately that I CNF, so this was such a pleasant surprise. Totally loved the H(Cole) & h(Lucy) and the plot of the story. Really couldn't stand Lucy's persistent ex-boyfriend who wouldn't take no for an answer, or her mother either, who kept throwing them together, at first.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of The Polar Express element in the story, since that is one of my most favorite Christmas films!

Also loved 'Under A Georgia Moon' by this author.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute Christmas romance. Lucy is career driven, but loves her family and always comes home for the holidays. Her mother is determined to set her up with her high school boyfriend Lance, so when he comes to pick her up from the airport she kisses a random stranger she saw on the plan to try and convince him there is no chance of her getting back with him. It just so happens that the stranger is the new town doctor. I loved their adventures and all they did for the family that was in need for the holidays. If a little more developed with more details it could have been better.

[Hilal Tunçkol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas story in which Lucy comes back to her hometown, and since she wants her highschool boyfriend to understand they will never get back together, so she kisses the first man she sees.

Only to be immensely surprised when the man from the airport turns out be the nephew of the town doctor, who is going to overtake his uncle's practice.

Cole (the doctor) and Lucy help a single mother and her two kids celebrate Christmas because the mother is newly divorced and she doesn't have money and because it's Lucy and her family's Christmas tradition to help someone in need for Christmas.

And in the meantime, they obviously fall for each other, since this is a Christmas romance.

[Destiny Ciera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Reading the description and reviews, I wasn’t too thrilled but was more interested in the second book of the series so thought I would go ahead and just read this one first. It turned out to be a very sweet and easy read. Very light and fun, adorable personalities, great chemistry, sweet story. Very clean. A great vacation read. Definitely recommend. Even good for younger audiences