• It Started with a Kiss

  • Sequoia Lake, Book 1
  • By: Marina Adair
  • Narrated by: Renee Raudman
  • Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (243 ratings)

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It Started with a Kiss  By  cover art

It Started with a Kiss

By: Marina Adair
Narrated by: Renee Raudman
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Publisher's summary

With a kidney transplant behind her, Avery Adams is determined to channel her inner adventurer and explore everything life has to offer. Only problem is, the closest she's ever come to a real-life adventure was sixth-grade science camp. So to seize the summer in her rustic Sierra Nevada town, she takes a job as a guide at the local adventure lodge. But Avery doesn't realize her biggest challenge will register at six-plus feet of rugged good looks and alpha-male charm.

As a member of the Sequoia Elite Mountain Rescue team, Tyson Donovan has made a life out of cheating death and rescuing weekend warriors from the treacherous terrain. "The world is my home" is more than just a motto; it's what scares off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. When his dad's health lands the family's adventure lodge in serious danger of going up in flames, he moves home - and quickly remembers why he left. Until he meets Avery, the irresistible new guide who makes him want to stay.

Tyson gives the inexperienced Avery a lesson in romance that her books could never teach her. And with her undeniable spirit for life, Avery shows Tyson the healing power of love. But with one misstep, everything comes crashing down, and they'll both have to take the biggest leap of all - into the kind of adventure that lasts a lifetime.

©2016 Marina Adair (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

What listeners say about It Started with a Kiss

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great read and listen..



Wow! A simple love story that I enjoyed very, very much. There was joy, sadness, love, an old story of death, guilt, and Avery’s “live out loud” attitude. I have never read a book where anyone had a better outlook on life. This woman wasn’t afraid of anything because since her kidney disease had made her suffer for so long, then a kidney transplant she didn’t know whether it would last a day or twenty years, just made her fearless. You couldn’t help but love Avery. And I loved her memory journal.

And then, Ty, who had snuck out when he was 17 to climb a mountain and his brother who followed him fell and was killed and that left Ty steeped in guilt for a lot of years. Ty came home from Monterey to help his parents but soon discovered his father was suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s. And that’s where he met the office manager, Avery. And what Avery did to Ty was just awesome. The way she changed the way he saw things, the love that grew between the two was so awesome.

There were a couple of explicit sex scenes in this book but it was romantic sex not erotic.

And the F-bomb was used 21 times.

As to the narration: This was my second time listening to Renee Raudman and she did a great job, as she did before. The voices were terrific and she reads with awesome emotions. I’ll be buying the next book in this series in two days.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love this story! Very motivational.

Love this story! Very motivational. Marina does it again by making us fall in love with Avery & Ty. Plus this was one of the most positive & uplifting stories I’ve ever read. Definitely makes me want to live life to the fullest.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A splendid small town romance!

Any additional comments?

It Started With a Kiss is the first book in Marina Adair’s new Sequoia Lake series. Set in a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this book will splendidly satisfy romance readers everywhere who enjoy seeing love bloom surrounded by the great outdoors.

Having had a successful kidney transplant, Avery Adams is eager to climb a mountain. There’s a specific reason why she wants to hike up a particular mountain, and she’s not letting her inexperience get in the way. Avery is Sequoia Lake Lodge’s newest adventure coordinator and anxiously wants to be trained on the trails. Tyson Donovan has reluctantly returned to his hometown. He has painful reasons to stay away, but meeting Avery might make it difficult to leave after he helps out with the family business.

As an avid hiker, I connected quickly with both Avery and Tyson and their love for the outdoors. Avery has overcome some major obstacles in her life. Her zest-for-life attitude is adorably infectious. I think she enters Tyson’s life right at the perfect moment, as he’s in need to deal with some heavy things that have happened in his past. I was absolutely smitten with how their story played out. I also enjoyed getting to know all the secondary characters, and I’m very much looking forward to reading their stories in the next books in this series.

If it’s any indication how much I admired It Started With a Kiss, I listened to the audiobook immediately after reading the book. Renee Raudman narrates most of Marina Adair’s books, and I was delighted that she voices this particular one. I always find her narrations quite enjoyable, clear, and with just the right amount of emotion.

I’ve read all of Marina Adair’s romance books to date. I must say that It Started With a Kiss lands itself as one of my favorite books she’s ever written. Not only is the romance fun and engaging, but also the plot highlights relationships such as mother-daughter, father-son, and friendships that tug at your heart. You’ll be left feeling satisfied and hopeful!

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not thrilled with the narrator.

The story was a fluff but there is always a tone for fluff. I didn't like there narrator's voice, it wasn't young enough for the main character.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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It Started With A Kiss

I am on a binge with this author in audio form while working on my house and getting ready to move and this one...oh, this one had me hooked from the start! Avery is a kidney transplant survivor who has learned to live life large and no holds barred. She lives for every minute and does not have a bucket list but a memory journal she is completing for others (be still my heart). She meets Tyson while leaving a note on his truck (unsuccessfully) and this meet cute is perfect when it leads to a dare, a Shirley Temple, and a kiss. Ty is back home on vacation from his search and rescue job to help save his family's adventure lodge. Watching Avery and Ty come together was wonderful and left me with all the feels. I highly recommend this one and looking forward to moving on to the next book in this series as I continue painting!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

It Started With A Kiss

I really liked this story it touched my heart. Found myself with tears in my eyes!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Maybe a better read than listen

Just couldn't deal with the narration. This narrator has an unusual voice and I think it would be way better suited to children's books. The heroine sounded like a 10 year old, as did the love interest so it was very hard to take a romance seriously

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow!

This is my first read by Marina Adair and audio narration of Renee Raudman. The book will put me through all of the feels that I look for in a romance. If I was this impressed with Marina's words, I have a feeling a lot of her other works will be just as good (goes and adds more to my tbr)! While it took me just a short while to get into Renee's voice, I ended up liking her narration of the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A light and witty story with lots of love.

Wishing I too could" Live Loud" and Fly! Making me remember what Hope is like.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Cute and satisfying!

I was really surprised at how cute this was. Ever since I’ve switched to audiobooks, I have had a really hard time with romance. Romance is already pretty cheesy to read, but listening to someone say it out loud is just too cringeworthy most of the time! But this was just a sweet story, with likable characters and just enough drama tossed in.

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