Kiss & Cry ~ Keira Andrews

Kiss and Cry is a relatively low angst, enemies to lovers story set amongst the world of competitive figure skating. I admit I know nothing about figure skating except that I love watching it. That said, a couple of things that I did fact check turned out to be correct, so I think it's reasonably safe to say this author has a pretty good idea of what she's writing about (but I make no promises!!).

Although the angst level is low, it does have its emotional moments, as one character has a tense relationship with their mother, who is trying to control his career, and the other has anxiety and confidence issues. There is also the death (off page) of a supporting character (a trainer) to one of the MCs. The story addresses this character's grief over his passing.

That said, the book is not heavy or overly intense, and the emotional moments are broken up with skating action and humour. It is a beautiful story, with the characters sympathetically drawn, and both are genuinely nice guys. It was way too easy to look forward to their hard-won HEA.

Many of the secondary characters stem from the previous book; as such, they are already pretty developed, and it was lovely catching up with them again. Those new to this story were well-drafted with three-dimensional personalities and developed to the extent needed for the story. None of the characters were shallow cardboard cut-outs; the cast, including those supporting, are individuals with no fillers.

Keira Andrews is a favourite author of mine. She has the knack of developing a story and characters that you genuinely care about and wish only the best for them (except for bad guys, they can go jump off a cliff!). Her stories are never superficial, nor are they heavy or depressing. They are written sensitively and with humour, even when dealing with serious issues.

Kiss and Cry is a follow up to the previous book, Only One Bed. It could be read as a standalone, but I'd recommend reading Only One Bed first to get the entire backstory on all the characters; plus, Only One Bed is a good story!

Kiss and Cry is a lovely relaxing escapist read, perfect for a lazy weekend. I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it to anyone looking for a light but engaging read.