Johnny Crown is the man everyone loves to hate. He has his dream job as a pitcher on his favorite baseball team, women falling at his feet, and the attitude to match. Life is perfect…until he meets Leah. Then, for the first time, he wants to change and make himself worthy of her. But after he tells a lie that almost ruins his friend’s life, will Leah even bother giving him a chance? Leah …
Leah Gulfson works in a man’s world and has dealt with enough jerks to last a lifetime. After her long-term boyfriend cheats on her, she decides to swear off relationships altogether. All she wants is to have fun and maybe mess around a little. Johnny is the last man she should want to be with. Will she change her mind and let Johnny in?
TRIGGER WARNING This book discusses child and domestic abuse, and a small sexual assault scene (not rape) please avoid if these would be hard for you to read
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Time for the havoc reeking bad boy from book one to have his story. This is a standalone so you don’t have to read the first one to read this and enjoy the experience with out missing pieces. Johnny is a bad boy with and abusive past that hasn’t helped him grow up with age. Still making bad choices he puts himself first and destroys lives around him. When he develops feeling for Liah, life just gets harder because she might as well be forbidden fruit. There’s so much drama and angst in this so be ready. A good story with some hot hot hot scenes and a bad boy you can’t decide if you love or hate him for all he’s down. The author has great flow and tells the story from both sides. I think some of the scenes could have been done and not just basically copy and pasted from the previous book. I get the need for the scenes but since I was reading it the day after I finished the first one, some of them I could have just skimmed over. If there’s a bit of a gap when you read book one and two I don’t think this would be an issue. Over all though I enjoyed the read!
Ok at first I was not a Johnny fan. I read the first book in this series and was nervous to read Johnny and Leah’s story as Johnny was painted as a bad guy in book one. However, I had a feeling something more was behind his story and was I so right. So I’m here saying, read this book. It is beautiful and heart wrenching. It will make you feel for Johnny. He had a tough life. But Leah really makes him a better man. I loved their journey together. I loved how they had tough moments, but also a beautiful story that lead to their happiness. This is a must read. I’m loving this series.
Really liked this story much more then book one. This actually had a story, secrets and a great timeline. It blended nicely with events from book one. I hated Johnny in book one but hearing his story, well it was hard to not forgive him. Johnny was actually very cool, he was a star pitcher and he treated all women like crap, until he met Leah. This story was sexy, sad, and romantic. Leah and Johnny had great chemistry and the personality of the characters were well developed. I enjoyed this book and recommend it. I’m going to read book three.
Laura John has a knack for writing a tortured hero. I had a hard time with Johnny but as the story moved on, I could feel my heart breaking and my walls coming down around him, just like Leah. It’s intense but sweet and sexy and one story I couldn’t put down.
Book two in the Love in Sienna series, they do need to be read in order as they sort of flow together. This is about Johnny and Leah, the best friends of the couple in book one. We already know they have something going, and we do get their side of things at the beginning of this. Johnny was the d-bag from book one that was part of breaking up Tia and Mikey, but we get to understand why. The thing that he and Leah have going on is of course a secret with only two people knowing that they are an item. Johnny has changed and has been very patient with Leah but she is still holding out on telling Tia what’s going on. Will the pressure of keeping this a secret be the reason they end?
Well… Johnny sure did have layers like Shrek and the metaphorical onion. There was loads that we find out about him and everything gets put into a better perspective for us. Giving us once again loads of drama, and some ok naughty bits, I was invested in this and had to know where the two ended up; I give this 4 stars.
I had been looking forward to their story since we met Leah and Johnny on Secret Smiles, since the beginning I disliked Johnny. And seriously, I thought that it will not be possible for the author to change my mind about Johnny, he was a bully to Tia n just a complete a** …….
The author had me disliking Johnny to the point that I wanted to punched him. It was mentioned that Johnny had a hard upbringing but to me that should had made him do better decisions.
So, how was it possible that not only did Laura change my mind about Johnny, but also made me go from wanting to punch Johnny to wanting to slap Leah?
The author kept me on edge to the point that I had to go back n do a triple check on the story thinking I missed something. I had expected an outcome and on the flip of the page she blew my mind away!
I love how we get to see Mikey and Tia’s story from Johnny and Leah’s POV.
Hidden Kisses was everything I wasn’t expecting and a lot more.
I loved the first book but wasn’t sure if I was going to love this because, well, Johnny. HATED him in Secret Smiles and didn’t think there was no redemption for him. While it doesn’t excuse his actions, getting into his background really helped to peel down those hard layers and we got to see who Johnny really is. He has a really sad past and it makes it hard for him to open up to Leah.
Leah won’t put up with no bull and makes Johnny work hard to earn her love and loyalty. I will admit there are times I wanted to slap her as she made some things harder than they needed to be and at other times, wish she was just a little stronger. But everyone has flaws.
This was written very well and the way the author gets you to go from hating a person to really loving them is honestly, in my opinion, a hard thing to do and she achieved it. There is a lot of back and forth with this couple and I loved that there are parts that tied into the previous book as they were happening at the same time. Everything flowed smoothly and I ended up really loving this story.
After reading the first book in this series I knew I had to read Johnny and Leah’s story. Its labeled as an enemy to lovers book but its more a redemption story. The abused high-school bully realizes he can have love from the most unexpected person. Johnny is a total alpha male with the attitude to match but Leah is stron enough to put him in his place and make him beg. I loved this story and can’t wait to read the next.
Hidden Kisses is the second book in the Love in Sienna Series by Laura John. I read the first book, and I liked this one a little bit better. I liked that it included some of the same situations that were in the first book, but we got Johnny and Leah’s point of view. The story spans several months are so, which I liked. We see Johnny wanting to become a better man. We also learn about his childhood that explains but not excuse his behavior. There is a poignant moment in the story where Johnny realizes you can’t judge a book by its cover. I wasn’t sure about Leah at times. There were moments where she made things more difficult than they needed to be. It was good, though to see an Independent woman also be vulnerable and unsure of herself and the situation. Overall, Hidden Kisses was a really good book. The book is a standalone, but reading the first book, Secret Smiles will give you a better understanding of Johnny.
Johnny and Leah are both fighting issues from their past and present. Johnny is trying everything to become a better person for himself, Leah and the people he has wronged. Leah always has to be in control but she wants to be able to give up some control and be with Johnny but it’s difficult for her. In order to be together completely, Johnny must apologize to everyone he has wronged with the hopes they will forgive him so he can be with the one he loves and wants to change for.
I did change my mind about Johnny but I expected Leah to be stronger than she seemed after reading Secret Smiles. Hidden Kisses was another rollercoaster of emotions that hooks you instantly. I am glad that Johnny and Leah were able to get past the issues they faced and start their journey to happiness. Hidden Kisses is a sports romance (baseball) which is told from the first-person point of view, can be read as a standalone or as the second book in the Love in Sienna series. Hidden Kisses does touch on strong subjects like child and domestic abuse, and sexual assault that may cause triggers to some. I am looking forward to the next novel in the Love in Sienna series.
Ok, book two and I’ve learned that Laura John likes to make addictive characters that I want to both shake and hug within the same breath! I fell in love with Leah while reading Secret Smiles. I loved how she was a strong, non-filtered firecracker. Then there is Johnny. I know we were supposed to hate him but honestly my heart bled for him. I was rooting for Johnny and Leah, I wanted them to complete each other but of course they had to fight their way there and I almost didn’t survive their journey. So many secrets, misunderstanding and hardheadedness! I needed Johnny (and Leah) to have a happy ending and I wasn’t disappointed but just a tip: make sure you have a good grip on your kindle because you might be tempted toss it a time or 20!
Johnny started off as the bad boy your mom taught you to stay away from! Life threw him every curve ball to encourage him to keep to himself and not let ANYONE in! That is until he met the beautiful and take no $hi*# from ANYONE named Leah! They hit it off in the beginning but when certain things come to light, their “relationship” is put to the test! This book is packed with it ALL…love, loss, pain, forgiveness, and finally acceptance! Laura John has a great way of putting all the pieces together to form one beautifully written story! I can’t wait for more!
I didn’t think I could ever like Johnny but this book totally changed my mind!! One of my favourite recent reads.
wow I cant believe that I havent already reviewed this as I thought I had. Bad guy from Secret Smiles. Or is he? I always thought there was something more to this character and so I was so thrilled that Johhny was the next character and Leah was his Love Interest.
There is so much behind this character that it or is was for me to to fall in like then in love with Johnny. We are quick to judge people by their outside persona’s, but really when you take the time to look behind the facade that we see, it is not always what we think.
I loved how Johnny kept chasing that “feeling” he had for Leah, and even though he had not presented himself in the best light when first meeting Leah, he persevered.
this man had so much that needed to be looked at, and despite the wrong that Leah had felt Johnny had done to Tia Marie when they were younger and then again as adults. Johnny stood up and took account of his actions.
I think people should be given the chance to redeem themselves, sometimes more than once. Who are we to judge and do you or have you taken the time to see why, this person, like Johnny acted like they did.
I loved how Johnny accepted what he had done and wanted to fix his wrongs. I love that Leah despite Tia being her best friend, couldnt help the way she felt about the person who had hurt her friend so deeply.
this book by Laura Johns helps us to understand, that not all is as it looks or seems.
Forgiveness, redemption and eventually understanding is what Johnny found with Leah, and then love. The Hot sex helped lol
A great read and a fabulous follow on from Secret Smiles. Well done Laura John. I look forward to the next instalment.
This is the 2nd book in this series and is Johnny and Leah’s story. I was not a fan of Johnny’s to begin with, but he certainly redeemed himself along the way. This is a well written emotional roller coaster, which is raw, gritty, steamy, passionate, and with added angst, love and witty dialogue, I was totally captivated throughout this addictive page turner, and I cannot wait to read more in this amazing series.
Loved, loved, LOVED this book! Its phenomenally written with a great storyline and amazing characters. Johnny and Leah shouldn’t be together for multiple reason, but their chemistry and connection can’t be ignored. It was suppose to be a little fun and games but these two are so much more. Grab your copy today and join them on the ride of drama, betrayals, lies, secrets, second chances and so much more.
Highly recommended!
WOW, WOW, WOW, what an amazing story is Hidden Kisses by Laura John. I was desperately waiting for the story of Johnny and Leah who we met in Love in Sienna #1. To be honest I didn’t like Johnny in that book or what he represented but in this book I completely understood why he acted the way he did and Laura John made an amazing character that regardless of everything he went through he stood high an accomplished what not too many people could with the childhood he had. Leah was a very strong female character, very loyal, compassionate and an accomplish lawyer. Johnny is the last person of earth that she wants to have a relationship with after what he did to ruin her best friends life, but the pull and attraction she has towards him its so hard to fight against and Johnny won’t make it easy neither because he never felt what Leah makes him feel, because after their first meeting she initiated this spark he had never felt before. His life was in darkness until he met Leah. Would his demons let him move on with his life? Would Leah give him a chance? You need to read this book and find out.
Wow. Just…WOW. If this author’s first book was a promise of potential, Johnny and Leah’s story is the fulfillment of that promise. Johnny is the man you want to hate but just can’t, even knowing his horrid past of being a less than fabulous person. And Leah is facing that very same dilemma. Of course, Leah has other obstacles keeping her from opening her heart and mind up to the possibility of a real relationship with Johnny, so he’s definitely got his work cut out for him.
I adored Johnny and his self-awareness. I loved his willingness to work for what he wants in life. I wanted to cry for his loneliness. And that’s saying something, considering his past actions. I loved Leah and her reluctance to break one person’s heart over another’s. And when the inevitable happens, the strength of character shown by Leah, Johnny, and their friends is a beautiful thing.
So now, I’m hooked. I can’t wait to see what this author brings my way next.