A mistaken kiss. A forced engagement. Can it become something more?
Lily Kingsley accepts that she is destined to be a spinster—but not until she gets her first kiss. And she knows the perfect gentleman to enlist. Unfortunately, she kisses the wrong one and ends up in the arms of an overbearing and exceptionally frustrating merchant.
When busybodies catch them in their illicit embrace, an … in their illicit embrace, an engagement is the only solution, but Lily doesn’t want a fiancé who’s only doing his duty. And she certainly doesn’t want a gentleman far too used to getting his own way. She simply must make him see how ill-suited they are.
But why is the fellow so determined to see their engagement through?
Jack Hatcher hates surprises, but when a beguiling lady mistakes him for someone else and launches herself into his arms, he discovers not all surprises are bad. Marriage was not in Jack’s plans, but Lily stirs something inside him he never expected to feel.
But with his fiancé desperate to break with him and a new enemy working to woo Lily away, Jack discovers force of will won’t keep her by his side. Can he find a way to win her heart before it’s lost forever?
The Victorian Love series is a spin-off series that follows the children of the heroes and heroines of the Regency Love Series. Each book in both series is a standalone sweet historical romance and can be read in any order.
more
A Stolen Kiss by M.A. Nichols – Lily wants one kiss before she resigns herself to spinsterhood, but a mistake finds her kissing a stranger at a party rather than an old friend. Jack should probably be annoyed at finding himself engaged to a stranger, but the more he learns about Lily the more he wants to know. This is the sweetest little Victorian romance! And its apparently generational, so I want to go back to the beginning! Happy Reading!
I many ways a quirky romance, which makes it more entertaining and realistic. Funny and awkward moments in the heroine and hero make this a wonderful read.
This book realistically portrayed the difficulties that men and women have communicating and the layers of personal history that created those difficulties. It also shows that love can conquer those barriers. The author has a wide variety of characters that show different levels of emotional intelligence. I particularly liked that Mr. Hatchers’ antagonist was not evil, but merely misguided and in the end, saw the error of his ways and apologized to all parties that he hurt. It is a good lesson for the human race…to lay down our pride and just admit when we’re wrong. It was a good read, but the editor needs to take a closer look for omitted words and spelling.
Both Lily and Jack are strong people but in different ways; from different backgrounds that have molded them into who they are as adults. She is so honest and he is direct, forceful and honorable. It is all rather funny how they meet and how things progress. You will enjoy this one as I did and I can’t wait to read what is next
Really enjoyed this book.The characters struggle to believe/trust love from another and for themselves was very realistic. Can’t wait to read the next book in this series!
The story of Jack and Lily is delightful because it is a glimpse at common young people making their way in a rigid society. One cannot help but cheer for the guy who has suffered much and the girl who has been overlooked because of her looks.
More grounded than many historical novels and am pleased to recommend this book
I really enjoyed reading this tale of Jack and Lily. Their beginning so humorous and tragic at the same time.
The journey of theirs as they struggle to know one another and their different “love language “.
Each had scars whether actual or figuratively they had a worthy battle to win for themselves and each other.
I look forward to reading more from this series and author.
This is my first time reading something by this author and I really enjoyed it. The book is set in the Victorian era and is a sweet story of taking advantage of love when it comes, even when you least expect it. Lily is an awkward but lovable girl and she has come to terms with her future and has accepted that she will be a spinster. She will not accept, however, not having the experience of a first kiss. She asks a friend to help her achieve this and when the time comes it is not her friend, but Jack who she ends up kissing. Not only did she kiss the wrong man, but they were also discovered and now her reputation is at stake. It was fun to see how things played out after that, and the emotions and thoughts that went back and forth between the two. This was a truly delightful story with wonderful, endearing characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. I enjoyed this first book very much – it’s a great start to a new series and I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Excellent Characters
I loved this unconventional historical heroine. Not only is she older than the typical debutante that you see in Regency and Victorian romance (she’s 29), she’s also a tall and plus-size woman. She has been mostly ignored by men, though she is well loved by her family. She is a fun and relatable combination of trembling nerves and nerves of steel. When she wants something, she is charmingly timidly determined. For instance, she decides she wants to experience her first kiss, so she writes a letter to a good friend who will soon emigrate, asking him to perform the deed. In a very well-done scene, in a darkened library at a private ball, she launches herself at a man who turns out not to be the one she wrote the letter to. While she initiates the first kiss, the hero is the one who does the second—after she figures out he is the wrong man. Even in that first encounter, both feel something neither expected to. Of course, they are discovered, and her reputation hangs in the balance.
The hero is a complex character as well. Unlike many heroes in historical romance set in this time, he is not a fancy Lord. He is—heavens, no!—in trade. He is a wealthy man, so even though he bears that social stigma, he has still been pursued by the matchmaking mamas and their debutante daughters. He at first believes that the heroine has contrived this compromise to trap him, but he soon figures out her true nature (and absolute mortification) at what has transpired. It’s interesting to watch his mind go back and forth as he tries to figure both himself and herself out. That made him relatable and believable as well, and I found it charming the way he came to feel more for her as he watched her interact with sellers and their goods at a street market. If you enjoy well-written Victorian romance, you may very well enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Book one in the Victorian Love series a well written story with a great storyline. This is a new Author to me, but I now want to read more by her. Lily Kingsley believes no one will ever want her so she writes a man saying she would like a kiss before he goes to Canada. But once in the library of her hosts home she kisses Jonathan/Jack Hatcher instead. These are two people who have a lot from their pasts to overcome in order to get their happy ending. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A wonderfully realistic tale.
The lady in this tale is a bit older, not the standard beauty, and has a life of spinsterhood awaiting her. As it is so often plans do not work out the way you hope and that is what Lily experiences then again perhaps it is fate stepping in. Jack the gentleman of the tale is a wonderful character after all he is going to take on a strong-willed lady like Lily. It was written so well and I was entertained by the characters. Looking for steam this is not the one for you but it is a story that you should read I have enjoyed every minute spent this piece.
It is great to find love between two scared people. I couldn’t put it down. Very well written story an original plot. I’ll be looking for more of M A Nicols.
A pleasant afternoon read.
It seems Jack is emotionally stunted, but his past life has trained him to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself, which can handicap a man in his attempts at wooing. He’s in luck with Lily.
This is a quiet story, but not overloaded with rambling thoughts of the characters. Very good read.
My first from this author. A very enjoyable sweet read. Lovely characters and good nuggets of wisdom about self worth and marriage.
Lily wants to rectify the situation: she has never been kissed so has planned an assignation in the library. Unfortunately, the man she throws herself is Jack Hatcher rather than her childhood friend who is about to emigrate to Canada. Of course they are caught by Lily’s aunt as well as two of the most vicious gossips in the ton. So of course they get engaged in the resulting scandal. And this is only the beginning of the book! This is a charming book that is fairly well crafted.
Where sill one kiss take you? This book takes you on a merry ride through social demands, gossiping old ladies and what true love can over come. What better way to start your life as a spinster than with one stolen kiss.
Nice clean romance.
In general I liked A Stolen Kiss. The prose-like writing and descriptions were very impressive, but I wish the author, M.A. Nichols, would have used less mental musings and more dialogue between the characters. The dialogue method is a much better option than the musing method when an author is trying to develop the lead characters. It also has the added benefit of adding more depth to the supporting characters.
As to the story, it was simple and sweet. I found the plus size heroine (Lily) both a refreshing and brave choice. The author did a great job of conveying the unfair treatment of all people that are outside the normal and just how such treatment impacts that individuals self esteem. I did have a bit of trouble to get close to the hero (Jack), but I slowly came to love him when I understood his past.
All in all, this is an interesting read that is both sweet and clean.
Content 411: This is a clean read. It is swearing and sex free, but there are a couple of kissing scenes that give off a passionate vibe.
Good read.