seriously romantic: it started with a kiss by ella quinn

the attraction between gideon, duke of rothwell, and lady louisa vivers is intense and immediate. they cross paths on horseback one morning, and without exchanging more than a glance they can't stop thinking about each other.

it started with a kiss follows gideon and louisa as they navigate their courtship and the london season and their respective families, who happen to be the ones getting in the way of things. because from moment one, gideon and louisa are pretty obviously "it" for one another. that one moment in the park and it was like their souls recognized their other half. and the more time they spend together, the more they share with each other, the more obvious it is that there is no other end to their story than love and marriage and happily ever after.

it's not all smooth sailing, of course, gideon is dealing with the consequences of his late father's descent into what society at the time called dementia, but was more likely alzheimer's disease. because his father was not in his right mind, he incurred a lot of debt and took up with a woman who's sole goal in life was to be kept in the lap of luxury. because gideon was out of the country he wasn't aware of his father's problems until after he returned to england, after his father's death. and the mess he has to clean up affects his eligibility, even though he is a duke. he is no golddigger and wants to solve these problems himself.

louisa, on the other hand, has a very determined suitor, who happens to be gideon's cousin. she doesn't realize their connection until she and gideon had already fallen head over heels, but their connection does complicate things as gideon is an honorable person and does not want to hurt his cousin. but louisa is no shrinking violet. she's not going to let gentleman's honor dictate her life choices. she wants gideon and no other. and as she is a managing sort of female, she manages her friends and family until she gets her way. it's how she gets gideon to propose in a way.

i love stories where the main characters aren't trying to figure out if they love each other, but are trying to figure out how to make sure their love can survive anything. and it started with a kiss is in this mold. there is no question that gideon and louisa love each other, but can they survive the obstacles in their way together? i mean, it's a romance, so of course they get their happily ever after. but watching them figure out how to be a team is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. (i found it to be a quick read.)

**it started with a kiss will publish on march 28, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (zebra shout) in exchange for my honest review.