The author
Prudence Bice has loved writing her entire life. Born in Orange County, California, as one of eleven children, she always felt drawn to stories that spoke to and kindled her romantic heart. Having overcome tragedy in her own life, the inspiration for her first novel was sparked by her desire to ignite true romantics everywhere with a wholesome, feel-good story about the power of love in rising above the pain and suffering from loss.

Prudence resides in St. George, Utah, with her husband, Ray, and their four daughters and one son. Her hobbies include drawing, photography, music, writing, and, of course, reading anything she can get her hands on! Currently she is majoring in English at Dixie State College and loving it. For more information visit http://kissingtreebook.com/

The synopsis
After five long years, Georgiana McLaughlin returns to the only place she's ever considered home, the same place she stole a kiss from Ridge Carson under the "kissing tree" But this time he's a man, and reconciling their past is just the beginning. You'll find yourself applauding each new chapter filled with fun, romance, and adventure in this captivating, heartfelt tale of love, friendship, and finding your way back.

The review
While reading trough this book I was having a laugh at myself for picking this up after the Fifty Shades books. Though both books write about love, relationships and choices one has to make for or against them they could not have been more different.
The characters in this book are very solid. Well described with a clear personality. It is nice that the author starts with the story of Georgiana stealing a kiss. The chapter really shows a bit of a wild child and that picture comes back later several times. I would not have mind if that would have been a whole book abut the youth of Georgiana, Samantha and Ridge actually. After the author introduces the other characters and she really gives you a chance to pick your own favorite.
The story is very predictable but not in an annoying way. You pick up the book and within three pages you know it is a feel good book so everybody will end up happily ever after. This did not disturb the story though.
What I did had a problem with was the language. The author wrote the sentences people like Georgiana's granddad says in a dialect. I had a hard time reading those and it did annoy me sometimes.
The Kissing Tree makes for a nice light read. Nothing spectacular but entertaining nonetheless. ( )

If you’re looking for a sweet romance with a little spark, look no further. I really enjoyed the “out west” setting of the novel. While the main character, Georgie grew up in the small western town in Colorado, her mother took her and her two younger brothers back east to live with her aunt after the tragic death of her father. While Georgie enjoyed living the high life in New York with all the fancy trimmings, she could never quite forget her country roots. When Georgie’s grandfather, Angus, requests her to come and help him out with the housework at the ranch, she doesn’t hesitate, even against her aunt’s and fiance’s wishes.

The young Ridge who Georgie fantasized about as a young girl has now grown up to be a very handsome and sought after man. And he has always had a soft spot for Georgie and her hot tempered ways. It’s not until a major crisis, that these two are forced to face the truth. With the tension running high between these two, you won’t want to stop flipping the pages until the end!

Although this is a story that has been told before, the characters are fresh. I especially enjoyed Angus’s sense of humor and his love for his granddaughter is always apparent. And that Roddy guy, a small part, but I enjoyed him because that’s my husband’s name. ;) The main characters were so well done that I wish we could have seen more from some of the smaller parts.

It’s all about loyal friendships, undying love, and finding yourself along the way, and always with a spark of humor.

Thanks to netGalley and Cedar Fort for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I have already purchased my own copy of this book. I mean, look at the cover!

For the full review, check out my blog - emmegailsbookshelf.wordpress.com ( )

Georgie was dared by her friend to steal a kiss from their friend Ridge while under the "kissing tree." Georgie got her kiss, but soon she left town to move to New York City. After five years Georgie has returned home to help her grandfather on his ranch. Now that she's back, she has to face a grown-up Ridge. Georgie feels a lingering attraction to Ridge, but she also has a devoted suitor from New York. Georgie will have to decide what she wants from her life...and who she wants a life with.

This was a very sweet romance. There aren't really any surprises or anything, but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the book. Georgie and Ridge were fun characters. It was cute to watch their childhood feelings slowly develop and change into more adult ones. Of course, Georgie also had to deal with all the reasons she had to leave in the first place and the consequences of that move. She discovers some things she didn't know before as secrets and mysteries were uncovered. There's even a hint of adventure.

This book does what it is supposed to and does it well. There are characters you root fore and outcomes you are dying to see come true. One negative I did have was that I hard a hard time reading the dialect of some of the characters, but overall this wasn't too bad. I just found myself re-reading some lines to understand what the characters had said. That wasn't a major deal for me though, so overall I enjoyed this book. It is soft and sweet and full of love and affection.

Galley provided for review. ( )

5 STARS

I loved the Kissing Tree it brought smiles and tears but mostly smiles. Clean old fashion romance.

At the start Georgie has been dared to steal a kiss from Ridge under the kissing tree. Georgie got Ridge thier and kissed him on the lips and ran away. Than her and Sammy left to go home. Georgie was almost 13 and she thought she was leaving for a month vacation to her Aunt's house back east. Then she found out they were not comming back at all.

Georgie's mom has been a widow for a year and could not handle still living on the ranch any longer. So when her sister Cecelia invited them to live her back in the family home she left her in-laws and took her three children away.

Georgiana wanted to come back to Colorado for over 5 years. Her Aunt Cecelia paid for her schooling and clothes but was cold. At least the last three years she lived at school. Now her grandma had passed away and her grandfather wrote and asked if she could come out and help.

Georgiana was glad to come home and when the stage coach pulled in and she saw her grandfather for the first time in 5 years she ran to him. She started to fall and someone caught her. Ridge was their and started to tease her right off the bat.

Georgiana was surprised to find out he was working for her grandfather as foreman at the ranch. Georgiana had written Ridge and Samantha but neither one had ever written her back.

Georgiana loved cooking and taking care of the house for her grandfather. She loved being needed. She would paint while the men were out working. She found Samantha and picked up their friendship fast. Georgie found out that Samantha had written and she never got her letters either.

Georgiana had left a good friend Dawson back east. Dawson wanted to marry her and wrote her lots of letters. Georgiana was still drawn to Ridge but did not think he cared about her even though he kissed her.

Just thinking of this sweet story brings a smile on my face. I hope to read more books from Prudence Bice. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. ( )

The Kissing Tree is as sweet a novel as its title. I have a soft spot for historical fiction novels, especially those that take place on the frontier, and this novel is falls under that category with Georgie being a country girl at heart.

The book starts with an important memory in the hearts of two children who didn’t know what the future held for them. If they had, I’m sure things would have turned out differently; in the end, years pass before they meet again without having resolved their feelings. Over the years, Georgie has grown into a strong, independent-minded woman, and Ridge has grown into a rugged, handsome man. Obviously, the attraction between them hasn’t died. I enjoyed watching their relationship progress, though there were many times when I wanted to cry out for them to hurry up and realize that they’re the perfect match for each other. (Because, naturally, complications prevent them from getting together at the start, from internal conflicts to other suitors to miscommunication.)

The ending seemed a bit convenient for me. Of course I was happy that Georgie found happiness with the hero of her story, but another match is made—a match that happens all too quickly. I would have thought that the one with a freshly broken heart would have taken longer to heal considering how serious that person was about the love interest. This is a bit awkwardly written, and while you’ll probably figure out who ends up with who before the actual resolution of the book, I don’t want to give any spoilers by naming people here.

While the characters are adults, there aren’t any explicit scenes in this novel. I wouldn’t keep this on my shelf, being someone who looks for deeper plots and more dynamic (rounded out) characters in the books that I hoard for rereads. However, this is a fun read for those of you who enjoy historical fiction and can be finished in one sitting. ( )