This was a reprint that I’ve read when it was published as The Last First Kiss. Patricia Evans has an amazing ability at developing characters and plots. The First Kiss focuses on Alessia who is in the wine industry and Parker a captain in the U.S. army stationed in Italy. This was sweet, steamy, and had intrigue. Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

Cilla is captivated by a mysterious woman living next door. When her dog Benson goes missing, Cilla discovers him at this neighbor's residence. The plot is compelling, filled with mystery and drama. Cilla becomes enamored with the enigmatic neighbor who vanishes without a trace. This story comes recommended for fans of romantic mysteries.

A beautiful story where romance and mystery intertwine. Quite intriguing and entertaining. Well Done!!

Thank You NetGalley and the Bold Strokes Books

3,5 ⭐️
The First Kiss is a crime novel set in beautiful Italy and Greece with vividly described landscapes. I loved Alessia's family with their strong bond, having dinner together every Sunday with heaps of delicious food, coffee, wine, and a grappa.

Alessia Cavalli's main profession is wine sommelier. As only one of 26 women worldwide, she doesn't always have an easy job and often has to fight against prejudice. But the secret actions in which she is involved threaten to get out of hand and become dangerous. In addition, a dispute with her sister Lexie puts a strain on the whole family.

Parker Haven is an American military policewoman stationed for NATO in Salerno, Italy. When a foreigner is murdered, she is assigned to solve the case together with her team and with the local authorities. However, the closer Parker and Alessia get, the more questions arise about Alessia's mysterious behavior. The possibility that Alessia knows more about the case than she is letting on puts Parker to the test. Can she trust Alessia? Or will she fall for a suspect?

The romance part is nice, but it was going a little bit too fast in my opinion. I didn't really feel a big connection and attraction between the two, but there were a few hot scenes, especially by the hot springs.

The suspense was intriguing, and although I found a few pieces of the puzzle relatively simple, the story remained quite suspenseful. It started slowly and ended with some action. What I liked was the cooperation between the different departments involved, such as the Italian police and the NATO department involved.

Overall it was an entertaining story, but it was a bit overstuffed. There are many secondary characters involved, all of whom are interesting personalities with exciting backgrounds, but they didn't all get enough time. But maybe this is the start of a series in which the other characters get their own story.

ARC provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review

This book was very good. It's a romance with a bit of intrigue thrown in. This is a story about a U.S. Army officer attached to NATO in Italy and an Italian wine maker who get involved in a murder investigation. The wine maker may be a suspect because, some of her activities can't be explained away by what her duties are at her winery. This was a very good book .with lots of drama, intrigue, and romance which made this a compelling story.. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and I look forward to what's next from this author.

*The First Kiss* by Patricia Evans is a thrilling blend of romance and suspense, set against the picturesque backdrop of Italy’s southern coast. Alessia Cavalii, a brilliant and accomplished master sommelier, appears to have it all—success, beauty, and a newly independent life. However, beneath the surface, she’s harboring a dangerous secret that threatens to unravel everything she’s built. Enter Parker Haven, a no-nonsense US Army captain and detective, whose investigation into a series of local murders pulls her into Alessia’s orbit.

Evans masterfully balances the intense chemistry between Alessia and Parker with the escalating tension of the murder mystery. Their relationship is both passionate and complicated, as Parker finds herself torn between her duty and the growing connection she feels with Alessia. The intrigue surrounding the case adds an extra layer of urgency to their romance, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.
This is a captivating romance with high stakes, as it explores trust, danger, and love in the face of uncertainty. With its dynamic characters, suspenseful plot, and a setting as seductive as the wine Alessia knows so well, it’s a story that leaves a lasting impression.

Alessia Cavalii is a rising star in the competitive international wine scene, and one of only twenty-six female master sommeliers in the world. Her home is a gorgeous, renovated winery on the sun-soaked southern coast of Italy, she has a career she adores, and she has finally managed to end a long-term toxic relationship. But Alessia is hiding a dangerous secret—and she’s edging dangerously closer to losing the beautiful life she’s worked so hard to create.

Parker Haven is a captain in the US Army and stationed at the NATO military camp in Italy. A detective with the military police, she’s recruited to help solve a string of murders in the city and becomes inexplicably drawn into Alessia’s world. As the intrigue surrounding the case—and Alessia—spins dangerously out of control, Parker must choose between her military career and the woman she’s falling in love with.

Gripping. Steamy. Realistic, fascinating characters. Compelling plot. Great writing. I loved the chemistry between these two. I loved the sun-kissed coast of Italy. I loved all of it. This was a winner for me!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows Alessia, a master sommelier with a secret job, and Captain Parker Haven of the USA military. Parker is working on a NATO assignment in Italy, when she meets Alessia at her favorite cafe. There they hit it off. But Parker finds herself wrapped up in a mystery that Alessia is some how connected.

This is the first book by Patricia Evans I have read and it wasn't bad, but it didn't hold my attention. The premise seemed right up my alley. I love romantic blend type stories. Romance with a splash of action, to keep things interesting. But I found my mind wandering while reading it. I can't point to anyone thing that caused it, I think it just wasn't for me. I imagine others will enjoy this book.

All in all, not bad but not for me. I would recommend this book to fans of romantic mystery books.

I want to start this review by thanking Bold Stroke Books, Inc for allowing me to read The First Kiss via Netgalley. These opinions are solely my own.

I wanted to really like this book, I thought the premise was cute. Alessia is an Italian winery owner and she meets Parker a Captian in the Army stationed at NATO. The story itself was fine, a little far fetched I felt at times, but still it kept me wanting more. I did have a couple of issues, one being an inconsistency in the continuity. There would be a mix up of characters, or a character doing something that had just happened. However, my bigger issue, and some may not have the same problem I did, was the author had Parker drinking in her military uniform. In any military branch, this is a big no no. Again, may just be an issue for me, but I cringed everytime she drank in uniform. I decided to give this book 2.5 stars out of 5.

I had some trouble getting into the story from the first chapter. I couldn't see why or how Parker and Alessia went so quickly. It didn't flow for me and I had problems following along because it seems jumbled if that makes sense. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of wine and the majority of this book is about wine and food. The descriptions were on point and very detailed, but i tended to skim over them as they didn't add much to the overall story.

Parker is a womanizer and is hot in a uniform which draws lots of female attention including Alessia. It was a sexy romance with suspense and intrigue, but still had issues getting involved with the characters. It had some interesting plot twists though so I'll give Evans credit for that, but overall, this book failed to hit the mark for me. I can't recommend it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A combined romance and mystery set in Italy and Greece. Alessia Cavailii is a master sommelier and works with wineries improving their wines. While at her mothers busy coffee shop she meets Captain Parker Haven of the U.S. Army. She is an MP assigned to the NATO military camp near. I appreciate that Alessia’s nose is what makes her a great sommelier but all the smell descriptions went on a bit much for me. Parker gets assigned a case of a shooting of a US citizen. It looks like a professional hit and she works with local police. She is surprised when Alessia seems to know more about the case than she should.

Parker is described as a player, and Alessia has only had one serious relationship that ended badly. A couple of the most riveting moments in the book are not part of the main storyline. One is a flashback scene for Parker that involves a translator friend that works with her at NATO. The other scene is that same friend helping a girl on a rooftop. I like the intrigue as Alessia seems to be in danger and of course Parker wants to protect her. There is a lot going on and it is compelling but not always evenly written. I didn’t realize until I was writing my review that this is a book that was previously published in January 2022, but is now getting released from Bold Strokes Books.

This is my fourth or fifth book by the author and I like her strong characters.

I found this slightly intriguing. A romance with a bit of detection thrown in. A U.S. Army officer attached to NATO in Italy and an Italian vintner get involved in a murder investigation. The vintner may be a suspect as some of her activities cannot be explained away by what her duties are at her winery. Quite engrossing.

A book about falling in love, wine and murders!
An interesting read which started in the first half about wine and then the murders started and more of the story came together. Their was parts i found a little hard to follow over all an enjoyable read. Thank you for advanced copy.

I had some difficulty getting into the story and seeing how the MC's were into each other. To be honest, I am still trying to figure that out. It went from nothing to a lot in the blink of an eye for me. At some point Parker shares memories of an encounter with another woman and to be honest I was more into their story than Parker and Alessia's story. Even now after finishing the book.

The first half of the book was mostly about the wine and Parker being in Italy and then there were murders and mystery. I didn't feel like it all flowed perfectly together to make a lot of sense.

Maybe there were just too many details and characters for me to keep my attention.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

Delicious romantic suspense
This romance has a lot of wonderful traits: a hot butch/femme couple with a lot of chemistry and a setting in Italy with a great Italian family, fragrant food and lots of tasty wine. I really enjoyed both the budding romance and the setting.
Without giving the suspense part away: Parker, a military MP with NATO, meets Alessia first at her favorite Italian cafe and then meets her again on a mission in Greece. When Parker has to investigate a murder in town she keeps crossing paths with Alessia. Gradually we are let in into secrets and, let me say, secrets which should concern every woman. The end could have been a bit elaborate but is nevertheless satisfying.
The writing drew me totally in and I loved to follow the romance and the twists and turns of the story.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. The review is left voluntarily.

I was very confused at the outset of this story. I kept reading though and eventually the story began to become more clear. I will admit that some elements of the story seemed a little far fetched. However, I really enjoyed the romance between Parker and Alesia; the cover was appealing; and Hooper and Trobaugh are always interesting additions to a story. 3.5 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Stokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to review this book. I really enjoyed the story and loved to see the romance grow between Alessia and Parker, however I didn't find it a page turner. I enjoyed the descriptions of the different wines also as I love a glass of red myself. The cover is very captivating. I will recommend this book for a holiday read to my friends.

Captain Parker Haven, stationed with NATO in Italy, is tasked to a string of murders that may are may not be related. Working closely with Hooper and Trobaugh to solve the case, Parker finds that her new love interest, sommelier Alessia, is somehow involved.

As Parker's relationship with Alessia grows, and the heat in their relationship intensifies, so does the intrigue. How is it that Alessia has knowledge of the victims that hasn't been publicly released? How is she involved? As Parker works through to find the truth she finds herself becoming increasingly emotionally involved with Alessia as she tries to unravel the mystery.

With well defined and bold characters, The First Kiss is a riveting mystery that will keep you turning the page. Trobaugh and Hooper, cross over characters from the author's other works, provide an extra level of depth to the mystery while drawing out Parker's character with their camaraderie and well meant teasing.

I have to admit I nearly gave up on this about chapter 4/5 as I got really confused but I’m glad I didn’t as it had a lot of depth. The crime aspect of the story was interesting and the romance that developed between Alessia and a Parker was steamy!

Intense drama!

Alessia is trying to escape the past which is in danger of catching up to her and ruining the beautiful life she has created for herself. She meets Parker, an Army Captain and as a detective with the military police their paths keep crossing when Parker is investigating murders that are close to Alessia’s world.

This was an interesting story from the very beginning, with Alessia and Parker’s relationship growing slowly around the ongoing drama of the investigation. As they started getting closer, I loved how they had to try and trust one another, especially where Alessia was revealing parts of her past and her suspicions as to how it all might be connected with Parker’s case. It kept them close, but their feelings for one another definitely added all the complication a great romance needed.

I didn’t expect some of the things I learned about Alessia’s past but I loved the dreamy scenes depicted of Italy and the beautiful home Alessia had made for herself. Her past creeping up on them though put me on the edge of my seat and I just hoped she’d be okay and Parker would catch up with the threats before they actually reached them. This story had a strong sense of family and Parker had very quickly become a part of that, where she really did fit in and belong.

A great romance, with lots of excitement and drama.