Customer Reviews

The Bridesmaid Chronicles: First Kiss

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I really enjoyed the series. They are light, quirky romances that are fun to read. This particular book however was not on par with the rest of the series. What really killed this book for me was the lack of romance. The rest of the books in this series are told from the perspective of both the heroine and the hero. You get to see how the attraction between the two characters develops into deeper feelings. They go through a little angst before they get together in the end, but you're rooting for them to work out their issues and stay together. The heroes and heroines all have personal/relationship issues that they work through in order to achieve their happy ending and you see them grow because of it. Not so with First Kiss.

The story is told entirely from Kiki's point of view. This, I think, was a big mistake. Not only did we get no sense of deeper feeling from Kiki, who was shallow to the point of causing me more than mild annoyance, but we get absolutely nothing from Fab. Sure, we heard about how hot Fab was, what a good bed buddy he was, and that he knew how to listen to a girl, but what else is there? We don't see anything real developing between them and the one, very short, moment of conflict between them is when Kiki tells Fab that he can't give her any kind of relationship. Then a scant few hours later Fab's declaring his love for her in front of others? And what deep thoughts does Kiki have upon overhearing this? What outfit she'll wear when they double date with the celebrity couple that Fab has declared his feeling to! It was kind of a let down for me to see that Kiki didn't really grow at all as a person during this book. Not that I expected her to do an about face, but if she'd become a bit less self-centered or just given some sense of having matured a little, I would have been happier. I enjoyed Danni, Tiffany Lynn, and Kirby way more than the lead characters, but I really just wanted to brain Suzi-Suzi.

If you started "The Bridesmaid Chronicles" with the Karen Kendall books and expect this one to stay true to the quality and spirit--not to mention the PLOT--of them, you're in for a disappointment. This book has almost nothing to do with the actual series. It's barely even a romance; more "chick-lit" than anything. As most of the other reviewers have noted, Kiki, the main character, is unbelievably shallow and she doesn't ever improve. It's like spending a few hours in Paris Hilton's head. As for the hero, you never get any real sense of him at all. Basically, he comes across as a guy with a stupid name--Fab Tomba--who's only appeal, other than being "hot" is he listens to Kiki blather on about incredibly inane stuff and somehow manages to be charmed by her.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I won't be seeking her out for a follow up.

I really did not like this book, although I enjoyed the others in the series. Kiki is shallow and self centered, as is Fab. I never learned to love the heroine or hero in this book. By the end, I really did not care if they ended up together or not.

I picked up this book because I had read two other's in the Bridesmaid series. First Date and First Dance were both really enjoyable reads by Karen Kendall, I would suggest picking those up. Had I know you didn't need to read the whole series to understand the story I would have put this book down halfway through reading it. It was horrible.

Kiki Douglas is an incredibly shallow woman as are her friends Suzi-Suzi and Danni. The only character that seems likeable is Tiffany Lynn who you don't even meet until halfway through the book. I love her attitude but she is a little too over the top for me.

Through out the book you know what is going to happen and unlike in the other two books I've read in the series I didn't actually care and want to get to the end. The author is too worried about dropping the right names, designers and celebrities, but the main celebs in the book are ficticious. It's a huge disappointment and frankly it gets really tiring reading through all the names which won't even be relevant in a few years.

I highly recommend the other books in the series. Even though I'm only part of the way through First Love by Julie Kenner. It's a much better read than First Kiss. Skip this one and you'll still understand the entire series.

I really liked the tone and attitude of the Bridesmaid Chronicles. But this book just doesn't fit, and Kiki is anything but a heroine. I couldn't identify with her at all, and in fact was constantly waiting for the moment when somebody would teach her a real lesson about her interferring ways. But no one ever does, even "Fab" (whose name bothered me immensly) ends up chuckling and going "Oh, Kiki..." instead of telling her to stick her nose elsewhere.

The other books in this series are fantastic, and you don't need to read this one completly to understand those, so I suggest reading a plot summary and skipping it. Unless you want to laugh at an unsympathetic character.

I really kept waiting for Kiki to do an about face on her shallowness but she didn't. Otherwise, I did read through this book quickly just to see what would happen. I was disappointed with the lack of interaction between Kiki and the other bridesmaids.

I have read the 1st 3 of this series so far and the first ("First Date") has been the best. I really felt like I got to know those characters. "First Dance" would get my vote for the 2nd best.

I would have read this book regardless of the reviews just because I wanted to read the whole series. It was a fine book. A quick beach read. Nothing you have to think much about. I wouldn't skip over it but I wouldn't expect it to be fantastic.

I loved "First Date," the first book in this Bridesmaid series, but "First Kiss" wasn't what I thought it should be. Kiki, the main character, is an annoying, shallow snot, who may be involved in some funny situations, but I can't stand her. I'm on page 214 right now. I don't even know why I'm still reading it. I guess just to make the series complete. Kiki's supposedly fab "Fab" isn't fabulous either. We barely get to know him. This book just doesn't work for me. Very disappointed.

This is the 2nd book in the Bridesmaid Chronicles, centered around a wedding.

Kiki is an ex-Miss Texas and an ex-soap opera star (her character was just killed off). Her agent won't answer her calls, and she's at the end of her rope. So she borrows money from her stripper best friend and goes shopping. Whereupon she gets photographed in what appears to be a compromising position with a famous singer, a media darling who's the epitome of family values. Now she's fired by her publicist and people are accosting her on the street, so she ducks into a hotel lobby to catch her breath, runs into Fab Tomba, the hotel's owner, and decides to hide out at his exclusive hotel until the furor dies down.

The Good:
Kiki felt very true-to-life. It made sense for a semi-struggling actress to be obsessed with fashion and to be over-dramatic.

Although Kiki was arrogant and rude, she was also completely devoid of malice, almost innocent.

There was a running joke with Kiki calling Fab up to complain about her room that I enjoyed, and I did think that his belief in her and encouragement could possibly help her grow up a bit.


The Bad:
First Kiss has next to nothing to do with the rest of the series. The heroine, Kiki, is one of the bridesmaids, but the only mention of the upcoming wedding is her periodic emails to her wedding planner friend that are inserted between chapters and have nothing to do with the story.

Kiki was very hard to like, or even sympathize with.

Every time I'd start being entertained by her antics, I'd be disgusted by something she did. Honestly, if you can't pay your rent, who borrows money from a friend and spends $800 of it on a blouse?

Kiki's circumstances changed through the course of the story, but she herself didn't change at all, or even learn anything. Her problems were solved at the end of the book, but not through her own efforts.

The Verdict:
4 stars for the fun, fast-paced antics, and 2 stars for the main character.

A decade has passed since Kiki Douglas won Miss Texas and was first runner-up in the Miss America contest. She has since been on several soap operas with her character always ending up dead. Currently out of work, she plans to go home to Fredericksburg to attend her brother's wedding to a Jersey girl in which she hopes to bring some class to the reception although one of the other bridesmaids was her ex-husband's lawyer in the divorce.

The New York Post catches her in a provocative pose with rising music superstar Tom Brock, making it seem sleazy as he is married. They make quite a scandal in which the town's gross DJs label Kylie the most hated woman in Manhattan. Calling her a housebreaker and other vile names, the worst comment is they inform the world she is soap opera has been at thirty four. Heeding her best friend's advice Kylie hides in a hotel where she meets the playboy owner Maurizio Tomb. As they fall in love, both misjudges the depths of compassion of the other as the media paints both as shallow hedonists.

This amusing chick lit tale stars a female who seems schizoid at times, a tabloid delightful bimbo turning into a Socrates clone advising her pals and her beloved. Though linked to the overall wedding of the Bridesmaid Chronicles the story line never really ties back to book one FIRST DATE by Karen Kendall. Still the lead couple is a fine pairing of two individuals much deeper than the media's air brushed fifteen second sound bite.

Harriet Klausner

First Kiss is a hip, funny, sexy, love story. Kiki The female love interest reminds me of the gals in Sex In The City. Kiki is self centered, clever and beautiful.The secondary characters are a kick and Fabrizio Tomba the main man in this story is hot enough to burn up the sheets . Kylie Adams writing is unique and I could not put the book down.