It was Only a Kiss

It was Only a Kiss (2013), a contemporary romance novel by Joss Wood, follows the relationship between a cocky businessman and an enthusiastic marketing intern determined to win his affections. In 2013, it won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Harlequin Kiss. Wood is a bestselling romance writer who worked in economic development before becoming a full-time novelist. She loves traveling and exploring different settings through her books. Best known for her independent and sexually confident heroines and her arrogant but soft-at-heart heroes, she typically writes for Harlequin and Mills & Boon.

It was Only a Kiss takes place in Franschoek, South Africa. The protagonists are Luke Savage and Jess Sherwood. Luke is a successful businessman who runs a local vineyard, St. Sylve, which he inherited from his father. He has mixed feelings about the place: He didn’t have a good relationship with his family, and the vineyard brings back bad memories. On the other hand, he loves winemaking and can’t wait to transform the vineyard into his own special place.

Jess is a bright, energetic marketing intern. Landing an interview with Luke’s vineyard company, she is quickly offered the job. Luke is confident that she will help him turn St. Sylve into a personal success, as long as she does everything that he tells her to do. He isn’t interested in Jess’s new ideas and marketing strategies.



One day, Jess confronts him about the problems with St. Sylve. She claims that the vineyard isn’t making any money and that Luke is accumulating huge debts. No one wants to invest in it, and no one visits the land anymore. Part of the problem is that Luke refuses to advertise the vineyard effectively. If he doesn’t listen to her suggestions to transform the vineyard into a more commercially appealing venture, he will lose it.

Claiming that Jess is overstepping her boundaries, Luke says she has no right to question his leadership. They argue, but the fight ends in a passionate kiss. A married man, Luke fires Jess because her beauty and her bold ideas distract him. He promises to give her good references, but Jess isn’t interested. She never wants to see him again because he treated her so horribly.

A few years go by, and both Jess and Luke are in very different places. Although Luke still owns St. Sylve, he feels that his career is going nowhere. He divorced his wife not long after his kiss with Jess, and he’s lonely, jaded, and frustrated. He thinks about Jess most days, regretting how badly he treated her, but he knows that they will never get together.



Jess is a big name in the marketing industry. She runs her own company, Jess Sherwood Concepts, and she specializes in transforming struggling companies into commercial successes. She’s still single, but she’s looking for a special man in her life. Although she remembers Luke as a handsome and alluring man, she can’t forget how he treated her, and she doesn’t care if she never sees him again.

One day, Jess pitches to Luke’s company. Luke decides that now is the time to make amends for how he handled things before. He immediately offers Jess the contract and they start working together. He admits that he can’t stop thinking about how beautiful and smart she is; he’s determined to take her on a date.

Jess warns Luke that they’re business partners now. They can’t have a relationship while they work together. As a marketing professional, she knows the damage a failed romantic relationship could do to her business, and she’s not prepared to take that chance for anyone. Although Luke respects Jess’s wishes, he refuses to give up without a fight.



Jess doesn’t understand why Luke cares about dating her, anyway. She knows he has a reputation for being a player and doesn’t plan on settling down with another woman again. Jess doesn’t do casual relationships and she doesn’t want her heart broken. Knowing that Jess is right, Luke decides to let their relationship go for now.

Meanwhile, Jess and Luke work together on his plans for St. Sylve. As they become close friends, Luke feels that he can tell Jess anything. He tells her about his estranged relationship with his family, and how he is convinced that he will never make a good father. Jess doesn’t agree. She thinks he is kind and compassionate, and she’s sure that he wouldn’t make the same mistakes as his own father.

Jess starts dating other guys, and Luke realizes that he has only got one shot to show Jess how much he cares about her. Telling her that he has never met anyone like her, he is ready to grow up and have a proper relationship. Despite some misgivings, Jess agrees to give a relationship a chance, and the book ends on a happy note.