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| Ryan Lochte .gif via tumblr |
As a book reviewer, I read my fare share of stories and if there’s one thing I thoroughly enjoy, it’s a good kissing scene. I’m talking about the kind of smooch that gets my heart racing, makes me fan my face and leaves me as breathless as the characters themselves. *sigh*
The who/what/where/when and how of a kiss are important details and sometimes writers miss the mark. As a reader, I want to know exactly what’s happening…where are they? What are they wearing? What’s happening around them? What are they doing with the other parts of their bodies while their lips are engaged? (I’m referring to their hands, so get your mind outta the gutter.) Speaking of hands…if a guy is cupping a girl’s face, are his hands clean? (I have a thing about dirt and I don’t care if Ryan Lochte is moving in with a gold medal kiss, he’s not touching me if he’s dirty. Or smelly. Btw, this scenario is assuming I’m not married with kids or old enough to have been his babysitter.)
I want to know how the characters are feeling when they’re kissing? Are they secretly wishing it was over before it started or have they forgotten their own names because it’s just.that.good? I also think it’s important for the kiss to be creatively realistic because if it’s too far fetched, then the entire scene ends up feeling awkward. What do I mean by creatively realistic? Well, I once had a guy pretend to drop his hat and when he leaned down to pick it up, he kissed me. Another one kissed me after I’d refused to give he and his friend a ride home from a party but I promptly reconsidered based on his boldness. Then there’s my husband, who was the first guy to touch my face when he kissed me (with clean hands of course) and made me forget my name. He also brought me cake which made me want to kiss him that much more. *winks*
Some of the best kissing scenes don’t actually involve kissing. Those make up what I like to call the “near-kiss” – where the characters are so close but get interrupted by something or someone. A good writer can hook me with the promise of a kiss but a smart writer knows I will only be put off for so long. Too much buildup that falls flat or too many “near-kisses” just leave me frustrated and yelling, “FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THE THINGS, KISS HER ALREADY!”
Some books have kissing scenes so swoon worthy, I think they deserve an award, so, in the spirit of the 2012 Olympics, here are a few that had gold, silver or bronze medal kissing scenes in them. Your welcome.
by Jenny B. Jones ~ What do you get when you mix dancing vampires,
Catholic School uniforms and shamrocks? A kissing scene that will have you
on the next plane to Ireland, that’s what.
by Michelle Hodkin ~ Some kissing scenes build up not just anticipation
but hunger too and require snacks, like…animal crackers.
by Dan Krokos ~ Lemme just say that this is written from a girl’s POV by
a guy and he nails it. Who knew a bathroom stall could be so
hot?! *fans face*
Jen can be found at Jenuine Cupcakes where she likes to blog about books, boys (both fictional and real) and cupcakes. You can also find her on twitter @cupcakegirly where she rarely refers to herself in the third person.
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Jen this was GREAT. Two fabulous posts in a row for the Month of Kisses!
I thought, we’d end the week with a giveway! Tell us what book or movie would win your Gold Medal of Kisses and win a kindle copy of:
I Love the Earl by Caroline Linden was the first digital Rita winner and a great short read. And, if asked, I’d pick a heart over Bronze, Silver or Gold 😉
Luv YA 