Sponsored by Words Composed of Sea and Sky by Erica George, from Running Press Teens.
This summer Cape Cod romance features poets divided by centuries. In 1862, Leta Townsend writes poetry under the name Benjamin Churchill, a boy who left for sea to hunt whales. Today, Michaela Dunn, an aspiring poet, discovers an old diary that tells Leta and Benjamin’s true story. Discover the sumptuous new summer read that earned high praise from Kirkus Reviews: “There are two plucky heroines and four handsome hunks in this sweeping romance—and the author successfully juggles them all. The narrative effectively balances big, swoonworthy moments against smart character work.”
Hello again, romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again.
As of today, I officially have an eighth grader. It’s hard to believe we’re already here and that he’s growing up so fast. He had a lot of health problems as a baby, so it was a touch and go situation there, on if he would live to his first year. So, any milestone always makes me tear up, since here we are so many years later.
The next big one is high school and then he will be practically on his own. I’m so not ready for this. I can see glimmers of him turning into a young man and hope we’re raising him to be the best he can be, to be able to take care of himself and just be a decent human being. Happily, so far he seems like he’ll be just fine. We still have our moments though, and every time we do all I can hear is Rita Moreno’s Lydia from One Day at a Time crying out, “He’s changing from a sweet boy into a horrible teenager!” I laughed way too hard at that when I first saw it because…it tracks.
Around the Web in Romance
If you have summer on your mind with Memorial Day around the corner, check out some articles from the Book Riot Vault. Here is one from Silvana and another from Annika.
You can still enter to win a free iPad Mini from us!
The phenomenal Alyssa Cole chats for a bit about her latest, How To Find a Princess, here. This one is definitely on my most anticipated reads this year, and this cover is amazing.
And speaking of covers, here is the reveal for Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Light! *fans self*
One goal I have this summer is to start watching more K-dramas, since I’m not well versed in them at all. If you’re like me and looking to really dive headfirst into this genre this summer, this list has a few to get you started.
Recommendations
I mentioned above how I want to get into K-dramas this year. We talk about these a lot at Book Riot and they all just seem so sweet. Don’t get me wrong; I like my spice and steam as much as the next person. But occasionally, I just want something pure and sweet.
I think part of the allure for me is how much emphasis is placed on the first kiss. From the few I have seen, there is little to no sex in any of these. There are tons of innuendos and tongue in cheek moments, but the actual act of sex is largely off screen.
But the build up to the first kiss can be oh-so-delightfully intense and charming. And I’ll admit that having a great first kiss is a preference for me in romance novels and movies. It’s not always perfect, but if it can be memorable for whatever reason, then it will stick.
With that in mind, here are some of the books I would recommend for memorable first kisses.
Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Here we have a nice combination of two popular tropes; enemies to lovers, and the person next door. There is an added twist in that the Bridgerton and Rokesy families are also longstanding friends. This first kiss takes place between Billie and George after they had both begun realizing that their feelings for each other might be changing. It is so memorable for me because it comes right after a quasi-gauntlet is thrown down between them. Simply marvelous.
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Darcy and Elle find themselves in a fake dating scenario for their own various reasons. The two share their first kiss after good-natured ribbing from Darcy’s brother, Brendon, after a double date with him and his current paramour. While the women know they had strong chemistry from their first disastrous blind date (set up by Brendon), neither are prepared for the real feelings to come when their lips meet. It was perfect.
Waking Up Married by Reese Ryan
This one is a super sweet friends to lovers AND fake marriage romance. What’s not to love? Here, the first kiss comes after Zora and Dallas agree to stay married, after getting married in Vegas while drunk, and they’ve met both their families to help keep up the wild in love ruse. Was it accidental or on purpose? Who cares? After all that build up, it was a great release all around to finally have it happen on paper.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Honorable mention goes to Get a Life, Chloe Brown. I’m placing it here because it was the almost-first-kiss that got me. It’s the scene where she’s sitting, in one of her many onesies, trying to help Red come up with the idea for his upcoming website, and the tension is just too much for them. I also listened to it as an audiobook, and hearing Adjoa Andoh growl Chloe’s name in Red’s voice did all kinds of things to me. Seriously, if you’ve somehow still not read this, try the audiobook since Andoh’s narration is freakin’ FIRE!
Monday is a U.S. holiday, so there won’t be a newsletter that day. If you’re going somewhere over the long weekend, I hope that you have a relaxing time and get plenty of reading done. As always, if you want more from me before next Thursday, give me a follow as @PScribe801 over on Twitter. Until next time!