The Kiss

I'd loved The Fling, The Dare (Berkley Sensation), and Elda Minger's story in Fantasy, so I bought this as soon as it came out. The night before Tess Sommerville's wedding, she's out with friends and runs into her high school crush, Will Tremere. They dance, and he gives her his number, telling her if things don't work out with the wedding, to give him a call. Tess had been having second thoughts already, and seeing Will made it even worse. So she finds herself at the church where they're to be married in the morning, and gets a pretty hard-to-miss "sign" when she discovers her fiance and the minister's daughter having sex in the church. Fate obviously had a hand in this, so Tess calls Will and invites herself along--he's driving cross-country to deliver a car to a friend. Will's... well, he's pretty darn perfect. He gives Tess a shoulder to cry on and privacy when she needs it, screens her calls and intercedes for her the first day or so, then is there to support her when she handles her own calls. Tess's best friend comes up with a fabulous sting for the cheating boyfriend. The Kiss is a real fairy-tale of a romance, complete with the wicked (oh, okay, she's just self-serving) stepmother, and a knight in shining armor (that would be Will). Tess's journey is both a literal and figurative one--the further they travel, the more she learns about herself, and the more she's able to stand up for herself. My only quibbles with the story are that some of the characters are a little exaggerated--Will's a little too perfect, the stepmother and ex-fiance are a little too nasty. But then again, isn't that the way it is with fairy tales? They're larger than life.

I thought this would be different, more romance less, um, nothing. I liked it, but in a different way than I enjoy romance novels. It's more of a coming of age story for Tess than a romance novel. She finds herself by the end of the book, which is great, but if you're looking for romance, this isn't really it. The couple doesn't even kiss until the last few pages of the book, which I guess makes the title correct, but it was a bit dissapointing. *****I want to give it 3 stars, but the computer won't let me.

When is a romance novel not a romance novel? Elda has put together a romance novel that seems to be sooo natural making it very non-traditional. Tess Sommerville finds her fiance boinking the minister's daughter on a reception banquet table the night before their marriage. Not so much angry at him, but at herself for marrying someone who obviously has little regard for her (it only takes a few minutes to move out of the condo they share). Enter WIll Tremere, Tess' crush from her teen years. In town to help a friend, he offers to let her travel with him to California and sort herself out. And, believe it or not, he allows her to do that. He squelches his desire for her in favor of supporting her as she sorts out her emotions Here's a man who actually puts his attraction in the back seat in favor of being her friend. It's so rare to find a romance that even comes close to real life -- Will wants Tess in his life and in his bed, but he's willing to be her friend first. The reader is invited to watch as their relationship naturally seems to progress as they make their way to Los Angeles. No hot sex, no over-the-top descriptions of long lingering three-day kisses, just a real romantic story about two people who have met at the right time, though it seems the wrong time. It's also a book that lets us get to know a heroine who has real issues: she's never really stood up for herself in her life. Never really had confidence in who she is and has come to a point that she doesn't wnat to be at. As she figures out her life, it's interesting to watch her grow and progress. Not a typical romance novel...and one I would really recommend.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and it was an enjoyable experience. Tess Sommerville is all set to continue living a safe existence by marrying the man her father and stepmother have chosen for her, but when she discovers him with another woman on the night before the wedding, that's all about to change. Getting away from her life and the terrible shock she's received seems like the answer for now. Taking a chance in a way that is totally unlike herself, Tess decides to take a cross-country trip with a man she adored in high school but hasn't seen in many years. Will Tremere is a good friend of her brother's, and is traveling to bring home a canine companion back to a friend of his, so what could be the harm in tagging along? Will knows Tess is hurting, and that she's not ready to jump into any kind of relationship with him, but he's drawn to her, and if that means she will accept only his friendship, well, he can live with that. Besides, he'd like the company on his long roadtrip, and even takes some extra time to take Tess to visit her brother, whom she hasn't seen in many years. This time with Charlie proves to be not only cathartic, but also a revelation about many things from her childhood. Tess becomes stronger and more sure of herself the longer she's with Will, and realizes it's time she please herself before worrying about everybody else. Will Tremere is a wonderful hero that sounds too good to be true. He has no problem dealing with tears, emotional topics, or taking care of her dog. To top it off, he's completely gorgeous, has an easygoing manner and a sexy accent. It did bother me a little that he was so perfect. As much as Tess deserved a good man, Will was a little bit over the top in his perfection. But Ms. Minger makes it work, and by the end of the book, we get our fairytale HEA. And anyone who has a soft spot for dogs will fall in love with Tess' fierce and loyal companion Toby. I'll be keeping this author's other works in mind.