ABOUT 21 STOLEN KISSES
When I first met him I resisted.
Like any forbidden love, I told myself he was a crush, and it would pass.
That was a lie. It never faded.
And I never expected he would fall for me just as hard.
There were so many reasons that should have kept us apart, least of all, the decade that separated us.
Growing up in New York City, I learned early on that love is a double-edged sword.
Love broke up my parents, love took away my friends, and love -- the big, intense, never-been-like-this-before love -- landed me in therapy.
Now I'm heading to college, and it's time to give love a clean slate again. But, can I really start over when he's still in my life?
Because the one man I've always wanted, is also the only guy I absolutely can't have…
And he wants me just as fiercely.
Can I settle for anything less than the love of my life?
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My Review
Lauren Blakely YA is a bit of a departure from her contemporary romance stories I’m used to reading, but 21 Stolen Kisses surprised me. It is a sweet and swoony YA story about falling in love out of time and holding on to it when life’s obstacles threaten to destroy it.
Kennedy Stanzlinger is a high school senior, and she has fallen in love. Kennedy’s life experiences and the tumultuous relationship she shares with her mother have shaped her into a young woman far mature than her 17 years. She longs to find and share that once in a lifetime epic love. Kennedy is lucky enough to find that kind of love with Noah, her mother’s 25 year old agent. Can their forbidden love defy the odds and last a lifetime?
Kennedy was fantastic! I loved how unapologetic she was about her feelings for Noah, even when forced to hide them. What started out as a friendship between the two of them gradually transformed into a serendipitous love story. Although it isn’t supposed to be, it is definitely meant to be.
Noah was an amazing hero. I loved how thoughtful and attentive he was to Kennedy. He never pressured her or made her feel ashamed about their connection. He was happy to please her, gripping at those stolen moments they shared together. I had difficulty reconciling his jock past with his love for Broadway and show tunes, but I really enjoyed that he and Kennedy had that common thread. It isn’t a c interest I think I’ve ever read before, and I thought it really brought a lot to the story and the NYC setting.
Another incredibly written story from Lauren Blakely. I love the way she tells a tale that captivates me from the beginning and leaves me wanting more at the very end.
Excerpt
He inhales sharply. The look in his eyes says we’re crossing into the danger zone again. It’s the only place I want to be with him. Because when we’re there, nothing between us feels dangerous. Everything feels right.
“I turn eighteen in a few more weeks,” I say, like my birthday is an open invitation for us to slam back into each other.
He nods. “I know.”
A breeze blow by and rustles his hair. A lock falls out of place. Instinct takes over. I raise my hand to reach for his hair.
But he’s faster. He grasps my wrist, and the second he does, the moment expands. It stretches and unfolds into the thing I will replay tonight and tomorrow and the next day. I stare at his hand clasped around my wrist, flashing back to all the times he held my hand, touched my wrist, and ran his fingers along my arm. I shiver as the memories collide, the past slamming into the present.
I look up from our hands to his eyes. Blazing, full of heat. Full of all that restraint from him that I know so well.
Giveaway
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About Lauren Blakely
Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and she has had seven books on the New York Times Bestseller list and eleven on the USA Today Bestseller list. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her bestselling series include Caught Up in Love, Seductive Nights, No Regrets and Fighting Fire. She recently released Forbidden Nights, a standalone novel in her New York Times Bestselling Seductive Nights series that became an instant New York Times Bestseller. This summer she'll release Consumed by You, her next title in her NYT Bestselling Fighting Fire series about sexy firemen and the women they love, and Sweet Sinful Nights, the first book in her new series Sinful Nights. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, text BLAKELY + your email address to 678-249-3375(please use the actual + sign).
