I just finished a book that had my lips curling into a smile that wouldn’t fade. It was a love story that seeped into my mind and took hold. It got me thinking: Why did I like this book so much? What made it a good romance? I realized it was the characters. I need three dimensional characters, characters that leap off the page and introduce themselves in my living room. Throw in a small amount of pathos, a problem that needs resolution, a fight the hero and heroine can struggle with together, tender moments, thoughtful words, warm caresses and you’ve sold me. Whether it’s a contemporary or historical, if it’s got those elements I’m going to sit in my cozy chair and read way past the witching hour. And that’s what I found in Rosemary Laurey’s Kiss Me Forever.
First published in 2004, Kiss Me Forever is being reissued this month, and I was happy to discover a new-to-me-author. This book is as fresh today as it was when it was first written.
When Dixie LePage flies from South Carolina to a small town in England to claim an inheritance left by two aunts she’s never met, her plan is to retrieve the money and enjoy some quiet time in the English countryside. What she envisions and what happens bear no resemblance to one another. Soon after her arrival in the seemingly picturesque hamlet of Bringham she meets Christopher Marlowe, the famous playwright and contemporary of William Shakespeare. While Shakespeare has been dead for centuries, Christopher is happily “living’ an undead life in 21st Century England. Their first meeting has Dixie wondering if he’s someone she can trust. Her suspicions aren’t unfounded, particularly when the town lawyer is urging Dixie to sell her newly inherited estate and fly back to States on the very next plane. It would seem not many people want Dixie hanging around to discover a long buried secret.
Christopher is the exception, he definitely wants Dixie around. He’s also a vampire with compassion, passion, strength, tenderness and the type of ‘guy’ Dixie could fall in love with. But, she’s a mortal and he’s definitely not of the heart-beating species. How could this possibly work? Particularly when she doesn’t even know he’s a vampire. Hmmmmm…..
This is a well written, well structured paranormal, without any of the complicated or fantastical world building you often see in paranormal romance. In short, it’s a contemporary paranormal romance murder mystery that will pull you in. The author has created interesting plot points that move along with enough tension to keep you guessing. The main protagonists not only leap off the page and introduce themselves, they stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.
Are there books or characters that have stayed with you long after you've read the last page?
Until next Thursday, lay off the chocolates. And remember, every Tuesday Melanie's got the latest in new romance releases.
Maria Lokken is an avid romance reader and an award winning television producer.
