Review: Fun and light-hearted
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2014
favorite quotes“‘Wow. I don’t even know how to tell you how pretty you look.’ Grey looked awestruck. ‘Thanks. I think you just did.’ I took the flowers. ‘I thought you weren’t the wine and roses guy.’”“‘Hey, he did not put the fate of the Palm in your hands. He knows what he’s dealing with here. What you did for him is incredible. It shows how much you love him. He knows that.’ The prickly feeling transferred from my neck to my stomach. ‘Did you just say the L-word?’ ‘Oh, come on, Eden. I don’t know what else it is.’ She laughed. ‘Take a breath. In and out. That’s better.’ She moved closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.”plotKissing Eden follows Eden as she ventures on her spring break trip to South Padre. However, her spring break doesn’t turn out exactly like she planned. For one, her boyfriend, who she was going on the trip with, dumps her three days before they were set to leave. And then shows up and takes their joint hotel room. And of course, the airline loses Eden’s luggage. So spring break isn’t starting off too well for Eden. Desperate for somewhere to stay, Eden rents out a room at a hole in the wall motel run by the mysterious and brooding Grey. Eventually, Eden’s spring break starts to brighten up and she gets to know Grey a bit more. Soon, their undeniable tension comes to a boil, and Eden experiences the best spring break of her life.This novel was eventful, what with all that Eden, and even Grey, were going through. The plot was actually a lot more intricate than I thought it was going to be when I first began the novel. And I loved that Grey had a past, which made things interesting. It was a fun novel to read, and had me laughing at various points in the novel.Leading ladyEden was definitely a strong character. She took a lot of crap yet she refused to let it ruin her spring break. She was determined to have a good time and to get over her bad break up. She was a funny character and she was also realistic. Her relationship with her parents and best friend were normal, and she made plenty of friends when she got to South Padre. She wasn’t clingy with Grey, and she didn’t turn into one of those love sick puppies. She stayed independent and she didn’t take crap, especially from Grey.leading male“I couldn’t figure him out. I was ready to admit he was hot–that was unmistakable. However, he was ill-mannered and always in a pissy mood, and he was the handyman at a run-down, vacant motel. Why did I let him get to me every time I saw him?”Grey had layers. He was brooding and mysterious at first, and I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on with him. I kind of thought he was bipolar. He was hot and cold all the time, and I couldn’t figure out which side was the real him. But eventually, he opened up a bit, and when he did, it was like seeing the first rays of sunlight after a storm. After that point, he had a few regressions into his moody self, but he became much lighter, and much more of an enjoyable character to read about.other charactersI liked Marin, the girl that Eden met at South Padre. She was a good fill in best friend, as we didn’t see much of Eden’s other best friend, Taylor. She introduced Eden to the local life, and got Eden out of her initial dreary spring break. She was also bubbly, light, and fun to read.romance“‘And despite all of that, you made me think that I had something to offer other than a rundown piece of junk motel. That I could be fun again. That I could make someone laugh. That my responsibilities didn’t have to be a burden.’ He sighed. ‘I knew I was in trouble the first time I kissed you.’ ‘Trouble?’ I felt my forehead narrow as I questioned him. Grey pulled him hands from his pockets and stepped forward. ‘Yes, because I’m not supposed to feel what I did. I just met you and you turned everything upside down. That doesn’t happen in a week.’”This wasn’t exactly an insta-love relationship. Sure, it happened in a few days, or at least the attraction did. But they actually got to know each other, and their feelings progressed at a semi-believable rate. That’s the thing. It was mainly a physical relationship, with a bit of feelings in there, at first. But when they spent time apart, they realized how much they missed each other and it was all cute and dandy. Their chemistry was off the charts, too. There was a bit too many sexy times in there for me (at least one every night) but that was just a personal preference. It wasn’t the steamiest, but it was cute. They were cute.conclusionKissing Eden was a fun and lighthearted read that kept me intrigued from beginning to end. It’s a must read for all NA contemporary lovers.