Review: Memorable Characters In an Emotionally Conflicted Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 8, 2013
With its nomination from Romantic Times Magazine as Best Historical, it's not surprising that this book was an enthralling read from start to finish.  With a setting not often depicted in books, Kissed sets itself apart from other historical reads and keeps you immersed in its emotional ups and downs and guessing until the final page due to its numerous twists and turns.Upon first being introduced to Christian it's hard to see him as the hero.  There's a request to hire him and have him turn on the woman he's professed to love in the past.  From this moment on the road to redemption and a HEA is going to be a rocky one with the line between good and bad a finely drawn one.  Christian is a dark character who's been through a lot of emotional turmoil courtesy of a jealous sibling. He's not always done the right thing but upon seeing his lost love Jessie again he wants desperately to be a better man and if anyone can help him do that it's Jessie.Jessie too has a sibling who will do anything to get what he wants, and what he wants is for her to marry a man of his choosing.  She's still in love with Christian though, no matter how hurt she was over their separation she still longs to be with him.  She's shed copious amounts of tears over him  in the past and will shed more as the story progresses.  While I applaud her loyalty there were times I became frustrated by her weepiness and desperately wanted her to get a stronger backbone in regards to the actions done to her.  Her undying love and support though is what Christian needs to pull him out of the darkness towards a hard fought but immensely satisfying HEA.Their times together reek of sexual tension.  There's always a sense of foreboding as well, especially with so many and so much going against them which makes their sexual interludes all the more satisfying. Along with a satisfying romance comes numerous twists and turns where no one is as they appear.  This keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing until the end while rooting for Christian and Jessie every step of the way.  The secondary characters leave a lasting impression as well as their actions add another layer of twists and turns to an already emotionally draining story.  From beginning to end Ms. Crosby has created a story with all the elements romance readers have come to expect from her and Kissed is yet another winner in her already long list of successes.