The Hot Hot Days of Romance

I don't know about you, but this summer has been hot. Really...scorching hot. Like sixteen straight days of 100+ degrees. I really don't care for that kind of heat. Let me be honest. I hate hot days. Hot is draining. Hot is tiring. Hot is sapping.

But in a romance novel...well, hot is a MUST! Now, I am not talking about hot and heavy S*X. (gasp) I am talking about the hot, heart-thumping, blood-pounding romantic tension. You betcha!

Romance is all about the relationship between a man and a woman. The dance of awareness, like, questioning, doubt, attraction, and love. It is a give and take, where attraction is a forceful wave crashing against the shore, only to be pulled back by the grasp of a strong tide.

Here's an example of romantic tension from my WIP, a medieval romance.

“Will you be at supper, my lord?” Jocelyn bit her lip, hating to sound as if she begged for his attention. He had not taken supper in the hall the past few days, and she wanted him to know she had noticed the slight.
Lifting her down from the horse, he paused, holding her close, not releasing his grip on her waist. “Do you want me there?”
She glanced away from his questioning gaze, distracted by the warmth of his hands. “You need not come if you find it tedious.”
Malcolm caught her face with his hand and turned it toward his own. Her breath caught as he leaned down, his lips hovering over hers. Heart hammering in her chest, Jocelyn struggled for breath, waiting for the warmth of his lips upon hers. His roughened cheek brushed hers as those lips, which should have claimed her own, whispered in her ear instead. “You, my lady, are anything but tedious.”
Jocelyn swallowed hard, disappointment filling her when he dropped his hands, stepped back, and gave her a small bow.
“I thank you for a most enjoyable ride,” he said, leaving her in the hands of his capable guardsman.
Jocelyn took a deep breath and watched Malcolm’s tall, broad form walk purposefully down the bailey. My, but he muddled her head into confusion. Just days ago she had fought against his kiss and yet today, well, today she was of a mind to be kissed senseless.

You were wanting them to kiss, weren't you? Now you are wanting to read on, to see if they get close to capturing a kiss in the next scene, aren't you? That is the purpose of romantic tension. To keep the reader investing in the characters, watching their relationship grow, and cheering them on to a happy ending.

What favorite author of yours utilizes romantic tension? What favorite book or movie is loaded with romantic tension? Or what is a good way of sneaking in romantic tension?

It's All About the Kiss

Let's start today with a prayer. "Dear Lord, please don't let my grandma find this post and read it. Amen."

Now let's move on to the topic at hand. For the last week and a half here on The Alley, we've been talking about our favorite romances and what we love about them. Well, when I think about what I love in a good romance, four things come to mind.

Humor, snappy dialogue, compelling plot, and good kissing.

Oh come on, don't give me a hard time for that last one. You can't tell me you read a romance for the intergalactic time capsules and alien abductions.

When we follow the journey of two people falling in love, we want to see a little lip-locking, doggoneit. We want to see a kiss that sizzles through the pages, that evokes passion. (Can I get an "amen", Julie Lessman?)

So I thought it'd be fun to look at two of my favorite romances and analyze the kisses. Ahem, I meant analyze the writing of the kisses, not the kisses themselves.

First up, Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge.

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I slung my laptop bag over my shoulder. "I should go."

"Jayne--"

Levi reached for my arm. The feel of his hand stopped me in my tracks. "Everything will be all right," he said, and with the utmost care he caught one of my tears with his finger.

And then, as far as I can tell, I kissed him.

On the lips.

It was just a little kiss, more like a brush. At least it started that way. It started as the tiniest nothing, but Levi wrapped his arm around my shoulder and the kiss deepened. I responded; he tasted like cookies and cream and smelled like cedar. My hands dug into his hair.

This is nice, I thought. I had stopped crying, focusing my attention on Levi and that moment until a single thought entered my consciousness.

Shane.

I stepped back, ending the kiss and disentangling myself from Levi's inviting hold.

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Three things I love about this kiss:

(1) It's unplanned. We can feel Jayne's surprise as she kisses Levi and then her rationalization as the kiss continues.

(2) Use of the senses. Jayne and Levi have just gone out for ice cream, thus the cookies and cream reference. Don't you LOVE that? And he smells like cedar. Good stuff!

(3) Conflict that ends the kiss. I love how Hillary takes us through Jayne's thought process, how much she loves the kiss and then *bam*, she remembers her boyfriend Shane. Um, yeah, talk about some emotional conflict.

Whew, let's take a short breather after that one. You're gonna need it before you read the next. Okay, ready?

The next one comes from Stealing Adda by Tamara Leigh.

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His face is once more singular, and a crooked smile is in place that makes him look surprisingly boyish. "Perhaps not 'strictly business,'" he murmurs.

Does he mean what I think he means? Holding my breath and his gaze, I feel his hand leave my shoulder and trail my collarbone to the base of my throat. Though my lungs urge me to splurge on a refill, I'm too afraid of losing the moment. Air or no air, it's perfect just the way it is.

Though his gaze has yet to flicker, his head lowers toward me and I feel his breath on my lips. I part them and, in doing so, sip air enough to sustain me through what's sure to be the kiss of a lifetime.

Nick doesn't disappoint, though he surprises. Rather than demanding, his mouth lightly covers mine as though to test it, and he doesn't press me to the floor.

With a murmur, I curve a hand around his neck to draw him nearer. He deepens the kiss, the intensity of which causes me to startle. And my foot to strike the credenza. A moment later, the remaining books topple.

Leave it to Adda...

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Whoa, mamasita! Are you breathing right now? 'Cause I'm sure not. I should clarify for Grandma's sake that the comment about the floor is because they took a tumble prior to this clip. (So don't tsk tsk, Grandma, okay?)

Here's what I love about this kiss. Tamara gives physical details that put us in Adda's skin...his hand trailing from her shoulder, along her collarbone, to the base of her throat. She could have just said, "He moves his hand to my neck." But no, she takes it one step at a time to make us feel the agony and tension right along with Adda. (I wish I could show you all the tension buildup before this clip because Tamara masterfully builds it throughout the entire chapter.)

Then after his hand shift, Tamara punches it up even more by making us feel Adda's tight lungs. And the kiss hasn't even happened yet! By the time they do lock lips, we're dying for it to happen, and it delivers the passion we expected.

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So what does all this kiss talk mean for you as a writer? It means you need to study the books you love, analyze them to find the triggers that put you in the characters' skin, and don't be afraid to make the reader feel the romantic tension. They'll thank you for it!

Do you have a favorite kiss from a novel or a movie? What made it memorable?

*Kiss photo by Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net