Renee Carlino is a name I have heard often when hearing about different romance books. To be honest, I still have two unread books by this author on my shelf. Her newest book, Blind Kiss, was released yesterday and sounded amazing. I knew I needed to start out with this one. Today I am participating in the blog tour for this amazing book. Keep on reading if you want to know what I thought of Blind Kiss.
From the national bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers, Swear on this Life, and Wish You Were Here comes a powerful story of two people who spend years denying their scientifically-proven chemistry.
Penny spends her afternoons sitting outside a sandwich shop, surrounded by ghosts. Fourteen years ago, this shop was her childhood dance studio—and she was a dancer on the rise. Now she’s a suburban housewife, dreading the moment her son departs for MIT, leaving her with an impeccably-decorated McMansion and a failing marriage. She had her chance at wild, stars-in-her-eyes happiness, but that was a lifetime ago. After The Kiss. Before The Decision.
The Kiss was soulful. Magical. Earth-shattering, And it was all for a free gift card. Asked to participate in a psych study that posed the question, “Can you have sexual chemistry without knowing what the other person looks like?” Penny agreed to be blindfolded, make polite conversation with a total stranger, and kiss him. She never expected The Kiss to change her life forever and introduce her to Gavin: tattooed, gorgeous, and spontaneous enough to ask her out seconds after the blindfolds came off.
For a year, they danced between friendship and romance—until Penny made The Decision that forced them to settle for friendship. Now, fourteen years later, both of their lives are about to radically change—and it’s his turn to decide what will become of their once-in-a-lifetime connection.
Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and the bestselling author of Sweet Thing, Nowhere But Here, After the Rain, Before We Were Strangers, Swear on This Life, and Wish You Were Here. She grew up in Southern California and lives in the San Diego area with her husband and two sons. To learn more, visit ReneeCarlino.
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Review
Blind Kiss is a book I can’t compare anything to. I fell in love with these characters, was extremely frustrated with them, cried for them and loved them again in the end. If that isn’t an emotional rollercoaster, I don’t know what it. This author wrote all of their emotions so well, you can’t help but feel them too.
We meet Penny when she’s a senior in college. Dancing is her passion and she works as hard as she can. Nothing is going to stop her dream, not even a man. No relationships for her. Things get complicated when she meets Gavin during a Blind Kiss experiment. Is it possible to connect with someone after a kiss when blindfolded?
Gavin is a very charismatic man and you can’t help but smile as you read about him. They have an instant connection and my hopes were high for them to be together. Penny sticks to her word though. The are only friends.
This is where Blind Kiss gets frustrating and angsty at times! It’s a back and forth of them being close and ultimately hurting each other, because their timing sucks, haha. Timing really is everything. Things happen in both their lives that change them and bring them on different paths. Blind Kiss is told in different times, 14 years ago and then so many months before the first chapter.
I loved having a mix of past and almost present. This made it possible to really understand their relationship. All their highs and lows really influenced their relationship. At a certain point Penny was disappointing to me. I get why she did certain things in her situation, but she kind of just gave up in my eyes. While I do understand her, I just wanted to scream at her to go to Gavin.
In the end it all comes down to, do they get their happily ever after? I’d say you have to read and find out! I do have to say I struggled on how to rate this book. I was so frustrated with the characters at time, but it’s such a beautiful book! This author knows how to write a story!
Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of contemporary women’s novels and new adult fiction. Her books have been featured in national publications, including USA TODAY, Huffington Post, Latina magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. Learn more at www.reneecarlino.com
After reading Blind Kiss, I know I need to get to the other two books on my shelf soon! Have you ever read anything by Renee Carlino? What book was your favorite?
