Let's Kiss & Tell Heartwarming-Style


Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this day of love than writing about the moment that starts it all… the KISS. Sure we can wax poetic about lingering glances, the bewitching scent of another, and the electric brush of hands. All important steps toward laying the foundation for romance. But until a couple locks lips, the deal is not sealed! Why?  It’s not rocket science. It’s chemistry. Like a formula, we must combine two elements- one set of lips to another- to find out if there’s a spark. If not, Houston we have a problem.

 In Heartwarming romances, delaying a couple’s first kiss builds suspense. The reader believes the couple has chemistry, the characters sense it too, but there is no confirmation until the twosome kiss. And when they do…the moment is electric because we’ve had to… wait for it… no really- that’s why. We’ve had to wait for it. A show I used to watch comes to mind. Cheers. Sam was a laid back, ex-Red Sox player and local celebrity turned bar owner and Dianne was a feisty intellectual who abhorred everything Sam’s superficial, good-times approach to life entailed. She demanded more depth from him; he wanted her to lighten up. Yet neither could deny the attraction they felt. I never missed a show for fear that I’d miss their first kiss! And when that moment arrived, it was all the more exhilarating because I’d gotten to know the characters, see why they were perfect for each other, and root for them as a couple. Delayed gratification like this is what makes Heartwarming such an intensely romantic and electric read.

Here are a few archetypes of my favorite, long-anticipated kisses. Counting down, at number five, is the BIRTHDAY KISS. Who could forget Sixteen Candles’ Jake and Sam and their heart-stopping birthday cake peck? I sighed so loudly, I could have blown those candles out for her! WOW. The FAIRYTALE KISS comes in at number four. In The Princess Bride, Buttercup and Westley had an early romance, but the anticipation of her realizing that her kidnapper is her lost first love makes their kiss a show-stopper. Number three is the yummy UPSIDE DOWN kiss in Spiderman. When Mary Jane finally peeled back a web-dangling Peter Parker’s mask to reveal his lips, their kiss was something to marvel at (yes- pun intended- guilty!) I knew they were destined to be more than friends and their lip lock was all the proof I needed.
Although these next characters are cartoons, their awwwwww moment of a kiss lands them the number two spot I’ve dubbed the SPAGHETTI KISS. If you haven’t already guessed it, Lady and Tramp’s nose-bump version of a doggy kiss over a shared strand of pasta is incredibly romantic and iconic. Last, but not least, landing at number one, is the OFF TO WAR kiss shared by Gone with the Wind’s Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. The two sparred throughout the movie, their antagonism fueled by a repressed passion that is released when they flee a burning Atlanta. When Scarlett gives in to her feelings and swoons in Rhett’s arms, I melted too. Ultimately, later in the movie, Rhett delivers a quintessential declaration about kissing when he tells Scarlett, “You need to be kissed and often and by someone that knows how.” PHEW. Someone bring me a fan!
I would love to hear some of your picks for best kisses. Share your favorite in the comment section below and enter to win my giveaway of the 70th Anniversary Limited Edition #055644 of 150000 Deluxe Gone with the Wind DVD set.
Also, my co-author, Joanne Rock, and I are celebrating the cover release of our YA novella CAMP KISS today. Stop by http://pinterest.com/jkrockwriters/ and pin a kiss on our Kiss and Tell board or stop by and post  on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/JKRockwriters to win our Valentine’s gift pack. Wishing you a day full of romance and kisses!

Comments

  1. Of course the all time best kiss is the one between Carrie and Big at the end of the Paris episode of Sex and the City! Hahaha!!! :D

    Happy Valentines Day!!

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    1. Now that was a kiss we wanted to happen for a long, long time and WOW did our patience pay off! They'd been together before, but that kiss was major- Big knew Carrie was THE ONE. Finally! Thanks for reminding me of one of my all time favorite on screen kisses :) Happy Valentine's Day!

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  2. my favorite kiss is on the lucky one
    meandi09@yahoo.com

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    1. Jennifer that kiss was amazing! The barn, the rocking chair... and how much did we want those two to get together?! I love your pick :) Thank you so much for sharing it and have a Happy Valentine's Day!

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  3. I'm going to go with Carry and Big in Paris when he finally told her that "You're the one" wow, that really is the true meaning isn't it! ;)

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    1. That is the true meaning, Sandie! I don't think I breathed during that entire scene- it's even possible I passed out because I had to watch it over and over and over again- lol. I own all of the seasons and love to do a marathon every summer with that kiss being the moment I look forward to the most. Thanks so much for commenting! Happy Valentine's Day :)

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  4. Fav on screen kiss is the "in the rain kiss" from the Notebook I think it romantic and sexy!

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  5. Desere that movie and scene just blew me AWAY! What a beautiful, heartfelt story and that kiss in the rain- so hot tht steam was coming off those actors!Thanks for sharing that awesome kiss to celebrate Valentine's Day with Harlequin! Have a great one :)

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  6. my favorite kiss is Spiderman kiss, that was a upside down position in the rain.

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    1. So romantic!! I loved that she only peeled back enough mask for us to see his lips- *sigh* so original and beautiful!! Thanks so much for sharing your favorite kiss and Happy Valentine's Day!

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  7. I loved the movie Clueless. The kiss at the top of the stairs between Cher and Josh worked for me. I liked Josh's awkward boy and Cher's surprise

    As for television shows, I watched Wings and could hardly wait for Joe and Helen to get together. Same for The Gilmore Girls LOL

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  8. I loved Josh's clueless CLUELESS kiss with Cher!! I forgot how amazing that moment was and how long we anticipated that kiss! Wings was awesome too! Great additions to our growing list of memorable kisses :) Thanks, Pam!

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  9. I also love the kiss in Sixteen candles! Another favorite would be in Beauty and the Beast when they kiss at the end. I am a huge fan of that story, but thank goodness it didn't happen until he was human or it would have been extremely awkward.

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    1. That is an amazing kiss and Beauty is my favorite of all of the Disney heroines because she loves to read! And how handsome was "Beast" when he transformed?! That was a beautiful kiss. Thank you so much for sharing it with us on Valentine's Day :)

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  10. I love all the first kisses in the movie Love Actually. So good! The unrequited love peck, the young boys first kiss, the old married coupled rekindling their love kiss....

    My #2 favorite is when the Hugh Grant character gets caught kissing on stage when the curtain lifts. I mean really Prime Minister!

    But my favorite is the Colin Firth character who learns a new language - goes back to the restaurant to declare his love, passionately kisses the girl and then has to kiss her family too. Sigh....

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    1. You had me at Colin Firth, Sabrina!! He is soooo sigh-worthy. Those were all great kisses and Love Actually is one of my favorite contemporary romances and one I would definitely compare to a Heartwarming novel(minus some of the lustier scenes) in that it is a family going through crisis on a multitude of levels, yet love brings them together again. A heartfelt THANK YOU for giving that movie a shout out, Sabrina :) Happy Valentine's Day!

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  11. I love the Sixteen Candles and Lady the Tramp kisses. I also thought of Casablanca. I might have to go with The Notebook though. "It still isn't over." Something about the rain makes it that much better.

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    1. Casablanca- so much "What if" in that romance... I loved it! And kisses in the rain- the sense that you are so focused on each other that the weather, the world, simply falls away as you kiss- PERFECTO. I love that kiss from The Notebook too. Thank you so much for commenting, Ruby. Happy Valentine's Day!

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  12. Today is the most special day for romance. Karen, I couldn't agree with you more: delaying the kiss, building to it, adds suspense to the plot. When the kiss occurs, it really means something.

    My older son and his wife were married on Valentine's Day ten years ago. It was the most romantic wedding of all, and they are happy to this day!

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    1. Please give your son our congratulations on his tenth wedding anniversary today! How romantic for it to be on Valentine's Day :) I bet it's a day you'll never forget. And I agree with you about pace... it's all in the build up. Without it we don't feel the big pay off when, at last, we see the couple kiss and know that this love is real. Thank you for that beautiful post, Jacqueline :)

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  13. I wanted Castle to kiss Becket long before he did. That built and built over one season. He wanted it way more than she did, but the result was electric. Sigh!

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    1. Agreed, Roz! That kiss was a long time coming. You would think with all the times when someone was held hostage or in a near-death experience it would have happened earlier... but the pay off- amazing! Thanks for reminding us of this great couple who has through the roof chemistry. Happy Valentine's Day :)

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  14. The movie Kids in America starring Gregory Smith takes a walk through the all-time best on screen kisses. It was sweet and I loved the movie.

    AquarianDancer at gmail dot com

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    1. Those six minutes weren't long enough! Great pic for best kiss! I forgot about this movie and how it recreated some of the best kisses of all time. Thank you so much for reminding me of it- what a great gift for Valentine's Day! I may have to see if Netflix has it on Instant Play tonight :) I appreciate your great comment.

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  15. My most memorable kiss was when my husband kissed me on a warm August day. An hour before our wedding, under the most beautiful stone arches of the church we were married in.
    A kissed filled with, uncertainty, hope and passion and most of all a promise of love. It still brings tears to my eyes after 29 years of marriage! It was truly a magical moment.

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    1. That kiss sounds magical and definitely one I would remember after 29 years of marriage! Congratulations on your happy relationship and the love you've shared with each other. I can picture that beautiful kiss so well- the stone arches- what a lovely setting for your last kiss as a single couple with the promise of so many more to come before you entered that church! Thank you for your wonderful post. Happy Valentine's Day :)

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  16. I loved the kiss in When Harry Met Sally. :) Such a great movie!

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    1. That is such a good movie!! We knew from the moment Sally impatiently watched Billy make-out with his college girlfriend before leaving on the extended roadtrip that started a friendship to love romance like never before- they were MADE for each other. I loved the final kiss where they'd worked everything out and clapped so loudly when the lights came up in the theater. Boy- I'm getting lots of great reminders for a romance movie marathon tonight! Thanks so much for sharing that, Julie :) Happy Valentine's Day <3

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    2. I love love love that movie! In my top 3 of all time definitely!!!

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  17. Definitely the one between the Prime Minister and Natalie behind the curtain in Love Actually!

    Then the first time Blair and Chuck gave in to their attraction and kissed on Gossip Girl. Pure awesomeness.

    There's also another one on there where Chuck is asleep. Blair comes in, snuggles up to him, and asks, "Are you okay?"
    To which Chuck Bass, the heartless hedonist who's a law onto himself, replies, "I am now." And he turns and kisses her, a peck mostly, but totally tender and loving. *swoon*

    Lol, is it obvious I love that couple and rooted for them all the way? :)

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    1. I rooted for them too and swooned as I read your post! *fan's self* As for Hugh Grant and Martine-WOW that was a great kiss and what a cinematic moment :)These are great pics for best kiss and I'm so glad you shared them, Zee. Happy Valentine's Day <3

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    2. Yay! Another Blair/Chuck fan. One of my fave couples ever. It was soooo obvious these two were meant to be together. I haven't seen the series finale yet and I'm dying to, coz *spoiler alert* something momentous happens in that one.

      Happy Valentine's Day to you too! Funnily enough, 11 years ago, my hubby proposed on V-Day, our first official 'date' as we'd only met 12 days earlier. Yep, he worked fast :)

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  18. My favorite kiss is actually from Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen. Talk about a suspenseful buildup!

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    1. You know- I was such a fan of the BBC version with Colin Firth that I resisting seeing this until it came out on DVD and then I could have kicked myself for not seeing that beautiful kiss on the big screen. It was a beautiful adaptation and the romantic suspense built so well that when we had that final pay off it moved me to tears. Thank you so much for reminding me of that great kiss! Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  19. I'm with Roz - was cheering when Kate goes to Castle's home and tells him, "I almost died, and all I could think of was you!"

    Also love the kiss in the old HORSE SOLDIERS with John Wayne, William Holden and Constance somebody. John Wayne's going off to battle - he's a union soldier and she's a sort of accidental southern spy. He rips the scarf from off her hair, kisses her soundly, then strides off, wrapping the scarf around his neck like a knight carrying his lady's colors.

    Also - LADYHAWKE! Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer (sp?) have been cursed by a nasty cleric. By day, she is a hawk and flies beside her lover as he rides across the countryside. At night, she's a woman again and he's a wolf. They live side by side, never able to touch as man and woman until an eclipse breaks the curse. They're in the hall of a castle and see each other as man and woman for the first time in two years. He kisses her then picks her up and twirls her around and around in his happiness. It's such a joyous moment after all that heartache. Sigh.

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    1. LADYHAWKE!! OMG I forgot about that wonderful movie... there aren't enough hours for all of the amazing movies you have all shared with me. Luckily I have vacation coming up so I will have my own little love fest :) I haven't seen Horse Soldiers but I will now. If there is half as much chemistry as the way you described it Muriel, then I'm going to love it. Adding it to my Netflix list! Thanks so much for sharing and Happy Valentine's Day! <3

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    2. Karen, Pam - generally I'm not a fan of fantasy, but was so surprised to find in it the perfect romance! Wish I could think outside the box like that, but my brain doesn't work that way. Who wrote that? Anybody know?

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  20. There are a lot of great ones, the one I think of is from Never Been Kissed - when he walks up to her on the pitcher's mound, grabs her and lays one on her. Whew! Especially after all of that build up.

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  21. Ohhhhhh that's a good one! And who doesn't like a man in uniform- especially a baseball uniform :) Thanks for sharing that great kiss. Happy Valentine's Day <3

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    1. And speaking of men in uniform - the kiss at the end of Officer & Gentleman, where Richard Gere swoops into that factory (?) or whatever location, lol, and whisks the heroine off her feet and kisses her. You just knew they were gonna ride into the sunset together!

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  22. on screen movie or TV?
    TV its the final episode of mash with Hot Lips and Hawkeye.....yeah that one sort of spoke for itself....
    Movies I'm torn....I think between From Here To Eternity and Donovan's Reef.... I know I know you're thinking Donovan's Reef? John Wayne??? But yeah....I love how he spanked her and shes kicking and yelling but then he flips her over on his lap and starts kissing her and the fight just leaves her limp and all....lol...I'm an old movie nut. Diana Tidlund moosehog83@gmail.com

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    1. I have to watch more of these John Wayne movies!! I always imagine him in a shoot out- now I'm wanting to see him as a leading man :) I loved Mash and especially that kiss we saw coming from season one! Thank you so much for sharing your favorite kisses :) Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  23. I would have to say that sexy one in the Notebook when it was raining. Gives me chills every time I see it.

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    1. That kiss should definitely have made my Kiss List!! I get chills too- the rain, the passion... It is one of those scenes that, as a writer, I both deeply admire and am deeply jealous of for not writing myself! Thanks for sharing your comment with Heartwarming, Stephanie :) Happy Valentine's Day!

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  24. After thinking about it, I decided my favorite kiss was when Chuck & Sarah thought a bomb was going off. It was explosive.
    I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

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    1. I actually haven't watched Chuck- but I will now that I've googled that kiss! What a powerful moment and I don't even have the seasons behind me to have built the suspense! Thanks for sharing this great kiss with Heartwarming, Dale :) Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  25. The kiss in Say Anything sends me over the moon. Happy Valentine's Day!

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    1. I love John Cusack and I LOVE Say Anything! That kiss in the car... in the rain... so beautiful. I love when Diane notices that Lloyd is shaking. It's so incredible when a man is so moved that he trembles in your arms. Great pic, Jeanne! So glad you reminded us of that amazing kiss. Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  26. I am a big Disney fan and have to go with the kiss of Lady and the Tramp It was so sweet.

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    1. Awwwww! I'm a HUGE lover of animals and all things Disney! Their innocent, accident kiss took them by surprise but not the audience. We saw that chemistry from the moment Lady and Tramp tangled leashes :) Thanks, Susan. Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  27. Oh man, I'm not sure if someone said this yet, but I LOVED the kiss between Andie and Blaine in Pretty In Pink. Seriously - one of my favorite 80's movie couples and I still remember how much I loved it when they finally kissed:)

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    1. OMG- I forgot about that kiss and Andrew McCarthy- WOW! Loved Andie and Blaine. I heard that the original ending of Pretty in Pink had her with Duckie but the chemistry with Blaine was undeniable so they rewrote... only a rumor... Still that was an amazing kiss. I'm so glad you stopped in to share it with Heartwarming, Lindsay. Thanks! Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  28. Wow... you all came up with some great kisses! Ladyhawke... dreamy sigh. Also loved the kiss in Bull Durham when Crash and Annie finally get together. But then, who wouldn't fall for a guy who likes long, slow, wet kisses that last for three days? Such a great speech, such a great film.

    Although honestly, Karen, some of my top fav kisses are ALL in GWTW. You chose a great scene, but there are other swoony kisses in there for sure. Great blog, my friend!

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    1. Thanks, Joanne! Bull Durham was such a great movie and that kiss... *SWOON* Your books have so many of my fav kisses too :) Thanks so much for stopping by and adding this great kiss for our list! Glad we had so much to celebrate on Valentine's Day with our CAMP KISS cover reveal!

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  29. Wow, these are all great kisses. Some that are on my list haven't been mentioned yet: Edward and Bella's first kiss in "Twilight", Rose and Jack in "Titantic", John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in "The Quiet Man". And if we bring up TV, Lost's Kate and Sawyer's kiss in exchange for Shannon's ashtma mediciine. HOT in capital letters! I definitely needed a fan for that one.

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    1. Syndi- WOW- you definitely have a romance writer's memory for great kisses :) Edward and Bella's first kiss nearly made me faint and Rose and Jack are the ultimate couple- a kiss all the more beautiful because we knew the doom ahead. Thank you for these additions to the list. It wouldn't have been complete without them! Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  30. WINNER ANNOUNCED! Jeanneweighsin- you are the grand prize winner! Please send me your mailing info via my contact form on www.karenrock.com. Congratulations!! Thanks everyone for your wonderful posts!!

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  31. Wow!! Thank you so much for all the kissable moment memories and the the joy of experiencing,once again, one of my favorite movie kisses and movies of all time. Can't wait! :-)

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