The Kiss That Counted by Karin Kallmaker

The Kiss That Counted Reviews

• 
  Harrow

  “It's who you are. You're like a hummingbird, defying reality, a beautiful mystery, spreading your sweetness to all the needy flowers.”
  
  CJ and Karita had an connection since their first meeting which only increased after a magical kiss. They were both pretty damaged. CJ kept hearing her aunt's voice in her head telling her she'll never be anything but a con artist, while Karita thanks to her toxic ex believes every potential date will eventually think her a fake. All the characters introduced here were complex and well-developed.
  My problem is that the MCs didn't spent enough time with each other and a huge portion of the book was spent in their heads.
• 
  Jem

  Goodreads has been pushing this book at me ever since I joined. I love the cover but somehow the blurb is so vague, it doesn't really stand out from the rest of the 1001 lesfic romances out there. Boy, was I surprised at the actual premise and even more so at the execution.
  
  CJ is very good at convincing people to part with their money--willingly. She's parlayed this talent into a very successful real estate career. But CJ has a past so dark that whereever she goes, she is constantly looking over her shoulder and scoping out the nearest exits. A traffic violation results in her doing community service at a battered women's shelter. There she meets kind-hearted volunteer Karita. Sparks fly and they share a spectacular parting kiss. Firmly convinced of her own incorrigibility, CJ is afraid of tainting the lily-white Karita with her dark past--a past that may catch up to her anytime. Karita meanwhile has had her share of past heartache, and CJ feels just a little bit too much like her old flame--rich, successful, entitled. And so they dance around their attraction and have dalliances with others--but all the while obssessing over THAT kiss.
  
  There are so many things I love about the book. The tight plotting makes for a fast page-turner. I don't remember the last time I finished a book in 1 day. I'm a slow reader, but this was impossible to put down.
  There are a number of characters in the book--all well-rounded and relatable and believable individuals of all stripes. The story is much more than a romance. Its also a tale of great friendships (+benefits ;) ) and redemption. There is angst (lots of it, yey!) and hurt/comfort. It's a study of great contrasts: How different the present CJ is from the old one; how different she perceives she is from Karita; how much she stands to lose if the past catches up with her. There is a lot of psychoanalyzing going around--that irritated me somewhat at first, not knowing what went before, but fortunately, the leads were able to overcome all that overthinking.
  
  How does an author weave so many elements successfully--fairly complex plot, well-rounded characterizations, engaging dialogue, lots of psychoanalyzing(!), lovely sex, cuddly pets, even llamas, together in just 200+ pages? Fantastic writing and editing!
  
  5 stars
• 
  Dide

  3.5 rating
  CJ's character was somewhat complicated; a natural benevolence (despite self denial) with a cross of devious guilt. Interesting way the author revealed these characteristics and the resulting relationships.
  Normally this story ought to be tagged a delight but somehow I didn't get the feel on a 4star level. The romantic bud was kinda rushed or perhaps it was just the hunger that led to their confessions and the detangling of CJ's life also seemed rushed and quite unbelieving. So I guess the story wasn't on the level I'd have wanted for such potential plot
• 
  Alena

  What a surprisingly good read. Surprisingly because I was less than enchanted with Karin Kallmaker's last novels. So, I bought it anyway because I like some of her books a lot and keep hoping it will be a winner.
  
  And it was. I don't know how to comment on the story without giving too much away and on the other hand doesn't sound too shallow. Because it isn't. Both characters and plot are complex. It is apparent from the beginning that CJ is running from something, primarily personal attachments in any manner, when she meets Karita and can't really withdraw from her charming and caring personality. Both characters have to deal with their past, it clearly affects their present and may affect their future. The story also shows that we are more than our genes and are responsible for our own destiny.
  
  Kiss that Counted really isn't your 'standard' romance fare. For one, if you're looking for sex scenes, this really isn't for you. It's so refreshing to have a romance without the apparently required sex scenes every 20 pages. There needs to be more to a good, enjoyable romance than that. So, I hope this book sells like nobody's business to show publishers that romances can be about more than sex, that it takes well-developed characters and plot to make a good story. I'm happy to see that Kallmaker hasn't lost her story-telling abilities.
• 
  Karin Kallmaker

  Winner, Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Romance
  Winner, Ann Bannon Popular Fiction Award, GCLS
• 
  Vita L. Licari

  CJ is a commercial realtor with a dark, dangerous and illegal past. Karita is a good soul who volunteers at an animal shelter and a battered womens shelter. CJ and Karita go to the same coffee shop, so, they're acquainted. After a business lunch CJ runs through a stop sign and almost hits a car, so she pulls herself over. A cop witnessed it and did a breathalyzer test, she wasn't over the limit, but one thing she had to do was community service. She picked the battered womens shelter. So now CJ and Karita are working together.
  But what about CJ's past, and can Karita be pulled in. This is an amazing slow burn love story, with an interesting plot! Definitely 5 stars!
• 
  Alealea

  I'm binge-reading Karin Kallmaker's books this month.
  
  Well that's a good one.
  Touching on a hard subject (women abuse) with a lot of dignity and small touches.
  The story is played by a wonderful background cast and despite insta-attraction between the two main, it's a slow burning romance ^^
  
  
  The writer tropes seems to be
  > awful birth families
  > bereavement (not in this one !)
  > light miscommunication or misconception
  > lava-hot sex scene
• 
  Cheri

  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I did find it very predictable and easy to figure out. BUT I liked the ending quite a bit. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. I rounded down because of the predictability. And a little because an Escort is a Ford, not a Subaru.
• 
  Natsu

  Longish but worth the time. :D
• 
  WillowBe

  I really liked this book and look forward to reading her lambda awarded books.I have found that books about lesbians by lesbians are extremely romantic. They are as romantic as gay books are sexually over the top. Just the male/female thing gone to it's natural extremes. The writing around pages 210 to 215 is so transcendent in its description of their love- it's beyond beautiful. It's almost soul-stirring. Their is v. good sensuality. But the sexuality, is very discreet, almost as if Ms. K is shielding the characters from our prurious interest in lesbian sex, or protecting their privacy. O rmaybe she thinks that part is less important and will distract us from what she feels should be our true focus the meaning of the sex, not the sex itself. OR maybe she is not very good with sex scenes. It's her book and a noble goal. I however think you can have both if you trust your readers. But this is the only quibble I have with the book.
  
  Ms. K is so good at evoking the fear and paranoia of her character that I was think just like CJ. When Daria showed up, I thought- well, she'll have to killher to get free. It wasn't until her frineds help her get perspective that I too gained perspective. HEllo, there are plenty of things she could have done to deal with her guilt and fear. But I was so drawn into her psyche, and so on the character's side, that I totally identified with her. And I felt the shock and the relief when those alternate options opened up. I was really intrigued when I realized all this. I thought, "Now that's a writer!"
  
  However, if you don't fall into the story, it's kind of obvious what is going on and what must happen for the HEA. I do give props to MS. K for letting there be some reality- she had to go back to theplace it all started, rather than having it all disappear with fairy dust. So, short book, easy to read in 3 hrs, extravagantly romantic feelings but a bit lacking in the sexual pay-off. And these characters definitely grow, and grow-up. Which is kind of funny given that most are around 30 yo!
• 
  Jay Odon

  "Twenty. Who knew? Little perennials, where did they come from?"
  
  CJ Roshe is one of the busiest Real Estate agents in the city and has no time for a relationship, except for an occasional hookup with the equally busy Abby,. Karita Hanssen is a high up receptionist for a law firm, and has no time for a relationship either from her day job and her volunteering at both a pet shelter and a woman's shelter, there she gets all that she needs in the arms of Emily, who runs the woman's shelter.
  
  Two ships passing in the night, or in this case two lesbians passing at the coffee shop. Neither woman even thinks about the other until CJ gets pulled over for missing a stop sign and erratic driving. Given the choice between a huge fine or community service, CJ opts for the service as her money is earmarked for something more important. The first night she arrives at the woman's shelter, she is surprised to find Karita volunteering there, and the first signs of something more stirred in both of them.
  
  As the night wears on Emily is not sure if this is the right place for CJ as she has her own history with abuse and finds it hard to sympathize with women who choose to go back again and again. Relegated to menial jobs like laundry and making chocolate milk, CJ finds herself at odds with the woman that runs the shelter especially since it seems Karita and Emily are an item. As the two women work together their love grows and things from their pasts come forward threatening not only their relationship but also CJ's life.
  
  Can Karita forgive CJ for something she really had no choice about, can CJ let Karita in enough to explain her self inflicted oaths to those that her family has wronged.
  
  Moving book about forgiveness not only of those that you have wronged but also to forgive yourself. Love is there as long as you will let it in when it knocks on the door.
• 
  Shay Caroline

  Karin Kallmaker is an old hand at the lesbian romance genre, and if girl-meets-girl is your thing, then you really can't go wrong reading anything she's written. In this one, CJ Roshe is a successful businesswoman with a past that may be gaining on her. She is careful not to make any connections that can't be broken at a moment's notice. Then she meets Karita Hanssen, femme goddess extraordinaire, and all bets are off, especially after sharing one very special and unexpected kiss. Can love conquer all? It's a romance novel...what do you think?!
• 
  Rike Random

  Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf
  meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele
  
  Nach „Und auf einmal ist es Liebe“ habe ich mir prompt die restlichen ins Deutsche übersetzten Romane von Karin Kallmaker zugelegt – die gedruckten Versionen gibt es nur noch gebraucht und ich hatte Glück und habe alle sechs Titel in einem Paket für kleines Geld bekommen. Als erstes habe ich mir „Es begann mit einem Kuss“ zu Gemüte geführt.
  
  Und ich fand das Buch gar nicht schlecht – wobei man definitiv sagen muss, dass es nichts neues enthält. Die Geschichte rund um CJ und Karita ist nach einem recht einfachen Prinzip gestrickt und enthält einige der etwas absurderen Standardelemente lesbischer Romane (die teilweise doch eher unglaubwürdige Lesbendichte an den Arbeitsplätzen/in der gesamten Welt der Protagonisten, dieses „jede datet jede“, einfach mal nur befreundet sein geht offenbar nicht, alle sind irgendwie wunderschön, vielleicht nicht Modelmaterial, aber wunderschön – und meistens dazu noch reich und erfolgreich).
  
  Das ändert aber nichts daran, dass sich die Geschichte, die Karin Kallmaker hier spinnt, gut lesen lässt und nette Unterhaltung bietet, in die einige tiefgründigere Themenaspekte eingewoben wurden. Ich mochte die beiden Protagonistinnen und ich fand es interessant ihren Geschichten auf den Grund zu gehen, auch wenn die Problematik irgendwann doch etwas sehr aufgebauscht und in die Länge gezogen wurde.
  
  Alles in allem eine ganz gute Lektüre, nicht zu anspruchsvoll aber mit guten Ideen und Ansätzen, teils aber auch ziemlich klischeelastig und hier und da etwas arg künstlich aufgebauscht. Trotzdem ist „Es begann mit einem Kuss“ von Karin Kallmaker eine nette Lektüre für zwischendurch, an der ich meinen Spaß hatte – und noch habe ich die Lust an Kallmakers Romanen nicht verloren ;)
• 
  Megzz

  3.5
  
  Overall a very nice read, but somewhat inconsistent.
  
  I loved the beginning and the end, but not so much what was in between. There was very little interaction between CJ and Karita, while both kept obsessing over that one perfect kiss and being in complete denial. So I was a bit bored at times and wished there were more scenes where the girls were actually physically together (instead of just thinking of each other).
  
  Having said that, I applaud Kallmaker because despite that, the love story is sweet and very believable. It's a testament to how good she is as a writer! being able to make us believe two people can fall in love so quickly and helplessly without having more than 3 conversations.
  Also, great characters!
• 
  Kris Topper

  Amazing book i loved every moment this book had to offer the way that Karin can so masterfully describe a moment between two women is truly a gift, no other lesbian romance novel has been able to impress me with true knowledge of lesbian romance!! And jus in case anyone wonders this book is true lesbian romance not erotica I so loathe the mindless drivel of lesbian erotica it jus doesn't capture the true emotion and intensity between two women.
• 
  Kirsten

  I stopped reading this book because it had too many characters that I couldn't keep track of, they kept going to a cafe where they ordered fake coffee drinks that don't exist (obviously the author needs to do some research) and it took place in Boulder where my ex is from, so I kept being reminded of her, which sucked the most!
• 
  Bea Elwood

  It was an added layer of enjoyment that this book happens to be set in Denver where I live and I knew a lot of the local references made. This one is more than just a cozy romance though. Serious themes about domestic abuse and the negative self talk of adult survivors make for some heavy reading, but maybe you cheer the young women on all the more because because of it.
• 
  Ami Raegan

  Great book, interesting twist. It's a tad predictable at times, but overall I like it and reread it.
• 
  Julieta Steyr

  It's almost believable CJ somewhere, not at first, of course, and it is a bit exaggerated paranoia she has. Was it really necessary the elf part?
  The best written in an almost poetic discourse (and I can not deny it), it is part of the kiss. I love this part. And then... the other is ok. Only ok, no the best, no beautiful, just ok.
  As an additional comment I can say that most of what counts Karin in the story is related in the end, point for her. However, although she emulates the style of the famous authors of romance novels style like Danielle Steel, addressing the psychology of the character, she does not reach that level. Not bad as a novel, but still it lacks.
• 
  Blink51n

  The main characters and secondary cast were all so well-rounded, believable and lovable. I enjoyed the slow unfolding story of CJ's past and her current secrets. Her character was complex and held just the right level of angst.
• 
  Anna

  Not my favorite, a little too issue-centric. I couldn't get into the characters as much as I would have liked.
• 
  C.J. Reid

  Darker than usual but that is the appeal.
• 
  B.

  Superb read, not counting the domestic violence