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Kissed
Pucker up for KISSED!
Kisses can be innocent, playful, or just to comfort. Some are for luck and others have the promise of sweeter ones to come.
That's why we've dedicated an anthology to the kiss. These eight hand-picked stories are brimming with romance, and they all begin and end with a kiss.
Our talented authors will prove that love knows no boundaries.
The stories and authors of KISSED:
Just Like the Movies by Christine Rees
It Started with a Kiss by Kacie Ji
After Tomorrow by Roxas James
It's in His Kiss by Peri Elizabeth Scott
Pixie Cuts and Purple Dye by M. Wiklund
No Romeo by Sasha Hibbs
Dare by Lisa Borne Graves
Run to You by Kate Larkindale
Artwork by Jay Aheer
Kisses can be innocent, playful, or just to comfort. Some are for luck and others have the promise of sweeter ones to come.
That's why we've dedicated an anthology to the kiss. These eight hand-picked stories are brimming with romance, and they all begin and end with a kiss.
Our talented authors will prove that love knows no boundaries.
The stories and authors of KISSED:
Just Like the Movies by Christine Rees
It Started with a Kiss by Kacie Ji
After Tomorrow by Roxas James
It's in His Kiss by Peri Elizabeth Scott
Pixie Cuts and Purple Dye by M. Wiklund
No Romeo by Sasha Hibbs
Dare by Lisa Borne Graves
Run to You by Kate Larkindale
Artwork by Jay Aheer
558 pages, Paperback
Published July 19, 2018
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 26, 2018
Raging hormones, insecurities, secret crushes and tentatively reaching out for friendship, love and acceptance. Welcome to the world of teenage emotions as eight authors each offer up a short story about teens and young love and infatuation.
KISSED is like revisiting high school, both the good and the bad days. Teens will expose their sexual preferences, risk being vilified and embrace who they are. Teens will also take a chance on the more traditional young love. Will they each find a happily ever after with another or is their true bliss I taking the leap in the first place?
Nothing can be more terrifying than being labeled a lousy kisser. Relive your first ever kiss. Feel the struggles these kids have with love/hate relationships and the whole tsunami of emotions that flood the young adult world.
Did I have favorite stories? Yes! Did I not like a story or two? Not telling. What I did find was that the voices of the teens comes through loud and clear from their inner turmoil to their outward shows of bravado. What I did find that I am not sure I enjoyed, was that in each story, although told by a different author, the voices of the teens were almost identical.
Some stories are fun, some are serious, but all of them are definitely young adult material that acknowledges the power of a kiss.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Evernight Teen!
Expected publication date July 20, 2018
Publisher: Evernight Teen
KISSED is like revisiting high school, both the good and the bad days. Teens will expose their sexual preferences, risk being vilified and embrace who they are. Teens will also take a chance on the more traditional young love. Will they each find a happily ever after with another or is their true bliss I taking the leap in the first place?
Nothing can be more terrifying than being labeled a lousy kisser. Relive your first ever kiss. Feel the struggles these kids have with love/hate relationships and the whole tsunami of emotions that flood the young adult world.
Did I have favorite stories? Yes! Did I not like a story or two? Not telling. What I did find was that the voices of the teens comes through loud and clear from their inner turmoil to their outward shows of bravado. What I did find that I am not sure I enjoyed, was that in each story, although told by a different author, the voices of the teens were almost identical.
Some stories are fun, some are serious, but all of them are definitely young adult material that acknowledges the power of a kiss.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Evernight Teen!
Expected publication date July 20, 2018
Publisher: Evernight Teen
August 22, 2018
I am no kiss and tell kind of girl, but this book, it’s all about kisses, giggles, swooning, hot brooding guys, raging male testosterones, beautiful ladies, sexy nerds, and lovable gay / lesbian lovers in between. Who am I to say no to these wonderfully written stories of love, kinship, acceptance and happily ever after?
One of my favorites in the anthology is After Tomorrow, with Keller and Garrett being gay and hiding their feelings and all. I just love how they’re so strong together and not let others make them feel down or unappreciated.. And I specially loved how love wins amidst it all.
Another favorite of mine is Just Like in The Movies – mainly because of the reference to 10 Things I Hate About You (gosh, I miss Heath Ledger and I love love love Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Love the whole tutor-student connection, going to the prom vibes and bestfriends before boys issues by the characters.
There’s also the Romeo and Juliet kind of love affair, with two lovestruck friends torn between their conflicting families. I wish this was more developed though, because I would like to know more about the journey that the two lead characters were about to entail after the ruckus that their family had been to.
Another book also featured the Romeo and Juliet play but with different opposing characters, one with a mistaken identity mishap that soon ended into something nice and surprising.
A pixie haired girl gets her first kiss from her best friend with purple dyed hair. I could feel the frustrations of one of the main characters in this story with all her jealousy and the undeniably hidden secret feelings for each other. I think this was also my other favorite book in the anthology.
One of the things that can make you reveal about your secret crush – doing Truth or Dare.. and dare I say, I placed myself in the female lead’s shoes, and if I learned that my crush also liked me, I am totally over the moon. This story, Dare, was such a fun read, I could almost forget that the guy I like was my brother’s best friend.
I could go on and on with the other stories, but I gotta say, all these books really had me grinning from ear to ear, and made my heart raced so fast, I could almost win the Olympics!
It was nice to read something that would take you back to high school or reminisce about your childhood sweetheart, but let’s be honest. Nothing really compares to our memories about our first kiss. I definitely remember mine and this Anthology repeatedly made me swoon and wish I could re-do my first kiss. The authors did a wonderful job convincing readers, specifically me, that sometimes, it is okay to kiss and tell, and that first kisses are always the sweetest.
One of my favorites in the anthology is After Tomorrow, with Keller and Garrett being gay and hiding their feelings and all. I just love how they’re so strong together and not let others make them feel down or unappreciated.. And I specially loved how love wins amidst it all.
Another favorite of mine is Just Like in The Movies – mainly because of the reference to 10 Things I Hate About You (gosh, I miss Heath Ledger and I love love love Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Love the whole tutor-student connection, going to the prom vibes and bestfriends before boys issues by the characters.
There’s also the Romeo and Juliet kind of love affair, with two lovestruck friends torn between their conflicting families. I wish this was more developed though, because I would like to know more about the journey that the two lead characters were about to entail after the ruckus that their family had been to.
Another book also featured the Romeo and Juliet play but with different opposing characters, one with a mistaken identity mishap that soon ended into something nice and surprising.
A pixie haired girl gets her first kiss from her best friend with purple dyed hair. I could feel the frustrations of one of the main characters in this story with all her jealousy and the undeniably hidden secret feelings for each other. I think this was also my other favorite book in the anthology.
One of the things that can make you reveal about your secret crush – doing Truth or Dare.. and dare I say, I placed myself in the female lead’s shoes, and if I learned that my crush also liked me, I am totally over the moon. This story, Dare, was such a fun read, I could almost forget that the guy I like was my brother’s best friend.
I could go on and on with the other stories, but I gotta say, all these books really had me grinning from ear to ear, and made my heart raced so fast, I could almost win the Olympics!
It was nice to read something that would take you back to high school or reminisce about your childhood sweetheart, but let’s be honest. Nothing really compares to our memories about our first kiss. I definitely remember mine and this Anthology repeatedly made me swoon and wish I could re-do my first kiss. The authors did a wonderful job convincing readers, specifically me, that sometimes, it is okay to kiss and tell, and that first kisses are always the sweetest.
July 9, 2018
Each story is romantic, delightful and full of teenage angst. The storylines are strong with beautiful characters that make you swoon and I even found myself reminiscing over my first kiss. Find yourself returning to those teenage hormones and awkward first kisses in this well-rounded anthology. -YA/NA Book Divas
{I requested a review copy from the publisher for reviewing purposes and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions contained herein are unbiased and my own.}
{I requested a review copy from the publisher for reviewing purposes and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions contained herein are unbiased and my own.}
July 1, 2018
Obviously I'm a little biased because one of the stories in this anthology is mine, but I enjoyed this book of short fiction. Like any anthology, the stories differ in quality and style, but because they are all teenage romances, there are enough similiarities for them to fit well together.
There are also several queer romances in there which is refreshing.
There are also several queer romances in there which is refreshing.
July 26, 2018
The Kissed Anthology was an absolutely adorable read, full of stories about first love and first kisses. There are also a ton of LGBTQ+ stories in here!
I decided to review each story individually since it’s always hard to rate an anthology just as the sum of its parts.
Just Like the Movies by Christine Rees: This was my favorite short story in the anthology! From the 10 Things I Hate About You references to the interesting characters to the romance, I loved this one.
It Started With a Kiss by Kacie Jie: If you like forbidden love with a major Romeo and Juliet vibe, this is the story for you. I couldn’t really feel the connection between the two main characters but the story was still enjoyable.
After Tomorrow by Roxas James: This one is an absolutely adorable coming out story. The relationship between the two main characters was adorable and I loved that the author made them so much more than the stereotypical jock and nerd. Of note, this one has a bit of sexual content and may not be appropriate for younger readers.
It’s in His Kiss by Peri Elizabeth Scott: This one examines the toxicity of high school rumors and the damage they can do. This one was probably my second favorite. I liked both the leads, totally felt their connection, and thought that the issues were handled pretty well.
Pixie Cuts and Purple Dye by M. Wiklund: The entire time I was reading this one, I just wanted to yell at the two main characters to communicate with each other. While I got a bit frustrated with the mixed signals and miscommunications, it was also pretty realistic to relationships. If you like friends to more, this one is for you!
No Romeo by Sasha Hibbs: No Romeo was a fun take on mistaken identity. I thought that this one was totally cute and love the dual viewpoint. It was fun to see the story develop on both sides and I was totally rooting for the romance.
Dare by Lisa Borne Graves: This one was absolutely adorable. When the main character finally fesses up about her feelings to her big brother’s friend on a dare, she receives the surprise of her life to find that her feelings are reciprocated. Now if only she could fix their miscommunication, get rid of the other guy who is harassing her, and somehow break the news to her overly protective older brother...
Run to You by Kate Larkindale: This was one of the longer ones in the anthology and I liked that Larkindale took the time to develop her characters and their relationship. This one was also a fascinating look into the world of competitive racing and what it takes to join the Olympic team.
Overall, if you’re looking for a cute, adorable YA contemporary anthology, consider checking this one out.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I decided to review each story individually since it’s always hard to rate an anthology just as the sum of its parts.
Just Like the Movies by Christine Rees: This was my favorite short story in the anthology! From the 10 Things I Hate About You references to the interesting characters to the romance, I loved this one.
It Started With a Kiss by Kacie Jie: If you like forbidden love with a major Romeo and Juliet vibe, this is the story for you. I couldn’t really feel the connection between the two main characters but the story was still enjoyable.
After Tomorrow by Roxas James: This one is an absolutely adorable coming out story. The relationship between the two main characters was adorable and I loved that the author made them so much more than the stereotypical jock and nerd. Of note, this one has a bit of sexual content and may not be appropriate for younger readers.
It’s in His Kiss by Peri Elizabeth Scott: This one examines the toxicity of high school rumors and the damage they can do. This one was probably my second favorite. I liked both the leads, totally felt their connection, and thought that the issues were handled pretty well.
Pixie Cuts and Purple Dye by M. Wiklund: The entire time I was reading this one, I just wanted to yell at the two main characters to communicate with each other. While I got a bit frustrated with the mixed signals and miscommunications, it was also pretty realistic to relationships. If you like friends to more, this one is for you!
No Romeo by Sasha Hibbs: No Romeo was a fun take on mistaken identity. I thought that this one was totally cute and love the dual viewpoint. It was fun to see the story develop on both sides and I was totally rooting for the romance.
Dare by Lisa Borne Graves: This one was absolutely adorable. When the main character finally fesses up about her feelings to her big brother’s friend on a dare, she receives the surprise of her life to find that her feelings are reciprocated. Now if only she could fix their miscommunication, get rid of the other guy who is harassing her, and somehow break the news to her overly protective older brother...
Run to You by Kate Larkindale: This was one of the longer ones in the anthology and I liked that Larkindale took the time to develop her characters and their relationship. This one was also a fascinating look into the world of competitive racing and what it takes to join the Olympic team.
Overall, if you’re looking for a cute, adorable YA contemporary anthology, consider checking this one out.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
July 22, 2018
I’m always impressed with published writers, the amount of work that goes into writing and editing and marketing a book is intense and I can only imagine an anthology would be more so; so while I gave “Kissed” three stars I want to be clear that while this book wasn’t in my top favorite contemporary reads it very well be something you would absolutely love. I’m very picky about contemporary YA books, and generally find myself wanting a little meat with the love stories. “Kissed” is nine ooey-gooey love stories: seven of which are basic girl meets boy in high school and fall in love, and two feature LGBT couples.
One of my favorite parts about all nine stories was the relationships between the MC’s and their friends, there lacked a lot of the cattiness I expect from stories based in highschool, and really featured a lot of girls supporting girls, specifically in Rees short story “Just like the movies,” and Hibb’s story “No Romeo.”
I absolutely loved Scott’s “It’s in his kiss,” and would like to see more from this author. Her writing had great pace and description and I found cold heart melting even though the story had corny moments. That’s what we’re here for though, right? Sweet corny love stories. “No Romeo” by Hibbs was another favorite and felt very fleshed out with great pacing.
I think my biggest complaint with the anthology was the dialogue in most of the stories felt very forced. This could be due to the constraint of a short stories word count, but I also think there’s room for the authors to grow. I would definitely pick up and read other books by these authors, but I don’t know that I would buy a physical copy of this book for myself.
If you love sweet summer stories about first loves, this one is for you. If you’re more into contemporary plots that have depth I’m not sure you’ll love this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Evernight Teen. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
One of my favorite parts about all nine stories was the relationships between the MC’s and their friends, there lacked a lot of the cattiness I expect from stories based in highschool, and really featured a lot of girls supporting girls, specifically in Rees short story “Just like the movies,” and Hibb’s story “No Romeo.”
I absolutely loved Scott’s “It’s in his kiss,” and would like to see more from this author. Her writing had great pace and description and I found cold heart melting even though the story had corny moments. That’s what we’re here for though, right? Sweet corny love stories. “No Romeo” by Hibbs was another favorite and felt very fleshed out with great pacing.
I think my biggest complaint with the anthology was the dialogue in most of the stories felt very forced. This could be due to the constraint of a short stories word count, but I also think there’s room for the authors to grow. I would definitely pick up and read other books by these authors, but I don’t know that I would buy a physical copy of this book for myself.
If you love sweet summer stories about first loves, this one is for you. If you’re more into contemporary plots that have depth I’m not sure you’ll love this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Evernight Teen. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
July 18, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Evernight Teen in exchange for an honest review*
I should probably start this review by saying that I am not a reader of romance. It's just not my cup of tea, as I often find fictional relationships can be forced or inauthentic.
But I was pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong by the stories in this brilliant, diverse collection. Each story is unique and riveting - no two are the same, and yet they fit well together. An expertly crafted anthology. I did notice a few clichés here and there, they had been reworked in away that made them feel fresh rather than tired or overdone.
If you are looking for your next read, I recommend you delve into the multi-faceted exploration of love that is 'Kissed'. It may have changed my mind about romance!
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I should probably start this review by saying that I am not a reader of romance. It's just not my cup of tea, as I often find fictional relationships can be forced or inauthentic.
But I was pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong by the stories in this brilliant, diverse collection. Each story is unique and riveting - no two are the same, and yet they fit well together. An expertly crafted anthology. I did notice a few clichés here and there, they had been reworked in away that made them feel fresh rather than tired or overdone.
If you are looking for your next read, I recommend you delve into the multi-faceted exploration of love that is 'Kissed'. It may have changed my mind about romance!
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WordPress: https://bellesbeastlybookshelf.wordpr...
September 4, 2018
Uncaged Review: This Anthology focus on that part of your life when you are young and emotions are all over the place. That moment when you’re hoping your first kiss is like the movies. In this book I was very amused to see the nerd get the jock, or the drama girl get the girl she’s been crushing on since forever. I think old and young adult ages will really like this book like I did. Reviewed by Jennifer
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