Looking back at my review, I see I actually quoted that kiss scene. I /assumed/ he'd kissed her hard enough to draw blood because Raybourn glossed over the kiss enough that it was unclear exactly what had happened.
Haha! My best friend and I discussed the kiss-maybe-not-kiss scene as well and couldn't figure out what actually happened.
Sorry this book didn't work for you. I think the only thing I liked about this book was the atmosphere, and Julia's family. I read the entire series, but never warmed up to the romance or Brisbane, and found that the stories took a long time to get going. (Side note: I remember complaining about how it took approximately 120 pages of story before the first murder happens in one of the books.) But mainly, I just couldn't understand the appeal that Brisbane presented, because he just came off prickly, brooding, and an asshole.
I somehow still managed to find some enjoyment and entertainment out of it--heated, ranting discussions with my best friend ended up being pretty interesting--and I didn't completely abhor the books either. Julia grows on you after a while, even if I really hated how obsessed she was with Brisbane. I think there was one scene in one of the books where I found myself enjoying it more because Brisbane wasn't really in the picture at the time.
I don´t think these books are for me, so I will give them a pass. But I´m glad that you somehow enjoyed them :). And this might have actually with Nicholas out of the picture.
Sorry this book didn't work for you. I think the only thing I liked about this book was the atmosphere, and Julia's family. I read the entire series, but never warmed up to the romance or Brisbane, and found that the stories took a long time to get going. (Side note: I remember complaining about how it took approximately 120 pages of story before the first murder happens in one of the books.) But mainly, I just couldn't understand the appeal that Brisbane presented, because he just came off prickly, brooding, and an asshole.
I somehow still managed to find some enjoyment and entertainment out of it--heated, ranting discussions with my best friend ended up being pretty interesting--and I didn't completely abhor the books either. Julia grows on you after a while, even if I really hated how obsessed she was with Brisbane. I think there was one scene in one of the books where I found myself enjoying it more because Brisbane wasn't really in the picture at the time.