An admissions department snafu at Manhattan’s prestigious Juilliard School for the Arts, pairs a lovely African American girl in the same dorm room with a blond blue eyed Frenchman. Maybe it’s karma, but sparks of frustration turn into the heat of attraction and within the week the pair becomes a couple. But cruel fate steps in at Christmas vacation, when, after a second snafu, the lovebirds are separated the by an ocean of despair—the Atlantic Ocean.
Not Now Mommy's Reading Reviews
I have a confession…I am Dee Dawning’s number one fan. Why, you ask? It’s because Dee writes the trash…er, stories that, if I wrote, would float out of my overactive, inappropriate and naughty imagination. French Kiss is one such story, after reading it I had to go take a peek under my bed to make sure Dee wasn’t under there recording my dreams.
I think every little girl, at some point, dreams of being a ballerina. My plan was to dance the role of Clara in the Nutcracker, so that I could save the Nutcracker Prince from the evil Mouse King. Unfortunately, I discovered books around the same time I discovered the Nutcracker and it quickly became evident that I would rather be reading instead of practicing a demi plié. In a recent e-mail to Dee (yes, I did just name drop, when you’re a #1 fan you can do that too--don’t hate!) I stated, that if men like Rene really existed in ballet I curse the day I put away my toe shoes! Okay, okay enough about me...
LaCherna ‘Cher’ Smith, a budding ballet student at Julliard, has just found out that her roommate Rene is not a woman, but a man! And, oh what a man! Rene Rejane, the tres chaud ballet dancer from Tours, France is used to being mistaken for a woman because of his “dual gendered” name. So it came as no surprise that he would be paired with a female roommate. When Rene set eyes on Cher he is instantly smitten and knows that he must remain her roommate. Cher on the other hand is not sure if she should be sharing a room with a strange French man, albeit a hot one, but decides to give him a chance; on a trial basis and only after they dance together.
The bond between Rene and Cher quickly builds, as do their feelings and it isn’t long before they go from being roommates to being more. In my humble opinion, Cher held out WAY longer than I would have. Being the naughty girl I used to be (pre-marriage), Rene’s virtue would have been in jeopardy the first time I heard that French accent and had a glimpse of that body.
“Rene returned. His hair, now darkened and damp, hung uncombed, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. The only thing that kept him from standing naked before me was a white towel wrapped around and tucked in at his waist. He smiled. ‘Turn your head, ma chere, while I put on my pajamas bottoms on.’ …my mouth watered as he turned his backside to me and dropped the towel. His broad shoulders and muscular chest vee’d into a narrow waist and ultra-sexy taunt buns and that wasn’t all. One at a time, he lifted a led into each pajama leg, his shoulder muscles rippling…”
No, red-blooded woman could read that and NOT start speaking French! Son obtention chaud ici! Whew! There was another scene where Rene shaved Cher, then spent some time admiring his handiwork…um, yeah I thought my Kindle was going to melt...my panties certainly did. It was just that hot! The story spans the first half of the school year for Rene and Cher, until during Christmas break when; due to a case of mistaken identity Rene is deported and the couple is separated with no idea how to salvage their whirlwind romance. But, there is something to be said about being nice to strangers.
During a sight-seeing trip, the couple befriends a Japanese man whose daughter was also a student a Julliard. That kindly Japanese fellow, happened to be none other than the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. and has a direct line to the Secretary of State “Heidi Klinton” (snicker, snicker, wink, wink) who immediately reunited the couple, threw them a lavish fairytale wedding, sent them on a romantic Parisian honeymoon, and gave them jobs, as an apology! French Kiss is my idea of a grown-up fairy tale, the love scenes were fumage `a chaud--smoking hot, but the romance and happily ever after was sappy and corny sweet.
Dee Dawning is the king of scorching love scenes and moments that make you go ‘ah’. His books run the spectrum of raunchy smut…er, erotica to sweet romances to political satire, I’m still on the fence on which ones I like the best, but if you’re looking for a little bit of all three and get the HEA then French Kiss is for you. It’s my favorite, for now...tous saluent le roi!
Reviewed by Kristen
Rating Five Stars
The Romance StudioLaCherna Smith is talented ballerina on her way to Juilliard. Having been afforded the opportunity to attend the celebrated performing arts conservatory in New York City, she thinks nothing can ruin her adventure. That is until she arrives and discovers that an administrative error was made and her roommate is in fact one very sexy Frenchman named René. Their attraction is instant and sparks fly in a short period of time for these two roommates. But when another error separates them, will their budding relationship survive?
I was skeptical at first about what appeared to be an old-fashioned type of romance with external factors bringing the lovers together and then tearing them apart. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author took this story and wrote the hell out of it. The characters were emotionally engaging, the plot moves at just the right pace and it's devices are subtly applied so there is realism to the obstacles that the characters face but not a disruption or suspension of disbelief. The erotic scenes were plentiful, tasteful and enfused with emotion in a way that no romance reader could resist. The ending was not what I expected but wonderful. The ending alone is worth reading the story for. French Kiss is part of a series but can be read alone. I highly recommend this tale to romance fans who would enjoy an uncomplicated and heart melting romance.
Overall rating: Four-and-a-half Hearts
Reviewer: Roxanne
Title: French Kiss
Author: Dee Dawning
Publisher: New Dawning Book Fair
Genre: Interracial erotic romance
SUMMARY: An admissions department snafu at Manhattan s prestigious Juilliard School for the Arts, pairs a lovely African American girl in the same dorm room with a blond blue eyed Frenchman. Maybe it’s karma, but sparks of frustration turn into the heat of attraction and within the week the pair becomes a couple. But cruel fate steps in at Christmas vacation, when, after a second snafu, the lovebirds.
MRS CONDIT’S FAVORITE QUOTE: “The tour of Ellis Island served to remind me that my ancestors, brought to America in chains, had not been fortunate enough to come to America as immigrants.”
COMMENT PROMPT: Should college dorms allow male/female roommates?
MRS CONDIT’S OPINION: Dee Dawning’s FRENCH KISS packs more into 77 pages than some books pack into 377 pages. This novella drew me in from the party celebrating Cher’s acceptance into Julliard School for the Arts to the end when difficult barriers have been overcome to reach a classic, heart-warming HEA.
In between these bookends, Cher discovers she has a male roommate, Rene, who persuades Cher not to call admissions and get him switched with the female roommate Cher had expected. Rene and Cher tour New York City and become better acquainted, then friends, on the way to becoming lovers. Cher experiences several firsts, including her first French Kiss, from which the story gets its title.
When government red tape turns a love story into a story of loss, the young couple’s friends and family step up to try to give them what they really want: each other.
This is a character-driven story. Cher is open-minded but cautious and I thought she epitomized everything good about today’s strong young women. Cher has an opportunity to do what she has always wanted to do and she is determined to get the education required to achieve that goal. Can she overcome the distraction that Rene represents.
Rene is a handsome young man who possesses an inner strength that I didn’t expect. Cher takes him home for the holidays, and Rene steps up to the task of impressing her father.
Ms Dawning makes the main characters and the charming secondary characters work for the HEA. Nothing worth having is easily obtained and this story proves that point. FRENCH KISS is a charming story, well written, and I recommend it to anyone interested in a good romance that is brief but long enough to entertain. There is no disappointment here.
MRS CONDIT’S EVALUATION: 4 blissful sweet peas
When we got back to our room, René headed to one of the baths we would be sharing with three other students, while I simply threw on a nightshirt and hopped in bed. I just lay in bed and reflected on what Tami said. I’d naively thought I had my future at Juilliard mapped out. René would be my roommate and best friend for this year. For the next three years since the dorms were mostly for freshmen, I figured we could share an inexpensive two bedroom, New York flat. I wasn’t naïve, I knew those seven words—an inexpensive two bedroom, New York flat—created an oxymoron, but I’m an optimist.
In the middle of my contemplation, René returned. His hair, now darkened and damp, hung uncombed, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. The only thing that kept him from standing naked before me was a white towel wrapped around and tucked in his waist.
He smiled. “Turn your head, ma chère, while I put my pajamas bottoms on.”
I did, but I snuck a peek. My mouth watered as he turned his backside to me and dropped the towel. His broad shoulders and muscular chest vee’d into a narrow waist and ultra-sexy taut buns and that wasn’t all. One at a time, he lifted a leg into each pajama leg, his shoulder muscles rippling, but before he pulled them up into place, every ounce of oxygen in my lungs exhaled and my pussy muscles clenched. From betwixt his muscular legs, the underside of his sex—the tip of his penis and his pinkish mauve scrotum—beckoned to me and I couldn’t catch my breath. Finally when I thought I would pass out from oxygen depredation, I gasped a breath of life.
René swung around, concern etched on his beautiful face. “Are you all right?”
My eyelids rose and I gasped again as blood rushed to my clit and pussy. His long, thick male member dangled from the opening in his pajamas.
He looked down and quickly inserted himself. “Sorry,” he uttered, but the damage had been done.
The damage, of course, was to my idyllic conception of how we could be platonic friends and roommates for the next four years. “Girl, you’re going to be the horniest dancer in Juilliard. And what about him? Is he supposed to go without for four years?” What Tami had been trying to tell me slammed into my mind like a head on collision. Why hadn’t this been a problem last night? Because, you idiot, you both fell asleep in your clothes after talking half the night.
He smiled. “Are you going to sleep?”
“If I can.”
“Would it bother you if I did some things on my computer?”
Apparently on the way to losing my mind, I blurted out, “This wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t so God damned good looking,” and rolled over to face the wall.”
“What?”
My head turned back part way. “Never mind, forget I said that.”
The mattress sank behind me and then a tender stroke brushed my arm. “No, mon amour, what is bothering you?”
I turned back over onto my back and raised up on my elbows. “I’m sorry, I’m so mixed up right now, it’s driving me crazy.”
“About what?” His hand massaged my shoulder.
He couldn’t be that naïve. I turned on my side and faced him. “About you, you silly hunk. Half of me, my angelic half, I guess, wants us to be no-touchy, close friends. Then the hussy half of me wants you to fuck my brains out. I don’t know what to do.”
“He laughed. “Ma petit ange, I too, would like to baiser your brains out or better yet, faire l'amour passionné. But in my case, it’s all of me that wants to make passionate love to you. You are a beautiful, sexy, vivacious woman and I glory at the idea of making love to you.”
Half whining, I asked, “What shall we do?”
“Are you open to a compromise?”
“Maybe. Like what?”
“We take it slow. We start with kissing and touching, then when you feel it’s right we move on to other things and finally, when you are ready, we take the last step and make love.”
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