Kiss in the Dark

by Marcia Lynn McClure

Excerpt: "Boston," he mumbled. "I mean...he's like the man of my dreams! Why would I blow it? What if..." Boston continued to babble. "Boston," he said. The commanding sound of his voice caused Boston to cease in her prattling and look to him. "What?" she asked, somewhat grateful he'd interrupted her panic attack. He frowned and shook his head. "Shut up," he said. "You're all worked up about nothing." He reached out, slipping one hand beneath her hair to the back of her neck. Boston was so startled by his touch, she couldn't speak-she could only stare up into his mesmerizing green eyes. His hand was strong and warm, powerful and reassuring. "If it freaks you out so much...just kiss in the dark," he said. Boston watched as Vance put the heel of his free hand to the light switch. In an instant the room went black.

Genres: Romance, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Chick Lit, New Adult

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marcia Lynn McClure grew up influenced by the reminiscent stories of rugged, rural Colorado farm life fascinatingly recounted to her by her parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts…tales of runaway buckboards, mule-drawn plows and dust pneumonia; verbalized images of stream-flooded meadows, frozen over in winter, where a child could peer through the crystal clear ice in wonder at the small fish, snakes and mice sealed in the meadow grasses beneath; stories of hardship and tragedy, love and loss. But always the stories, and the people telling them, bore evidence of the wonder and worthiness of simpler, yet sometimes brutal, times.

These influential people and the family legends they detailed, coupled with her own life experiences and utterly romantic nature, led Marcia to begin writing novels as Christmas gifts for her closest friends…friends who long for a breath of the past and miss the romance of bygone eras; friends searching for moments of distraction from the stressful, demanding times we live in.

And so, knowing that it is the breath of the past and the "take me in you arms and kiss me" kind of moments that so many women long to relive, Marcia spins her tales of love, life and laughter…adventures woven around those compelling, romantic instances that most appeal to a woman's loving heart. Marcia feels that if her readers close one of her books with a contented sigh and a delighted smile, feeling rejuvenated, cheerful and edified, then she has achieved what she set out to do…shower refreshment and happiness on anyone having experienced the story.

Marcia lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. There she writes her stories surrounded by her beloved friends and family...and the beautiful desert landscape of New Mexico!

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

8/1/17--Still such a fun, fluffy romance. I love the games and the little tidbits that make it it's own story.

3/21--Loved it again this time around. I had forgotten the secret and was thinking it was something else.

(6-11)Boston has a "poisonous" friend and roommate and she has had enough. Her best friend's brother, Vance, is temporarily living with her, so once he leaves, Boston can move in. But...he's a hero and makes it possible for her to do so earlier than planned.

There a several things that I really loved about this story. I think everyone has had a poisonous friend--someone who brings us down--so that made it real. I also loved how sweet Boston is. She can't say no and wants the best for everyone. She feels guilt about things when she shouldn't. Vance was a great "hero"--not perfect, but perfect for her and kind of rough around the edges. Those party game took me back to my high school days. Fun! And last, but not least, I'm really craving a chocolate Tootsie pop now. :)

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say it because I am a HUGE Marcia fan, but this book is more like a 2.5. The endearing cheese of a Marcia book works better with her historical settings. This is probably my least favorite Marcia book, but I will read anything she writes for those "Queen of Clean" kissing scenes. :)

[Alexis *Reality Bites*]

FREE TODAY 9-9-13 on Amazon
LINKS:
U.S. --->http://amzn.com/B004HO5U50
U.K. --->http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HO5U50
CDN. --->http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B004HO5U50
(No ebook for this was available for Nook I only saw paperback)

[Teya Teya · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/5/22
I love this one. It hits a cord with me not only for things in my youth, but we also had a friend that was killed by a drunk driver. Our friend was about to have a baby and the drunk walked away. Not sure how fair that really was but I cannot judge because that living person has to deal with killing someone. I love how he champions her by kissing her in the dark.

Other years
Oh, the depth of this lovely book. Understanding and compassion in this book astounded me. I enjoyed it better the second time!

One of my favorite things is chocolate tootsie pops and so does Boston. I love it! I love Vance's chivalry on Boston's behalf. I think the baggage they hold is tender but it's not easy when a guy you like gives you a picture to remember him by with him and his dead girlfriend. Yes, that happened to me.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book.
I love that Marcia's books make me laugh out loud, giggle, sigh and never fail to leave me with a smile on my face when I'm done.
I love when she has author notes at the end. I do hope she expands this book as was mentioned in her author's note because I want to know about the I.O.U.!
Ah the memories this book brought back, how could I have forgotten the fun of playing kissing rugby?
I love the old fashioned values in her books and that her characters are good people.
I only have 2 more books and I will have read all her books that are in print or available as ebooks. I've enjoyed everyone and hope she keeps writing for many years to come.

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot....

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing wrong with this was it wasn't nearly long enough, since it's an e-book! I would love this to be an expanded story. I also can't hold it in my hands, which is what I love to do with Marcia's books. :) Delicious is all I have to say... Her characters remind me of people I know since it's set in our times, and I love how her men say things that my brothers would, always cracking me up. Good stuff...

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had been ages since I read this one and picked it up on a whim. It wasn't quite what I remembered. A cute, fluff romance. Boston has a toxic roommate situation that takes up a good chunk of the book. I liked the close friendship Boston has with her friends and her learning to stick up for herself. But, overall it was just an ok read for me.

[Tiffany (Bluestocking) · Rating 1 out of 5]

For some young women in their twenties, Boston and her friends sure did giggle a lot and say “Oh my heck” a lot. Trust me, it was annoying. The characters were juvenile and were written as some extremely hormonal teenagers which made most of their conversations and internal monologues cringey. Boston was such a doormat that I couldn’t even feel sorry for her. I mean come on!! You can’t be THAT nice. So much so that you have a roommate you hate to walk all over you, as well as allow a superior at work sexually harass you until you get a promotion. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Early on in this book we meet Stephanie, the clingy, snobby friend that no one likes but is always invited to their shindigs. Since Boston and her girls are supposedly adults, why are they even subjecting themselves to being in Steph’s company? No one is forcing you to be her friend. You can choose who you associate with. To add to that, Steph treats everyone terribly and it’s so over the top that it’s unrealistic.

There’s a lot of repetition and unnecessary info that caused the book to drag. And honestly I couldn’t finish it. There was nothing about the plot or characters that kept my interest.

[Sharon Hogenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 3.5 stars if that was an option. The story line was great, but too much time was spent on the poisonous roommate and not enough time on the romance side of things. Also, I felt the end was a bit unsatisfying - too rushed for the built up emotions.

[Jennybug · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things that I really enjoy in these newer books is the author's notes. I love Marcia's willingness to share not only her story, but her thoughts behind the story. I find it sad that when people read these love stories they find it unrealistic that people can't fall in love with out sharing sexual intimacies until after marriage. I guess it is just a sad view of the world we are living in. I loved the whole part about not judging people so harshly. It made me smile, because I have read reviews before where people are very offended because Marcia has used the" H or D word" as much as 3 times in one of her books. As much as I love all of these books, it is sooooo hard to believe that characters blame themselves for things that are clearly not their fault. I was a little disappointed with the Vance blaming himself for the death of his sister. For a minute I was thinking maybe he might have been the one drinking. This would have made all of the secrecy more understandable. It was just kind of strange that they would never mention the loss of their sister. When it was clearly the fault of a drunk driver. Oh my heck I am totally babbling. I think that is one of the reasons I liked Boston so much, because I am a fellow babbler. Oh one more thing... reading about eating those tootsie pops all the time, really made me want to brush my teeth. I just kept thinking about how sugar coated her teeth were. OK after this I am really done... I loved the whole "sugar sprinkler's who enrich her life. Everyone should try to find a few sugar sprinkler's in their life. Thanks again Marcia for a fun escape. I really love reading your books.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book my Marcia!! Since I've found out about her writing last year I find myself trying to buy and read every book Marcia has ever made!! Reading her books is like turning on your favorite chick flick, you always know what to expect. There will always be some laughing, some sad moments, a hot guy and some steamy scenes!! You finish with a smile on your face!!

Kiss in the Dark was a contemporary romance. To be honest, I prefer to read MLM books that are historical but I still was happy with Kiss in the Dark.

The young girl Boston in the book is a sweetie and has a lovable personality but because she is so sweet she often gets walked on. Then in steps Vance, her bff's older brother. He starts giving Boston pep-talks to stand up for herself and have confidence. He is such a nice guy and I just adored him!!

Why is it that kissing in the dark is easier than kissing with the lights on?? I wonder if it's because you can stop worrying about how you look while the lights are off and just relax!!

If you are a fan of Marcia's then you'll love Kiss in the Dark. If you've never read her books before, I suggest starting with a different one, not because this one was bad, but because I personally think she has others that are better! (Highwayman of Tanglewood is my favorite of hers)

[Mummy Cat Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this free from Amazon.

I'm not even gonna say how excited I was to get a free kindle book from Mrs. McClure. What a treat. She has become a favorite author of mine because I know that every book by her is gonna be good. This one didn't disappoint.
Kiss in the Dark is not my favorite by McClure but I did really like the book. It will make for a great re-read. There was mystery, it was exciting and I did like the main squeeze. I also laughed my rear off.
McClure is so good at her craft. She creates such real scenes that it feels like the characters were really there doing their thing and not just some characters that she made up and wanted them to do this and that.
The beginning was a bit slow and the book took several chapters to get into but it was still a hit. Once I got into the book and things took off, I couldn't put the book down.
Keep up the good work Mrs. McClure!

[Megan Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! My favorite MLM book is Kissing Cousins, but I may have just changed my mind. This has a similar feel. I hope that she gets to expand this one soon! I can't wait to find out about the IOU! The one that apparently she doesn't know what it is yet... odd, huh? And Logan never called again, so it wasn't like where Poppy had to break up with Mark. And the "poisonous friend" is quickly taken care of with Vance Romance around! I love this book as is, but when it's time to get my own(as opposed to stealing my Mom's copy off the shelf-or plum keeping that one! lol lol), I hope that I'll be able to just get the hard copy!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this several months ago and gave 4 stars, but I think about this book a lot and would definetely re-read it, so I think I need to change this to 5 stars! I guess my only complaint about this book was how much time was spent on the rude, overbearing friend that Boston was stuck living with, but other than that, I really loved this story! I have a favorite scene I think about all the time and want to re-read, and that's when Boston is watching t.v. with Vance and she looks through his wallet to guess things about him...just the way that was described made Vance soooo cute and I loved it!

Of Marcia's modern books, my favorites are this one, Kissing Cousins, and Love Me.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to say first that maybe I am just PMSing and that is why I disliked this book so much.I don't like Contemporary romances in general either. I like McClure and feel baddley giving this only one star but I truly did not like this book. I could tell you all the ways but that would be mean. I did finish it.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOOOOOVED this ebook. I literally laughed outloud. I think the people suntanning with me in Kauai thought I was nuts. I don't care. It literally brought a smile to my face. Thanks Marcia for making my holiday even brighter.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just re-read this one... love love the characters and the one-liners!!! A hotty with a naughty body!!! Had me giggling out loud!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

loooooovvvvvvved this new book by marcia! It is a contemporary story involving a dark secret that haunts a brother and sister and the summer angel that helps them heal and saves them from their grief. This book won't disappoint in the kissing department and brought back good memories of fun games of "Baby if you love me smile," from my past.

Boston, is too kind and puts up with a controlling, negative, manipulative roommate in an attempt to help her make friends and find a better way to treat people. What is learned is that some people are "poisonous friends" ones that such the all out of the person you are along with your happiness. Boston discovers this when she meets her friend, Danielle's big brother, Vance and he has the talent of seeing through people and he does exactly that to Steph, Boston's poisonous roommate. He is currently rooming with his sister in wait for his house to be ready. He gives up his place at Danielle's in order to protect Boston even though he has known her for a short time. The two are attracted to the other, not only by the outward appearance, but the inner golden character. However, Boston is just starting to date someone she has had a crush on forever and finds that her heart and mind are in conflict especially after Vance calms her of her anxiety about a first kisses by tell her to "kiss in the dark," he even demonstrates. But before Boston can win Vance over he has to let go of his guilt of the brother/sister secret...the drunk driver accident that caused his sister, Annabelle, Danielle's twin to loose her life. This secret is also the reason that Danielle continually says that Boston saved her life the summer they met at the "North Pole." Danielle was beyond broken at the loss of her twin and decided to take some pills and end her misery...then she met Boston. Boston was the bubbly, instant friend who included Danielle and wanted her with the group pulling Danielle back from the dept of despair.

The three friends help each other to find a reason to live a better, more guilt free, happy life leaving the baggage behind and looking for the future.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I take back what I said in my last MLM book review. She is still able to write good story lines, she just doesn't sometimes. In this book, it was quite good! So after reading the author's notes at the end of the book where she talks about how criticism hurts, I actually felt a little guilty for my review of Untethered. I know the authors read the reviews written here on Goodreads sometimes because I've had some of them reply to my comments before. Hopefully they won't take it too personally - you can't please everyone.

I liked the characters and story line. They got to know each other and actually fell in love like people should, and the romance was fun and sweet and not lusty. It was great how they seemed to make each other be better people so they became better together. The guys in the story also were able to show their emotions and vulnerability without being wimpy. I think this is the first book where she's ever had more that one main male character! It was a good how two other couples came into the story also.

This one is actually a great read for teens, and has some good friendship advice too. I hope she keeps writing more stories like this one, so in this case - I hope this review gets read.

Wow, such a long review for such a short book! :)

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a sweet romance. The kissing was great, of course. :) There was a little too much over-explaining/describing of some parts of the story...and characters "giggled" and used "oh my heck!" way too much...I don't know why, but for me, those things were cheesy. :-/
I liked Vance...and the tootsie pop barrel gift was sweet (even though I didn't understand Boston's obsession w/the chocolate ones--ick! Always go for raspberry! Haha) And the pantry scene at Dempsey's was a favorite of mine. :)
So despite the cheesiness--for what it is...a simple, easy, romantic read, it was enjoyable!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun with great kissing

I love how there is a group of them that get together and play games. I did that in high school and college, and it was so much fun. There were a few games in the book we played
Poisonous friends! This took me a while to learn, and I now teach my kids about them. It's so important, and I love how this book brings it up.
"If it freaks you out so much, just kiss in the dark," I love this part. When you find out Vances secret, it will break your heart.
Great Book, lots of laughs and great kissing!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful "dessert book". It was sweet, fun, and romantic. It's nice to have an author that can be depended on to provide a dessert book when I'm in the mood for one. I just love Marcia Lynn McClure!

[Chelsea Raadgep · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much loved this book. I would be relly lucky to end up with a man such as Vance one day. Truly, the hero in this book. I would also love to kiss in the dark my first time, too. :)

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Goodness!! I love it! I fell in love with the characters just as I always do when I am reading on of Marcia's books.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Marcia! Love it!

[Stacey Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! Brought back lots of memories! Vance sure knows how to romance!! Great story!

[Dannee · Rating 5 out of 5]

OHMYGOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE

<3 Vance

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huckleberry Willis Clause? Loved it. This is a clean, sweet romance that totally made me smile. I love how the characters learn and grow. I look forward to seeing this become a full length novel.

[Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was definitely not my favorite it was still cute. Marcia will always be the Danny to my Sandy (Grease reference) in the reading world-I'm "hopelessly devoted"! :)

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading Marcia Lynn McClure books when I want something simple, short and sweet. Her books have characters you can root for and relate to. There's always something to learn, too. In this one Boston and Vance both have things to overcome that are not their fault but are things they can get past.
Mentions of verbal abuse, drunk driving and death. Sexual harassment, especially at work, is NOT addressed well and you should never ever allow it even if trying to get a promotion.

Still a fun read. Clean romance though humorous propositions are made (not the sexual harassment mentioned) and prostitution is also mentioned in passing. So not the best of Marcia's books but one I pick up now and then for the chocolate Tootsie Pop flavor.