Customer Reviews

Kiss

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Ted Dekker knows how to spin a tale that makes the improbable seem possible. Whether it is a child who can heal multitudes as in "Blessed Child" or a woman who can steal memories from others through physical touch and emotional vulnerability as in "Kiss", Dekker's stories make the surreal come alive. In "Kiss" Dekker joins with author Erin Healy in creating a story that keeps the reader on edge and looking over his or her shoulder, never knowing who can be trusted. Although the story is billed by some as a romance, that isn't the central theme of the book. Heart-warming relational connections do find their way into the story, but the real thrill is in the suspense of a good mystery and in the psychological phenomena woven tightly in the plot.

Dekker's writing has drawn me in like few authors can. I hesitated to pick up the books because I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi or Fantasy fiction. But now I see that his writing is neither. There are no aliens or fantasy creatures. Instead, his style introduces supernatural events in everyday situations. Healy adds enough of the feminine touch to this story that both male and female readers will enjoy this gripping account of emotional healing and reconciliation. I give "Kiss" five big smackeroos.

'Kiss'is a novel of suspense and action from the beginning to the end that will captivate you and bring out the detective in you. The mysterious plot of family, political and medical drama ties beautifully onto an interesting story of a women who loses her memory after an 'accident' and discovers her own powers by tapping into others memory bank to unfold the mystery. What a fascinating concept woven by the authors. The book is a perfect plot for an action movie. A good read during a long flight!

Enjoyed it thoroughly and and could not put it down until finished.

I've enjoyed Dekker's past works immensely. I looked forward to reading this story and truthfully, the action/pace didn't disappoint.
However, the character arc seemed a bit contrived. Shauna feels bad for stealing memories and finally ruins a man's past and realizes that she went too far. This doesn't seem like a strong enough change to me. Anyone would feel that way, I think. Also, I wanted to get to know her deeply and although I enjoyed the references to her mother, I didn't feel that Shauna's characterization was as strong as it could have been. She didn't feel like a rounded, real person to me.
Finally, I miss the deep spirituality of Dekker's earlier books.
This is Healy's first book, and despite the things I feel it lacked, both she and Dekker did deliver on creating a page-turning read.
I just wish the end could have left me more fulfilled.

After a brief set up chapter, the story's heroine, Shauna McAllister, is involved in a car accident that leaves her in a coma for months. Why is this relevant? Because Shauna's father is one of the leading Presidential candidates and, prior to her accident, Shauna came upon information which, if true, would destroy everything her father has worked to create and derail his campaign.

However, after coming out of her coma Shauna finds herself suffering from amnesia; she doesn't remember any of the potentially damaging information she was planning to confront her father with. Yet, during the course of trying to reconstruct her memories she has to deal with various shady characters who think she knows / remembers more than she does and who have a decided interest in her never regaining those memories. From the boyfriend she doesn't remember, to the doctors who treated her with experimental drugs during her coma, to the uncle who seems to be a bit more than just her father's business partner and advisor, Shauna's every move is shadowed and she doesn't know who to trust.

The "catch" of the story is that, as a result of her accident, Shauna discovers that she has acquired the ability to read and steal people's memories. She first discovers this while kissing her alleged boyfriend (hence the book's title), but later comes to learn she has to do little more than touch someone to utilize her new talent. Unfortunately this potentially interesting plot device is never fully utilized. The story twists and turns around on itself in an attempt to seem complicated, but really just spins its wheels with a main character who, even having a recent coma as an "excuse", engages in far too many questionable - if not downright ill advised - activities.

I had heard such great things about Ted Dekker, but I was tremendously disappointed with this offering. Maybe co-author Healy had more influence on the overall tone of the book than he did and I should give one of his solo efforts another try, but this was not what I had expected.

had never read anything by either of thsee authors before and so I really had no idea what to expect. Overall it was a decent book. Sort of like sushi: good and hard to put down, but you don't really remember eating it when you're done and are still hungry for something more.

CAUTION CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!




Kiss is about a young woman, Shauna, who is the daughter of a man running for President of the United States. At the very beginning of the book Shauna is talking to her brother and phsychiatrist about confronting her father. We don't know what she is confronting him with, but it sounds serious. Next the reader knows, Shauna is in a coma, her brother is a parapalygic and all hell has broken loose. Shauna doesn't remember the car accident, or the six months previous. Gradually she begins to uncover part of her story and realizes that she had blown the cover off of an accounting scandal that financed her father's campaign. Her father knew nothing of it, but his business partners were behind her accident and drugged her afterward to try to erase her memory. The drugs however, had an odd side effect: Shauna can now steal other people's memories. Shauna uses this new power to recreate her accident and confronts her father, who for the first time in her life, stands by her side.

I surprisingly liked this book. It was a really quick read, very hard to put down. Within the first fifty pages I thought I had everything figuered out. It seemed like it was going to be really predictable, but it wasn't at all, which was a nice surprise. The characters were a little flat, and at times the paranormal got difficult to swallow, but overall it was a decent read. I'm not usually one to pick up a paranormal thriller, but I would definitely try another one after reading this. It was interesting and easy enough that I really didn't have to think too much about it. Overall, it was worth reading and I would recommend it to others.

Kiss is one of those books that pulled me in right away, and kept me hanging on the whole way through. Full of suspense, Kiss presented interesting characters caught up in a mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I'm not a reader of romance books, so I was a little leery (I mean, with a name like "Kiss," you have to wonder). But while there was some romance, it wasn't overdone, and it didn't overshadow the thrills -- that's definitely a good thing.

I've long enjoyed Ted Dekker's books and his collaboration with Erin Healy on this book was definitely a success. There were Ted's signature thrills and chills, and a touch of paranormal (though not so much as to be "way out there"), but it was well-written from a female perspective.

Looking for a book that'll keep you up too late turning pages? One where you keep saying, "Just one more chapter" but can't seem to stop? Pick up Kiss!

My daughter is a huge fan of Ted Dekker, so when this book became available to me, although I was skeptical, I went on her recommendation that it "must" be good.
I sat down to read it, knowing I only had an hour or so of free time...and suddenly realized the day had passed and I was halfway through! The book drew me in and took me on a ride that I did not expect. I had no previous knowledge of the book (other than the author), and no idea what it was about.
It's a fast moving, easy reading story about a daughter of a politician...some very shady business deals...a terrible car accident...lies, tricks, shadows and mirrors...her unexpected ESP gift (or is it a curse?), and her journey to find the truth. I don't want to give away too much about the book (and certainly not the ending), but I must say that this was a great choice and I owe my daughter kudos for the tip! (My daughter is 19, and has been a Dekker fan for many years.)
While the book has a Christian slant, it is not shoved down your throat, nor is it some sort of propaganda piece.
This is a great choice for teens and adults alike.
If you've never read Ted Dekker, this will hook you...if you have, you're already hooked...
Enjoy!

I was prepared for this to be a suspenseful mystery, and Dekker and Healy did not disappoint. I was not expecting the subtle supernatural twist, which I found both interesting and well-played. As I explained to my husband, "There are some elements of the unknown going on here, but they don't overshadow the story and they don't take it to any strange, exaggerated places." Not for me, anyway. The plot remains planted in the very real world.

As far as the believability of that "real world," I have to admit that I didn't spend a lot of time evaluating the hows and oh really?s of every detail. For instance, the main character's father is a presidential candidate just weeks away from the election. Having just gone through that process in this country, it could be easy to dissect the plausibility of certain situations surrounding her father's activities and whereabouts. I decided instead to just get out of the way and let Dekker and Healy tell their story, and I found it compelling and entertaining.

I also really appreciated the pace at which Dekker and Healy chose to reveal the different truths behind the mystery. I found it relatively easy to predict the "bad guys" versus the "good guys" and the underlying motives for their actions, but it seemed that just as I made my predictions, Dekker and Healy would confirm them. They could have strung out certain aspects of the suspense for much longer, making for a frustrating read. Instead, things unfold just as they should and the story moves along.

I also liked the understated spiritual tones of the story and of Shauna's experience. I understand, even as a newcomer to Dekker, that he is lauded as a "master of evangelical Christian suspense," but I didn't feel hit over the head with the Christian themes. Instead, they are woven into the characters' lives and stories, and it feels more seemless than blatant.

Kiss was a good, suspenseful read, kept very clean and easily recommended to everyone.

One of Dekker's better works in a while is Kiss. I have read many of Dekker's books, but by far Kiss is my favorite. I found myself lost in this book I could not come to a stopping point because of the faith that is shown by the girl in the book (faith we all need to have more of), the mystery that we all have in our lives (there are twist and turns at every point), and the book shows us that things we have lost in our past have a way of coming back to us.
My faith in Christ in times is weak, but this book showed me that no matter where we are in life that Christ is right there with us in the darkness and in the light. The girls faith had grown from start to finish and never stopped. There were times when she knew nothing around her, but yet she had the faith that she would be brought out of whatever she was in.
The girl wakes up in a hospital bed knowing nothing around her she only knew what people were telling her. This what I like most about the book because of how it reveals all the mysteries that happened and were happing. It makes you think what parts of our own lives are we missing the dots to connect to each other.
Past events in our lives makes us who we are today, and even though there are some parts we would like to change we cant. All we can do is see it try to remember what happened and move on with our life. Our past is our past, but sometimes we need to go back and see what we have left, loved, and learned.
I believe that Kiss is a good book for any one looking to strengthen their faith or move on with their past. Kiss is amazing and one of Dekker's best, I believe. So read it because of the faith that is shown, the mystery that is hidden, and to learn that the things we lose in our past have a way of coming back to us.

Ted Dekker has established a solid reputation for exploring the supernatural world with a some good old fashioned Christian spirituality as he takes the reader on a fast paced thrilling journey. Ted's collaboration with Erin Healy, his editor, is a clever collaboration, providing a softer edge especially when the focal point of the novel surrounds a lady, Shauna McAllister.

This is a very good debut between the two - it perhaps took a little too long to really get cracking, however, once halfway through the book it picked up quickly making it hard to put down.

Unlike a lot of Ted's books there was a degree of predictability about this one, but an effort that is worthy of being read by Ted's large fan base. Looking forward to novel No2 in 2010. Good job, Erin and Ted.