Kissing Games of the World: A Novel [Paperback]

Sandi Kahn Shelton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 2009

“A classic romance. . . . It’s been done countless times, but rarely as engagingly as Shelton does it in this novel.” –Boston Globe

Jamie is a free-spirited artist and devoted single mom with a slightly unorthodox living situation: in exchange for free rent, she looks after the grandson of her much older landlord. But when Harris Goddard dies of a heart attack–naked and splayed out in Jamie’s bed–nobody believes that he and Jamie were just roommates.

With the rumor mill buzzing and two small children to care for, Jamie’s life is further upended when Harris’s handsome son, Nate, a charismatic jet-setting salesman, shows up unannounced at his childhood home to settle the estate and reclaim the five-year-old son he left behind.

As Jamie’s and Nate’s highly guarded worlds collide, can these two damaged souls manage to see the good in each other . . . and maybe more?


“Shelton’s warm, sentimental love story is told with a tenderness of heart and a nurturing eye.” –Romantic Times

“Quite wonderful. . . . Like Anne Tyler, Shelton seems to possess a nearly boundless capacity for empathy. She has the ability to make us love her characters for their faults, not in spite of them.” –Connecticut Post

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Journalist Shelton's poignant third novel (after What Comes After Crazy) elevates the oft-told stories of opposites attracting and sons struggling against their fathers. The residents of Chester, Conn., assumed that 60-something Harris Goddard was up to his old womanizing ways when single mother Jamie McClintock and her five-year-old son, Arley, moved in with him and his five-year-old grandson, Christopher. Though Harris and Jamie's affections are purely platonic, the rumor mill begins to churn when Harris dies and is discovered naked in Jamie's bed. Everyone is suspicious of her, including Nate Goddard, Christopher's father, who shows up to finally claim his son with plans to sell Harris's house and take his grieving son on the road with him. As Nate tries to put his plan into play, the surprising Goddard family backstory unwinds and Jamie, also wracked with pain, finds herself attracted to Nate and vice versa. An absolute treat, Shelton's work rarely falters and is filled with realistic twists, complex characters and a moving conclusion. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Kissing Games of the World has the shape of a classic romance, in which opposites at first repel, then attract, and after many ups and downs find love. It's been done countless times, but rarely as engagingly as Shelton does it in this novel.”
—The Boston Globe

“Quite wonderful. . . . Like Anne Tyler, Shelton seems to possess a nearly boundless capacity for empathy. She has the ability to make us love her characters for their faults, not in spite of them.”
—Connecticut Post

“Shelton’s third novel is an engrossing, charming, and often funny exploration of love and relationships that result…the author [explores] love in its different incarnations.”
—Library Journal, starred review

“An absolute treat, Shelton’s work rarely falters and is filled with realistic twists, complex characters and a moving conclusion.”
—Publisher Weekly

“[A]s the seemingly star-crossed lovers navigate their rocky path, with children in tow, they eventually discover their true destination, their true home.”
—Booklist

"Shelton's warm, sentimental love story is told with a tenderness of heart and a nurturing eye guiding complexly drawn characters. She effortlessly melds love and loss with heartrending care, exposing the layers of a budding romance with a deft hand. It's full of humor, flaws, and a togetherness of spirit fit for any modern love story where family is what you make it."
—Romantic Times

“Sexy hero, lovable heroine, adorable kids–Kissing Games of the World has it all. A complete delight. Fall into this buoyant, funny, genuinely touching story of two incomplete people finding the rest of themselves in each other. I loved it.”
—Patricia Gaffney, New York Times bestselling author of Mad Dash

“Shelton’s greatest talent is a gift for juxtaposing comedy and tragedy to the pulsing beat of the modern-day mating dance.”
—BookPage




From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (November 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307393666
• ISBN-13: 978-0307393661
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where I wrote my first book of fiction (a story about a king who was tired) when I was five years old and sold it to the neighbors so I could get money for ice cream. Since then, I've been a newspaper reporter, a columnist for Working Mother magazine, a free-lance writer, the author of three non-fiction humor books about parenting--and now, at last, as the author of two novels, I'm happy to be back to my fiction roots. Someday perhaps I'll do an update on the tired king. Meanwhile, I'm working on a new book, a love story, in between letting my golden retriever in and out of the house every couple of minutes or so.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!, November 10, 2008

By 

N. Antle "Avid Reader" (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kissing Games of the World: A Novel (Hardcover)

I'm a huge fan of Sandi Kahn Shelton's work but Kissing Games of the World is her best yet. I was hooked from the first sentence to the last -- couldn't put it down. I fell in love with the characters (even the obnoxious ones) and like the very best books of the world - I found myself wondering what those people were up to long after I had read the last page. Besides being an engaging story it is seamless and beautifully crafted. The dialogue rings true, the descriptions sing on the page and the plot moves along with perfect pacing. Can't wait for her next book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Hours I've Ever Spent on a Book Lately: LOVEDIT!!, June 17, 2010

By 

Clicia Tremblay - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kissing Games of the World: A Novel (Paperback)

I am an avid reader and have a mountain of books to be read all over my house. I can usually tell from the get go whether or not a book will pull me into the story. I was intrigued with "Kissing Games of the Universe" when I first spotted it at Target last year. I got it and put it off reading for a long time. I knew I was going to enjoy it, bt I needed the right time to start. I also got Sandi's other 2 books in case I liked "Kissing" and had a craving for her other books, I would have them around. I am odd that way. If I think I will like a book or a writer, I get as many books by him/her and keep them.
Well, yesterday was the right time for me to read "Kissing Games" and I am SOO glad I did. What a wonderful read!! I did not want it to end. I cried; I laughed; I cried again; I slowed down reading it so it would last longer. I just plain did not want it to end. If the book was 500 pages longer, I would have continued. Never mind that I was up most of the night.
I still hear the characters' voices in my head. I caught myself re-reading passages. I loved the characters- especially Nate and Jaimie bt the kids too and even the "annoying" characters appealed to me. I want a sequel, I need a sequel, I must have a sequel...no fair, as my 7-yr-old would say, that Sandi drops this wonderful literary gem into our hands bt does not continue...life is about to get even more complicated.
I like a book that would inspire me, grab me and keep me there with it. I don't necessarily care for syrupy love stories with little to no depth. I do appreciate complex characters and situations and this book offers me all that. I really have mixed feelings about those open-ended endings or too true-to-life endings. I mean, a book is a journey that I hope will take me places and take me home safely. So, I feel that this book did a wonderful job with the arc of the characters. It is an uplifting, complex study of flawed characters who come to find love, redemption, forgiveness and happiness...maybe not all in this order.
Thank you Sandi for a wonderful read!! I want more!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great novel from Sandi Shelton, December 22, 2008

By 

Book Hound - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kissing Games of the World: A Novel (Hardcover)

Sandi Shelton has written another magnificent and entertaining novel with characters that come to life so well I actually feel I am walking around with them. This novel is a little different from her first two in that we get a male as well as female perspective. This novel is full of dynamic characters, a fresh and compelling plot, and a lively dose of romance against a backdrop of human frailty. A great read! I can't wait for her next one!