Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

Book Summary and Reviews of Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton

Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton

Kissing Games of the World

by Sandi Kahn Shelton

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • Published:
  • Nov 2008, 400 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About this book

Book Summary

What if the one person you can’t bear to be with is also the one person you can’t bear to be without?

Jamie McClintock is a free-spirited artist and single mother who has at last found peace and freedom sharing a farmhouse with an elderly man and his young grandson. But when the old man dies, her idyllic country life comes to a halt, as the old man’s estranged son, Nate, returns to claim the house and his child.

Jamie can’t stand Nate’s slick, arrogant, salesman-like approach to parenthood, and Nate is irritated by her laid-back, earth mother view of life, not to mention her fondness for artsy knitted vests. This is definitely not love at first sight. But as they try to work out the logistics of raising their two little boys—reluctantly enduring everything from games of hide-and-seek with Daddy’s BlackBerry to breakfasts of headless teddy bear pancakes - their lives become hopelessly intertwined. It’s not until they’ve gone their separate ways that they both realize that sometimes love sneaks through the door you were sure you’d slammed long ago, and that rescue from the past can come from the unlikeliest places.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

"An absolute treat, Shelton's work rarely falters and is filled with realistic twists, complex characters and a moving conclusion." - Publishers Weekly.

"Starred Review. Shelton's third novel is an engrossing, charming, and often funny exploration of love and the relationships that result." - Library Journal.

"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.

This information about Kissing Games of the World was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Debb

Kissing Games of the World
This was the first of Sandi Kahn Shelton's books I have read, but it is certainly not the last! Jamie's relationship with her son, Arley and the other characters in this book were heartwarming and so very real. I laughed out loud many times and shed a few tears. Some twists and turns that you won't expect, right up until the end, I was up late more than once with this book in my hand! I loved it! I am going straight to Amazon.com to get more of Sandi Kahn Shelton's books!

Jinny

Kissing Games
I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book. The characters are well-drawn and stay true to themselves throughout. The story is engaging and it's twists and turns were entertaining, although the ending was somewhat predictable.

Most enjoyable and authentic, I thought, were the portrayals of the young boys and their own delightful dialogues and adventures.

I missed these people when the book was over and wanted to follow them through further adventures.

Marta

The Simple Life
Of course no life is simple but the main character of Jamie, who is the mother to Arley, is one that she craves. She is living in a small town in Connecticut in an old farmhouse. She is housemates with an older man, Harris, who is raising his grandson Christopher. Suddenly Harris dies and life gets very complicated. Nate, Christopher's dad comes back to take control of his son and the life he never wanted, but did he? I really enjoyed this story of love. It raises truths about how people change. The characters were believable and very likable. The two little boys were especially charming and added much to the agonizing of the adults. This was a great end of summer read, though it will not solve the problems of the world, it made me happy and that is something that is very important to all of us.

Kathy

Kissing Games of the World
Some books take a while to reel you in but I was hooked by this one from the very beginning. I loved it and didn't want it to end. The characters showed that even though we're all flawed beings in some way that we can change and learn to trust and love. I'm still working on the casting for the movie!

Patricia

Kissing Games of the World
Kissing Games was a great read!!! The story and the characters were all very compelling!!! I look forward to reading more of Shelton's work.

Julie

Heartwarming Read
What a great story! This novel was so endearing, from beginning to end. All of the characters were believable, the plot was realistic and kept my interest throughout, and the writing was superb. The story flowed smoothly and without any dry spells....quite remarkable!

I was very impressed with this writer's skill and heart, and I can't wait to read more by this gifted author. If you want a book that will touch your soul, this one will fit the bill! Not a syrupy romance, but a wonderful story about how two people discovered what really matters in life, how they came to terms with love and loss, and happened to find each other in the process.

...11 more reader reviews

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Information

The author of two previous books, Sandi Kahn Shelton is a feature writer for the New Haven Register and a frequent contributor to Woman's Day, Family Circle, Redbook, and Ladies' Home Journal. She lives in Guilford, Connecticut. Visit Sandi Shelton's website and blog.

More Author Information

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Recommendations

Readers Also Browsed . . .

more literary fiction...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...
  • Book Jacket
    The Rest of You
    by Maame Blue
    At the start of Maame Blue's The Rest of You, Whitney Appiah, a Ghanaian Londoner, is ringing in her...
  • Book Jacket: The Book of George
    The Book of George
    by Kate Greathead
    The premise of The Book of George, the witty, highly entertaining new novel from Kate Greathead, is ...
  • Book Jacket: The Sequel
    The Sequel
    by Jean Hanff Korelitz
    In Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Sequel, Anna Williams-Bonner, the wife of recently deceased author ...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

We should have a great fewer disputes in the world if words were taken for what they are

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

X M T S

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.