We are beyond THRILLED to be participating in the blog tour for The Winner's Kiss, the final book in The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. We both LOVE this series SO MUCH and cannot sing it's praises enough. And Ashley is already reading The Winner's Kiss and can attest to the fact that it is AH-MAZING. So trust us, you want to read this series! Our review for The Winner's Curse can be found here and our review for The Winner's Crime can be found here.
Nicole's Winning Kiss
What book is your favorite literary kiss in?Winter by Marissa Meyer
Who is kissing?
Cress and Thorne
Why is it your favorite?
1. This is one of my favorite series and two of my favorite characters so their happiness means everything to me.
2. Because I have been waiting SO LONG for this kiss to happen. YEARS dammit!
3. Because it was SO HOT. *fans thyself* I mean, see for yourself...
"'All right,' he said, finally. 'I don't want to talk about it, either.'BONUS: What kiss do you hope will occur in Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Kiss?
She started to not, but was surprised when Thorne pushed away from the door. Cress blinked and stumbled back, started by the sudden movement. Three, four steps. The back of her thighs hit one of the desks.
'What -?'
In one movement, Thorne lifted her onto the desk and pressed her back against an enourmous potted fern and - oh.
Cress had built a thousand fantasies around their rooftop kiss, but this kiss was something new.
Where before, the kiss had been gentle and protective, now there was something passionate. Determined. Cress's body dissolved into nothing but sensation. His hands burned her waist through the skirt's thin fabric. Her knees pressed against his hips, and he pulled her closer, closer, like he couldn't get her close enough. A whimper escaped her mouth, only to be swallowed by his. She heard a moan, but it could have come from either of them.
And where, on the rooftop, the kiss had been cut too short by the battle raging on around them, this kiss went on, and on, and on..."
Well Kestrel and Arin obviously! I'm desperately waiting for that "Let's stop being stupid and just be together already" kiss. It has to happen.
Ashley's Winning Kiss
What book is your favorite literary kiss in?Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi (Under The Never Sky Novella)
Who is kissing?
Roar and Liv
Why is it your favorite?
Under the Never Sky is one of my favorite series with Roar being one of my favorite secondary character so for him to get a moment full of love makes it one of my favorites. Roar also kisses Liv on her forehead a gesture that I find to be full of love, care, and romance.
"'She wraps her arms around me and kisses me. It's a long kiss, and more than a little desperate. We're both still scared, but my hands grow sure on her body. It's not long before we're both breathing fast again.
'Liv,' I say. 'I wanted you to be able to choose on your own. I didn't want to force you. I haven't asked because I never want to put pressure on you--' 'Shh...' she says. 'I know, Roar.' I rest my forehead against hers. 'I thought I was going to lose you,' Her breath when she whispers, 'I love you, Roar. I always will.'
We find a place to burrow together in the shelter of a pine tree, hidden beneath branches that look timeless. Our nerves are still with us, but there's something more now. A pull that's always been between us. That's only gotten stronger with every day that I've known her. I hold her and tell her about all the days we're leaving behind us, calling up stories, all the memories that are our, until her laughter fades to the quiet rhythm of her breath as she sleep.
Then I kiss the top of her head, feeling steady. Feeling full. That past is behind us now. Tomorrow, we start our future."
BONUS: What kiss do you hope will occur in Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Kiss?
I am going with Nicole on this one. I magical kiss between Arin and Kestrel!
Tour Schedule
About the Book
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #3
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Summary:
War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.
At least, that’s what he thinks.
In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.
But no one gets what they want just by wishing.
As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?
At least, that’s what he thinks.
In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.
But no one gets what they want just by wishing.
As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?
About the Author
Marie Rutkoski is the author of The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders and The Celestial Globe. The Cabinet of Wonders, her debut novel, was named an Indie Next Kids’ List Great Read and a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, among other honors. Rutkoski grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She attended the University of Iowa, where she took Writers’ Workshop classes and studied with Pulitzer Prize-winner James Alan McPherson. After graduating, she lived in Moscow and Prague. Upon receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard University, she held dual appointments as a lecturer there in both English and American Literature and Language, and History and Literature. Rutkoski is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children’s literature and creative writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and cat.
And We Send a Kiss To... Hannah C
