she didn't do relationships. he didn't do love. at least, that was the plan ...
an opposites-attract love story
a stiletto novel
after the kiss
“This delightfully funny little gem kept me reading with its entertaining antics, light drama and sweet conclusion.”
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Ugh, I'm so sorry to have to tell you that this book was published by a digital-only imprint of Random House, and is not available in paperback.
international editions
I do my best to keep up-to-date on my international publishers, but please search Lauren Layne on your local Amazon, iBooks, etc to see what's available in your country!
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French Edition - Serial Loveuse
Spanish Edition - Despues del Beso *
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* sorry, I don't have a direct link for this one!
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Buy the Book
Lauren Layne's Stiletto series, and its spinoff Oxford series can be read in any order. But if you're the type that loves things to be read "in order," we've got you covered!
Stiletto & Oxford
reading order
book five
book six
book seven
book eight
book nine
book one
book two
book three
book four
Julie & Mitchell
Grace & Jake
Riley & Sam
Emma & Cassidy
Cole & Penelope
Jackson & Mollie
Lincoln & Daisy
Nick & Taylor
Hunter & Brit
book summary
Lauren Layne kicks off her Sex, Love & Stiletto series with a delightful short novel! In After the Kiss, the star columnist of Stiletto magazine will do anything for a story. Anything . . . except fall in love.
Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.
Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.
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praise for
kind words
After the Kiss
“Packed with loads of sizzle and Snickerlicious fun, Lauren Layne’s After the Kiss is a knock-your-stilettos-off, total page-turning treat that had me fan-girling up within the first chapter. I absolutely loved this read!”—USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly
“Funny, intelligent, and touching, Lauren Layne’s After the Kiss is a delightful debut.”—Ruthie Knox, USA Today bestselling author of Flirting with Disaster
“I loved After the Kiss! It was funny and exciting all the way through.”—Fresh Fiction
“If you’re looking for a light, fun, sexy contemporary romance I’d definitely recommend this one. It’s the most fun book I’ve read in quite a while.”—Smexy Books
“This delightfully funny little gem . . . kept me reading with its entertaining antics, light drama and sweet conclusion.”—Craves the Angst
“It’s a delightful story that will have the reader rooting for the happily ever after, and one I highly recommend.”—Janna Shay
“I thought this book was great! It was an interesting story line and had great and believable characters.”—Libby’s Fun Books
“I love this story so much that every reader should read it! It’s a must read!”—Abigail Books Addiction
“A great read.”—The Season for Romance
“I loved After the Kiss. It was an adorable, sexy sweet story.”—Love to Read for Fun
try-before-you-buy
After the Kiss
excerpt
She recovered quickly. “Well, that’s because I wasn’t trying to make you fall in love with me. If I was, you’d have for sure gone in for a kiss by now,” she said with a wave. “I thought I’d go slow with you. You’re so . . . stodgy.”
Mitchell’s cocky grin slipped. Stodgy? He wasn’t stodgy. Was he? Surely she was just getting back at him for his rejection last night. Then again, she did strike him as a woman who knew exactly what she was doing.
Was he being played more adeptly than he realized?
He cleared his throat. “So you’re telling me the only reason I’m not falling wildly in love with you right now is because you don’t want me to?”
“Exactly,” she said. “If I wanted you to fall in love with me, I would’ve never let you see me without makeup this early in the game. Seeing a woman without her armor should be a gift saved until at least the seventh date. And I wouldn’t have shown you my lack of cooking skills. If I thought you’d dig the domestic thing, I would have ordered in and then transferred it all into my own cookware. And I most certainly wouldn’t have let you see me in the ratty shorts that I save for PMS and cleaning days.”
Mitchell couldn’t decide whether to laugh or strangle the outrageous ego out of her.
So he did the only other he could think of that would catch her off guard.
He kissed her.
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frequently-asked-questions
After the Kiss
is this book available in paperback?
Sorry, no! I wish! This book is published via Loveswept, a digital-only imprint of Random House. I've asked that they consider making a print version available per reader demand. They've said no.
Is it based on How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days?
Sigh. No. I get this question a lot, and I understand, as I do see the similarities in hindsight! This book was actually inspired by Sex and the City! But since I didn't want to copy that book, I made Julie a magazine journalist, instead of a newspaper columnist (to avoid being too much like Carrie). I had her write about relationships instead of just sex (again, instead of being too much like Carrie). And then, because I didn't want their first meeting to be totally random, like Carrie and Big, I thought, "Well what's the opposite of random ... what if I put them together because of work (her) and an annoying friend getting involved (him)." Long story short, in my effort to avoid copying one story, I inadvertently arrived at the plot of another. A little ironic, because How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is not one of my favorite romantic comedies ;-) I just wanted that ending to be a little more emotional/romantic! Oh well.
Is this part of a series?
Yes, it's book one in the Stiletto/Oxford series, but you can absolutely read that whole series in any order you want. None of my books have cliff-hanger endings!
