1. Sleeping Beauty - by Judith Ivory
James leaned his forehead into the window pane. "Coco," he said, "let me in."
Listen, there were one million scenes I could have picked from this one but, the HE BROKE THE DAMN DOOR DOWN TO GET TO HER will always be The Scene for me. HIS TORMENT. That maddening love feeling (foundationally on that brick of James earlier stopping when Coco clearly said stop and her acknowledging it).
James is torn inside out and going a little mad with his feelings and Coco pushing him, because of her emotional vulnerability fear, and when he broke down the door to get to her, I loved how it then switched to the rope fraying nervous laughter from Coco. I mean, I can't even articulate how real this felt, the heat and connection between these two. It goes back to understanding connection between two people and this author is one of the best at it.
2. Pack Challenge - by Shelly Laurenston
“Whatever. But he’s one of several. Like the guy’s at the club that first night I was here. He’s Pride.”
“You mean proud.”
There was that sigh again. “I mean he’s Pride.” That stated through gritted teeth.
“Pride? Lions have prides.”
“Yup.”
Sara spun around. “There are lions too?”
Patient Zach made an entrance. “Yes. And tigers. And mountain lions. There’s an array of shifters.”
“Bunnies?” Sara watched him swallow.
“No bunnies.” That through clenched teeth. “Think predators. Our ancestors became one with the predators. Bunnies are low on the food chain.”
“Sharks?”
“What?!”
“Don’t get huffy. They’re the ultimate killing machine.”
“I can’t have this conversation.” He leaned against the bathroom wall.
I loved how this scene leaned into the wildness of a werewolf shapeshifter! story. It's having fun in a not taking itself too seriously and delivering a more realistic response from a female main character just learning about the existence of supernatural beings. Zany can be taken seriously and still have fun with it. But also, justice for shark shapeshifters, they have to be out there too!
3. Morning Glory - by LaVyrle Spencer
Elly is traveling to meet Will before he ships off to fight in the Pacific and she has to bring the baby along. From the chaotic rush to make her train and then get to Will for their brief time together to the slowed down tension in that hotel room, ooof. I loved how the author described their attraction, from how Will was sitting in the chair and Elly eyeing him up, you feel their heat and want for each other.
Honorable Mention
She smiled into the bluebird's painted eye, her own shining with delight. "A bluebird...imagine that." She pressed it to her heart and beamed at Will. "How did you know I like birds?"
He knew. He knew.
Screaming, crying, throwing up at the He knew. He knew.
4. You Should Be So Lucky - by Cat Sebastian
Eddie spends the morning telling her about Lula, about Mark helping the rookie buy suits, about the dumbest shit that could not possibly interest anyone but a mother, and she doesn’t falter, not once.
It's Eddie coming out to his mother without explicit stating and it was the she doesn’t falter, not once. that will have your eyes watering. I felt it hit hard in it's depth without beating it down.
5. The Ministry of Time - by Kaliane Bradley
When I was twelve years old, I’d sat at the dining table with my mother, peeling the skins off garlic for her. She was telling me about one of her sisters, who had been beautiful and married rich. They’d killed her, of course – the cadres who sacked Phnom Penh – and she mused out loud, ‘I wonder if they raped her before they shot her?’ Yes, thought twelve-year-old me seriously, I wonder if they did? And I would always be a twelve-year-old who had wondered that about her aunt at the dining table. An underrated symptom of inherited trauma is how socially awkward it is to live with.
Just a hit you hard OOOF scene about inherited trauma, a conversation we need to be having more.
6. The Story Collector - Evie Woods
The first meeting between the two main characters where she's picking flowers in a field and he's the tall conservation officer who reprimands her for picking the flowers, he has his own grief tied into he wants her to stop, will have a little zing hit you, as you feel the promised magic between them (especially when his little yappy dog clues Sarah into what a softie he is).
7. A Sorceress Comes to Call - by T. Kingfisher
***This is a decent spoiler scene, so, beware and skip if you hate spoilers***
Story is about a young girl who is controlled, literally, by her witch, literally!, mother. Who she sees as her bestfriend and confides to, is her horse Falada. Falada has been her rock and the only one that seems to give Cordelia strength and when the scene hits that she learns Falada has betrayed her and works for her mother, she lost all that and feels more alone than ever. I hurt so bad for her and felt the numbness this gave her. (I must have some residual horse girl leftover from childhood because I refused to stop thinking that Falada wasn't on the side I wanted them to be for an embarrassing long time)
8. The Dead Romantics - by Ashley Poston
There was a shimmer in the hall behind her, an older man in an orange sweater and brown trousers, the hair that was left on the sides of his head combed back. He mouthed, “Thank you,” his eyes glistening with tears.
Sometimes, a spirit’s final business wasn’t talking to someone, or exposing their murderer, or seeing their own dead body—sometimes it was simply a waiting game.
Our female lead can see ghosts and communicate with them. When she goes back home for her father's funeral, she also takes on some of the tasks he used to do. This was a really little quick scene where the lead is delivering flowers that a ghost husband still sends his alive wife and it made me tear up at how enduring love can/could be.
9. The Hostage - by Susan Wiggs
The pan on the stove caught fire at the precise instant that Tom Silver came into the house. He looked tired, his face and hands chapped by the wind, but he moved swiftly toward the blaze. Deborah was quicker, dumping some of the hot water from the potatoes onto the fire even as Tom shouted, “Don’t do that!” In a split second, she understood why. Some alchemy between water and burning fat made the flames flare even higher, licking black tongues of soot onto the ceiling. Swearing, Tom grabbed the frying pan and rushed outside with it. She heard more cursing, then silence.
He returned, holding the pan with the charred fish in it. “I take it supper’s ready,” he said.
I'm a goofball for scenes like this, fish out of water trying because they like the person they're trying to impress/show value to. His exasperation turned into dry wit instead of anger, these are the moments that make a couple.
10. Courting Catherine - by Nora Roberts
“It’s warped.” She swallowed, hoping to smother the squeak in her voice. “Everything around here is warped or broken or about to disintegrate. I don’t know why you’d even consider buying it.”
Her face was pale as water, Trent noted, making her eyes that much deeper. The panicked distress in them seemed more than a warped tower door warranted. “Doors can be repaired or replaced.”
Gawd, I love scenes like this! It's a layered under the surface talking, she's feeling for him but scared she's not good enough, so she's using the house in place of herself, and he's all I got you. Sucker for such scenes, I tell you.
Winner:
I'm sorry, but, HE BROKE DOWN THE DAMN DOOR TO GET TO HER! It's hot because of the layers and emotional depth that has been built up in and between these characters up to this point. Just, inject these kind of scenes into my veins.
What's a favorite scene that's still sticking with you from 2023?
Next time, Favorite Quote...
