From Book to Screen: 6 Love Scenes That Sizzle
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Have you ever read a good love story and rushed off to see the film version . . . and found it sorely lacking? Sometimes all those heart-pounding moments and breathless first kisses get lost in translation from book to screen. Here is a list of six books in which the pivotal love scene hits the mark.
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Divergent
That first kiss between Four and Tris is sweet in the book, but the scene between Theo James and Shailene Woodley on the big screen is truly spine-tingling. Could it be the tattoo?
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The Notebook
Somehow the film version manages to be even sexier than the novel. Call it the Ryan Gosling Effect. His kiss with Rachel McAdams after his return from war sets a whole new standard for kiss-in-the-rain scenes in movies.
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The sexual tension between Mikael and Lisbeth (played by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara) is off the charts in this movie, even more so than in the original book by Stieg Larsson.
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Twilight
Speaking of sexual tension . . . author Stephenie Meyer manages to drag it out for four long books. The taboo vampire-human love affair between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart comes across vividly on screen, and Edward and Bella’s first kiss is hot hot hot.
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Cold Mountain
It’s easy to see why the movie version of Charles Frazier’s bestselling book was nominated for seven Oscars. The goodbye kiss between Inman and Ada (Jude Law and Nicole Kidman) is tentative at first, but heats up quickly, only to end when Inman gets called off to war. When these two finally reunite after an arduous journey, their long-awaited night together is both passionate and poignant.
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Outlander
Many fans of Diana Gabaldon’s wildly popular series worried the film version wouldn’t do justice to Claire and Jamie’s romance. But the film version, featuring Caitriona Balfe and Scottish heartthrob Sam Heughan, is every bit as enthralling as the book.
Claire and Jamie’s wedding night tops my list of favorite love scenes that made it from book to screen with plenty of sizzle. What’s on your list?
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Griffin started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense. Shadow Fall, the newest novel in her bestselling Tracers series, is out this month from Pocket Books. Read her previous book, Beyond Limits, for free now at XOXO After Dark. Read more about Beyond Limits here.