Every story starts, at least for me, with music. Songs inspire themes, a scene, a character’s journey… that first breathtaking kiss. I can never begin to craft a book without first knowing its soundtrack. These five songs (among many) helped to shape the swoony – and sexy – second chance, slow burn romance between Jordan and Jamie in LAST FIRST KISS:
“Fallingforyou” by The 1975
One of my favorite parts of a second chance romance is getting a glimpse at who the characters were to each other before the start of a novel. With Jordan and Jamie, it’s a flashback scene where Jamie gives Jordan his first kiss. As practice, of course! This changes everything for Jordan. He slowly starts to realize he’s not straight and Jamie is more than just a friend. These lyrics really hit home at what Jordan feels:
I don’t wanna be your friend/I wanna kiss your neck
“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
This is the song Jordan and Jamie slow dance to in a greenhouse – which is captured so iconically on the cover. It’s also the moment that reignites the spark they’ve been avoiding since Jamie broke Jordan’s heart. I love it because it’s clear that, as hard as Jordan is trying, he can’t take his eyes off Jamie or deny what he still feels for him. Also, that Jamie is down bad for Jordan.
“where do we go from here” by Nightly
When Jamie comes back into his life, Jordan tries to keep a distance. He’s the wedding planner; Jamie is the man of honor. He’s best friends with Jordan’s cousin. He’s the first kiss Jordan never forgot. Jordan has a lot of questions for himself – like why Jamie is the only man he’s felt this way for – but he has some for Jamie too. This song nails where they’re at as they banter and flirt their way back into each other’s hearts:
I find it hard not to start running through scenarios/Of how to get you back in my arms
“Dulce Amor” by David Archuleta
There’s plenty of unresolved sexual tension between Jordan and Jamie. They’ve always been one step away from something more happening before one of them pulls away. It’s my favorite part of a slow burn – the “just kiss already” moment! And when these two finally give into their desires? Well, these lyrics sum up their passion best:
Your hands in my hair/Barely make it upstairs/If we don’t leave this bed all year/I wouldn’t care
“tv shows” by Nightly
Another Nightly song? Yes! This one ties so well into the start of Jordan and Jamie’s romance – kissing in the dark in front of a TV – to what you feel at the end: wanting so badly to be next to the person you love, even if it means you’re doing nothing but watching old TV shows. Great romcoms always leave me with that feeling – that we deserve to have the kind of love story where all we want is the mundane things in life with a partner.
Bonus Track: “Down Bad” by Taylor Swift
Nothing does yearning like this song. That’s all Jordan and Jamie are – two men desperately pining for each other, unwilling to do anything else until they get what they want. I couldn’t leave it off!
LAST FIRST KISS by Julian Winters
Sparks fly in this second chance m/m rom com when an unlucky-in-love event planner realizes the man-of-honor at the high profile wedding he’s planning is the same man who broke his heart.
They say you never forget your first kiss. But Jordan Carter wishes he could forget the one he shared with Jamie Peters as teens. And the one they almost shared again last year before Jamie made it clear he wasn’t the “right” man for Jordan to be with while he’s figuring himself out.
Now, Jordan’s fully focused on his career at 24 Carter Gold, his family’s event planning company, and ready to move on – until his boss assigns him to plan a new client’s high-profile wedding. The bride’s man-of-honor? None other than Jamie.
As things ramp up the closer they get to the wedding, so does Jordan’s relationship with Jamie, with sarcastic asides turning into steamy hook-ups. But can Jordan afford to pursue Jamie if he’s still unsure who he is? Or is knowing who he loves enough? Venue shopping, cake-tastings, and dress fittings with the man he can’t forget just might change the man Jordan Carter is meant to become.
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters is a second chance romance about finding yourself–and the love of your life.
Multicultural African-American | Romance Comedy | Romance LGBTQ [ St. Martin’s Griffin, On Sale: January 27, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250326263 / eISBN: 9781250326270 ]
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About Julian Winters
Julian Winters is a bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary young adult fiction. His novels Running with Lions, How to Be Remy Cameron, and The Summer of Everything (Duet, 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively) received accolades for their positive depictions of diverse, relatable characters. A former management trainer, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta, where he can be found reading, being a self-proclaimed comic book geek, or watching the only two sports he can follow–volleyball and soccer.
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