Rosemary Johnson-Kurek has noted that:
The punishing kiss is generally unique to the hero; however, at least one Temptation heroine indulges in the practice. Driven by a furious jealousy, Nikki grabs a handful of Carter's hair and plunges her tongue into his mouth when he gasps at her action. "Reveling in her power she changed the tenor of their kiss, caressing rather than branding. Rewarding instead of punishing" (MacAllister 119).
The nature of the punishing kiss is a phenomenon definitely open to feminist criticism. It is the intent that is important. Some punishing kisses are passionate, lip-bruising consummations: "He took her lips in a powerful, punishing kiss, pushed beyond gentleness by two days of more frustration than a man should ever have to endure" (Schuler, Passion 172). Joshua's kiss, however, [in Summer Surrender by Abra Taylor] "started in anger, a seal to stop the provocation of her words" (79). The former is physically punishing in that it is a bruising kiss; the latter is a kiss meant to punish the heroine by intimidating her. (134)
If the "punishing kiss" is less common nowadays (and I have the impression that it is), perhaps that's because, as the heroine of Nora Roberts' Cordina's Crown Jewel (2002) acknowledges after having given one to her hero,
She'd pushed herself on him. All but forced herself on him. It meant nothing that she'd been angry and insulted and aroused all at once. Why if a man had behaved as she had, Camilla would have been first in line to condemn him as a brute and a barbarian.
She'd made him kiss her, taking advantage of the situation and her physical advantage. That was unconscionable. (82)
And, as she adds in her apology to him, "A sexual act of any kind must be mutual or it's harassment. Worst, molestation" (86). Of course, the hero's response is to initiate a punishing kiss of his own:
It was an assault, a glorious one that made her weak-kneed, light-headed and hot-blooded all at once. Even as she started to sway toward him, he gave her a light shove. Stepped back.
"There, that clears the slate," he said. (86)
While I think romance readers are probably a lot less likely to tolerate abusive, sexist behaviour from their heroes than they once were, there are clearly times when the use of force is portrayed as sexy. There is much more recognition, though, of how problematic its use can be. And perhaps that's why, just to be on the safe(word) side, a modern hero is more likely to want to have a signed contract before he initiates any punishing.
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Johnson-Kurek, Rosemary E. "Leading Us into Temptation: The Language of Sex and the Power of Love." Romantic Conventions. Ed. Anne K. Kaler and Rosemary Johnson-Kurek. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State U Popular P, 1999. 113-48.
Roberts, Nora. Cordina's Crown Jewel. New York, NY: Silhouette, 2002.
I actually track punishing
I actually track punishing kisses in my reading, and what I've always found most interesting about them is how very unsexy they generally are, in older books. They're often described as quite brutal and painful, not pleasurable for the heroine at all. The punishment is quite literal.
They've definitely transmogrified over time. The punishing kiss in the first example above is the modern style -- starts out painful, becomes pleasurable.
Perhaps it's not just that modern readers are less likely to tolerate abusive behavior, but that they want it in an enjoyable form and can't enjoy it if the heroine is clearly not. I enjoy reading about suffering heroines, but rarely, if ever, when that suffering is based on the infliction of physical pain.
I'm very glad to have some
I'm very glad to have some input from someone with proper data! Thanks. And now that you mention the brutality, I do recall reading some scenes in which the heroine is left with her lips bleeding after a kiss. Ouch!