148 Contemporary Romance Quotes To Love

In the world of contemporary romance, words have the power to stir emotions, foster connections, and paint vivid scenes of love and longing. For those captivated by tales of modern love, whether through books, movies, or real-life stories, the right words can resonate deeply, evoking warmth, joy, and often a delightful sense of nostalgia. This collection of 148 contemporary romance quotes brings together some of the most heartfelt and inspiring sentiments, capturing the essence of love in today's ever-changing world. Immerse yourself in this curated selection and find the perfect words to express your own romantic journey.

1. “You can't create experience, you undergo it.” - Albert Camus

2. “Did you miss me?’“A little bit,” she said with a shrug.“You have tears running down your cheeks,” he said with a grin. “I think you missed me more than a little.” - Robyn Carr

3. “He tends to go for girls who are-Shelby, honey? Put your hands over your ears for just a sec.” Back into the phone he said, “He likes the real slutty ones. Ow!” he yelled when he received a whop to the back of the head.” - Robyn Carr

4. “I know you don’t like to believe you ever need to be taken care of, but I can’t stand the idea of you being sick and alone. I need to be here for you, babe.” - Toni Blake

5. “What sort of look are you going for?” Damn, how did he answer this? “Something…normal,” he finally said.” - Toni Blake

6. “You love me.”He kept gazing upward, his answer coming softly. “Yeah. I do.” - Toni Blake

7. “He should probably make love to her.” - Tara Janzen

8. “Mom was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Melissa, but can you blame me for worrying? In less than an hour I found out you’re being stalked by a killer, sleeping with a stranger, and hiding with him in an empty apartment. You have to admit that sounds…unsettling.” - Robin DeJarnett

9. “Until meeting you, I wasn’t looking for anything at all. Since meeting you, I’m kind of looking for a girlfriend.” - Robyn Carr

10. “That's a movie quote, right? You know, if you do that with books, people think you're intelligent."Sophie lowered her chin. "If this is your pathetic attempt to seduce me again, you're falling miserably." "I don't seduce woman." Phin shoved back his chair and stood up. "They fall into my open arms.""Clumsy of them.” - Jennifer Crusie

11. “Very few people mate for life with the people they fall for at twelve. Doesn't mean is isn't real, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it doesn't matter, but basically, we're talking a practice swing in the big game of love.” - Jennifer Crusie

12. “Everybody's crooked. The trick is to find out how they're bent.” - Jennifer Crusie

13. “Davy's kiss tasted like vodka and disaster, and even while she kissed him back, Tilda thought, I'm never going into a closet with this man again. He slipped his hand under her T-shirt, and she said, "You know," as his hand slid up to her breast, but the only thing left to say was, I'm not that kind of girl, and of course she was.” - Jennifer Crusie

14. “Dempseys are never in trouble. We just have stretches of life that are more interesting than others.” - Jennifer Crusie

15. “I’ve never quite mastered the art of holding my liquor,” she replied. He watched her root around in her purse a moment, before pulling out a tube of lip balm.As Jonas watched her apply it, he nearly got distracted from her answer. Leaning forward, Jonas murmured, “Can’t hold your liquor, huh?”She replaced the cap and dropped it back into her purse. “Not so much. I tend to get a bit too happy.”His eyebrows shot up and his cock came to full-alert status. Happy--he liked the sound of that. “And that’s a bad thing?”To his utter shock, Deanna blushed. “In my case it is.”Curiosity got the better of him. “Care to explain?”The waiter returned with the check, forcing Jonas to drop the conversation while he fished out his credit card. Once they were alone again, Jonas waited, hoping Deanna would go into more detail. She didn’t disappoint him. “All my inhibitions disappear. It’s not a comfortable feeling for me.”She was killing him. An immediate picture of a carefree Deanna sprang to mind. He liked it a hell of a lot. “Most people enjoy letting it all hang out every once in a while. Taking life too seriously leads to an early grave.” “Maybe, but if I suddenly develop the urge, I’d rather be coherent.”“You don’t like to give up control,” he surmised.She cocked her head to the side, as if unsure how to respond at first. “It’s not that,” she said. “I guess if I’m in the mood to go romping naked through a forest, for example, then I don’t want alcohol to blur the memorable event for me.” She laughed. “I mean, I’d want to remember a crazy moment like that. Wouldn’t you?”No doubt about it, Jonas liked the way the lady’s mind worked. “You had me at ‘running naked’.” Deanna snorted. “You need serious help.” - Anne Rainey

16. “You know, typically a nickname is shorter than the given name.”“Is it?” he asked in mock seriousness. “Oh. Well, tell you what, you can call me…”She waited several beats, thinking of more than a few unkind examples. “I can call you what?” she finally asked.“That’s it.” He shot her his bone-melting smile. “You can just call me. Anytime.”She rolled her eyes, refusing to give in to the smile that threatened. “That sounds like a line from one of your movies.”He shot her a triumphant look. “Ah, ha! I knew you were a fan.” - Jennifer Shirk

17. “The scent of him was subtle, beautifully fresh, and she couldn’t think clearly. No man had ever brought out these intense feelings in her. Chris Augustine was dangerous and she could get lost in his arms.” - Suzan Battah

18. “It was like the Justice League of Super Heroes but instead it was the Justice League of Hot Guys.” - Kristen Ashley

19. “Trouble was, everyone always made talking out a problem sound like it was so simple and solved everything, but actually doing it, and securing the desired outcome without screwing up, seemed about as easy as rowing upriver with a teaspoon.” - Babette James

20. “It was your choice to sleep with her Gavin! It didn't just happen!” - Belinda G. Buchanan

21. “You thought I didn’t notice the way you two looked at each other? I may be old but I’m not blind. I remember thatfeeling. The spark, the electricity... ”I had to interject before I got the unabridged version of Anjali Does Mumbai.” - Nicola Marsh

22. “All pomp and show.” Anjali’s glare at the house would’ve exploded bricks if she’d had superhuman powers. “A fat cow needs a big barn.” - Nicola Marsh

23. “You have a certain charm, believe it or not. That, and you feed me.” - Abria Mattina

24. “I’m going to kill you, you know.” - Abria Mattina

25. “You know, you’re kind of a badass.” “Please, if I had balls they’d be bigger than yours.” - Abria Mattina

26. “Why am I surrounded by sluts and morons?” - Abria Mattina

27. “I solved world hunger.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Oh, ye of little faith.”
“You realize that solving world hunger would mean you’d be doing something good for a change?”
“Ah, but there’s the kicker: I destroyed my solutions.” He finally looks away from the window and gives me this cocky smirk. “Malevolence 101, Kirk.” - Abria Mattina

28. “I better go," Carter squeezed me once more and stood, grabbing his wallet from the coffee table. "I need to hit up the lottery if I want to get you out of this mess. Will you let me buy a monkey if we win, though?""Only if you buy me an island off the coast of Fiji.""You crazy-ass woman. A monkey is so much cooler than an island.""How about a monkey IN Fiji?""Now there's a woman after my own heart," Carter slapped his hand to his chest, sighing dramatically. "I'll let you know if we win." He started for the door."Uh huh.""You'll know if we do. I'll be the one streaking on Pike Street.” - Rachael Wade

29. “Is there a problem, Ms. Parker? Something you want to say to me?" Reaching for his tie, he began to loosen it, unraveling it with his fingers, angry eyes still locked on mine."I'm not sure I like being your pet. Or science project, I don't know which.""You have a smart mouth.""You make smart observances.""You're going to make this invitation difficult, aren't you?""If you're dishonest with me, yes.""You'll regret it if you don't accept.""Is that a threat?""That's a promise.” - Rachael Wade

30. “The second he slipped inside of me, all I'd doubted, questioned, or feared evaporated, leaving me with one single, definite truth--I'd fallen in love with him in an all-consuming blaze that would blind me if I wasn't careful. We fit together like poorly cut puzzle pieces, but when the edges joined and were positioned just right, our scattered images came together to create a solid, deliberate piece of art, completely crystal clear and in focus. I was a goner.” - Rachael Wade

31. “Well, in the meantime, Carter and I have been discussing the matter of Ryan." This time it wasn't the clang of a pan I heard, but instead a messy smack--the contact of Carter's backhand with Dean's head, I presumed. "Just hear me out. You have options. I have an Italian uncle. He'll make sure Ryan is sleeping with the fishes by next week.""Dean!" Unable to repress my amusement, my eyes flew wide and my grin grew."Either that, or we can go all Sweeney Todd on him and--""Oh, will you stop?" My laughter was crippling. "There will be no calls to your uncle and no trip to the barber shop--please, leave Sweeney Todd out of it.” - Rachael Wade

32. “Stumbling closer, I held up the manuscript, the pages flapping frantically in the wind. “I take it this is a murder mystery? You killed the ex-fiancée and thanked her in the dedication? Mighty dignified of you, I must say.”“Nah. It’s a horror novel. But yeah, the bimbo dies in the end. Bob Hall says it’s going to be a bestseller, so I figured I owed her some thanks for the inspiration.” He edged a few feet closer, his smile spread from ear to ear. The glimmer in his eyes flickered toward the ocean, breaking our connection. He hung his head, licked his lips, then returned his eyes to mine, restoring the connection with an intense smolder. “Are you gonna get over here, or what?”Letting out a soft chuckle, the tears began to blind me. “Make me.” - Rachael Wade

33. “What do you see when you look at me?”My eyes narrowed and I pressed my lips together, weighing my thoughts. All of his bimbo admirers aside, what did I see? What did my gut tell me about this man? What did it say that allowed me to wind up here with him, under such impulsive circumstances?“You’re a sad man,” I swallowed. “You’re arrogant and set in your ways, but that creates a fortress for you. It’s your safe haven. Behind the moat is someone who has lost something he loved, only I’m not sure what, or who. You’re afraid of something and your loyalty is hidden away in a cell, wounded by betrayal.” I rested my head on the pillow. “That’s what I see.”“On second thought,” he exhaled, letting his head drop next to mine. “You’re psychic.” - Rachael Wade

34. “And this title, retired Major Ryland, gives you authority over my MasterCard?” - Billi Jean

35. “There's something about a cowboy...” - Kathleen Ball

36. “Do not, she urged her inner vixen, look at the way those blue jeans fit his lean legs. Do not notice how he’s filled out in all the right places.” - Scarlett Scott

37. “I love you, Gideon.”“God.” He looked at me with something that resembled disgust. Whether it was directed at me or himself, I didn’t know. “How can you say that?”“Because it’s the truth.”“You just see this”—he gestured at himself with a wave of his hand. “You’re not seeing the fucked-up, broken mess inside.”I inhaled sharply. “You can say that to me? When you know I’m fucked up and broken, too?” - Sylvia Day

38. “You forget who submits, Eva,” he said gruffly. “I’ve given up control for you. I’ve bent and adjusted for you. I’ll do anything to keep you and make you happy. But I can’t be tamed or topped. Don’t mistake indulgence for weakness.” - Sylvia Day

39. “I’ve always seen you, angel. From the moment you found me, I’ve seen nothing but you.” - Sylvia Day

40. “As he stared back, he altered...as if a shield slid away fro his eyes, revealing a scorching force of will that sucked the air from my lungs. The intense magnetism he exuded grew in strength, becoming a near tangible impression of vibrant and unrelenting power.” - Sylvia Day

41. “I had never seen hair that purely black. It was glossy and slightly long, the ends drifting over his collar. That sexy length was the crowning touch of bad boy hotness over the successful businessman, like whipped cream topping on a hot fudge brownie sundae. As my mother would say, only rogues and raiders had hair like that." (Eva about Gideon)” - Sylvia Day

42. “..then he pushed the call button again and asked, "Are you sleeping with anyone?""Why is that any business of yours?""Because I want to fuck you, Eva. I need to know what's standing in my way, if anything.” - Sylvia Day

43. “Romance isn't in my repertoire, Eva. But a thousand ways to make you come are. Let me show you.” - Sylvia Day

44. “Cary rocked back on his heels and twirled one index finger around another in a sign meaning, wrapped around your finger. Only fair, I thought, since he was wrapped around my heart.” - Sylvia Day

45. “I can't go long without you either, Eva. You're an addiction...my obsession...” - Sylvia Day

46. “He paused leaning over to lay his lips on hers, “It’s time to feel again. Let me save you from yourself. You were drowning when I found you, but I’m not letting you go, not without a fight.” He kissed her sweetly and moved back standing up and over her. Lena looked up at his out stretched hand.“Take my hand Lena.” He offered and she knew he meant it in a way that went far beyond offering to help her stand.” - Ella Frank

47. “Being with Demetri wasn’t the absence of pain, it was the added presence of peace, making it easier and easier for that little part of my heart to heal again.--From Pull: A Seaside Novel” - Rachel Van Dyken

48. “No, it's okay. It was just … weird. No one has ever called me hot before.”“Really?” Trace frowned. “Well, that changes right now.” He ceased walking, stopping in the dead center of the pathway and reached for my hands. “Jade Cannon, you are totally hot!” Trace announced loudly, and people nearby stopped to stare at us after his outburst. I couldn't help but laugh.” - Chelsea Lynn Charters

49. “Ταυτόχρονα έγειραν και αντάλαξαν ένα φιλί ενώνοντας τα χείλη τους χωρίς να κλείσουν τα μάτια.Ήδη είχε υφάνει τον ιστό της και εκείνος έπεσε θύμα της γοητείας της. Ένα χάδι στον λαιμό ήταν αρκετό να αναστατώσει τον σβέρκο του. Το φιλί που ακολούθησε θαρρείς ότι κράτησε έναν αιώνα. Μια λεπτή κλωστή από σάλιο ήταν η γέφυρα ανάμεσα στην σάρκα και το πνεύμα. Δυο σώματα σφιχταγγαλιασμένα δρόσιζαν τις καυτές πληγές του πάθους τους. Τα χέρια του την έσφιξαν σαν τανάλια και ένα αναφιλητό ηδυπάθειας ήταν η αφορμή να εκραγούν στα πιο χρυσαφένια χρώματα. Η θερμοκρασία σκαρφάλωνε στις υψηλότερες βουνοκορφές του κόσμου, ενώ ρυθμικά τα κορμιά ανακάλυπταν τις λεπτές γραμμές του πόθου. Τα μαλλιά της κυλιόντουσαν σε όλη την έκταση του κορμιού του όσο η γλώσσα της χάραζε υγρούς διαδρόμους απόλαυσης. Τα χρώματα πήραν άλλη μορφή και τα αρώματα άλλη έννοια. Ο κόσμος έφτασε στο σημείο μηδέν και οι λέξεις έχασαν την ουσία τους. Τα κύτταρα της υλικής υπόστασης φορτίζονταν από ισχυρές δόσεις ηλεκτρισμού και ο αέρας ήταν μάρτυρας της συνένωσης στον χώρο. Τα ηλεκτρικά φορτιά έδιναν κίνηση και οι ψυχές τους φωτίζονταν. Η πανδαισία των αισθήσεων ήταν σε πλήρη αρμονία. Ο ορίζοντας έμεινε αδειανός από εικόνες και στο κενό λικνίζονταν η παρουσία της θηλυκής της υπόστασης. Το κέντρο του κόσμου ήταν αυτή και τα ξανθά μαλλιά μαστίγωναν κάθε του αντίσταση. Ο ιδρώτας όριζε τις μυρωδιές των πάντων και η ανάσα τους χαμογελούσε κάπου στο βάθος σιβυλλικά. Η ένωση όριζε τον Χρόνο όπως η γέννησή του τον συμφώνησε από αρχέγονες καταβολές. Τα κορμιά τους πάλλονταν ρυθμικά και συντονισμένα σαν τις χορδές μιας άρπας. Η μελωδία που τραγουδούσαν τα δύο σώματα χάριζαν απλόχερα την ίαση στις ψυχές τους. Όταν η στιγμή ορίστηκε σιωπηλά, ξέσπασαν και οι δυό τους σε μια παντοδύναμη μέθη της ύλης. Το πνεύμα είχε γίνει ένα. Αναφιλητά και χτύποι μαρτυρούσαν την παρουσία από κάτι θεϊκό ολόγυρά τους. Η ένταση έσπευσε να επιστρέψει στο σημείο ισορροπίας και οι ανάσες τους πάλωνταν σε έναν χορό γλυκόπιοτο. Τα δυο σώματα χρωμάτιζαν τα όνειρα που κυμάτιζαν μπροστά τους. Μια θάλασσα από συναισθήματα γκρέμισε με ορμή κάθε αμφιβολία. Έμειναν αγκαλιασμένοι για όση ώρα η καρδιά τους έκρουε τους ήχους της με ορμή. Τα βλέμματά τους έμειναν ενωμένα σαν να αποζητούσαν ξανά αυτό που μόλις είχαν ζήσει. Η μέθεξη ήταν οριστική σε μια συμφωνία μυστική. Τώρα πια γνωρίζει ο ένας τον άλλον.” - Νίκος Φάκος

50. “[Lizzie Bennington to a reporter who has asked for her opinion about Jack Archer's celebrated thighs.] “When you come back from a set down and bring the match to a final set tiebreak and are a point away from winning the match, only to have what looks like an extremely fit player call a time out because of a cramp and then watch that player sit back and casually converse and laugh while you do your best to keep your mental focus and your body moving so you don’t grow cold and cramp yourself, I hardly think you’d concern yourself with his burgeoning manhood, let alone his thighs!” - A.G. Starling

51. “If I was into girls, I'd do you,” I tell him honestly. He leans forward conspiratorially. ”Psst, I'll let you in on a secret Fred,” he glances sheepishly from side to side. ”I actually have a cock. Don't tell anyone, it would ruin my reputation. But feel free to do me any time you want.” - L.H. Cosway

52. “Let me rephrase.” He took a seething step toward me. “When it comes to you… I don’t like to share.” - Samantha Young

53. “Rumor has it: when you marry a Walsh you are set for life. Only one thing can screw it up.” - Jessica Gordon

54. “He returned in a moment with a phone, a high-end model that probably cost way more than hers. His cell phone wallpaper was an abstract artwork with lots of colorful circles and blots—Kandinsky, maybe, or Miro? She always got thosetwo confused. She gave him points for not having a picture of some scantily-clad woman thrusting her boobs at the camera, like Steve had on his phone. Tacky. Nude-woman wallpapers were the cell phone equivalent of silver naked-lady mud flaps, in her opinion.” - Linda Morrisx

55. “There is something immensely scary about putting yourself out there for people to love or hate you, fan or pan you, review or screw you.” - L.V. Lewis

56. “No one has ever made me feel like this, no one. So much regret, so much loss, and so much desire all swirled together in my muddled brain. In my muddled heart.” - Melissa Brown

57. “That’s the thing about love — it’s full of possibilities. It can lead you down so many different paths. Sure, for some of us, it can lead to sadness and regret. But, for others, well, for others it can lead them to the greatest future they could’ve ever hoped for. Love is the most possible thing in the world.” - Melissa Brown

58. “However, I have to warn you, I kind of like that you find me irresistible.”“Did I say that?” he asked, a slight tint creeping up his stubbled cheeks. “I didn’t say that! I find you completely resistible.” - Robyn Carr

59. “How do you know?”“Well, I don’t, I’m making this up, but I bet I’m right.” - Robyn Carr

60. “I think of it like a caterpillar--a wrinkly, ugly worm with traces of dull colors on it. But when the worm metamorphoses, it becomes something truly beautiful.” Charli” - Sara Walter Ellwood

61. “Not that it was a crazy complicated skill, but operating an espresso machine during high traffic could be added to my repertoire along with card tricks and how to fire a Colt .45.(Quote taken from ARC, subject to change)” - Karina Halle

62. “Hey," I said softly and cupped his cheek."Yeah?"“What about your dream?”His face went dimples. “I’m lookin’ at it, darlin’.”Oh. Crap. My heart felt near bursting. I was absolutely done for. This man owned me, body and soul, and everything in between.” - Madeline Sheehan

63. “There are moments in your life that can change you forever, and you Norah, you are my forever moment.” - Angela Richardson

64. “Don’t look so worried Norah,” Clint was trying to reassure me, “you may have your naked painting and guns to help you escape… but me, when things get too much for me… I, drive.” - Angela Richardson

65. “Have you ever had a moment in time when it felt like it moved in slow motion? As if a split second felt like an hour because your mind cannot seem to process in the instant it’s supposed to, and the moment implodes on itself so you can barely breathe, and everything feels like a dream. A slow, heart-wrenching, time-freezing, dream.Well, this was one of those moments for me.” - Angela Richardson

66. “How can a girl look so innocent and so hot at the same time?” - Angela Richardson

67. “But there’s more. When I was on my way to the event today, Carolyn texted me and told me that Steve and Eve got married over break. Six months after he broke up with me, and after he kept telling me he didn’t see marriage inhis future! And did I tell you that he broke up with me at the school, during the Fitness Fun-a-Thon fundraising eventwe worked at?” Her face grew reflective. “I was handing out bottled water when he asked me to go behind the hydration station so he could talk to me privately. The whole time, Eve kept staring at us from the finish line of the three-legged race.She knew I was getting dumped before I did.” - Linda Morrisx

68. “Getting involved with someone was complicated enough, but with the boss’s daughter? Probably not a good idea.” - Wendy Ely

69. “He stood there tall and dashing, peering down at her with a set of mesmerizing sapphire eyes. It wasn’t the eyes that had her sex-drive squealing into overdrive; it was that…hair. Now, Tarrah had never really been into redheads before, but damn, she sure as hell would be willing to convert.” - Victoria H. Smith

70. “There,” he said with a smirk. “Now I don’t have a swim suit either.”Andi bit her bottom lip and felt the heat begin to flood her cheeks. The sharp pinch on her arm snapped her out of her trance and she quickly swatted at the bug. “Okay, okay. Turn around and don’t peak.” The light from the moon made it easy for her to see his questioning glare. “What?”“Turn around?” Zane asked, trying to hold back a smile. “Need I remind you that I’ve seen you naked before, Miss Ford.”—Zane and Andi in, Zane: The McKades of Texas” - Kimberly Lewis

71. “Coralie Casey was the kind of woman calories were made for; that dewy peaches-and-cream complexion, glossy cherry lips, the succulence of her body beneath that orange, silky dress. A cornucopia of curves, you could say, except it was probably better not to think about horns of plenty.” - Christine Stovell

72. “Kitty waved her free hand to show that she was ok, although she was very tempted to stand over one of Adam’s window-washing puddles and pretend her waters had broken just to see what he would do.” - Christine Stovell

73. “Outside, the sunlight had turned pale lemon, but the studio remained cool. The white walls and white-tiled splashback behind the sink were made more clinical by the metal tables which looked as if they’d originally been intended for use in an operating theatre. Even though they were laid out with brushes and paints rather than forceps and retractors, the effect was equally daunting; both sets of tools could open you up in strange and unexpected ways.” - Christine Stovell

74. “There are no guarantees with love,’ her father said, reading her mind. ‘You can’t hold some of it back, like a deposit, so you can get your money back if something goes wrong. You have to give yourself wholeheartedly, whatever the cost.” - Christine Stovell

75. “He’s been fighting a lot on the Midwest circuit, but Vegas is the big-time. If he ever wants to get anywhere, he has to fight here. And since we’re here, we thought we’d get married, since Vegas is so romantic.”Ivy could think of a dozen cities more romantic than Vegas—Akron, Ohio came to mind—but she didn’t argue.” - Linda Morris

76. “A million possible endearments ran through his head. But he said, “Help.” - Robyn Carr

77. “She liked his unique smell, and it turned on all five of her senses, wanting to see him naked, touch him while naked, hear him as he moaned while he made love, taste his skin, and feel his naked body as she seduced him with the trailing of hungry fingers.” - Keira D. Skye

78. “Can I kiss you?” And she would let him, lightly on her lips, a moment of brief anticipation. “Your kisses are like sugar woman.” He would tell her affectionately. “So sweet.” He would close in on her and then ask softly, “Please spend the night with me.” - Keira D. Skye

79. “The ferocity of her passion was what he'd been waiting for night after torturous night. He wanted her to hunger the way he hungered. To need like he needed.” - Melissa Cutler

80. “Sarah, I’m going to take care of you whether you like it or not.” - Robyn Carr

81. “Charlee has my arm. She has my arm—my arm that’s rigid from pleasure, from her touch—in her little fingers. She holds my other one, too and she’s right there, that sweet candy perfume stripping the rest of the strength from my body, and it escapes in a soft, breathy sigh.” - Rebecca Berto

82. “Samantha, you're in my world now. We have standards here."-Jesse” - Wendy Ely

83. “I’ll always be your friend,” he said. “Your best friend, if you let me. But I want to be your lover, too.” He groaned and shifted in his chair. “Soon. I want to be that soon.” Then a look came over him. “Oh Gina…I didn’t even court you! God, I should date you first before I beg you to take off your clothes!” - Robyn Carr

84. “That’s the thing you girls never get. It doesn't matter if you just woke up, or just got done bawling, or just finished your make-up. When a guy’s all love-sick over a chick, she looks exactly the same to him all the time: perfect.” - Elle Lothlorien

85. “I have a totally unhealthy and unrealistic fear of being eaten by a great white shark. This is because I belong to a very specific demographic called American Child Whose Parents Made the Ill-Advised Decision To Allow Her To Watch the Movie Jaws At a Sleepover During Her Formative Years.” - Elle Lothlorien

86. “Like your sweet, affectionate house cat, Alice Dahl is easy to underestimate. It’s not until the songbirds in the yard show up eviscerated on the front porch that you realize you should’ve kept that bell collar on her—because those poor birds never even saw her coming.” - Elle Lothlorien

87. “Be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn, In that case, you should always be a unicorn.” - Elle Lothlorien

88. “I use the word “man” loosely. A better description would be “the most beautiful specimen of Homo sapiens sapiens with a set of XY chromosomes to grace the planet Earth at this moment, or any other era, epoch, or age in history.” - Elle Lothlorien

89. “The line from Pulp Fiction—the one Samuel L. Jackson shouts at John Travolta as they’re trying to wash blood off their hands—pops into my head: 'I used the same soap you did and when I dried my hands, the towel didn't look like no fuckin’ maxi-pad!' I almost—almost—share this most quotable of cinematic quotes with him, when I remember it contains The Word. You know: 'maxi-pad.” - Elle Lothlorien

90. “When she reaches down to touch his shoulder—a gesture only a few species and a million or so years removed from lifting a leg and marking him as her territory with a stream of urine—enough bracelets and bangles to lay track across the Australian Outback slide down her arm and come to a jangling stop at her wrist.” - Elle Lothlorien

91. “Do you really think I’d let him call my sister a ‘bitch?’ Or you for that matter? Talon Hawk’s dumb, but he’s smarter than that…he’d be crawling around on his hands and knees picking his teeth off the tiles.” - Elle Lothlorien

92. “First, I’d like to point out that I didn’t use ‘one of mine.’ You refused to let me pay for my ice cream cone with a good ol’ fashioned credit card, and you forced your pretend money on me. Secondly, I can’t take any currency seriously that looks like it belongs in a psychedelic-inspired Special Edition Monopoly box.” - Elle Lothlorien

93. “My butt has a maximum drive time of seven hours.” - Elle Lothlorien

94. “Mouse likes to drag you to uninhabited areas with no cell signal—all those places perfect for dying of exposure.” - Elle Lothlorien

95. “I try not to laugh too loud, afraid a bark-like noise will be mistaken by any great whites lurking in the area as the distress call of a juvenile seal.” - Elle Lothlorien

96. “Locals. They’ll eventually get out. They’re annoyed. Like when Americans go to the lake. And it’s closed. ‘Cause some kid pooped in the water.” - Elle Lothlorien

97. “I grimace, thinking someone should come up with a new phrase for 'I left the ocean without a kiwi-sized chunk of my lower-left butt cheek' to replace the rather nebulous term 'exploratory bite.” - Elle Lothlorien

98. “Hey, any idea why Australians speak something that sounds deceptively like English but isn’t? I mean, I’m trying to figure out why I can’t seem to converse with another human being who speaks the same language as I do.” - Elle Lothlorien

99. “Australians are descended from a boatload of English convicts, right? So two hundred years in isolation at the bottom of the planet is plenty of time for the language to evolve into some sort of double-speak prison slang.” - Elle Lothlorien

100. “How was I supposed to know ‘lucked out’ means ‘I got screwed over’ in Australian?” - Elle Lothlorien

101. “So you went back to your friend’s next donkament two weeks later, and this time you just laughed right along when they gave you that framed picture of the poker hands. And when they called you ‘pigeon,’ ‘fish,’ and ‘muppet,’ you just smiled and batted your eyes and said stupid things like ‘Does a straight beat a crooked?’ And while everyone else was throwing a party, you just sat there acting like a tourist with your kill stack until you were in the money. Those poor dills…they didn’t know what hit ‘em, did they?” - Elle Lothlorien

102. “Alice, you might be the product of the biggest ball of ignorance, confidence, and good fortune the universe has ever manufactured. But if you’re thinking that you can take your results at the virtual tables and your grand tactic of Ignorance Is Bliss, and make that work for the Main Event, forget it—it WON'T.” - Elle Lothlorien

103. “Alice? You didn’t get this far without realizing that you don’t have to cheat to win. You just have to accept that people are easily manipulated.” - Elle Lothlorien

104. “Once the principals in their party are seated, with those lower on the totem pole left to grumble and move on to find another table, our once-cozy booth transforms into a damp fusion of vacuous wretchedness, with the three women all complaining alternately about their wet hair/clothes and their respective distance from Talon, while the man himself is trying to maneuver his Paul Bunyan frame way too close to me.” - Elle Lothlorien

105. “Suddenly, the giant, three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld appears next to her—sans two of its heads—and sits down. As a child, we had a neighbor with a Great Dane, and I know they’re about three feet tall at the shoulder. Allow another twelve inches for their T-Rex-sized heads, and you’ve got a dog that this woman could throw a saddle on and ride like a pony.” - Elle Lothlorien

106. “I’ll get you and your little dog too?’ You say your girl can’t pay me back? Believe me when I say that that little gift’s just gonna keep right on giving.” - Elle Lothlorien

107. “Alice, it took big, dumb Talon Dodo thirty seconds to get you so pissed about a poker hand pun that you were about to beat him to death with your cane.” - Elle Lothlorien

108. “The car doesn’t so much drive as float above the road, like we’re making our way to Sydney in a hovercraft.” - Elle Lothlorien

109. “When some smart ass asks you if you’re driving, you say, 'Nope, just kicking the tires.’ You have to make sure you actually kick them all on your way around to the passenger side. Otherwise it’s like lying.” - Elle Lothlorien

110. “I believe it went like this—and stop me if I’m wrong, Mousey: ‘Listen, we may not be our own continent and everything, but we have a big country over in America too.” - Elle Lothlorien

111. “Yeah, well, when they say ‘You know it’s a long way, don’t you?’ what they really mean is: ‘You know it’d be faster if you just rode a kangaroo, don’t you?” - Elle Lothlorien

112. “I like it because when people use a lot of poker lingo, it usually means they’ve been playing the game for a while. Which is why I immediately avoid those people.” - Elle Lothlorien

113. “How do you tactfully spin the term “man-whore” to someone’s sister?” - Elle Lothlorien

114. “Did you think your boyfriend was going to stick around and watch you do THAT? If we weren’t related, I would’ve left too. Actually…is it already too late for me to leave?” - Elle Lothlorien

115. “I am commanding you, as an older and wiser brother, to get over here, get on this caterpillar, and ride to the top of this mushroom with me.” - Elle Lothlorien

116. “I’m not sure a real man would smoke something that sounds like a mixed drink ice cream cone.” - Elle Lothlorien

117. “Well then, I guess I’m man enough to admit that I’m trying to get in touch with my inner bitch.” - Elle Lothlorien

118. “You keep right on building that fence, Faye. See what good it does you.” - Elle Lothlorien

119. “Fun fact: You may hug koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales, but not in Queensland. So…if you didn’t hug your koala nice and tight before you got here to Sydney, you’re going to be shit out of luck until we go back to Surfer’s Paradise.” - Elle Lothlorien

120. “In any other fabric of space-time, my brother would have picked up Dee’s venereal disease-infested koala punt and run it straight down the line of vulgarity, all the way to the touchdown of tastelessness.” - Elle Lothlorien

121. “Don’t be such a dumbass, Gabe. Koalas don’t travel in herds. They move in heaps. Much like emus move in ripples, and kangaroos travel in photo-ops.” - Elle Lothlorien

122. “Okay then, I suppose you get a pass on poker intimidation for the glasses, little brother. But everyone else is wearing them at the tables too, and they’re all just sitting there, looking all serious, like they’re birthing the Grand Theory of Everything.” - Elle Lothlorien

123. “This is from the queen? And you say it’s for a mouse? I’m sorry, sir, but the Pyramid Hotel doesn’t allow any pets except for service animals.” - Elle Lothlorien

124. “I think it should be obvious by now that I’m not necessarily interested in reality.” - Elle Lothlorien

125. “Follow me down, Alice Faye Dahl. I know the way.” - Elle Lothlorien

126. “Would you like to hear about the fascinating things lizards can do if you chew off their tails?” - Elle Lothlorien

127. “Pretty great view. You think they’d do something about the sharks.” - Elle Lothlorien

128. “Are you referring to the day you instructed me to ‘follow the white rabbit,’ plied me with absinthe and brownies, and tried to have your way with me? Didn’t take long for you to lose your romantic streak, did it?” - Elle Lothlorien

129. “Don’t worry, little bunny, we only use our triplet telepathic powers for good.” - Elle Lothlorien

130. “Uh-oh, I hope he doesn’t start rattling off dirty limericks next; she’ll probably burn the hotel down.” - Elle Lothlorien

131. “Alice, I am the game, and trust me: you don’t want to play me.” - Elle Lothlorien

132. “Right, 'the Queen of Hearts.' Sounds to me like you’re just one bitch in a whole pack of cards, baby.” - Elle Lothlorien

133. “Remember that rabbit-proof fencing you told me about? You get that at a hardware store or is it special order?” - Elle Lothlorien

134. “The words ‘drink me’ come to mind. Anyone besides me up for some heavy alcohol consumption?” - Elle Lothlorien

135. “By the way, don’t thank me for saving you, thank the lifeguards. If it was up to me, I would’ve just carried you off to the building by the boardwalk that said SURGERY. I’m sorry, but there’s a big difference between a family doctor treating you for the sniffles, and a guy who actually owns and knows how to use an operating table.” - Elle Lothlorien

136. “You know what Munny said to me, right before we left? She said, ‘Watching someone die is hard work. Go to Australia and watch Faye fall in love with some dude named Rabbit. That should be fun.” - Elle Lothlorien

137. “You can donate marrow for her, Alice Faye, you can’t cure her. You can win a poker tournament, but that won’t make her want to live. So I’ll ask you again: Who are you, and what are you doing here? Because Munny sure doesn’t want you to be her, and she wants someone to be out in the world living since she’s got the market cornered on dying right now.” - Elle Lothlorien

138. “Well, you played me, Rabbit. You played me, and it worked, and I’m not the kind of person to make the same mistake twice. Your whole life is a game, but you know what? I already have a life. Poker’s nothing to me but a goddamn deck of cards.” - Elle Lothlorien

139. “I want to kiss my brother for being so tactful. Rabbit looks grateful as well, and I can only imagine what it would be like to trot out your embarrassing 'enjo kosai' problem in front of your sister, your former love-interest of a couple of weeks, and her two siblings.” - Elle Lothlorien

140. “I think it would be prudent to advise you that due to extraordinary circumstances beyond our control, the original plan we had for participating in and extending the duration of the IPT Main Event has been drastically altered, specifically as it pertains to certain individuals competing—” - Elle Lothlorien

141. “I slump in my chair, thinking how a narcotic party of one is no party at all.” - Elle Lothlorien

142. “Aw, you’re nothing but heart, Mako. Nice valentine in your skull, by the way. Is that temporary or did the Tanaka-kai change their daimon to attract the Powerpuff Girls crowd?” - Elle Lothlorien

143. “We’re late. For a VERY important date” - Elle Lothlorien

144. “She was partial to the tie. Not too long ago he did unspeakable things to her with that tie.” - Melissa Cutler

145. “You make velocity look good.” - Melissa Cutler

146. “Something tells me there’s more than one shaman in Vegas who performs weddings. I think we’re better off intercepting them at the fight.”“But they could be getting married right now!” Ivy protested, falling into a double-time step to keep up with his pace.“Lucky we’re in Vegas, then. They have quickie divorces to go with their quickie weddings.” - Linda Morris

147. “The wind and the sea and the storm were his domain and I wanted nothing to do with them any longer. I just wanted Cain.” - Jennifer Silverwood

148. “Thats' Right, Chlo. I want you so Much you make me shake in my f...... pants. I'm obsessed with you with where you are and what to do and who the f... you're with T want to bury myself inside you so deep I won't ever want to pull out.” - Red Garnier