The Miss Mirren Mission

DNFed due to iffy kissing scene. Firstly, the hero initiates a kiss with our crying heroine to stop her from crying (because he can't stand to watch her tears) only moments after surmising that she had been physically abused. Nothing attractive or romantic about scenes like this. Why do authors keep writing them? I also find this particularly disappointing because I was looking forward to reading more about the heroine who was an abolitionist. For a story that has overtly feminist tones, that kissing scene is distressing and out of place. Hopefully, authors of romance books can start doing better.