Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Hey everyone,

I’ve been in a major book slump for the past few months, but I’m finally clawing my way back into the light. One of the ways I did that was by returning to old favourites. Books I can rely on to make me laugh, cry and most importantly keep me reading. One such book for me is Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

The book:

How did pretty socialite Daisy Devereaux find herself in this fix? She can either go to jail or marry the mystery man her father has chosen for her.

Alex Markov, however, has no intention of playing the loving bridegroom to a spoiled little heiress. As humourless as he is deadly handsome, he drags the irrepressible Daisy away from her uptown life and sets out to bring her down a peg or two.

Except it won't be as easy as he thinks. This man without a soul has met a woman who's nothing but heart. Will vows spoken in haste shatter or offer the promise of love everlasting?

My thoughts:

There are so many reasons I adore Kiss an Angel but the circus setting is what makes it such a unique and memorable romance. The circus felt like a character. It was confusing, complex, and controversial. Yet it was also warm, interesting and home. Having only been to one circus in my life, and that happened after I read Kiss an Angel for the first time, the circus is not a world I know much about. I can’t tell you if Susan Elizabeth Phillips representation of the circus is accurate but I can you it made me want to keep reading. I loved the unique setting it gave Daisy and Alex’s romance and honestly I’m not sure their relationship could have flourished the way it did in any other environment.

What are you gonna do, angel face? Stab me with your eyebrow pencil?

Now that I have waxed lyrical about the circus setting I think it is time to move onto to the characters. Part of the reason Kiss an Angel always makes my Top 25 Romance books list is because of the wonderful character development that Daisy and Alex go through. In the beginning Daisy is a naive, slightly spoiled woman who has never had to financially support herself. She has been deliberately kept away from the ‘real’ world by her ex-model mother and because of this has virtually no relationship with her father. To the reader it is clear to see that Daisy is more intelligent, caring and mature than her father and Alex give her credit for. She just isn’t sure of her place in the world. Being forced to work and live in an environment completely foreign to her certainly doesn’t help to start with. Having a husband who appears incapable of compassion is like a kick in the teeth. I loved how spirited she was, how she refused to give in and proved everyone around her wrong. She is the strong female characters I want to read about. She doesn’t have to swing a sword or have ‘masculine’ traits to be interesting, complex and strong.

Get it on? His bluntness reminded her that none of this meant anything to him emotionally, and contrary to all logic, she'd wanted to hear something romantic. 

Alex also undergoes some great character development during the course of to Kiss an Angel. In the beginning he is unrelentingly, brooding and distance. All the things I like in a hero... As long as they redeem themselves! Luckily for myself and Alex he does. As the novel processes Alex starts to trust Daisy. He shows her his vulnerability, not without a fight of course. Now although I love Alex I realise he won’t be the hero for everyone. Some readers might find his behaviour too alpha-male, but for me Susan Elizabeth Phillips got the balance just right. His relationship with Daisy makes him a better person without fundamentally changing his personality. The romance in Kiss an Angel is a wonderful slow burner. Love creeps up on both Daisy and Alex with small moments and it is wonderful to read.

But I don't love you, Daisy, and you can't begin to know how sorry I am about that because if I could chose anyone in this world to love, it'd be you.

Overall I can’t recommend this Kiss an Angel enough. In my opinion this book should be on every romance readers to-be-read list because it is a truly one of kind contemporary romance.

My rating:

Happy reading and see you next time!