Kiss an Angel audiobook

Why did it take me so long to read this?Just kidding, I know exactly why. Because, quite bluntly, I hate the circus. HATE it. Since, you know, human exploitation and rampant animal abuse, among other things. But you came here for a review on this wonderful book, not to hear me rant about the circus. So I put that tangent, which generally outlines some TMI thoughts about the circus, at the end of this review (for those interested). But I digress. For the above reason, I typically skirt away from any books related to the circus, so I avoided picking this up for many years. That said, this book always kept coming up in my feed, recommendations, and various lists of tropes in which I am heavily interested. Add to that an amazon birthday gift card and... Aside from a few tough moments for me regarding the abuse to the elephants and tiger, I just really loved this book. In fact, the feelings I had while reading this were reminiscent of those I had during my "golden age" of reading AKA the adult romance book binge that was basically age 12-22 for me. This thing was like a warm blanket of so many of my favorite things and it just reminded me of all the reasons romance books will always be my favorite. Alex was my favorite type of male lead: the hot grumpy asshole with a mysterious background and an enigmatic charm...and Daisy reminded me of a classic Julie Garwood heroine, i.e., someone who is overly sweet and guileless and comes across as a bit of an annoying airhead. And I am ALWAYS a sucker for a good marriage of convenience. Add to that some solid groveling? Anyway, I loved this book and it is firmly going on my top-reads-I-shall-re-read-always shelf. That is the end of my actual "review." Here is the aforementioned tangent about the circus and my dislike of it:Quite honestly, I am passionate about very few things in life. But at the top is animal abuse and neglect. Nothing withers my soul or enrages me faster than seeing or hearing about animals in distress. For those reasons, I am very conflicted about the zoo, I refuse to go to Sea World, and I loathe the circus. Now, I am fully aware that some animals have "better" lives or are loved and truly cared for in some of these environments; however, historically, the circus has long been cited as a source of extreme animal neglect/abuse and severe exploitation of marginalized groups. HERE is an very interesting and well articulated video on the subject of the circus and human exploitation from one of my favorite YouTubers for those interested.

5,000 CIRCUS STARS!!!!!!You HAVE to read this book!!! Please. I’m begging you, fellow readers.This is not your typical story. This is not your typical book. This is a story that you have never read….trust me. It is anything BUT typical. The story begins with an arranged marriage. No, it’s not set in the medieval times. It’s a modern arranged marriage. Say what?! I know. It seems off-putting at first. But we quickly get to know Alex and Daisy, and the reason for the arranged marriage takes an approved back seat for a while. This story is set at the circus. Yes, I said the circus. Weird?? Absolutely not. Mainly because SEP is a genius. Alex is a trained expert with bull whips. Yep, it’s gets dirty real fast, ladies. No, he doesn’t actually whip her (for those of you who are afraid of reads that are too dark, although I wouldn’t mind a little whipping, heeheehee), but the promise of whipping is there. The sexual chemistry and witty dialogue are off the charts. We can do this easy, or we can do it rough. Either way, I'm going to win. You decide how it'll be. My Alex:Alex. Alex. Alex. I would die for him. What a fantastic character. He was abused by the whip when he was a boy. He believes he is literally incapable of love. He is mysterious because he doesn’t reveal much about himself to Daisy. He purposefully tries to push her away because he doesn’t want her to fall in love with him. He doesn’t even want her to get comfortable, so he puts her through hell, expecting her to give up. I love LOVE/HATE relationships! They make the best sex!!!!My Daisy: But I don't love you, Daisy, and you can't begin to know how sorry I am about that because if I could choose anyone in this world to love, it'd be you. Even though Alex is trying to make Daisy give up, she won’t. She is stubborn and strong. Daisy is all heart. She might have a spoiled side, but when she loves, she loves with everything she’s got. She forms an attachment to the circus animals, and to say that the attachment is endearing would be an understatement. The way SEP writes these animals captivated me. Like the circus animals, she was held captive against her will, and, like them, her keeper had all the power. She was in a warm elephant cave. She pressed her cheek to his scratchy, gunnysack body just between his legs and heard the strong thud of his sweet, mischievous heart. She knew she should move, but even though she was resting beneath a ton of baby elephant, she had never felt safer. As she sat there, she thought of Alex and wished he were small enough to fit where she was, right beneath Tater's heart. SEP has a talent for writing a complete, no-page-unturned, no-character-left-behind story. She always includes a full story of the B characters, and I always love it. She gives everyone an HEA. Here are a couple of the B characters that I loved.Sheba is the circus owner. She is hard-headed, stubborn, prideful….a bitch. She cares for the circus and the people in the circus with everything she’s got…except for Daisy, which makes it interesting. I can’t help but love her.My Sheba:Heather is a teenage girl caught in the middle of growing up. She is trying to earn the love of her father by trying her best to be a good circus performer. She plays a key role in the story, and forms an attachment to Daisy.My Heather:Note to Susan: Dear Susan,Cheers. Cheers to this book. Cheers this story. Cheers these characters. Cheers to YOU.This book is officially in my top 3 favorites SEP books. This is a must-read. This is a re-read. Read it.

3rd Read, Nov. 2021 — 5 Stars2nd Read, Oct. 2021 — 4.5 Stars1st Read, Aug. 2020 — 4.25 StarsWe love a man who knows what he wants and go after it, but do you know what I love more?The sight of grumpy jerkface Alex Markov . . .↠ getting his heart all twisted up for a woman he realizes too late he’s fallen for; and,↠ begging on his knees with his ass handed to him because he’s just got schooled on l o v e.Essentially the story involves:✓ a temporary arranged marriage;✓ two people who couldn’t be more opposite;✓ a beautiful love story with sprinkles of drama;✓ some great character development;✓ lots of hairy (big and small) animals; and,✓ a circus.You see, Alex is a proud man, cold and aloof. He has preconcieved notions about his wife and doesn’t trust her more than he does a porcupine not to prick you with its sharp quills. He’s awful to her, and he’d be all— “I’m not going to fall in love with you, sweetheart. It’s just not going to happen. I care about you, but I don’t love you.” Or . . . “But I don’t love you, Daisy, and you can’t begin to know how sorry I am about that because if I could choose anyone in this world to love it’d be you.” So, obviously I wasn’t happy he bossed Daisy around, made her do stunts for the carnival, and just being a real bastard. However, on the inside I was also egging him on, like “Yes, you keep treating her like rubbish and let’s see how you feel when you lose her!”And boy did he SUFFER. “I don’t love you anymore,” she whispered. “I don’t love you at all.” His throat closed. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I love you enough for both of us.” I wish there were MORE chapters of him grovelling cause that part was just priceless but also like made me melt. 💗 “I love you, Daisy. I love you so much I hurt.” Best not forget that the real MVP here is Daisy Devreaux. His fists clenched at his sides. “Damn it! Where’s your pride?”“Pride? It’s in my heart, of course.”“You’re letting me demean you!”She smiled. “You can’t do that. I can only demean myself.” Vulnerable and insecure, but instead of annoying, it makes her relatable. She’d stand up for herself, let herself fall in love and deal with the consequences, walk away but not without fighting for her marriage first.I have my grievances when it comes to Sheba the ex (like, I don’t need a flashback of her and Alex f*cking or her and Heather’s dad getting it on in the present or her sabotaging the marriage), but ultimately I appreciate how all of the Sheba related drama were resolved. Daisy’s thoughts after getting tiger back to his cage: That every living being was part of every other living being. That all were part of God. Bound by love. Put on earth to care for one another. This was just so wholesome, heart wrenching but also LOL funny and endearing. I loved the circus setting, adored the relationship Daisy developed with the animals and just the overall dynamics among the circus people.The book is mostly about Alex and Daisy, but character growth extends to the side characters as well. Kiss an Angel was published before I was even born, and yet the story and the charm it carries is timeless. (Read as an Audiobook)

5 stars!! Kiss an Angel was my first book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and after reading it, I'll definitely be reading more! I adored this story! Daisy Devreaux and Alex Marcov are to be wed... it's not common to have arranged marriages in the US in this day and age, but Daisy has gotten herself into a pickle and marrying Alex is the only solution she sees. She doesn't know what she's gotten herself into, though... Daisy is used to the privileged life. But things have changed for her. She thinks by marrying Alex, she'll be able to live her life as status quo. Having no idea Alex is part of the circus. Yes, you read the right. The circus. I, for one, am not a fan of circuses. And the only reason for that is the way they treat animals and cage ones that aren't meant to be caged. That is one thing I absolutely loved about Daisy. She had so much compassion for the animals. I loved the bond she developed with them, especially Sinjun and Tater. At first I was worried I wouldn't care for Daisy as she seemed a bit vapid at first, but I ended up loving her completely. Alex was another story. We can do this easy, or we can do it rough. Either way, I'm going to win. You decide how it'll be. It really took some time for Alex to grow on me. He is the asshole of all assholes sometimes. I didn't know if he'd be able to redeem himself, but he definitely did. I grew to love him by the end as well. Daisy and Alex really do seem like an unlikely pair, but for some reason, they make the perfect match. Kiss an Angel was funny, sexy, sweet, and an all around good love story. My only criticism is that I listened to the audio book and was not a fan of the narration. The narrator sounded much too old to voice Daisy. As much as I love audio books, I'll listen to a sample before purchasing another by this author.

4.25 Stars (Originally Read - 6/22/2018)4.25 Stars (Re-Read -1/20/2020)Overall Opinion: Wow! This was so much better than I thought it'd be! I know I might be giving too much away here -- but I think keeping the circus aspect of this book a secret is a poor choice! I might've picked this up sooner if I had known what all we experienced with that! It's an older book, but it really didn't feel all that dated tbh -- maybe the clothing descriptions, but that's about it. I came across this again when I asked GR friends and followers what their favorite re-read books are, and I can totally understand where this would come in! I think it's going on my favorites shelf and will probably be a re-read again farther down the line. Why not 5 Stars then, you ask? The sexual chemistry felt lacking. It wasn't fade-to-black or anything, but I felt like the scenes could've been better. I'm also a greedy, greedy girl and I like my epilogues! This one was alright. I didn't hate it or anything, but I definitely think it could've been a lot better! So with the epilogue/ending (.5 points) and the sexual chemistry (.25 points), I'm going with a 4.25 star rating.*Re-Read Update: I don't have much to add to my original review. I enjoyed this as a re-read but was still let down my the sexual chemistry and the ending. Otherwise, I still found it a great read! It'll probably be one that I re-read again down the line too, as it just is that fun 🤗Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Daisy and Alex's story. Daisy finds herself forced to marry a man of her father's choosing or face jail time. Alex is a mysterious older man that is up for the job for at least the 6 months she is required to stay married before getting her inheritance. Daisy is shocked when Alex swoops her up to get on a plane that takes her to Florida where they join the traveling circus he works for. There is a lot of big adjustments Daisy has to make to fit in with this new lifestyle and with her new husband, and Alex is also consistently shocked that Daisy isn't the spoiled and dumb socialite that he had pegged her to be. There are a lot of ups and downs, some funny moments, some sexy times, and some sad moments...and they get a HEA ending.POV: This alternated between focusing mainly on Daisy and Alex in 3rd person narrative. It did have some parts that focused on side characters as well.Overall Pace of Story: Good. I ate this up and read it super fast! I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings.H rating: 4 stars. Alex. I liked him. I felt bad for his past, but I did want him to communicate a little better with Daisy at times.h rating: 5 stars. Daisy. I loved her! She was a mess and a lot lost when we first meet her. Her upbringing and family relationships were sad, but I appreciated the woman she became despite it all.Sadness level: Low/moderate. I teared up a few times, but I never needed any tissues.Push/Pull: Yes (view spoiler)[ They both push away and also pursue the relationship at times. (hide spoiler)]Heat level: Alright. They have some alright tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. I do think this could've been a little bit more steamy tbh. Their sexual chemistry just fell a little flat for me for some reason.Descriptive sex: YesOW/OM drama: Yes (view spoiler)[ An ex f-buddy of the H is the owner of the circus, and she causes a good bit of drama for the couple (because she had fallen in live with him and he didn't return the feelings). (hide spoiler)]Sex scene with OW or OM: No (view spoiler)[There is a descriptive scene of two side characters (hide spoiler)]Cheating: NoSeparation: Yes (view spoiler)[They are separated for ~a month (?), but there was no mention or suggestion of other partners during this time. (hide spoiler)]Possible Triggers: Yes (view spoiler)[Loss of a parent (off page), arranged marriage (on page), child abuse (off page), the h was a virgin, and unexpected pregnancy (on page). (hide spoiler)]Closure: This is my biggest issue with the book. It gives us a small (days?) jump ahead epilogue with some of their HEA, but I definitely wanted more! How about them with their children later in life?! That would've been awesome. I am still calling this a HEA though.Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers(view spoiler)[- Does Not have cheating- Does Not have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM- Does have both the h and H pushing away- Does have a separation between the h and H- Does Not have abuse- Does have a HEA ending (hide spoiler)]

So the romance was between Daisy and Alex or Daisy and the tiger? Or was it with the baby elephant? Honest to God, this girl had better relationship with her assorted animal crew than her husband.Too much drama with the ex for my liking, but this sure was entertaining. SEP's writing was top-notch as always!

4.5 starsI’ve had this one and I’ve been wanting to read it since forever and I’m glad I finally picked it up. It was just so fun and so unique in its own way. I’m a sucker for the marriage of convenience trope and this one was so adorable. This book takes place in a circus which is another thing I’ve never saw on a romance. The setting was perfect with many adorable animals and many nice side characters that added a lot to the story.I loved both the main characters so much. They both showed major slow and steady growth and I enjoyed seeing both of their character development. I loved everything about this book. The dialogue was hilarious and full of cute banter. And the grovel! The freakin grovel!! That’s the grovel I want and need in my romances!! This book was so amazing and endearing. I found myself stuck reading it in one setting. It was so entertaining and I couldn’t help but have that permanent silly grin on my face. Song recommendation:Like that by Bea MillerWaiting game by BANKSTolerate it by Taylor swift

5 STARS[image error] Seriously.. I’m speechless.. LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!!!!It’s official! I am hopelessly in love with Susan Elizabeth Phillips! What a wonderful and endearing story this was. I was glued to the pages from start to finish with a stupid silly grin on my face the whole time. In fact, I can’t help smiling now as I’m writing this review. Just thinking back over the story, makes me want to pick the book up and start in all over again. The characters were absolutely fantastic. The dialogue was gritty and romantic with oodles of sexual tension. The supporting characters were just as well developed, even the animals in the circus had me laughing at times and on the edge of my seat at others. The story was so creative and well laid out. I loved everything about it.[image error] Theodosia Devreaux (Daisy) is a 26 year old girl with a huge dilemma. She has gotten herself into so much debt that she’s facing jail time. Her wealthy father has offered to help, but has some very unusual demands. She must marry a man her father has chosen for her, and not only does she have to live with him and do as he says, she must stay married for 6 months in order to collect her trust fund. [image error] The bridegroom, Alexander Markov… seems just as unhappy about the arrangement as she does. He may be tall, dark and handsome beyond her wildest dreams… but he’s also angry, brooding and completely incapable of love. And worst of all, he’s determined to show this spoiled little cream puff a long hard lesson in hard living. “I take thee... to be my awful wedded husband” [image error] So immediately following this poor excuse for a wedding, Daisy is dragged from her Manhattan lifestyle off to a broken down traveling circus where her new husband is determined to tame her to his ways. [image error] “I’m not going to fall in love with you, sweetheart. It’s just not going to happen. I care about you, but I don’t love you.” [image error] Daisy is completely out of her element. She is immediately treated like an outsider by all of the circus staff, she is terrified of animals, and has discovered that her scary new husband is an expert with bull whips… and he’s not above threatening her with retaliation if she defy’s him. [image error] Oh, and to top it all off… Daisy soon finds that her Alex has quite the reputation with women. And upon finding him married, they quickly turn their backs on her, making her the pariah of the circus.[image error] But, Daisy isn’t going to let this defeat her. She is determined to see this commitment through. And finding a few cracks in his angry facade, Daisy soon finds herself feeling empathy for Alex. Empathy that soon starts feeling something like love. “His fists clenched at his sides. 'Damn it! Where's your pride?' 'Pride? It's in my heart, of course.' 'You're letting me demean you!' She smiled. 'You can't do that. I can only demean myself.” [image error] Although, even as she offers him her heart, he completely shuts her out, until she is finally convinced that he will never love her. “I don't love you anymore", she whispered. "I don't love you at all." His throat closed. "It's all right, sweetheart. I love you enough for both of us.” I just cannot say enough about this book. I LOVED Daisy!!! She was sweet and loving, but also spunky and stubborn. She was put in a horrible situation and instead of giving up and falling to despair, she turned out to be a beacon of light that brought life back into the circus. Not only did she prove to herself that she was made of tougher stuff, she also inspired everyone around her, including the man that was determined to break her. [image error] “You shouldn’t dare a person who doesn’t have anything left to lose.” And Alex… well here is a guy you will not soon forget. A real top-rank ass with an ego that was bigger than the big-top tent. A real alpha maniac, who thought quite a lot of himself, while showing little regard for the fairer sex… especially empty-headed, spoiled brat socialites that took advantage of their family’s fortune. [image error] “I can’t resist you,” he said quietly. “You know that, don’t you? And I’m tired of pretending I can.” His expression grew more troubled. “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.” [image error] But it didn’t take long for Daisy to start melting the ice surrounding Alex Markov’s heart. And while he felt himself damaged and incapable of love, Alex soon found he was finding it harder and harder to stay away from girl he thought was beyond help. She wasn’t holding anything back. Not one thing. She was offering herself without reservations: heart, body, and soul. How could anyone be so self-destructive? He pulled himself back together. If she wasn’t going to guard herself, he’d do the job for her. [image error] “I love you, Daisy. I love you so much I hurt.” This is such a delightful story. And the circus setting made it that much more endearing. The animals themselves played their parts to perfection, and in doing so, helped Daisy find her way in life. These new relationships were so touching, it will make your hear ache with joy. [image error] While they kissed, Tater dusted both of them with hay, just as if he thought the stuff was rice. I highly recommend this book!!! And a big thank you to Ingela and Mo who recommended it to me. ❤︎

RELECTURA: 19/06/2018Está claro que adoro este libro, y cada vez que lo leo amo aún mas a todos los personajes (humanos y no humanos jejeje) Es el libro que me saca de mis crisis y que siempre siempre me hace disfrutar y suspirar como la primera vez.PD: en realidad, este libro es el que mas veces me he leído, aunque ponga que es la segunda, diría que voy por la 5 jajajaja------------RELECTURA: 01/02/2017No importa las veces que lea este libro (ya perdí la cuenta) pero siempre consigue enamorarme y hacerme disfrutar de esta preciosa historia. Es mi libro comodín, cuando entro en crisis lectora siempre es SEP la que me ayuda a salir de ello. Y Besar a un ángel es una adorabilidad de libro jeje¡LEEDLO SI NO LO HABÉIS HECHO AÚN!

Doy gracias a Dios por habernos dado a SEP y que esta nos haya regalado este libro.No sé las veces que lo habré releído, pero siempre me emociona y conquista en las mismas partes.“-Esta noche no, Daisy. Te necesito.”Es un libro maravilloso, con una historia de amor que a las románticas como yo las hace sufrir hasta el final. Alex y Daisy te enganchan a sus páginas, y hacen que te enamores del circo en el que viven, junto con todos los animales que hay allí dentro.Daisy es toda inocencia, dulzura y amor. Es generosa, valiente y siempre intenta ver el lado bueno de las cosas. Es romántica hasta la médula, y siente un cariño hacia los animales enorme. Es tan diferente a Alex, que por eso es perfecta para él.Alex es terco, dominante y muy orgulloso. Intenta ser siempre justo, adaptarse a lo que le rodea, y trabaja muy duro. La vida no ha sido justa para él, y por eso rehúye de todo lo que tenga que ver con flores y corazones, por miedo a que le haga daño. Y es por ese miedo, que ha creado una coraza a su alrededor, y no deja que nadie se acerque a él.“-Calla, amor. Cállate y deja que te ame.”Daisy, poco a poco, va rompiendo esa coraza, y termina metiéndose bajo la piel de Alex. Pero como toda historia buena de amor, también nos harán de sufrir.“—Ya no te amo —susurró ella. —No te amo en absoluto.A él se le puso un nudo en la garganta.—No importa, cariño. Yo tengo amor suficiente por los dos.” Dadle una oportunidad, no os arrepentiréis.

5 Tu, yo y el circo STARS Según mi perfil de Goodreas tengo 431 libros pendientes por leer. Y cada día la lista aumenta más y más. Lo bueno de esto es que nunca me quedo sin material de lectura, al terminar de leer un libro ya tengo en frente otro. Lo negativo es, que en entre tantos libros algunos títulos quedan en el fondo, o simplemente olvidados. Como es el caso de este libro. A primera vista la portada y título del libro me parecieron aburridos, así que lo empecé a leer solamente para saber de qué trataba ya que ni siquiera recuerdo cómo fue que llego a mi biblioteca electrónica. Grata fue mi sorpresa, al encontrarme fascinada con la historia desde la primera página. Pocas veces me ha pasado esto, desde las primeras lineas en las que la protagonista está diciendo sus votos matrimoniales y olvida el nombre del hombre con el que se esta casando, yo ya me encontraba enganchada. Theodosia (Daisy), la protagonista me enamoro su personalidad y además me identifique mucho con su necedad, errores y temor por los animales. Alex, OMG es uno de esos protagonistas que te enamoran por completo, es atractivo, de descendencia Rusa y con una gran habilidad con el látigo. No diré mucho de lo que trata, porque lo que más disfrute fue lo inesperado, el no saber hacia dónde se dirigía la historia. Lo mejor del libro es que se desarrolla en un Circo. Y como es contado en tercera persona, la autora nos muestra mucho de cómo es la vida en este ambiente. Un libro muy recomendable de Amor, romántico pero no cliché empalagoso. Es simplemente lindo y fácil de leer. Ame este libro por completo, esta fue mi cara todo el tiempo mientras lo leia.