Kiss An Angel

Reading 'Kiss an Angel' still makes me grin — it’s one of those rom-com-yet-deep reads that sticks with you. The heart of the story is Daisy Devreaux, a pampered, flighty young woman who’s suddenly given an ultimatum by her father: go to jail or enter into a marriage of convenience. The man she’s married off to is Alex Markov, a brooding, dangerously handsome circus manager who drags her away from Manhattan into the rough-and-tumble world of a traveling circus. That setup — arranged marriage, culture clash, and the circus as a living backdrop — is what drives the whole book. What I loved most were the supporting players who make the circus feel alive: Sheba, the proud and complicated former lover figure; Tater, the loyal friend who keeps things light; Heather, a bratty teen who stirs conflict; and even the animals, who almost have personalities of their own. Daisy’s arc is the classic fish-out-of-water-turned-resilient heroine: she’s forced to learn stunt work, earn respect, and discover strength she didn’t know she had. Alex’s arc is darker at first — he’s standoffish, harsh, and famously cold — but the tension between them melts into a messy, slow-building love that culminates in genuine growth for both. Reviews and reader pages capture both the charm and the fraught bits of his behavior, which some readers find troubling even as they’re invested in the couple’s eventual reconciliation. By the end, the book leans into redemption and belonging: Daisy carves out a place in the circus family and Alex has to confront pride and vulnerability. It’s sexy, sometimes exasperating, frequently touching, and very much a product of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ flair for romantic comedy with teeth. For me, Daisy is unforgettable — stubborn, warm, and brave — and that’s what keeps me coming back to this story.

If you like big, slightly nuts rom-coms with a dash of old-school heat, ’Kiss an Angel’ is absolutely a wild ride worth trying — but with caveats. Susan Elizabeth Phillips writes it as a glittery, high-drama contemporary romance about Daisy Devreaux being shoved into an arranged marriage with the brooding Alex Markov, and the setting even slips into a broken-down circus vibe that gives the book a very particular atmosphere. The book swings hard between tender, goofy moments and some seriously angsty, messy behavior from the hero; readers either adore the emotional grovel and character growth or bristle at things that feel dated and rough around the edges. There’s a sizable fan base that calls it a favorite for its character arcs and emotional payoff, and an equally vocal group who find parts uncomfortable and wish certain actions had been handled differently. If you want similar vibes, stick with Susan Elizabeth Phillips backlist picks like ’Nobody’s Baby But Mine’ for more laugh-out-loud chemistry and wry heroine energy, or try ’Call Me Irresistible’ if you want the same blend of small-town heart and big personalities. Both are solid next steps if you like the tone here. Bottom line: read it if you enjoy messy, emotional romances with an opposites-attract hero who eventually redeems himself — just be ready for some old-school romance beats. I devoured it and loved the chaos, even when it made me gasp.

My go-to route for free reads is the library, and that’s true for 'Kiss an Angel' too — you can often borrow the ebook or audiobook through services like Libby/OverDrive if your public library holds it. I’ve used Libby to grab romance titles more than once; it’s simple: sign in with your library card, search for 'Kiss an Angel', and borrow if a copy is available. That’s a fully legal, no-cost way to read the whole book without paying retailers. If your library participates in Hoopla, that’s another immediate option — Hoopla can let you borrow ebooks instantly without waiting lists in many systems, and I’ve found 'Kiss an Angel' listed there in some library catalogs. If neither app shows availability for your library, retailers like Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble will let you preview samples for free, which can tide you over until a copy becomes available to borrow. For audiobooks, services sometimes offer short free trials that include the title as part of the trial credits, though that’s a temporary option. I prefer the library routes because they keep authors supported while letting me read without paying out of pocket, and borrowing through Libby or Hoopla feels effortless once you’ve got the apps set up. Happy reading — Daisy and that grumpy circus hero make for a wild ride.

I can give a clear take: the ending of 'Kiss an Angel' is pretty explicit about what happens to Daisy and Alex, even if some of the plot beats that lead there feel wild. The book wraps with an epilogue that shows Daisy and Alex married again, which signals the author’s intention to give them a proper, conventional happy ending after all the mess between them. That epilogue line isn’t coy — it literally says they remarried — so the story’s final state is unambiguous even if the route there is messy. Before that resolution, a lot of the conflict is about trust, secrets, and family scheming: Alex’s past, his complicated connection to the circus world, and even a hinted royal lineage are used to justify his cold behavior and Daisy’s humiliation. Those revelations (including the odd bit about Alex’s supposed Russian heritage and his backstory) drive major emotional beats that get healed by the climax and then cleaned up enough in the epilogue for a second wedding. If you found the middle of the book jarring — with the tiger scenes, the arranged-marriage setup, and betrayals — that’s intentional: they’re the friction that forces personal change before the final reconciliation. My personal read is that the ending is more of a comfort-food wrap-up: it tells you who ends up together and signals the life they’ll have, but it doesn’t spend pages re-litigating every moral mess. If you want tidy psychological reckonings for every hurt, you’ll be left wanting, but if you want a clear romantic resolution that reunites the leads and restores the circus-family life, the book delivers. I left the last page smiling and a little annoyed in equal measure — in the best rom-com way.

Gutenberg or other free classic sites won't have it. It's a 1996 publication. Any site claiming to have the full PDF for free is a pirate site. Not only is it unethical, but the file quality is often poor—scanned poorly, missing pages, or riddled with ads and malware. It's just not worth the risk or the disrespect to the author. The legitimate preview systems are there for a reason. Use them and support the author if you enjoy the sample.

Why is this book so hard to find in audio? It feels like a major oversight. I ended up just borrowing the ebook from my library and using the text-to-speech function on my Kindle app during my commute. It's robotic, but you get used to it. Better than nothing while we all collectively will a proper narration into existence.

Subscription services are a gray area for this specific title. It's not on Kindle Unlimited, but it might be included in something like Scribd, which has a rotating catalog. Scribd offers a free trial month, so you could check if it's included during your trial. Their library changes, so it's hit or miss. Still, a free trial to a service is a legitimate way to read it for free if it's there. Just remember to cancel if you don't want to pay after the trial. Always read the terms.

Hmm, I think I started this one but put it down because the hero was too grumpy for me right off the bat. Maybe I didn't give it enough time to get to the redemption part. Everyone here makes the character growth sound really significant.

My book club argued about this for an hour. Half saw it as a beautiful metaphor for processing loss. The other half saw it as a problematic setup implying the dead aren’t at peace until they’ve fixed things for the living. I’m in the middle. I think it’s a story, not a manual. It plays with ideas, and the grief feels authentic enough to ground the wilder concepts.

Last thought from me: Don't stress. It's a widely available book. You will find it. Open the app store on your device, download Libby, and see what your library has. If that fails, download the Kindle app and buy it. Total time invested: maybe five minutes. The joy of digital reading is instant access; you'll be reading within minutes if you choose to purchase. Happy reading!