The Way Back on Wednesday: Alex Markov: Dreamboat or Douchebag?

(originally published on June 3, 2016) 

In another of our occasional series in which we discuss the merits – or lack thereof – of fictional heroes and heroines, AAR staffers turn their attention to Alex Markov of Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Kiss An Angel taps into the classic “arranged marriage” trope. The two protagonists, Daisy and Alex, are blackmailed into marriage by a third party: Daisy’s dad. Daisy agrees in order to avert legal trouble and avoid prison. For Alex Markov, this was his year for paying off big debts, first with his deathbed promise to Owen Quest to take the circus out for its last season under the Quest name, and then by agreeing to marry Max’s daughter. In all these years Max had never asked anything of him as repayment for having saved Alex’s life, but when he’d finally gotten around to it, he’d asked for a doozy. […]

By |2021-09-09T09:04:41-04:00September 8th, 2021|Categories: Anne AAR, Caroline AAR, Characters, Dabney AAR, Dreamboat or Douchebag, Haley AAR, Heroes, LinnieGayl AAR, Maggie AAR, Mary AAR|Tags: , , , |32 Comments
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Are billionaires the new dukes? Or do we hate both these days?

According to Wikipedia, there are around 2700 or so billionaires in the world. Several of them are determined, after mastering our world, to take their empires to other worlds. Many a critic has said, good, get lost, we don’t need no stinking uber uber uber rich guys. Here at AAR, however, we’re slightly positive about romances featuring billionaires. Of the 24 books we’ve reviewed with billionaire in the title, two have been DIKs, fourteen have gotten Bs, six have gotten Cs, and two have gotten Ds. […]

By |2021-07-18T11:32:39-04:00July 19th, 2021|Categories: Dabney AAR|Tags: , |55 Comments
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What holidays do you love to celebrate? And happy 4th of July!

I read an interesting–and to me, depressing–article in the New York Times yesterday about how the American flag itself is now considered by many a partisan symbol. The same is true for the 4th of July, one of this country’s most beloved holidays. Where I live, there is intense disagreement over how to celebrate the founding of our nation, at least on the part of policy makers.

I’ve always loved the 4th although now that my kids are grown I no longer make this cake. […]

By |2021-07-04T13:09:05-04:00July 4th, 2021|Categories: Dabney AAR, Real Life|Tags: |10 Comments
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A Retro Write: Yes We Can! Our favorite Activist Heroines

originally published on February 3, 2017

Women have a long history of standing up for their beliefs, and there are great romance novels starring heroines doing just that. American and British suffragettes (or suffragists), Civil Rights activists, lawyers, writers, organizers, and military rebels – you’ll find all of them here, and more. Let these ladies inspire you to fight for your beliefs, whatever they happen to be.

Caroline Russomanno:

Erica Johnson – Unfinished Business by Karyn Langhorne

Erica, a teacher, is tired of seeing funding diverted away from the neediest and most vulnerable. She protests at the hero’s (a Southern Republican senator’s) press conference and is dragged out by police. This book is set during the W. Bush administration and Erica is a strong reminder that black activists have been working continuously, even when out of the […]

By |2021-06-19T10:14:33-04:00June 19th, 2021|Categories: AAR Shannon, Caroline AAR, Dabney AAR, Heroines, Keira Soleore, Kristen D, Maggie AAR, Romance reading|Tags: , , , , |19 Comments
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the ask@AAR: What was the first romance novel you read?

While the first romance that ever really registered with me is Sweet, Savage Love (and I attribute that to it being the first book in which the sex was varied and, for the time, explicit), the first romance novel I read was–and I have no idea which–one of Barbara Cartland’s 723 books.

I read hundreds of Cartland’s books and they all blend together now in my head. There’s always a lovely young virginal woman, an older slightly rakish and devastatingly handsome hero, a villain who wants bad things to happen, a scene in a carriage, and at least one kiss that renders our heroine into a proverbial butter pat. […]

By |2021-06-14T09:16:20-04:00June 11th, 2021|Categories: Dabney AAR, Romance reading, the ask @AAR|Tags: , , , |118 Comments
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Desperately Seeking Non-Fiction Written by Women

Confession: I don’t read non-fiction. BUT. Everyone in my family are fanatical nonfiction readers and, as I look at the books they’re reading, I realize almost all the authors are male. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

That said, I’d like to start–gently, of course–suggesting some tomes by female authors. What do you love? These books can be about anything!

Happy Monday!

By |2021-06-06T13:18:18-04:00June 7th, 2021|Categories: Dabney AAR|42 Comments
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What would you take to a Desert Island. NO CHEATING!

OK, the ship you were on sank and you and the island partner of your dreams managed to make it safely to a remote island with no hope of immediate rescue. However, when you were jumping into the only raft that made it–with aforementioned castaway hottie–you were able to grab ONE book, ONE album, and ONE movie. (Fortunately, your raft had a generator, a CD player, and a TV with built in DVD player on it. WORK WITH ME PEOPLE!)

What would you take? Why? And no damn collected works or box sets allowed! […]

By |2021-05-25T11:58:05-04:00May 26th, 2021|Categories: Dabney AAR, Romance reading|55 Comments
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