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. […]
Here we are, heading into the back end of the year with our regular monthly look at the books we’re most excited about reading over the coming weeks. As usual, this is just a small selection of the books released every month – we can’t include them all, so please drop by and let us know if you’re looking forward to something you think we should know about! 
A new book from Tessa Dare is obviously a big event for many romance fans, and the AAR staffers are no different, with many of us choosing The Governess Game as one of the titles we’re most looking forward to reading in August. In fact, we’re looking forward to quite a few historicals this month – Caroline Linden, Kerrigan Byrne and Virginia Heath all have new books coming out, Bec McMaster continues her Blue-Blood Conspiracy series and there’s a long-awaited new book from Susanna Kearsley, too.
