Kiss An Angel By Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Honestly, the only solid link is the familial one with Dean Robillard. It’s a classic romance author technique—giving secondary characters their own books. Daisy is a secondary character in Dean’s backstory, and he is a secondary character in hers.

Beyond that, any other connections are so minor they’re arguably debatable. Some readers imagine crossovers because they want a more unified series, but SEP’s books are largely standalone with occasional guest appearances. 'Kiss an Angel' has fewer of those cameos because its setting is so unique and insular.

The antagonist force is more internal and psychological. While there are external threats (the stepfather, the circus’s financial woes), the main villain is Alex’s own trauma and the walls he’s built. In other novels, antagonists are often ex-lovers, business rivals, or family interference.

Here, the battle is almost entirely within Alex’s mind. Daisy isn’t fighting another woman or a greedy developer; she’s fighting the ghost of Alex’s father and his own self-loathing. That makes the conflict more intimate and harder to resolve. You can’t have a showdown with a memory. The resolution has to come from a voluntary, painful internal surrender, which is a more complex narrative challenge than outsmarting an external foe.

For a practical answer: check the copyright page. It doesn't list a series number. That's the publisher's way of telling you it's a standalone. Any connections are cameos or easter eggs, not required reading. Let that official information ease your mind.

I’m always a sucker for a hero who falls first, even if he doesn’t admit it. Alex’s development is a slow-motion avalanche of realization. You see it in his actions long before he says a word—the way he starts anticipating her needs, the jealousy he can’t control, the sheer terror when she’s in danger. Phillips uses his point of view sparingly but powerfully, giving us glimpses of the turmoil beneath the stoic exterior. Daisy’s development is more external; she grows into her own person visibly. But Alex’s is this internal, seismic shift that finally cracks open.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The audiobook sample on Audible is a godsend. The narrator for 'Kiss an Angel', Anna Fields, is legendary in romance audio. Her performance adds so much nuance to the heroine's internal voice and the hero's gruff exterior. Listening to even the five-minute sample gives you a completely different dimension of the story compared to reading the text sample. If you're at all considering the audio format, do not skip that step. It might convince you to go audio instead of ebook.