Kiss an Angel

Honestly, 0/10. No redeeming qualities.

This is not a romance, this is a psychological thriller with a really depressing ending. This screwed me up. There was nothing romantic from this. Just threats, emotional and verbal abuse, scare-tacts, and A LOT of manipulation. He did try to disguise the threats as him being “sarcastic” but like when you just meet someone you don't threaten them to mess with them and then tell them “wow I would never hurt you I can't believe you believed me.”

This hurt to read, and I suggest that you read the other one start reviews as well because they all capture what I'm trying to say. I kept hoping for the ending to get better but it really didn't. His “grand gesture” fell WAY short for me and I rolled my eyes and uttered a sound in disgust throughout all of it.

Also, the plotline with the animals was SO weird. If anything, it just goes to show how deeply messed up this girl is. I'm disturbed by this entire relationship. Felt sick reading this at points and it never got better.

Also, to keep it spoiler-free....I'll just leave it at this: The “secret” and his “past” was an ATROCITY TO EVERYTHING I STAND FOR. HOW DAREEEEEE THE AUTHOR GO THERE. HOW DAREEEE SHE. THE ROMANOVS DESERVE BETTER!!!!!!!! .

There are a few things I must preface this review with.

1. I read this book when I was way too young to read this book
2. For a long time, it was one of my favourite books
3. I reread it recently because it occurred to me that it probably hadn't aged well. I was right.

The hero is an abuser and a rapist. No matter how hard the book tries to rehabilitate him, and it does try hard, nothing can take away from his abuse or the rape. Also, if this were any other author, I would probably have given the book 1 star, but SEP was one of the authors that led me to read contemporary romance as a young teenage girl, and thus I am a bit biased. Also, no one writes banter quite like SEP.

However, the fact that I read this as a young teenager is the exact reason why books which romanticize abuse suck. Young impressionable people may pick them up and use them as a blueprint for a relationship. The very thought gives me nightmares. I may be saying this because I spent a lot of my younger years loving SEP, but I have to point out that this book was written in the 90s. It doesn't excuse the abusive content in the least but it makes me a smidge less ragey about it.

Running the plot of a few more SEP books through my mind, I am coming to terms with the fact that a lot of books I have considered favourites may sour on a reread.

I am realising that just as I had to give up on my OG historical romance faves, Julia Quinn and Lisa Kleypas, I might have to give up SEP, and that breaks my heart because I do love her banter.