The Kissing Game [Mass Market Paperback]

Kasey Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

Lady Allegra has made handling unpredictable situations and people an art form, particularly since her father, Oxie Nesbitt, is one of the greatest practical jokers in all of England. For the sinfully handsome and wickedly witty Armand, who loves to observe the world around him, Ally and her outrageous father prove to be too irresistible. He forms a fast friendship with them, enjoying Oxie's pranks and often helping Ally to get him out of his predicaments. But soon both have more than friendship on their minds, in spite of the danger their feelings for one another might bring. When one of Oxie's pranks backfires, and three men are dispatched to take care of him, only Armand and ally can save him--if they put aside their fears of losing themselves to each other.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Practical jokers looking to hone their skills for April Fools' day should check out this heartwarming and hilarious Regency-era romance. Michaels's effervescent lark draws readers into the wacky world of the Nesbitts, a poor country family that unexpectedly inherits a title and a huge sum of money when a distant relation dies. Despite the family's elevated status, society still looks down on them, but pert, plain-spoken Allegra Nesbitt couldn't care less-until her prankster father, Oxie, hauls the family to London to find her a husband. Convinced the trip is just another one of Oxie's pranks, Allegra vows to turn the tables on him by finding a man who will pretend to be her beau. She chooses the sinfully rich Armand Gauthier, whose enigmatic past and mischievous streak make him a perfect accomplice as well as a potential amour. In return for Armand's cooperation, Allegra agrees to instruct him on the finer points of pranking, but their teasing banter will elicit more laughs than their simple scams. Oxie's pranks, however, quickly land him in trouble and make for a pleasantly unconventional denouement. Though Allegra can talk readers into a stupor at times, the chemistry between her and Armand crackles, and readers will bask in the warmth of their every encounter.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Lady Allegra Nesbitt, an iconoclast, is appalled when her father, Oxie, tells her they're going to London to find her a husband, then, when they arrive, they're shunned. Five years earlier when her father inherited the title of earl, her parents went to London to take their place amongst the ton, but Regency society was contemptuous of Oxie's elaborate jokes and her mother's country manners. Now no one welcomes them except their neighbor, Armand Gauthier, a man with a mysterious past and a secret agenda, which seems to be jeopardized when he spots Allegra at the bubbling fountain in front of her house. She intrigues him, and he contrives to meet and help her, knowing how important connections are for entering society, but Allegra is reluctant as she values freedom above social standing. As they delve into each other's lives, they find they have more in common than mere attraction. This is a truly delightful romp with enough plot twists to pay homage to Gilbert and Sullivan. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Forever (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446610852
• ISBN-13: 978-0446610858
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing Light Read, April 7, 2003

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kissing Game (Mass Market Paperback)

Lady Allegra Nesbitt, daughter of the Earl of Sunderland - or more correctly the daughter of the supreme prankster - Oxie Nesbitt had come to London after a five year absence in which it was hoped that the ton would have forgotten some of Oxie's more outrageous pranks. It was to be Allegra's come out and chance to find herself a suitable husband. Unfortunately, five years would not be enough time for the ton to have forgotten the outrageous pranks that her father had pulled.

Plain speaking Allegra, knew that she would never be invited or accepted but would do what she could make the best of the situation. Making the acquaintance of the next-door neighbor, the mysterious, rich and very handsome Armand Gauthier, Allegra enlists his aid in helping her to get through the season, unscathed and play a major prank on her father to teach him a lesson! Armand's attraction to Allegra heats up as they became allies in creating a prank to get back at Oxie - that is until Oxie himself creates a situation that puts Allegra in danger!

This was such a cute story, the dialogs were very amusing and it was a really funny book to read. The plot was different for a historical romance novel and I would categorize this more as a romantic comedy than a historical romance. The secondary characters, especially Oxie, were a hoot - very fast paced and enjoyable read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars an entertaining 2 1/2 star read, March 1, 2003

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kissing Game (Mass Market Paperback)

I think that you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy "The Kissing Game" so that you can overlook the heroine's (Lady Allegra) tendency to talk nonstop, actually enjoy the pranks that her father, Oxie, the Earl of Sunderland plays, and overlook certain plot niggles -- like fairly modern language and Lady Allegra's tendency to behave as if she were living in the 21st century. Otherwise, I'm fairly certain that most readers would find "The Kissing Game" be a fairly entertaining read.

Lady Allegra Nesbitt is fit to be tied! Her practical joker of a father has decided to take the family to London (along with her pill of a cousin, Elizabeth) so that Lady Allegra can make her bows and catch herself a husband. And Lady Allegra is not happy at all. She wants to return to the country post haste. No, wait: she wants to have fun and adventure after adventure -- not marry a stuffy husband who will no doubt turn up his nose at her father's odd ways and her mother's shy country manners. (Also, she fairly certain that the London ton will turn their backs on the Nesbitts and she'd like to spare her mother that humiliation.) Except that the ton doesn't exactly turn their backs on the Nesbitts, esp after their mysterious and enigmatic neighbour, Armand Gauthier (who has fallen for Lady Allegra's good looks and lively ways) decides to sponsor Lady Allegra into Society. Will the Nesbitt girls actually 'take' because of Gauthier's sponsorship? Will the eligible bachelors of the ton line up to press for Lady Allegra's hand in marriage? Not if Lady Allegra can help it! And she comes up with a plan: she will get Gauthier to agree to a pretend courtship so that she can keep her parents happy for a while and extricate herself from the relationship with ease at the Season's end. But all good plans usually have some hiccup or the other, and Lady Allegra's seems to be that she suddenly finds herself being perilously attracted to the mysterious and secretive Gauthier. What should she do? Stick to her original plan or see if she can actually nab this maddening gentleman for herself?

As I noted, you really have to be in the right frame of mind to totally surrender yourself to enjoying and accepting what occur and unfolds in this novel. I obviously was not. I, kept wanting to have a 'real' conversation with Lady Allegra where I'd get her to explain how she expected to find a gentleman she'd fall passionately in love with, who would allow her to have adventures, and who wouldn't turn up his nose at her parents, deep in the countryside? I also wanted to know why someone who deplored but accepted her father's love of playing tricks on everyone (even his long-suffering wife) at the beginning of the book would feel the need to do likewise a few chapters later? And why she was always bemoaning her cousin's tendency to talk all the time when she obviously suffered from the same trait?

And then there was Lady Allegra's incredibly 21st century bahaviour. Why is it that so few people see that there is a difference between spirited 19th century manners and a very feisty 21st century attitude? I don't think I'm being unreasonably difficult here. I just want the HISTORICAL romance novel I'm reading to have a little more historical accuracy to it than clothing. And then there was the epilogue. Without giving too much away I will say that I was rather turned off by the Earl of Sunderland's decision to emigrate to New Orleans. The whole notion of being a responsible landlord and actually using his seat at the House of Lords to do some good never really occurs to him. There's a whole lot more to having a title than just attending balls and using your status to getting things your way. Unfortunately, the earl didn't seem to understand this. (Yes, I know that this is a romance novel and that's supposed to be part fantasy and that I shouldn't find fault with EVERYTHING under the sun) On the plus side, however, the novel did unfold smoothly and was a fairly entertaining read. My opinion: enjoy this novel for it's entertainment value; but if you're looking for something with a little substance to it, try something else.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lively romance! Highly recommended, April 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kissing Game (Mass Market Paperback)

When he first came into earldom by way of a complicated chain of inheritances and deaths, Oxie Nesbit took his family to London. Years of gentile poverty little prepared the Nesbit family for living in the lap of luxury. Worse, the plain spoken Oxie played pranks on too many members of the ton, making the trip a fiasco. With his daughter Allegra rapidly approaching nineteen, Oxie decides to return to London to find his daughter a husband. While Allegra had believed the trip to be a joke, the joke is on her when Oxie excorts his family to London.

Armand Gauthier keeps dark secrets that engender speculation as to the source of his wealth and parentage. With a Viscount's introduction, Armand comfortably escoungaged himself into Society, and after meeting Allegra, decides to perform the same favor for her. With no invitations on her family's mantel, Allegra must accept the invitation to Armand's ball. Moreover, Allegra cannot resist prying to Armand's secrets even as her father continues to make memebers of the ton rue the day he arrived in town.

Author Kasey Michaels lends irrepressible humor to THE KISSING GAME. Prankster Oxie lends the novel an original freshness with his outrageous antics. Allegra and Armand suit one another wonderfully with their shared need to escape the demands of Society. Allegra's forthright speech and practical view of her father will delight readers even as Armand will leave them intrigued by his dark secrets. A lovely, light read that captures the spirit of the era with flair, THE KISSING GAME comes highly recommended.