Customer Reviews

The Kissing Game

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

"OXIEEEEEEE!" Lady Nesbitt's scream echoes into the night. The Earl of Sutherland, Oxie Nesbitt's prank had been discovered and he chuckled at the sight of his beloved yet flabbergasted wife. After becoming earl and swooping down on society and the ton like a bunch of one-winged albatrosses the Nesbitt family retreated back to their country home with prestigious titles and a few more servants.

However, Oxie had tired out his village with his pranks. The victims not longer gave him the satisfaction of becoming upset when he put their milk cow on the roof. Thus he pulled the ultimate prank on his family: they would return to London and pop off their daughter, Allegra, or Ally. Lady Nesbitt hide in her room for a month before the trip praying it wasn't true.

Once in London, Ally rediscovers the rudeness and diabolical ways of Society. She will not let herself act in the ways of a silly debutante and when the family receives a ball invitation after weeks of society's neglect; she goes to investigate.

Enter Armand Gauthier, a dashingly handsome man-aren't they always-with an air of mystery about his origin that no one can figure out. Bewitched by Ally's beauty when passing by her estate in London, he arranges a ball to meet the girl and introduce her to society. When the two butt heads, Gauthier finds out he perhaps will lose a little more than society's favor, he may lose his heart to her.

More intrigue evolves when Ally's handmaiden seems to know a lot about Gauthier and vice versa. One night Ally finds her dying her hair black, to hide a brilliant color not gray hairs. And all the while, Ally spends more and more time with Gauthier, attempting to pull a prank on her father, Oxie; that she has found a man. Oxie recognizes her game but is too busy pulling his own pranks on the old schoolmates who snubbed his famiy with their lack of invitations. The trouble comes when the mates have apparently lost a lot of money and their sense of humor . . .

Kasey Michaels takes what would have been a typical historical romance and breathes humor and life into it through Oxie Nesbitt. By far, the best parts of the novels-the ones that make you laugh out loud-are the mischievious happenings of the Nesbitts. Believe me, I'd let you borrow my copy but my boyfriend is halfway through it. . . .

Lady Allegra Nesbitt's father, Oxie, is notorious for playing harmless pranks on the ton. She finds his jokes to be a humorous diversion that provides countless hours of entertainment. But she didn't count on him to use her in his latest adventure that involved devising a plan that would bring her to London to find a worthy husband. Such a prospect does not hold any appeal. Will she find herself the butt of his joke?

Armand Gautier is amongst the ton's exclusive inner circle. His small fortune allows him the freedom to roam amongst the rich and famous of London's elite society. Few knew of his relentless search to find the owner of a mysterious handkerchief that he always kept close at hand. Can the identity of the person reveal a secret that will release his heart?

Armand finds himself fascinated with his neighbors, the Nesbitt's. Allegra's alluring eyes calls out to his troubled soul. Will he be the one caught up in the quest to find her a husband? Or will the prank backfire and result in deadly consequences?

Kasey Michael writes the type of novel that is to be savored with hot chocolate by a crackling open fireplace. This heart-rending romance will provide the spark need to weather any cold evening. Such enchanting novels as this one have restored my faith in historical romance.

Five years ago, the Oxies left the country for a season in London as befit their newly acquired earldom. However, the Ton never felt the Earl's continuous pranks were amusing and his wife's reception was even colder as she was dubbed the "Bumpkin Countess". Scorned by everyone on their first trek into high society, their daughter Allegra is shocked when Oxie decides to return to London for her to have a season.

In London their next door neighbor is the mysterious but accepted Armand Gauthier who decides he needs a wife. When he sees Allegra near a fountain filled with bubbly, he feels she may be the right one for him. He invites them to a ball he just decides to throw. Even he is shocked by the honesty Allegra displays towards him and others as she questions his motives while falling in love with her host.

This is an amusing Regency romance that contains the typical relationship between the young couple, but freshened up by Oxie. When the well-written story line focuses on the lead duo it is similar to many other sub-genre novels. When the plot centers on the not a couch potato Oxie and his cohorts pulling a caper readers will enjoy his thumping the Ton antics as the original Merry Prankster.

Harriet Klausner

It seems to be the bane of my reviewing existence that I read different books than everyone else. I still have not figured out how I can come away from a book with such a completely different experience than so many others. Then I find myself reading reviews that seem completely bizarre.

First, as is my way, I skip the retelling of the plot (although so many reviewers managed to flub it, that I could be making a mistake with that).

Secondly, I'm trying to figure out what part of the dialogue or book itself was anachronistic. There were no 20-21st century phrases or opinions. Just an outspoken heroine who did not use stilted speech and act as a simpering, TSTL ("too stupid to live" for those of you uninitiated), stereotypical "romance" genre heroine. I have yet to determine how a winy, helpless, hapless woman could be appealing to read about -- most of the time I read books in spite of "heroines" like that; in this case I found a heroine that I could truly embrace.

Thirdly, yes, fine, the "mystery" wasn't very deep or intriguing. Thank God! How nice it is to finally read a book where the story is just about the characters! And characters that are fun and unique! How frustrating it becomes to read stories that rely solely on the stereotypical romance "plots" -- and how entertaining it is to read a book that doesn't rely on any of them! There's no "big misunderstanding", there's no great "conflict" between the hero and heroine. There's no need for the hero to "rescue" the heroine from some deranged villain bent on raping her. Instead, you had a story that was fun, light, and entertaining from beginning to end. You had characters (main and secondary) who were smart, clever and genuinely witty.

Ally is a confident and self-assured young woman. She's not "afraid" of getting married, or unwilling to. She's loyal to her family and unwilling to consider marriage to anyone who will look down on them. She wasn't "expecting" to find love buried out in the country -- she just wasn't going to spend the time in London searching for it.

Armand is confident as well, but he feels a fraud. In a way, he is. His boredom with the act, the face he has to put on for society, has led him to embrace the outlook that Ally shares. Seeing the starchy, straight laced, uppity, self-important tonnish people reduced to victims of a prank, humbled to simply any other fool, feeds his need to separate himself from those who would reject him if not for his image.

Beyond the two of them, however, is the cast of supporting characters who are just as different. Oxie the youthful prankster (more child than parent), Bones the depressing and lamenting man still stuck in leading strings, Letty the worldly but morally upright chaperone, and Elizabeth the jealous cousin who was raised to be the Earl's daughter (whose lifestyle was swiped out from under her). Each one is fully developed, each person's history is rich and colorful. More than that, though, each character is supportive and good in their own way.

Yeah, there was a villain. Yeah there was a mystery. Yeah, there was a kind of hokey happily ever after. Sorry that the one reviewer (who felt a need to add spoilers, no less) didn't feel that Armand did enough, but given his and Ally's needs, and their access to people who were raised for the positions, it seems to me that they did a heck of a lot more than balls and parties, without having to be the same as every other dissipated and immoral member of the ton.

I guess if your idea of a "good" romance novel is someone like, say... Catherine Coulter and her horrible "Sherbrooke" series, then yes, this book may not be your ideal read. If, however, you can recognize excellent writing and a story-line that doesn't rely on cliches, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this book.

I almost didn't read this book because of some of the negative reviews. I'm so glad I read it anyway. I enjoyed "Someone to Love", so I thought I would try the Kissing Game. I actually prefer the Kissing Game. The first two chapters didn't do anything for me. Too many characters introduced too quickly and it confused me. To be fair, I was also really tired when I started reading this book. But as soon as Armand is introduced, the story starts to pick up. For me, the story REALLY gets good in the last 1/4 of the book. I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding Armand's past, but my favorite part of the book was the dialogue between Ally and Armand. Their conversations had me laughing out loud. This book probably isn't for everybody, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and highly recommend it if you're looking for a fun, light-hearted Regency romp with wonderful likable characters.

I found this book to be amusing and funny. It is a very easy read and I found myself wishing that I could be as open and honest as Allegra. I admit the plot could use some work and things magiclly resolve themselves without much effort, but all in all it was easy and funny.

Michaels can be quite amusing....or she can merely attempt to be amusing. This book is more the latter. It's rather a matter of overkill; she tries too hard. Sometimes it's funny, but it's more often boring, predictable, or silly (in a bad way). Armand's okay; Allegra is sometimes intriguing and sometimes an annoyance. There's nothing new here -- the same old characters and plots, with the exception of Oxie and his pranks, and they are not that amusing.

There's not much to like; I had to force myself to finish. Maybe 2 stars is too generous. I'm not sure I'll be able to get through another Michaels books, but I'm tossing this one immediately.