Have you ever read so much good about a hero before you’ve ever read his book? That’s how it was for me and Alex Markov. You see, Holly is a huge fan of Alex’s and she thinks that he’s totally underrated and I didn’t know any better before but now I do.
And I agree with Holly.
I’m wondering why Alex isn’t more popular with all of the romance readers. I mean, yes, he was a total ass but you could see before the story actually took off that Alex was special. He was going to be a fanfrickintastic hero and he surely didn’t disappoint. He’s a frickin’ Romanov for crying out loud, how can you not love a man who comes from Russian royalty?
I think my favorite part of this story was watching Alex humble himself. When we first meet Alex, he’s so set in his ways that nothing and nobody would or could change his mind. He knew his own mind, he knew what he knew and that was that. He was a hard man, so strong and decent. He ran the circus with a fair hand and
people respected him. Alex was many things, strong, independent, a bit of a loner and very prideful. His pride was everything to him. It was really the only thing he had with him so he held on to that pride like a life shield and then one day he marries Max’s daughter and she turns his life upside down and shows him that being in love doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
To see Alex go from thinking and believing things like in this scene:
“I am what I am, Daisy. I don’t play games with anyone. Ever.”
“They were trying to do something nice. Would it have hurt you so much to go along with it?”
How could he explain it to her so she’d understand? “You grew up soft, Daisy, but I grew up rough.
Rougher than you can imagine. When you grow up like I did, you learn that you have to find something to hold on to that’ll always be there for you, something that keeps you from turning into an animal. For me, it was my pride. I don’t give that up. Not ever.”
“You can’t build your life around something like that. Pride isn’t as important as a lot of other things.”
“Like what?”
“Like . ..” She hesitated, as if she knew he wouldn’t like whatever she was about to say. “Like caring and compassion. Like love.”
He felt old and tired. “Love doesn’t exist for me.”
“It exists for everyone.”
“Not for me. Don’t try to romanticize me, Daisy. It’d only be a waste of time. I’ve learned to live by my own code. I try to be honest, and I try to be fair. That’s the only reason I’m overlooking your stunt with the cake. I know this is a hard adjustment for you, and I guess you’re doing the best you can. But don’t confuse fairness with sentiment. I’m not sentimental. All those soft emotions might work for other people, but they don’t work for me.”
To seeing him change into the strong and prideful man who would do anything for his one true love:
From inside, they heard Alex’s scornful voice, only slightly muffled by the nylon sides of the big top.
“You’re a businesswoman, Sheba. If you sell Sinjun to me I’ll make it worth your while. All you have to do is name your price.”
Both she and Brady stood rooted to the spot, knowing they should leave but unable to. Then Brady grasped her hand and pulled her into the shadows by the back door, where they couldn’t be seen but had a partial view of the center ring.
She saw Sheba stroke Alex’s arm. “It’s not your money I want. You should know that. It’s your pride.”
He pulled himself away, as if he couldn’t bear her touch. “What the hell does that mean?”
“If you want that tiger back, you’re going to have to beg me for him.”
“You go to hell.”
“The great Alex Markov is going to have to get on his knees and beg.”
“I’d die first.”
“You won’t do it?”
“Not in a million years.” He splayed his hands on his hips. “You can do whatever you want with that damned tiger, but I’m not getting on my knees for you or anybody.”
“I’m surprised. I guess I thought you’d do anything for that little simp. I should have known that you don’t really love her.” For a moment she looked up into the shadows of the rigging, then she returned her attention to him. “I suspected it all along, and I guess I should have followed my instincts. How could you love her? You’re too damned cold-hearted to love anybody.”
“You don’t know the first thing about the feelings I have for Daisy.”
“I know that you don’t love her enough to get on your knees and beg for her.” She regarded him smugly.
“So I win. I guess I win either way.”
“You’re crazy.”
“And you’re smart to refuse. I got on my knees once for love, and I don’t recommend it.”
“Jesus, Sheba. Don’t do this.”
Her voice lost its taunting quality. “I have to. Nobody humiliates Sheba Quest and gets away with it.
And either way, you’re going to be the loser today. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
“I’m sure.”
At that moment Daisy knew she’d lost Sinjun. Alex wasn’t put together like other men. He was held together by steel and grit and pride. If he demeaned himself, it would destroy the man he was. Bowing her head, she tried to turn away, but Brady blocked her path.
Alex spoke in tight, hard tones. “You know what the irony in all this is. Daisy’d do it. She wouldn’t even think twice about it.” He gave a rough bark of laughter that bore no trace of humor. “She’d be on her knees in a second because she’s got a heart beating inside her that’s strong enough to take on the world. She doesn’t care about honor or pride or anything else when the well-being of the creatures she loves is at stake.”
“So what?” Sheba sneered. “This isn’t about Daisy. It’s about you. What’s it going to be, Alex? Your pride or the tiger? Are you going to lay it all out for love, or are you going to hold on to everything that’s important to you?”
There was a long silence. Tears had begun to stream down Daisy’s face, and she knew she had to get away. She pulled back from Brady, then froze as she heard his angry sputter.
“That son of a bitch.”
She whirled back and saw Alex still standing in front of Sheba with his head high. But his knees were beginning to bend. Those mighty Romanov knees. Those proud Markov knees. Slowly, he sank down into the sawdust, but at the same time, she knew she had never seen him look more arrogant, more unyielding.
“Beg me,” Sheba whispered.
Alex Markov is the kind of hero that us romance readers love to read about. His journey is the kind of journey that us romance readers love. It’s why we read romance novels. His happy ending wasn’t easy to come by but it was well worth it in the end. When you first read this book, you’ll wonder why we chose Alex for this month’s Hero of the Month but by the end of the book, you’ll know. You’ll know exactly why we love him and why he deserves to be spotlighted. You’ll also fall madly in love with him and want one of your very own.
Alex was a hard man, one who didn’t suffer fools but he grew into a man who was all things good. His story was one story that I didn’t think I could ever possibly like or enjoy because I’m not a fan of the circus but he made this story for me. Alex caught and kept my attention throughout the entire story and I’m so very glad that I gave his book a chance, I’m glad that I gave him a chance because he was a great hero. He’s under appreciated but here at Book Binge, we love him all the same.
If you haven’t read KISS AN ANGEL, you definitely should. It is available from Avon. You can buy it here.