Laura Marie Altom
Kissing Frogs (2004)
Author: Laura Marie Altom
Genre: Romance (Fantasy)
Plot Summary:
Lucy Gordon lives in the shadow of her father’s success as a world-renowned biologist. Her dream: to discover a new species of frog. As luck would have it, while driving home one day she swerves to miss a frog hopping across the road. She gets out of her car to investigate, and, lo and behold, it is a species of frog she has never seen before. She is so elated that she kisses the frog and, poof!, it turns into a naked warrior prince. This is not good news. At first, she’s unsure if what happened really happened, but she takes in the naked hunk of a man nonetheless. This immediately begins to cause problems as she expects to marry the local duke and retire to a life of luxury. One problem: this strange man who claims to have been turned into a frog by a jealous sorceress over 500 years earlier is beginning to grow on her. SPOILER: She slowly begins to believes the prince’s tale, but is equally tempted by the idea that if she does not confess her love for him, that he will revert to frog form forever and she will have her biological prize…and the Duke’s love. In the end, she, of course, realizes that she has fallen in love with the prince. All turns out well as the prince has hoards of riches stashed all over the countryside.
Geographical Setting: English countryside, London
Time Period: Modern day (2004)
Appeal Characteristics:
While this fits the classic romance mold, the story’s main appeal elements are the fantastical story and the humor with which Altom tells it. There are some rather steamy sex scenes, but these are few and the focus of the tale is on Lucy’s dilemma. The plot moves along quickly though I did grow tired of the drawn-out courtship. The humor is aided by the inclusion of a nosy neighbor and the antics involved in hiding the prince from the Duke. The countryside setting is nice, but Altom’s strength lies in her tale, not her mastery of (or should I say, lack thereof) English history. This would definitely appeal to those who like a bit of fantasy mixed in with their romance. It is very humorous and tongue-in-cheek.
Read-alikes: Altom has written four other novels: Babies and Badges, Blind Luck Bride, Inherited: One Baby!, and Sleep Tight. One might also try Cheryl Stirling’s What Do You Say to a Naked Elf? or MaryJanice Davidson’s Derek’s Bane.
Red Flags: While not exactly “hardcore”, there are graphic descriptions of foreplay and fornication.
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