Kissing Frogs
Kissing Frogs by Laura Marie Altom is the story Lucy Gordon a would be biologist who is determined to match up to the standards of her father. The book is set in the not too distant future where frogs hold the secrets of health in a world which is going rather downhill.
After being humiliated and reduced to a teaching post Lucy thinks her chance has gone until the day she nearly runs over an unknown species of frog on a country lane. Delighted to find the creature she plants a kiss on its lips and he vanishes.
In his place is Prince Wolfe who has been trapped in the body of a frog for a thousand years. With only one shot at escaping the curse he must convince Lucy to fall in love with him before the next full moon. If she does he remains a man and can carry on his life, if not he turns back into a frog for all eternity.
Lucy however has no intention of falling for Wolfe no matter how attracted she is to him. She has set her sites on a local Duke who is perfect for her and him combined with her dazzling new career will make her life complete. All she needs is for Wolfe to keep his distance until the next full moon so that she can have the frog back.
Now this story had a lot of potential for fun but unfortunately it was very disappointing.
Wolfe is described as a medieval bad-boy prince. The word chauvinist springs to mind. Now of course we all make exceptions for heroes from the past who find themselves in the present day. But Wolfe is the worst of his kind and seems to be suffering from some form of schizophrenia. For he goes from one extreme to the other, he comes out with some of the worst ideas for his ideas of what women should do but then takes over all of Lucy's housework for her without even asking.
Lucy meanwhile falls into the category of selfish heroine who needs to good shake. The fact that she would be making her career at the expense of Wolfe's life does occur to her, time after time it occurs to her, but each and every time she thinks of this she rationalises that who is she to break the curse? Despite the fact that she is getting to know Wolfe and falling for him she still considers letting him turn back into a frog.
Meanwhile her Duke is, while not quite oblivious to everything that is going on, constantly lied to by Lucy who spins him one ridiculous tale after another to explain away what is going on.
Usually when there is one selfish character then the other one usually makes up for things. Unfortunately whilst Wolfe is certainly the more likeable of the two characters he, as described above, also seems to have some personality problems. At the end of the book though my sympathies were certainly with him and all I can say is that if, in 1000 years, Lucy is the best shot he can find at breaking the curse then there is little hope for his cousin.
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