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A Kiss at Midnight [Kindle Edition]

Eloisa James
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $5.99
Kindle Price: $4.74 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: $1.25 (21%)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers

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Book Description

“Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love.”
New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn

 

“Romance writing does not get much better than this.”
People

The Cinderella story moves to Regency England—with more than a few twists and turns along the way! With A Kiss at Midnight, the remarkable Eloisa James spins a delicious tale involving a carriage, a godmother, a pair of rats…and a beauty with no interest whatsoever in getting married—and certainly not to a prince! Read A Kiss at Midnight and see why New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas says, “Eloisa James is extraordinary.”


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Well-known for tales of dukes and duchesses, James (A Duke of Her Own) upgrades to the handsome prince in this delectable Regency reimagining of the Cinderella story. Miss Katherine Daltry, on the shelf at 23, manages the household of her ungrateful stepmother and silly stepsister, who inherited all of her father's estate. Kate is thrust from the cinders to the spotlight when her stepsister needs a stand-in for a betrothal ball at Pomeroy Castle. Gabriel, youngest princeling of the duchy of Warl-Marburg-Baalsfeld, needs a rich wife to support his archeology habit; Kate is, of course, manifestly unsuitable. Eccentric turns from Professor Biggitstiff, a pickle-eating dog, and an irrepressible godmother spin a candy floss comic romp around a core of heartache. James's deft touch allows the characters to shine through genuinely witty dialogue and an uncluttered plot.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

Miss Kate Daltry doesn’t believe in fairy tales . . .or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he’s anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancée, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn’t love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.


Product Details

  • File Size: 678 KB
  • Print Length: 385 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0749956917
  • Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (July 27, 2010)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B003P2WOJ0
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,358 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. tjarch  |  20 reviewers made a similar statement
I didn't like the characters and just felt that everything was a bit flat. L. Lee  |  14 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A funny, farcical, fractured fairy tale. July 29, 2010
Format:Mass Market Paperback
It's obvious from the reading of it, but Eloisa James also lets us know in her Historical Notes at the end, that this is NOT historical fiction. It's just delightful fiction. She's free and easy with language (it's full of modernisms) and has written a wickedly funny take on the Cinderella story. Not much depth to it, it's just pure entertainment with LOL moments, crazy characters (including various animals of different species), absurd situations and witty, zany dialogue. James has always been a wordsmith, so the way she writes is even more to be admired than the plots she contrives.

As for this plot, no need to talk about it. We're all familiar with Cinderella's story. Here we have our Cinderella (Miss Kate Daltry), wicked stepmother (Mrs. Mariana Daltry), not-wicked-at-all stepsister (Victoria Daltry), somewhat charming prince (Prince Gabriel Albrecht-Frederick William von Aschenberg of Warl-Marburg-Baalsfeld), godmother not-of-the-fairy-variety (Henrietta, Lady Wrothe), glass slippers (not of glass but rather of a transparent stiffened taffeta), a ball which will be left at midnight, and, of course, the HEA required of all fairy tales. It's a truly fun read (charming, one might even say).
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars It was okay... August 13, 2010
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I think is the first Eloisa James books I've read [can't be totally sure, since I read a lot of romance novels] but this book wouldn't have me wanting to read another by the author.

Halfway through the book I found myself thinking, "I don't think I really like this book." And I was trying to figure out why, and I don't think i really buy the attraction between Kate and Gabriel or this great passion they're supposed to share.

I gave it three stars, because the last half of the book is a lot better than the first half. Although when the hero and heroine finally make love, there's a real sleazy feel about it, with him spending time with his future wife, while slipping upstairs to cop a feel of his future lover. Might have been better if they had gotten together before the future wife showed up. It was hard to get into their passion when I thought about the innocent future bride down stairs waiting for him. Left a real bad taste in my mouth.

It has a nice romantic ending. Just wished I'd enjoyed the journey to that happy ending more.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars humorous August 29, 2010
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very light, humorous book. It is a Cinderella-type story. Katherine Daltry, a twenty-three-year-old "spinster" and orphan, resides with and caters to (serving as land steward) her horrid, greedy stepmother and daft stepsister. She, of course, has no fancy clothes or trifles as all her father's money was left to the stepmother, who is using said funds to sponsor her weeping daughter and marry her off to a viscount (this viscount happens to be a distant cousin to our prince, and for one reason or other, needs the prince's approval to wed his chosen bride).

Gabriel is our prince - but a second son, not a crown prince. Gabriel's brother, who has thoroughly embraced religion, has exiled all the "oddities" of his duchy to Pomeroy Castle in England. So, Gabriel, who is an "amateur" archeologist, finds himself needing to support a menagerie of peculiar relatives, exotic animals, and everything else in between. And in order for him to accomplish this task, he needs a rich wife, who has already been chosen for him by his brother and is expected to arrive any moment from Russia.

The preliminaries aside, the love story begins when Kate finds herself posing as her sister - for farcical reasons I choose not to reveal - at Pomeroy Castle, awaiting Gabriel's approval of her as his cousin's wife. Kate and her "fiancé" have been invited to join the festivities preceding Gabriel's betrothal ball. And this is where all the fun begins. The interaction between the two main characters was so refreshing, as is the interaction with the secondary characters, especially the "magical" godmother - humorous to say the least.

Kate is a very likable, sincere heroine with a joyous look on life. It is not every day one reads a romance novel where the heroine is capable of discussing that she has padded (or shall I say wax increased) her breasts. She cares for her estate and the tenants residing there, but is at that point in her life where she feels she deserves better. Gabriel is not your typical rake who goes through women like tissues. He is a very honorable man; he takes his responsibilities seriously; he genuinely wants to take care of his "bequeathed" menagerie and pursue his archeological interests.

Now, there are the typical "devil," "predator," "lethal grace," comparisons when describing Gabriel, but they do not distract; yet, how I wish the male protagonist's attributes were portrayed differently, but perhaps that would stray too much from the romance genre - enough digressing.

The sexual attraction in this novel was well developed and could be felt. The sex scene/scenes (I believe there was just one or two) however lacked the sizzle that I like - but that is a personal preference, and it may not bother you. The relationship between the two protagonists wasn't much of a relationship, but a brief affair that led to happily-ever-after; but in all fairness, it does adhere to the Cinderella theme does it not? One dance at a ball, one lost shoe, and Cinderella is wed.
There are two things I did not enjoy about the novel. The first - when the one or two sex scenes were taking place, the prince's intended bride was just down stairs. What the two characters were doing felt like cheating to me simply because neither one of them was/is malicious in nature, and something of this sort would go against their morals. The second part I did not enjoy - the ending. The prince built a funeral pyre, declaring that he would throw himself on those flames if he could not have Kate. Although said pyre references the discussion of the mythological Dido held between the two characters in the novel, this act was way over the top for me. I like romance but something this dramatic just does not appeal to me.

I really recommend this book, especially if you are looking for a light romance novel to read and laugh and cry along with.

P.S. There are glass slippers here too!!!
original on romancecritic
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Modern day Cinderella story
This story was the modern day Cinderella story. But the Prince gave me a bad taste in my mouth. He loved her but didn't want to fight for her. But it had a wonderful ending
Published 13 days ago by kenisha eversley
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
I loved this book. I could not put it down. The story line was very interesting. I had to read it agian.
Published 18 days ago by Stacy McDowell
4.0 out of 5 stars And glass slippers too......
Not my favorite of Eloisas. I loved the Cinderella theme. And I loved the love story. But it seemed to be a little monotone for too much of the story. Cute characters. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lisa Hutson
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
This book is very witty, full of fun, as well as heartbreaks. A good read if you like English historical novels. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Linda Gennaro
3.0 out of 5 stars good read
It was a great story with humor in it. It seemed like the end came too quickly. I don't want to give it away but I thought the prince should have been more apologetic. Read more
Published 2 months ago by nicole
4.0 out of 5 stars A Kiss at Midnight
Loved it!

Almost like Cinderella, loved the concept. The story line was easy to follow. I could feel what Kate was feeling and how hard it was for Gabriel. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Janie_tx
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it more than the typical Cinderella
A great take on Cinderella! The story was very entertaining, as well as the characters! The perfect fairy tale! It's impossible to not love these characters.
Published 2 months ago by Heathermac
5.0 out of 5 stars great fairy tale
I loved this story and When Beauty Tamed the Beast. Such great new stories of the versions of the disney fairy tales. Loved them.
Published 2 months ago by Stormie L. Sandhu
5.0 out of 5 stars A deliciously wonderful fairy tale that I couldn't put down!
I love reading books by this author! I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. All I can say is if you believe in fairy tales and want a happily ever after you... Read more
Published 2 months ago by tjarch
4.0 out of 5 stars Fairy Tale
At first this book was really hard to get into, I guess because it felt so predictable. Or maybe I'm burnt out on Historical Romance. Read more
Published 2 months ago by jenkins
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More About the Author

A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Eloisa wrote her first novel after graduating from Harvard, but alas, it was rejected by every possible publisher. After she got an M.Phil. from Oxford, a Ph.D. from Yale, and a job as a Shakespeare professor, she tried again, with much greater success. Currently she teaches Shakespeare in the English Department at Fordham University in New York City. She's also the mother of two children and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

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lovin historical romance's
Ask this question at the Romance Forum and you'll get alot of feedback.
Jun 13, 2010 by LuvGirl |  See all 4 posts
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