A Kiss at Midnight [Mass Market Paperback]

Eloisa James (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 27, 2010

“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.
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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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061626848
• ISBN-13: 978-0061626845
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#6 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#7 in Books > Romance > Historical

#48 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#53 in Books > Romance

#6 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#7 in Books > Romance > Historical

#48 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#53 in Books > Romance

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A funny, farcical, fractured fairy tale. July 29, 2010

By Old Latin teacher TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

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).

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It was okay... August 13, 2010

By ghsoapster

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.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars humorous August 29, 2010

By romancecritic

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 Read more ›

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't feel like love to me August 13, 2010

By Penny

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I had a really hard time believing the romance between our hero and heroine. Their interactions never inspired any type of true feeling for either of the characters. I did really enjoy the godmother; she was large and in charge. I also had trouble accepting that most people would not be able to tell the difference between the stepsisters because of a wig and wax breasts.

All-in-all I don't believe the book was poorly written, it just didn't make me "connect" to the characters.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars UGH! April 8, 2011

By LuvGirl

Format:Mass Market Paperback

2.5 stars. Here I was enjoying this book and excepting the fact that the heroine was not as pretty as she use to be since her life became harder after her father past away, but it was rubbed in my face so many times that it got on my last nerves. "She's so gaunt", "she looks so pale and sick", "she's not as pretty as she use to be". I started to doubt the hero's attraction for her! I'm not saying she has to be drop dead gorgeous, but there has to be some sort of attraction! I would have been happy even if it was just the hero that saw it, but he was one of her worst critics until the end! That's the main reason why this book did not work for me.