A Kiss at Midnight [Mass Market Paperback]

Eloisa James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2010

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.

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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About the Author

Eloisa James is the author of twenty award-winning romances. She’s also a professor of English literature, teaching in New York City, where she lives with her family. With two jobs, two cats, two children, and only one husband, she spends most of her time making lists of things to do—letters from readers are a great escape!

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: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,256 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 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 (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Kiss at Midnight (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).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

ghsoapster "ghsoapster" (Vermont) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Kiss at Midnight (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.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Penny (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Kiss at Midnight (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.