Customer Reviews

Meet me at Midnight

5 star:		(10)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

The setting is early nineteenth century England, and Raphael Giscard,Viscount de Fontvilliers, has a plan. He wagers his scandalous friends that he can come between a couple who is obviously in love. He sets his sights on seducing Julia Brodie, a banker's daughter who is about to be betrothed to her beloved Simon.

Raphael does not expect to be moved by Julia. But she affects in in a way that no woman ever has. She is compassionate, intelligent, and witty, and she almost makes him regret having become a hardened rake. Things go awry when the wager becomes public knowledge, and Raphael must marry Julia after seducing her.

Raphael and Julia come to a truce of sorts in their marriage, but all is destroyed when Julia discovers the wager. In an ensuing duel with Simon, Raphael is severely injured, and he and Julia become further estranged. Raphael treats Julia horribly forcing her to part from him for a time. He must then come to terms with his past and discover the meaning of enduring love in order to win Julia back.

Jacqueline Nevin's writing is reminiscent of Judith McNaught. The emotions between the hero and heroine are so real, so intense, that the reader can't put the book down until the conflict is really and truly resolved on or about the last page. The characters in this read have great depth and are described skillfully enabling one to see how their interactions affect one another. Readers will wish to explore this author's previous works, THE FLOWER AND THE SWORD and THE MAIDEN AND THE WARRIOR.

Rafe makes a wager with his friends that he can prove true love does not exist. He and his friends are known as the "bane of the ton". As part of that group, Rafe is a rake, a scoundrel, an emotionless user, thanks to his father's training.

Julia Brodie and her beau, Simon, are the chosen victims of Rafe's wager. Julia has always done the "right" thing, and Simon would be the "right" spouse for her. Rafe's seduction, will change Julia's path.

As Rafe seduces Julia, he finds himself charmed, a bit seduced, himself. They will marry; and, Julia will find out the true circumstances behind Rafe's seduction. How their relationship endures, they achieve their HEA, is the main focus of MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT.

There are so many things I liked about this book. I consider it very romantic. Watching Julia and Rafe change and grow, due to their relationship, kept me turning the pages. And, the sexuality in the book is very warm, but not overstated. Finally, I found this book to be very tempestuous, emotional--something I haven't seen in a new book, for a long time.

I generally do not write reviews and will not claim to be a critic, but I was thrilled with this book. You can read the synopses above and below, but know that as a rabid reader (especially of romance) who has been discouraged by the lack of quality writing in this genre, Ms. Navin truly made my weekend!! I couldn't put this book down. She has a great talent for drawing you into the story, and I was not in the least bored like I have been so frequently as of late. if you like historical romance, give this one a try, although then you will be upset she doesn't have many titles to her name.

This is a great book, very well written characters, particularly a strong heroine. I have already re-read it 3 times in the two months I have owned it. The story itself is extremely well written and believable. The conflict and plot instead of seeming trite and overdone are fresh and exciting. I have never read Ms. Navins before but I can hardly wait for her next book!

A rake, a rogue - one of the "Bane of the Ton." Can heartless Raphael sway Julia away from her handsome caring fiancée? Sensible, perfect Julia - can she abandon all she was taught and fight convention?

This wonderful tale paints a complete picture of a tortured man and the woman who fights to make him whole. Of course he fights her the entire time. Julia hopes to gain her freedom after a stunning betrayal involving an untimely wager and some "not so nice" friends. Raphael's tormented upbringing really makes you understand him. Not that you forgive him at first, but you can understand where he comes from.

I had to force myself to put the book down and get some sleep. If I had turned two more pages, I would have been up all night. It has been a long time since I read a book that captured me from start to finish. The people, the love scenes, the settings are so well written-I truly was swept away.

Do not miss reading this!!

This is one of my favorite novels. It has all the ingredients for a scrumptious treat; a sweet heroine, a reformed rake, sexual tension and wonderful plotting and dialogue.

Julia is close to being engaged to Simon. She is totally unaware that Rafael has wagered with his dissolute friends that he can turn Julia's affections from Simon to him. He wants to prove to his cronies in the ton that even though Julia says she loves Simon, true love does not exist.

Rafael is a master at the game. He is a known rake and actually uses his own reputation to endear himself to Julia. He recognizes that women love to reform men, and acts like a man that could be reformed if he had Julia in his life.

Julia is indeed intrigued with him and before she knows it, totally infatuated with Rafael. He is charming yet vulnerable. When Julia calls off her wedding because she recognizes she does not love Simon, she knows she has done the right thing in her heart. She has fallen hopelessly in love with Rafael. She does not delude herself, however she knows Rafael is a rake and will probably never have a long term relationship with her.

For his part, Rafael is pleased with his progress and wants Julia fiercely. She has become more than a wager but he is not sure how important she is to him. The specter of the wager being exposed to Julia is always a fear.

Just when Rafael thinks he is in the clear he is exposed and his life changes quite dramatically. Julia transforms too and the last third of the book reveals the depth of their feelings.

The sexual tension in this novel sizzles. Rafael's innermost thoughts are well described, probably better than Julia's. He is a man rejected by his father and his insecurities are evident when he has any dealings with the man. Rafael is very complex. Julia's personality is more straightforward; she is a good girl trying to make an advantageous good match for not only herself but also to benefit her family but she longs for more than the safe route. Fortunately Rafael shows her a better path.

The basic premise is this:

Raphael, a Marquee who had a terrible father who treated him as if he were ...(no one ever knows for sure), is so bored with life that he and his cronies decide to prove love doesn't exist by breaking up the season's pair of lovebirds, Simon and Julia.

My problems with Julia: Well, she doesn't have the backbone to tell her mother what color dress to wear but decides to sneak out to sleep with Raphael? I don't buy that at all.

Further problems with Julia...how could she forgive Raphael? He treats her like DIRT...I mean, it's awful. He's a jerk and still, she just goes on being the loving wife. He shuts her out of his life over and over again and still, she acts as if he's so wonderful and pines away for him.

Raphael is just the worst kind of man....when he finally realizes how he's treated Julia, he reverts back to his actions when he was deceiving her to "prove" he's changed. To me, that just shows he has no imagination where romance is concerned. The actions, such as the white rose in her seat, when he was trying to seduce her for the wager's sake, are the same things he does when he tries to reconcile.

And his friends...Ugh, don't even get me started. The only redeemable one is Martindale. The rest are practically rapists. Ugh. In particular, the fiend that Raphael assigns to Laura, Julia's sister. He nearly rapes her in his carriage!

This book really made me sick.

I just got done reading this book and I loved it. It was hard to put down, I couldn't wait to see what happened between Julia and Raphael. There were never any boring parts and it kept me interested all the way through. The ending was so sweet and romantic. I loved it!

This might be the worst "romance novel" that I've ever read. It made me sick to my stomach....I finished it..barely.

The premise was this....an emotionally abused man makes a bet with a bunch of his friends that "love" does not exist and goes about proving it by "breaking up" an unsuspecting "in-love" couple. It could've been good...but believe me...it wasn't.

I hated Raphael. I know that's strong language, but it is the only feeling strong enough to illustrate my point. I know that he suffered in the hands of his parents, but I NEVER empathized with him enough to condone his behavior and actions towards Julia. He was selfish, mean-spirited, and utterly evil in his pursuit of Julia (whom I really liked). Maybe Simon, Julia's fiancee, wasn't right for Julia, but he would've been kinder and "better" for her than Raphael ever was.

I'm sad for Julia. She was lured away from Simon on a bet and never, in my opinion, got ANYTHING in return but an insensitive, uncaring, jerk of a husband. Even his supposed "reformation" seemed unbelievable, and by that time, frankly it was just to late. I'd have kissed him goodbye, just like I recommend you do to this book.

It's true, this book has a loathsome hero but if you can hang in there long enough, the book provides satisfying twists and a rewarding conclusion.