Customer Reviews

Midnight Angel (Stokehursts)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I believe this to be Kleypas' best work yet. It is the story of a vibrant young Russian noblewoman, Tasia, who must flee to the manor of a British nobleman, Lord Stokehurst, in the guise of a governess to save herself from a death sentence. Unlike other books that I have read by Lisa Kleypas, this one truly puts her talents to use with a likeable, exotic heroine who is beautiful, smart, strong, and subtly sexy. Stokehurst shows remarkable pomposity, but still retains that dignified manliness that simply can't be resisted. In addition to having wonderfully explored characters with both beauty and faults, Ms. Kleypas ensures the reader a smooth read with her excellent writing, which is not to be taken for granted in the realm of romance novels. Although the plot leans a bit towards the unlikely (even unbelieveable) in the latter part of the book, it is balanced out by the fantastically delicious love scenes that help to make Midnight Angel a glorious trip into the sultry nights (and days) of old England.

This romance is very difficult to rate. The first half is so bad that I can only give it two stars, the second half is so much better that I would rate it with four stars.

The first half suffers mightily from a way too perfect to be true Mary Sue-heroine and the hero's obsession for his first late wife which grated mightily on my nerves. Nothing against a hero who values his first marriage but a man who still grieves his wife after nine long years so much that he basically shuts himself off from the world and even has hot fantasies about said wife and not about the heroine is hardly romance novel material. Besides his initial reaction to the heroine as the new governess for his daughter is very negative and they hardly keep company with each other, Tasia even takes meals with the servants. To make it worse in the first half of the book the hero is not only still in love with his late wife, he's also very much sexually involved with a mistress.

Thus the social interaction (not to mention the romantic interaction which is completely non-existent) with the heroine remains so sparse that Luke's revelation of undying love for Tasia comes utterly out of the blue especially since his sexual attraction to the very vulnerable Tasia had a twisted and cruel edge until that revelation which suddenly turns him from the brutal would-be despoiler of fragile child-women into a tender and protective lover. And the extremely pious Tasia who has not only been raised to be very god-fearing and innocent but also acts like a Christian martyr in Luke's household falls into bed with her employer as if she were a complete strumpet which is all the more unbelievable since at that point she not even has any romantic feelings for Luke whom she hardly has seen or talked to and who treated her worse than one of his servants, not courting her at all.

What did she see in a middle-aged, grieving and somewhat disfigured widower with a daughter not much younger than herself who was very rough to her, even accosted her and never paid her the slightest consideration that she eventually was able to cast her religiosity out of the window and never had any qualms afterward about having committed one of the deadly sins? And when the hero offers her marriage she refuses?! I don't mind people not being religious or very moral in a romance but if the author portrays them so pious and straight-laced in the beginning she should let them act at least a little bit consistent with their convictions.

After the heroine blissfully and unrepentantly fornicates with Luke she becomes another person altogether, completely gone is the Madonna-like image of a devotedly praying, self-sacrificing and unworldly virgin and the author shows no believable motivation for this change whatsoever.

Like in a bad soap where such drastic character changes happen frequently. Besides since the heroine was a single child, cloistered away with few relatives in the countryside and never had been to a boarding school-how could eighteen years old Tasia who led such a solitary existence possibly be a governess for a twelve ears old girl and deal with her like the most mature and experienced of stepmothers?! This is as marysueish as it can possibly get.

Her Russian cousin comments her character in the latter half of the book with the words: "We take our fates in both hands and mold them to our liking. You used your beauty, your wits and everything else you have to get what you wanted." Now that image doesn't befit Tasia in the first half of the novel at all who was actually self-sacrificial and virtuous to the point of self-destruction and repeatedly rejected Luke who wanted to protect her despite having already slept with him. Had she remotely been as Nicholas draws her in this conversation the novel would have been a lot more interesting, it would also have made the plot and the actions of the characters appear much more consistent.

But after that very unlikely premise and those drastic, unmotivated character changes on both parts the novel progresses just finely. The plot is quite suspenseful and romantic then. I had some minor quibbles with the way the author portrays Russian society and the way men and women interacted around 1870 which seemed way off. Obviously the authoress never touched Russian authors from the 19th century like Tolstoy or Dostojewski with a ten foot pole. Russian aristocrats were very worldly and cosmopolitan and the women had a much higher standing in society and marriage than the author makes us believe here. Nicholas is such a far-fetched character that one thinks he has time-traveled from the middle age right into the Russian salons of 1870.

Not one of Kleypas remarkable romances and a very unbalanced effort. All in all three stars. Readers who don't like the extremely sheltered and young teenager heroines paired of with middle-aged womanizers should really stay away from this book. The hero is clearly very much attracted to Tasia's youth and childlike appearance (he thinks that Tasia doesn't look much older than his daughter who is twelve but nevertheless is attracted to her which I found slightly icky especially since his initial attraction to her frail and ethereal beauty has a sadistic edge which miraculously vanished though in the later part of the book)

The premise sounds interesting but the execution doesn't work. Tasia is accused of murdering her fiancee and,to avoid the hangman's noose, fakes her own death and flees Russia. With the help of her friends, she establishes herself as a governess in the home of a handsome widowed nobleman, Luke Stokehurst.
First of all, I really didn't care much for Tasia or Luke. Tasia is touted as being very religious and sheltered. Yet she lets Luke into her bed just a little to easily (they aren't married) and then he has to fight her tooth and nail to get her to marry him. She ddoes a lot of other things that contradict her basic personality too. Luke is the standard issue Mr. Noncommitment arrogant nobleman. The only thing that makes him diffirent from every other arrogant nobleman is that he is an amputee (missing his left hand)
My Favorite character was Emma, the sweet natured, awkard daughter of Luke and his first wife. That is how lack-luster the main couple is.
Their relationship happens way to fast. Luke and Tasia maybe have one honest conversation between them where they aren't shouting and really bonding and suddenly they're in love and sleeping together. The rest of the time, Tasia is argueing with him or trying to guard her secrets. And an EVIL MISTRESS(TM) is thrown in there for extra measure.
Eventually Tasia finds herself back in Russian costody, and Luke must find the real killer. I finished this book but I was so bored by the end, I really can't remember how the day is saved.

I have to agree with the reader from Northern California... I don't understand why so many readers didn't like this one. I thought it was great how Luke protected Tasia. They both needed each other. He needed to get over his first wife and she needed someone to love her. I enjoyed knowing that although he didn't know who she really was, he fell in love with her thinking she was just a governess. Emma, the tall redheaded daughter was delightful. I loved it that she didn't like Luke's mistress the haughty bit--. I'm glad she was put in her place early on. Overall, I think it was a good storyline. I'm glad I decided to judge this book for myself and read it. The reviews for A Stranger In My Arms weren't that good either, but I'm glad I read that one too. Of course, my favorites were Someone to Watch Over Me and Dreaming of You. I don't think I will read Prince of Dreams, the sequel as it is a time travel with reincarnation (at least that is what the reviewers are saying). I'll stick to non-fantasy.

"Midnight Angel" is a quintessential romance novel that does not fall into the normal romance novel pitfalls. Tasia is quiet, resolute, guileless and totally overwhelmed. Tasia is neither vixen nor victim. Lucas is an unlikely champion who is dumbfounded at coming to care for someone so unlike his deceased wife. Lucas' daughter Emma is headstrong, but not spoiled; strong-willed and stubborn, yet she still retains a childish charm. Emma is both compassionately caring and painfully honest and fearless. And, the deceased wife is always respect, and never compared or demonized. Lisa Kleypas has a lucid and fluid writing style that carries you through this novel from beginning to end. Her characters, Tasia and Lucas, are multifaceted and interesting. One of the things that I like the best about her characters are that they have real, NORMAL, flaws that they struggle to deal with and to compensate for. Tasia, though a grown woman, is a very childlike character. She led a naive existence through her childhood and when thrown into an extraordinary situation wholly lacked the skills to deal with it. As the story progresses, Tasia's character matures and develops, constanting weighing and dealing with the competing influences in her life. When faced with a similarly extraordinary situation again at the end of the novel, she is far better adept and able to deal with it. The courtship and the chemistry between she and Lucas is a little contrived in the beginning. The author should have spent a little longer developing the relationship or delved into the mental processes of her characters in greater detail. I found this brevity of courtship/character development to be anomolous for Kleypas. Usually the realization of romance between her characters is more of a natural progression. However, Tasia and Lucas are so good together, I can understand the author's impatience to hurdle over the plot obstacles (Lady Harcourt, few encounters, etc. )to unite these two characters and begin their romance in earnest. The resolution at the end, again, is a bit of a sprint to the finish, but as always, Kleypas' strength is in her characters.

I cannot share the former comments about this wonderful book. To me, a book is really great when it can make me think about it(even unvoluntarily at times)after finishing it.
Midnight Angel is definitively such a book.
I loved the way Luke was changing throughout the whole book (just a bit like the male heroe in Then came you) and the way Tasia recovered from her former nightmares.

I was surprised when I saw some of the negative reviews of this book. It remains one of my all time favorites. The heroine is a young woman with a terrible secret, afraid to trust anyone and desperately in need of a hero. The hero is strong and very lonely - he desperately needs someone to be a hero for. As each of them learns to trust and to love, a really sweet romance develops. Their relationship (for me) embodies everything that I read romances for - a deep, committed, mutually respectful relationship, with a dash of irresistable sexual attraction, and a sense of a special, timeless love.

Ms. Kleypas writes so well, it's almost frightening! I'm slowly working my way through all of her books and I will be disappointed when I have read everything that she has written. This particular book, "Midnight Angel", is so stunningly well-conceived, well-written, and well-plotted that you will fly through the pages in no time flat!

The author mixes outrageous situations, lovable characters, a fascinating setting, and a sprinkle of dark magic with a deft and skillful hand. The characters seem so real that you might swear to yourself that you have actually met them when all is said and done! In addition, Ms. Kleypas' dedication to lively and unique historical details is just plain fun.

This book is more than just a page-turner -- it's a remarkable achievement. Don't miss it, or you'll miss out!

Although I agree with some of the reviews regarding negative aspects of this book, I think many of the fine qualities have been overlooked.

I truly loved the fact that Luke adored and missed his first wife. In so many books, the first wife turns out to be a conniving adulteress, but in this one - Mary was loved and remembered for her gentle and passionate nature. When Luke comes to love Tasia, he tells her it is a different love he feels for her. He is older and wiser! Mary is not a forgotten footnote. I think his love for Mary is one reason Tasia resisted marriage (though there were others!). Tasia is complex - is she sweet, innocent Madonna-like or is she a murderous whore? I believe most missed the point on that. She is both! To have survived her own execution and in such a dramatic way, changed her. The old ways were gone. Yes, she did fall into bed with Luke (rather quickly!) but only after the truth of her life was revealed.

Luke was a bit high handed and rough, but I felt Tasia was given a little bite and backbone against him. Side characters were interesting. Although another reader mentions Luke's mistress, I rather felt sorry for her. She was not villainous except to offer money to Tasia for her to leave. Emma was a very interesting as Luke's rather awkward half-grown daughter and I am delighting in her story now (Prince of Dreams). The locale (some takes place in Russia) and cultural shocks in this book made it riveting at times. I was not overwhelmed with the romance, but enjoyed this book.

I love Kleypas, and I've read most of her books, but this one is just not up to par with all the others. I thought it was very "Jane Eyre"-esque with the middle-aged man falling for his daughter's governess. But I couldn't see how the love developed between the two main characters. It was almost disturbing, even, that he was nearly twice her age, and that she was only 6 years older than his daughter. And the fact that he was attracted to her "youth" and "waifish" figure made it a little disturbing to me. The feelings that Luke has towards Tasia seemed more like a fetish or obsession developing into ownership. It seemed like he was trying to be a father to her. The relationship just didn't seem plausible, no matter what the circumstances were.

I think that LK was trying to also create an element of magic and mysticism since Tasia had a "sixth sense" and was branded a witch. But it just didn't deliver. LK barely tapped into that part of Tasia's character. But if she were to get a little bit deeper into that "6th sense", it would've made the book a little more interesting.

And how was it possible that a sheltered, "barely-legal" girl know enough of the world to give advice to Emma, the 12 year old daughter of Luke? Tasia was brought up away from other people, how could she be a "role model"?

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LK. But definitely read her other books. I recommend Dreaming of You, Suddenly You, and Devil in Winter (my personal favorites and LK's best).

If you like the whole "widower-finds-new-love" plot, try Golden Surrender by Heather Graham. If you like the "child-bride" plot, try Lord of the Wolves, also by Heather Graham.