Midnight Secrets (Berkley Sensation) [Paperback]

Jennifer St. Giles (Author)

Book Description

Series: Berkley Sensation | Publication Date: May 2, 2006

After her cousin Mary is mysteriously swept away by the sea, Cassiopeia journeys to the Killdaren estate in Dartmouth, England, disguised as a chambermaid, to uncover clues. What she discovers is the estate's enigmatic owner, Sean Killdaren, and the eerie family curse that he bears. As details of Mary's fate elude her, the shroud of darkness that Sean has created is luring Cassie in

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Teeming with menacing atmosphere… St. Giles captures that Gothic essence with a sinister plot complete with unusual twists and turns, while maintaining a strong sexual tension between the protagonists.”

-- Fresh Fiction on His Dark Desires

“A superb paranormal Victorian romantic suspense thriller with gothic overtones. Fans of gothic and paranormal romances will want to read this beguiling tale.”

-- Midwest Book Review on Darkest Dreams

“Simultaneously building suspense and passion, St. Giles brings the classic gothic to a new sensual level without missing a step, combining dark atmosphere and the twisted plot of a great mystery. She hooks you and never lets you go.”

-- RT Book Reviews on Midnight Secrets

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

When her cousin disappears from a remote castle on the Cornish Coast, the mystery surrounding her disappearance compels Cassiopeia to leave her middle-class Oxford life and live as a maid in the house of Killdaren. There she discovers a darkness surrounding Sean Killdaren, a man rumored to suffer the Dragon Curse. Yet the death-haunted man she meets weaves a spell of desire with his eyes…and small kindnesses that soften her heart. But the closer she comes to the truth, the more she wonders if she will be the curse’s next victim.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425209628
• ISBN-13: 978-0425209622
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 4.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,794,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.L. Saint is the pseudonym for USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer St. Giles and Jennifer Saints. She is a nurse and mother of three. She has won a number of awards for writing excellence including, two National Reader's Choice Awards, two time Maggie Award Winner, Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Romance Writers' of America's Golden Heart Award, along with RT Book Club's Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Gothic/Mystery. Website: jenniferstgiles.com jlsaint.com Books: The Mistress of Trevelyan 8/04, His Dark Desires 11/05, Touch A Dark Wolf 9/06, The Lure of the Wolf 7/07, Kiss of Darkness 4/09, Bride of the Wolf 5/09. Wild Irish 6/09 Smooth Irish 6/09 Point of No Return: Mammoth Book of Vampire Romances Book 2 9/09. Collateral Damage 12/10, Midnight Secrets re-release 4/11, Darkest Dreams re-release 8/11, Silken Shadows re-release 12/11.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jennifer St. Giles did it again, August 15, 2006

By 

A. Batista "abday92" (FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midnight Secrets (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)

Jennifer St. Giles is a very powerful writer she give you a nice mystery with a ghostly romance. You connect emotionally with her characters very enjoyable to read. Engrossing and charming.
A story with many intriguing secondary characters that always have something interesting happening can't wait for December went the next book in this trilogy comes out you will no go wrong with this author she is HOT!! a new voice, a super star in the making.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so, June 10, 2006

By 

M. DETWILER "fairval4" (Martinsburg, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midnight Secrets (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)

This book, for me, was a so-so read. I felt it took a little too long for Sean to be an integral part of the book. He never really was--he always seemed to be on the outside edges looking in. This is always a chance an author takes with a first person narrative. We knew Cassie's thoughts, but I never really connected with Sean's. Ms. St. Giles cites Phantom of the Opera as inspiration, but I never thought, "Oh, yes! That is the Phantom", as I was reading. I think such an Irish name threw me off. Something Scottish (Gerard Butler's homeland) might have been a better trigger. And of course, maybe the author never intended for any Phantom references to be evident.
Another thing that bothered me was the relationship between Cassie and Sean. It was pretty contrived how Cassie managed to bathe every day. I also thought her duties seemed sort of light. She did a lot, but was still able to cavort with Sean all night. I think realistically, she would have been dead on her feet. To be honest, I thought Stuart was a pretty interesting character and I liked his romance with Bridget.
I really liked the author's Mistress of Trevelyan, but I didn't care for the next one (can't think of the title) and this one, while better, still isn't up to Mistress standards. I hope Darkest Dreams is a little more on target.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story with a few mistakes, September 24, 2009

By 

B. Carter - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midnight Secrets (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)

This gothic romance definitely should be given a thought because it was just tension-filled enough with the right blend of intrigue, paranormal and breathless romance.

Cassie has the gift of dreaming that someone dies, so when she dreams of her cousin Mary, she is sad and horrified to learn her cousin drowned while on an outing with her charge. Mary has been afraid of the water for years and Cassie just doesn't believe it, so she packs up and goes to Cornwall to inflitrate the legendary Kildaren estate whose curse it is that both brothers (twins) will kill each other.

There is a lot of back story in this book that keep the mystery fueled, with different subplots, including setting up for the sequel (which I'm reading now). I really liked the way the world that Cassie inflitrates being a maid is shown and depicted, and Cassie's own understanding how her life of privlege differs from that of servants. Cassie is a very strong character, and a very likeable one. So is the hero of the story, Sean Kildaren, who was born the second twin and therefore not able to have the title of Earl. He and his brother, Alex, have a wide story between them that is still being explored in the second book.

What was great about this book is the way Ms. St. Giles brings about the mystery, the gothic nature of the story, and the love between Cassie and Sean. What is not great about this book is the way some things are brought to life, like how we discover why Sean can't go in daylight. That was written almost as an afterthought that had me backtracking on when it was revealed. Also, I thought the ending wasn't thought out, but now that I'm reading the second book it is making more sense now why the first ended like it did.

This is definitely a stand alone book, but the ending leaves you feeling incomplete and thus forces you to seek out the sequel. That is partly annoying from a readers standpoint but also brillant from a publisher's view to sell more books! I got this book from a thrift store but really recommend it, either buying it used or new. Just beware that you will end up buying the other book in the series.