Customer Reviews

Midnight Secrets (Berkley Sensation)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

"Midnight Secrets" is the first book in the Killdaren series, gothic romances with a paranormal twist. When Cassie Andrews dreams about her cousin Mary, she knows something bad will happen. Her dreams always herald the death of a loved one, and before the day is out, Cassie and her 2 sisters, Andrie and Gemini, receive word that their cousin is missing and presumed drowned. This doesn't sit well with Cassie, knowing that Mary is afraid of the ocean and unlikely to have been close enough to the water for an accident to occur. The sisters travel to Dartmoor's End, where they meet up with their aunt and attempt to get more details about Mary's death. Cassie is dissatisfied with the information given her by the constable who handled the investigation and decides to take matters into her own hands. Pretending to be in need of a job, she is hired as a chambermaid at Killdaren's Castle, where Mary was employed as governess. Cassie becomes increasingly convinced that her cousin was the victim of foul play, especially considering the rumors circulating about the castle's owner, Sean Killdaren and his nocturnal life. What Cassie discovers lures her to adventure, trying to discover what happened to Mary, why Sean is never seen during the day and what strange activities take place in the round room.

Ms. St. Giles has written a fast paced gothic romance, in the classic model (a mysterious disappearance, locked rooms, rumors of "dark" deeds), with exciting characters and situations. The tension builds throughout the book and comes to a very satisfying conclusion. I loved it; so well in fact that after I finished the 3rd book in the series, I started over again. If you like a good gothic story with a touch of the supernatural, you will enjoy this book. Jennifer, keep up the good work!

"Midnight Secrets" is the first book I've read by Jennifer St. Giles and initially I wasn't too optimistic - the information on the back of the book made it sound like a story of two warring brothers with some overinflated gothic trappings. I was very pleasantly surprised, however, to find myself reading a story with some mystery, some gothic elements, but far more emphasis on the thoughts of a particular woman as she experiences life as a maid rather than her normally socially elevated status. Cassie Andrews is a very likeable and interesting character who is strong, resourceful and works to help those around her, learning from her mistakes despite being felled by 'love at first sight'.

Cassie has a strange ability, one that is actually a problem to her - she tends to have dreams that foretell the deaths of those around her. When she has a dream about her much-loved cousin Mary she decides to go to Cornwall, where Mary works as a governess, to see if she can do anything to prevent the tragedy. Unfortunately when she arrives she discovers that Mary has gone missing, presumably drowned, and that the local constable isn't interested in what happened to Mary. Cassie goes 'undercover' as a maid in the Killdaren estate in order to have the opportunity to do some more investigating.

Cassie finds life as a maid significantly harder than she had expected. Her workload is huge under the tyrannical Mrs Frye and her fellow servants may have things to hide. She befriends Bridget but soon discovers that her ideas of right and wrong and behaviour don't translate well to the serving class. Cassie's a wonderful character as she is actually able to learn and to grow and to accommodate her new circumstances. She's also fascinated by Sean Killdaren, the owner of the property who no-one ever sees; it's rumoured he is a vampire and when Cassie meets him she certainly finds him striking.

Although billed as a gothic romance this book was mercifully free from overwrought prose. Yes, people wander around dark corridors at night, find themselves kidnapped and stashed in underground caves, but it's all written so enjoyably and well and Cassie is such a great narrator that it's easy to be carried along by the story. Her friend Bridget is excellently described, as is the hard life of a maid in the 1880s. The romance with Sean Killdaren is perhaps a little piecemeal at times, and I wasn't entirely sure why he fell in love with Cassie, but the story was always interesting and enjoyable as Cassie searches for the truth behind Mary's disappearance. My only slight quibble is that something that is hinted about Sean throughout the book isn't really completely rounded up and that the end happens rather quickly and that some loose ends weren't tied up but this was a great read for those who like historical romances and there is a subsequent book featuring Cassie's sister and Sean's brother to continue this excellent cast of characters and presumably to shed light on some of the plot threads that were not completed in this book.

[...]

I have read all 3 of Jennifer St. Giles' gothic romance novels and so far this was my favorite. I loved the characters of Cassie and Sean, and how Cassie, by posing as a maid in the Killdaren Castle, comes to learn to rethink many of her opinions about how people should lead their lives. For fellow fans of Jenni's "Muse" (Gerard Butler) there are a great many "inside winks" that made me smile. I could so picture Sean Killdaren's physical essence resembling (to a great extent) that of the incredibly charismatic and impossibly handsome Mr. Butler.

I was not upset by the presence of Irish characters in the English landscape because I realize that many families migrated throughout England, Ireland and Scotland, and I believe many families of wealth living in England would have had Irish servants. I would only question that Sean seems a bit too Irish for someone who was apparently born and raised in England though of Irish ancestory.

It was slightly less than satisfying that the mysteries presented during the book were not all resolved in this volume. The teaser at the end indicates a continuation of the story with the next book, coming this December. I'm not sure if there will be a 3rd as well (there are 3 sisters I suspect this may be a series with one book focusing on each sister, in the style of Nora Roberts). Whatever the future of the series, I hope to see all the loose ends and unresolved issues brought to fruition in future editions. I will be on line to purchase them as soon as they are available!

Gothic novels are difficult. The spooky surroundings cannot overshadow the romance, and that's hard when romance novels are typically character driven. Ms. St.Giles first novel, The Mistress of Trevelyan, is one of the most outstanding romance novels I've read. Her second and follow up novel, His Dark Desires, was a disappointment. Alas, I love her voice, so I bought her latest, Midnight Secrets. While it came very close to her first novel, it didn't quite capture the mix of eerie, ghostly suspense and strong characters. I've noticed she has more books coming out and I will buy them as I have faith she'll recapture the magic of her first novel.

She is a talented writer with a beautiful gift to string words together like a fine piece of music. I'm a loyal fan.

This was an excellent gothic romance written in the 1st person (which I love). There's a creepy castle, a curse and a mystery.
Sean Killdaren is a recluse, haunted by a curse involving his twin brother. Cassie travels to Dartmouth to try and locate her lost cousin who has gone missing while employed by Killdaren. I really enjoyed this book. The mystery doesn't overshadow the romance but adds an interesting aspect to the story. I'm a sucker for a tormented hero and a smart heroine. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

In 1879 Cassie Andrews sees a vision of her cousin Mary dying at sea off the coast of Dartmouth. Unable to ignore what she "witnessed", she plans to learn how her relative ended in the cold water and who caused the "accident". Cassie disguises herself as a chambermaid to gain entrance to the estate of Sean Killaren, the last place Mary stayed where she hears of a curse in which he and his twin will kill one another

Cassie and Sean are immediately attracted to one another, but she fears that the man she is beginning to fall in love might be Mary's killer. Adding to the aura of mystery that surrounds Sean is he is a bibliophile, but the only books he collects are those who dwell on the topic of vampires. Cassie ponders whether the man who stole her soul is soulless.

MIDNIGHT SECRETS is a terrific Victorian romantic suspense that grips the reader from the moment that Cassie has her vision and decides to become an amateur sleuth and never slows down until the mystery is resolved. Cassie is a fabulous heroine with a need to know the truth though she fears that once she learns it her heart will break. Sean is an enigmatic hunk who in some ways seems like a gothic antihero. The whodunit is fun to follow and the paranormal elements blend in completely so that readers obtain a great tale, which is no secret as Jennifer St. Giles always provides such to her audience.

Harriet Klausner

I had enjoyed Jennifer St. Giles's His Dark Desires and was lukewarm about The Mistress of Trevelyan. However, I love gothic romances and thought I'd give another one of her books a whirl. Midnight Secrets, though good in some parts, failed to deliver a tangible enough romance between the leads. The year is 1879 and Cassie Andrews suffers from visions in which she senses tragic events in her sleep. When she sees her cousin Mary in her dreams, she immediately imagines the worst. As it turns out, Mary dies under mysterious circumstances at the Killdaren estate. Cassie goes to the estate, posing as a maid, to try to get to the bottom of things. Reticent servants and a dysfunctional family make her even more wary. But sparks fly between Cassie and the mysterious Sean Killdaren, a man whom she seldom sees, for he is constantly hiding in his room. He reads lots of books about vampires, and she assumes that he must be one. Who is the mysterious, phantom-like Sean? Did he kill Mary, or was it his lonely father or Sean's equally enigmatic twin brother?

I couldn't get into the novel. The suspense is well written and the gothic elements are all there, but the story went nowhere for a large portion of the book. The sexual tension between the protagonists is wonderful. However, they are not together enough for you to enjoy it. Sean appears in small portions for a large part of the novel. I know the author got her inspiration from The Phantom of the Opera, and she obviously had the very scrumptious Gerard Butler in mind when she created the hero (she describes him in full, from his height and body build to his lovely green eyes), but I would have liked to see more of him, would have liked to see more development between the leading characters. The servants are actually quite compelling in this novel and the mystery's resolution is convincing, but these things weren't enough for me. Midnight Secrets, for the most part, lagged its way toward the end. I will, however, give the other Killdaren book a try. I do like St. Giles's writing style. She writes Victorian gothic romances in first person, and her style kind of reminds me of books like Jane Eyre and Rebecca.