Customer Reviews

Mine Till Midnight

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Living on the fringes of society has never much bothered half-Gypsy half-Irish Cam Rohan. Until now. An unsettling feeling has slowly begun to take root over the past few years. He no longer enjoys things that once brought him pleasure. Instead he's bombarded with uncivilized urges, is easily provoked and short-tempered. The walls are closing in all around him. There's a fierce need in him to go back to his roots. To live in the open uninhibited ways of the Romany. To be free.

Amelia Hathaway bursts into his life making no apologies. She's a shabby gentlewoman whose the glue that holds together her quirky/misfit family. Someone who time and again takes up the reins and shoulders all the responsibility. A woman in need of rescue herself. One too afraid to rely on anyone.

Their paths cross constantly. Is it fate or balderdash? Whose to say what the future holds? Who needs to be rescued or shackled or set free? Or maybe a little of all the above?

I've been anxiously waiting for this book and I'm happy to say that I'm not disappointed. Cam is everything that I wanted him to be; a slightly roguish hero with a heart of gold. Amelia is the near historical equivalent of a super mom (with a brother and sisters instead of kids). She (practically) singlehandedly manages everyone and everything. An exhausting prospect. Both are restless and searching for peace that continues to elude them. That is, until they find each other.

Kleypas rounds out the book with a cast of delightful secondary characters. There's the old ones who make an appearance (Marcus, Lillian, Sebastian and Evie) and new ones that captured my attention and nearly stole the show. Amelia's sister Win and her relationship with Merripen (the Romany who has lived with them since he was twelve) is particularly intriguing. I can't wait for that sequel. As well as Amelia's depressed, dissolute brother whose reasons for being such tugged at this reader's heartstrings.

It almost goes without saying that Kleypas is superb romance author. You'll find well drawn characters, sizzling sexual tension and engrossing plots in almost all of her books. This one is no exception.

A good romance from a great writer. Won't replace Devil in Winter or Then Came You as my tops but a fine Kleypas to add to my collection.

This is the reason I read romance novels. For every hum-drum, unimaginative book I have read, one like Mine Till Midnight comes along and just perks up my week. I have waited for Cam Rohan's story for months. He captured my attention in the book about St. Vincent and Evie. I couldn't wait to read his story, but part of me was dreading it because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my expectations. Never fear, Lisa K. has outdone herself with his story. I enjoyed her wallflower books, but I didn't feel they were quite up to her usual standards, that being her older books. This book harkens back to Kleypas at her best. This is right up there with her classics.
Cam, with his dual heritage of Rom and Irish, is a hero with many layers. He has a worthy partner in Amelia Hathaway. She has a family who has a lot of quirks, to say the least. The way these two come together is just a delight to read. Cam wants to return to his Gypsy roots, but is pulled toward society by his longing for Amelia. I saw the makings of several more books in this one. I can't wait to read more of Merripen's story. He will end up with Win, but how is he connected to Cam? I believe there is redemption ahead for Amelia's brother. This wonderful historical is the reason Lisa Kleypas should stick to what she does best and leave the contemporaries to others.
I have said before that no one writes a hero like Lisa K. Her men are some of the best in romance, unforgettable and delicious. Cam Rohan is one magnificent hero--this book was an absolute joy to read.

Amelia Hathaway has been the caretaker of the family since both of her parents died. Having three sisters and one brother, Amelia always has her hands full. When her brother, Leo, unexpectedly inherits the Ramsay title, Amelia now has to worry about her brother. When her brother disappears (again), Amelia receives help from Cam Rohan. An intriguing Gypsy, Cam helped Amelia find Leo and sends her off with a kiss she won't soon forget. As she packs up her family for a move to the country, Amelia knows she'll never see Cam again.

Cam Rohan wants nothing more than to live the life of a roaming Gypsy. Feeling stifled for years, Cam is ready to give up his job as manager of Jenner's and live the life he knows he's suited for. Meeting Amelia derails his plans some. Believing that once you find the woman you love that you can never let her go, Cam sets out to have Amelia for his own.

Mine Till Midnight was a satisfying conclusion for the character we first meet in The Devil in Winter. Though I briefly thought he would end up with Daisy (4th Wallflower book), I thought he was much more suited to Amelia. Having two characters that are so alike was fascinating to read about. Cam is as independent as they come while Amelia has been taking care of her family for years with no interference. Suddenly Amelia has Cam trying to take over what she sees as her duty. Submitting to Cam while staying true to herself is a real battle for Amelia.

Kleypas fans will really enjoy this newest historical.

This is the 4th Lisa Kleypas book I've read. I actually expected NOT to like it because I saw it had so many positive reviews. You see, I tend to have an opposite opinion as EVERYONE regarding this author. I found Devil in Winter to be merely "okay". I did NOT like "Someone To Watch Over Me". I really enjoyed "Dreaming of You". Yet it seems as if everyone's favorite is Devil in Winter, and that Dreaming of You is on the lower end, while others Adore Someone to Watch Over Me. I should have realized, though, that I would have disagreed with all the negative reviews, too.

This book was definitely above average, even compared to other books by her that I've read. The focus was much more on the romance and love-story rather than some barely memorable "mystery" and the ubiquitous "Big Misunderstanding". Those are plot devices that I could truly do without, yet their lack seems to have led to a lot of negative reviews.

Cam is fantastic. He's sweet, kind, and because of his Roma background is very understanding and caring. He sees Amelia for what she is: a woman forced to bear the brunt of caring for her entire family, with little support from her grieving brother, weakened sister, and much younger siblings. He found her courage, her dedication and her loyalty to her family to be desirable traits. Despite his longings for freedom, he found himself drawn to her, and his love for her was enough to make a life with her something more important than living as a Rom.

The eccentric Hathaway family was fun and enjoyable. I completely related to Amelia's efforts to manage her absurd and self-destructive family. I loved that Cam wasn't dominating and demanding. He just plain wanted to make Amelia's life better and easier. Because when you care for someone -- that's what you WANT to do. But he wasn't a pushover, either. He was jealous and had a difficult time containing his jealousy at the simplest things, with very typical Rom-like behavior.

Perhaps my own experiences have colored my opinion of this book. I have tried to save a sibling bent on destruction. I've tried to help my family members to achieve better for their lives. When you carry that burden, you feel trapped, as if you can't let your "weakness" (of being stressed and overwhelmed) show. So when she found someone to lean on, a shoulder she COULD cry on, her relief was profound, despite her fear that it may make her seem weak.

This was not a whiny, weepy, TSTL heroine. This was a woman who gained through love what she needed most -- a person who COULD help her, to take the overwhelming burdens of her life off of her hands and allow her to focus on more immediate problems. Which Cam did wonderfully.

I truly enjoyed the developing love story between Merripan and Win. Oh, and to the person who asked "What kind of name is that?" -- if you read the book, you would know -- it was a common Romany name, meaning life and death. It's not an absurd name, nor is it inappropriate. Should he have been named Steve instead??

Anyway, considering that I didn't care for the one wallflower book I read, I was glad that I enjoyed this one. I look forward to reading the next story and hearing how the tattoos fit.

Why didn't this rate 5 stars if I liked it so much? Well, I found a couple of things to be a little silly (like the houseguests just being left there for 2 weeks by themselves? NICE to have neighbors like that!). While I was fine with the paranormal aspect, and I didn't mind that some plot-lines were open-ended in anticipation of the second book, I would have liked to have an explanation of the paranormal experiences.

The other part that I found lacking was actually the sex scenes. Don't get me wrong -- they were hot! But a little predictable. It would have been nice to see Amelia devote a bit more attention on Cam, rather than the other way around. That may be just my preference, though. And honestly, I wish there had been maybe one more scene. They were VERY good. :)

In summary, this was a fun book, focused more on love and romance than on mystery and suspense. Held together by the characters rather than cliched plot devices. Of the now 4 Lisa Kleypas books I've read, I can now add this to the list of ones I would recommend. Assuming you're not looking for more "plot" versus romance story. If you want a misunderstanding, if you would rather they spend the book "finding" each other, rather than having the already present romance develop, this might not be the book for you.

I won't try for a synopsis since others have done it so well, but I just wanted to give my opinion on this masterpiece.

Make no mistake, Lisa Klepas is a top notch writer and every book she's written is eminently readable. That said, every book is not created equal and her last series of books, while very good, were not 'great' like her earlier ones were. I'm not sure why. The heroes were missing something. Weak plots. The stars didn't align right. I dunno.

But here she comes back swinging, with a great plot, fantastic hero and heroine and she even manages to do it while letting us see how some of my very favorite past characters are doing now AND introducing new characters that I'm dying to know more about. She has left me frothing with anticpation for the next book.

For me, the mark of a great book is when, after I've finished reading it at a breakneck pace, I put it down, get something to eat and pick it up again to re-read at a more leisurely pace. This one fits that bill. And it's even better when you are not missing parts of it by gulping it down so fast. ;) I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

I, too, have anxiously waited for Mine Till Midnight to be released. And I certainly snatched up a copy as soon as it came out, and read it within 3 days. The plot line had intrigue and mystery, which made the book a page turner. But of course, the romance is what won me over.

Cam Rohan is the ultimate hero. He's mysterious, handsome, a little rebellious, confident, and comes to the rescue everytime. I loved the fact he knew what he wanted and went after it, without being some over the top alpha male.

I definitely like the heroine, Amelia Hathaway. She was headstrong and responsible, without being annoying or self-righteous. I agree with another reviewer that she was a sort of "supermom", sacrificing herself for the sake of the family, not giving a second thought to her own needs or wants. Cam and Amelia balance each other out perfectly. They both gained the freedom that they were looking for by being with each other.

And an added bonus to the book was the reappearance of two of my other favorite Kleypas heroes, Westcliff and St. Vincent. It was good to read about Westcliff still being the responsible earl and loving husband. And whenever there was a scene with St Vincent...well...I just had a silly grin on my face.

The only thing I had a gripe about was, why wasn't there an epilogue?

In all honesty, the second half of the book felt like another author was behind the ridiculous ending!!!

The first half was wonderful and I just could not wait until Kleypas would start giving Cam and Amelia more characterization and depth to their relationship after the first time they make love--but it never happened!!! The story just fell apart after that and Amelia and Cam became side characters due to the constant bombardment of Amelia's family's dramas, especially in the case of Amelia's brother's grief over the death of a sweetheart and the paranormal twist that popped up from nowhere.

You were just left with a complete sense of bewilderment and I just kept asking myself, when am I going to start reading about Cam's and Amelia's feelings for each other already??????? When is the conflict between them going to happen? and how will they handle the resolution??

Instead they were pushed aside from the main story, and were given a bunch of sex scenes to keep us happy and the sole focus became everyone else: Amelia's brother, her sick sister, the ghost, the gypsy that lives with them, the possibility that the gypsy might be related to Cam and on and on it went.

Cam and Amelia had absolutely no conflict whatsoever, no drama at all. The only problem Kleypas gave the couple was Amelia's constant rejection of taking the idea of marrying Cam seriously, which I never understood after she made love to him so many times and Cam repeatedly telling her he could take care of her family, which she desperately needed. The idea that she did not want to depend on anyone and held on to her independence was ludicrous after she compromised herself so many times with Cam and how her family's situation bordered on the desperate. But even that supposed 'conflict' was tepid at best since Cam just brushed it off and smiled and just would make love to her and Amelia would succumb to her desires or run after the myriad of distracting problems her family concocted at that moment.

I just cannot get over how the second half read and ended. I had to make sure I was still reading the same novel that I loved in the first half. I was really just left confounded at what the hell happened???

It had such a great first half, it was such a shame that it went nowhere after that and just fell apart. I really hope the next instalments go back to what we expect Lisa to give us: great romances!

Amelia Hathaway has taken over the care of her siblings, an older brother and three younger sisters, after her parent's death. When her older brother inherits a title it only escalates his already reckless behavior. Heartbroken he seeks solace in drinking, gambling and women. Leaving Amelia to chase after him and bring him home.

When she searches for him at a particular gambling house, she meets Cam, the wealthy half Gypsy/half Irish manager of the club. He helps her locate her brother at a brothel and before they part ways, he gives her a little somethin' to remember him by, thinking they will never cross paths again.

Amelia is about as grounded and realistic as they come. Cam is about as mystic and superstitious as you would expect from a man with Celtic and Gypsy roots. They cross paths again and these opposites attract.

This was a fabulous story. Cam and Amelia are a wonderful couple, though both try to fight the immediate attraction in the beginning, the chemistry is palpable. The side characters of Amelia's family are intriguing, to say the least. They are a hilariously quirky and easily loveable. I was half in love with Merripen, the somewhat adopted member of their family, by about the fifth page. I am dying to read his story.

The book is filled with plenty of humor, sex, some sorrow and a little mystery, too. Lisa Kleypas has created a fabulously fun family in the Hathaway's and this was a perfect introduction to them. I am more than anxious to read more in this series.

What a great escape. This book has a wonderful storyline of a family, minus the parents. The four left, 2 adults and 2 young ladies are left with a dwindling money supply, a crushed brother after his finance passes away, a sister who is left very weak after a serious illness and lots more to the plot.

We have a dashing young man who by all accounts wouldn't be an acceptable match to our lady of the story, but opposites attract.

I am addicted to Ms. Kleypas's stories. Lots of characters but they grow on you and the storyline sucks you in. I can't wait to find out what is in store for the Hathaways next!

I absolutely love Lisa's books but this story was nothing shot of amazing. I really fell for Cam. Very well written!!!