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Eloisa James

Kiss at Midnight Paperback – January 1, 2011

by Eloisa James (Author)

1,145 ratings

Book 1 of 5: Fairy Tales

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Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales ...or happily ever after. Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince, and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman - a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfil his ruthless ambitions. Gabriel likes his fiancee, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her, and knows, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him. Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after - unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Piatkus Books
Publication date

January 1, 2011
Dimensions

4.96 x 1.18 x 7.64 inches
ISBN-10

0749956917
ISBN-13

978-0749956912
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Piatkus Books (January 1, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0749956917
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0749956912
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.96 x 1.18 x 7.64 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,731,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #50,848 in Romantic Comedy (Books)
- #51,278 in Historical Romances
- #89,329 in Historical Fiction (Books)

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Eloisa James

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Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

For info about books, visit www.eloisajames.com and sign up for her Five Fabulous Things newsletter. Or ask a question on Facebook (where Eloisa spends entirely too much time): https://www.facebook.com/eloisajames

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4.4 out of 5

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pprattroberts

Fairy tales book 1

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 30, 2022

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I thought this book was a lighthearted take on Cinderella. I enjoy fairy tale like novels intermittently and found this one a nice book to pass the time.

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Sally M.

3.5 Stars - Entertaining but Problematic

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 15, 2011

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This book grew on me.

I started off rather skeptical about it, because I really do loathe books where the plot hinges on the heroine engaging in deliberate deception of some kind. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, so this whole business where Kate has to pretend to be her half-sister Victoria just did not sit right with me. And there were some issues with the historical setting that I found extremely distracting, which I'll talk about later.

But damn if there wasn't something addictive about this book anyway, and despite my reservations, once I got into it, I had trouble putting it down. The book is best when Kate and Gabriel are just being themselves, together, and since that's most of what we read romance novels for, I'd deem the book a success.

The plot runs thusly: Kate is a beleaguered spinster-at-23 whose father died and married, as we learn early on, his mistress, who already had a daughter by him, Victoria. He promptly kicks as well, leaving the stepmother to spend his fortune on gowns and jewels for herself and her sweet-if-dim daughter, allowing the tenancies on his estate to fall into neglect and disrepair. Kate, old enough when the stepmother steps in to feel a sense of obligation, does what she can to stem the tide of frivolous expense, with only middling results. Meanwhile, Victoria proves herself to be a lightskirt and gets in the family way by a gentleman she has not yet married. The gentleman in question, Algie, is perfectly amenable to marrying her, but needs the permission of his uncle, who just so happens to be a foreign prince living in England. Said uncle (Gabriel, our hero) is meant to meet Victoria at his own betrothal ball, to a Russian Princess, but when one of Victoria's lapdogs bites her, temporarily marring her face, Kate is forced to step in -- in a plot point that really makes no sense whatsoever. I don't know why anyone thought that would be plausible in the slightest, and to make matters worse, it doesn't serve any ultimate point except to get Kate in Gabriel's vicinity, which could just as easily have been accomplished by sending her along as chaperone or something. It's an unnecessary plot complication with no payoff -- there's never any trouble caused by it, no conflict springs from it, and when Kate appears as herself at the end of the book, absolutely no one notices that she's the same person who's been pretending to go by a different name for the past few days.

Anyway, Kate and Gabriel meet and suffer irresistible attraction for each other. There's quite a bit of good heat between them, and the scenes where they just get to banter and engage in love-sport are the best parts of the book. They're quick and clever, and they tease each other in a very genuine way. James also does a very clever thing -- though, again, if you stop and think about it for more than three seconds, you can't help noticing that it has no plausibility whatsoever -- with the big sex scene, dividing it up over several chapters. Circumstances force them to keep stopping and starting, and as a result, the reader has to keep pressing on to see where it's all going. The end of the book ties up neatly and predictably, but no less joyously for all of that.

Another highlight of the book is Lady Wrothe, a delicious old dragon who turns out to be Kate's godmother. I was thrown by how quickly canny Kate decided to trust this complete stranger, but I let it slide because Lady Wrothe (who prefers to be known as Henry) is just so much fun. She goes beyond being the stock character of the menopausal matron who's reached the age where she can say whatever she damn well pleases -- though there's a lot of that in her, too -- and displays a more detailed backstory than a character of her type usually receives. She's an instigator and a meddler, and many of her comments are laugh-out-loud funny.

On the downside:

There's trouble with historical accuracy, although not in the usual way. In an end-note, James states, quite clearly, that this is a fairy tale, not a historical novel, and that it would take place somewhere around 1813 if she had to guess. The trouble is that... the book itself doesn't hold up that deliberate vagueness. James is, instead, overly-specific in a way that confuses the matter entirely. (I might also add that it's all well and good to tell your reader not to worry about the time frame, but if you do it in an endnote, the reader has already, well, read, and so the damage is done). There are so many time-specifying details that conflict with each other, that she could have (and perhaps should have) just left out if she didn't want to firmly date the thing.

I'm not saying that this is a debilitating flaw or that it will bother everyone. I'm saying it bothers me because I have such acute historical awareness. The contradictions were a constant distraction. Perhaps I should brush it off -- this is, after all, a fairy tale -- but I like my historical romances to be, well, historical. And I just can't understand going to the trouble of using so much detail if she specifically wanted it to be non-historical.

Right. Everyone whose eyes glazed over when I started talking about fashion can tune back in now.

There's also a vagueness about Gabriel's nature as a foreign prince. He doesn't seem foreign in the least. I can understand not wanting to write an accent, but Gabriel uses an awful lot of English-specific slang -- which I suppose you could excuse in that he went to Oxford, but still, it just seems... unnecessary for him to be Teutonic. He behaves, in every way, like any number of alpha male English heroes I've read. I certainly don't mind that -- I do love me an alpha male -- but I don't see the sense in going through the conceit of giving your hero a foreign background if you're not going to make some use of it. It seems like it's only there so that he can be a prince, so that James could see her Cinderella-story through "properly" -- which is, of course, entirely unnecessary, as any number of authors who've treated on the fairy tale trope over the years could have told her. There's absolutely no reason, story-wise, that Gabriel couldn't have been the son of a Duke, with some wealthy heiress betrothed he'd never met standing in for the equally-vaguely-defined Russian princess, with an equally fanatic older brother. There's no element of his story that couldn't as easily have been English. The foreignness doesn't add anything.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I would have guessed I would after the first few chapters. Like I said, it grew on me. I haven't read any of the other books up for a RITA in the same category, so I can't say how it compares or if I think it should win. I think the biggest problem with this book is that it needed tightening -- there are so many plot elements that were just unnecessary, that could've been handled more deftly. I'm willing to suspend quite a bit of disbelief, but this book has plotholes you could drive carriages through. Still, it was a pleasant read, and worth picking up if you're generally a fan of romances.

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Liebel, Charlotte a.k.a. Sharlet Liebel, BOOK REVIEWER

A KISS AT MIDNIGHT By Eloisa James

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 28, 2011

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[Reviewed by Charlotte M. Liebel, M.Ed.]

Eloisa James is the author of A Kiss at Midnight delivering a spicy dialogue in historically challenged fairy tales of London castles among several generations of the elite class and foreigners. For those of us inclined to dismiss the melancholy adaptation of Cinderella as a dimwitted pastime, imagine what you're missing and revolutionize your imagination. Are not some of the most brilliant tales the object of fantasies remarkably told by ancient authors?

Pause to reflect upon Kate - the darling of this Avon Historical Romance. The reader experiences the grand manner of an earl's granddaughter subjected to the loss of both father and mother. Kate is born to a loving family that is suddenly taken from her life. Thrown into a new family, Kate is to be raised by the wiles of an arrogant and uncouth step-mother - her father's new wife. She has two daughters of her own and is ignorant of showing affection to Kate - a most intelligent person in her own right - who handles duties of the household.

A facial infection dampens her step-sister's beauty just as she is about to attend the prince's invitational ball to receive his approval of his nephew's fiance. The step-mother requires Kate to impersonate her step-sister and to attend the prince's event with her step-sister's fiance.

The event becomes complicated. For one thing, Kate is not a raving beauty, though pretty, nor is her figure as well-endowed as her step-sister's. Clothes must be altered, wigs must be assigned, glass slippers - a trademark - must be ordered. So much to do - so little time.

The guests arrive at the royal palace and mingle. The occasion lasts for several days. Unexpectedly, Kate's godmother arrives and recognizes a family resemblance. They bond after she sees through her disguise and Kate's family background surfaces for a big surprise because her godmother knows her family history.

To complicate matters even more, romance blossoms between Kate and the prince who is, incidentally, betrothed. The prince is charming when he wishes and rude on a whim. So Kate, an independent thinker and outspoken, holds her tongue to represent her step-sister's gentler personality. She has similar attitudes as the prince and, on occasion, she blurts out tart remarks and displays a surprising intelligence and wit. The prince and she struggle to keep apart but he finds her so attractive that his spoiled upbringing ignores his better judgement and flirts with her.

Dialogue is spontaneous and charming. The story has moments of wit, and foolish and comic scenes. The novel A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James is artistic and spirited. Expect to laugh and cry in one sentence as the flavor of language and moments of nostalgia break your heart for the young heroine's plight. She has developed strength and courage. This young lady does not fear nor easily weep. Prepare to be charmed.

Imagine the scene wherein the Prince cannot restrain his amorous advances and takes the lovely Kate into his arms. She observes that the "wild energy she felt in him poured into his kiss, into a demand that she had no hope of denying." Can love be like this as she fights desire but cannot quite stop the inevitable. "She thought kissing was about a brush of the lips, but this....felt like silk and fire." In fact, "He tasted like fire." And without further contemplation, we read that "She leaned into it, opened her mouth, feeling a tremor go down her back again."

The remarkably contrived language of people of different classes and countries meet at the palace and conversationally surprise the interests of men, women, and audiences. To this extent, the storyteller holds readers captive with juicy gossip, sibling rivalry, romantic banter, steamy scenes, and seductive moods. The art of conversation has the distinction of moving the story fast and with interest.

Available in Softcover Book A Kiss at Midnight and Kindle eBook A Kiss at Midnight

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Bookworm

Slow and unexciting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 7, 2022

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This is my first book with this author and after hearing so many good reviews about her, I was really disappointed with this book. It actually started off well but then got really slow and boring with not a lot happening. Kate is a good character and I really liked her but I wasn't really enamoured with the prince and I didn't really feel much chemistry between them. The plot was a bit thin and the story just dragged. She was meant to be at a ball held by the prince for a few days and I felt that the whole book was set in those few days. I ended up just skimming through the book to get to the end. I will try some of her other books since there have been many good reviews and hope her other works are better.

Aoife

This made regency romance my new favourite genre!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 2, 2020

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Kate Daltry is struggling to keep her father's estate up and running, and her tenants safe from the wrath of her evil stepmother when she gets an unexpected opportunity. To help her half-sister Victoria, Kate must go to a ball disguised as Victoria herself so she will be able to marry the man she loves. When Kate arrives at the castle, she meets Gideon the Prince and despite herself, can't help the attraction and chemistry that blossoms between them. But how can a penniless spinster like Kate ever hope to marry a Prince?

This was my first read adventure with reading a 'regency romance' book and I have to say I throughly enjoyed this one. I really liked Kate, despite some of her opinions on women who apparently had sex before marriage (that opinion didn't last too long hey Kate?) and I felt she was plucky and ready for the challenges life faced her. We also got to see more tender sides of her, such as some conversations she has with her godmother Henry and we see emotion take its toll.

There are some parts of this book that have to be taken with a pinch of salt, and there were not many surprises in store for the reader.It's obvious how everything will turn out from the start but even with that, I just enjoyed the time it took to get there. I wasn't reading this for the sex parts of the book so the only few cases of a bit of 'smut' didn't bother me. I enjoyed the dialogue between Kate and Gideon and how they bounced off one another, and how the relationship evolved over a course of a few days.

This was just a lot of fun and a wonderful world to fall into during quarantine times so I really loved all the smiles and laughs it gave me. I'll definitely be continuing on with the series.

One person found this helpful

Wendy

Gets better

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

I bought this after reading the reviews, which were all positive. However, the start is rather slow and I did wonder if I was reading the same book as the others! I found the beginning muddling and has to go back on myself to check things again. However it does heat up to a real page turner once Kate gets to the castle and from there on in i couldn't put it down. Definitely worth a read

S Louise

lighthearted fun soppy romance :-)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 24, 2013

Verified Purchase

After reading some other reviews of this one I started it not being too sure how much I was going to enjoy it, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I have to say I have to argue against the description of the book somewhat though...for example the line "a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions." Not really sure you could say he had ruthless ambitions...he had a castle of people who needed him to look after him and he needed money to do so...hardly ruthless or selfish.

Anyway now I have said that ^^ lol this really was a Cinderella type story and the hero in this actually was a Prince. I loved both of the main character Kate and Gabriel. Kate was very likeable in the Cinderella role and I liked the fact that she wasn't "oh woeful me" at her situation at all, I liked how she wasn't afraid to have emotions and show them, and i like how she wasn't a prudish female lead who was stunned and had to be taught how to kiss and afraid to touch the man etc.

Gabriel was a really good hero for the story, he didn't play games, he was honest with Kate and himself. Their love story was brilliant, the love scenes were hot and the ending was beautiful.

The secondary characters mainly Henry were also great fun to read about and had me chuckling in places.

I feel all lighthearted after reading this soppy romance :-)

4 people found this helpful

JoB

Tedious and horrible

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

I have read most of Eloisa James books but didn't like this one at all. It was not only tedious but horrible. Firstly the author seems to be fixated on fire. Early in the book she says about someone throwing themselves on a funeral pyre and I nearly stopped reading at that point as it is a horrible vision but I kept reading thinking that was it. It wasn't. James keeps referring to it throughout the book. Not only that but in all the love scenes, she refers to flames licking all over their bodies. I certainly will not want to read it again.

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