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A Kiss at Midnight (Fairy Tales #1)

by Eloisa James (Goodreads Author)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 5,375 ratings · 690 reviews

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 fulfill...more

Mass Market Paperback, 370 pages

Published July 27th 2010 by Avon

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Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

Historical Romances of 2010

5th out of 93 books — 262 voters

The Best Fairytales and Retellings

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Aug 29, 2010 Rane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-romance-napoleonic-era

Once upon a time..not to long ago. A reviewer named Rane came across a book, but not just any book- a book with a beautiful cover in shades of the fairy tale Cinderella. Now Rane has read many good things about this book, and the stars bestowed upon showed it’s favor to other readers. So taking a chance, she picked up this book and took it home with her, hoping all turned out well, if not she could complain loudly.

Thankfully, Rane did not have to complain and saved her vocal cords the trauma. N...more Once upon a time..not to long ago. A reviewer named Rane came across a book, but not just any book- a book with a beautiful cover in shades of the fairy tale Cinderella. Now Rane has read many good things about this book, and the stars bestowed upon showed it’s favor to other readers. So taking a chance, she picked up this book and took it home with her, hoping all turned out well, if not she could complain loudly.

Thankfully, Rane did not have to complain and saved her vocal cords the trauma. Now Rane had to admit, she’s never been fond of this author’s works, but was willing to give everyone their chance, was happily surprised at the delightful story. With a lead named Kate was not as meek or weak or a songbird of Cinderellas of old, no this heroine was strong and cunning. As Rane read on, about Kate who was forced to take the role of her sister, the story moved on very quickly, as Kate is forced through one obstacle or another. Having to keep her disguise, Kate the heroine meets up with her- unknownn to her- own godmother, that doesn’t wave around a wand with magic, but is feisty and could talk anyone down man, woman or beast. And whom Rane had to admit was her favorite character throughout the book. We finally meet the prince whom was not Prince Charming, but could be very conceited, but caring to his family and others, his love for history made him smart, but it was up to the strong Kate to turn him on his head and his ways.

Now Rane did enjoy the story and the leads very much, (and could admit had a crush on the prince’s brother Wick) sadly the Prince Gabriel in all his fine feathers was lacking in her eyes. Rane couldn’t place her finger on what was lacking until she saw she was in the middle of the book by then, when it dawned on her, the lack of growth and stage present the Prince Gabriel had. The time focus on Kate was all and well, but this took away from Kate and Prince Gabriel, and this just wouldn’t do for Rane the Reviewer. As the story progress, with rats that were really cute dogs, and truths finally known and of course glass slippers! Rane was happy with all the nice twists the story had to offer on an classic fairy tale. Even with some nice love scenes- save Rane’s blushes!

As Rane reached the end of this book, she proclaimed to all “This was a fun and delightful book indeed!” and that was all.
As she wrote of this funny little review for all those to read, she sighed happy waiting for the next in the series as she went onto her next book journey

~~The End~~.....Until the next Review!(less)

73 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2010 Shawna rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of historical, regency, Cinderella, & fairy tale romances

Shelves: eloisa-james, historical-romance, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, favorite-beautiful-lush-cool-covers, fairytaleesque-bb-cinderella-theme, hh-social-class-wealth-matters, 2010-reads, hero-darcy-paragon-haughty-staid, hero-gentleman, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta, archaeology-antiquities-scholar, heroine-naïve-virgin-like-a-virgin, heroine-kickass-spirited-strong, heroine-odd-spinster-wallflower, heroine-plain-jane-ugly-duckling, i-read-library, historical-romance-regency, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, hh-aristocracy-nobility-royalty, favorite-love-scenes, 3-to-4-stars, star-crossed-lovers, hh-across-the-tracks, heroine-commoner-lower-class

3 ½ stars – Historical/Fairy Tale Romance

I had a hard time getting into this book and the first 200 or so pages really dragged for me. To be fair, my lack of enthusiasm was, at least partly, because I probably just wasn’t in the right mood or frame of mind for it. My frustration for about a third of the story was that there were too many characters and just way too much going on, so things were a bit muddled. The main H/H, Kate and Gabriel, seemed to get a bit lost in the chaos and there wasn’t...more

22 likes · like · see review

Sep 14, 2010 Felicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I might be done with this genre of book. I wanted some brain candy and decided to pick one up after several months off the whole corset and rake thing. LOVE this author but this one did NOT do it for me, seemed a lot more predictable than her other Duchess stuff. Also, another reason why I'm over this genre is...

AGE 24 IS NOT OVER THE HILL AND OLD! OMG IF THAT'S OLD AND SHE'S "LOST THE SPARK OF YOUTH" THEN I"M AN OLD HAG! I DO NOT WANT TO FEEL LIKE AN OLD HAG WHEN I READ TRASHY ESCAPIST LITERATU...more

16 likes · like · see review

Oct 29, 2012 Dija rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, awww, buddy-slash-group-read, cotton-candy-fluff, could-have-been-sooo-much-better, hr, read-in-2012, everyone-loved-but-dija, meh, my-reviews, first-in-series

First half - 1 star
Second half - 5 stars

Seeing as it's a historical retelling of Cinderella, I was pretty excited about reading A Kiss at Midnight. It'd been a while since I'd read a good forbidden romance themed novel, but the beginning was dull enough that I was certain this one wasn't going to change that. Thankfully, the story became absolutely magical during the last hundred pages and saved this from being a complete disappointment.

A Kiss at Midnight is my first read by Eloisa James and I'...more

13 likes · like · see review

Dec 27, 2011 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5
My friends Catherine and Uniquelymoi recommended this book to me, and it is official: they can recommend books to me anytime!

I started this really late, like 10 pm late. I just wanted to read a bit before bed. Big mistake. I got so caught up that I didn't stop reading til about 2 am when I finished the book!

I'm not a huge fan of any new takes on classic fairy tales, so this never rated high on my to-read list, but with the reviews my friends had given this book, I bumped it up. I loved it. I...more

22 likes · like · see review

Oct 22, 2011 The Holy Terror rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to The Holy Terror by: Katyana

Shelves: historical-romance, color-blue, regency, fairy-tales, owned, bought-07-11, historical, swaps, forgot-to-drink-the-kool-aid, 2011

Kate: "I'm old and ugly and poor and too skinny. Oh woe is me."

Repeats ad nauseum until practically the last page.

Gabriel: "I'm a prince but I'm also a man. I'm a man but I'm also a prince. I have responsibilities. Oh woe is me."

Repeats ad nauseum until practically the last page.

Both: "This is like a fairy tale, but life is not a fairy tale. You're like a prince/princess in a fairy tale, but life is not a fairy tale. If only this were a fairy tale ..."

Author's note: "This is very much a fairy t...more

27 likes · like · see review

Nov 06, 2012 edzkie♥§*.*§♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, books-i-love-so-so-much

4 stars!

I like it but not as much as When Beauty Tamed the Beast & The Ugly Duchess!! Aside from the wicked step-mother, the loving Godmother,the glass slipper,the pampered but not evil step sister, dogs replaced the rats, & the prince the whole story is completely not your Cinderella Fairy Tale. Ms. EJ made two likable character in this book. I like the rapport between the Gabriel & Kate. Less conflict but nevertheless entertaining. Just a feel good book and a Happily Ever After:)

...more

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 05, 2011 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* by: Dhestiny's and Rane's Reviews ...and Quinn's enticing quotes.

Shelves: romance-historical, fairytale-retells, owned-unread, owned-read

2.5-3 of 5 Stars - Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den

Did Not Finish

*WARNING: This review contains a SPOILER of a particular scene in the book which I had an issue with.*

This is a Cinderella re-telling.

I still haven’t finished this, after putting it aside for several months, and I’ve finally accepted that I don’t think I feel like finishing it. *sad sigh* :-(

I'm sorry, friends, I have tried to pick it back up a few times but just can't seem to keep reading.

I don’t know what happened....more

8 likes · like · see review

Mar 22, 2011 Nisha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicalromance, retold-fairy-tales, fantasy-romance, rake-player-heroes

After hearing raves about this series (specifically When Beauty Tamed the Beast), I decided that I should finally read Ms. James' book. I knew going in, it was a take on Cinderella, and I was quite prepared for it. What I was not prepared for was Ms. James' writing. More on that, later.

Kate, our Cinderella, has a dead (philandering when he was alive) father, a vain and slightly evil stepmother, and a newly acknowledged beautiful, but kind half-sister. Through some convoluted situation where said...more After hearing raves about this series (specifically When Beauty Tamed the Beast), I decided that I should finally read Ms. James' book. I knew going in, it was a take on Cinderella, and I was quite prepared for it. What I was not prepared for was Ms. James' writing. More on that, later.

Kate, our Cinderella, has a dead (philandering when he was alive) father, a vain and slightly evil stepmother, and a newly acknowledged beautiful, but kind half-sister. Through some convoluted situation where said half-sister gets bitten by her dog before meeting a prince who has to approve her engagement with her beau, Kate is 'encouraged' to dress up and play her half-sister to save the girl's impending marriage (half-sister is preggers). And so, Kate accompanies the simple minded, Algie (the beau) to the foreign prince's castle. Gabriel appears to be every bit of an arrogant, self-centered prince, who is engaged to marry Princess Tatiana. He develops a fascination toward Kate, first seducing her, then befriending her, and finally loving her. And we discover that the Prince is a much more honorable man than we assumed. To protect his dependents, he chooses to marry money instead of following his heart. Still, he cannot resist the passion between him and Kate, even as he knows that following it would hurt them both.

We get a great ensemble of secondary characters, the half-sister, Victoria; her beau, Algie (he became quite adorable); the Prince's all-seeing half-brother, Wick; the elegantly dressed, Toloose; Kate's Godmother, Henry; her husband, Leo (I thought they were a great pair); the dramatic Lady Effie; the three ridiculous yet lovable Maltese, Caesar, Freddie and Coco; the perfect princess bride, Princess Tatiana; and of course, the Prince's elderly relatives (don't remember their names now, but they were fun). All of them were wonderfully entertaining and EJ unwittingly endears us, readers, to them.

But, like someone before me said, the first 200 (or more like 150) pages were unfocused and kinda boring (though not unentertaining, does that make any sense?). No real romance or even interaction leading to love takes place. Ms. James' writes in a very entertaining way, that at first seemed almost mean and condescending (maybe that's just me, since this is my first EJ book). But after a while, I could appreciate the wit without being offended. She builds a fantasy world, rather than following the HR vein, and creates a fairy tale, embellishing with quirky, but lovable characters, sensational love scenes, and true emotion.

And that's what won me over and forced me to rate this 5 stars. I adored the last third of the book. The romance between Kate and Gabriel came alive and the drama picks up. I loved how no one was a bad guy and that everyone had flaws, even our hero and heroine. Kate succumbs to her passion, despite the consequences (though she enforces the usage of a french letter) and Gabriel chooses duty while hurting his one true love.

This was such a gorgeous story and I would recommend it to everyone who loves a fairy tale. Fair warning, this is not a historical romance, even if there was no magic. I just hope that everyone else would enjoy this book as much as I did. (less)

13 likes · like · see review

Aug 19, 2010 Keri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-historical, reviewed, 2010-read, eloisa-james

This was an absolute delight to read. We have you down-trodden beautiful maiden, a gorgeous dark prince, an evil step-mother and a sweet step-sister. Oh yes and a fairy god-mother named Henry....all the makings for a sweet fairy tale and of course this was...with the required happy ending. Kate's step-mother insists that she go to a ball in her step-sister's place due to the actions of a dog. She goes to the ball and of course meets the handsome prince.

He is a sweet and caring prince at heart a...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regency-romance

3 ½ stars. The plot could have been better. It was a sweet, feel-good, enjoyable romance story. A nice escape.

I liked the collection of various character types. It made interesting interaction. I wish some romance authors would do more of this. For that reason I rounded up to 4 stars rather than down to 3. There is the sweet, naive, not-too-smart, frequently-crying stepsister; the selfish cruel stepmother; the arrogant, starkly-masculine, beautiful prince who does not want to be a prince. He’d r...more 3 ½ stars. The plot could have been better. It was a sweet, feel-good, enjoyable romance story. A nice escape.

I liked the collection of various character types. It made interesting interaction. I wish some romance authors would do more of this. For that reason I rounded up to 4 stars rather than down to 3. There is the sweet, naive, not-too-smart, frequently-crying stepsister; the selfish cruel stepmother; the arrogant, starkly-masculine, beautiful prince who does not want to be a prince. He’d rather be on an archaeological dig. I liked that the prince did not like Kate when he met her. He claimed he wanted a biddable bed-able woman. I liked his best friend/majordomo Wick who was smart. Wick said for himself, he would be bored by a biddable woman.

The prince and Kate spent a lot of time together which provided dialogue and relationship development that I liked.

I liked the phrase: “he was surrounded by a veritable flowerbed of young ladies.”

I was reluctant to read something based on the Cinderella story, but I was pleased with the twists and changes made by the author. It wasn’t a copy. The author’s note at the end says this book is not for readers looking for historical accuracy. This should be considered a fairy tale.

The plot could have been better. The prince has a dilemma which he solves at the end. He should have considered and discussed that solution a lot earlier, but that would have ended the story too soon. Because of other positives I was willing to look past that.

Don’t read this for hot sex scenes. It was odd, not romantic, and not very passionate the way she chose to give her virginity and the timing of that scene. It was sort of a quickie. Other scenes were warm rather than hot, but ok.

The narrator Susan Duerden is excellent. I love the way she reads the prince. She makes him sound soooo seductive.

OTHER BOOKS:
I gave 4 ½ stars to When Beauty Tamed the Beast. Read that first if you want to try this author.

DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 10 hrs and 39 mins. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: 1813 England. Book copyright: 2010. Genre: regency romance - fairy tale style.(less)

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Sep 29, 2012 Robin (RBBR) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-eloisa-james, historical-romance, fairy-tales-eloisa-james, cinderella-theme

This is my my first Eloisa James. I truly enjoyed this book and was reluctant to say goodbye to Kate and Gabriel. I kept hoping that Kate would figure out what was wrong with the lion besides the fact that he needed more space. I guess he really did eat the pickle eating dog although I don't think that's why he died. I love stories that have not only Garden Mazes but Romance that takes place in the maze. My Ultimate Dream House has a Garden Maze. It would be nice to see some of these characters...more

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May 08, 2012 Lynsey (The Demon Librarian) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hero-i-love, hot-smexy-times, sweet-romance, fairy-tales-retold

This retelling of Cinderella was surprisingly sweet and funny. The funny part I wasn't really expecting. There's a lot of poking fun at all the stuff and nonsense that goes into the fashions of the time (whatever time setting that might be- we are never told and it doesn't really matter, it's not a historical novel, it's a fairy tale!) And also the couple themselves are just funny characters, especially Kate. She really stole the show.

And what a show it is! She's having to pretend to be her own...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cinderella, amazing-secondary-characters, angsty-read, cocky-hero, favorites, flawed-tortured-hero, hero-in-pursuit, historical-romance, jealous-heroes, makeover-or-plain-jane-heroine, misunderstandings-mistaken-or-secre, owned, protective-heroes, royal-hero-or-heroine, sad-ending-or-tear-jerker, spitfire-heroines, to-reread, virgin-heroine, fairy-tales

Loved this book! I'm a huge fan of Cinderella tales, and this one was beautiful! I actually teared up at the end, and I'm thrilled that Gabe finally stepped up! I really enjoy Eloisa Jame's books, and this one was one of her best (if a little unrealistic, lol).. 5*

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Feb 08, 2011 LuvGirl rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-half-star, what-did-he-see-in-her, witty-hero

2.5 stars. Here I was enjoying this book and excepting the fact that the heroine was not as pretty as she use to be since her life became harder after her father past away, but it was rubbed in my face so many times that it got on my last nerves. "She's so gaunt", "she looks so pale and sick", "she's not as pretty as she use to be". I started to doubt the hero's attraction for her! I'm not saying she has to be drop dead gorgeous, but there has to be some sort of attraction! I would have been hap...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairy-tales, historical-fiction, sexy-romance, historical-romance

My review on the entire Fairy Tale series can be found here: http://wp.me/p18lIL-1gE

The first book in the series A Kiss at Midnight is a re-imagined Cinderella story. Cinderella, or Kate in this novel, is forced to remain an unmarried woman in her stepmother's home for several reasons. First, her father bequeathed his entire fortune to Kate's stepmother and stepsister, leaving Kate to survive on their whim (those who know the story of Cinderella know where this is going). Secondly, due to the gr...more My review on the entire Fairy Tale series can be found here: http://wp.me/p18lIL-1gE

The first book in the series A Kiss at Midnight is a re-imagined Cinderella story. Cinderella, or Kate in this novel, is forced to remain an unmarried woman in her stepmother's home for several reasons. First, her father bequeathed his entire fortune to Kate's stepmother and stepsister, leaving Kate to survive on their whim (those who know the story of Cinderella know where this is going). Secondly, due to the greedy nature of Kate's stepmother, Kate realizes she must stay at the home to try and be a buffer for all of the servants and estate folk. Kate sacrifices her dreams of happiness to do what is best for those around her. When an injury prevents her stepsister from making her debut at a royal party, Kate is forced to don a disguise and go in her stead or see those she cares about lose their positions. It is at this party that she meets His Royal Highness, Prince Gabriel. Gabriel is doing his damnedest to support a menagerie of animals and people who have been thrown out of his brother's court. To this extent he has promised to marry a foreign princess with a huge dowry. However when he and Kate share a kiss at midnight everything changes.....

I really really really really love Kate and Gabriel. The two are both willing to 100% sacrifice their own happiness for the betterment of those around them. They are both self-sacrificing characters to a degree that while deserving of their own happy endings, refuse to accept them if everyone around then can't have one too. To watch them both grow as individuals from the effects of their love for each other was wonderful. Kate has been led to believe that she's not attractive and not worth anyone's time or attention. After hearing this for years, it's set in as the truth in her mind. Gabriel (and Kate's godmother Henry) try to continually make her see what she looks like through their eyes. Their efforts eventually pay off and the results are magical. The last 80 pages are absolutely wonderful and so well written that I couldn't wait to continue on with the series.

Final Thoughts: I wish Kate didn't have to be one of those heroines that doesn't realize her own worth and potential without being prodded by others, but understand its place in a Cinderella retelling. Definitely a great start to a wonderful series.

Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)(less)

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Feb 14, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, historical-fiction, legends-and-fairy-tales, read-2012, romance, georgian-regency-victorian

Actually 3.5 stars.

I had a little bit of trouble getting into A Kiss at Midnight. The author took her sweet time bringing Gabriel and Kate into each other's orbit, and I sometimes have trouble focusing when the hero and heroine spend as much time interacting with other characters as with each other. Fortunately, James's excellent writing, her attention to subtle details, and her interesting cast of secondary characters kept me entertained even when Kate and Gabriel were not sharing many scenes....more

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Sep 29, 2011 Jill Dunlop rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

A Kiss at Midnight is the first book in a new series by Eloisa James. Ever since Kate's father died and left everything to her Stepmother, Kate has been relegated to rooms in the attic. Her status is more representative of a servant than that of the actual Lady she is. Her stepsister Victoria is bitten on the lip by her little dog rendering her usual pretty face less than picturesque. Not wanting anything to impede her matchmaking ambitions, Kate's stepmother insists that Kate take Victoria's pl...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook-kindle, regency-historical-romance

4.5 First Eloisa James historical romance and I'm not sure what took me so long. And I have I mentioned how much I love fairytales that are reworked. This is now one of my favorites! Kate is a beleaguered Cinderella and she is sent on a mission to rescue her stepsister, who is not evil. There she meets a Prince who also needs rescuing. The story is a little slow to get going, but once it does, it moves along nicely and all the characters and situations are wonderfully drawn.

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Mar 03, 2013 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, enjoyable, witty-dialogs

"For God's sake, don't ever fall in love before you get married. It's just too messy and leads to appalling consequences."

"We all think we have time, you know. It's this miracle substance and there seems to be so much of it, and then all of a sudden, it's gone."

It's easy to like all these witty things godmother Henry says. She is a lovely character. I also liked Kate, as she is a very strong character, with grace and dignity. The character growth of Gabriel felt a bit lacking in comparison.

Als...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Lia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Meh. I'm not a historical romance fan, it's hard for me to reconcile how authors tend to take the objects (pretty dresses! horse and carriage!) and place modern characters in it. I suppose I simply don't believe women were independent the way we think of "independence" nor did they think like we do today, so while having a character who does obviously resonates more with readers it feels false to me. But no one wants to read about loveless arranged marriages or how love was considered a curse an...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Éowyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, regency-romance

I always feel I should like James' books more than I actually do. The first one I read, Much Ado About You, wasn't bad, but since that nothing of hers that I've read has quite hit the spot. I picked A Kiss at Midnight up as part of a 3 for £5 deal in the publishers outlet bookshop, and for that it was OK, but I'm glad I didn't pay any more for it.

For me, the whole thing doesn't hang together comfortably. The hero didn't feel that developed and it was hard to see what the heroine saw in him - obv...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Danica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-i-read-in-2013

THIS is what To Love a Thief should have been! The language is slightly modern and slangy in the same way, but here the author gets away with it because - as she notes - this is not a historical romance, it's a retold fairytale. The physical side of their romance is similarly detailed, but in a way that is realistic and sort of... almost innocent, by comparison.

A Kiss at Midnight features well-drawn, three-dimensional, very engaging characters. Even the poufy, dotty, clueless, not-wicked stepsi...more THIS is what To Love a Thief should have been! The language is slightly modern and slangy in the same way, but here the author gets away with it because - as she notes - this is not a historical romance, it's a retold fairytale. The physical side of their romance is similarly detailed, but in a way that is realistic and sort of... almost innocent, by comparison.

A Kiss at Midnight features well-drawn, three-dimensional, very engaging characters. Even the poufy, dotty, clueless, not-wicked stepsister has a personality and a life of her own. Everything else is quite a concentrated version of itself, as strong as syrup.

The settings are vivid and quickly become lavishly gorgeous. There are fireworks set off from dancing boats, ivy-covered secret gardens, and richly patterned outfits all around. The romance is equally lush, although I have to say: they're in lust, not in love, and one of these days it'd be nice to see a romance novel acknowledge the difference. Being passionately, fairytaleishly attracted to one another and having compatible personalities is not the same thing as being in love. Still; nobody in real life could possibly be as lusty for each other as these two are, so it's best to just sit back and enjoy the fairytale ride.

James leavens the lushness with wonderful historical details like women stuffing their dresses with fake wax boobs. Everybody has real reasons for what they're doing; she doesn't use the fairytale concept as an excuse to force anybody down a path they wouldn't naturally take. It's a very interesting way to learn about society in the early 1800s, actually.

It goes down very easily. But in a way, this book was hard for me to read because the characters yearn so intensely for each other. In a really well-written book, you end up sharing some of the experiences of the characters, and it is hard to yearn for that long, especially for something that is not yours! Still, I would happily read it again, and I look forward to reading more of her work. (less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Callixta rated it 2 of 5 stars

http://www.blue-moon.fr/spip.php?arti...

Eloisa James est une auteure délicieuse qui a son ton bien à elle dans la romance historique. Elle mêle sensualité, romance et humour souvent avec beaucoup d’habileté. Elle a décidé d’utiliser la bonne vieille trame des contes de fée pour donner un sens à sa série. Celle-ci comporte déjà plusieurs tomes en version originale ainsi que plusieurs nouvelles d’ailleurs et chaque roman s’inspire d’un conte. Pour celui-ci c’est Cendrillon, son chausson perdu, sa...more http://www.blue-moon.fr/spip.php?arti...

Eloisa James est une auteure délicieuse qui a son ton bien à elle dans la romance historique. Elle mêle sensualité, romance et humour souvent avec beaucoup d’habileté. Elle a décidé d’utiliser la bonne vieille trame des contes de fée pour donner un sens à sa série. Celle-ci comporte déjà plusieurs tomes en version originale ainsi que plusieurs nouvelles d’ailleurs et chaque roman s’inspire d’un conte. Pour celui-ci c’est Cendrillon, son chausson perdu, sa vilaine marâtre et bien-sûr son prince charmant qui va la guider. Rassurez-vous, l’inspiration est très libre et Eloisa James apporte beaucoup.

Kate vit donc dans le domaine familial en compagnie de sa demi-soeur et de sa belle-mère. Elle a perdu son statut avec la mort de son père et n’a plus beaucoup d’espoir d’échapper à sa condition de vieille fille pauvre et célibataire. Pour rendre service à sa sœur qui ne peut accompagner son propre fiancé à cause d’un petit accident, elle va accepter d’aller à un bal, sous son identité et va ainsi faire la rencontre d’un prince pas comme les autres, Gabriel, le dernier rejeton d’une longue lignée d’archiducs d’une principauté européenne. Gabriel n’est pas vraiment un prince ordinaire, féru d’archéologie et qui préfère vivre au fin fond de l’Angleterre plutôt que rester à la cour de son frère aîné qui a pris de drôles de couleurs depuis que celui-ci a sombré dans la plus grande piété. Il est ainsi entouré d’un nombre incroyable de tantes, oncles, membres de sa famille plus ou moins éloignée. Disons-le tout de suite, c’est le grand charme du roman. Les personnages principaux sont flanqués d’amis ou membres de la famille tous plus pittoresques les uns que les autres et il ne faut pas oublier les animaux, les très énervants petits bichons maltais de la sœur de Kate. Tout ce petit monde s’agite, a des idées saugrenues et Gabriel et Kate ont toujours en toile de fond ces personnages. C’est une des caractéristiques d’Eloisa James de créer ce genre de situation.

Du côté de nos héros, le contrat est rempli aussi : Gabriel est faussement nonchalant et original. Kate est sérieuse mais pas résignée totalement sur son sort. Elle est vive et intelligente. Elle cache son absence de formes voluptueuses de la façon la plus originale qui soit. Toutefois, si ils sont agréables et charmants, ils ne sont pas follement originaux dans leur relation, classique, entre deux êtres qui ne devraient vraiment pas être proches l’un de l’autre. Gabriel a besoin d’une épouse riche, ce que n’est pas Kate. Tout cela est une intrigue un peu convenue. On ne comprend pas forcément non plus comment Kate va finir par attirer l’oeil de notre héros. Indifférent à une page, il est soudain fou de désir à la suivante. En bref, nos héros sont un peu ternes dans leur milieu fortement coloré.

Leur histoire demeure très sympathique avec ce petit grain de folie malicieux qui est toujours présent dans l’oeuvre d’Eloisa James. Nous plongerons donc certainement dans la suite de cette série et même dans les nouvelles qui ne seront probablement pas traduites. C’est d’ailleurs dommage car Gabriel a un frère qui ne manque pas d’intérêt dans ce roman. Espérons juste que les héros nous accrocheront totalement dans les tomes suivants.(less)

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Dec 31, 2012 Patacaisse rated it 3 of 5 stars

Déjà un grand point : le résumé est faux. Le prince doit donner son accord pour le mariage de la demi-soeur de Kate (Cendrillon) avec le comte de Dimsdale. C’est pourquoi, ils doivent assister au bal de fiançailles du prince avec une princesse russe qu’il n’a jamais vu. Comme Victoria ne peut pas assister à ce fameux bal, c’est Kate qui est commis d’office pour y aller avec son futur beau-frère grimée en Victoria.

Voici une histoire inspirée de Cendrillon. Il y a donc, une pauvre jeune femme malt...more

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Dec 17, 2012 lilly bear ♡ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-romantic-and-shit, and-hes-smart-too, boring-boring-boring, but-she-s-not-even-pretty, oh-wait-jk-shes-beautiful, first-world-problems, ebooks, heartbroken-heroine, heroine-who-is-blah, iloveyou-but-im-promised-to-another, love-traingles-squares-hexagons, princes-princesses-castles, secret-sex-time-rendezvous, sex-before-marriage, the-haves

Disappointing. Being the hopeless, nonsensical romantic that I am, I have a great love of fairy tales and can devour them whole in one sitting without coming up for air. But with this one, I felt like I was trudging through a mire of boring cliches and never-ending character pity parties. I found the writing to be clunky and careless and uninteresting. Very sub-par. There were several glaring inconsistencies too that I kept coming across. Usually I can gloss over a mistake or two without much di...more Disappointing. Being the hopeless, nonsensical romantic that I am, I have a great love of fairy tales and can devour them whole in one sitting without coming up for air. But with this one, I felt like I was trudging through a mire of boring cliches and never-ending character pity parties. I found the writing to be clunky and careless and uninteresting. Very sub-par. There were several glaring inconsistencies too that I kept coming across. Usually I can gloss over a mistake or two without much difficulty and still enjoy the story, but one of the inconsistencies in this book was actually very crucial. In order to show you how obvious a mistake it is, I will have to explain a bit more of the background, so out come the spoiler tags.
(view spoiler)
And that's not all. Characters seemed to take on and discard different temperaments and character traits like new clothes. Kate, for example, says that she never cries. Ok. That's fine. But then throughout the book she cries not once, but as many as four times. To say that she never cries and then show her crying all over the place is just another annoying inconsistency.

I will finish this review when I have time. I mush dash!(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 ♆ BookAddict ~ La Crimson Femme rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to ♆ BookAddict by: Li

Shelves: historical-romance, library-book, fairy-tale-retold

This was a book several people mentioned as an awesome book. 4 or 5 star material is what I was told. One of my favourite authors Ilona Andrews loves this author too. I'd like to state that there is NOTHING wrong with this author. She just doesn't tickle my fancy. This story was well written with a plot, intrigue, character development and humour. I just didn't understand the rave reviews.

This is a fairy tale retold. Basically this is Cinderella in a historical romance. Miss Katheryn Daltry (cal...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Cj rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 10, 2012 Shayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

“It’s better to live like a flame, Kate, to know a man and love him, even if he can’t be yours, than never to love at all.”

A Kiss at Midnight is based on the story of Cinderella. It is about Ms. Katherine Daltry and how she unexpectedly falls in love with Prince Gabriel who is already betrothed to another woman. Though it does include a godmother who helped all her dreams come true, a stepmother & a stepsister, rats (which aren't exactly rats), carriages and glass slippers, you will be surpr...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Lizz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I bought this after one of the authors I follow gave it a rave review. I am so glad I did! I had never read Ms. James' work before, but now I'm going to dive in head first to the rest of her works.

This book is a retelling/reinvention of the Cinderella fairy tail. Cinderella's name in this book is Kate, and Kate has to pretend to be her step-sister since her stepsister has found herself in a compromising situation with her betrothed, and the only way she can marry him is if he gets permission fr...more

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About Eloisa James

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeat...more

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Books by Eloisa James

When Beauty Tamed the Beast (Fairy Tales, #2)

Duchess By Night (Desperate Duchesses, #3)

A Duke of Her Own (Desperate Duchesses, #6)

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Quotes from A Kiss at Midnight

“He's male. I've noticed that sometimes the brains simply get left out of the package.” — 16 people liked it

“If you don't mind a word of advice, one never asks a lady to set her own price. If you have to ask, the answer will always be more than you can afford.” — 14 people liked it

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