Dancing at Midnight

When I first added this book to my to-reads list, I added it with the other two books in the series. So I didn’t know any of the characters or how they were connected. After reading Splendid, I expected Belle to be paired up with Dunford. Imagine my disappointment when I saw some other hero’s name in the description thingy. Ya I know it was mentioned that they were simply friends but but but but… awwwww. I had a similar feeling of confusion when I read Scandal in Spring because I expected Cam to

When I first added this book to my to-reads list, I added it with the other two books in the series. So I didn’t know any of the characters or how they were connected. After reading Splendid, I expected Belle to be paired up with Dunford. Imagine my disappointment when I saw some other hero’s name in the description thingy. Ya I know it was mentioned that they were simply friends but but but but… awwwww. I had a similar feeling of confusion when I read Scandal in Spring because I expected Cam to be the hero. But considering that I read the Hathaways before I read the Wallflowers, I didn’t complain. With this book, I have to say I wish Dunford was the hero. HOWEVER, I still loved John. Yes, he PMSed like my roommate, but he had depth. I’ll go in detail later. For now…

Lady Arabella is visiting her newly married cousin while her still very much in love parents are vacationing in Italy. When she is caught reading/trespassing on the newly named Lord Blackwood’s (aka John) property, wits and sparks fly. The two become curious about each other, and after kissing, arguing, more kissing, and more arguing, a “heroic” rush to London, and more kissing, (view spoiler)[ the couple get married (hide spoiler)]. Oh and of course, what’s a romance novel without a psycho killer?

So here’s what I thought of the actual book. I didn’t love it like I did Splendid. It definitely had the JQ humor in it. Really, I couldn’t help but guffaw at some point. Maybe it was the whole murder thing that got to me. That and the ridiculous argument the Belle and John had towards the end of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve said this before, I love clichés. They were original before they became a cliché. But parts of this book was just plain cheesy. And when I say parts, I only mean like 7 out 375 pages. I know people’s (Pardon the grammar) faces will get all funky when I say this, but I’m not a sucker for a tortured hero. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate them, but I feel like their stories are so much harder to read because they make me so sad. Those are the only things that stopped me from giving this book five stars.

I truly liked John. He was true, and he was lovely. He also was bipolar. I swear, at some point I wanted to step in the book, and ask him whether he was on this period or something. Poor Belle was probably so confused. At least I knew the whole story. As for John’s story, it was so heart stopping. I know I had to pause for a second or ten. The only part that irked me was that he (view spoiler)[ blamed himself for the rape. John went as far as to saying that he might as well have raped the girl when he wasn’t purely at fault. (hide spoiler)] Other than that, John was a sweetheart. He deserved happiness.

Then there’s Belle. She was a doll. I loved her; she was strong, quick-witted, smart, loving, and selfless. I have to say I enjoyed Emma more, but Belle was a treat. I loved the fact that I was able to see her grow. There isn’t much I can say about Belle, simply imagine the perfect heroine, and that is who she is.

There is another aspect of this book that I adored. The supporting characters, they made the book lively. It was AMAZING to see Alex and Emma so completely in love, and then there is Persephone. Oh that woman was a hoot! And of course we can’t forget Dunford. I simply can’t wait to read his book! I can already feel sense the humor emanating from my IPad.

Overall, a solid 4 stars. It’s definitely worth the time to read. It’s good for when you need a break. I think I’ll put Minx off for a week, and move to something more heavy. I finally feel refreshed!