Midnight Madness

After Hours #2

by Karen Kendall

Bohemian hairstylist and spa owner Marly Fine can handle almost anything. At least until she walks into the office of Florida governor Jack Hammersmith when he's shirtless and hot enough to ignite every ballot box in the state. It's clear how he earned his player reputation. Thankfully, he's so not her type. Sure, his kisses may peel the polish from her toes, but that changes nothing!

From the minute he sees her photo, Jack knows Marly is The One. Try convincing his too-practical-for-fate stylist of that, however. It'll take some serious persuasion and rock-hard proof that politics makes for the lustiest kind of bedfellow!

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Blaze, Contemporary, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

About the author

Karen Kendall is the author of many disasters and nine romantic comedies. She grew up in Austin, Texas, and credits her early interest in writing to several teachers and her mother, a professor of comparative literature.

A graduate of Smith College, Karen studied the mysteries of modern and contemporary art before enrolling in a masters program in Museum Education, with the aim of teaching children about art. She worked for several museums and galleries before following her lifelong dream and completing a novel.

Karen is still a big fan of children's art, but she now writes full time and lives in Florida with her husband, Don, and attack-cat Boo, who turns up her nose at chicken and fish but adores asparagus and mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.

Reviews

[ShoSho · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a funny Harlequin novel and being a Harlequin novel I didn't expect much from it. But it was much better than I thought, I finished in a day and enjoyed it a lot. The plot is a bit unbelievable, a governor falls in love with a hairdresser with hippies tendencies by looking at her photo in a magazine, but it worked with humor. I think I'm going to read the next in the series too.
I have to say this the cover is so relevant to the book,down to the smallest details

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stereotypical and flat Blaze romance
2 stars

When the governor of Florida, Jack Hammersmith, sees a photograph of hairstylist Marly Fine in a magazine, he instantly knows that she is The One and so sets out to track her down.

Agreeing to cut his hair, Marly is stunned to arrive at the offices of the governor to find him shirtless - and gorgeous to boot. His playboy reputation is understandable and Marly isn't immune to his charms or his kisses. Luckily she's not his type but she hasn't anticipated that politicians are the most persuasive people and Jack is determined to convince her to give them a go.

Despite looking forward to the slightly unusual premise of this book - in the end it just didn't work for me. The author was clearly trying to make Jack an alpha male character but instead I felt he came across as a childish, annoying and at times, creepy guy. Marly was slightly better but she was still a very stereotypical 'hippy' character and I just couldn't like her. The pair did have chemistry and the sex scenes were hot even if they had little emotion to them.

The other large failing of this book was the fact that it was often bogged down in politics. I have little interest in them, especially American politics, yet barely a page went by without one of the characters droning on about Democrats, Republicans and the stereotypes involved with both. I get the feeling that the fact the characters had differing politic viewpoints was supposed to be a source of conflict which I just didn't understand.

For me, this book was a struggle to finish and I just can't recommend it. Perhaps if you are a fan of Karen Kendall or if you like your romances with a political undertone then you might enjoy this - unfortunately it just wasn't my cup of tea. 2 stars.

[Fedora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight Madness is the second in Karen Kendall’s After Hours series (Harlequin Blaze #252).

Hairdresser Marly Fine is happy with her life—she loves her work and clients, and her partners and friends keep her laughing and give her perspective. When the governor makes an appointment for a cut, she doesn’t expect it to change her life. But it does.

Florida governor Jack Hammersmith took one look at Marly and knows. She’s the one for him. But convincing Marly that they could actually work is probably one of the biggest challenges he’s ever faced.

Karen Kendall’s story is entertaining and steamy, if a touch a product of its time at moments. Marly and Jack manage to carve out a satisfying path for themselves, with the loving support of their friends and families.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came home from a 14-hour work day and picked up this book and a glass of wine. The scene in Marly's parents' rundown Ft. Myers bungalow, decorated in Florida kitsch, her dad cutting the dessicated roast beef and having it fly across the table, had me in tears. The ludicrous impossibility of the Florida governor falling in love with a hippie Miami hairdresser, the sheer delight of The Hammer's sense of humor - compared to Florida's current governor, the Peacock, and his image savvy way - all these things combined to make me realize why I enjoy romance books so much these days. That, and I'm getting old.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marly Fine is a hairdresser trying to make ends meet. Jack Hammersmith is the governor of Florida and born with a silver spoon. He has decided that she is the one for him, she only needs persuasion. She is determined to teach him that his whims are not always convenient, particularly for someone who wants their independence.

I did love Marly, she was a great character and determined to make sure that the relationship had at least some equality going on during it. I felt though, that Jack needed to work harder. Though he was a good character and did learn from the whole story

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Florida Govenor, Jack Hammersmith, saw a picture of hairstylist Marly Fine and knew it was love at first sight. His challenge was to convince Marly of that. I like how even though they lived apart and have extremly busy lives, they still put effort in their relationship. It had great romance and I loved the snarky remarks Marly made about Jack, his politics and bodygaurds.