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Midnight Pleasures
(Pleasures #2)
by
In the night, all rules are forgotten....
Eloisa James, the acclaimed author of Potent Pleasures, returns to Regency England with an unforgettable new heroine — a genteel but naughty innocent who gets more than she bargains for when she finally says yes to love.
To her legions of adoring suitors, it comes as quite a shock when Lady Sophie York rejects an offer of marriage fr ...more
Eloisa James, the acclaimed author of Potent Pleasures, returns to Regency England with an unforgettable new heroine — a genteel but naughty innocent who gets more than she bargains for when she finally says yes to love.
To her legions of adoring suitors, it comes as quite a shock when Lady Sophie York rejects an offer of marriage fr ...more
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Paperback, 464 pages
Published
May 8th 2001
by Island Books
(first published 2000)
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Start your review of Midnight Pleasures (Pleasures, #2)

Angst and Stupidity

I really hate it when authors take intelligent characters from previous books and turn them into immature bumbling idiots.

And the ending was just too sad and very unnecessary !! ...more

I really hate it when authors take intelligent characters from previous books and turn them into immature bumbling idiots.

And the ending was just too sad and very unnecessary !! ...more

It’s been a long time since I’ve really enjoyed a romance and the characters. The downside is this one takes failure to communicate to epic measures, but I just kept putting that aside….again and again.
When Sophie first appears my eyes crossed as she’s dressed to scandalize and bent on being provocative in Regency England . Ho hum, another special Regency snowflake. Great. That was put to bed pretty quickly as Sophie ended up being a three dimensional, extremely intelligent heroine that hides be ...more
When Sophie first appears my eyes crossed as she’s dressed to scandalize and bent on being provocative in Regency England . Ho hum, another special Regency snowflake. Great. That was put to bed pretty quickly as Sophie ended up being a three dimensional, extremely intelligent heroine that hides be ...more

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

Aug 04, 2019
*The Angry Reader*
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historicals,
2019
This series is a bit of a mess. Or at least the two I’ve read. Nice enough heroines with heroes that just don’t deserve them. Temper tantrums, meanness and lack of communication are not patched over by good hair.
Some of the lines Patrick used early on in their relationship put me in mind of a high school boy. “Come on, babe. Just the tip...” Definitely a bit skeezy and light on the consent.
I wanted something insubstantial after the Novik. Boy did I get it.
...more
Some of the lines Patrick used early on in their relationship put me in mind of a high school boy. “Come on, babe. Just the tip...” Definitely a bit skeezy and light on the consent.
I wanted something insubstantial after the Novik. Boy did I get it.


Didn't love it or even like it all that much by the end. 2.5 stars. The book had a split personality: it's tone, or mood if you will, started out lighthearted with some misunderstanding/false assumptions as H/h end up married to each other; developed into angst-y and all about misunderstandings, suspicions and perverse refusals to say anything, even the most obvious things (and I don't mind misunderstandings if they're not forced and drawn out, but these were); and at last was soap-operatically
...more

Our heroes are stubborn, obstinate and prejudiced.
Sophie is sure that marrying a rake will lead to heartbreak so she refuses Patrick even though they're caught in a compromising position.
Patrick is sure that the reason Sophie rejected him is his lack of a title.
They're both wrong but it'll take them quite some time to actually figure that out.
Lots of wrong turns make them drift apart until a traumatic and unexpected event helps them get closer and finally talk and sort their issues out.
Apart fr ...more
Sophie is sure that marrying a rake will lead to heartbreak so she refuses Patrick even though they're caught in a compromising position.
Patrick is sure that the reason Sophie rejected him is his lack of a title.
They're both wrong but it'll take them quite some time to actually figure that out.
Lots of wrong turns make them drift apart until a traumatic and unexpected event helps them get closer and finally talk and sort their issues out.
Apart fr ...more

My second Eloisa James novel. I loved Sophie and I will always have a soft spot for the Foakes Twins! A go to re-read book. Plus, we get Quil! Not as great as the first one, but I'm not complaining.
...more

I read Potent Pleasures a year ago and was struck by how emotional and passionate the story was. I thoroughly disliked the hero though, but his brother seemed nice enough so I gave his book a try too. However, although the hero WAS better than Alex, his twin, the book wasn't as powerful as the first.
Patrick and Sophia have been caught in a compromising position, but even though he proposed to her, she refused him. Sophia wants a practical marriage, based on friendship rather than the passion sh ...more
Patrick and Sophia have been caught in a compromising position, but even though he proposed to her, she refused him. Sophia wants a practical marriage, based on friendship rather than the passion sh ...more

I liked this one-- not as much as the first one in the series but it was enjoyable. I have a love/hate thing for this narrator. She is GREAT with the characters emotions and dialogue. She can switch back and forth seamlessly from a yelling chick to a subdued Dude and then back to narrator voice. I am so annoyed with complaints that narrators shouldn't act out the books but just read them. I think if they got their wish, they'd admit that they are wrong with those statements. What I hate about th
...more

While this was certainly not the worst novel that I have read, I did find that it was a tad listless and aimless, far too much to really offer anything of substance to even review.
The relationship between Sophie and Patrick was incredibly repetative and as the main plot in the novel it needed an extra something to keep it interesting. There was an infernal instance on the hero and his heroine not communicating, however I found that this long passed the line of being an obstacle in their great ro ...more
The relationship between Sophie and Patrick was incredibly repetative and as the main plot in the novel it needed an extra something to keep it interesting. There was an infernal instance on the hero and his heroine not communicating, however I found that this long passed the line of being an obstacle in their great ro ...more

Deceptively Intercepted
Author missed a better title. Mine needs tweaking. One trip up a ladder to take Sophie's virginity doesn't constitute midnight pleasures it was only once.
However, this book was filled with half wit behaviour. You have to read it to understand the why communication is of the utmost importance in relationships never take anything at face value and always do your homework. I can't reiterate how effective checking one's facts are to keeping a person from jumping to conclusion ...more
Author missed a better title. Mine needs tweaking. One trip up a ladder to take Sophie's virginity doesn't constitute midnight pleasures it was only once.
However, this book was filled with half wit behaviour. You have to read it to understand the why communication is of the utmost importance in relationships never take anything at face value and always do your homework. I can't reiterate how effective checking one's facts are to keeping a person from jumping to conclusion ...more

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

Read the first fifty or so pages and saw the same theme that annoyed me in book one approaching (husband thinks wife is in love with another man, jealously, bitterness and anger ensures) and couldn't do it again. Skimmed the end. Ending was cute and so was the beginning, just couldn't read the middle.
...more

A note on the series: I read this book significantly after reading the first one, and that felt like a mistake. The book starts off assuming you know about the tension between Patrick and Sophie; they've already been caught kissing at a party, he's already proposed, and she's rejected him and hastily gotten engaged to another man. That amount of plot usually takes up at least a third of a typical romance novel. From there, the book quickly establishes that Sophie is gorgeous, flirtatious, often
...more

Setting: London December 1805
Genre: Romance
In two seasons, Lady Sophie York has rejected proposals from most of the eligible men of high society, including the rich and gorgeous Patrick Foakes who had been caught kissing her at a ball. Instead, she accepts the hand of Braddon Chatwin, a dull and dependable earl. Why? Because he has promised not to embarrass her by flaunting his mistresses as her father does. She assumes all men of her class have mistresses. And because Patrick makes her heart g ...more
Genre: Romance
In two seasons, Lady Sophie York has rejected proposals from most of the eligible men of high society, including the rich and gorgeous Patrick Foakes who had been caught kissing her at a ball. Instead, she accepts the hand of Braddon Chatwin, a dull and dependable earl. Why? Because he has promised not to embarrass her by flaunting his mistresses as her father does. She assumes all men of her class have mistresses. And because Patrick makes her heart g ...more

This isn't quite 4... but, my God... some books seriously need to come with warning labels.
The beginning of this book is standard romance fare... with a little comedic hijinx resulting in the marriage of Sophia to Patrick. Sophia is Charlotte's (of Potent Pleasures) best friend and Patrick is Charlotte's Alex's twin brother... so this relationship was set up in the last book.
That's probably why the romance, the wedding and honeymoon happen so fast. We know who is going to be together and James d ...more
The beginning of this book is standard romance fare... with a little comedic hijinx resulting in the marriage of Sophia to Patrick. Sophia is Charlotte's (of Potent Pleasures) best friend and Patrick is Charlotte's Alex's twin brother... so this relationship was set up in the last book.
That's probably why the romance, the wedding and honeymoon happen so fast. We know who is going to be together and James d ...more

This was not as good as other Eloisa James books I've read but still a good book. I actually set it aside for a bit and read another book or was it two, anyway. I am looking forward to reading the third one in this trilogy. Sophie (Heroine) has a talent for learning languages in fact its a hobby and she knows several but is afraid to tell Patrick (Hero). Her mother is French so it is a known fact that she is bilingual. Patrick eventually learns about her gift and he's not at all upset because th
...more

It took me quite a few pages to get used to the many POVs that are peppered throughout the book. It seemed odd at first to get a sentence or two of internal thoughts from quite a few minor characters, but in the end I liked the occasional outside POVs. A thought or two from the lady's maid or the butler, it did add to the story. And I'm usually not a fan of the multiple POV narration.
This was my first novel by Eloisa James, and it will not be my last. Her way with characters and their developmen ...more
This was my first novel by Eloisa James, and it will not be my last. Her way with characters and their developmen ...more

I really struggled with this book, which is unusual as regency romances and Eloisa James usually leave me with a big smile and utter contentment. However this book just didn't do it for me it was tedious at times, it only started really to get going at 25% and then dwindled off again, until my interest was leaked for a second time at 34%.
The highlight of the whole book was one of the main characters Lady Sophie York she had a lot of spunk which I admire, but for someone so clever and well read s ...more
The highlight of the whole book was one of the main characters Lady Sophie York she had a lot of spunk which I admire, but for someone so clever and well read s ...more

This was the other book I purchased for my train ride back to Boston, and, like the other one, I was convinced I'd read it before. Luckily for me, it became obvious shortly after I started the book that I had not (although it seems to be an understandable mistake), and I enjoyed it much more than my other train book.
Even though the plot was a little bit frustrating. Way more of the back-and-forth than I usually like, of the "I can't marry you! I want to marry you! I won't marry you! I will marry ...more
Even though the plot was a little bit frustrating. Way more of the back-and-forth than I usually like, of the "I can't marry you! I want to marry you! I won't marry you! I will marry ...more

I did like this book but it's Eloisa James so of course I liked it. It was a fun read and the characters were interesting. I couldn't give it 5 stars for a couple of reasons. The first one is not the author's fault. Susan Duerden's reading of Sophie's voice was just too breathless- too childish. Secondly, the entire subplot of the trip to Turkey and the "gift" Patrick was being asked to bring just didn't fit and it was resolved so quickly that I had to go back and listen to that part again. Quit
...more

Feb 15, 2008
Shelley
rated it
liked it
Recommended to Shelley by:
Smart bitches who like trashy books
Shelves:
chicklitromance
Bonus points for going outside the romance novel mold! It was nearly three books in one - Sophie/Patrick, Braddon/Madeleine and the Napoleonic espionage. It was fairly well plotted, and I liked all the characters pretty well. Could have lived without the meandering POVs - I think six characters had the POV throughout the book. Still, I'd read more from her.
...more

This book was the perfect example of the "one conversation between the hero and heroine would have made this a short story" problem. They don't want to talk to each other for reasons that are not at all clear in the narrative and the misunderstandings drive the last 3/4 of the book, and make what could have been very nice characters and a sweet romance into a tiresome endless bore.
...more

Sophie likes Patrick and doesn't want to and becomes engaged to his friend, etc. etc. Bad. These characters acted under no system of human reasoning currently known to me, so I can only categorize this as some kind of speculative fiction, and it was not good.
...more

Started out good then the middle dragged. The entire subplot of Brandon and Madeline was too much. Then they did something that surprised me (no spoilers) and the end picks up. Not bad. Shouldn't have taken me 3 months to get through though.
...more

I prefer her more recent books
It’s been a very long time since I picked up this novel. And while I love her fairytale series and the Wilde series, this one just didn’t do a lot for me.
It’s one of James’ earlier books, and there is a certain lack of sophistication (though it is certainly put together well), that is apparent in later books.
Honestly, it’s a bit all over the place, with multiple little subplots competing for attention- most of which never are fully fleshed out to satisfaction. Ther ...more
It’s been a very long time since I picked up this novel. And while I love her fairytale series and the Wilde series, this one just didn’t do a lot for me.
It’s one of James’ earlier books, and there is a certain lack of sophistication (though it is certainly put together well), that is apparent in later books.
Honestly, it’s a bit all over the place, with multiple little subplots competing for attention- most of which never are fully fleshed out to satisfaction. Ther ...more

3.0 stars
I was really excited about reading this book. The title, "Midnight Pleasures" was intriguing enough and the summary of the story seemed like it would be captivating and one I also expected would be peppered with lots of sensuality.
*Sigh*
To start off, the title "Midnight Pleasures" is totally misleading. I was hoping for far more "Midnight Pleasures" than this book gave me. The title revolves around one incident then falls flat afterwards.
This was the first novel I've read ...more
I was really excited about reading this book. The title, "Midnight Pleasures" was intriguing enough and the summary of the story seemed like it would be captivating and one I also expected would be peppered with lots of sensuality.
*Sigh*
To start off, the title "Midnight Pleasures" is totally misleading. I was hoping for far more "Midnight Pleasures" than this book gave me. The title revolves around one incident then falls flat afterwards.
This was the first novel I've read ...more
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Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish | 1 | 1 | Mar 10, 2015 07:54AM |
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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