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5 Stars / Historical / Review

A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

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 fiancĂ©e, 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.

Title:A Kiss at Midnight
Author:Eloisa James
Series:Fairytales Series (Book 1)
Pages:383
Category / Genre(s):Historical
Trope(s):Fairytales
Point of View:
Location:Lancashire, England
Setting:Early 1800s ish (Regency)
HEA:✔️
Release Date:27th July, 2010
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A magical Cinderella retelling

This is the first in JamesFairytales five part series. There are also a few e-books that follow on from this story however these and all the rest of the series stand alone and have no connection to each other except the fairytale theme.

From the first I liked Kate and felt for her situation. It was especially well done that although the stepmother wasn’t particularly nice, she wasn’t a caricature and was believable in her meanness! Gabriel was a very enjoyable hero and I always like a pair that bicker but are strong enough to stand up for themselves with each other. Together Kate and Gabriel worked really well and I really enjoyed their scenes together and thought the pair had good chemistry.

“I felt the magic and adored watching Kate and Gabriel…”

The story itself ticked over nicely and I loved the supporting characters who were vibrant but never overshadowed or upstaged the main romance. I never had a problem with wanting to pick up this book and keep reading. If I had to make one critisism it would be that there were a few too many Americanisms for my liking. Having said that, at the end of the book the author’s note explains that this is set in Fairytale land rather than being an actual historical so I’m not sure whether that was a deliberate move.

Regardless, this was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I felt the magic and adored watching Kate and Gabriel on the path to their happily ever after.

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 repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers’ Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.

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Fairytale Series:

Book 1
Book 1.5
Book 2
Book 2.5
Book 3
Book 4
Book 4.5
Book 5

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