Juliana (philippaj) - reviewed on 7/21/2009 + 136 more book reviews

~ Not trying to be unique here ... but unlike almost everyone else (and to my surprise), I did not like this book (2 stars) ~

I'm obviously in the minority, but I disliked this book. Normally I'm a fan of Jacquie D'Alessandro's novels, but I found this one and NEVER A LADY pretty horrible. It took me 11 days to read this book (the *longest* - by many days! - it has ever taken me to read a historical romance) and I literally had to force myself to finish it so I could just write my review and put it away. The frequent appearance of the three other heroines and heroes from the Mayfair Series was nice and I'm looking forward to reading Books 2 and 3 - and hopefully enjoying them more than this one! Random detail: Carolyn is 32 years old and Daniel is 33.

"MAYHEM IN MAYFAIR" SERIES:
(Book 1) SLEEPLESS AT MIDNIGHT - Miss Sarah Moorehouse and Matthew Devenport, Marquess Langston [***1/2, reviewed]
(Book 2) CONFESSIONS AT MIDNIGHT - Carolyn Turner, Viscountess Wingate (Sarah's older sister) and Daniel Sutton, Lord Surbrooke [**]
(Book 3) SEDUCED AT MIDNIGHT - Lady Julianne Bradley and Gideon Mayne
(Book 4) TEMPTED AT MIDNIGHT - Lady Emily Stapleford and Logan Jennsen

CRITICISM:
D'Alessandro is skilled at writing steamy scenes and great sexual tension, however it is usually all the more enjoyable to read because there is such a strong non-physical relationship that is developing at the same time, or has already developed, between the two main characters ... and I just did not feel that here! There was no witty or tongue-in-cheek dialogue, no humorous or particularly memorable encounters, and the emotional/intellectual connection was, I'm sorry to say, almost *completely* absent for me.

Daniel has lusted after Carolyn for ten years ever since he saw her for the first time on the eve of her engagement to Edward - now I have problems with the "love/lust-at-first-sight" premises, but let's put that aside since that encounter is not the core of the book ... what is the core of the book is basically them just lusting after one another and talking about an every-level connection of which I saw no actual evidence and could not really believe in (ex: they love talking with each other ... yet we read few/any actually meaningful previous conversations upon which they can base this feeling, and so on).

Regarding Carolyn's desiring Daniel: the progression of her feelings (or lusting) for him felt choppy to me because she goes from feeling ashamed and guilty for wanting him to being quite forward in their first sexual encounter: she decides to surprise him, have him shown into her private sitting room, and then comes in wearing just a negligee (with the whole open-mouth-jaw-dropping going on for Daniel and etc. - you think she's beautiful: we get it, move on already!). It was quite a leap forward and one that left me floundering when trying to connect with her character). Oh - and Daniel *repeatedly* going on about how the sight of her hand on his arm (and her hand in his / her knee near his / etc.) moved him so much one thought he wanted to tattoo the image on his forehead ... yeah, was too excessive for me.

CAROLYN'S PREVIOUS MARRIAGE:
I'm ashamed to admit that I don't usually like it when a hero or heroine was strongly in love before (and still has feelings for the person or it didn't end badly and they have fond memories) - horrible, I know!! However, if you're like me and want to know the details about Carolyn's previous marriage: she was married to Edward for ten years; they were very happy and she was heartbroken over his death; one gets the sense that her relationship with Daniel is more passionate than the one she had with Edward, so she is a little surprised by this aspect of his whole "I-can't-get-enough-of-you" reaction to her (but she likes it).

Although Carolyn really did love Edward, this was actually a part of the book that (surprisingly) didn't bother me and I thought D'Alessandro dealt with it really well: when Carolyn first starts to realize she's attracted to Daniel, she feels understandably guilty, conflicted, and confused, however she doesn't spend the whole book that way and realizes (not two pages after moping, but a reasonable amount of time into the book) that being with another person or loving another man won't diminish what she had with Edward, that he would want her to happy, and that she didn't die along with him. It was all very sensitively and realistically written and I think worked really well.

BOTTOM LINE:
Skip CONFESSIONS AT MIDNIGHT - it being part of a series still doesn't warrant even taking it out of the library IMHO (which, I know, obviously *many* people disagree with! LOL) - and instead read THE BRIDE THIEF or RED ROSES MEAN LOVE - two of my favorite D'Alessandro romances and favorite overall historicals also.

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