Scan barcode
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received a free eARC in exchange for an honest review
I haven't really watched Phantom of the Opera, but when I was approached to read and review Midnight Duet, a gender swapped version, I jumped on it. A friend of mine in middle school was obsessed with the musical, so it always makes me think of her.
I'll start out by saying that I enjoyed this one overall. However, the main characters in this dual pov book (Erika and Christof) are INCREDIBLY horny and could barely be in the same room together at the beginning without wanting to rip each other's clothes off. As a sex-averse asexual, I found the frequency of sexual thoughts/actions off-putting and almost DNFed at the 18% mark. There was a semi-public masturbation-for-show scene that icked me out, but I pushed through and am glad I did because I enjoyed the overall story: struggling ex-broadway performer inherits historical opera house (and attached brothel) in small-town Nevada and is on a mission to save it despite her family's reputation in town; German Hair Metal front man has just been dumped in the worst way and is looking for a distraction by renting out said opera house to work on the band's first album in English. The chemistry is undeniable. It was just super heavy handed in my opinion, but I know a lot of you like that kind of thing. Think Chloe Brown level spice.
The characters were well developed (the dual pov really helped set the story up), I absolutely adored Sybille (spelling?) the gothy/witchy bassist, and the fact the Erika had rats made me super happy (don't worry, nothing bad happens to them). It was well paced, engaging, funny, and steamy.
If you enjoy steamier and open-door romance, forbidden romance, unlikable heroines, gender-swapped stories, forced proximity, insta attraction, and/or German Hair Metal, this is the book for you.
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
I haven't really watched Phantom of the Opera, but when I was approached to read and review Midnight Duet, a gender swapped version, I jumped on it. A friend of mine in middle school was obsessed with the musical, so it always makes me think of her.
I'll start out by saying that I enjoyed this one overall. However, the main characters in this dual pov book (Erika and Christof) are INCREDIBLY horny and could barely be in the same room together at the beginning without wanting to rip each other's clothes off. As a sex-averse asexual, I found the frequency of sexual thoughts/actions off-putting and almost DNFed at the 18% mark. There was a semi-public masturbation-for-show scene that icked me out, but I pushed through and am glad I did because I enjoyed the overall story: struggling ex-broadway performer inherits historical opera house (and attached brothel) in small-town Nevada and is on a mission to save it despite her family's reputation in town; German Hair Metal front man has just been dumped in the worst way and is looking for a distraction by renting out said opera house to work on the band's first album in English. The chemistry is undeniable. It was just super heavy handed in my opinion, but I know a lot of you like that kind of thing. Think Chloe Brown level spice.
The characters were well developed (the dual pov really helped set the story up), I absolutely adored Sybille (spelling?) the gothy/witchy bassist, and the fact the Erika had rats made me super happy (don't worry, nothing bad happens to them). It was well paced, engaging, funny, and steamy.
If you enjoy steamier and open-door romance, forbidden romance, unlikable heroines, gender-swapped stories, forced proximity, insta attraction, and/or German Hair Metal, this is the book for you.
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Medical content, and Blood
More...