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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Great addition to a worthy series. Artemis is a lady-companion to her bubble headed and vain cousin Penelope due to her family's dissolution and great scandal. Maximus is courting Penelope because of her beauty, wealth, social standing, and because he feels she would be the "perfect" duchess for his long family lineage and fulfill his promise to his murdered parents. Lots of intricate plotting here. More explanation of the Ghost of St Giles; some of that mystery is expounded upon, and why Maximus has taken up the sword himself. Great characters; both main and supporting. Craven is like Alfred to Maximus' Batman; and his dry, not-so-deferential dialogue is great stuff indeed. The duel between our outwardly contained yet internally combustable protagonists is a real joy to behold. Ms. Hoyt's writing is an elegant thing indeed.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Mostly giving this four stars because Wakefield is a bunch of my favorite character tropes.
3.75 stars (book)
4 stars (narrator)
Claudia Harris is a better narrator than the one who read the previous book, but she's no Ashford McNabb.
I liked this book . . . and I didn't like this book. I loved both of the main characters, Maximus and Artemis, and, while, in the beginning of the book (and in the previous book) I could sense chemistry and romantic tension between them, it very quickly dissipated and became a story about two people who shouldn't have been together.
Or maybe they should---but not because there was a deep sense of true love between them. That's just how ambivalent I feel about the relationship between them.
I've read plenty of historical romance novels that are retellings of fairy tales, but I've never read one that's a retelling of a superhero story---and this lacked only someone comparing Maximus to a bat out loud. It wasn't even thinly veiled--he even had a "bat cave" workout room in the cellar of his town house.
When he was 14, his parents were murdered in front of him in the "bad part of town" after the opera and he's now spent the rest of his (very privileged, wealth-filled) life seeking revenge on the person who murdered his parents---to the point at which he finds someone who takes him in and trains him to become the Ghost of St. Giles---a man who "haunts" the bad part of town (St. Giles) and protects the innocent while trying to clean up the crime, which he sees as fueled mainly by gin. Why gin? Because he hid behind a barrel of it when watching his parents being murdered and associates the smell of gin with that memory, so, obviously gin must have been the reason why they were murdered, right?
No. They were murdered because his mother had figured out the identity of Old Scratch, a "highwayman" (is he really a highwayman if he hunts in an urban area?) who robbed and murdered in St. Giles because he needed the money and because he enjoyed it. Didn't have anything to do with gin.
Artemis is the longsuffering companion of Lady Penelope, whom we've seen and been annoyed by throughout the Maiden Lane series, allowing us to have plenty of sympathy for Artemis before we even knew anything about her. She's had plenty of bad stuff happen to her in her life, which would have broken many weaker-willed women, but it's made her stronger and, surprisingly independent. She's a strong woman, but with vulnerabilities, and I did like that about her.
So there are these two characters that I really like. And I love stories when the woman who's been kept or pushed down through no fault of her own gets a Cinderella-style happy ending. So why didn't this one work for me?
Well . . . I felt like she could have done better than Maximus---at least in the way that Maximus treats her when she finally gives herself to him. He tells her that even if he sleeps with her, he will not offer her marriage---he still plans to marry Artemis's twit of a cousin, Lady Penelope. He even uses that against her when she makes him mad at one point, talking about how his mother's emeralds will look beautiful on Penelope when she becomes the duchess. Throughout the story, he continues to deny her hope that they might end up together. It's not until the end of the book, when Artemis almost dies--because of him and his vendetta--that he decides to marry her because he can't live without her.
And the way his vendetta is resolved . . . well, that was just weak.
So, again, I'm a bit ambivalent about this book. I didn't dislike it as much as one of the other books in this series, but it's also not the best book in the series.
I can't wait for Apollo's book, which should be next, since he had viewpoint scenes in this book. My dream 'ship for him is with Phoebe, Maximus and Hero's little sister.
4 stars (narrator)
Claudia Harris is a better narrator than the one who read the previous book, but she's no Ashford McNabb.
I liked this book . . . and I didn't like this book. I loved both of the main characters, Maximus and Artemis, and, while, in the beginning of the book (and in the previous book) I could sense chemistry and romantic tension between them, it very quickly dissipated and became a story about two people who shouldn't have been together.
Or maybe they should---but not because there was a deep sense of true love between them. That's just how ambivalent I feel about the relationship between them.
I've read plenty of historical romance novels that are retellings of fairy tales, but I've never read one that's a retelling of a superhero story---and this lacked only someone comparing Maximus to a bat out loud. It wasn't even thinly veiled--he even had a "bat cave" workout room in the cellar of his town house.
When he was 14, his parents were murdered in front of him in the "bad part of town" after the opera and he's now spent the rest of his (very privileged, wealth-filled) life seeking revenge on the person who murdered his parents---to the point at which he finds someone who takes him in and trains him to become the Ghost of St. Giles---a man who "haunts" the bad part of town (St. Giles) and protects the innocent while trying to clean up the crime, which he sees as fueled mainly by gin. Why gin? Because he hid behind a barrel of it when watching his parents being murdered and associates the smell of gin with that memory, so, obviously gin must have been the reason why they were murdered, right?
No. They were murdered because his mother had figured out the identity of Old Scratch, a "highwayman" (is he really a highwayman if he hunts in an urban area?) who robbed and murdered in St. Giles because he needed the money and because he enjoyed it. Didn't have anything to do with gin.
Artemis is the longsuffering companion of Lady Penelope, whom we've seen and been annoyed by throughout the Maiden Lane series, allowing us to have plenty of sympathy for Artemis before we even knew anything about her. She's had plenty of bad stuff happen to her in her life, which would have broken many weaker-willed women, but it's made her stronger and, surprisingly independent. She's a strong woman, but with vulnerabilities, and I did like that about her.
So there are these two characters that I really like. And I love stories when the woman who's been kept or pushed down through no fault of her own gets a Cinderella-style happy ending. So why didn't this one work for me?
Well . . . I felt like she could have done better than Maximus---at least in the way that Maximus treats her when she finally gives herself to him. He tells her that even if he sleeps with her, he will not offer her marriage---he still plans to marry Artemis's twit of a cousin, Lady Penelope. He even uses that against her when she makes him mad at one point, talking about how his mother's emeralds will look beautiful on Penelope when she becomes the duchess. Throughout the story, he continues to deny her hope that they might end up together. It's not until the end of the book, when Artemis almost dies--because of him and his vendetta--that he decides to marry her because he can't live without her.
And the way his vendetta is resolved . . . well, that was just weak.
So, again, I'm a bit ambivalent about this book. I didn't dislike it as much as one of the other books in this series, but it's also not the best book in the series.
I can't wait for Apollo's book, which should be next, since he had viewpoint scenes in this book. My dream 'ship for him is with Phoebe, Maximus and Hero's little sister.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maximus has been a orphan most of his life, now he is the Duke of Wakfield, and even though he keeps busy during the day with all the responsibilities that come with the title, at night he becomes disguised as the Ghost of St Giles. One evening while searching for the man that murdered his parents, he rescues Artemis and her cousin, who fights him at every turn, and appeals to the male part of him that only wishes to claim her for his own, instead of giving into his obligations that come from being a Duke of the realm. Artemis, is a lady's companion, and even though she is Penelope's cousin, she is still a servant. Artemis is desperate to save her brother, who was convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and is well known as mad. However Artemis knows he is anything but. When word reaches her ears that he has been beaten and is close to death, she delivers a ultimatum to Maximus, one that would sizzle their connection and intensify their feelings for each other. Will Maximus be able to choose love over duty, or will his dukedom be his main concern over the one woman that could make life worth living....
Duke Of Midnight is the sixth book in this fabulous story, of the darker elements of the Regency era. Elizabeth Hoyt is by far one of my favorite authors and I always know that when I pick one of her books I will enjoy myself quite immensely, and so I have been looking forward to reading this one for quite some time. There is quite a bit of emotional tension and I really loved the way this story begins, with a dark night in St. Giles. Duke of Midnight is a story that tells a tale of a Duke that needs love and a gentle spirit to calm his troubled past. A heroine that needs a hero to believe in her. There were a couple of side characters I liked, and the cousin I had issues with, I found her a bit petty and spoiled. Artemis is the kind of heroine, you just can't help but love, she is fiery and spirited, and will do anything to save her brother. She has balls of brass, and I loved her fighting nature, yet has a gentle quality to her that makes her so endearing and very easy to relate with. I saw so many qualities in Artemis that I could see in myself.
The story itself is packed with stunning scenes, intense adventure and a mystery to boggle the mind. Will you be able to find out who is the murderer? Because in the end it definitely surprised me and I loved the way these two characters come together and finally achieve a HEA. It does take some doing, tough decisions to make, a couple ultimatums, and a sensual seduction. Heartwarming and until the very end!!! A ROMANTIC TREASURE!!
Duke Of Midnight is the sixth book in this fabulous story, of the darker elements of the Regency era. Elizabeth Hoyt is by far one of my favorite authors and I always know that when I pick one of her books I will enjoy myself quite immensely, and so I have been looking forward to reading this one for quite some time. There is quite a bit of emotional tension and I really loved the way this story begins, with a dark night in St. Giles. Duke of Midnight is a story that tells a tale of a Duke that needs love and a gentle spirit to calm his troubled past. A heroine that needs a hero to believe in her. There were a couple of side characters I liked, and the cousin I had issues with, I found her a bit petty and spoiled. Artemis is the kind of heroine, you just can't help but love, she is fiery and spirited, and will do anything to save her brother. She has balls of brass, and I loved her fighting nature, yet has a gentle quality to her that makes her so endearing and very easy to relate with. I saw so many qualities in Artemis that I could see in myself.
The story itself is packed with stunning scenes, intense adventure and a mystery to boggle the mind. Will you be able to find out who is the murderer? Because in the end it definitely surprised me and I loved the way these two characters come together and finally achieve a HEA. It does take some doing, tough decisions to make, a couple ultimatums, and a sensual seduction. Heartwarming and until the very end!!! A ROMANTIC TREASURE!!
This book is dominated by one thing: Maximus Batman - I mean, Batten, Duke of Wakefield. We both felt strongly about Maximus. This dude's an alphahole par excellence: even his good qualities are bound up in his sense of privilege and sense that his decisions are always right.
Neither of us prefer an alphahole hero, but we can't deny that Hoyt writes him so well it's impressive. Laine in particular was absolutely staggered by how well she wrote Maximus as a consistent character with an utter inability to doubt his own judgment and basic unredeemed dickishness even at the end of the book. She's basically in love with this guy even though she knows it's a toxic relationship.
Check this one out if you want to know just how Georgian-era Batman would comport himself!
13-Word Summaries:
Laine: Maximus could never shame dukedom by marrying beneath him, masked vigilantism is fine.
Meg: Maximus doesn’t understand why Artemis doesn’t understand why he just can’t marry her.
Neither of us prefer an alphahole hero, but we can't deny that Hoyt writes him so well it's impressive. Laine in particular was absolutely staggered by how well she wrote Maximus as a consistent character with an utter inability to doubt his own judgment and basic unredeemed dickishness even at the end of the book. She's basically in love with this guy even though she knows it's a toxic relationship.
Check this one out if you want to know just how Georgian-era Batman would comport himself!
13-Word Summaries:
Laine: Maximus could never shame dukedom by marrying beneath him, masked vigilantism is fine.
Meg: Maximus doesn’t understand why Artemis doesn’t understand why he just can’t marry her.