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A review by lydiarama
Midnight Duet by Jen Comfort
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
After blazing through Comfort’s later romcom, What Is Love?, I knew I had to read every other book in her catalogue. Comfort is one of few authors that can pull an actual, earnest laugh out of me, and I love that she takes on daringly whacky storylines with similarly eclectic characters without making the narrative (too) unbelievable while weaving together an electric romance with all the drama of a Broadway musical.
Midnight Duet was riotously funny, offering a gender-swapped retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, in which the Phantom is a broadway diva who fell from grace after a stage accident left her scarred, and Christine is a German rock star with a flare for the dramatic and a passion for rock music, making him a perfect fit for the heroine. I loved that neither of the main characters were perfect people, with Erika being a self-admitted adulteress with a history of selfishness, and Christoff a controlling, self-righteous band frontman. Their egomaniacal natures made for instant chemistry between the two, which was delicious to experience. Despite their shortcomings, they were both able to find empowerment and growth through their romance. This character growth is also realized through Erika’s absorption into the band, Nachtmusik, in which she is able to feel true kinship for the first time, and is a way of Christoff enveloping her into his family.
My only critique for such a fun book was that I wanted just a teensy bit more ravishing (LOL). So much tension is built up in the story, and I found the moment that the two characters finally gave in to their desires was a bit flat. With so much effort being put into showcasing Christoff as a leather-pants-wearing, long-hair-whipping, electric guitar-shredding sex god, there could have been a bit more passion when it came to the steamier scenes.
Additionally, I felt like there wasn’t a dedicated scene in which the characters actually have a midnight duet! Erika agrees to give Christoff voice lessons at midnight, but we don’t experience them singing a song together, at least not in real-time. I felt like this was a bit of a missed opportunity, but I understand that such a scene could be difficult to translate into a book.
My last gripe is that I believe the ending should have been through Erika’s perspective, as she felt like the truest main character/the story begins through her POV. This is a super minor thing, but I would have liked to have experienced her triumphing in the end in her return to the stage.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I know I’ll be first in the library queue for whatever adorable, sexy hijinks Comfort releases next.
Midnight Duet was riotously funny, offering a gender-swapped retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, in which the Phantom is a broadway diva who fell from grace after a stage accident left her scarred, and Christine is a German rock star with a flare for the dramatic and a passion for rock music, making him a perfect fit for the heroine. I loved that neither of the main characters were perfect people, with Erika being a self-admitted adulteress with a history of selfishness, and Christoff a controlling, self-righteous band frontman. Their egomaniacal natures made for instant chemistry between the two, which was delicious to experience. Despite their shortcomings, they were both able to find empowerment and growth through their romance. This character growth is also realized through Erika’s absorption into the band, Nachtmusik, in which she is able to feel true kinship for the first time, and is a way of Christoff enveloping her into his family.
My only critique for such a fun book was that I wanted just a teensy bit more ravishing (LOL). So much tension is built up in the story, and I found the moment that the two characters finally gave in to their desires was a bit flat. With so much effort being put into showcasing Christoff as a leather-pants-wearing, long-hair-whipping, electric guitar-shredding sex god, there could have been a bit more passion when it came to the steamier scenes.
Additionally, I felt like there wasn’t a dedicated scene in which the characters actually have a midnight duet! Erika agrees to give Christoff voice lessons at midnight, but we don’t experience them singing a song together, at least not in real-time. I felt like this was a bit of a missed opportunity, but I understand that such a scene could be difficult to translate into a book.
My last gripe is that I believe the ending should have been through Erika’s perspective, as she felt like the truest main character/the story begins through her POV. This is a super minor thing, but I would have liked to have experienced her triumphing in the end in her return to the stage.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I know I’ll be first in the library queue for whatever adorable, sexy hijinks Comfort releases next.