Three and a half starsThis was my first Teresa Medeiros novel, but it wont be my last. I picked After Midnight out randomly at the library having heard of the author and while waiting for my dozens of orders to come in. I thought the premise sounded interesting and hoped for a good read, despite the fact I knew nothing at all about the novel. I wasn't disappointed.Caroline Cabot is the eldest of three sisters. She had to assume the parental role for her sisters when both their parents were killed in an accident.Caroline and her sisters now find themselves at the questionable mercy of a lecherous uncle, who begrudgingly allows them meager accommodation in a rundown cabin on the land he inherited from Caroline's parents. He doesn't intend to allow them this charity without some kind of reward.Caroline undertook the responsibility of raising her sisters willingly, even though it meant foregoing her planned debut and, now at the age of 24, relegating herself to likely spinsterhood. The family's future rests on middle sister Vivienne, the prettiest of the sisters, marrying well.Another aunt has sponsored Vivienne's debut, despite having shown no interest or charity to the other Cabot sisters. Vivienne is, after all, the most promising of the sisters. Vivienne is using gowns that had been intended for Caroline's debut when she meets the mysterious Adrian Kane, Viscount Trevelyan.This could be just the answer to ensuring a future for all the Cabot sisters. When youngest sister Portia, known for her vivid imagination, repeats the gossip that Lord Trevelyan is rumored to be a vampire, Caroline dismisses it as childish fantasy.But when Caroline and Portia are invited to meet Lord Trevalyan at a midnight dinner, Caroline finds herself wondering if the rumors just might be true. He is never seen in daylight and roams the night on mysterious excursions. And surely this overwhelming attraction she has for her dear sister's paramour is unnatural. Caroline must discover the truth before allowing her sister to marry.After Midnight is a Regency romance with a twist. Is he, or isn't he?I found the characters to be well drawn, with the exception of Vivienne. While we got to know Caroline and Portia well, we never got the opportunity to understand Vivienne to the same extent. While this was a fairly short read at 271 pages, there was no other obvious sacrifice in plot development or execution.Caroline would do anything for her sisters, but recognizes that this has come at a personal cost. When she finds herself attracted to Lord Trevalyan, she wages an internal battle - love for her sister vs. love for Kane. Were we given the opportunity to become as attached to Vivienne as Caroline, this element could have been more powerful.Adrian makes a wonderful hero and is worthy of causing Caroline's turmoil, while his brother Julian and Portia also make interesting characters.I have already ordered the follow-up book, The Vampire Who Loved Me, despite the cringe-worthy title.
Great paranormal historical romance - intense and mysterious hero is wonderful!I am a huge historical romance fan but have never read any paranormal ones and didn't actually know I was until a ways into the book. I have read two Teresa Medeiros books - One Night of Scandal and Yours Until Dawn - and they were both just regular historicals, so I didn't realize she wrote anything else. The book was a great historical romance and for anyone who is put off by the paranormal/vampire aspect, don't be - After Midnight is a great introduction into the genre of paranormal romances.I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well-written and engaging, the secondary romance is sweet, the mystery subplot is an essential part of the plot and romance and so not an unnecessary addition that just drags on, and the chemistry and sexual tension between the hero and heroine are great!MAIN CHARACTERS:Caroline Cabot (24) is the elder of three sisters and has been taking care of her two younger siblings since their parents died eight years ago (or six years ago - it changes - note to editor). She's a strong and intelligent heroine who is easy to like; her love for her sisters is obvious and so of course she feels a great amount of guilt for the fact that she's unaccountably drawn to her sister's potential suitor (all works out very nicely though, with no resentment, hard feelings, or misunderstandings). All three of the sisters are great characters - very different, but all of them are three-dimensional and none of them flatly drawn.Adrian Kane, Viscount Trevelyan (27) is an absolutely wonderful hero! He's dark and mysterious and seductive, but he's also kind, sensitive, has a sense of humor and feels great love and loyalty for his younger brother, Julian. Something I greatly appreciated was that Adrian is not one of those anti-love heroes who won't admit he's in love when he is - if a guy said to me the things that Adrian says to Caroline ... ::sigh::GREAT LINE:"I don't want to marry you. I don't want to want you," he added fiercely, taking one measured step toward her, then another. "And I sure as hell don't want to love you. But, God help me, I just can't stop myself."SIMILAR BOOKS:If you enjoy the older-sister-finds-her-hero premise, you might also like The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton Series, Book 2) by Julia Quinn (the whole Bridgerton series is great, so I would recommend them all) and Gayle Callen's His Scandal, which is a very light and enjoyable read, the second book in Callen's "His" Series.BOTTOM LINE:A great historical romance with a paranormal twist; I'm not normally a paranormal romance reader but I really enjoyed this book. The hero and heroine are great and I can't wait to read the follow-up book - After Midnight is followed by The Vampire Who Loved Me.
What do You think about After Midnight (2005)?
who wouldve thought that adrian wasnt a vampire, sigh, he sure played the role as one pretty well. this book would make a great movie! i can simply bring alive the characters in my mind as i read, captivated by each chapter.(Lost in a daze of delight, she felt the scrape of his teeth an instant before he gave the tender flesh a sharp nip.“Ow!” Her eyes flew open. Clapping a hand to her stinging throat, she glared up at him in wide-eyed indignation. “You bit me!” He glared right back at her, his eyes glittering like exotic gemstones in the candlelight. “And why not? That’s what you expectedme to do, isn’t it?” He held up the stake he had pilfered from the pocket of her skirt while she had been drifting mindlessly on asea of pleasure. “If not, you wouldn’t have brought this to my bed.” Caroline swallowed hard, her guilty gaze darting from the stake to his face. “I don’t suppose you’d believe that I was going tocatch up on some needlework?” “What were you going to do? Embroider ‘Bless Our Elves’ over my heart?” Snorting in derision, he tossed the stake on her chestand rolled off of her. Jerking open the silk hangings, he slipped out of the bed.)i was so sad when i thought julian might be dead, but when i realized he was alive i was relieved and happy. this was a great novel, i enjoyed every bit of it. was hoping for a series for it to continue. Everyone but poor portia got their heart's desire. one of the best books i have ever read.
—Shulonie Mccalla
I sometimes wondered, why the books by Teresa Medeiros is not up to my expectation nowadays. Her earlier works intensifies arrays of emotions such as A Whisper of Roses and Fairest of Them All, but her later publications seems to fall flat and are not working the charms anymore.And this is one of it.The first in the Cabot series, I found this book not as entertaining (albeit just a little) as the 2nd one, The Vampire Who Loved Me.However, just because I want to know what actually happens in the first place - how Caroline meets Adrian Kane, the viscount who was rumored to be a vampire. And I found the book is always shrouded in darkness - a midnight feast, a midnight ball, a midnight wedding. I only found a few scenes in the daylight. I found the basis of the book is really interesting, but.. I feel dragged just to read the first half of the book.It was when the second half comes into action, that I can bear with this book, when the explanation arises.At some point of time, I was wishing that I can find another great masterpiece by the author after such a long time.
—Limau Nipis
Adrian Kane, the notoriously mysterious Viscount Trevelyan, has captured the attention of the ton for his uniquely nocturnal lifestyle. This well-sought after bachelor has seemingly set his sites on Vivienne Cabot, the middle sister of three, and has graciously pursued introductions and invitations to her older and younger sibling with the apparent purpose of gaining their blessing in a future union. However, Portia, the younger, flagrantly announces his reputation as a "vampire" and immediately pursues a coarse of rescuing her sister Vivienne, even if she cannot convince her older, more level-headed sister, Caroline, of the Viscount's often embellished "dark" habits. Caroline knows it all must be nonsense! Afterall, Vampires? Really? Who believes in such dribble? I mean, Portia believes in Faeries and Mermaids for heaven's sake! However, after encountering the handsome and hypnotically compelling Viscount, Caroline's uneasiness turns to a fevered desire to unmask all of Adrian's secrets. Her own curiosity and desire draws her into his sensual world of danger and shadows. Caroline seeks to protect her sister, but in the end the only danger is to her own heart and well-being. Another well-written and deliciously tantalizing story from Teresa Medeiros. I loved both the historical factor mixed with the paranormal in this sensual story of love and sacrifice. It has a great inter-play between the hero and heroine, Caroline and Adrian. The heroine choice was a little unexpected because Caroline does not start out as the obvious love attention, but Teresa's twist in the story works wonderfully. All of her characters are entertaining, and I am really looking forward to the story of Adrian's brother, Julian. The sensuality between Adrian and Caroline is romantically fulfilling, but again not a story which focuses on the sexual relations between the two. Definitely a four for entertaining value!
—Julie
