A seminal romance, finally available again. Ghislaine de Lorgny wants just one thing in this life — revenge on the man who destroyed her life. Nicholas Blackthorne wants two things — to keep Ghislaine from killing him and getting her into his bed. Kidnapping her and taking her, kicking and screaming, across half of Europe is only the beginning to their adventures. Nicholas has a black heart and … and a remorseless soul, Ghislaine has fierce determination and a score to settle. If only she wasn’t falling in love with her kidnapper.
more
This statement must be repeated again and again that no one makes a better arsehole hero who are thoroughly damaged like Anne Stuart. Of course her stories contains violence with wicked heroes. I think she is a sadist.
A Rose At Midnight has a revenge plot. Of two damaged characters who destroy and hurt each other.
Ghislaine (Gilly) de Lorgny, was fifteen when she was in love with Nicholas Blackthorne, her parents were his godparents. He came to visit them. His godfather requested Nicholas to take Gilly with him back to England. It was French revolution and there was war. Nicholas coldly turned back to them not accepting the request. As a result, Gilly’s family perishes in the war, her brother was lost and she wandered. Thirteen years later Gilly and Nicholas meet again. Gilly poisons him and Nicholas holds her captive for trying to kill him.
I think Gilly is a cold heroine compared to Anne Staurt’s other books I have read so far. Gilly is of rage, she goes through a lot just to be where she is. She never misses any opportunity to taunt and degrade Nicholas. Nicholas is the black sheep of his family. His father humiliated him, ignored him, turned from him in disgust when his elder son and beloved wife had died. Nothing Nicholas ever did was good enough for his father; no attempt at earning his love, or even his approval, succeeded. Eventually Nicholas had given up trying, deciding that if he was doomed to disapproval and dislike from his father, then he’d do his best to deserve it. He humiliates his father in return. He turns into a notorious flirt. He spents his time sleeping around, gambing and drinking. When trying to lay low from another of his recent rezedovous, it’s no surprise that someone is trying to kill him. When the cook of his niece tries to kill him he ties her up and abducts her. Gilly and Nicholas, they never back down from each other.
Nicholas is an anti-hero. He openly admits to crimes, gets kicked out of university and spents useless amounts of money. Gilly is perfect for him. She is strong and not a puttering maiden. Highly recommend this book, the perfect pairing of an amoral murdering devil and his avenging angel.
Anne Stuart is known for her alpha heroes who are also damaged beyond repair and her heroines that come along and help tame her mate’s inner demons. A Rose At Midnight is a story of two characters who can’t forgive each other. The heroine thinks the hero is to blame for everything that happens in her life. She tries to poison him and in turn he kidnaps her trying to force her to his will through seduction and what some may believe is forced and even rape.
Ghislane and Nicholas are two characters so original and very disturbing. The reader may think these two will never get past their demons and have their happy ending. Some may be disturbed by these forced sexual scenes, but Stuart is a true master at this. We feel the inner turmoil of Ghislane’s lost of her family to the guillotine and how she had to sell her body for food and for her younger brother’s survival. The coldness and her thirst for revenge becomes her undoing due to the man she targets.
Nicolas is delusion, a true anti-hero. He is slowly killing himself through drinking, gambling and whoring. Once upon a time he almost fell in love with a young girl before he became what he is. (I wonder who she girl is?)
There is so much more to this story that can’t be told, unless you experience it. This book came out right during a time when old fashioned historical novels like this were on its way out. Stuart defies it all, writing a story that should go down in history as one of the best romance for the ages.
You will enter a world of obsession, lust, betrayal and such heartbreak that if you will probably shed a tear or at least become teary eyed.
Enter post revolutionary France and the other countries surrounded along with two characters and their counterparts, including a secondary romance that balances the main one.
A true lush romance in every sense of the word.
enjoyed reading it. wanted to know what happened next
Stories set in the French Revolution are often too bland or ignore the fact that it was a time of terror. This book showed the very real terror and the depths to which humans can sink. The book also showed people of true courage, true humanity.
Ghislaine started off the book on a new note, poisoning the hero is a twist I hadn’t seen before in forty years or reading Regency and French Revolution novels.
The book is worth reading to see the H and h earn their HEA.