Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #307305 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

Good fun
As a reader of general romance and the new genre of supernatural romance, I found this a fun read. It's easy, the characters are quick to follow, and it ticks along nicely.

Having said that, I'm posting on Amazon.co.uk to mention that potential English Regency fans may find certain aspects of the book grate. The history hasn't been very well investigated and there are errors, as well as simple ignorance of the English language (as in ENGLISH-English). I also severely doubt that Adrian was ever used as an upper-class name of this period (and it's certainly not very sexy!).

However, if you can ignore the little niggles, it's a fun read on a rainy afternoon :)

A Vampire Regency - but without enough bite
I am a keen reader of many genres of novel but particularly Regencies and vampire novels. Thus, when discovering "After Midnight" and its sequel "The Vampire Who Loved Me" by Teresa Medeiros I thought I was in for a really good read - the first Regency Vampire novels I had read.

Sadly I didn't get it. These books cross two very different genres and somehow it doesn't work - neither book sits well in either the Regency genre (not enough historical detail to set the scene properly, behaviour and thoughts that are far more 21st century than 19th) and in the Vampire (not enough information generally about vampires and not enough use made of this interesting option in the plot).

As a brief summary, Caroline Cabot is the eldest of three siblings and has pretty much raised her two younger sisters since the death of their parents. She learns that Adrian Kane, Viscount Trevelyan, is interested in her younger sister Vivienne - but rumour has it that he is a vampire. Certainly his behaviour suggests that is the case - he's never out in daylight, for example. In order to check him out properly she, along with her sisters, visits his home and she meets his brother Julian. What is the Viscount's motivation in courting her sister? Why, when he is apparently about to pop the question to Vivienne does he seem to be toying with Caroline? And is he really a vampire?

There isn't a great deal of plot in this book and the characters tend to all be painted rather indistinctly. There is also a lot of confusing changing of point of view mid-chapter with no clear demarcation - one minute you're hearing Caroline's voice, the next minute Adrian's, and you don't necessarily spot when it changes initially. I also found myself annoying confused between the two main male characters Adrian and Julian because their names were so similar. And I have significant doubts that "Adrian" is a name used in the Regency anyway.

The premise of this book was interesting and good but its execution left me unsatisfied. The romance proceeded, as so often, on the grounds of beauty rather than any soul-deep connection. The sequel is marginally better but still not brilliant. These books are OK but are unfortunately also a missed opportunity.

A paranormal romance in the Georgette Heyer vein
A tale of 3 destitute sisters, with the feisty eldest, Caroline, caring for her younger siblings Vivienne and Portia on the death of their parents. All very Georgette Heyer (and yes, that is a compliment), but of course the enigmatic Vicount pursuing the middle sister has a dark secret. Although I would not wish to spoil the plot I think that the book stood by itself without the paranormal aspects. The three sisters inter-relationships were probably the highlight of the book for me, and it will be interesting to see how the planned sequel takes forward the paranormal aspects.