A Midnight Dance (Fiery Tales)

A Midnight Dance by Lila DiPasqua is an erotic retelling of the historic fairy tale Cinderella. This book should appeal to all of Ms. DiPasqua's current fans as well as anyone who enjoys their historical romance with a healthy dose of HOT sensuality. I have been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time and it has been well worth the wait! I truly fell in love with Sabine and Jules. Of course there were a few hiccups along the way but I was thrilled with how they ended up. Sabine is the responsible one in her family and due to circumstances must now find a way to support that family and keep them out of debtor's prison or from starving on the streets. Enter Jules, Sabine's Dark Prince that she has not seen in several years. Jules used to be an "Aristo", but due to his circumstances he also now needs money to get back to where he used to be before his father was "wrongly" accused of being a traitor. Jules has found a way to get that money and has been working as a privateer for several years. He finally has the silver to get back the lands that were taken from his family and maybe clear his father's good name. Sabine has also found a way to get the money for her family and it involves Jules' silver. As the plot goes back and forth as to who is going to wind up with the silver, Jules and Sabine find passion between them that is totally erotic and yet sweet at the same time. I loved all of the supporting characters, well almost all of them. There is a villain or two thrown into the mix towards the end of the book but I thought it added a nice mystery element to the story. I like how the story ended and was pleased to see how Jules dealt with the differences that he and Sabine thought they could never surmount. All in all a nicely told story and I am eagerly awaiting more from Lila!

When I started reading this book, I thought it might be weak on plot because it kind of jumps right into the steamy stuff, but I am glad I kept reading because about 1/3 the way through the story, things start to get interesting beyond the mcs jumping each other (I never object to smut, but I do like to have some substance with it). Sabine Laurent is the daughter of a well-known Parisian playwright who dreams of marrying a French nobleman she dubs her "Dark Prince" because he has dark hair and dark eyes and is the first born son of a Marquis... which means he is completely unattainable. Her twin sister Isabelle is equally infatuated with the "Dark Prince's" younger brother, Luc, and the two girls dream of a life where they are married to their beaus and living happily ever after. But when the men of their fantasies are stripped of their lands and fortune, the Laurent family loses their properties as well and are forced to live in the country where they work themselves to the bone to pay the unjust taxes that continually rise. To make matters even worse, Sabine's father passes away leaving them with additional debts. Desperate to find a way out, Sabine overhears men speaking of a large haul of silver being carted through a town nearby, and she concocts a plan to steal it and save her family from utter ruin. But when she learns who leads this party of men - none of than her "Dark Prince," her plans are in jeopardy as her former attraction to him seems to spin out of control. Jules Moutier's life was destroyed when his father was accused of betraying the French King and sentenced to death, and he and his brother were thrown in jail... where they would still be today if not for a family friend that took pity on them and negotiated their release. But they were stripped of their lands, their riches, their title, and are forbidden to ever enter Paris again. Unable to purchase an officer's commission, Jules joined the French navy and quickly rose in the ranks; upon discharge, he reluctantly accepted work from a friend as a privateer, and he has made it his mission to amass a fortune that will ensure he can regain his lands and wealth... and fund his campaign to find the man or men who destroyed his family and seek retribution as well as restore the title and clear his father's name. All he has to do is rendezvous with his brother where they will combine their proceeds and execute their plans, but when a small party seemingly stumbles across them offering one of the most beautiful women Jules has ever seen, he cannot resist. Will the one time Jules gives into temptation cost him everything he has worked so hard to regain? Can Sabine succumb to the intense passion she feels for Jules without compromising her heart? If her plot is revealed, will Jules forgive her, and even if he does, is there any chance that a nobleman would offer for a low-born woman? What I liked: --- The main characters were very likeable, especially Sabine bc her situation was easy to empathize with; Jules was a dreamy alpha H --- Interesting story line with some mystery and intrigue sprinkled throughout --- WOW THE STEAMY GOODNESS (early & often, please and thank you) What I didn't like as much: --- There were some plot points that felt rushed - I felt like the author could have set things up a little earlier to make it more suspenseful and flow a little better ***SPOILER***For example, we find out much later in the story that the main villain was following the h from the start, but we didn't know anyone was at the time - the author could have played it with the "both were so impassioned that neither noticed the man lurking in the woods, angrily observing their lovemaking" or something like that to present that there was more going on then ***END SPOILER*** --- The motive/beef that the villain had with the H was pretty weak ***SPOILER***would have been more impactful if there had been a specific slight or incident that made him want to take the H down vs. just petty jealousy ***END SPOILER*** --- The H/h were at odds for some of the story, and it never really felt like they resolved their issues before jumping each other again - felt like there should have been a little more meeting of the minds first Overall, this was a very fun and steamy story with likeable characters (even though the H pissed me off now and then with his high and mightiness) and a solid plot line! Plot --- 4/5 Main Characters --- 4/5 Supporting Cast --- 4/5 Steam Level* --- 4.5/5 Violence --- nothing graphic - there was a situation that could be considered by some to be dubious consent ***SPOILER***the h was a virgin pretending to be a prostitute, and she got "swept away by passion" but she did seem to consent... just depends on how it is interpreted by the reader I guess ***END SPOILER*** Language --- some POV --- 3rd *Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all

Oh my, this book was HOT. Honestly, the love scenes were great. The story it self was another story. I liked it all up until they started out to look for clues for Sabine's sister and to avenge Jule's family. I thought that they kind of didn't like each other because of their differences, but I didn't catch the reason why they decided to hook up again, maybe I missed it. I like the mystery behind the set up of Jule's family, but the ending came so quick and the mystery got a little confusing for a bit. The plot twists were pretty good and the ending itself was way different from what I expected. Anyway, Sabine's character is too easy to like. She'll do anything to protect the people she sees as her family even though none of them were actually blood related to her. I felt like she wanted to be with Jules a little too much for a bit after he found out who she was. Throughout the book she is looking for her lost sister, but I didn't really understand her sister's reasons for being away. I do want to know more about the sister and hopefully read her story--this being said, where is her story?! Will it come out any time soon? Jules is too driven by his lust to claim his birthright that he didn't really see what kind of father his father was. I guess it worked as a good plot twist. I feel like his relationship with Sabine, despite it being lust at first site, was genuine and true at the end. I like that he choose to live his life traveling with Sabine rather than stay as an Aristocrat--Fresh Revolution and all too. Overall, such a steamy, sexy book with a real story.

Really enjoyed it.

Good