Fire at Midnight

I am an avid romance reader and this story grabbed me from the first page. This is one of those books you do not want it to end. You care about the characters and about what is happening to them. This was the first book I read from this author but she now has become an "auto-buy" for me. I give this book a well-deserved 5 stars!!

Most of the books I've read this year have been debut novels, and Fire at Midnight was one of the best. Outstanding, actually, in all aspects. Full of engaging dialogue, Lisa Marie Wilkinson uses the right amount of French words interspersed throughout to characterize the hero as a Frenchman, and his pet name for the heroine, "my beautiful English girl," was quite endearing. If I hadn't known beforehand that this was a debut novel, I would not have thought so. The characters were fully developed, and I liked how the hero's GMC and resolution were so closely intertwined with the heroine's. Reminiscent of the older historical novels I enjoyed as a teen with its accurately portrayed settings, it did not suffer for its lack of easy-to-use, modern-day terminology, which many authors of today's historical romances use for sex scenes and body parts. In fact, because of the wording, the intimate scene in the lighthouse was truly a love scene, both steamy and memorable. I also did not notice any typos, which I have too often spotted in print books (and magazines) over the past few years. Fire at Midnight was one book in which the gorgeous cover matched the beautifully written love story inside. Finely paced action, danger, and suspense went hand in hand with the sexual tension and the tension from the conflicts. At no time did I feel I was rushed through a scene or that a scene dragged. It had a well thought-out plot, and I could not put this book down. Ms. Wilkinson has a fan for life. Julie Robinson

The year is 1703. Rachael Penrose has been imprisoned in the "Bedlam" insane asylum in London, where the conditions are deplorable. Her uncle, Victor, plans to dispose of her and her little brother so that he can inherit the family fortune. With the help of a friend, Rachael manages to escape the mental hospital and sets out to find her brother before it is too late. Shortly thereafter, she meets Sebastian Falconer, a dashingly handsome, French privateer and smuggler. Masquerading as a friend, Sebastian offers Rachael his home as a refuse from danger, but in reality he is setting a trap for this woman he believes to be his mortal enemy. An intense, romantic love/hate relationship builds almost immediately between these two determined, and strong-spirited main characters. Fire at Midnight has all the right ingredients: treachery, sexual tension, maniacal plotting, intensely passionate love scenes, and a clever story-line. Ms. Wilkinson has spun a tale of mystery that will keep the reader holding their breath from the first page to the last sentence.

Some of the things I love in a good story are interesting characters, a good love story, adventure, and interesting settings. Lisa Wilkinson's Fire at Midnight delivers all of the above in abundance with a gift for descriptive prose that pulls you right into the story and sweeps you along from the cells of Bedlam to the storm of the century without ever slighting characterization. The main protagonists were likeable and believable for their time period, and at least one of the secondary characters deserves a story of his own. I was left wondering what adventures what befall them next. Fire at Midnight was a real page turner that gripped me from the beginning, kept me engrossed until the end, and left me wanting more, thus earning a 5 stars from me and a place on my keeper shelf.

In 1703, her odious Uncle Victor Brightmore with the help of Dr. Elliot Macgulay places his eighteen year old niece Rachael Penrose in Bedlam Insane Asylum to keep her out of the way of his stealing her younger brother's inheritance. To insure his plan goes without a hitch Victor has abducted his nephew James and has spread rumors that Rachel told the authorities about smugglers like Frenchman Sebastien Falconer. Victor leads a more vicious smuggling crew than that of Sebastian. Whereas Sebastien searches for Rachel, John Wyatt, a pal of her friend Tarry Morgan, breaks her out of asylum. However nine days and drugs have taken their toll so when he realizes they are followed, he places her in another carriage so that he can divert Victor's thugs from her. Sebastien takes the woman to his isolated home only to learn his ailing guest is Rachel. She escapes to London where Tarry sent James after rescuing him. There she meets Sebastien's English customs officer estranged twin Jacques while Victor has John killed and the house belonging to Tarry's father burned to the ground. Soon all will converge in danger and love. FIRE AT MIDNIGHT is an exciting Georgian romantic suspense starring a strong lead couple and a solid support cast. Though he has no redeeming quality in some ways the ultra villain Victor steals the show as his plots and actions are diabolical and deadly even when he is off the page. The rest of the secondary characters are also developed enough to either enhance the story line or the understanding of the two stars; especially Tarry who wants to be a hero to his beloved friend and to his larger than life father, but though he tries he lacks the skills. Fans will enjoy this fine early eighteenth century historical thanks to deep characterizations that hopefully include sequels. Harriet Klausner