A Kiss At Midnight by Eloisa James
Genre: Historical Romance; 1800’s
Sub Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Cinderella
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
This is from the Back Cover of the Book: Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales... or happily ever after. Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince... and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions. Gabriel likes his fiancé, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him. Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after. Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble... Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune... Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.
This is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. Kate has been working as a maid of all trades since the death of her father. Her stepsister Victoria is to be wed but she must be approved of by her fiancés' uncle who is a prince. Due to a mishap, Kate is made to go in Victoria’s stead as Victoria. Gabriel our prince is to marry a Russian princess so that he can help to support his castle full of family relatives. But things change when he meets Kate. The story has no magic but there is a Godmother who is very endearing. The take on this classic is brilliantly imaginative. Kate is a spitfire and yet she is very kind as she doesn’t want to hurt those that she cares about. I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are brilliant. Henry made me laugh more times than I could count. Also, the dialog throughout the book works so well with the story. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series When Beauty Tamed the Beast.
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 1402236964
Pages: 416
Series: Fairy Tales
Volume: 1
(Image is from the actual cover of the book)