Dancing at Midnight

Lord John Blackwood has returned from the war scarred in body and mind. Lady Arabella Blydon has retreated to the country, tired of the Marriage Mart and men who only wanted her dowry. The two meet by accident but soon discover a comfort in each other's company. However, there wasn't really much of a plot. Just bad guy from the past trying to even the score threatening the woman in his life. Entertaining but not great.

This is one of the books that made me fall in love with Julia Quinn’s writing. John Blackwood is probably the closest perfect male character that has been written. He is tall, dark and handsome yes but he is also flawed and humble as well. He is honorable and loyal. He is also wrecked with guilt over something that wasn’t his fault and he would have been hard pressed to stop. Finally he is a wounded war hero that is honored by the English government with a title. I read this story some years ago and fill in love with John at the time. With this re-reading I remember all the things that made John one of my favorite heroes.

Lady Arabella Blydon, Belle, is one of those women that can find the good in almost anyone. She is also very show more intelligent, loyal to a fault, caring and compassionate. She never falters in her belief that John is a good man and needs her help and her love. Belle is also funny and more than a little sarcastic when the need arises. I love the way she defends John when someone insults him about being awarded his title. I also love that she never gives up on John even after he pushes her away for her own good. Belle continues to be one of my favorite heroines.

We get to see more of Alex and Emma and William Dunford which is wonderful. Dunford is the perfect friend for both Alex and Belle. The scene where he helps Belle climb the tree is funny and enduring. This story also shows that this group is courageous and willing to defend each other.

Ms. Quinn has written another witty and funny story. She writes wonderful characters that live with you long after you have finished the last page. Laughter is a gift and Ms. Quinn is generous with her humor. Unlike so many of today’s authors her female characters are enduring and brave without being mean spirited and nasty. She also writes some lovely and intimate scenes between John and Belle. They are the spicy erotic scenes in books today but they will leave smiling and content. Once again if you love this genre of romance then you are going to love Ms. Quinn’s books. show less

Lady Arabella Blydon takes a break from the Marriage Mart when her latest suitor magnamimously anounces that he's willing to overlook her bluesstocking tendencies. She doesn't expect to meet Lord John Blackwood, who has earned his Baronetcy through his military career, a career that left him wounded both in body and mind. He doesn't want to marry or to be attracted to Arabella but he's finding that his deterimation is being eroded by her.
It was a good read with characters I genuinely cared for (including her Chaperons Persepone who does deserve her own story) and while the adctneures were sometimes a bit over the top it was still fun and the story pulled me in and kept me reading.

Having made my way through all the Bridgerton books and most of JQ's newer offerings, I thought I'd go back and read her first books. This one was available to download from my library, so I read it on my phone (which wasn't as terrible as it sounds). The story was not my favorite, but I did love reading bits of all of the famous poems John tried to pass off as his own. And since I'm currently trying to plan my own wedding, I read the quickie wedding scene with envy (there's nothing like planning a wedding to make you want to elope). Really, reading this gave me hankering to go back and read my favorite JQ hit [b:Romancing Mr. Bridgerton|5500111|Romancing Mister Bridgerton The Epilogue II (Bridgertons, #4.5)|Julia show more Quinn|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ek8n-xclL._SL75_.jpg|3992049]. Oh Penelope! To me, you're worth a thousand beautiful blonde Belles. show less

What happens when a lively girl meets a reclusive war veteran? Sparks, compassion, and romance. This was not as light and silly as the story of Belle's cousin in Splendid, but the characters had depth, and while the hero was a little moany, it was easy to sympathise with his fears.

I love the idea of a shortsighted heroine who gets blisters when she walks too far in the wrong shoes and one who sets her heart on a deeply damaged man. Its an interesting idea, I'm not convinced that it entirely works, but this was a nice read that passed the time on a long train journey.

Synopsis: Dancing at Midnight is the second novel in a regency romance trilogy by Julia Quinn. It tells the story of the lovely, yet bookish, Belle Blydon (whom we met previously in Splendid) and the dark and brooding John Blackwood. Blackwood is a veteran of the Napoleonic wars who earned, as a result of his service, both the title of Baron and a terrible leg injury that left him with a permanent limp. Belle meets John while visiting her cousin, Emma, who is married to the Duke of Ashbourne. Ashbourne's land borders John's and Belle encounters the hero while relaxing in a meadow on his property. The two don't exactly hit it off right away; John is grouchy and sardonic, offending Belle's tender sensibilities. Unused to the idea of being show more disliked by anyone, Belle sets out to make the man like her. She succeeds.

What is great about Julia Quinn is that she can take a relatively average, bare-bones story and make it into a good read using great character development and snappy dialogue. Belle is a sweet girl, with a good deal of determination in her. John is tortured not only by the horrors he experienced during the war, but also by the memory of a tragedy for which he blames himself. Belle helps John to triumph over his self-inflicted guilt and come to terms with it. There are a couple of truly great scenes in this novel, one incredibly funny and the other incredibly exciting. The supporting characters are also charming: We see Emma and Alex from Splendid, of course, as well as Dunford (who returns for his own story in Minx) and the hilarious aunt Persephone. show less