Customer Reviews

Lord of Midnight

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have never read one of her books before and I know I won't again. This book was so boring it took me a week to read it. I usually polish off a book in one night but this one kept going and going. It really doesn't have a good plot I found myself wishing that I could just smack the heroine and make her shutup, but alas it is only a book. Plus the evil sheriff part had me a bit confused as to why he was even included but hey what do I know.

"Lord of Midnight" was a good read. I enjoyed it well enough, however it fell short of keeper status for a few reasons. First off...The speed that Renald and Claire feel in love was just too hard to believe..one moment she hated him..then she felt some stirrings of desire then..bam!! She says to herself that this is a man that she will love for always..now...I can understand hating a man, but still desiring him..I can even understand EVENTUALLY falling im love with him, but in this story..it happened so out of nowhwere..I couldnt help but wonder where in the hell I was when this great love developed! I also felt that this book belonged to Claire..I dont have a problem with a book being dominated by one character, but I would have liked a chance to get inside of Renalds mind more often..I wanted to know him better...all in all this WAS a good book, but it fell short of fantastic...still..it is worth reading. I look forward to more from Jo Beverley.

Renald de Claire is a shadow of the character first introduced in the prequel to LORD OF MIDNIGHT, entitled DARK CHAMPION.

LORD OF MIDNIGHT tells the tale of Renald arriving at Summerbourne with the body of Clarence Summerbourne, traitor to the throne. He has been sent there by the King's order to marry one of the three maidens at Summerbourne and to deliver the body of the man he killed. Claire Summerbourne and her two aunts are the marital choices, however the two aunts flee to the convent leaving Claire to take on the responsibility.

The entire premise to the story is dismal and the fact this man has killed the family's patriarch is disturbing, not to mention that one of them must marry him. Claire Summerbourne, being the obvious choice to become the intended bride does not talk much with Renald, her intended, until midway through the story. Though we are lead to believe she is falling in love, there is very little chemistry between them.

Renald, who was a light and impulsive character when we first meet him in DARK CHAMPION, is a ghost of that man in this story. Not portrayed when we first meet him as a serious warrior, he is every bit that in this story. Understandably he has just killed a man and now must marry his daughter. This could potentially explain his change in attitude though the change is not fully embraced nor the story believable. Bastard FitzRoger, who he played 2nd to in that story, clearly out shadows him and it is hard to understand the change to the enchanting Renald in DARK CHAMPION.

Sparks begin to fly eventually and Jo Beverley is a consistently good storyteller making the read worthwhile but not with the heavy punches of her two earlier medievals.

I always used to hate medieval romances because I thought they were dry and boring...and most of them probably were, but not thsi one. I had read two of Jo Beverley's Georgian books before and I really liked her style so I decided to give this one a chance. Halfway through, I was still unconvinced that medievals COULD be good, but towards the ending I was mesmerized and couldn't put it down.
I think the thing with Jo Beverley is that her romances aren't just about love and sex...they're about the problems that real people actually deal with, about honor, death, God, morals, and all those other tricky questions. And she deals with them beautifully without always losing that passion--and I'm not just talking about the lovers'. This book goes so deep and really makes me think about the problem with justice, and also to see justice from the medieval point of view and then compare it with our modern day notions.
Before this book, I read romance purely for fun but with Jo Beverley, the word 'romance' has become so much more. Don't get me wrong, the romantic element is as strong here as in any other book, but it is intertwined with some pracical issues which I appreciate.
I really recommend this book and the only reason I don't give it a 5 because I have REALLY high standards for books and a 4 is definitely a good rating for a book I would not look at twice if I found it on a bookshelf before reading Jo Beverley's other romances.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I have read my share of historical fiction and it is terrible how many really bad authors are out there. Jo Beverley is not one of them. This book is well researched, honest and very believable. I agree that with the previous reviewer that marrying your father's murderer would be wrong but, frankly, if you read the book you would see that this is exactly the dilemma faced by our heroine. In the bloody days of the medieval era the rules of society were not quite the same as ours. And when one understands the role of the King's Champion it changes matters even further. What can I say? Read the book. The hero is wonderful. . .understanding, gentle as well as the big bad plundering wolf that the heroine thinks he is. In a genre that used to be full of controlling and almost abusive heroes, this one is a charmer I'd like to meet today!!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I have read my share of historical fiction and it is terrible how many really bad authors are out there. Jo Beverley is not one of them. This book is well researched, honest and very believable. I agree that with the previous reviewer that marrying your father's murderer would be wrong but, frankly, if you read the book you would see that this is exactly the dilemma faced by our heroine. In the bloody days of the medieval era the rules of society were not quite the same as ours. And when one understands the role of the King's Champion it changes matters even further. What can I say? Read the book. The hero is wonderful. . .understanding, gentle as well as the big bad plundering wolf that the heroine thinks he is. In a genre that used to be full of controlling and almost abusive heroes, this one is a charmer I'd like to meet today!!

Courtesy of A Romance Review

Lord of Midnight is a sequel to Ms. Beverley's earlier novel, Dark Champion, which is the story of Imogen and FitzRoger. These two appear as secondary characters in Lord of Midnight and play the role in bringing Claire and Renald to face their love and overcome their problems. There are a lot of tenderness, humorous and desire screens between Renald and Claire throughout the book. This book is a good read but it still feels wrong to marry your father's killer.

I just love Jo Beverley! She never fails to move you into the period and into the hearts of minds of her main characters. Here you have the story of Claire Summerbourne, anxiously awaiting the return of her father from a rebellion to overthrow the upstart king Henry Beauclerk. Instead, who rides up to the castle but Renald de Lisle, kings champion, to bring her fathers body home and assume ownership and title to Summerbourne.

He has won the prize of Summerbourne, along with the kings orders to wed without delay, one of the three maidens living there and to care for the rest of the deceased Lord Summerbournes family.

Meeting Claire Summerbourne, he is immediately taken with her and as much as she would admit to herself, she finds him physically disturbing. The plot goes on with Renald trying to wed the lovely Claire before she discovers his awful truth.

The characters are so well fleshed out, you can feel all the emotions and struggles each has in their hearts and soul. Again, a most magnificent story set in and during the reign of King Henry. I also love the way she reintroduces characters from previous novels so that the flow of these books brings you back to revisit the other characters that you hated to lose track of once their stories had ended.

Can you live with the man who killed your father? Jo Beverley believes that you can, that love can conquer anything - even that. That is probably the main reason I gave this book 4 stars only.. everything else about it is excellent, but I found the central theme too difficult to swallow.

The characters are very well written.. Renald is hard, tough, unyielding.. but oddly vulnerable in his attraction to Claire.. she is defeated, heartbroken and vulnerable, but beautifully strong in her pride and dignity..

Very well written.. the twists and turns will surprise you and delight you.. funny at time, heart wrenching at others.. what else can you ask for from a historical romance?

Jo Beverly builds a medieval romance in Lord of Midnight set on the premise that a loving daughter must marry her father's killer. Will love win over these over whelming odds? Renald de Lisle is King Henry I champion. Renald is chosen to fight against Claire's father who has supported a losing cause against Henry I and in favor of his older brother Robert. Claire's father believes that Henry is responsible for the death of King William II, who died in a hunting accident. Despite his friendship with Henry I and his belief that William II was a poor leader, Claire's father is a man who believed strongly in doing what was right. He was a man gifted in dreams and story-telling. He supported Claire in her youthful dreams and artistic skills, something highly unusual for the times. Claire is deeply saddened by his death and in the throes of grief hacks her hair off. This is the basic weakness of the story and makes it difficult for the reader to feel the pangs of true love. Does one forget a loved relative so quickly and can love be lasting that happens so rapidly? I found it hard to suspend my doubt to buy into the sincerity of love.