Duke of Midnight

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt

Maximus Batten, the Duke of Wakefield, is but a child when he witnesses his parents being murdered in St. Giles. Now he rules Parliament and is a model of propriety in society, but in his secret life he is one of the Ghosts of St. Giles, protecting the people and secretly hunting for the person who murdered his parents. Artemis Greaves is a ladies companion for her spoiled, but naively sympathetic, cousin Penelope, because of a tragedy that left her brother wrongly accused of murder and locked up in Bedlam. One evening she is forced into St. Giles because of her cousin and when the two are accosted they are rescued by the Ghost and in the struggle, Artemis pulls Maximus' family ring off his finger. Maximus is trying to court the equally proper Lady Penelope, but once Artemis puts together all of the clues she recognizes Maximus as the ghost and decides to use this knowledge to help her brother, Apollo. She threatens to go to the police if Maximus doesn't help her brother escape.

Maximus is trapped, but he can't help but find himself drawn to the withdrawing young lady who hides in the back ground but has no problems blackmailing a Duke. He agrees to help her and she becomes companion to his sister so she can be closer to Apollo, but also means that she is much closer to him. Artemis wants to figure out why Maximus continues to go out, putting his life at risk and wonders what has happened to turn him into a cold and seemingly heartless man. But Artemis begins to melt Maximus and he finds himself thinking about more than just revenge and his parents' fate. Kisses and caresses turn into far more, but while Maximus knows he cannot live without her, Artemis knows she cannot live with him as his mistress, especially if he still plans to marry her cousin. Maximus is closer than ever to finding out who murdered his parents, and a clue reveals that Artemis' brother might know more than he is letting on. Even when confronting a murder, Maximus knows that what really matters is Artemis and finding a way to convince her that he is the one who needs to become worthy enough to earn her love.

Hoyt's ability to write likable, realistic, and three dimensional heroines remains unparalleled in my opinion. Artemis is a living, breathing woman with faults and hopes and love and fears and Hoyt does a fabulous job of drawing the reader in to Artemi' life and enabling the reader to truly feel like Artemis is a real person. Her love for her brother, her sense of duty to her cousin, her terror of her uncertain future with Maximus, her resilience in the face of a family tragedy, and her pride that carries her through some not so pleasant scenes with Maximus. Maximus' childhood has created a man who seems to have no emotions and he is quite chilly and unlikable for much of the book. His dedication to finding the person who killed his parents overshadows everything else in his life and it is only when he realizes he might lose Artemis, and thus any chance at happiness in his future, that he truly starts to change. He continues to remain stuck-up until very near the end.

Together Artemis and Maximus make a seemingly mismatched pair because she is so vibrant and alive and he is stuck inside a very chilly shell. I liked that with Artemis' help, Maximus began to change as he loosened up his necktie and moved beyond his prejudices and lost his stuffiness. He helped her find her brother and protected her from gossip mongers. It was an interesting relationship because I felt like throughout it, both of them realized Artemis was too good for Maximus, and he was trying to make it up to her. However, it wasn't until the very end that he finally made it up to her for good by proposing. There was lots of sex and as usual, Hoyt is one of the best historical romance writers out there for writing super hot sex scenes full of passion and love. The plot involving his parents death was engrossing and kept a great bit of mystery going throughout the whole book. While it took up a large portion of the book, I never felt like it took away from the romance of the story.

Rating: One of the best romance I've read in a very long time. A wonderful heroine and a tortured hero in a loving relationship,with an engrossing mystery.

Lord of Darkness

Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt

Lady Margaret Reading and Godric St. John were forced to marry two years ago when she became pregnant and her fiance, Lord Roger Fraser-Burnsby, is murdered in St. Giles. In her grief Megs goes to the St. John country estate to live with Godric's step-mother and half- sisters and she miscarries her unborn child. Two years later she decides she would like a child of her own so she surprises Godric in London, determined to become pregnant while not betraying the love for her former fiance. Godric is also recovering from the loss of a spouse; his deceased wife Clara was the love of her life before she died slowly and painfully of a wasting disease and he too has vowed never to betray her memory. He has thrown himself into his work as the Ghost of St. Giles and has no time for friends or family now that he is trying to track down more lassie snatchers that have begun operating again. But Megs knows how to make herself difficult to ignore, bringing laughter and happiness into his dark and dreary existence. Unfortunately Megs is out to get revenge on the Ghost because she believes he killed her fiance.

When Megs finally gathers the courage to ask Godric to help her get pregnant he turns her down, telling her that he is celibate in remembrance of Clara. However, when Megs make an excursion into St. Giles to hunt for the ghost she is startled to find herself in the Ghost's embrace, so much so that she stabs him and belatedly discovers that her husband is the Ghost. This discovery/ revelation brings the two of them closer together and Godric agrees to help Megs discover who killed Roger and he will impregnate her, if she agrees to return to the safety of the country once she is pregnant. Megs agrees but their coupling is awkward at first because of her fear of the growing feelings she has for Godric. As Godric becomes closer to finding the lassie snatchers and Roger's murderer he is terrified of losing Megs. Both of them have learned that falling in love with each other does not mean they love their previous partners any less and they work together to unravel the mysteries of St. Giles so they can plan for their happily ever after.

Meg was lively and energenic in a very real way that made it impossible not to like her; she had a genuine love for those around her and was passionate about gardening and other people being happy. Godric was the perfect mix of brooding, vulnerability, and masculine strength and I absolutely loved him. They both had a very well done melancholy regarding their past lovers and it was remarkably well done; both of them were suffering and worried about betraying the memory of those they loved. They worked together to overcome these feelings and came to understand that those they loved would have wanted them to be happy- and it was done in a way that didn't seem corny. I think the tragedy from Megs past also helped her work past the defenses that Godric had built up around himself and made her more sympathetic to what he was going through with his family and as the Ghost. It was better that she was not just a happy go lucky girl who saved the tortured hero.

Their relationship was beautifully written as the two of them spent a lot of time together, getting to know each other and enjoying being in each other's company. I felt like there was a nice mix of emotional connection and happiness between them in their relationship. There was a lot of sex between them and Hoyt is back in fine form because it is smoking hot; she goes above and beyond most historical romance novels sex and takes it to another level while still keeping it away from porn. My problem with the book lies in the entire Ghost plot because I realize I am getting tired of St. Giles and, although I loved them all in their own novels, I am tired of the same people. To make matters even worse, the matter of the lassie snatchers was the exact same problem that Ghost in the last story was trying to solve! She's recycling plots! I'm glad that the Ghost plot took a backseat to the relationship, but wish that it had taken up even less of the story. Hoyt sets up the next book in the series beautifully, but I'm wary of another book about the Ghost of st. Giles.

Rating: Wonderful relationship with completely meant for each other characters, but a recycled side plot that I'm quickly getting tired of made me unhappy.

Thief of Shadows

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt

Winter Makepeace has lived his life helping others from running a home for orphaned children in the seedy areas of St. Giles to masquerading as the Ghost of St. Giles. As the ghost, Winter fights against injustice and protects those weaker than him, but his anonymity has lead many to paint him as a villain and law enforcements is searching for him. One night, after saving the life of Charming Mickey O'Connor because his sister is in love with him, Winter is wounded and while escaping through the streets is picked up by the widowed Lady Isabel Beckinhall. Isabel leads a charmed life, she is popular with the ladies of the ton and she immerses herself in fashion and charity. She is immediately taken with the ghost of St. Giles as her household works to save his life even though she never removes his mask. The two share a passionate kiss but both know that the ghost will never reveal himself to a lady. Winter goes back to the orphanage and Isabel continues with her life.

The orphanage he runs has lately been endorsed by a ladies charitable syndicate and the leader of the group decides that Winter does not do an adequate job of presenting the home and wants to install a new manager. Isabel decides to take Winter under her wing and teach him how to operate in society and while Winter is reluctant but he does want to continue running the orphanage. It is not long before Isabel begins to suspect that Winter is the ghost and as the two become closer he finds that he can confide in her and their relationship grows stronger. But Winter is determined that he will never give up his crusade for those less fortunate even if that means giving up his own chance at a true marriage. He needs to find the peer who is running a child sweatshop that sews ladies' stockings but with the police force on his back it is extremely difficult. At the end of the day he must decide if helping the children at his orphanage and making the woman he loves happy is enough of a reward and Isabel must show him that a life of happiness is within his grasp.

I have been eagerly anticipating this book for what feels like forever and after 3 books that hinted at the ghosts' identity, and reading about how monk-like Winter Makepeace was, I could not wait to read his story. He proves to be just as intriguing a character as I had anticipated. He was conscientious and caring, he wanted to help those less fortunate and he was single-minded in this pursuit, and a man who is so great with kids is always fascinating to me! I was not surprised that his chosen life had meant a life of celibacy for him and so I knew that whatever woman convinced him to find his own happiness first had to be spectacular. Isabel, while not as spectacular as I had anticipated for Winter, was perfectly acceptable for Winter and they did work as a couple really well and I enjoyed reading about their relationship. They spend quite a bit of time together and I really sensed the development in their relationship, which is something I always look for.

I did not enjoy how so much of their character was, quite literally, hidden behind masks, as if they were hiding their real selves from everyone and only could reveal themselves to each other. While this is a romance novels staple, I wanted more from Hoyt and was disappointed by how often this was mentioned. It started to seem like the characters themselves were not real people because they were so busy hiding. There was surprisingly little sex for a Hoyt book, and for a book about a male virgin who should have been far more excited about the prospect of losing it to such a wonderful woman, and it was not really all that exciting and stuffed toward the back of the book. The plot with the ghost and the police did take over the book eventually and it really did seem like it played an equally important role with the actual romance and I was surprised by how little interest I had for it. I also found the writing surprisingly flowery for Hoyt who usually has such great writing.

Rating: An enjoyable book, far from Hoyt's best, but two well suited characters who I liked and who had a strong relationship, with an interesting side plot.

Scandalous Desires

Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt 1108

The widowed Silence Hollingbrook has a scandalous past with river pirate Mickey O'Connor since she went to him a year ago after he stole her husband's cargo. Even though he did not touch her it left her reputation in ruins and her marriage was never the same and after her husband's death she comforts herself with the orphanage her family runs in St. Giles and Mary Darling, an infant left on her doorstep. Mick has never forgotten the innocence of the beautiful and loyal young woman who begged for his help and so when he needed a safe place for his young daughter he immediately thought of Silence. When Mary's hiding space is compromised Mick takes her back and Silence refuses to leave the child she has quickly become attached to even if it means being forced to move into a pirate's palace. Mary is determined to keep her pride even while doing something that could ruin her and, if discovered, could ruin the foundling home and her siblings.

Mick knows that Silence is too good for him and that he is only bringing her into danger and exposing her to the Vicar of Whitechapel, the notorious gin runner who Mick knows from personal experience has no care for anyone save himself, who would do anything to bring Mick down. Life in his palace is far from Silence's normal way of life; guards on every corner, rich and plentiful food, gold and silver accents, and luxurious furniture and rooms. Upon closer inspection she discovers that Mick is attempting to make up for a childhood spent in abject poverty and she realizes that there are secrets, very dark secrets, in his past, that he is attempting to hide from her but will help her understand all of his actions. Silence's family and friends encourage her to leave Mick, but she knows that there is good inside of him and she wants to bring it out and make him into a better man. When the Vicar makes his move it places Silence in danger and Mick must do all he can to save her and his child, but when everything has settled he has to decide if he can ever be a man who is worthy of love from the woman he loves.

This book starts out immediately where the previous books int he series left off and pretty much jumps right in with the assumption that the reader knows what happened. I enjoyed this because I did know and would not have liked to have pages of catch up when I did not need it but I imagine it would be confusing for some readers. Mick certainly did not come across as a good guy, or as hero material, in previous books as his actions could have destroyed Silence's husband and did end up ruining her reputation and her relationship with those closest to her. It was apparent that there would need to be a major overhaul of his character to make him worthy of love from our heroine and I felt like Hoyt fell short in this. Mick got his jollies by killing people and ruining people just because he could and while he did have a horrific childhood, I felt like this was no even close to a decent excuse for most of his actions. I understood that he was redeemed through his love for Silence but I wanted to know what happened to the other people whose lives he had destroyed.

Silence was loyal, caring, and sweet so she was basically the complete opposite of Mick and her character was obviously meant to show that a good woman could transform even the most wicked of men through said goodness. While I admired her determination to first see to her husband's well being and then to see Mary Darling, I did not understand her feelings for Mick. I wanted him to suffer for what he put her through and it felt like he did not make up for what he had done. Their relationship was difficult to understand and their forced proximity made me wonder if there feelings were just based on her exclusion from her family and friends. They did interact with each other a lot and they had time to get to know each other but I was still just waiting for some reason to find Mick worthy of Silence. There was some sex between them, but not very much and it was not as hot and steamy as I'm used to from Hoyt. The plot involving the Vicar was engrossing and reasonably introduced and carried throughout the book and blended well with everything.

Rating: Great writing as usual and an interesting story but I could not get over Mick and his unlikability even while enjoying Silence and the side plot.

Notorious Pleasures

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt 223

Lady Hero Batten Is a very proper young lady who follows the dictates of society, including her engagement to the Marquess of Mandeville, who is equally staid and proper. She is not prepared for meeting Mandeville's brother, Griffin, Lord Reading, who is everything his brother is not and makes Hero feel more alive than she has ever felt before. Their first meeting is inauspicious to say the least as she discovers him engaged with another woman and it is not long before she is informed that he had an affair with Mandeville's first wife. She is working on restoring a home for orphaned children in St. Giles, and when Griffin sees his brother's far too perfect fiance carousing around in the seedy part of town, he appoints himself her protector and accompanies her on her errands. It is not long before he is helping her work through the problems that have arisen on the new building site, and Hero begins to look at Griffin as more than just a degenerate rake. But when she discovers that he is one of the notorious gin distillers of London, who have been blamed for all the ills in the town, everything she had started to feel for him threatens to abandon her.

Griffin knows that Hero is so much more than the perfect lady she presents to the ton, but he cannot give up his gin still as it supports his entire family, even if his lordly brother refuses to acknowledge it. He becomes determined to make Hero lose her facade and he is quite successful as he proves that Hero's attraction for him can make her lose her head. Hero does not know what it is about Griffin that makes her lose control and part of her likes it; being with him makes her feel alive, like nothing she has ever felt before. With Hero's brother threatening to shut down all the gin distilleries in London, and a rival distiller using violence in an attempt to shut Griffin down, and Hero still unsure of how she will choose between him and his brother, Griffin only knows that he needs Hero. But she is not quite as sure as him and worried about what her brother will do and she worries about how her decision will affect her family and that her brother will go after Griffin unless she marries Mandeville. Things all come to a head when Mandeville discovers their relationship and her brother decides it is time to finally put a stop to the distillery. Hero is forced to confront her feelings for Griffin or face the possibility of living her life without him, and that is one thing neither of them could live with.

Elizabeth Hoyt is nearly always perfect in my experience and this book was no exception. She has a way of writing two wonderful characters I fall in love with, and who are perfect as they fall in love with each other. Hero presents herself as perfect and proper to the rest of the world and for the most part she is, except when it comes to Griffin. He gets her to open up, be more herself, take risks, and causes her to rethink what she has always expected out of her life. It is really only with him that she can reinvent herself and not worry that she will be judged or turned away. I love that she was sharp witted and could hold her own in conversations without being mean or overly harsh and judgmental. She had the correct amount of respect for her family and she obviously loved them, but she also went after what she wanted with Griffin- even if she couldn't admit it to herself. Griffin was also great and I really loved the way he blurred the line between being a rake and a romance hero. His introduction was a little icky as I am not a fan of heroes having sex with other women, and the fact that he ran a gin still was not very likable, but his interactions with Hero made all of it worth it. These two were the definition of characters who were good apart, but didn't really shine until they were put together.

Their relationship had it's ups and downs and I loved the angst and turmoil that her engagement to his brother caused as they felt guilty or jealous alternatively. One area they especially shined in was the bedroom and Hoyt completely outdid herself and made these characters light up between the sheets. The sex was HOT and STEAMY, very well written, loving and in character, and spread well throughout the book. There were so many side plots that went really well with the story because they directly involved the characters and didn't overwhelm anything. Especially wonderful were Hero's involvement with her brother and her younger sister who is going blind, and Griffin's relationship with his brother, which is strained and so tragic that I loved it. The gin distillery added an aura of dangerous-ness and blurred the line between right and wrong which I thought was a very brave move by Hoyt as gin really was quite awful in London at the time. And there was a little side romance between Mandeville and a completely inappropriate older woman that I absolutely loved because it made him into a human being and was so out of character for him. The book also set up the next novel in the series very well and it's definitely going to be a doozy and I can't wait to read it.

Rating: An amazing read from Hoyt as usual, but there were parts when I got a little short with Hero and her perfectness. And this book was quite close to perfect.