Duke of Midnight

Although I\’ve loved just about everything else E. Hoyt has written, this novel seemed very different from the others. It didn\’t feel like it should be part of the Maiden Lane series. The way Maximus spoke to Artemis was so melodramatic it distracted me and took me out of the story. It might not be the narrator\’s fault since the writing called for it. My all-time Hoyt favorite is Scandalous Desires, with Mickey O\’Connor and Silence Hollingbrook. BTW, I e-mailed Hatchette Audio to ask why Ashford MacNab isn\’t narrating these books anymore, and they said they couldn\’t comment on contractual issues. I ran across the fact that Ashford M. has a pseudonym, Polly Lee–just found 25 books on Audible!

What an amazing book. The book was suspenseful and full of twists as well as passion. I have enjoyed all of the books in the series, although they are not marked as such when doing a search. This book, however, is my favorite in the ghost of St. Giles series. I can not recommend this book enough. I wish I could have rated it a ten. The narration is also very good. Don’t hesitate in purchasing. A++++++++

3.5 Star Another installment in the brilliant Maiden Lane series, this book depicts Maximus Batton, the Duke of Wakefield and Artemis Greaves, a lady\’s companion. We first meet Maximus in \”Notorious Pleasures\” as the brooding and unyielding brother of Lady Hero Batten and we first meet calm and collected Artemis Greaves in \”Scandalous Desires\” as the lady\’s companion to Lady Penelope Chadwicke. Maximus is powerful and stubborn which is a very dangerous combination. His fierce determination to avenge his parent\’s death along with his guilt-stricken conscience force his every move, but his encounters with Artemis chips away at what he always felt was the \”right\” path for a Duke. Past events have redirected Artemis\’ path in life and now she must ensure her survival and that of her brother by any means possible. As her brother\’s situation becomes desperate, she stops at nothing to save him, going as far as blackmailing a Duke. Artemis and Maximus\’ personalities clash, making their \”courtship\” fun to watch. Maximus is so used to being in control and to have his motives and actions questioned or even being told \”no\” is not something he is used to. Artemis, on the other, is in a position of servitude, but that role has not taken away her wit or her fortitude and she meets him head-to-head. As always with Hoyt\’s stories, the romance is sweet and spicy (the Duke talks dirty in bed) with strong lead characters. I gave this book a 3.5 stars because it felt like this was a transition novel. One where the over-arching plot that was carried through several books is now resolved and a new one is being established with new characters to continue the series. I am definitely not opposed to this as I adore the Maiden Lane series, however, I just didn\’t feel like this book was a strong one especially with the books and characters that preceded this one. Narration Narrator: Claudia Harris Performance: 3/5 I am a bit bias because I love it when the same narrator (provided it is a good narrator to start with) reads for the entire series. This is now the third narrator for this series and I remember reading somewhere that this narrator is fairly new. She did an okay job with the overall narration, but I did have a few things that I didn\’t enjoy while listening to this novel. The distinction between the characters\’ voices and thoughts were not always evident. When listening to audio books, it is very important for the reader to differentiate between dialogues, narrations, and character thoughts by means of the narrator\’s variation in pitch, tone, inflection, etc. There were times when I needed the context of the scene to help figure out who was speaking. Sometimes when I would imagine someone speaking it would turn out to be incorrect at the end of the scene, throwing me off. This was my only complaint, otherwise, her pace and volume was exact, her accents were good, and she was easy to understand. I just hope we don\’t get a new narrator for the next installment.

I loved this addition in the Maiden Lane series. I\’m not finished the series yet but this is one of my favorites. Well worth the credit

I actually ended up not liking the character of Artemis. She seemed to lack character at the critical times and made some decisions that didn\’t line up with the character development the author tried to create. In all, she just seemed very carnal and led by her desire for sex and nothing else.

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