Name: Dancing at Midnight
ISBN: 9780061747885

Julia Quinn

Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Happens in London and Mr. Cavendish, I Presume, dazzles in Dancing at Midnight, a romance that brings together a bluestocking lady and a wounded war hero.

Dancing at Midnight

Lady Arabella Blydon has beauty and a brain, and she's tired of men who can see only one without the other. When a suitor tells Arabella he's willing to overlook her appalling bluestocking tendencies on account of her looks and fortune, she decides to take a break from the Marriage Mart. During an extended stay in the country, she never expects to meet Lord John Blackwood, a wounded war hero who intrigues her like no other man. Lord John has lived through the worst horros of war...but nothing could have been as terrifying to his tormented heart as Lady Arabella. She is intoxicating, infuriating...and she makes him want to live again. Suddenly he's writing bad poetry and climbing trees in the pitch-dark night...just so he can dance with her as the clock strikes midnight. And even though he knows he can never be the sort of man she deserves, he can't help wanting her. But when the harsh light of day replaces the magic of midnight, can this tormented soul learn to love again?

Lover of Romance 

Lady Arabella is independent and has had to turn down several marriage offers because its obvious that it isn't her they want but her fortune, so she decides to take a break and stay with her cousin and her husband in the country. While reading, Lord John finds her and through some witty and entertaining interaction they begin to fall for each other....however John is a wounded war hero and has some ghosts in his past and is unwilling to put Arabella at risk...even if that means giving her up and the love he has for her. Arabella is determined not to lose the one man she has come to love, one who respects and loves her for who she is and not what she is....but will she be able to show this tormented man how to learn to love and more than that learn to let go and live life once more?Dancing At Midnight is the second in the Splendid series....and the first time I have read this book...even though I could have sworn I had read every one of Julia Quinn's books already. I have no idea how I missed this one before now...but I am just so glad that I found this treasure. One of my favorite things that I loved about this one....is that the hero was a complicated characters....and that he wasn't this just about perfect man...that he had flaws and demons and Arabella was such a sweet character...you couldn't help but like her...she had such charming qualities about her. Even though there was a dark side to this book it also was filled with laughter and a sense of carefreeness (is that even a word? if not I just created a new one) that just endeared me from the first page to the very last and now I am thinking I need to read the rest of the series again. Dancing at Midnight was a true romantic romp....and I had such a fun time reading this one!!! Definitely a keeper!

Lacey

3.5-4 stars! My favorite of the series. John is a wounded war hero, which means tortured, damaged hero! He does push the heroine away a bit too much for my liking but they were still so adorable together.