A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove, #3)

by Tessa Dare

Spindle Cove is a seaside town for ladies of delicate constitution. Also known as Spinster Cove, this little world is the perfect setting for Dare's incredibly well-written, witty, sexy, and appealing romances. This title is perfect for fans of Lisa Kleypas, Christina Dodd, and Liz Carlyle.

• ISBN10: 0062049895
• ISBN13: 9780062049896
• Publish Date: 20 August 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

Spindle Cove is a haven for women. A haven which is led by Susanna Finch with the goal of providing a safe place for those with delicate constitutions, overbearing family members, scandalous secrets or outlandish hobbies. There are few year round residents and even fewer male ones. Until Bram and his men turn up and are tasked with starting a militia. Although these books could be read by themselves, the plot makes much more sense having read the preceding books.

For the most part I enjoyed it. I liked Kate in the previous books and I've enjoyed the little rivalry her and Thorne have had going on. I liked Thorne's hard shell and how Kate slowly cracks him open to reveal his past and good intentions. But he was stubborn. Too stubborn. So stubborn that it got to be absolutely ridiculous. I mean if he's that adamant he doesn't want to be with you - maybe he doesn't want to be with you. Good intentions are sweet to begin with, putting yourself in gaol and trying to marry you off to another man is just wrong.

But although the plot dragged and got a bit ridiculous towards the end (the duel was fine, deciding after all that he was going to give her up was just insane) the majority of the book was funny and romantic and sexy. I loved the comment on women being prone to dramatics.

Her heart ached. Somewhere nearby, Samuel was in irons, locked up like an animal in a cage. He’d spent the entire night in gaol. She knew how he’d suffered as a youth in prison. He should never have been subjected to confinement again, not even for one night. She was desperate to see him released, and he must have known she’d feel this way. He was holding himself ransom, and the price he demanded was her wedding to another. The stubborn, impossible man. And to believe common wisdom, women were the sex prone to dramatics?

Dare, Tessa. A Lady by Midnight (spindle cove Book 3) (pp. 345-346). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. I mean, she's not wrong. It was particularly over the top.

I liked the Gramercy family and their commitment to family. I wasn't as fond of Evan, particularly when he was threatening to cut ties with her when he found out her mother was a prostitute. After all their discussion about family and scandal I thought it was a bit much to decide that was the line. But they were outrageous in all the best ways and I loved the banter between them.

Although Spindle Cove's own Mrs Highwood is pretty outrageous when she thinks it may net her daughter's a husband.

“We’ve seen you in the rooming house, but it’s a pleasure to be properly introduced.”
“Yes, of course,” said Mrs. Highwood. “What a boon it is to have a family of your caliber in Spindle Cove. We are quite starved for society this summer.” Once again she turned and made the same swoop of her fan.
“Are you swatting a wasp?” asked Aunt Marmoset.
“Oh, no.” Mrs. Highwood flicked an agitated gaze toward the same corner of the room. “It’s nothing. Will you excuse me for just a moment?”
As Kate—and all the Gramercys—looked on, the matron turned away, walked two steps, and hurled her closed fan with such force that it smacked an unsuspecting man on the back of the head. “Music,” she half growled. “Now.” The man rubbed his head, offended, but he drew out a fiddle and began to saw a few creaky strains of a dance. Around the tavern, guests came to their feet to clear tables and chairs.
“Oh, look,” said Mrs. Highwood, turning back to the Gramercys with an innocent smile. “There’s going to be dancing. What a happy surprise.”

Dare, Tessa. A Lady by Midnight (spindle cove Book 3) (pp. 117-118). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

A bit ridiculous but mainly an entertaining addition to the Spindle Cove series. 3 stars.

[Amanda]

Oh, man. THIS BOOK. Thorne and Kate's story has roots all the way back in A Night to Surrender, and by book 2, I was itching to get to it. And it was totally worth it when I did. Enough so that I read it in an afternoon. Because how could I not?

Perhaps my favorite part of this book was, um... Thorne and his past. (Ahem. No spoilers.) With Tessa Dare, you know that big, silent, brutish Thorne isn't any of those things underneath. And uncovering who Thorne really is was a fun endeavor. And Kate got answers to where she came from. (And holy wow, were those some answers.)

These Spindle Cove ladies really aren't afraid to go after what---or who---they want. And that's why I love them so much, I think. They smash all of society's expectations and learn how to define their lives by their terms. And, of course, having strong men felled by the love of a woman never hurts.

A Lady by Midnight is a stellar addition to the Spindle Cove series. And it saddens me---TRULY SADDENS ME---that I only have one more book left in this series to go.

[Rowena]

This is the fourth book in the Spindle Cove series and it’s another story that I came to love by Tessa Dare. Tessa Dare is fast becoming one of my go-to authors for fabulous historical romances. She has a great way of telling a story and fitting the story to the main couples personalities. In Colin and Minerva’s book, the book was fast paced and filled to the brim with laughter (Colin had me laughing throughout most of the book) and in this book, it was a little more serious, a little more reserved in its telling and I thought it suited the characters and the story very well.

This story follows Kate Taylor as she finds her happy ending. Kate grew up as an orphan, wanting nothing more than a family. A family to call her own, a family to love her and a family to belong to. She’s searched high and low for anything she could find to link her to a mother or father but hasn’t had much luck. She’s found herself living in the small town of Spindle Cove and is the music teacher there. As much as she loves the town of Spindle Cove, she’s still searching for a family to call her own.

Enter Thorne, the Corporal in charge of the local militia.

Thorne came into town with the militia and when strangers come into town looking for Kate, he straight up tells them that he’s Kate’s fiancee’, leaving Kate to follow his lead. The fake engagement brings Thorne and Kate closer together which is good for Kate because she’s totally embracing this new relationship but it’s not good for Thorne because he’s tried for so long to stay away from Kate because she deserves so much more than the likes of him but watching them get closer anyway was such a treat.

Tessa Dare knows how to write a romance that I will love and I loved this book. I loved getting to read a story with both Kate and Thorne, front and center. I really enjoyed getting to know Kate and seeing as she finds out the truth about who she really is and where she’s come from. It wasn’t always pretty flowers and sweet treats but it was interesting and I enjoyed it. It’s always nice seeing the people in Spindle Cove and I’m pretty curious to see who Diana ends up with. The Gramercy’s were an interesting bunch and I loved me some Thorne so yeah, I liked this book.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to even more from this series. I can’t wait for the next one. Who’s story is it going to be, does anyone know?