At the Stroke of Midnight (The Naughty Princess Club, #1)

by Tara Sivec

[stacey_is_sassy]

Keeping the mask in place as your world falls apart…

***4.5 stars***

While reading At the Stroke of Midnight, I had quite the epiphany. I realised while sitting on my high-horse judging with narrow-minded ignorance that I was judging Cynthia for her judgemental, narrow-minded ignorance. Just because I think I would recognise a deceitful and cheating husband and kick him to the curb straight away, doesn’t mean I could. I mean, sure that’s what I would want to do, BUT, I have kids, money and accommodation to consider. Who am I to judge Cynthia for burying her head in the sand for 6 months? At least she’s not sitting in a prison cell (not saying that I would over-react, I’m just saying that I could).

It’s amazing how much can change from the beginning of a book to the end. I initially did not like Cynthia and condemned her for her bad decisions. I couldn’t understand why someone would pretend that their world is perfect when in reality, it was far from it. Maybe it’s because I’m not great at wearing masks. I find them suffocating, itchy and uncomfortable. I may be able to wear it for a little while, but eventually, the cracks appear on the surface, and the mask breaks.

Cynthia’s mask was glued, filled with putty, and sat a little wonky by the end of six months. She had lived thirteen years wearing a mask to make someone else happy. When it eventually comes off, she realises that the original fit was never right for her and it was never going to stay comfortably in place. Cynthia must find the courage to take off the mask and replace it with a crown…a Naughty Princess crown.

Cynthia's crown finds its place on her head by accident. When her mask crumbles, she's lucky enough to find two fellow Princesses and a Prince Charming to catch her fall. This royal brigade dresses her in her princess gown and leads her to a castle for a party. At first, Cynthia doesn't belong in the castle or at the party and she, with her fellow Princesses, must run away. It's not easy to replace her mask with a crown, but Cynthia is determined to be the best Naughty Princess...even if it means stripping off her gown.

PJ, Cynthia’s love interest, was amazing. He could have easily stolen the show but managed to never overtake or overshadow Cynthia. I found this quite refreshing. In a lot of romance stories, we meet an exceptional hero…and it becomes all about him. Or, he’s so far in the background that he’s almost a prop. PJ is exceptional and manages to be both. This story is all about Cynthia taking off her mask and loving herself without it. PJ’s love and support enhance Cynthia’s fairy tale.

I enjoyed At the Stroke of Midnight. The characters were fantastic, the storyline engaging, and the emotional highs and lows were realistic without being OTT. Tara Sivec manages to bring us a fairy tale with a realistic modern-day feel to it. She goes where a lot of romance authors fear to tread. A sex scene that’s REAL. Random thoughts that pop out at crucial times, mishaps when you’re trying to be sexy, and magic that happened by accident instead of planned, were real good.

It’s easy to judge from the outside looking in but sometimes you’re not getting the full picture. At the Stroke of Midnight gave us an awesome picture, and I can’t wait for more from the Naughty Princess Club.