A Kiss At Midnight - Eloisa James

This is one of the books I bought when I was out with Dellie on the 13th. It's called "A Kiss At Midnight" and was written by Eloisa James.

This Regency tale tells the story of young (do you consider a 23-year-old young?) Katherine "Kate" Daltry. As this story takes after Cinderella, you can imagine her parents are indeed dead. She has no other living relatives except for her stepmother, Mariana - whom her father married not long after her mother's death - and stepsister, Victoria.

Needless to say, Kate was treated no more than a girl that did housework. Her mother's dowry became Mariana's - and therefore, Victoria's - and the new missus drove almost everybody out of the estate. So "herself" (as they address her) became the authority of the household.

That was enough to drive Kate absolutely bananas, don't you agree? Didn't help at all when Mariana decided on her own that Kate was to masquerade as her stepsister, Victoria (since she had a swelling lip) to have dinner with her betrothed, Sir Algernon "Algie" Bennet (also known as Lord Dimsdale) and his royal family.

Of course, at first, Kate refused with all her might. They had a verbal argument until finally, Kate relented. Only because she actually cared for Victoria, though, since she was nothing like Mariana.

At the ball, Kate meets Algie's family, which also includes his uncle, the prince. Instantly, she decides he's anything but charming. And, since Kate Daltry was certainly no romantic (she didn't believe in happily ever afters either), she also takes it upon herself to not mind his presence at all.

Naturally, it didn't work. Gabriel, the prince, was possessive and he wanted Kate. Not a very good idea, since he's already promised to another princess. A Russian princess, to be exact, with a humongous dowry, which he needed (and agreed to marry her for) because the castle came with high maintenance.

Copied off the back cover of James' book, a clash of wits and wills ensues.

In the end, Kate and Gabriel eventually fall in love, but I shan't ruin the "surprise". I'll leave that for you to find out.

Personally, I did NOT know that when I found this book in the romance section, it would actually be one of those full-fledged romance stories with vivid descriptions of...

Bleghh~ I can't even type it -.-

Otherwise, with one eye closed and another just enjoying the verbal insults and exchanges, this is really a nice book. Concept of Cinderella is there, obviously, though Eloisa James has done her fair share in adding a few of her own ideas as well as omitting the original's ideas where she sees fit.

I like her godmother as well :P Nothing magical, particularly, but fun all the same :)

You can find this book in all bookstores, I think -.- I found this in the Women's Fiction section in MPH, though. Borders probably has it in the Young Adult's Fiction section. Times and Kinokuniya has it in the Romance section.

I've never seen the book in the second front-cover image I posted above, though -.- Only the blue one with the glass slipper.

Well, then, that's about it :) CIAO!!

P/S: Please click on my Nuffnang ads :) Thanks!!