Quinn's Reviews > After Midnight

Three and a half stars

This was my first Teresa Medeiros novel, but it wont be my last. I picked After Midnight out randomly at the library having heard of the author and while waiting for my dozens of orders to come in. I thought the premise sounded interesting and hoped for a good read, despite the fact I knew nothing at all about the novel. I wasn't disappointed.

Caroline Cabot is the eldest of three sisters. She had to assume the parental role for her sisters when both their parents were killed in an accident.

Caroline and her sisters now find themselves at the questionable mercy of a lecherous uncle, who begrudgingly allows them meager accommodation in a rundown cabin on the land he inherited from Caroline's parents. He doesn't intend to allow them this charity without some kind of reward.

Caroline undertook the responsibility of raising her sisters willingly, even though it meant foregoing her planned debut and, now at the age of 24, relegating herself to likely spinsterhood. The family's future rests on middle sister Vivienne, the prettiest of the sisters, marrying well.

Another aunt has sponsored Vivienne's debut, despite having shown no interest or charity to the other Cabot sisters. Vivienne is, after all, the most promising of the sisters. Vivienne is using gowns that had been intended for Caroline's debut when she meets the mysterious Adrian Kane, Viscount Trevelyan.

This could be just the answer to ensuring a future for all the Cabot sisters. When youngest sister Portia, known for her vivid imagination, repeats the gossip that Lord Trevelyan is rumored to be a vampire, Caroline dismisses it as childish fantasy.

But when Caroline and Portia are invited to meet Lord Trevalyan at a midnight dinner, Caroline finds herself wondering if the rumors just might be true. He is never seen in daylight and roams the night on mysterious excursions. And surely this overwhelming attraction she has for her dear sister's paramour is unnatural. Caroline must discover the truth before allowing her sister to marry.

After Midnight is a Regency romance with a twist. Is he, or isn't he?

I found the characters to be well drawn, with the exception of Vivienne. While we got to know Caroline and Portia well, we never got the opportunity to understand Vivienne to the same extent. While this was a fairly short read at 271 pages, there was no other obvious sacrifice in plot development or execution.

Caroline would do anything for her sisters, but recognizes that this has come at a personal cost. When she finds herself attracted to Lord Trevalyan, she wages an internal battle - love for her sister vs. love for Kane. Were we given the opportunity to become as attached to Vivienne as Caroline, this element could have been more powerful.

Adrian makes a wonderful hero and is worthy of causing Caroline's turmoil, while his brother Julian and Portia also make interesting characters.

I have already ordered the follow-up book, The Vampire Who Loved Me, despite the cringe-worthy title.