Review -- A Midnight Dance

A Midnight Dance
by Lila DiPasqua
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Berkley





As young girls growing up behind the scenes of her father’s prestigious theater, Sabine Laurent and her twin sister Isabelle enjoyed watching the comings and goings of the aristocracy and dreamed of finding their own Prince Charming. Sabine’s interest was always drawn to the tall, dark and handsome man she adequately nicknamed her Dark Prince. Years later, after the death of her father and the disappearance of her sister, Sabine is weighted down by her father’s overwhelming debt and the excessive taxing by the aristocracy. Determined not to end up in debtor’s prison or worse, Sabine decides to take her (and her family’s) future into her own small hands by stealing a large supply of silver from a band of thieves by tainting their drink and seducing their leader.

During the Fronde (civil war in France during the Franco-Spanish War), the head of the Moutier family was executed and all of the family’s lands and possessions were stripped away. For the last five years, Jules de Moutier has been doing everything in his power (including piracy) to gain silver so he can buy back his family’s land and restore the family’s dignity. Transporting his latest booty through the French countryside, Jules and his band of merry men stop to make camp for the evening. As the evening grows darker, Jules is surprised when a beautiful young woman wonders into the camp offering herself to the leader in exchanged for food and shelter. Immediately drawn to the young woman’s lovely golden hair and shapely body, Jules quickly agrees and finds himself in deeper than he expects.

Sabine is shocked to find out that the leader of the band of thieves she is planning to steal silver from is actually Jules de Moutier, head of the aristocratic family who is ruining her own family and, more importantly, the tall, dark and handsome man she remembers from her childhood. Her own Dark Prince. Torn between the hate and bitterness she feels for the Moutier family and the yearnings and dreams of a young girl, Sabine decides she can allow herself the pleasure of one night with Jules … as long as she leaves with enough silver to return wealth and status to her family. But can one night of passion with her Dark Prince be enough?

“She wrapped her arms around her legs and gazed up at the stars twinkling in the blackened sky. Though it was a serene sight to behold, she didn’t dare derive any tranquility from it. How could she? He’d be back at any moment, and the man had the devil’s touch. He’d made her scream in ecstasy. Scream. Her. She was practical. Levelheaded.

She could quash any emotion, control every reaction – except when he neared. Or when he touched her. “

I have been a huge fan of Lila DiPasqua since the very beginning. In fact, she is becoming one of my favorite authors. Her two previous books, AWAKENED BY A KISS and THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED, were anthologies of fiery tales, novellas based on famous fairy tales but with a fiery twist. A MIDNIGHT DANCE is Ms. DiPasqua’s first full-length novel and is based on the fairy tale of Cinderella. Full of rich imagery and tantalizing scenes, Ms. DiPasqua is like a master artist painting a beautiful mural, taking care to show every nuance and detail. The loves scenes are spicy, sexy and oh so delicious! But the emotional journey for Sabine and Jules steals the show for me – each struggling to restore their family but also trying to grasp their own happiness.

Simply put, this is one fabulous book!


~ Buffie


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