Duke of Midnight

Maiden Lane

By: Elizabeth Hoyt

Narrated by: Claudia Harris

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

When a masked man…

Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe-and won't back down…

Meets his match…

Artemis Greaves toils as a lady's companion, but hiding beneath the plain brown serge of her dress is the heart of a huntress. When the ghost of St. Giles rescues her from footpads, she recognizes a kindred spirit-and is intrigued. She's even more intrigued when she realizes who exactly the notorious ghost is by day…

Desire ignites a dangerous passion.

Artemis makes a bold move: she demands that Maximus use his influence to free her imprisoned brother - or she will expose him as the ghost. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn't without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire - or the temptation of his embrace?

©2013 Elizabeth Hoyt (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Elizabeth Hoyt has outdone herself." (Jennifer Ashley, New York Times bestselling author)

This one didn't work for me

Although I've loved just about everything else E. Hoyt has written, this novel seemed very different from the others. It didn't feel like it should be part of the Maiden Lane series. The way Maximus spoke to Artemis was so melodramatic it distracted me and took me out of the story. It might not be the narrator's fault since the writing called for it. My all-time Hoyt favorite is Scandalous Desires, with Mickey O'Connor and Silence Hollingbrook. BTW, I e-mailed Hatchette Audio to ask why Ashford MacNab isn't narrating these books anymore, and they said they couldn't comment on contractual issues. I ran across the fact that Ashford M. has a pseudonym, Polly Lee--just found 25 books on Audible!

Finally the Duke of Wakefield meets his match!

3.5 Star

Another installment in the brilliant Maiden Lane series, this book depicts Maximus Batton, the Duke of Wakefield and Artemis Greaves, a lady's companion. We first meet Maximus in "Notorious Pleasures" as the brooding and unyielding brother of Lady Hero Batten and we first meet calm and collected Artemis Greaves in "Scandalous Desires" as the lady's companion to Lady Penelope Chadwicke. Maximus is powerful and stubborn which is a very dangerous combination. His fierce determination to avenge his parent's death along with his guilt-stricken conscience force his every move, but his encounters with Artemis chips away at what he always felt was the "right" path for a Duke. Past events have redirected Artemis' path in life and now she must ensure her survival and that of her brother by any means possible. As her brother's situation becomes desperate, she stops at nothing to save him, going as far as blackmailing a Duke.

Artemis and Maximus' personalities clash, making their "courtship" fun to watch. Maximus is so used to being in control and to have his motives and actions questioned or even being told "no" is not something he is used to. Artemis, on the other, is in a position of servitude, but that role has not taken away her wit or her fortitude and she meets him head-to-head. As always with Hoyt's stories, the romance is sweet and spicy (the Duke talks dirty in bed) with strong lead characters. I gave this book a 3.5 stars because it felt like this was a transition novel. One where the over-arching plot that was carried through several books is now resolved and a new one is being established with new characters to continue the series. I am definitely not opposed to this as I adore the Maiden Lane series, however, I just didn't feel like this book was a strong one especially with the books and characters that preceded this one.

Narration
Narrator: Claudia Harris
Performance: 3/5
I am a bit bias because I love it when the same narrator (provided it is a good narrator to start with) reads for the entire series. This is now the third narrator for this series and I remember reading somewhere that this narrator is fairly new. She did an okay job with the overall narration, but I did have a few things that I didn't enjoy while listening to this novel. The distinction between the characters' voices and thoughts were not always evident. When listening to audio books, it is very important for the reader to differentiate between dialogues, narrations, and character thoughts by means of the narrator's variation in pitch, tone, inflection, etc. There were times when I needed the context of the scene to help figure out who was speaking. Sometimes when I would imagine someone speaking it would turn out to be incorrect at the end of the scene, throwing me off. This was my only complaint, otherwise, her pace and volume was exact, her accents were good, and she was easy to understand. I just hope we don't get a new narrator for the next installment.

WOW !!!! A MUST READ

What an amazing book. The book was suspenseful and full of twists as well as passion. I have enjoyed all of the books in the series, although they are not marked as such when doing a search. This book, however, is my favorite in the ghost of St. Giles series. I can not recommend this book enough. I wish I could have rated it a ten. The narration is also very good. Don’t hesitate in purchasing. A++++++++

JUST BLOWN AWAY! THIS IS SPECTACULAR!

There are ordinary novels, extraordinary ones, superb ones, and then there are “Elizabeth Hoyt novels,” which stand in a category of their very own. Hoyt creates a world where pain is explored in equal measure as the power of love to cure and mend all brokenness, as in the Duke of Midnight.

The release of this book was much anticipated...I've been waiting for it for months! After devouring this book in 1 day, I have to say that it was worth the wait as it left me breathless.

I started this book with uncharitable thoughts toward Maximus Batten, the Duke of Wakefield, and there was a part of me that wanted to see him suffer in his love story (at least a little). In the previous book, the Duke spoke dismissively of Artemis Greaves (heroine) and I just couldn't wait till he ate his words.

Well, watching Maximus pine for the love of Artemis was a bittersweet process. I suppose it was bittersweet because Maximus really does experience a desperate and tortured love for Artemis, because when he falls for her, he can’t let her go. He’s tortured because in his silly, aristocratic mind, he just can’t marry someone whose brother is a “madman,” not to mention she’s a lowly lady’s companion. In his mind, he has to marry a woman worthy of his station to honor his father’s memory. Now, why he thought Lady Penelope (a superficial bumble head) was suitable, as his duchess, is beyond me!

Initially, the Duke makes a cerebral decision to pursue a courtship with the very superficial, "pretty-face-with-an-empty-head-of-a-cousin" Lady Penelope. Despite the obscene sum of her dowry, Lady Penelope can't hold a candle to the brilliance of Artemis who is more than beautiful. She is lively, brave, witty, intelligent and just awesome! I enjoyed the sweet moments where Maximus uses terms of endearment, such as “goddess of the moon & hunt” and then later when they become lovers, he refers to her as “Diana.”

Regarding their love scenes, they build up from sensual moments of sexual tension to unbridled, passionate all-consuming love. I don’t think there is anyone who can write such emotionally, powerful love scenes as Hoyt does. And the love between Maximus and Artemis is smoking hot!!!

Some of the treasures in this book include (1) the friendship between Artemis and Phoebe, (2) Brave and gorgeous Apollo (who needs his own book!!!) (3) Seeing some of the characters from the previous books such as Hero, Griffin, Isabella and Winter, (4) Having all 3 Ghosts of St. Giles together in the resolution working as a team.

In reference to the short story Hoyt embeds, piece-by-piece, at the beginning of each chapter, I think that the only purpose of those silly little stories is to showcase Hoyt’s intellectual and creative prowess. In that, not only does she have enough mental energy to create a riveting, well-written novel, but a side short story as well. Otherwise, the short stories are annoying and absolutely useless.

Lastly, I was astounded with the villain. Each time I suspected I knew who the person was who murdered Maximus’ parents, I was mistaken as the villain was not at all close to my original guess.

In sum, what begins as an attempted blackmail of the duke, on behalf of Artemis, ends with a conclusion worthy of tears for it’s absolute triumph in love.

Narrator: Claudia Harris was fabulous. I really enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator made the experience complete.


The worst part now is the wait for the next book.......ARG!!!!!

Loved the story but still miss Ashford McNab

What didn’t you like about Claudia Harris’s performance?

I'm not sure if it was just her voice but she made the characters sound like they were angry all the time even when I'm pretty sure it wasnt written that way.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!

What did you love best about Duke of Midnight?

I LOVED the story. What a great story. I know that I'll listen to this story and read it (I've bought both the audio version and ebook version) several, several times.

What aspect of Claudia Harris’s performance would you have changed?

I did not like her voices for several characters. For instance, I didn't really like the voice she gave the Duke of Scarborough and I really didn't like the voices she gave to the valet and other minor characters. She does a good job for the major characters and her intonation and pacing are very good. Although Ms. Harris does a pretty good job, she is not Ashford McNab. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE bring back Ashford McNab. She is the voice of this series and I think the audio series was nearly ruined with the last book. Ms. Harris is much better than the narrator of Lord of Darkness, but she is still no Ashford McNab.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

OH YES! I didn't get to listen to it in one sitting, but there's no doubt I could have if I would have had the time. I finished it in less than 3 days. A great, great story!!!!

Any additional comments?

Elizabeth Hoyt can weave a story and she ALWAYS leaves you wanting more and more and more! There are so many characters that we are just left wandering about that I'm not sure how I'll manage to wait until the next book comes out. I can't figure out how she will close the book on all of these characters and how many more books she will write in this series. What I do know is that I want them all NOW! We are left wondering about Penelope, Apollo, Ms. Royale, Asa (I think the next book is his story), and as always Phoebe. Sweet, sweet Phoebe - I cannot wait for her book and I'm always afraid Ms. Hoyt will stop the series before Phoebe finds her true love. If you are looking for a GREAT series, start with the first book in the series and work your way through them all. They are well worth the time!

Great Story Ruined by Narrator

What did you like best about Duke of Midnight? What did you like least?

The duke more than anything. I loved his strong character and protectiveness.

What other book might you compare Duke of Midnight to and why?

I really cannot think of one off hand.

Would you be willing to try another one of Claudia Harris’s performances?

NO!

Do you think Duke of Midnight needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No - the book Darling Beast which is the next in the series will take care of that.

Any additional comments?

I love, love, love the Maiden Lane series. Unfortunately the last couple have had very poor narrators and I don't think I can go through that anymore. I do hope Darling Beast comes out with a good narrator - I just can't make myself listen to another great story butchered by a poor narrator - so sad. I wish the powers that be would respect the impact narrators make on a book - they can make it or break it!

Boring and bizarre

Any additional comments?

What a disappointment. The ingredients were here, but somehow nothing about this story shines. The first 5 hours are a total bore. Even the mini-story was over-stuffed and the magic of it was lost to me. The Duke of Wakefield and Artemis's personalities were not as well-rounded as her other character's books. I didn't feel the love and found their pairing bizarre. I never felt the "huntress" vibe they kept pushing to be very strongly personified. My favorite is #4 Thief of shadows! 2nd best is #11 Alfs story, then #3 Silence's story, and #10 Duke of Sin also excellent. all 100% more interesting compared to this.

Elizabeth Hoyt never disappoints!

Any additional comments?

This was another great story in an awesome series. I thought the narration was good but I wasn't a huge fan of her voice. I certainly made it through the book with no profound complaints so she gets an A where I'm concerned. Can't wait for the next book!!

One of the best

I loved this addition in the Maiden Lane series. I'm not finished the series yet but this is one of my favorites. Well worth the credit