Midnight Waltz

De: Jennifer Blake

Narrado por: Suzanne Toren

She has no idea what to expect...

In the aristocratic world of the magnificent plantations of nineteenth-century Louisiana, young Amalie knows how to behave as the new mistress at Belle Grove, but her arranged marriage to Julien Declouet is full of surprises.He's as different as night and day...Amalie finds her husband perfectly polite, although oddly aloof, by day, but a completely different man when he visits her in her chambers at night, full of white-hot emotions and passion that sweeps her away. As the steamy Louisiana summer swelters onward, and the mystery of her husband's dual personalities intensifies, the once-innocent Amalie finds herself embroiled in one turbulent scandal after another...

©1984 Patricia Maxwell (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

One of my top three early romances

I have been a big fan of Jennifer Blake for years, most especially the books in her Louisiana History Collection or her Love and Adventure Collection, with Midnight Waltz being number one.
I was lucky enough to have been introduced to the romance genre by reading Blake and Kathleen Woodiwiss, the pioneers.
All good fiction requires a good plot and good characters and good writing, regardless of genre. But I will always prefer romance for best feel good emotions and hormones. I have no problem ignoring the emotionally immature who sneer at romance. Emotions are hard wired into our body’s chemistry by evolution so they absolutely serve a purpose in survival. After all, what is a person lacking in emotions but a psychopath? I’m going with the Bible’s “but the greatest of these is love” philosophy of life, with a dose of “as above, so below” to mirror the big Kahuna’s love for us.
Toren does a very decent job of narration.
Smiles. Recommend.

BORING

I almost gave up on this book several times. With only a couple parts that was interesting, I found this book to be very long and boring. I'll probably try another book by Jennifer Blake as maybe this book just wasn't her best. Overall, I didn't like this book and wouldn't recommend this book.

Not a light read...

I enjoyed this novel however it is not one that is fast paced. The author is very descriptive in her depiction of life during this time and the day to day life of the family. I will say that the plot is deeper than what the description leads you to believe. I would not recommend reading if you want a completely light and fun novel. I would purchase it again and do not regret the time it took to read. I will be seeking other novels by this author for my collection. It is very steamy during love scenes but not grotesque. The overall tone is sad and actually depicts something I could see happening during this time.

Decades Later and Still my Favorite!

I read this book when it was originally published in the ‘80’s and at LEAST once every decade since. Jennifer Blake books were always interesting, her knowledge and love of history transparent in every story. I own nearly everything she wrote. Midnight Waltz remains my favorite - appreciate the honor and determination of the characters (flaws and all) and the development of the love story between Amalie and Robert moves me to this day. Blake writes beautifully and the narration on this is truly excellent!

The hero's voice needs to be redone

What did you like best about Midnight Waltz? What did you like least?

The historical setting and glimpse into how their lives might have been. The narrator's voice characterization of the hero, Robert.

What did you like best about this story?

The mystery and development of the characters caught in circumstances where they all want to please each other, even as conflicted as it may seem.

What three words best describe Suzanne Toren’s voice?

Range, clarity, articulate.

Was Midnight Waltz worth the listening time?

Yes and no. If you enjoy the story, it's most definitely worth the time. Any shortcomings are overcome by the positive aspects of the performance.

Any additional comments?

The one voice that needed to be exceptional was that of the hero, Robert. He is a young, strong man in his prime. I imagine his voice deep, vibrant, and baritone. Unfortunately his voice was the one the narrator ruined. He sounded like an ancient, southern, septuagenarian. I imagined him wearing seersucker and suspenders. She made him sound scratchy, as in coughing and drew out his words in a blah, blah way. When he whispered, it should have been a hushed, murmur with a hint of southern, sultry charm. He definitely needs a redo to make the narrated version true to the story.