Mine Till Midnight (Hathaway) [Mass Market Paperback]

Amelia Hathaway is determined to keep her colourful younger sisters and wastrel elder brother in line - especially since they have recently come into an unexpected title and inheritance. Things are going somewhat to plan until a chance encounter with half-gypsy Cam Rohan in London.

When the pair meet again in Hampshire, neither can deny the sparks that fly but getting involved would be disastrous for both of them. But sometimes fate has other things in mind and as Amelia battles with a multitude of problems - it's her feelings for Cam that seem to be the biggest problem of all.

This is the start of a new series of regency set romances presumably focussing on the Hathaway family. As well as that, this book nicely ties into the Wallflower series of books with a story for Cam Rohan - the manager from Jenner's gaming club which appeared in many of those books.

This story was typical Lisa Kleypas with deep, meaningful emotions, hot sex scenes and love that conquers all. Cam was wonderful as the hero - strong and arrogant yet also mysterious and tender. While Amelia was a perfect heroine for him - determined to make sure her family were cared for and just as determined not to lean on anyone. The chemistry leapt off the pages between the pair. The secondary characters were also well described and I am looking forward to reading their books in the future. And it was lovely to see Lillian and Marcus (from It Happened One Autumn) making an appearance.

As this was part of a series - there were plenty of things that were left hanging such as Cam's mysterious tattoo, the relationship between sister Win and the servant Merripen etc. But I really can't complain as they weren't integral to this particular book's plot and it just makes me excited for the next book in the series.

If you're a fan of Lisa Kleypas or if you like your romances well-written with plenty of heat and emotion then I'm sure you will enjoy this book. An excellent read and definitely worth 5 stars.

The synopis given on this page seems to be for "Blue-eyed devil", not for "Mine until midnight", which is confusing.

I won't write a synopsis as the other reviewers have done that. I enjoyed this book very much, Amelia being a strong character; somewhat controlling because she has felt that she has had to be in order to look after her family. Half gypsy, Cam Rohan, the manager of Jenner's gambling club, has appeared in one of the other Klepass books - the one that about Evie, Jenner's daughter, and St. Vincent, both of whom appear in this book.

Scarlet Fever a year ago has left Amelia's sister Win, weak chested and her brother Leo broken hearted about the death of his fiancee Laura. Inheriting a title from a distant relative, plus a ramshackle house and estate and a modest yearly income, Leo goes on the rampage, drinking and gambling for all he is worth, neglecting his family and generally trying to get himself killed. There is also a touch of the supernaturals in the book. Protective Amelia strives to look after Leo, much to his annoyance and indifference and that's how she first meets Cam Rohan and instantly attracted to him, but wary as she was jilted a year or two ago.

Cam, honourable and clever, has to deal with the 'stigma' of his birth and longs to go on the road again wandering free. However, much to his embarrassment (gypsies are indifferent to wealth and belongings) he attracts money like ducks to water, "his good luck curse" and no matter how hard he tries to get rid of his wealth it just keeps piling up. He has never had any trouble attracting women and when he meets Amelia he is intriged by her wholesome goodness and spirit. Deciding that he has met his woman, his 'mate', he has still to convince Amelia.

Cam has a "good luck curse", however the Hathaway's seem to attract bad luck, as nothing seems to go right for them no matter how hard Amelia strives. Cam has an overwhelming urge to help her, which she doesn't appreciate at all.

The book is an entertaining read and leaves some things unresolved, which may be dealt with in another book of this new series.

However, there is one point that irritates me intensly. It may be that Laura Klepas doesn't know her English history periods, or probably more likely it is the fault of the publisher who wrote the blurb on the back cover.

According to the back cover, this book is the start of new "Regency-set romances". Yet Chapter one quite clearly states "1848". That is NOT Regency, which ran from 1811 until 1820, when the Prince Regent succeeded the throne as George IV. He died in 1830 and his brother William IV was on the throne until 1837. He was succeeded by Victoria in 1837.

Therefore this book is early Victorian and certainly not by any shadow of the imagination, Regency. Therefore the front cover, which shows a woman in an Empire style Regency gown (high-waisted) is also wrong. Waists were back to normal levels by 1848. A minor point perhaps, but one I for one, find very irritating.

It's a while since I read any Lisa Kleypas as I had read so many in the past that I ran out of options and turned elsewhere. In the interim this series was created and so an opportunity to revisit with old characters was presented. It was great to see Cam again and to meet the intriguing Hathaways. Great also to revisit the St Vincents from Devil in Winter which is my favourite of the previous series of Kleypas books.

This really was like visiting an old friend and I particularly liked the fact that i'd forgotten how forthright and 'no nonsense' Ms Kleypas is in her style of writing. She gets stuck in to the story without preamble and before you know it, you're transported straight back to previously trodden pastures. Amelia Hathaway is the perfect foil for Cam Rohan and I look forward to Merripen and Win's story with much anticipation of a good read.

If you like a story that plunges straight into the action without preamble then you'll love this classic dose of Kleypas.