A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cover #3) by Tessa Dare
3.5/5 stars
I was basically here for Thorne!
The Story
(Goodreads Synopsis): “After years of fending for herself, Kate Taylor found friendship and acceptance in Spindle Cove—but she never stopped yearning for love. The very last place she’d look for it is in the arms of Corporal Thorne. The militia commander is as stone cold as he is brutally handsome. But when mysterious strangers come searching for Kate, Thorne steps forward as her fiancé. He claims to have only Kate’s safety in mind. So why is there smoldering passion in his kiss?”
What I Liked
Corporal Thorne has played supporting roles in the first two books in this series and I will be honest … when I heard about this quiet brooding imposing figure, I immediately sifted through the Spindle Cove series book descriptions to see how far I would have to read till I could see more of him (a LOT more if you know what I mean *wink*). Tessa Dare did not disappoint!
This story was probably the most emotional of the series yet. Both Kate and Thorne have struggled to find their place, their worth in the world. Pretty early on, we get the sense that Kate and Thorne have more than just similar pasts, but maybe even pasts that twist and tangle and intertwine. Pasts that hide pain and hurt and loss. Walls have to be broken, barriers torn down … and along the way there are hurt feelings, kept secrets, and a lot of tension.
Kate is a very likeable heroine who exudes strength and thankfulness. She is a steadfast friend and she faces the world with an always positive attitude. Although she struggles with her place in the world and has no family she can remember, she doesn’t let her past define her. These are qualities that I love to see in people and in characters! She is able to be a safe place for Thorne who struggles internally with his own tragic past.
There is also sex (which ok I’m 100% here for that too). Yeah, there are some pretty heavy and beautiful (sometimes cliché) sex scenes in this book, but the true intimacy comes from the emotional journey that these two take with each other. This is the true beauty of Kate and Throne’s romantic development!
The writing is exactly the quality that I have come to expect from Tessa Dare, as well as the character development of not just our hero and heroine, but of supporting characters as well.
What I Did Not Like
Like with a few other books in this series, I felt as though the natural ending of the story came to a close about 100 pages before the actual ending of the book. Like riding a roller coaster of exciting ups and downs that finishes with a 20 minute slow ride on a straight track before finally landing at the platform. So I will admit … I skim read pretty much the entire ending of this book.
At around the 60% mark, Dare basically introduced a whole new storyline into the mix which, I felt, was not melded as well as it could have been into the narrative. I feel like either the inclusion of the new characters and plotline should have been introduced earlier, or perhaps this last bit simply condensed. The plot twists felt a little too melodramatic when paired with the first 60% of the story that I loved. Don’t get me wrong, I think that these twists should have been included, but again … maybe in a more simplistic manner?
In Conclusion
If this book had condensed the last 40% of the story a significant amount, this book would have been a 5 star read for me! Unfortunately it dragged significantly toward the end. All in all, an enjoyable story of a beautiful and emotional romance and another great addition to Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series!
Advertisements Share this:
