"Mine Till Midnight" by Lisa Kleypas

From Amazon.com: 

When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.
 
Wealthy beyond most men-s dreams, Cam has tired of society-s petty restrictions and longs to return to his -uncivilized- Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship-but intentions are no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurns tradition be tempted into that most time-honored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter-.

***

I had been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time, and had been forestalled from picking it up for a number of reasons. Primary among these was that this particular book was not available as an ebook from my online book retailer. My access to the book changed when I bought a Kindle 2, and was able to buy this book from the Amazon.com Kindle store. (Hurray!)

Anyway, I dove eagerly into this book, for it dealt with Cam Rohan, a man we were introduced to in another one of my favorite Lisa Kleypas books, "Devil in Winter," a part of her Wallflowers series of books. 

"Mine Till Midnight" is the first book of the Hathaways series, but characters from the Wallflowers series appear at times to help smooth over the transition between the two. Cam's story is a pleasure to read, and I greatly enjoy the Hathaway family and like and admire the heroine of the story, Amelia Hathaway. The story is warm, loving, and has enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. (I think I was forced to read far into the night with this one--but who needs sleep?) Of course it ends happy--what romance doesn't? This one has a very satisfying ending, however, and it will have you reaching for the next book in the series to find out how the other family members fare.

Lisa Kleypas writes a depth into her stories that other authors seldom achieve. Her characters at not simply characters--they are people you come to like, come to care for, and want to visit on a regular basis. This book is a gem, and I will admit to you that I've already read the next two books in the Hathaway series ("Seduce me at Sunrise" and "Tempt Me at Twilight") and they are just as special. I will most certainly pick up the next two books of the series just as soon as they are released.

Rating: 5 stars

From Amazon.com: Dulcinea Craven descends from a long line of witches, and she has just inherited wild, untrained magical powers that she has no idea how to control. Now a ruthless vampire and an age-old demon are determined to enslave Cin and steal her power for their own. Her only hope is The Righteous, a band of warrior vampires who slay the rogue undead. Among them is Michael, a fierce swordsman who inflames Cin’s most primal hungers. Showing her a sensual pleasure beyond anything in the mortal realm, she must choose between the human existence she has always known, and immortality as a vampire—a new life filled with forbidden urges, dark yearning, and unearthly passions…

***

I'll admit...I'm late on this review. But, I'm late with it for a good reason, and that reason is that I so loved this book that I had to read the second one, Grave Sins, right away. Jenna Maclaine has created something that I adore...truly adore; she's created a paranormal mystery/adventure series that I could easy follow for years, if Ms. Maclaine keeps on writing them.

Cin Craven is an interesting character--just feisty enough to provide a kick-ass flair to the book, but she's not so hard as nails as to not show her more sensitive side. (I won't spoil any of the series by my review, but I will just say that it is very clear that Cin is devoted to her family and friends, no matter her status in life.)

Two points of the character and her story(s) give me pause. One, Cin could easily become too powerful, and in more than one occasion in the 2 books I've read, her powers seem to "come to the rescue" to save the day perhaps a bit too readily.The other is that Cin, for being such a "young" member of the group she travels with, seems to be leading the investigations a little too soon. I have the feeling that Devlin, Justine, and Michael were quite able to solve problems on their own before Cin arrived. 

Having said that, I will continue to follow this series, and I hope that Ms. Maclaine keeps up the high quality of the stories and of her writing. Truly, I adore series like this, and I find it very difficult (even though there are a multitude of series out there) to find a series/character I like. And I like this series...very much indeed.

Rating: 5 stars