A Midnight Clear by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner
Historical Romance Novella
Released: November 2015
Self Published
Reviewed by Mandi
This is just the cutest novella. Set in 1948, Francis Dumfries is nineteen and an Admiral’s daughter – this means she has a lot of responsibility at home. Her mother passed away when she was fifteen, and Francis really had to step up to the plate. With her father away at war, her teenage self had to care for her very sick mother. Now a few years later, Francis hosts her father’s important parties and runs the household with an ease of someone much older. Because her father is an Admiral, many of the midshipmen at the Naval Academy want to date Francis, just to get to her father. She is no dummy, and finds herself continuously turning down offers.
Midshipmen Joe Reynolds could care less who Francis’s father is – he fell in love with her on first sight, and now wants to date her, badly. But Francis won’t hear of it. Even when he says hello to her while passing on the street, she doesn’t acknowledge him. But he is in love and will do something about it.
Joe didn’t dare admit all of it – that he feared he was actually in love with her. In love with a girl he’d barely exchanged two words with. One who wouldn’t even say hello to him. One who didn’t care to know who he was.
She is convinced he is the same as all the others, but Joe is genuine. With a little help from Francis’s sister, Joe finally wedges his way into Francis’s life, and a very sweet and cute romance develops.
I enjoyed the first book in this series, WORD. This book is a quick read about two youngsters in love. I adored both Joe and Francis. They are both warm, kind people who fall in love and it made me swoon a little bit. I love a good courtship, and Joe pulls out all the stops. He is thoughtful with his gifts, persistent, and always a gentleman. Francis soon realizes Joe isn’t after her father – only her. There are innocent kisses and hand holding (and a more…naughty epilogue).
Joe is so head over heels in love with Francis, it made me smile.
It felt confusing and achy and gave him the sweats when he thought of her – the long, cool fall of her blonde curls, the elegant turn of her ankles, the refined sweep of her neck – every bit of her made every bit of him throb.
Being in love felt remarkably like a bad head cold.
Oh Joe. You are too cute.
At the time this review posts, this novella is free.
Grade: B
That does sound good! And the price is certainly hard to beat. Thanks for the post.