I was really tempted to give this book an A. I really wanted to – still want to – but I am truly trying to be much pickier. I feel that with almost everything I read now, I need to consider certain points for reviewing. As a result, I’m honestly compelled to give this book a lower rating. There isn’t much wrong with it, and I loved every word of it from the first to the last. I’ve only ever read one other Jo Beverley book, My Lady Notorious, and I loved that book just as well. She seems to be an author hard to come by here in Edmonton – even though she’s Canadian, too – and Lord knows, I can never find her in a second-hand bookstore. That really says something about the quality of her writing.

Lord of Midnight is about Renald de Lisle, King’s champion and now, the new Lord Summerbourne. He’s been commanded by the king to take over the keep he has earned by right of being the champion, and look after all who live there. He has also been commanded to marry one of the three single ladies abiding in the keep. While he gives the ladies the choice of who will become his bride, he manages to make it possible that only Claire, the previous lord’s daughter, becomes his bride.

However, the new lord has blood on his hands from having killed Clarence of Summerbourne, a man who was more scholar than warrior. It was an unfair fight, as far as Claire is concerned, and now she’s trapped in marriage to a man she considers a murderer.

This book is truly a wonderful read. Once picked up, I couldn’t put it down. The only short-coming, as far as I could see, was that the intrigue could have been a little more, how shall I say this, intriguing.

Jo didn’t disappoint, though, from the first word to the last. The writing is smooth, detailed, concise, and every time I had a question to ask, it was answered in the next few lines, or it was staring me straight in the face. I loved this book. The build-up of the relationship between Renald and Claire was complicated and wonderful. I felt for Renald, him knowing that he had killed his wife’s father, yet he had really had no choice. Renald was saddened that he had to take such a gentle man’s life, even if the man was considered a traitor to the Crown. Claire was never a bore, either. She was a reasonable woman, and just when I thought I might get tired of her closed eyes and attitude towards her husband, trying to deny her love for him, this book took off with a vengeance. I just wanted to sit down and finish it to the last word. However, this happened at lunch hour and like many, I do have another job besides reading.

This book is a keeper and while I couldn’t give it a total A because of that little lack of a bit more intrigue than did it have, this is not a book that I’ll take off to the second-hand bookstore. This small lacking definitely didn’t deter from the story. So, grab a cup of tea, put your feet up and open your mind to medieval times, knights in shining armour and gallantry. You won’t be sorry.