Midnight: A Cozy Cinderella Retelling

by J.A. Good

A Cinderella retelling about love, sacrifice, and the kind of magic that asks what you’re willing to lose to save the ones you love.

When Lyra Treveon falls too ill to attend the royal ball, her best friend Lucinda Blackthorn agrees to go in her place. Disguised behind a mask and wrapped in a midnight-blue gown, Luci dances beneath chandeliers and loses her heart to Prince Ira Vencia, a man who makes her believe, just for one night, that she belongs in his world.

But when the mask comes off, Ira believes it was Lyra he met at the ball—and soon announces his engagement to her. Bound by loyalty and guilt, Luci keeps her secret to protect her friend’s fragile health and reputation. Yet as Luci and Ira are drawn together again—this time by a desperate journey to find the mythical Midnight Flower, said to cure any illness—the truth between them becomes impossible to ignore.

As love blooms in the shadow of a lie, Luci must decide what she’s willing to her heart, her future, or the girl who has always been her family.

Tender, romantic, and threaded with forgotten magic, Midnight is a cozy Cinderella retelling about friendship, forbidden love, and finding courage when the clock runs out.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 14, 2026

About the author

J.A. Good is the author of the adult fantasy romance Forged in Fire Series. She is a northerner living in Florida who’s love of books and new worlds inspired her to create her own. She is a pediatric intensive care nurse at night and a writer, mom, wife, and cat enthusiast during the day. When she isn’t naming all the dinosaurs with her toddlers you can find her staring at her book collection with her cats lamenting her lack of castles and magic.

Reviews

[Tiia Kaufmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as an ARC. And If I’m being honest, I enjoyed this more than the original Cinderella story. It was so cozy, and the true love in this story is so much more than what I expected.
It wasn’t just about finding a prince, but also about friendship and finding yourself after living your life for someone else.
The friendships were beautiful and the slow burn was almost painful. There was so many times I was begging to be able to smack some sense into them while simultaneously enjoying their banter and build up.
Not to mention, Firecracker Brielle is a force to be reckoned with, and I hope everyone has a friend like her in their life 🙌🏻
Max was also one of my favorite characters, and if he ever gets a story I am so here for it.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge thank you to the author J. A. Good for providing me with an eARC!!

This is such a cute and cozy romantasy Cinderella retelling! There is a huge emphasis on platonic love and friendship in this which I really appreciated, and is essentially the driving force of this book. Everything the FMC does is for her best friend who suffers from an unknown chronic ailment, even attending the royal ball in her stead. Of course, I also loved the romance dynamic Luci had with the prince, and had butterflies a few times because Ira is the perfect Prince Charming ~ love a good jealousy moment. I do wish we could’ve gotten a little more with them, but since the main theme is friendship, I understand why that took a bit of a backseat at times.

Overall, this was a warm hug and highly recommend to anyone who wants a feel good read with a touch of magic🥰

[Beth Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight was the best time I didn’t know I needed. J. A. Good describes it as the feeling of sitting in front of a fire with a cozy blanket and a good book and it really is. I love the way she adapted the Cinderella story in such a creative way you really didn’t know what to expect. The story between the two FMC‘s is the sweetest friendship story I’ve ever read. On top of the journey that our main FMC goes on in her life is so inspiring. I loved how the Prince was so deserving of the love he earned. The side characters are funny and add a touch of reality. My favorite part in the book they talk about how community is so important and how easy it is to forget when you don’t have a lot that the community is there for that reason and it just touched my heart so much.