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Fire at Midnight

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Rachael Penrose is confined to Bedlam insane asylum in London after discovering that her uncle Victor plans to kill her brother in order to inherit the family fortune. Victor, with a gang of criminals, uses French privateer Sebastien Falconer as the scapegoat for his crimes. When Victor spreads the lie that Rachael informed on Falconer’s smuggling activities, Falconer vows revenge on the girl. Gripping suspense and romance play out in front of numerous historical details, including a violent storm that devastated England in 1703 and swept the Eddystone Lighthouse into the sea.

363 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

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Lisa Marie Wilkinson

3 books40 followers

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5 stars
66 (20%)
4 stars
98 (30%)
3 stars
93 (29%)
2 stars
41 (12%)
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20 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Profile Image for Rea.
726 reviews42 followers
February 6, 2011
While I just read and didn't stop to think about the story itself, I read through it pretty quickly - 250 pages in a couple of hours. As soon as I stopped, though, my brain kicked in and it took me 3 days to read the last 100 pages because I was just nitpicking at it the whole time.

--- warning, there may be some spoilers but they are necessary to get my point(s) across. ---

Rachel's been sent to Bedlam by her uncle after she discovers his plot to murder her infant brother. Her escape, orchestrated by her childhood friend, results in her being left in the care of a French privateer, Sebastién Falconer, who has sworn vengance on the woman who denounced his smuggling business to customs. After he effectively kidnaps her, he realises who she is, but she is none the wiser as to his identity and, surprise surprise, there's a spark of mutual attraction between them.

Now, this is where the book really lost its way for me. Falconer pretends to be the man who rescued her, whose name I can't remember. She discovers who he really is, and that he intends to kill her for having led so many of his friends to the hangman's noose, and next thing you know she's busy giving him her all important (in those days) virginity. What the hell? Did I miss something here? Why would you willingly have sex with a man who wants to kill you?

Following this... the lighthouse. I get the impression that the author really wanted to tell us about the lighthouse, that it's something that interested her personally and she wanted to share it with us. That's great, I'd love to read about it. Did she really have to reduce its role in the story to that of a clandestine sex get away place? I feel it desereved more respect than that.

Which brings me to the historical section of the story. Rather than interweaving the historical events, the author simply lists them at certain points in the narrative. At the beginning of one chapter, there's an information dump about ships not being able to leave port because of the wind while others are being blown in. It is written separate to the narrative about the characters rather than intermingled by using their observations to show us the events taking place. Another is when the characters are walking past collapsing houses. The story says that they're collapsing because the central chimney is giving way... but the characters are outside. How on earth do they know that the reason why all these houses are collapsing around them is because of the chimneys if the chimneys are inside?

The climax, Uncle Victor's comeuppance, is a whole 75 pages before the end of the story. The synopsis states that Victor is the antagonist, we get that point while reading, then the threat from the antagonist is gone and there are still 75 pages to sift through? That's not good writing. The climax should be at most 20 pages before the end of the story.

And my biggest issue with the whole thing is Sebastién Falconer himself. The French name Sébastien takes the accent on the first 'e'. The author should have known this. The accent being at the end of the name makes it an odd pronunciation in French. On top of this, at no point in his speech does he sound French. There are none of the tell-tale signs of French speech patterns (such as repeating the subject). He sounded like an Englishman with the odd French word (usually 'oui' or 'non') interjected into his speech. Towards the end of the book he swears. "Merde! Fils d'une chienne! Son of a bitch!" Fils d'une chienne does not exist in French. It'd be fils de chienne anyway, but even that does not exist. You cannot literally translate swear words from one language to another, which just goes to show that the author has very little knowledge of how foreign languages work. Also, pourqoui is one word, not two. Eugh.
Profile Image for Aneca.
958 reviews124 followers
August 21, 2009
I've heard very good things about Fire at Midnight and it had such a lovely cover that I couldn't resist adding it to the TBR pile. The book is the author's first and I think it shows, while the potential was great and I really liked knowing about Bedlam and about the storm that swept the lighthouse away in the end I was left with the feeling that this was a bit too light for my taste.

First of all Sebastien and Rachel immediately feel attracted to each other even when he wants revenge for her supposed betrayal and she doesn't know who he is. After she finds out who he is and how he dislikes her they still get involved with each other. I felt all that happened too soon. Then Rachel proceeds to change her opinion of Sebastien several times during the course of the action either because she is influenced by his twin brother who is out to get him or because he is so convincing that she just believes him... I guess I just felt she was too immature and young to deal with what was happening, and Sebastien read like an adventurous alpha male who probably wouldn't let her grow up. I also think the brother and grandfather seemed a bit over the top in their hatred towards Sebastien and his mother respectively and that Rachel's uncle was not developed enough as a villain.

There was a certain feel of adventure to the whole story that I liked and I also appreciated that the setting was very different from what you usually get in historical romances. Wilkinson's style is very easy to read and enjoy and that leaves me in a bit of a difficulty because I didn't like the characters but I really enjoyed everything else. I think I'll give it a 3.5/5 and look out for the author's next book to see how it goes.
Profile Image for Lisa.
Author 3 books40 followers
June 29, 2009
I don't know if it's appropriate for the author to assign a 5-star rating to their own work. It presents a bit of an ethical quandary for me. But, in reviewing other listings on Goodreads, it seems quite common for authors to generously rate their own books. My rating has more to do with intention than merit. My reason for writing is to entertain. I will never cure cancer, end world hunger or facilitate peace among nations, but if I can distract a reader from their day-to-day troubles by providing an entertaining story, I would give myself 5 stars for that. If you are rating my work on Goodreads, your vote indicates whether --in your view-- I have succeeded or failed in my goal to entertain you.

Profile Image for Naomi.
4,813 reviews142 followers
February 8, 2011
I must say that I really found this story line to be nonsense. I wasn't impressed by the book as I thought I would have been by the previous reviews. In fact, because of the reviews I pushed through the book, but really had a hard time doing it. Seriously, if I could have given it 1/2 a star I would have done so and even then, feel I would be being generous.
Profile Image for Pamela(AllHoney).
2,697 reviews376 followers
August 11, 2014
My first read by this author and most certainly not the last. I really liked this one enough to put on my keeper shelf. I didn't think it quite deserved a 5 star rating but it was close. The story moved comfortably for me. It engaged my interest and keep it throughout the entire book.
Profile Image for Julie.
7 reviews
April 2, 2009
I don't typically read romance novels, but I made an exception for the first novel of a friend/former co-worker. I'm glad I did because it was thrilling and fun with many exciting twists and turns. Plus, since it was a historical romance, there were lots of interesting and true facts about England during that time period.
Profile Image for Knight Of.
489 reviews8 followers
May 24, 2022
It had some good moments here and there but it wasn't as intriguing as I thought it would be.
Profile Image for ♥Xeni♥.
1,215 reviews80 followers
February 19, 2011
This book was a secret santa present from Jaimie from my SAB group for Christmas 2010. Thank you Jaimie!


I started reading this on the plane trip to Budapest on the first day of the new year. I liked it okay-ish until I got about 75% of the way in. Now I am stuck, and don't want to finish reading it because I can see exactly where the plot is going. And the love scenes are crap. Maybe once I finish the book I'll think about it differently, but that's how it is for right now!


I just finished reading it. I kind of forced myself to finish it, since I couldn't bear the thought of needing only to read 20% to have it off my shelves and out of my life! Really, this book sucked that badly.

I was expecting so much from this novel... so so much. And it all fell flat. The writing was just bad: action scenes were hard to follow and discontinuous. The "talking" scenes where the reader was giving pertinent information were a bit better, but not much. There were so many details lacking, and then other details put in that were just unnecessary.

The characters were all flat. Especially the ones that were supposed to grow; they just didn't. Sebastian was totally flat... you could tell that the author was trying to give him different levels, but being angry at being duped does not make a round character. Rachael didn't seem to have learned anything by the end of the book. She was just as horrid and insipid and totally stupid as at the beginning. That is a bit harsh, I know, but really, a girl can't go traipsing around the countryside at the beginning of the 18th century and not expect to learn from her experiences.

The one good thing that this book may have left me with was a slightly better grasp of history and geography of rural England. That's about it.

I am really mad that this book turned out to be so badly written and badly published. If this was a free online ebook I would probably not be as rude as I am right now, but the fact that someone paid good money and then sent this to me as a present just kills me. No one should be forced to pay money for this trash.
Profile Image for Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS).
1,905 reviews328 followers
January 19, 2016
The year is 1703 and Rachael Penrose is talking to herself, "I am sane". Caught by her wicked uncle Victor Brightmore and jailed in Bedlam, a hospital with insane inhabitants, she is held captive while her uncle searches for her younger brother James. He will inherit their parents' estate if both are dead but he must have them die in a way so that suspicions do not fall on him. Evil beyond reproach, her uncle is a murderer and pirate but still is not satisfied with all the wealth he has illegally acquired.

Tarry Morgan, a dear friend and more to Rachael, is looking for her and Victor is aware of this. Intending to transfer her to Bethnel Green, a true insane asylum, and let an "accident" happen along the way, Rachael is drugged. Confusion ensues and she manages to be saved by John Wyatt, a friend of Tarry's. Chaos soon follows and now Rachael is saved by Sabastien Falconer. Rachael and Sabastien are leery, neither one feels they can trust the other yet they both realize there is something more.

This is a historical romance with a plot that has been done before but somehow this romance leaves the reader feeling upbeat. The lead individuals are charming while the support cast adds an authentic feel to this era of history. Ms. Wilkinson's descriptions of her characters and the setting make you feel as if you are there watching everything unravel. If there is one weakness, it is that the characters could be 'fleshed-out' better. Also, I normally don't care for romances where the trust issue is strong but somehow this didn't bother me when I read FIRE AT MIDNIGHT.

There are privateers ("Pirates are criminals"), seduction and pandemonium; the story has it all. Both entertaining and fulfilling, it is an old fashion romance. Don't take it too seriously and you should enjoy the story.
2 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2009
I have always been interested in both insane asylums and lighthouses...odd things, like Winchester House in San Jose, California, and Meteor Crater, Arizona. I realize that this is a rather odd way to enter into a review of an Historical Romance, but when I ran across this book at Barnes and Noble, with a beautiful cover of a Lighthouse, flipped open the cover, and started reading and it started out with the heroine being held in Bedlam, then I read toward the back, and it also contained the story about the history of the Eddystone Light, I bought it immediately. Started reading that night, and finished it the very next night, sneaking reading time at breaks, and at lunch...Although Sebastien was supposed to be a villian, you can certainly understand his reaction when he discovers that his supposed nemesis, Rachel, has also been victimized by her own Uncle Victor, and you just want them to bond together and have something terrible happen to Victor, who has also managed to compound his sins by kidnapping James, Rachaels baby brother. The idea of a privateer being so charming,sexy, and falling totally in love with our brave, beleaguered girl charmed me totally, even the nasty uncle, a twin brother in the mix, one twin French, and the other strict British officer of the law trying to catch his own brother, a cast of Victor's co-horts, and a whole team of smuggler-privateers who are willing to lay down their lives to protect Sebastien, because, after all, he is a good guy...Lots of surprises here. Waiting for a followup on this one telling what happened to Tarry, Rachael's childhood friend and also in love with her...
Profile Image for Sabrina.
667 reviews2 followers
January 10, 2013
What a great idea for a book - vindictive uncle wants to get niece and nephew out of the way so he can inherit. He sends the niece to Bedlam with the help of his doctor and plans on “getting rid” of the infant nephew. And just in case she escapes, plants rumors that she is the person responsible for snitching on Sebastien and his crew of wreckers. Because of these rumors, Sebastien is now on the run and half of his crew have been tried and hung. He’s out for revenge!

Surprise, surprise!!!! Rachel escapes Bedlam (with the help of a childhood friend) and falls into the hands of Sebastien. This is a romance – so sparks fly and they find each other irresistible. He wants to kill her, but she’s so beautiful. She’s attracted to him and despite the fact that she knows he wants to kill her and is most likely seducing her just to ruin her; she’s into it.

What follows is a roller coaster ride between the two. I wish it hadn’t been so dramatic because aside from their ‘couple issues’ there is a whole other story going on between them and Rachel’s uncle. The suspense and fighting is fun and fast paced. I would have preferred a different take on Sebastien’s brother, especially after crucial information was brought to light, but I guess when you’re mad you’re blinded to any reason. I also wish the story-line with Sebastien’s grandfather had been explored a little more. He just came in like this tyrant at the end of the book and it seemed forced into the storyline.

My lasting impression of this book is that I liked it. It was a bit dramatic, but overall fun.
Profile Image for Evelyn.
1,761 reviews
April 14, 2010
In 1703, Rachel Penrose is sent to Bedlam by her scheming Uncle Victor who hopes to murder her infant brother James so that he can inherit the family estate. When Rachel escapes, she lands in the hands of Sebastien Falconer, a local privateer who thinks that Rachel has turned him in to customs agents for smuggling.

In love with Sebastien, but in fear of his revenge, she meets his estranged twin brother Jacques, a customs agent who wants to bring his brother to justice. Soon Rachel must decide who she ultimately can trust with her life.

An entertaining and suspenseful historical romance. Read for the Booksellers' Best Awards.
Profile Image for Sharyn.
3,151 reviews24 followers
August 16, 2013
"Fire at Midnight" had a very interesting beginning-a scene in Bedlam, with Rachel incarcerated.. The year is 1703 and a French Privateer is in England, the twin of a customs agent. They have been sepearted for years so there is much antagonism. Rachel has an uncle trying to kill her, Sebastien has a brother trying to kill him. Much intrigue, some of it confusing. But this is the 3rd historical in a row that had really interesting facts. There was a Great Storm on Nov 26-27, 1703 that killed many and destroyed much, including a supposedly invulnerable lighthouse and its builder.This was a free Kindle book, and my 1st by this author.
Profile Image for Sylvia.
159 reviews4 followers
January 23, 2013
I picked this up while it was on the free list, and I was hopeful it was a pirate story. However, while one of the characters is a pirate, or privateer to be precise, this tale takes place on land. Still, I was not disappointed! There is a lot of action happening here, fights, betrayal, trickery, abduction, seduction and more! And all of it with the backdrop of one of the biggest storms ever to hit Great Britain. Fabulous! I hadn't read any books by Ms. Wilkinson before, but I will definitely be reading them in the future!
Profile Image for J..
189 reviews29 followers
October 5, 2009
The wonderful thing about Fire at Midnight is that for a reader who loved Alexander Dumas, The Tale of Two Cities, and other books of the setting or era, I was immediately immersed in the setting and story. It takes detailed writing to keep me engaged and a story worthy of the setting. All that is contained in Fire At Midnight. I can't wait to get the sequel!
Profile Image for Valerie.
437 reviews21 followers
February 14, 2013
What a great book!! It had everything you would want, an amazing romance to battling to save each other. It kept me turning page after page with excitement to see which direction the story would go. Unlike some books I have read with the characters' trust issues, this one was not annoying...it held just enough to make it feel real! Really enjoyed reading this book!!
Profile Image for Betty.
662 reviews6 followers
January 11, 2013
Interesting concept and good characters made this a fun read. Lots of descriptive bedtime stuff if that's what you like. I'm rather past it myself, but it's sure to please the historical romance lover.
Profile Image for Carrie.
20 reviews
May 5, 2013
I could not put this book down. The setting was 1700 England and the author did a good job of putting the various elements in from that period. This book had pirates, British Nobility, conflict, drama and romance. The characters were well developed. Great Read!
Profile Image for Michele.
834 reviews38 followers
August 6, 2014
I was so eager to read this, but it was a little disappointing. I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. Maybe more lighthouse...
Profile Image for Erin.
232 reviews2 followers
October 22, 2011
Awful. If I could give 0 stars I would. It reads like a poorly acted soap opera....I think it wins the award for worst book I've read - EVER (and I read a ton).
Profile Image for Pam.
39 reviews7 followers
March 10, 2012
Read this awhile back and absolutely loved it. Very suspenseful & intriguing read
Profile Image for Tetyana.
6 reviews
January 11, 2013
I started reading it at work and could not stop.... Very refreshing....
Profile Image for C. Roberts.
109 reviews3 followers
July 7, 2018
Fire

This as a nail-biter. A sweet, yet troubled romance for mature readers.. A disillusioned brother. A conniving grandfather. A not-so-perfect mama. And .a couple who had trust issues. A good read.
3 reviews
August 18, 2025
T he Great Storm

This book kept you on the edge of your chair. I had a hard time putting it down and finished it in two days. The characters were very real and they drew you in. I was invested in what happened to the hero and heroine. And it might not be who you think.
Profile Image for c. genise.
9 reviews
November 10, 2018
quick read

fun, enjoyable book i picked at random. a little predictable, the romance got in the way of an exciting story.
Profile Image for Kathrynn.
1,185 reviews
November 30, 2014
I made it to page 134 and could not get into this book. Sorry. Both main characters bothered me and I was not at all interested in reading anymore about them. The way some paragraphs were written--with multiple subjects--threw me. The plot seemed silly and predictable. I could not suspend my disbelief long enough to swallow the sudden attraction between the H/h while they didn't trust each other.

An example, without spoilers:

When the house burned down and the man's father road up on his horse, that whole conversation was "off." How did another man overhear their conversation? They weren't shouting. It was silly that he road up with the father, then took another road...and heard their entire conversation. Then road his horse fast enough to get back home. The father and son's conversation was not right. Tear in the eye? I'll give you a week to put the who together and tell me so I can start my revenge? Who was this father that suddenly appeared and left. What was his background like other than military. It just didn't add up.

The characters were too robotic. Going through the motions.

The book lacked depth of characters for me. The characters needed to be fleshed out so that they took a life of their own. The conversations seemed...stilted and not realistic.

I prefer stories to show me what is happening than to tell me what already happened.

The French uses were not correct, either.
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