Midnight Princess

Marshall Brothers #1

by Jo Goodman

Handsome Christian Marshall did not know why he took in a bedraggled waif and employed her as his housemaid. But when he gazed into her defiant, cinnamon-brown eyes and caressed her body, he felt driven to quiet her protests with kisses and make her forget her mysterious past with passion only he could arouse.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, American, Dark, Adventure

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1989

About the author

To find characters to illustrate my first family saga, I cut out models from the Sears catalogue. I was in fourth grade, but it was a start. In seventh grade I wrote a melodrama about two orphan sisters, one of whom was pregnant. There was also a story about a runaway girl with the unlikely name of Strawberry and one about mistaken identities and an evil blind date. My supportive, but vaguely concerned parents, sighed with relief when I announced I was going to write children's books. They bought me an electric typewriter and crossed their fingers, but somehow PASSION'S BRIDE came out. No one was really surprised.
I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry and some notion that I would do marine research. Years of competitive swimming didn't help me anticipate seasickness. A career change seemed in order. I began working with adolescents and families, first as a childcare worker and later, after graduating from West Virginia University with a master's degree in counseling, as a therapist. I am currently the executive director of a child caring/mental health agency and find my work and my writing often compliment each other. One grounds me in reality and the other offers a break from it.

Reviews

[Blue Falcon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is of “Midnight Princess”, book #1 in the “Marshall Brothers” series by Jo Goodman, a pseudonym used by Joanne Dobrzanski. Published by Zebra/Kensington, November 1989, the book was later reissued as “Her Defiant Heart” (This series connects to Ms. Goodman’s “Dennehy Sisters” series). This review is of the original print book.

The book starts in New York City, December 1866. Christian Marshall, the hero of the book, one of the eponymous titular characters and publisher of the New York Chronicle newspaper, is at a hospital for people experiencing emotional distress watching one of the “patients”, a woman known as Jane Doe, being treated. He feels sympathy for her and decides to help her. Later, she shows up at his home.

“Jane Doe” has a real name; it’s Jenny Holland, the heroine of the book, and as the book continues we learn more about the traumas she's suffered in her life. We also learn about Christian’s trauma and that Jenny has three people who want her dead.

In the end, Christian rescues Jenny from a perilous situation. The villains trying to kill her are stopped.Christian gets a major-but very pleasant-Christmas surprise. Jenny and Christian marry and have their Happily Ever After.

Upside: Ms. Goodman is a licensed therapist, and this imbues her writing. Many of her heroes and heroines have significant trauma that they are trying to work through, and Jenny and Christian are in that category. This makes Midnight Princess an interesting, compelling book, and Jenny and Christian are interesting, developed characters.

Downside: Even though I found the book compelling, I can’t say that I truly liked either Jenny or Christian. This is an issue I have with Ms. Goodman’s work; I find it interesting, but I can’t say i like her characters. The supporting characters only exist to advance Jenny and Christian.

Sex: Ms. Goodman writes good love scenes. They don’t get anywhere near erotica, but they do explore what the characters in the scenes are feeling and can be very emotional and romantic.

Violence: Assault, attempted rape, battery, sodomy, and murder all occur in the book. The violence is not graphic.

Bottom Line: Midnight Princess/Her Defiant Heart is a very dark book and won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. However, readers who like books with solid character depth and interesting storylines may like it. 4.14 stars.

Heroine: Jenny Holland, 24. Brown hair and eyes. Mystery woman.

Hero: Christian Marshall, 31. Copper hair, aquamarine eyes. Publisher, New York Chronicle newspaper.

Location: New York City, New York. December 1866-May 1867.

Tropes: Historical Romance. Mystery woman. Newspaper publisher. New York City.

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

ETA: there is a five star review on Amazon that is in spoiler territory. I've tried reporting it, but no luck yet, but be cautious when reading reviews there.

New York, post Civil War. Christian Marshall came back from the war a hero, his brothers and parents all deceased, a permanent leg injury, and a whole lot of butt-hurt attitude that he drowns in the whiskey bottle. He was also stuck with the family's newspaper (he used to paint prior to the war), and when the story begins he's doing a piece on a local hospital's treatment methods in the lunatic wing. Those methods are pretty brutal, particularly towards one young woman they've dubbed Jane Doe. Fast forward to avoid too many plot points, but Jane Doe escapes and ends up more dead than alive in Christian's stables and as much as he and his household staff try to help the girl, she's so traumatized from the hospital they began to wonder if perhaps the doctors were right...

When Jane Doe recovers her health, she takes up a position in Christian's household as maid, but Christian soon gets ideas of a more exalted position, and he's one of those guys who doesn't take no for an answer. Not really a spoiler below, but I will err on the side of caution:

"This is rape."

"Not if I make you want me."

Old skool, forced seduction warning. A common trope in the old days, but some readers have lower tolerances for this trope, so read at your own risk. The rest of the story revolves around the identity of Jane Doe (plenty of hints dropped that most readers will figure it out lickety split), plus catching the evil doers in their evil plans.

Not great, but not terribly bad, although the sex scenes were a bit giggle worthy.

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mad love for Jo Goodman, but I am not in love with title changes to old books. Luckily for me I hadn't ever read these books and I am glad. I would have rated this book higher had the two skated a bit too close to the edge of rape scenes at the first of the book hadn't took place or been retooled. It was the sign of the times when these books came out, so I took that into consideration. The last half of the book was awesome.

[Ira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this book is absolutely amazing and it is intense - or should I say that it's amazingly intense? Actually, what can you say about a book that has you sitting in a hot car on a sunny day in front of the supermarket just because you absolutely have to know what happens and you can't wait the five minutes it would take to drive home? Well, I guess this says a lot about a book, doesn't it?

This book is raw, it is emotional, it is violent, it is shocking and it keeps you on your toes. From the first page on, I couldn't put the book down.

Usually when it comes to violence against women, I don't deal well with that. I have a big problem considering rape or “forceful persuasion” as something even remotely romantic and I must admit that I end up hating the character who commits this crime. In this case though, each of the violent acts (never a “full rape though) committed is still despicable and something that I condemn, but it is also something that you can understand when you look at the personality of the characters involved.

The hero and the heroine are both very troubled characters and instead of driving them apart even the violence is something that builds trust and brings them closer to each other. Christian, our rather un-heroic hero, has been fighting his demons ever since he saw his brother die in battle and got badly wounded himself. As the last remaining member of his family he feels guilty and tries to drown his sorrows in alcohol in a straight race to the bottom. Jenny on the other hand struggles with the memories of the horrible treatment she had to endure before Christian and Scott Turner, his friend rescued her from the lunatic ward of the Jennings hospital where she had been held captive. Slowly, very slowly Christian and Jenny find a way to help each other. It is a rocky road, never straight and definitely never easy and there were times when I was just shocked, I cried, I was upset, I hated and I tried to never give up hope that everything would end well. Especially in the end it wasn't easy to trust in a happy end - which was the reason why I found myself reading in my car in the parking lot in front of a supermarket on a sunny day.

This book is not for the faint of heart because some things are really hard even when you're just reading about it. The moment you realize, that things like the treatment at the lunatic ward were reality in those times - well that's the stuff nightmares are made of! And again, as usual, it is disturbing to see how little protection women head in those times. No matter what happened, there was little-to-no legall protection when the male members of their family or their husband treated them badly or tried to get rid of them.

Even though all this sounds rather dark I really really love this book and I know that this may have been the first time I've read it but definitely not the last! The amazing, well developed and multi-layered characters and a well written, gripping story guarantee that.


*I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for my honest review.*

[Katie Kofemug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the book in spite of the cover and blurb. I was not disappointed and agree with Ms. Goodman's statement that the story held up, but can't comment on Christian's former characterization as I was deep in the toddler years when this came out. I see glimmers of West and Breckenridge in him and since they are two of my favorite heroes, I was quite, quite happy! After all, there will probably never be another Restell Gardner. I've almost accepted that.

Never one to dawdle about, Ms.Goodman literally tosses the reader in to the middle of the story. It is one of the many things I enjoy about her work. That her writing is atmospherically perfect and her ear for dialog so eerily well-paced is forgotten as you are completely drawn in to the story. Ms. Goodman had not hit her stride in witty, dark dialog in this book, but you can hear the development underway. Her secondary characters are fleshed out and worthy of being in the story. The villains here are predictable. But that's OK, there are times I like me some plain ole bad guys in fiction. She chose NYC for this tale and it works well. The formula demanded of writers Back in the Day is a bit more obvious in comparison with the formulas currently followed by writers. I enjoyed spotting them. This in no way detracted from the story itself or my enjoyment thereofheretoforewithin.

Frankly, their interaction prior to him finding her in hiding mid-way in the book did not truly justify the declarations that so swiftly follow. Fortunately, there were still chapters to go, mysteries to solve, bad guys to nail and TIME for the declarations to become realistic. And that's why this book has such a high mark from me. The sex was rushed, the Romance was not. The second half of the book was perfectly paced, the hero redeemed himself and the heroine obtained dimensions she lacked. It is totally worth the read and price, I recommend it for when you're wanting a little edge to your romance.

Read my complete review of this book at Page Traveler E-Book Reviews

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to eBook Discovery for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

And, this is not an easy book to write a review for. Some facts to consider when writing my review:
*The writing is excellent.
*The characters are well drawn and fully developed.
*The story is well plotted
*There is drama, intrigue, romance, sex, abuse and more.
*There is a HEA
*The set up for book two in the series is well handled.
*The story was originally published under the title “Midnight Princess” in 1989.
*It was dark and disturbing at times.
*There were lighter happier moments.

If you are looking for a lighthearted historical romance this is not the book for you. If you have abuse/rape triggers this is not the book for you. If you like a provocative and sometimes disturbing historical romance that takes a look at how horrible some mental institutions were in the past, how controlling some men can be and how valiant, strong and defiant a woman is able to be when she is threatened then this is the book for you.

[Seema · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jo Goodman is one of my favourite writers but she has written a few books which were deeply disturbing to read. I did not realize based on the reviews that this was one of her earlier books of that genre when I decided to buy it on kindle. The book started off dark and continued to be so until the very end. I really felt bad for the heroine Jenny who was in a horrible situation to start with and ended up with a disturbed hero who was almost as bad as the villains in his treatment of her. There are almost rape scenes between the hero and heroine and overall I found the book very difficult to read. Jo Goodman is very successful in creating characters which seem so real that you cringe and I wonder how the heroine could ever recover from the mental and physical trauma that she undergoes in the story.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. It's almost melodramatic with the lunatic asylum and the struggles between hero and heroine. It comes really close to forced seduction without quite crossing the line. This is more a post-Civil War era story than Victorian because it's set in New York. It's very much "old skool" romance, and I liked it.

[Scarbrow · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stopped reading about halfway through when the "hero" has sex with a woman in his employ, who he knows is drugged senseless, who he knows has been tortured and who he knows had been wrongfully placed in a madhouse under strange circumstances.
I couldn't stomach that

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Except for the forced seduction scenes

[Bronte Dickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jo Goodman does many things exceptionally well in Her Defiant Heart. The New York setting and historical period are vividly rendered, and the cast of characters—especially the supporting ones—are deep, dynamic, and richly human. Relationships feel layered and realistic, and most characters grow in believable ways as the story unfolds. In that sense, this novel showcases Goodman’s usual strength: her ability to portray human nature, emotional complexity, and interpersonal dynamics with care.

That said, this is one of my least favorite Jo Goodman books.

The central issue for me lies with the main romantic relationship. Christian Marshall, particularly in the first half of the novel, displays the emotional maturity of an eight-year-old. While he does grow—learning to understand his feelings and communicate more openly—the damage is already done. There are several moments where his behavior toward Jenny is, by any reasonable standard, sexual assault or comes dangerously close to it. The fact that Jenny repeatedly makes excuses for him, even while fully understanding his anger and emotional volatility, made it very difficult for me to like either of them as a couple.

Jenny is, in many ways, a beautifully written character. She is resilient, perceptive, and strong, yet she endures an extraordinary amount of suffering throughout the novel and is still expected to simply carry on. Christian clearly loves her for her courage, her resilience, and her ability to see beyond someone’s anger to their deeper feelings—which is a beautiful idea. Unfortunately, the execution left me deeply uncomfortable. Even as their relationship evolves into something relatively healthier and they grow together, the beginning is extremely rough, and I couldn’t fully move past it.

On a technical level, the book was also riddled with spelling and grammatical errors—mostly added or mistyped words that should have been caught in editing. This was distracting and disappointing.

Despite my criticisms, I am interested in reading the second book. However, Christian Marshall remains one of my least favorite Jo Goodman heroes, and while Jenny (also known as Carolyn Van Dyke) is complex and deeply drawn, I struggled to emotionally connect with her. She feels more like someone constantly surviving than someone who will ever truly be safe in her primary relationship.

The supporting characters, however, were a highlight. They were well-written, well-developed, and genuinely enjoyable. Their relationships felt healthier, their contributions meaningful, and their presence added depth and warmth to the story.

Overall rating: 2 out of 5.
I wouldn’t read this book again, but I am still looking forward to continuing the series.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian Marshall survived the Civil war but is a grumpy shell of who he used to be. He owns The Chronicle because he inherited it from his dad. He down not particularly like the business and uses it to help him when he wants. His friend tasks him to help save a Jane Doe out of the asylum and he accidentally helps her escape before he meant to. He ends up taking care of her at his house when she gets there.
Jenny Holland is placed in an asylum and treated horribly (treatments of the time) when she escapes she ends up keeping many of her secrets close to the vest until she absolutely has to share them. She proves many times over that she was not delusional and is actually a hard worker.
I had the hardest time wanting to finish the book due to Christian forcing himself on Jenny a couple of times and being extremely mean to her. The book did have a lot of action and adventure as well as the romance aspect. While these main characters were not my favorites I did catch myself rooting for them to succeed in life and wanted the extreme bad guys to be caught.
I have read other books by this author and I will continue to read her books. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea but others may like it more than I did.
I got this book for free to review from ebook discovery in exchange for an honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was already a fan of Jo Goodman from some of her other historical fiction books so I jumped at the opportunity to review one of her books in this case set in New York after the end of the civil war. The inhumane treatment hits you hard from the start. Christain inadvertently helps Jenny escape from the lunatic ward where she had been abused and unwillingly committed. The first half of the book, we see Christian avoiding the world, desperately trying to feel nothing, and drowning in whiskey to help him achieve that goal. He is rather unlikeable, very attracted to Jenny, and repeatedly responds inappropriately to her. His character changes the most throughout the book from a potentially depraved almost rapist, to lovestruck endearing upstanding citizen.
Jenny is an extremely slow reveal, even what her name is. What you see first and most is her amazing ability to fight to survive, but it comes at a terrible cost over and over again. Although Jenny is a strong, resourceful character, she is still unable to solve her primary problem without having to ask for help. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery and this is my voluntary, honest review.

[Lynnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated interactions and Full of triggers!

I had forgotten what used to be included in romances without a single qualm. Spoilers: This one has forced commitment to a mental hospital, torture, sexual assaults, a rape that is presented as a memorable sexual encounter for both parties, and in spite of the Female Main Character expressing multiple times how important it is to her to have some agency, her eventual husband is still a jerk several encounters into their relationship. I finished because I’m a completist and I like to have read all the books by my favorite authors.

[SheReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

This book was honestly confusing for me at some points. I did find the plot interesting, such as the asylum aspect of the story, but overall it ran a little dry for me towards the end.

[Hang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m listenning this story, I like read book. Thanks

[Toyenlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is quite interesting and engaging. The only bad side to it is the initial character of the hero - Marshall, understood he has his own demons to deal with but not at the expense of others to the point of almost raping someone in his care. Apart from that it's an enjoyable read. "I received this book from eBook discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review".

[Eileanoir · Rating 2 out of 5]

=Her defiant heart

[Jerry Jares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian Marshall returned as a wounded hero of the Civil War to an empty home. His parents and 2 brothers died during the war years, leaving a fortune on the unhappy shoulders of Christian. An artist and architect by trade, he turned his back on these talents when he came back from the war. Christian felt burdened by the newspaper he inherited from his father and rarely did any work there.

He has one friend – who is also his physician – Dr. Scott Turner. Hoping to get Christian involved in something other than his war wound, steady drinking and general unhappiness, Dr. Turner asks Christian (as an owner of a major New York City newspaper) to investigate the awful practices used to treat the insane in a certain private NYC hospital.

Christian’s indifference quickly changes to horror as he watches a renowned physician treat a terrified young woman (Jane Doe/Jenny Holland) with a cold plunge bath (to help calm her). Christian sneaks back to the asylum ward and tells Jane Doe that he plans to help her escape.

The premise of the story was interesting but the telling of the tale was very uneven. At times, the plot seemed inspired; then the storyline would turn down a rutted road (overused plot devices).

Christian Marshall, as described, was a very handsome man; Jane Doe/Jenny Holland was an extremely attractive woman. I was surprised that the author used a ‘forced seduction’ to get Christian and Jenny into an intimate relationship. At that point, I was very disappointed in the author. 3.5 stars

[Bigedsgirl1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review, and I must say this book had it all. The story involves an emotionally and physically damaged war veteran as the main male character, along with an emotionally, mentally, and physically abused young woman imprisoned in a 19th century lunatic asylum located in New York city, as the main female character. The first meeting of Christian and Jenny inside of this asylum fairly leaps off the page with descriptive clarity of the darkness and despair of the patient, the lack of compassion or empathy of the doctor, and the need of the visitor to do something besides raging against the degradation of it all. The mystery of Jenny's past and her continued threat to those who want her out of the way, makes for a very suspenseful and page turning story. The twists and turns that her developing romance with Christian take are sometimes heart breaking, but always leading to a resolution that is soul satisfying for the reader. This is the first book of a two book series, but it can be read as a stand alone story.

[Marjorie Mindel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for my honest review."
The book opens with the terrified screams of a woman being tortured "for her own good" in the mental health wing of a hospital. A reporter, Christian, is secretly on a quest to rescue said woman, Jenny.
How does one prove that one is sane if family and doctors insist that one isn't?
Her Defiant Heart tells the story of a deeply damaged young woman, who is rescued from that hospital and hidden away from the doctors there. Her presumed death is her ticket to freedom.
The dark twists and turns of this story, the evil machinations of relatives in order to pad their pockets with dirty money pilfered from the unfortunate, powerless heirs to fortunes is the theme of this story. What horrors have been perpetrated in the ignorant past, and possibly until today, against people who are "different" and labelled insane.
If it weren't for the surprising HEA on two levels, this story would have permanently chilled my soul with horror.

[Jessica Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for my honest review. Our heroine, Jenny begins the story committed to an asylum and treated to extreme tortuous means of curing mental disease, even though sane. Our hero, Christian plans to ride to her rescue by preparing her for his return in the near future. Determined to save herself, she strips and ties up Christian and steals his horse and rides away. Christian is a hero haunted by war and drink and pushes Jenny away as much as he tries to cling to her. On the run from the people who had her committed, Jenny and Christian find action and danger while indulging in their sexual attraction. With twists and turns, the story unfolds with suspense and action before coming to a grand HEA.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previously titled Midnight Princess

Christian Marshall, owner of the chronicle after his father and brothers died, embarks on a mission with the help of his friend to rescue a girl thought to be mad from the hospital. Not everything is what it seems as they slowly start to unravel the life of Jenny who has more secrets than she cares to admit.

I like that the author made the hero fallible. He had his own demons to contend with just like the heroine. Everything life throws at you is not easy to overcome.

I did not like the fact that the forced sexual intercourse was not classified as rape but something that 'had to be done.' Even liking the overall story, there was no redemption for the hero on this point for me

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I did finish this book and I don't know WHY. Trigger warning for any sexual assault survivors out there, there is some in this book. Some is recounted and there's a couple scenes that might trigger.

[RIF · Rating 1 out of 5]

81% was a struggle. I give up. I can't believe the same author wrote the price of desire. That was a good romance. This is not.

[Juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and 1/2 stars

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough story--I read a re-issue titled Her Defiant Heart-- but kind of spoiled by being too rapey for today.

[Tapa in lovezone]

I wish I could have the old edition and not these watered down new ones.

[Vikki Andrews]

excellent! love Jo Goodman's books