Review: A Midsummer Night's Sin

Reviewed by Jen
 

Kasey Michaels continues her trilogy surrounding the bastard Blackthorns, with this second installment focusing on the mercurial, youngest brother Puck. As the story begins, Puck is trying to manipulate his way into London society. And it's at a masked ball, he first meets Regina. The young girl and her cousin had snuck into the ball for a bit of adventure. But it turns into something more than they bargained for when cousin Miranda is kidnapped.

Puck comes to the rescue, helping Regina get home and promising to help the young woman he is so enchanted with. Puck and Regina work together to try to figure out who snatched Miranda --and fall in love in the process.

Despite the kidnapping and the storyline involving the human slave trade, this was a light romance, for the most part. Puck is a charming and easygoing hero... kind of a golden boy, who is impossible to dislike. Regina is a loyal and level-headed heroine, who comes into her womanhood under Puck's gentle hand. Nothing groundbreaking, but nothing terribly annoying either. The love scenes felt a little rushed at times and occasionally Puck felt too-glorious-to-live (not to mention, the villain was kind of obvious)... but it was an enjoyable read.

Though this is the second book in the series, it easily works as a standalone. And the title of this book helps solve the mystery of the inaptly titled Taming of the Rake. We're going with a play on Shakespearean works. It makes more sense now. The third book is Much Ado About Rogues. And I'm really still holding out to learn more about the dark, mysterious brother, Jack!

A little less than 4 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

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A Midsummer Night's Sin

by Kasey Michaels

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Publisher: HQN Books