Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder

 

Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder

I love this cover and couldn’t wait to read this book. You can find it on Kindle Unlimited and read it free there if you have a subscription. 

Here's the summary: 

The accidents are not a matter of chance. They are deliberate. As English gentleman William Kensley becomes aware of the danger at Rosenleigh Manor, he pleads for the truth of his past from the only man he can trust—until that man is murdered. 

As the secrets unfold into scandal, William’s world is tipped into destitution, leaving him penniless and alone. His only comfort is in the constant friendship and love of Isabella Gresham. If he does not have their nonsense at the seashore, their laughter, their reckless adventures, has he anything at all? 

He should have known that would be ripped from him too. When a hidden foe arises from their acquaintances and imperils Isabella’s life, William may be the only one willing to risk his life to rescue her. But even if he frees Isabella from her captors, will he still have to forsake her heart? 

Some sacrifice everything for love. Others sacrifice love for everything else. In this haunting tale of rigid social prejudices and heart-aching regrets, the greatest decision of their life will be determined in the garden of the midnights. 

And now, my thoughts: 

I wanted to love this story. Maybe it’s the fact that I read contemporaries primarily, but this book struck me as melodramatic from the early pages. I prefer a less over-the-top approach. As someone who studies story, both as craft and in authors’ works, I’ve seen a pattern of melodrama in some historicals. Overstatements that pull me out of the story. Drama for drama’s sake. Whiny characters. I’m not saying those things were exactly present here. But I could not get into this story due to some of those elements being present. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I wish the author and publisher all the best.