Midsummer Delights: A Short Story Collection by Eloisa James
Published by Avon Impulse on February 6th 2018
Genres: Historical
Pages: 96
Goodreads

This is a collection of three previously published short stories.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DISGRACE is connected with the Essex Sisters series and the story was previously published in the Official Essex Sisters Companion book.  A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DISGRACE tells the story of one of the women who was also branded with a notorious nickname like Josie in PLEASURE FOR PLEASURE.  In A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DISGRACE, Cecilia who was tarred by her brother’s nickname “Silly Billy” because men where afraid that her brother’s mental disability might be hereditary.  In this story, Cecilia gets her happy ending.  She decides to court ruination in order to be able to avoid continuing in society.  When she approaches the musician who caught her attention, she gets more than she expected. While the story is short, it is sweet and I enjoyed the interaction between the hero and heroine.  While only tangentially connected with the series, Josie and Mayne make an appearance. Rating: 3.5 stars.

AT MIDNIGHT: Elias Hempleworth-Gray, Earl of Leyton is in love with his childhood friend, Miss Penelope White. Elias, however, is poor because his father gambled away almost everything. Elias knows that he has to leave England because Penny will be marrying Elias’s friend after he proposes. Elias cannot propose to her himself because he cannot bear the idea that Penny would marry him for any reason other than love. A masquerade gives Elias one last chance to be with Penny before the leaves. A take on Cinderella (with the roles reversed) this is a short story, but cute. The story focuses on the meeting between the two and the revelation of their feelings. It was a nice story. Rating 3 stars.

EVER AFTER: Miss Violet Leighton doesn’t believe in fairy tales and has refused seven proposals on her way to her desire never to marry. Now the man who broke her heart years ago has returned, Rothwell Talcott, Duke of Cambridge. This was a favorite in the book. Even though the story is short, there is drama over the parting of Violet and Rothwell and Violet’s anger to deal with. With only a small glimpse of these characters I wished to read more about them. Rating: 4 stars.