Title: Duke of Midnight (Maiden Lane #6)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 297

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance; Unread Shelf

WHEN A MASKED MAN . . .
Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe-and won't back down . . .

MEETS HIS MATCH . . .
Artemis Greaves toils as a lady's companion, but hiding beneath the plain brown serge of her dress is the heart of a huntress. When the Ghost of St. Giles rescues her from footpads, she recognizes a kindred spirit-and is intrigued. She's even more intrigued when she realizes who exactly the notorious Ghost is by day . . .

DESIRE IGNITES A DANGEROUS PASSION
Artemis makes a bold move: she demands that Maximus use his influence to free her imprisoned brother-or she will expose him as the Ghost. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn't without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire-or the temptation of his embrace?

After the incredibly boring last read, I needed something that I could rely on to bring me back. Thank goodness I had the next Maiden Lane book just sitting on my nightstand. We finally get Maximus and Artemis’s romance in this volume. I’ve been waiting for these characters to be featured and we finally get there and it’s really really good! I love that these books mix the steamy romance with a bigger mystery or adventure. We solve the mystery of Maximus’s (and Hero’s and Phoebe’s) parents murder and we see Apollo Greaves being rescued from Bedlam. I loved both main characters. I loved watching them stick to their characters while learning to love each other and finding a place in society. Maximus always came off like a statue in the previous books and I’m glad we got to see inside in this one. Such a great volume! I’d say that this is my third (a very close third) favorite book in the series so far. I still love Temperance and Lazarus and Winter and Isabel just a bit more.

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