His at Night

a superb historical romance

Her Uncle Edmund Douglas keeps Elissande Edgerton locked away at his home so she can care for his wife, her aunt who is a pale pathetic laudanum addict. Elissande's goal is to never be her aunt, but if she remains under Uncle Edmund's tyrannical care she will be her aunt. She knows her only safe escape is marriage though that can be a risky proposition. However, she cannot even take a chance on that option as her uncle entertains no one and never allows her to go to the galas.

When the neighbor's home is infested by a large rat population, her uncle is forced to host the guests of a house party. One of the attendees is inane big mouth Lord Vere who is apparently an expert on nothing except releasing rodents; even his brother cannot understand what happened to him that turned him into the fool. However, no one understands he performs as the fool as an undercover means to catch vicious criminals. He feels the real fool when Elissande, selecting an idiot, brazenly enters his bedroom causing a scandal that leads to marriage. However, she quickly realizes her husband is brilliant as love and his inquiry lead to danger for both of them.

His at Night is a superb historical romance starring a masquerading fool and the woman who sees past his façade. Fast-paced, readers will relish this entertaining tale as love rips away the masquerade of the hero, but also places his beloved in terrible danger. Sherry Thomas' tale is a winner for sub-genre fans,

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A most intriguing story

This is my first Sherry Thomas book, but I will be looking for more.

Orphaned Elissande lives with her aunt and uncle, and the uncle is a real terror. When an unexpected group of guests descend on her (during her uncle's absence) due to an infestation of rats at a neighboring house, Elissande sees her chance of escape. If she can convince one of the gentleman to marry her, she will be free and will also free her invalid aunt of her uncle's menacing ways.

However, the plot thickens rapidly. Everyone is not what they seem.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It is rare I read a romance this good

The Marquess of Vere is a secret agent of sorts. In public, he plays a bumbling idiot. In private he is a helps police and detectives solve cases. He's been doing this for years and years and not even his family and closest friends know that he is living a lie. When he meets Miss Elissande Douglas--the niece of a suspect in a case--he immediately recognizes that she is acting a role, but underestimates her desire to escape her uncle's household and protect her invalid aunt, which leaves him vulnerable when she traps him into an undesired marriage. And it doesn't take her long to see the truth under her husband's mask. Thomas's strength lies in portraying these complex--and not always completely likeable-- characters in complex relationships and emotionally intense situations without making you lose faith in their eventual happiness.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Clever writing, enjoyable characters

I gave this book 5 stars for the category of romances. It isn't great literature by any means, but way above par for romances. His at Night is a great read full of enjoyable characters that are actually developed to some degree. You know who the characters are and why they act the way they do. The writing is engaging and witty. I actually laughed out loud a few times. This book is pretty light on swearing and isn't as steamy as a lot of other romances, but still much better than the vast majority of romances out there. If you are tired of hearing people described as "scrumptious" or emotions "tearing, scorching, ripping, or slamming through" people, this is a book the check out.

Great Story

Enjoyed story and characters. We read more by author.

Her Best Yet

Sherry Thomas' voice is so original. She's on another level when it comes to this genre. Amazing dialogue, deeply developed characters. Angsty men, strong females, both of them always whip-smart.

This one's her best yet. I wish she wrote more scenes of them. I think I could have read about every minute the characters spent together till they reached the HEA. I loved their chemistry, dialogue, inner monologues.

Can't wait till Thomas' next one. Her and Lisa Kleypas are my favorite when they're on top of their game.

A favorite!

I love how the two main characters both hid their true personalities... yet both longed for someone true to love. Sherry Thomas wrote another fascinating story of secrets being known, lovers misunderstanding each other, then eventually realizing how perfect they are together.

Not my fav

This book had the potential to be a great read...but who could believe that someone would play that dumb for so long. It was a disappointing read.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not as dark as Ms. Thomas' earlier books- although the plot is dark indeed - the lighter tone of His at Night is a successful change of pace.

Elissande Edgerton is living in luxury with her ill aunt and wealthy uncle. But the luxury is a lie and the uncle is a sadist of the first order who has terrorized his bedridden wife into a laudanum-hazed fragility. Elissande is terrorized, too, but she knows how to play the game: to all the world she's a loving, affectionate niece whose smile dazzles. Her several attempts to escape with her aunt have been thwarted and severely punished, but Elissande has gained strength from each battle with her uncle and is determined to break free of her life. That chance comes when the uncle, Edmund Douglas, is suspected of smuggling phony diamonds. Hot on the case is Lord Vere whose public persona is that of a vacuous bumbler (owing to an accidental fall on his head from a horse 13 years prior), which enables him to move in wide circles and glean vital information for the Crown. Unlike Elissande, Vere is trapped in his past, still dealing with the murder of his mother by his father - and which led to his contrived accident. The action begins when Douglas is away and Elissande is put into the position of having to open the house to the next-door neighbor's house party [including Vere and brother Frederick]. Their first glance is one of blazing attraction: she's the fantasy who has sustained him during his years of pretense and loneliness, and he's her ticket to freedom, his off-putting behavior notwithstanding. So the wily Vere is trapped into marriage by the determined Elissande, and she and her aunt are safe for the moment. Vere intuits Elissande's situation, and it remains for him to entrap Douglas and for the lovers to make their fantasies come true.

MORE GENIUS and ANOTHER 5 STAR BOOK

This premise has been used before but Sherry Thomas makes it her own in splendid fashion. The protagonists are Lord Vere and Elissande. Neither are what their superficial appearance would lead one to believe. We also meet again, Freddie, the character from Private Arrangements who Gigi leaves to pursue a truer, more appropriate love. Freddie is Lord Vere's younger brother, and his love story is a second plot running parallel to that of Lord Vere and Elissande. Both stories are wonderfully, and skillfully told, without any confusion that might be expected by blending two stories. Once again, Sherry Thomas exhibits her amazing and skillful use of language to bring us humor, angst, sorrow, joy, and love. Please take a look at [...] if you have never viewed her web site. It says a lot about the genius of this writer, and the myriad elements of her personality that make her one of the very best writers around not just in this genre.

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