The #BDTB crew has been reading MIDNIGHT DUET this week for the start of the Tale As Old as Time readalong series (see the last 3 photos) hosted by @b.andherbooks and @onthesamepa9e.
Midnight Duet is a contemporary retelling of one of the best stories/musicals of all time: The Phantom of the Opera. Erika is the Phantom, a disgraced Broadway diva trying to save the brothel/theater she inherited in nowhere Nevada. Christof is the head of a German metal band trying to get over his long-time girlfriend and record a Badass Record.
So far the Discord been full of gushing over the two MCs, a lot of appreciation of the level of horniness and the fact that the MCs both have truly massive professional egos. Christof is one part pan rock god, one part anxious spreadsheet nerd. Erika is one part cunning, hot as hell businesswoman, one part depressed mess. I LOVE THEM.
Jen Comfort does a lot of interesting work in this book, flipping some romance expectations on their head and playing with gender roles. (I could write an essay about it.) If you like Phantom, you'll like this. If you've never read/watched Phantom, you'll like this. It's sexy, emotional and very, very funny.
We've been fan-casting in Discord and early in my read, I latched onto the idea that the band is Måneskin. Damiano as Christof, of course. The casting isn't quite right, Damiano would need to be taller and have ice-blond hair, the guitarist should be a quiet Black man. But I think Christof has a very organized lipstick collection and as far as I'm concerned, a lead singer who plays with gender expectations and has a heart tattooed around his nipple is perfect casting for Christof.
Oh and yesterday I read the bonus story with the ummm disco ball statuette and I'm shocked my phone didn't catch fire.
(The audiobook is also good!)
Enthusiastic recommendation from me.

Oh my gosh, this book was so much fun! I was already expecting to love it because of the Phantom of the Opera aspect, but I was not expecting to love Erika and Christof so much. Erika was amazing and I loved seeing her growth over the course of the book, and I honestly can't put my feelings for Christoff into words. I'm definitely bumping Jen Comfort's debut up my TBR, and will eagerly be waiting for her next release. If you love prickly heroines, Phantom of the Opera, and musical theatre/Broadway, this book is absolutely for you.

(i received an e-arc from netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

i've never, in my life, expected to come across a Phantom of the Opera retelling this unique. i have a thing for gender-swapped retellings too, so Midnight Duet hit all the right notes. full of musical references and steamy romance, this is a story i think i'll revisit time and again when the mood hits.

Give me Phantom of the Opera, give me Moulin Rouge, GIMME THE DELETED SCENES. Absolutely loved this book and I don't know why more people aren't talking about it! The spice, the pining after one another, found families, learning to love yourself, UGH. This was just great. Chef's kiss.

This book wanted to be a 5 star, but I just couldn't get on board with how Erika just constantly condemned herself. To the point that it was irritating to me as the reader. Therefore I give it a 3.5 as my first time reading this new to me author.

I loved how fun and crazy this book was, especially all the Nachtmusik characters.
Christof was unashamedly 100% comfortable with himself, and I loved that because not many guys could pull off his outfits!!

Loved how this book this book ends! Crazy and fun ending!

the dedication: this book is for the former theater kids, the unapologetic divas, the “more is more” crowd, and those who love for the melodrama-keep being your fabulous selves
the cover: interesting and tells a story- I especially love looking at a cover after I’ve finished a book and notice the significance of details
FMC: Erika- a former Broadway star who is stuck looking after a decrepit opera house/brothel after being left with a scarred face during an onstage accident. Seeing Christof stride through her doors looking for somewhere to write, rehearse, and live in her space there is an insta-lust that she can’t shake... no matter how much the bassist, Christof’s sister, reminds her that he has a long-term girlfriend who just happens to be their missing keyboardist. Will she be able to tamp down her lust long enough for them to finish their album?
MMC: Christof- a bossy German hairband lead singer/guitarist looking to live out the American dream in Paris, Vegas while writing his band’s newest album hoping to break into international success. Will he be able to hide that his long-term girlfriend broke up with him after their last show and hasn’t answered any calls or texts? Will his bossy nature come in handy when dealing with Erika? 😏
POV: 3rd person, dual perspective
HEA: yes
spice: there are several open-door spicy scenes that were 🥵🌶️
TWs: body dysmorphia, facial disfigurement, housefire
standalone?: yes but @Jen Comfort I could definitely use more!!!
final thoughts: SO GOOD!!! This book was such a quick, fun book that had me fully invested. Full of musical references, German nicknames, a short road trip to Vegas (what could possibly go wrong there??), and plenty of antics that force Erika and Christof into compromising positions

read this book if you love
🫂 forced proximity
🎭 Phantom of the Opera-esque retelling
🎸 musician romance
👩 slight OW drama
🍩 cinnamon roll hero
🧑‍🤝‍👩 found family

This wasn't for me. I loved Jen Comfort's first book, and will continue to look for her future work. The premise is great (reverse Phantom of the Opera), so I was disappointed not to love this. DNF around 50%. Hope it finds its readers!

Midnight Duet is a modern day gender reversal take on the Phantom of the Opera. Our FMC, Erika Greene is the Phantom ofc and previously she was a huge Broadway star but due to tragic circumstances she’s now stuck with this heirloom. There’s Cristoff, a German rockstar who plans to make it big internationally with his band. Their paths met because he needed a place to come up with the band’s sophomore album in America and Erika’s place is perfect for it especially with how she’s in need of money. And of course sparks fly after that. Honestly, this book is really fun and I like it. Is it like the literary award worthy? No but it’s enjoyable and that’s what stories are for

So, to be honest, the first 20% of this book did not work for me and I kept thinking that maybe I should just DNF it. But there were snippets of things that kept me invested enough that paired with the knowledge that friends love it kept me pushing through. And at about 25%, I gave myself fully over to the experience of this book because it is a ride. These characters feel both completely unrealistic and deeply rooted in reality. The character journey that Erika goes on was really, really well done. There were so many quotes in this book that spoke to me. And ultimately, the love Christof showed Erika was really, really lovely. Also, what a conclusion to the book! It was a wild ride from start to finish and one I'm really glad I had to patience to stay on.

I loved this book, I liked how well developed the characters were and I enjoyed seeing the progress in Erika, she was flawed and made bad choices that didn’t make her a bad person, the plot made a lot of sense and it was an easy read

Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for the ARC of this!

This one, unfortunately, didn't do much for me. I never really connected with or cared about the main characters. Even though it was short, it felt like it took me a long time to read.

A very gorgeous and steamy reverse gender of The Phantom of The Opera retelling!

The sidecasted former Broadway actress is desperate to keep the old Opera House in a small town that running by her family through the years and the frontman of aspiring German rock band trying to find a place in America to wrote their supposed to be international album while keeping the secret of missing member from the rest of the band. They shared an attraction on the first time they met, so what's happen's next? Will they able to achieved their own motives and will they pursue their attractions towards each other?

This story was beautifully written. It grasps the characters mind and feelings into words that engaging the reader, and wouldn't let their attention went off of the book. I like that aside from their instant attraction, neither Erika and Christof act on it straight away though they couldn't stop themselves thinking and pining on each other. The development of their relationship as they getting to know each other, the flowing conversation, and interactions at midnight while holding off their sexual tension are both beautiful and torturous (not to mention that steamy scenes!). I love how both of them seems to fit and help each other figuring out their lives and wounded heart. Both have something to give and take, as well as learn something from each other and their character growth are worth supporting for, especially for Erika finally found peace with her past and able to stand up for herself. The rest of the band members are so unique with their own traits and I don't know how can Christof and Erika can tamed them down.

Self-professed diva Erika Greene has it all: a starring role on Broadway, legions of fans, spectacular natural talent. But after an accident on stage leaves her face scarred and her career in shambles, Erika retreats to Paris, Nevada, where she’s inherited a ramshackle opera house in desperate need of some TLC.

Erika pours her savings into the building, but it’s not enough to stave off casino developer Raoul Decomte’s avaricious gaze. With foreclosure imminent, she leases the space to some unexpected tenants: a German hair metal band, fronted by glam rock god Christof Daae.

Erika is tempted by Christof’s low-slung leather pants—and even more so by his ambitious drive to make Nacht Musik international superstars—but he’s off-limits. The rest of his band thinks he’s still dating their beloved keyboardist, who is conveniently not present on this jaunt to the American Southwest. When Erika finds out Christof’s been unceremoniously dumped and is trying to keep it under wraps, she makes a deal to keep his secret…for a price, of course.

Christof is desperate to hold the rest of the band together after his keyboardist’s departure, but he can’t maintain the charade forever. Nor can he resist the opera house’s mysterious proprietor, who tempts him with midnight singing lessons. It isn’t long before sensuous nighttime interludes turn into smoldering backstage encounters.

But can their newly ignited passion survive the searing light of day? Or will their beautiful duet turn into a brokenhearted power ballad for one?

The characters are just so well written and realistic, the tension is built so effectively and you really do have no idea where the storyline is going or what the outcome is going to be!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this gender swapped retelling of Phantom of the Opera!

Erika is a flawed, interesting, and fun protagonist with a lot of dry humor (which I love). And she has a lot of musical knowledge and references which as a theatre person, I love.

I really like that so much of this is Erika and Christof trying to figure out their place in the world and their dreams and how they fit together rather than just giving everything up for each other. They become stronger together and more supported in both their dreams.

There are definitely lots of lovely nods to both the book and musical of Phantom, which is great, but Comfort definitely makes the story and characters her own.

My issues come with the whole little sister calling her brother “big brother”, which has never happened ever and is such a trope thing now. It bothers me to no end. Also I kept picturing Christoff as a cool guy and then they’d remind me that he was wearing something absolutely ridiculous and it ruined my image of him as cool and badass and made me picture a particularly strange Eurovision entry.

4 stars from me! Highly recommend to any Phantom fans or people who like a smart romcom.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂
Former Broadway star Erika was injured in an accident on stage and after her recovery, she’s been staying in Paris, Nevada looking after the 100 year old theatre started by the great grandmother. With a dubious history, the theatre and next door brothel is in debt and disrepair and Erika has no idea how she will keep afloat. When the theatre is booked by the German rock band led by singer Christof, Erika is sucked into the magnetism of the lead singer who has recently split from his long term girlfriend.

𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
I loved all the interesting layers in this story. The characters have back stories, aren’t always perfect but surprise when their true colours shine through. Christof comes across as controlling and confident rock star but is a total softie underneath, Erika believes she is a bad person being punished but is really kind hearted and often lonely. I so enjoyed how they grow closer to each other, their feistiness and the notably super spicy bits. It’s a goodie 🤩

"She was his perfect little witch, just as she was. He was hopelessly, helplessly in love with her."

Midnight Duet is a wholly unique romantic comedy unlike any I've ever read. It's atmospheric, a little bizarre at times, but filled with a lot of laughs, heart... and heat! It's a Phantom of the Opera retelling, but our protagonist in this instance is ex-Broadway star, Erika. After an on-stage accident left her scarred, she retreats to small-town Nevada and the dilapidated opera house she inherited.

She needs cash fast and her prayers are answered when a German hair metal band agrees to rent her space. Erika is instantly drawn to frontman Christof and the feeling is mutual. Cue all the tension and slow burn as the pair try to fight their attraction while trying to make an album and save her opera house.

So, I loved Erika and Christof. They were kind of perfect for each other in their own unique way. They both had big personalities that effortlessly blended together. I loved seeing their chemistry and connection build as the book progresses (thank god for dual POV).

"He made her feel treasured and safe and desired, in a way no one—unless one counted faceless audiences—ever had."

The character development was also so well done. In the beginning, I was unsure if I was going to like Erika but underneath her unabashed diva personality was a woman with a big heart.

Another thing I liked was that every character in Midnight Duet had a distinct personality. Honestly, some of the anecdotes were so random you never knew what each character would say next. This uniqueness (combined with Jen's smart and witty writing style), will undoubtedly keep readers interested until the climactic ending.

an interesting little phantom of the opera retelling! not the best thing I've ever read but definitely fun and I had a good time

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the free review copy. Book available now.

I haven't really watched Phantom of the Opera, but when I was approached to read and review Midnight Duet, a gender swapped version, I jumped on it. A friend of mine in middle school was obsessed with the musical, so it always makes me think of her.

I'll start out by saying that I enjoyed this one overall. However, the main characters in this dual pov book (Erika and Christof) are INCREDIBLY horny and could barely be in the same room together at the beginning without wanting to rip each other's clothes off. As a sex-averse asexual, I found the frequency of sexual thoughts/actions off-putting and almost DNFed at the 18% mark. There was a semi-public masturbation-for-show scene that icked me out, but I pushed through and am glad I did because I enjoyed the overall story:  struggling ex-broadway performer inherits historical opera house (and attached brothel) in small-town Nevada and is on a mission to save it despite her family's reputation in town; German Hair Metal front man has just been dumped in the worst way and is looking for a distraction by renting out said opera house to work on the band's first album in English. The chemistry is undeniable. It was just super heavy-handed, in my opinion, but I know a lot of you like that kind of thing. Think Chloe Brown level spice.

The characters were well developed (the dual pov really helped set the story up), I absolutely adored Sibylle, the gothy/witchy bassist, and the fact the Erika had rats made me super happy (don't worry, nothing bad happens to them). It was well paced, engaging, funny, and steamy. It's not often I find gender-swapped stories that uphold the heart and overall vibe of the source material as well as Midnight Duet.

If you enjoy steamier and open-door romance, forbidden romance, unlikable heroines, gender-swapped stories, forced proximity, insta attraction, and/or German Hair Metal, this is the book for you.

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
CW: fire/fire injury, sexual content (full list on StoryGraph)

For more characters with edge, try Jen Comfort’s MIDNIGHT DUET (Montlake, 335 pp., paperback, $12.95), a gender-swapped “Phantom of the Opera” — which means the heroine, delightfully, gets to play the villain’s role. Erika Greene is ambitious, brashly confident, hedonistic, sharp-tongued and sexually demanding. And that’s after a stage accident left her with serious facial scarring and an aura of melodramatic self-pity. Once a Tony-winning Broadway star, Erika now scrapes together a living giving tours of a dilapidated opera house in tiny Paris, Nev., which is supposedly haunted by the ghost of her murdered grandmother.

This sounds ideal to Christof Daae, the self-described rock god and lead singer of the German hair metal band Nachtmusik, which is looking for a place to write and rehearse their next album. In the wilds of the American West, nobody will ask painful questions about why Nachtmusik’s keyboardist (and Christof’s longtime girlfriend) Gillian has refused to join them. The electricity between Christof and Erika is instant and explosive — but those are the kind of reckless pyrotechnics that spell disaster in an old theater with too many secrets.

Rock-star heroes can go so wrong when they draw on louche dude-bro stereotypes, but Christof is a goofy, glorious himbo in full eyeliner. He writes irredeemably dumb lyrics, he’s casually pansexual but sexually considerate, he flips between the indulgent sensuality of his musical idols and the panicked anxiety of a stage manager in “Noises Off.”

Erika has is all as a singer on Broadway. Until an ill-fated accident occurred landing her back in Paris, Nevada. Two years after her accident, she is running her family's theatre and trying to keep afloat. In a sudden twist of fate, she is booked by a German band who wants the American experience before their American debut. This is how she ends up with enough money to pay her bills and Nacht Musik on her doorstep. Christof, the band manager, has just ended a relationship with one of his bandmates who is now MIA. Erika and Christof are immediately attracted to each other but for several reasons decide not to act on it. Eventually, they both give in realizing that nothing is holding them back and that they are in love with each other. It was a fun read.