Let's get something out of the way: I am not a theater person. I've never seen The Phantom of the Opera. Tbh the closest I've seen is a mock skit on SNL... I am however the child of two parents who listened to 80s hair band growing up. Did I catch all the theater references? Nope. Did I catch all the 80s hair band references? Yes. So I am completely on Nachtmusik's side of things. I mean if you can pull of gold pants and pirate-y billowy shirts open to your navel, I support you.

That all being said, you know how you get something to read and you know it's low-key absurd and fun and ridiculous? THIS IS THAT BOOK. OMG! I loved all of it. Erika, Christof, and the whole Nachtmusik gang were such fun characters in this book. There are a lot of heavy topics that are dealt with in the pages, but I thought that they were handled with care. I still cannot get over how much I loved this book. It's campy and fun and completely self aware while having a fabulous time.

Loves:

Erika and Christof are phenomenal leads in this book. Both are drama queens of their own. Erika is very much old school, melancholy Broadway version and Christof is "I need to control everything" drama. They balanced each other out so well. Sure, there was insta lust, but who wouldn't for billowing open tops? I loved how they slowly built up their relationship.

Erika and Christof's chemistry? *fans self* those stage/closet/mirror moments... Yes. It was good. But I loved the way their character flaws and strengths fed into their chemistry on a different level from their relationship. Sometimes intimate/steamy scenes are put into book for fun, this book felt like those scenes were necessary. Each scene made the characters more complex and understandable in a needed way. LOVED that.

I caught myself laughing several times during this book. I seriously highlighted so much of this book in tears (good kind) because I needed to be able to go back and see them again. There's something about Comfort's writing that is so refreshing and enjoyable! It's the wit and self awareness if I'm being honest. I won't ruin anything for you, but there are so many good moments!

The side characters of Sibylle, Waldo, and Sergei were an absolute shot of hilarity in the book. I need to know more about all of them. I would like to personally campaign to have a sequel with one of these characters as the lead. There's late night seances, vampire-but-not-ness, and utter chaos. It felt like a band and family with them.

Meh:

My only little wish would have been a few more "awe" moments between Erika and Christof, especially more training moments. And maybe some of those implied steamier scenes too... I'm a simple being.

Long Story Short

Do I recommend this book? HELL YES! It's so much fun. To be honest this is a poolside with a good drink kinda book and there is no shame in that fun. For someone who is not into theater, I enjoyed the overall joy of Midnight Duet. It's just campy/zany enough to fall absolutely in love with it.

If You Liked This One...

I would highly recommend picking up Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter. There's a similarity in the easy writing style, complex characters, and overall fun plot. Otherwise The Love Wager by Lynn Painter would be another great contemporary romance comparative. Once again--the fun. If you're really wanting something super off the wall My Date from Hell by Gwenda Bond is a more supernatural contemporary romance but I bet if you love this you'd LOVE that one!

I fully did not think that Phantom of the Opera Fan Fiction needed to be bound and published to the masses, but here we are, A pass for most collections.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC of this book. Options expressed are my own.

In Midnight Duet we meet Erika and Christoff, both of them hiding from real life in their own ways. Erica, a Broadway star, was severely injured two years prior and has retreated to her broken down family theater in Nevada. Christoff is the lead singer in a German hair metal band. He's also the band's manager, cheerleader, wrangler and all around dogsbody. In trying to fill all his roles, he's lying to the band about his girlfriend/band keyboardist who has left him.

The band mates are a delightful cast of metalhead misfits. They're melodramatic, reckless and obsessed with communing with ghosts. While their antics are funny, the author writes them with respect as 3D characters instead of caricatures for a laugh. I always appreciate quirkiness but it is really to also find depth.

Erika is a wonderful character. She is the "grumpy" in this grumpy/sunshine romance. There are many instances where she is mean, selfish and/or rude. While there is some character growth, she never has to stop being who she is for love.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I can recommend both this book and Astronaut and the Star for anyone who likes character driven romances.

#MidnightDuet #NetGalley

Someone told me before going into this that this is sort of a Phantom of the Opera retelling. And yes it is and so much more. I do not want to say more because I feel anybody who decides to read this should go into it without knowing anything about it.

Well this was an unexpected delight! What a modern, refreshing take on The Phantom of the Opera. And it's gender-bent, as well, which makes it even more appealing.

Really enjoyed this one. Loved that it didn't take itself too seriously. There were several parts that I didn't quite buy but all in all, it was a delightful, satisfactory read. If you're looking for a modern Phantom retelling, this one is a fun read!

Another great romance from Jen Comfort! Erika is starting over with her grandmother's Opera House. Within time, her path crosses with a German rock band, most importantly Christof. I enjoyed the setting, the music background and details, along with the romance. The other members of the band also kept me laughing with their antics. Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Sabe quando eu falo que eu amo livros com pessoas que trabalham com escrita criativa? Eu quero dizer que músicos tbm valem e que minha nossa!! nunca fui tao feliz :))

Midnight Duet conta a historia da Erika e do Christof, dois amantes da música a sua propria maneira. ela ex-perfomante da Brodway que cuida de um teatro que está na família ha anos, ele um cantor de banda em ascensão que está escrevendo o próximo álbum com sua banda. ela com dívidas e fazendo de tudo para encontrar sentido depois de um acidente que a levou a deixar os palcos, enquanto ele tenta manter o controle e as datas de entrega do álbum mesmo depois que sua namorada de longa data e tecladista o deixar sem beira nem eira.

A história é uma delicinha. Eu não esperava gostar tanto e fiquei super contente com a surpresa. O desenvolvimento dos personagens foi maravilhooooso, especialmente na hora de tratar sobre um assunto (que pra mim é bem delicado) que é: largar tudo ou não por amor?

Tudo no livro aconteceu no seu próprio tempo e com razões que até eu que estava lendo ficava “nem eu sei qual seria a melhor decisão a tomar, oq sera que essa autora nos reserva?”.

Eu fui supreendida até o fim e fiquei encantada com o final. Dei 4 estrelas pq eu amei a historia no geral, mas acho que amaria ainda mais se fosse narrado em primeira pessoa e tbm pq não e um livro que eu releria, mas eu com certeza recomendaria se você está em busca de um livro com 1. confissões de amor feito por bêbados, 2. familia que escolhemos , 3. músicos e criativos e 4. um epilogo fiel a trajetória dos personagens 💕

ah, esse livro grita namorada mirroball e namorado this is me trying. na minha cabeca faz 100% sentido.

Move over Phantom, there’s a new diva in the opera house, and she’s not giving up until she gets her happily ever after. In Midnight Duet, Jen Comfort’s fiesty romance moves from the bright lights of Broadway to the dark recesses of an aging Nevada stage, where a scarred star in hiding tutors the lead singer of a German hair metal band in the finer points of mastering the seductive duet. Readers will love the new twists on the original story and wish they could tour with the wild, funny bandmates of Nacht Musik. An entertaining story filled with music and drama and heat!

USA Today Bestselling author JJ Knight / Deanna Roy

thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest opinion

first i was going to post this the day the book came out but i got sick :( so here’s the review a little bit late but better than never

i really enjoyed the book. the premise is something different from what i would usually pick which made me enjoy it a lot ! the writing of it was good which made the characters even more interesting and enjoyable. It was my first book by this author but not my last so i can’t wait to read other books by her :)

3.5 stars

Midnight Duet was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 based on its premise alone and it definitely did not disappoint. Following a former broadway star called Erika who retained horrible scars after an accident on stage and Christof, the head of a German hair band who wants to make it big in the States by recording an album there, this forced proximity romance held me captive all night long.
What I perhaps was most impressed with was the amount of times I laughed out loud while reading Midnight Duet. Christof and Erika have incredible chemistry and like really calls to like as they’re both obsessed with the other but also a tad with themselves. While some moments were definitely over-the-top, I adored them because really, what do you expect from a former broadway star and the head of a German hair band trying to make it big? Self-deprecating humor is very much paired with overconfidence and it makes their exchanges even more entrancing because you already feel so invested in their individual goals and know them getting together is just going to cause trouble where it isn’t needed. Yet you still can’t stop rooting for them. There’s also quite a lot of room for personal development – Christof is dealing with a non-break-up-break-up with a bandmate who’s absent and Erika is questioning her own personality since she wonders whether she’s been truly cursed after doing one too many selfish things.
Overall, this story was incredibly well-balanced. We have the individual goals of the two main characters, fleshed-out secondary characters (Christof’s bandmates are an absolute trip, I loved all of them), a blossoming romance (and very much lust at first look) with some steamy scenes but most of all sweet ones and last but not least, a premise (and great follow-through!) that is sure to intrigue many a reader.
Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

(Actual Rating 3.5⭐️)
🎊 𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑷𝒀 𝑷𝑼𝑩 𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑯 / 𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲 𝑺𝑷𝑶𝑻𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 🎉
———
🔖 𝙏𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚: 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘋𝘶𝘦𝘵 ||
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ —— • by Jen Comfort • ——
🔢 Length: 347 pages
🎭 Genre: Fiction, Romance
⏰ Pub Date: *𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐖!!* January 10, 2023

📝 Summary: “𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 […], 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦.”
—— ❦

🪩 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲…. A creatively original romance story that is absolutely committed to being 100% bonkers in the best way possible; a gender-swapped retelling of The Phantom of the Opera; two VERY similarly dramatic MCs that are also very much distinct from one another.
———

I read this book last year, when I was accepted to the ARC and I just remembered I had to post my review here.
This book was very forgettable, I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters.
For my personal taste, I can't stand it when the characters swear eternal love to each other, when they barely know each other. The only thing they had was lust and I found it disgusting when Christof masturbated while sneaking glances at Erika, while she masturbated too. Hey, I get that Erika knew he was looking at her, but Christof didn't! He's just there and he was like "she's there super horny and that makes me horny" from then on I couldn't see Christof in any other way but as a perverted creep. I'm sorry but it's a huge NO!

3 stars

I wish I could said I love this book or at least really liked it but Erika was so unlikable at times with her woe is me personally after the accident that made me hard to fully enjoy the story.
The band was fun and I liked that it wasn't the traditional rock band I've seen and still I wanted more of them.
Overall this was a fun read even if it didn't fulfilled my expectations.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Erika Greene is a fallen Broadway star after a tragic "accident" with a plummeting stage light that leaves her face scarred. After recovering, she pours her savings and insurance money into a dilapidated opera house in Paris, Nevada. With bills piling up and casino developer Raoul Decomte awaiting the opera house's fall, Erika is getting desperate. Without the proper zoning, paperwork, or repairs she agrees to let a German band lease the building. To her surprise, the main vocalist is dashing and has eyes for her too.

I loved this Phantom or the Opera based story and the banter between the side characters. Also, did I forget to mention there is a bit of spice? I read this in two days and probably would have finished in one if my schedule allowed it.

Heat Factor: Coming like a fire tornado

Character Chemistry: They are so hot for each other and it’s fabulous

Plot: Gender-swapped Phantom of the Opera, with an HEA for the Phantom

Overall: I am utterly delighted

I think it’s best that I let our protagonists introduce themselves.

Here’s Erika:

“I slept with my understudy’s boyfriend, and when she found out, she cursed me in dramatic fashion, which resulted in a freak accident that caused this scarring. An affliction which then exiled me from Manhattan high society and my theater career in one fell swoop, leaving me no choice but to retreat to this hellish shithole to wither away in solitary misery whilst ostensibly repenting for my many, many sins. Which I will continue to do until the opera house inevitably fails or I, presumably, die. Whichever comes first, I suppose.” Saying it aloud made it sound even more ludicrous.

Please note that Erika lives in a sex dungeon with her pet rats and floats around her dilapidated opera house slash brothel wearing billowing black silk lingerie and prefers to play her pipe organ (not a euphemism) during the dead of night.

Here’s Christof:

“For you, I will create the mightiest, most earnest power ballad you’ve ever heard,” he vowed. Inspiration was already sizzling through him…He strummed the chord he already had in mind, and it pealed through the hushed theater like a musical prayer at the altar of schmalzig glamour. Yes, this is perfect.

“Christof? I’m serious! The only thing I hate more than power ballads are trite acoustic covers.”

She appeared vaguely panicked—no doubt worried he’d insult her by recording fewer than seven solid minutes of high-impact crooning followed by a two-minute solo guitar outro. Did she not know he was Christof Daae of Nachtmusik, a man whose sole purpose in life was to create music so epic it brought forth tears of glittering awe?

Please note that Christof is the frontman of a German hair metal band and aims to dress like a vaguely homosexual pirate at all times and thinks that his Excel spreadsheet with color-coded conditional formatting is badass as fuck.

Yes, I pictured an epic romance between Cher and Fabio, and it was both glorious and supported by the text.

In other words, our main characters are extravagant divas. So in order to enjoy this book, you really just have to accept that this is what you’re getting, and then hang on for the ride.

The basic story is that Erika gets bonked on the head by a falling light during dress rehearsal, is horribly scarred, and retreats to Paris, Nevada to atone for her sins. And then Christof and the rest of his band rent out the opera house, to provide inspiration as they write their next album, which will, of course, catapult them into international superstardom! Of course, there’s quite a bit of additional drama, what with a member of Christof’s band going MIA and an evil developer trying to buy up Erika’s opera house, but the important part is that Erika starts giving Christof singing lessons in the middle of the night and one thing leads to another.

I think the reason this book works so well is that Erika and Christof are just the perfect level of over-the-top that they invite you to laugh—but never cross the line into pastiche. Even when they are at their most dramatic, they are never objects of ridicule. I never laughed at them. Comfort employs a deft hand here. She winks at the audience but doesn’t beat you over the head with it. Let’s take the opening scene as an example. Erika is still a broadway diva, half-heartedly listening to a member of the chorus talk about her musical, and whether it’s too on the nose to show how evil the antiheroine is in the prologue. I don’t know Jen Comfort, is it too on the nose? I THINK NOT!

I could probably spend many more words waxing rhapsodic, but what it comes down to is that I had a huge smile on my face the whole time I was reading this book. I also went around the house singing about angels of music for a week afterward. I highly recommend it, full stop.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

After a terrible accident while on Broadway, Erika is hiding in Paris, Nevada, running her grandmother's old opera house. The place is falling apart, overdue bills piling up, when a hair metal band from Germany offer to rent the space for a few months to record a new album and become more popular with the American crowd. With a few layers of secrets both Erika and band frontrunner Christof are hiding, this story is just beginning.

I picked this up based on a friend's recommendation, and I can definitely say it was different. It wasn't my favorite, but I didn't dislike it either. It was right in the middle for me. It was okay, but I wouldn't tell people to read it.

CW: sexual content, injury detail, alcohol, drug use, fire

Truly, I could not have picked a better book to start off 2023 with. I was BLOWN AWAY by this book and I cannot thank Jen enough for writing this!

Basically, MIDNIGHT DUET is a gender swapped reinterpretation of The Phantom of the Opera, however, this one has humor, SPICE!!!, musical theater references, the sweetest romance ever, and a German hair metal rock band with a front man who is sooo type A but has the gentlest and most precious persona 🥹

The story starts with Erika Greene who is an arrogant yet ultra talented Broadway diva who is preparing to make her debut as Fantine in Les Miserables until an accident causes her to go into hiding. She ends up in Paris, Nevada after she finds out she’s inherited a family property: the small town’s crumbling and bankrupt Paris Opera House. To make ends meet and to be able to repair the historic building, she contacts Christof Daae from the up and coming German rock band, Nachtmusik, to offer them the opportunity to pay her a weekly sum in exhange for a rehearsal venue to write songs for their next album. Erika and Christof are instantly drawn to each other upon meeting hut are both held back by their own personal dilemmas that affect their day-to-day. For Erika, it’s her sense of karma and whether she deserves happiness due to the buildup to the accident that changed her life, and for Christof, it’s his loyalty to his band.


I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley but I loved it so much that I preordered a signed copy from The Ripped Bodice and i CANNOT WAIT for it to arrive. The antics of the supporting characters were hilarious, the moody and gothic vibes were immaculate, and Erika and Christof’s romance was sincere, delicate, and so freaking hot all at the same time. If you love musical theater, rock music, and/ or romance that will make your heart swell then this is a must read!!! I promise it’s worth it!!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author, Jen Comfort, for this eARC in exchange for my honest review! I will never recover from this book.

Gender swapped phantom of the opera, uptight rock star romance. There's a lot of fun to be had here. Erika is a former Broadway star who, after a tragic accident, is trying to save a crumbling opera house in Paris... Nevada. Cristof is the lead singer of a German hair metal band poised to break into international stardom.

I liked this most when you can just lean into the cartoon drama of the story. The rest of Cristof's band are goofy cartoon caricatures (with the possible exception of his sister who's fleshed out more as the story goes on).

I had a pretty good time reading this, but in Cristof's the language that he tends to use got in the way. "Mega cool" and whatnot. The sort of English as a second language after German that might be realistic, but was still distracting. There was also secret keeping on his part that went on a bit too long.

Entertaining, but not a favorite.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Midnight Duet by Jen Comfort was a modern day spin on the classic Phantom of the Opera in my mind. This book is fun, sexy, and has amazing characters. While our lead Erika can be complicated and not the friendliest, she is trying to become a better person. Christof, our male lead, is her perfect partner bringing out her better side. Together they can accomplish anything and make sweet music together. Literally! I enjoyed this book and would recommend.

"The ultimate success was simply to be known and loved without condition."

Let me start by saying that the theater nerd in me loved every over-the-top bit of this gender-flipped Phantom of the Opera-inspired romance!

I laughed. I swooned. I immediately rewatched the 2004 film. I was there for all of it.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that Jen Comfort's "voice calls to me and speaks my name." 😉

If you're looking for a steamy, music-infused read with all the nods to Broadway, pick this one up for my sake. It's a fast fun read that features the most delightful found family and one I'll definitely be thinking of fondly.