This book is not written for everybody. It is written specifically for those who practice Judaism. I read the book twice and it still was a hard to read book.
This review may contain spoilers.
I have read many books about people of the Jewish faith. Normally, they are written so everyone can enjoy them. But not this one.
There is so much jargon and terms used that unless you are of the Jewish faith, you will not understand them. The other authors who feature Jewish heroine's and heroes take great pains to write and explain what is happening and why it is happening and what everything means.
I can sum up the first third of the book in a couple of sentences: A young lady goes to a church, with a lot of things happening that are not explained. She has to put on an act for some reason. She meets a man who is a custodian giving children candies, but he tells her there are not any children. After a few chapters she helps the man have a makeover. Then they have sex, maybe.
So, who is the heroine? Not explained. What is her purpose? Not explained. Her grandmother mentions a matchmaker, so is she looking for a husband? If so, then why does she purposely meet the man in her see through nightgown?
This seemed like a nice book, until I started to read it and 60% did not make any sense. I still don't understand why she wanted to trick the custodian into helping her, but it never explained what he was supposed to help her with.
This is a very frustrating book. I wish I could give it zero stars. I am sure that if a Jewish person read it, then they would enjoy it. But it is not marketed that way. This is supposed to be a book for any romance enthusiast to enjoy. And it fails at that.

Thank you Forever Pub for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I ended up purchasing the audiobook for this when it was a deal and I enjoyed it! Justine Eyre is always an amazing narrator!

I really appreciated the reverse Cinderella retelling and the emphasis on Jewish characters and culture. I don’t think I’ve read any other historical romances with Jewish main characters. I also really liked the delve and not shying away from references to Jewish culture throughout the storyline.

Isabelle meets Aaron when she’s on a mission to find herself a husband to help save her father’s business. He’s working as a janitor when she enlists him as a spy/information gathered on her potential matches. They are obviously drawn to one another, but come from opposite sides of society.

Isabelle was such a strong character. Despite being orphaned by her father’s passing, she’s determined to honor his legacy with their company. This may have been because I listened to the audiobook, but I wasn’t 100% clear on what they did. This bad a little bit of mystery as well.

I would’ve liked a little more depth (other than the physical connection) between these two, but I overall really enjoyed it and will look forward to more books from this author.


3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

Unfortunately, "Marry Me by Midnight" was just not it for me. While I was genuinely excited to read about this historical romance, I had troubles getting into the book and ended up DNF'ing it.

As a fan of Cinderella retells and regency-era romances, I was excited to read this, but it felt slow-pacing during some parts. I also found it difficult to find the chemistry between Isabelle and Aaron so I wasn't as invested in their relationship as I would've liked. I did enjoy the Jewish representation in it and was interested in learning about the Jewish experience and culture during the set time period.

I enjoyed the overall premise of the book and the representation of Jewish experience, however the book just wasn't the right fit for me.

Marry Me by Midnight is about Isabelle, a very wealthy Jewish heiress who needs a husband and Aaron, a very poor Jewish orphan who is really just trying to survive. The two of them interact pretty early in the book and ultimately Isabelle determines Aaron is perfect to help her get some intel on her potential suitors. I do want to mention that Isabelle's search of a husband is coming in hot because her father died and she needs to secure her place at the company that he co-founded. So there's a lot of conflict with her father's business partner as well.

I really loved the way Isabelle was a take charge of her life type of woman in England Times and how unapologetic she was about her pursuit of her goals and ambitions. Isabelle knew she needed to marry and so she went about it in such a shrewd and strategic manner and I really appreciated that about her. Similarly, I liked how that aspect of her personality and of her drivenness to achieve her goals led to her interactions with Aaron. The only piece I really felt like was missing was a sense of exactly what Aaron's place in her life would be long-term or even what Aaron's long-term goals are. Because ultimately, Aaron is a very well-drawn character except for that. I understood his history and his worries, but I just couldn't quite figure out how we got from the end of this book to an actual HEA.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this one and I'm excited to continue into book two, Wake Me Most Wickedly.

I really wanted to like it, the premise is really good, a Cinderella retelling. I tried but but it just wasn't for me.

However, I did enjoy knowing more about the history of how Jewish people lived in those times. It was interesting and different

I so appreciate the Jewish representation in historical romance, something that we need much more of in the genre. However, this book is rather dry and focuses a lot on the minutiae of the characters' plans rather than the romance itself.

This was my first historical romance with a Jewish heroine that held a good deal of power. I really like how Isabelle knew her expectations about what she wanted her marriage to accomplish and how she roped Aaron into helping her. I liked the way they would sneak around to discussion the information that Aaron gathers on her potentials and how they would always end up off topic and flirting. It made for good banter and spicy moments. Isabelle never wanted to marry for love but after getting to know Aaron her mind was slowly swayed to the “what ifs” of romance. It was a cute romance with some good character development.

Thank you Forever pub and Netgalley for the gifted copy

I have loved all the books by Grossman and this fairy tale retelling is another fantastic steamy romance with amazing Jewish rep!

This was a great historical romance, that I would recommend to those who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

This was a good historical Cinderella retelling. It was a nice change to see Jewish characters in a historical romance.

This cute Cinderella retelling was exactly what I was looking for in a retelling. I love the Jewish sprinkled in giving deapth to the story

Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman is a charming cinderella-like historical tale full of romance, passion, and swoon worthy moments. This is the first book of the “Once Upon the East End Series” and she certainly started this series off with fervor making me anxious for the next book of the series! This story has wonderful world building, the characters are multifaceted and easy to connect with, and the writing is well-paced without any plot holes - all of this makes for a story that is easily read and enjoyed.

Once upon a time in London 1832 Isabelle Lira is forced to quickly find a spouse who is able to help save her family’s business and she relies on the help of Aaron Ellenberg her synagogues custodian to help screen potential suitors. Aaron does not have the right pedigree to be one of Isabelle’s suitors, even if he does long for a wife and children of his own, and even if the two of them find kindred spirits within each other - everyone knows the orphan doesn’t end up with the princess. Right?

I greatly enjoyed watching these two fall in love and of course it’s always a win when love conquers all!

Overall 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨


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MARRY ME BY MIDNIGHT is one of my favorite historical romances. Felicity Grossman did an exceptional job with the Jewish representation, which isn’t often seen in romance books, and writing characters you fall in love with.

My favorite aspect of this book is the banter between Isabelle and Aaron. I could read a whole series of their banter. And when the banter turned flirty and steamy - it was the chef’s kiss!

This was a delightful read. It made me happy. I love seeing Jewish representation on the page, and I hope this means there is more to come. Plus, I loved it in a historical romance setting with two characters who work so well together! It’s a must-read for historical romance fans!

Thanks, Forever and Netgalley, for the gifted arc!

Content Warnings: antisemitism, grief, classism

This was a delightful genderbent Cinderella retelling, and I loved how enmeshed in the characters' Jewish community and culture it was.

I don't normally like historical romance, but I loved this one! Taking place in London in 1832, the female main character Isabella is an orphan in a time when women weren't allowed to legally make their own decisions. She has a deadline to marry, given by her father's business partners, in order to stay involved in the business. Enter Aaron, the poor caretaker of a prominent synagogue and recruited as a spy by Isabella to evaluate potential marriage partners. But the tension builds between them, and it is amazing! I loved these characters so much, I wanted to hug the book when I was done with it. The Jewish representation is so rich, not just with a Shabbat dinner but addresses the struggles they faced within larger London society.

This one definitely gets five stars from me, and I can't recommend it enough! Thank goodness the next one in the series “Wake Me Most Wickedly” comes out in April. Thank you to Forever Publishing for the advanced copy.

I was in a reading slumping and I thought reading a romance would get me out. It kind of did. I liked the Jewish representation and the retelling of Cinderella. The main characters were okay. The romance seemed to be overshadowed by the politics. I did learned a lot of the Jewish experience during the 19th Century England. I did dnf it, but I will try to get it another go when I'm fully in a romance mood.

I was looking forward to reading this book but the main characters weren't engaging at all. The premise was exciting but then the story just dragged. I thought Isabelle acted silly many a time, and the dialogue between her and Aaron wasn't interesting. Their relationship felt forced. It seemed as though Isabelle was pushing for the relationship but Aaron didn't seem as invested. I didn't like that he ended up doing whatever she wanted. Too beta for a hero.

Read to 50%. This was a fantastically crafted story from the perspective of integrating infrequently-covered communities in a historical romance setting. Unfortunately the combination of "will they won't they" and eventual closed-door activities made it not a winner for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

4 Stars!

Marry Me Midnight is the first book in the Once Upon the East End historical romance series by Felicia Grossman.

Something I really like about the story is the representation. I haven’t read many historical romances in 1800s England with Jewish protagonists, and it’s clear a ton of research was put into creating a historically accurate piece. The story sheds light on a group that is quite unrepresented in historical romance. It was eye-opening to learn about the political and social discrimination and limitations Jewish people faced, which were even worse for women.

I also liked the reverse Cinderella elements of the story and the romance. Aaron is a delight. He’s so kind, and he has a gift with children and animals, but he doesn’t think he’s good enough. I just wanted to give him a big hug and a bunch of reassurance. Isabelle is great too, and their chemistry is fantastic. They have a bit of a forbidden romance since they come from very different social and economic circles, and there’s so much pining and angst and longing. And, whew, it gets a little steamy too!

Overall, I liked the story. It was a bit choppy at times, and it started off slow. But the second half of the story was faster-paced, the characters are well-developed, and the romance is swoon-worthy!

Special thanks to Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed the Jewish representation and the Cinderella retelling but ultimately I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two main characters.