Midnight Caller

Emma Bennett is a young widow living in Louisville Kentuck in 1865.  Set for income and released from a loveless marriage, she is free to enjoy anything she wants - she is just not sure what that is.  The only thing she is certain of is her refusal to marry the conniving, slimy Mr. Hawthorne. A forceful dowager suggests she find herself by hiring a gigolo named Frederick.  And Frederick just happens to be black.

An intriguing peek into what could have happened in the South just after the Civil War, Ms. Whitehall builds a story just as compelling as any Regency or Victorian "widow" story. As a financially independent woman, still bound by convention, Emma is very young and very lost.  She is also secretly thrilled to be a widow, which sets up an eye-opening tale about what being independent can mean, including the cost it can exact. Several references to some awful occurrence that necessitates her first marriage is brought up as a plot mover, but never revealed, leaving the reader wondering at the end. The characters are well developed, especially for a novella,  and the hard working Frederick is a hero any woman would swoon over.  It's easy to fall in love with him.   "Midnight Caller" is a sexy romp with a happily-ever-after, steamy scenes that fit perfectly and never take away from an accurate trip to the past that is well worth a visit!

Julie York