REVIEW: Midnight Duet by Jen Comfort

In Midnight Duet by Jen Comfort, Broadway star-slash-diva Erika Greene didn’t realize how grand a life she truly had until it was ripped away in a nearly tragic accident. And she *really* didn’t realize how truly difficult life can be with no fans to cheer you on, no huge bank account, and no glitzy parties to attend. Now stuck in teeny tiny Paris, Nevada, trying to restore her great-great grandmother’s theater house to its former glory, Erika needs money. Or a sign from above. Heck, she’d even take a sugar daddy at this point. Then she finds out a German glam rock band wants to use the theater as the location to make their next album. Who is she to turn down an influx of cash? But when the lead singer and guitarist, rock god Christof Daae walks in, Erika knows she’s in trouble. Deep, decadent trouble.

‘Dressed to kill and pissed off enough to actually do it, Erika had one foot out the door to go out and make deliciously irresponsible life choices when she received Sibylle’s text: Christof has been abducted.’

As first timers in America, Christof and the rest of his hair metal band, Nachtmusik, have no idea what to expect. All he knows is that his long-time girlfriend–who happens to be their backup singer and keyboardist–broke up with him and took off to who knows where, leaving them in big trouble with a new album to finish in three months. Not that Christof’s bandmates know about Gillian’s sudden departure. Yet. So, after finding their accommodations at the theater severely lacking, he was going to give the owner a piece of his mind. But Erika is a gorgeous, highly talented actress and singer. Someone who understands Christof in ways no one has before. As his band members get into mischief, dragging him out of his tightly controlled world, he wonders if now is the time to let go and accept the feelings (and attraction) he feels for Erika.

‘He felt it, too–the obsession. The sense that if they gave in to whatever inexorable flame drew them together, it would incinerate them both, and neither of them would care. Not when it felt so good.’

I’m kind of at a loss as to how to explain the awesome craziness that is Midnight Duet. While it might not be a romance that works for everyone, if you like over-the-top characters who lean into exactly who they are, in this case a Diva and a Rock God, who have sparks of chemistry from the word GO, and who have actual personal growth without either of them losing their passion and drive in life, then this one’s for you. Oh, and liking hair metal and/or Broadway musicals is a plus as author Jen Comfort included some fun (and comical) references throughout the book.

‘Thoughts of him kept her awake at night and–Oh, this was bad. Sappy, spiraling-into-emotional-turmoil bad. Power ballad bad. And they hadn’t even kissed yet.’

Erika and Christof’s romance was a pretty crazy progression of overcoming hurdles being thrown at them left and right. Erika’s Broadway career was cut short due to a freak accident that left her disfigured. She ran off to take over her great-great grandmother’s theater in a small Western town, only to be on the brink of losing everything due to lack of funds. Christof’s girlfriend–his band’s keyboardist and back-up singer–flaked out just when they were set to record their next album. So, Christof had to keep the band moving forward without telling them about their lack of a bandmate.

See any red flags or foreshadowing there?? Yep. As you’d expect, it all came crashing down around Erika and Christof–literally–which left them going back to basics and asking themselves what mattered most in their lives: Money and fame? Family? Love? After throwing a few more twists and turns their way (and some hilarious shenanigans) Comfort really drove home the connection between not only Christof and Erika, but also with their loved ones and friends. It was a dramatic storyline fit for two such huge egos, but the heartfelt finale was what stole the show for me.

QOTD: Are you a fan of opposites attract romances? If so, have any favorites you revisit from time to time?

Book Info:

Publication: Published January 10th 2023 | Montlake |

From The Astronaut and the Star author Jen Comfort comes a wildly electric romance about two musicians who collide on the stage of a Nevada opera house.

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?