I loved The Astronaut and the Star so when I saw Jen Comfort had a new book, I immediately requested it. Midnight Duet is the story of Erika and Christof and the band Nachtmusik. Erika was a Broadway superstar but after an accident, she left fame behind to run her family's opera house/brothel (not active). Christof is looking for a place to record Nachtmusik's next album and deal with a broken heart.

Erika is definitely a diva and Christof is not that far away from diva status himself. The two of them together are definitely both hysterical and hot. I loved the banter in this book as well as the found family vibes. I loved all the references to various Broadway musicals in addition to the rock music shout outs. This book was just zany, wacky, over the top sexy fun.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and give the book 3.5 stars. If you need a read that's over the top in all the best ways while still being fun and sexy, I recommend giving this one a shot. Midnight Duet comes out on January 10, 2023. Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an early, gifted copy.

Let me start off by saying that I’d like to thank Wunderkind PR for sending me an early copy of this one to read. What really drew me to want to read this one is that it was pitched as a gender-bent Phantom of the Opera retelling and as someone who loves the musical, I was here for it.

This book actually follows Erika, a former broadway starlet turned recluse after a horrible accident left her badly scarred. She ends up inheriting an old theater that’s been in her family for decades and is living there while trying to figure out what she wants to do. It all comes to a head when Christof emails her to ask if his band can use the venue.

Erika quickly agrees despite the theater being in pretty bad shape. From there, things really start to heat up between the two especially after Erika offers to give him voice lessons during one of his midnight sessions. Obviously, that gives you an idea of where the title comes from and honestly, this book was a major surprise for me.

Since this is my first Jen Comfort, I was a bit nervous, but this book was a delight. I really loved all of the characters especially the members of Nacht Musik but the character I enjoyed most was Erika. While the book does focus a lot on the romance, it was nice to see Erika dealing with all the feelings from her accident and how in a lot of ways, she isolated herself before realizing that people aren’t always that bad.

Additionally, I really enjoyed seeing Erika push Christof out of his comfort zone. The two were such a great match because of that and the chemistry between them was delightful. While I don’t pick up many rockstar romances or musical romances in general, this one was solid.

There were a few issues I had with the book which is inevitable. First, I felt like the book was entirely too long. For some reason, the chapters felt incredibly long, and sometimes, it felt like I was reading a single chapter for 20 minutes. Maybe the book was edited down since I read it but that was a pet peeve of mine.

The other issue I had was with Gillian, who is the band’s keyboardist, and Christof’s ex who ran off. While I do think it added some tension, I felt like that storyline was a bit too overdramatic at times. If anything, it felt like that plot was just a little too over-the-top and I either wanted her to tone it down or ramp it up.

Regardless if you enjoy Phantom of the Opera, love rockstar romances, and don’t mind a bit of over-the-top antics, then you’ll like this one. Plus if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, this one will be available through the service.

This was fun. Good writing, interesting plot, lots of emotions throughout the book.
But, something’s missing. This was good, but not a “wow, I can’t stop reading it” good. It was just, “you know what, I’m enjoying it” good.
Nonetheless, I am here for it. The characters were very interesting and funny, their worries and fears relatable and their growth was incredible to witness to.
I laughed, I had my heart on my hands and I almost (!) cried.
This was good, not incredible, but an enjoyable book with an awesome cover!

Midnight Duet is the steamy romance musical theater geeks have been waiting for. Leads, Erika and Christof, have sizzling chemistry and a cast of outrageous side characters kept me laughing until the last page. So much fun!

Sexy hair band front man with a hidden nerd side meets a reformed theater diva and rat mom. How can this romance not work? This was a spicy one and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I wasn't convinced that I liked Erika to begin with, but she really grew on me. And Cristof is the perfect mix of confident rockstar, yet responsible and uptight band manager. The insta-lust was balanced by the humor and was just a fun binge-read.

If you love lighthearted romance and 80s metal, this is one for you!

There's a lot of funny moments and an interesting setting but I wasn't a fun of the characters and I felt that the chemistry was missing
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is a gender-swapped, rom-com retelling of Phantom of the Opera between a former Broadway diva and the frontman for a German hair metal band. It’s bonkers, fun, and sexy — and kind of wild in a way you just have to roll with. I mean that as a positive thing! I definitely got old-school romance vibes in the best way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Full disclosure that this author and I share an agent, but that did not influence my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Erika Green thinks she has it all. She's a Broadway star, set to become one of the biggest names on Broadway before an accident changes her life. Two years later, she's in Paris...Nevada, trying to save the run-down theatre and brothel she inherited from her grandmother. Things take a turn when a German hair metal band books her opera house to use for a few weeks to write their new album.

What a fun, spicy little read! It's a gender-bending take on Phantom of the Opera in some ways, and I enjoyed that. I also love that Erika is unapologetic about being a "bad" girl. She knows she has flaws and owns them. She also comes to trust herself and learn what she's really looking for over the course of the novel, and I love that growth. I love all the idiosyncratic, unique personalities in this book as well. There's a little over the top at times, but it makes for a fun read.

I really enjoyed Jen Comfort's THE ASTRONAUT AND THE STAR so I was looking forward to reading MIDNIGHT DUET, and I was not disappointed. Her voice is so funny and strong, and I loved all of the musical theater nods and allusions. Erika is a diva, and I loved watching her journey to love. I also loved the German glam rock band and Christof in all of his glory. The dialogue is very funny and I liked the Nevada setting.

So this was different (in a good way) . Erika is a bit dramatic but she’s written that way in purpose since this is slotted at a Phantom of the Opera retelling. Christof was a more likable character for me but he still had some flaws as well. I would have liked a little more character development for them both though. They had decent chemistry and the steamy scenes were not over the top. But there was a bit of insta love here. This is my second book by this author and I do see improvement in her writing since her debut. I would be willing to read more from her in the future

There were a lot of great things in this book, like the relationship between the characters and the setting. The setting was definitely one of the strongest points of this book for me, I loved the descriptions and how vivid every room was for me.

This was not my vibe and that's okay. The premise is cool. I was definitely open to a sexy Phantom spin, but I am not connecting with the lead character. I will still recommend this to customers looking for something quick, fun and unique. It is well-done! I am simply not the audience.

I'm a huge fan of romance novels, and of musicals. 'Phantom of the Opera' was the first musical I've seen at the West End, and it's by far my favourite, so this book was a no-brainer for me. I really enjoyed this fun, emotional, sweet book! Jen Comfort's modernised romance riff of Phantom of the Opera's very well-done, with enough nods to the musical to satisfy fans of that, but enough inventiveness for the book to be wholly original. In this retelling, Erika is a former Broadway star, who's moved to an ancestral home/opera house, after a bad accident that leaves her scarred and her self esteem in tatters. Struggling to keep the property afloat, she rents it out to hot new German hair metal band, Nacht Musik ( don't you just love how...authentic that name sounds? I really want an actual band called that now!). Nacht Musik's charismatic frontman/manager/songwriter/babysitter for all practical purposes, Christof Daae, has a secret he doesn't want his band to know, and is struggling to hold it all together, and write a follow up album that will do as well as their breakout debut. I loved that Comfort did a gender reversal, firstly, of the Phantom of the opera, and her writing of the rockstar lifestyle doesn't slip into the cliches of 'sex, drugs, rock'n' roll', it's a lot more nuanced than that! Christof is an absolutely adorable, stressed-out hero and Erika is an excellent tortured but also really funny and cynical heroine. I loved all the band members as well, they're all quite memorable despite the focus not being on them. There's a lot of clever references dropped in, too, not just from the world of musicals, but from the world of rock music too. Hugely enjoyable, I read this at one go!

4.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Jen Comfort is quickly becoming a go-to author for a more unique spin on contemporary romances. Her debut, The Astronaut and the Star, was a lot of fun, and Midnight Duet is even more so, being a wonderful mix of bonkers, over-the-top melodrama and enough heart to keep it grounded. I didn’t know until now that I wanted a modern Phantom of the Opera retelling, much less how it could be done, but Jen Comfort has very much succeeded in every respect.

I love the Phantom being reimagined as Broadway star Erika Greene, who is recovering from the double blow of a physically scarring accident and the emotionally scarring press she received, naming her as a “bad girl diva who got a dose of karma.” With so many stories of this ilk (either Phantom or Beauty and the Beast inspired) emphasizing the physical scarring in an ableist way, I liked that the book showed the impact of the injury and her thought process when she thinks about others’ reactions, without it being the sole trait that defines her or the only reason she chose to run off in the first place. She’s a pretty good balance of self-confidence and vulnerability throughout, with believably growth over the course of the book.

Christof is the lead singer of a hair metal band Nactmusik (and one of their hits is called “Devil of Music” xD), and he’s dramatic in his own way, that doesn’t clash with Erika’s. While Erika likes to be in the spotlight, Christof is more of a type-A perfectionist type. Their respective flairs for the dramatic play off each other well, both professionally and personally.

While the romantic arc is the center of the narrative, I loved seeing the clever ways it paid homage to plot beats of Phantom, with the external plot being as over the top as the characters, if not more so. However, I did feel that the external plot/internal romantic arc balance felt a bit off balance towards the end, with it ending on a big finish without a matching amount of emotional catharsis.

In spite of any minor flaws, I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a romance with equal emphasis on plot and character development, especially if you love music or the theater.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Midnight Duet releases January 10, 2023

3.5/5

A gender reversal take on The Phantom of the Opera — this read definitely took me by surprise.

Erika, a highly talented Broadway singer, is victim to a falling stage light that burns and scars half of her face. Hiding from the fallout of this, she retreats to Paris, Nevada, where a theater (Paris Opera House) inherited from her family that is in need of severe repairs awaits her.
In order to come up with the financial means to keep this theater in her possession, she books a band from Germany that are hoping to use this venue as the inspo for their new album.

Erika’s character arc is based on themes of “bad things happen to bad people”, therefore she’s trying her best to become a better person and balance the scales of what she does or does not deserve. A bit of a reformed character trope here.

There was clear tension in this between Erika and Cristof — the organ scene, the closet, and the dominance/need for control in the bedroom — whew. Some definite dark desires lingering with mild exhibitionism and the thrill of being caught.

The band’s vocalist and keyboardist, Gillian, had no interest in making the trip to America with them, which is where Erika comes into play by offering vocal lessons.
There is a big language barrier but the characters make the most of their situation and adapt well.

Overall, quite an interesting read.
It did lose me a bit with the pet rats and the insta-love confession that came into realization at the end of the book.
I loved the addition of Christof not shying away from wearing makeup, and Erika admiring him for it.

Loved the concept for this, overall it was a decent read but there was something about the style I just couldn't connect to. Otherwise the romance was fun and there's a ton of humour here. I'm not surprised it's found people who love it though.

Sexy full of passion and desire.
A Broadway star meeting a rock star creating the perfect mix
The make-up and costumes of both were magnificent.
Musicals and rock music
Eery theater vibes

Erika Greene is a Broadway star who's reckless and craves the spotlight. All her life she has been the best of the best and doesn't care about anyone that's until an unfortunate accident leaves her scarred and miserable. Resigning from everything she goes to Paris, Nevada to run The Paris Opera House that she inherited. However, life wasn't easy on Erika she is miserable, lonely, and drowning in debts until a very sexy rock star comes into her life and flips everything upside down.

Christof is the manager and lead singer of The Nachtmusik a hair metal German band. They decided to record an American album in America and found the best place to do this in Erika's place.
Christof has always been responsible and strict with his life, and band mates but then things change when his 10 years girlfriend dumps him and leaves the band.
Then he and Erika meet and an undeniable spark ignites between them burning them and building a desire they can't ignore. Will Christof let his guard down and will Erika be able to start over?
Read and find out 😉.


I liked it and hope you will too.

I didn't know that I needed this romance in my life, but I really did! It is awesome! I throughly enjoyed reading it and the twist of the classic novel Phantom of the Opera was so great! Ahh, now if we can get this made into a movie with Sebastian Bach.

Midnight Duet by J. Comfort, published by Montlake, is a book that intrigued me just reading the blurb.
Erica, the up and coming , driven actor and her merry folks
This is a witty and fun read, sometimes confusing, sometimes a slow burn, but always entertaining. MD gives Phantom-of-the-Opera-vibes for sure, 4 beautiful stars.

Tropes;
1. Rockstar x (former) musical actress
2. Forced proximity
Bonus: Golden retriever MC

Midnight Duet was such an unexpected hit.
The amount of sexual tension and edging in this book had me taking deep breaths many a time because WOW it was sizzling hot! This book was super hilarious and sexy all at once.

I firmly believe Taylor Swift wrote anti-hero for our heroine Erika because she was the embodiment of that song. And I loved her for it. Very rarely do I connect with "quirky" characters in romance books because authors tend to portray them in a misogynistic light but Erika was a breath of fresh air. I loved her whole woe-is-me dramatic self and the way she is self-aware. But her character development arc? Even better.

Christof and the rest of Natchmusik members equally added fun elements to the story. It was an utter delight to witness their chaotic group dynamic.

But what makes this book even better is the fact that both our main characters grow together. I'm so fond of them and care for them deeply, which is a hard feat to achieve. The (dreaded) third act conflict in the book did not take away the fun from it, in fact, it just felt like I was watching a sitcom and laughing in the audience.

I think this book is perfect for the fans of Tessa Bailey! It took me by complete surprise when I found out this is Jen Comfort's second (2nd) book because I was absolutely sure this was written by a long-time author! After this, I will definitely be looking out for her future releases. I think I just might have found my new favourite rom-com author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.