Imogen Drake felt certain that her sister Jane had lost her mind. Everyone knew that Rothfield Park was said to be haunted, but Imogen could not believe such a thing. Ghosts were not real. She had never seen any, that was for sure. She continued to listen to her sister's stories of seeing a young girl in her bedroom while turning her mind to other things, like the recent departure of her hated governess and her father's threat to employ a tutor instead.

Upset over her father's decision, Imogen took a ride across the Rothfield Park grounds. As she moved toward the forest, she heard a child's voice ask her if she wanted to play. She couldn't see anything in the mist, but somehow knew this was the ghost child Jane had spoken of. Fearing the spirit, Imogen rode as quickly as she could away from the forest, taking a fall from her horse in the escape.

After recovering from her fall, Imogen found herself in the company of her new tutor, Dougal Weston. Summoned by her father to teach her the manners of a lady, Dougal had no idea that Imogen was determined to send him packing. But after a few days with her new tutor, she found that perhaps his company was not so bad after all. She couldn't lie that the lessons he taught her were far more exciting than Latin and History.

Dougal Weston continued to search for his daughter even though he had not seen so much as a curl of her hair since the fire. Meeting Imogen Drake had not exactly been in his plans. His plans changed when he learned that she heard his Margaret speak. He knew then that Imogen was someone different. It had been a long time since he had tasted the sweetness of a woman's kiss or the pull of love at his heart. He wasn't sure how to tell this woman he loved that the daughter he was searching for, the one Imogen had heard, had been dead for many years.

In The Mists of Midnight, Michelle Pillow has created a love story filled with twists and turns that will keep you wondering what will happen next. The characters she has created interact with a depth of emotion that knows no earthly bounds over a setting that one can only describe as haunting.

As the readers follow the romance of Imogen and Dougal, they will also learn the history of Rothfield Park and the sad death of the young girl Margaret. For fans of romance that defies all explanation, this is a story for you.

Reviewed By: Sabine Maurier
© June 2004