A solid historical romance! This isnt my favorite genre, but I did enjoy this one. The pacing was good and the characters were solid!

A fresh take on a familiar setting! I loved how this book had the same feeling as a lot of the period romances I've read while keeping it interesting with a very unique background for the main characters. I LOVE the Jewish rep in this story through the entire community, the sprinkling of queer rep, and the fairytale backdrop was wonderful! I love how both Isabelle and Aaron were sharp, dutiful, and ever so slightly on the outskirts of the society they find themselves in but desperately want to contribute to. I loved the tension building between them just as much as Isabelle's business endeavors and the political intrigue of representation during a time when being treated fairly was in no way a guarantee. I will definitely keep an eye out for more work from Grossman!

This book is perfect, 10/10, no notes. Just kidding, I have notes. Did you ever want a retelling of Cinderella, gender-fluid swapped, steeped in historical realism, and, did I mention, entirely Jewish?

Jewish London, a very real and breathing thing, despite Jews in London having very few acknowledged rights, was split into two interlocked but separate communities, the Ashenazi and the Sephardim. Ashkenazi Jews come from Eastern Europe while the Sephardim come from Spain, more or less. Isabelle is a Surety Bond Empress, Sephardic, and Aaron is an Ashkenazi synagogue custodian with barely any money.

Isabelle has planned a series of festivals for the Jewish community, inviting gentiles, in hopes of gaining support for a human rights for Jews bill in Parliamentary. At the end of the three festivals, she’ll announce her husband.

Only Isabelle wants a husband she can manipulate so that she retains control of her father’s bonds business. She hires Aaron to dig up dirt on her perspective suitors, but instead discovers that he’s this diamond in the rough, dark haired thirst trap. And thirst they do! 🔥

Aaron has a gift with animals, small children, and he’s unrelentingly kind — but other than that, he thinks he’s totally inappropriate for Isabelle, despite their growing lust and their friendship.

There’s also a fairy godmother of sorts, in the most Jewish of ways, assisting Aaron and Isabelle. This entire little subplot made me so happy I nearly squealed. It’s hard to adapt a fairytale into a realistic setting and keep its magic, but here we are!

Thank you so much for this @feliciagrossmanauthor and @netgalley — this was so much fun and so refreshing to have a hot Jewish couple in a historical romance. I’m kvelling. 😏

Before falling asleep at night, often I’m reading in bed while my boyfriend plays on his Switch beside me. And let me tell you, that got interesting (in my head at least) during some of those 🥵 scenes! But in all seriousness, I loved the Jewish rep in a romance era that doesn’t get much, and I loved Aaron and Isabelle.

Isabelle is grieving the loss of her much loved father and doing everything she feels that she must to preserve his legacy and keep is business thriving. While Isabelle is a forced to be reckoned with, she faces many challenges as a young Jewish woman in 1830’s England where women weren’t thought to have ambition and brains and Jews were, at best, considered second class citizens by the majority gentile population. Isabelle has been maneuvered into having to marry by her father’s former business partner David. He’s pressing Isabelle into marrying one of his younger brothers to keep their successful business in tact. Isabelle doesn’t trust David or his brothers and fears that they will steal the company and shut her out….negating her father’s part in building the company. She needs to find someone to marry who is strong and savvy enough to keep David in check while also allowing her to have a meaningful role in the business and not be relegated to charity work and social gatherings. So, Isabelle does two things,…she announces that she is panning to marry and holds three balls to meet and evaluate eligible bachelors. Isabelle allow employs Aaron, the synagogue custodian, to fine dirt on potential husbands so that she has something to hold over them if they don’t comply with her vision for the company. Aaron is an orphan and hasn’t been successful in any trades, so he thinks very little of himself even though is he kind and observant and honorable. The passion that sparks between Isabelle and Aaron is real and compelling and intense but is it enough to overcome their differences? This is a charming, kinda spicy story that I couldn’t put down.

This book makes me want to scream and dance with joy. I knew I was going to love it when I saw a romance novel with a JEWISH MAN WEARING A YARMUKLE ON THE COVER! Felicia Grossman did not disappoint. This book was so wholly Jewish, not just through the main characters, but through the mannerisms, the language used by Jewish people regularly, as well as cultural references. I love the historical romance, but this one might have exceeded all expectations. It's like Bridgerton but make it Jewish and it was so well done. I loved Isabelle's fiercely feminist energy, and how she was unafraid to continue her legacy after her father had passed. I also loved Aaron. He was encouraging and thoughtful and I loved this gender swapped Cinderella vibe. There was so much pining and yearning and I was LIVING for it. This book is a work of art and I know it's going to be a new favorite of mine. Thank you to Forever Publishing for sending me an e-ARC to read and review!

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting read . I found that I was able to read quickly and enjoyed the pacing and premise of the book. I would recommend to others.

It's right there in the blurb, yet somehow I missed that this was a loosely based Cinderella retelling. The story is set in the British Jewish community in the early 1830's where there was quite a bit of tension between the more established and powerful Sephardic Jewish community and the newer Ashkenazi Jews who had recently emigrated mainly from Eastern Europe. The genders are swapped, Isabelle is considered to be a "princess" at the pinnacle of Sephardic Jewish society, while Aaron is an orphan, a lowly janitor who cleans and maintains the Ashkenazi synagogue.

The period details about the jockeying within the Jewish community and their political and personal challenges with wider London/British society were fascinating. Although they were outwardly very different, Isabelle brash, outspoken, wealthy and determined, Aaron, humble, poor, and trying hard to stay in the background, both were kind, completely devoted to their own communities and always tried to do what was best for everyone. There were plots, and political machinations galore as Isabelle is determined to thwart her father's erstwhile business partner from completely taking over their joint business after her father's untimely death. Isabelle is determined to marry for power rather than love, but in the end, love finds her anyway. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Felicia Grossman has turned the Cinderella story on its ear or upside down or whatever! In Marry Me By Midnight, Isabelle is the one who is desperately searching for a husband. She is a rich Sephardi Jew in 1832 London, whose father has died (a year before). Her father’s business partners are pressuring her to marry quickly (and marry one of them!), as he left no male heirs. Isabelle is smart and pretty, and wants to keep her place in the business. She realizes that she needs a savvy man who won’t shut her out of the business after they are married. Aaron is a “lowly” custodian at the synagogue attended by the local Ashkenazi Jewish population. (The two parts of the community work together, in theory, but in reality there is quite the divide between the Sephardim, who have been in England longer and have established themselves in business, and the Ashkenazi, who are newer to England and have different traditions.) Aaron is an orphan and has had a hard life to this point (the Cinderella figure!). Isabelle is considering finding an Ashkenazi man to marry and winds up hiring Aaron to try to dig up dirt on some of the men on her list - the better to control the man she marries!

I was entranced and delighted with this story, featuring two wonderful Jewish characters. I learned a lot about how Jews lived and were treated at that time in England. (They had a champion in the Duke of Sussex.) The story turns rather steamy, so be forewarned! The chemistry between Isabelle and Aaron is off the charts. You could consider this as a grumpy-sunshine story, along with the reverse Cinderella trope. There were several interesting side characters, including Isabelle’s friend, Rebecca, her father’s valet, Pena, and one of her Ashkenazi suitors, Solomon Weiss.

There are a lot of Yiddish and Hebrew terms thrown around throughout the book and I believe that those who aren’t familiar with these terms will mostly get the gist by the context. I loved how Aaron described himself as a schlemiel! There was one example near the beginning of the book (a short discussion about a “get”) that I don’t think was explained sufficiently and will leave non-knowledgeable readers in the dark, but that was minor and missing the understanding there will not impact their understanding of the rest of the book. (And, since I read an ARC, this may have been corrected in the final version.)

Don’t miss the author’s note at the end of the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

4/5. Releases 8/8/2023.

For when you're vibing with.... a Regency romance that isn't! all about WASP-y types, reverse Cinderella, horny heroines, and "princesses don't marry kitchen boys".

In order to maintain her claim on her late father's business, heiress Isabelle Lira needs to marry as soon as possible. She needs someone respected and connected--but finds herself drawn to Aaron Ellenberg, the poor synagogue custodian she's enlisted to suss out the loyalties of her suitors. The more time Isabelle and Aaron spend together, the harder it becomes for her to imagine marrying someone else...

A well-written, sweet, and funny historical that takes a look at a community you see represented in this subgenre practically never.

Quick Takes:

--Up front: I am not Jewish, and I cannot speak to the historical accuracy or representation here. However, I can say that the writing does a remarkable job of pulling you into a world that doesn't have a "setup" laid out by the conventions of historical romance. Yes, it's still Regency England. But let's be real, the vast majority of Regency romance novels center on Christian characters (or characters that really have little religious interest, but are implied to be Christians).

What I found really impressive about Grossman's writing is that she centers Aaron and Isabelle's religious and cultural backgrounds as something they share... While at the same time making it clear that there are huge differences between the way they live their lives. When an ill-informed historical romance author writes about a community they haven't bothered to even research, you can tell--there is one "type" of person in that community. The characters are homogenous. Here, we see through Isabelle an inside look at this exclusive, upper class Jewish community, while Aaron is basically barely scraping by and is looked down upon by many. They have a connection, but even the way they speak and present themselves is vastly different. Class here is emphasized more effectively than it is in so many other interclass historicals I've read, and it adds to the world immensely.

--You have a good balance of stakes and sweetness here. Aaron and Isabelle ultimately have a very sweet, romantic relationship. But that doesn't mean this is just some "friends fall in love" story (for the record, I wouldn't classify this as friends to lovers, as there's an immediate mutual spark when they meet). Isabelle is dealing not only with her father's legacy, but very real grief and the threat of a rival family.

--The sense of humor here is honestly quite charming. Isabelle is not an "easy" heroine; she's a little demanding, a little haughty, a bit of a... challenge. And Aaron is basically along for the ride, overwhelmed and bowled over. If you're into the "whirling dervish of a woman knows sensible man off his feet" thing, this is the book for you. And there's a reason why I referenced my favorite Anastasia moment above--you really do get the sense that Aaron believes he and Isabelle are impossible due to their class difference. She can't be with him! This beautiful, wealthy, headstrong girl can't lower herself to be his!!! I'm trash for it.

The Sex Stuff:

Here's where I'll admit I was... not let down, but confused. To be clear, this book is explicit, and stuff and things are done. But other stuff and things are alluded to, but for some reason are not on the page...? I was a bit uncertain about what exactly happened, and it feels a little cut short. This is not a closed door romance, and there are definitely discussions to be had about what constitutes sex in m/f romance novels; but the contrast of content on the page to content discussed but not depicted just didn't quite make sense to me.

I will say that what we get is well-done. Again, Isabelle... is a strong-willed young woman, and she does not let up off this man's neck for anything. The dialogue especially is good in those scenes--the dirty talk in this one? At points hot and at points (intentionally) hilarious. I did fear for his life. Also appreciate the discussion of 1800s birth control, please and thank you.

Plus--for those who enjoy a bit of femdom... I wouldn't classify this as a femdom novel, but Isabelle definitely has some baby domme vibes, and Aaron is not mad about it--at all. I really appreciated that natural aptitude and interest of hers. Also, if you're into the "clothed hero/naked heroine" thing (which... you're right) then you'll find something to enjoy here, for sure.

A light-but-not-too-light, fun read. I will admit that I typically enjoy heroes who are a bit edgier, but Aaron is lovely and much more interesting than your typical "nice boy" hero.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book because I'm dying to read more Jewish historical romance, but unfortunately the execution here was not strong enough to live up to the concept. The writing was very mixed and ultimately I had the same feeling I had after trying one of the author's indie-published books, which was basically that this is not quite ready for prime time yet. Rounding up to three stars. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Isabelle Lira is fast approaching a deadline: if she doesn't marry a suitable match soon, she risks losing her father's company. Among the top contenders for her hand are two of the three brothers--her business partners--who have set the ultimatum. Worried that the wrong man would only worsen her fate, she enlists the help of Aaron Ellenberg to dig up dirt on six of her potential suitors. But while Aaron is good at his job, he's good at something else, too: drawing Isabelle in. She knows he isn't a suitable match, knows she shouldn't consider him even for a moment, but she can't stop thinking about him, even as he gives her opinions on who he thinks she should marry. Even as he holds back his opinion that, if circumstances were different, it should be him.

Marry Me by Midnight drew me in right from the beginning. It was really nice reading a historical romance that wasn't the typical white ton-- while the Liras are rich, all the characters in the book are Jewish, which was definitely a different perspective than I'm used to reading in this time period, and I loved it.
It's a great, gender-bent spin on Cinderella, and I can't wait to read more by Felicia Grossman.

This story is an interesting twist on the Cinderella story. This tale takes place in London in the 1830’s in the Jewish community. Isabelle is a wealthy Jewish woman struggling to maintain control of her family’s company after her father’s death. She sets out to quick find a powerful husband to help protect her standing in the community, the company, and with the gentiles. Enter Aaron, the custodian at the synagogue. Isabelle asks Aaron to be her spy and to help her dig up dirt and secrets on her potential husbands. With the money Isabelle is offering he could finally start a new life. What neither of them expected was for a very inconvenient attraction to pop up between them complicating matters. I enjoyed the twist of the rich and powerful one being the woman for a change. This story did a great job highlighting the struggles of the Jewish community in England in the 1830’s, and I appreciated the author’s note at the end giving even more information. This was a quick fun read. I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

This book is so unapologetically and beautifully Jewish - dealing with different parts of the community, and its struggles within the majority culture - while also being incredibly relatable for a wider audience. It's a delightful gender-bent Cinderella story, that will keep you guessing at how it will achieve its HEA. I love that Isabelle isn't always very likable, she can be a stubborn spoiled brat and selfish at times, but is also always concerned about doing right by her family and community, and honoring her father's memory. And Aaron is an absolute - for lack of a better word - mentch. Despite his low position in the community, he loves it so much and wants to do right by it. Isabelle and Aaron's connection is so intense from the very beginning, unavoidable ad truly the definition of b'shert. This book was everything I could as for in a historical and in terms of Jewish representation.

I've never read a historical romance with jewish main characters so I was so excited to read this! There were a lot of great and interesting conversations about grief, legacy, community, hierarchy, power, and respectability in this book. This book's couple Aaron and Isabelle were a great example of the grumpy x sunshine trope. Isabelle is a rich girl who is confident and hilarious while Aaron is a bit of a grump because of his circumstances but is actually a sweet and kind man. I also liked their banter and how they bounced off of each other. Their chemistry was amazing! I also liked how the major conflicts were handled and it had just the right amount of angst.

I so wanted to love this book. A regency romance set in the Jewish quarter of London had so much potential for exploration of a rich cultural history. However, the reader is dropped into the setting without much world-building, which made for a bit of confusion, even for a Jewish reader. Like the setting, the character concepts are lovely but not fully realized. Odd inconsistencies throughout the book, such the smattering of Yiddish phrases but no Ladino, even though the majority of the characters were Sephardi made for a less than satisfying read. I hoped for more. 2.5 stars rounded up.

For those of you who are fans of the Bridgerton series and other Regency novels, this book is the one for you. Containing all the normal attributes of this genre of novels,intrigue, subterfuge, and of course romance, Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman is a Jewish twist on these stories. Isabelle Lira, the only heir to her father’s company, is being forced to marry to keep the family business intact. However, there is much tension in London between the Sephardi community, which Isabelle is a member of, and the newly replanted Ashkenazi community. In an effort to not anger their “gentile” neighbors, the two communities have to work together to make the Jew Bill (1832) come to fruition to give Jew rights in England. She entrusted a lowly synagogue custodian Aaron Ellenberg, an Ashkanazi to help her vett her prospective mates in an effort to find the one who will bow to her whims and save her father’s company.
A very jewish tale, the events take place during the Sefira period, leading up to Lag-Baomer. While not particularly religious, Isabelle attends synagogue services weekly and values her position in the Jewish community. In her quest to find a mate, three parties have been planned where the candidates will be presented and Isabelle will choose one before the Shavuot holiday, or risk losing the business forever.
In his quest to help Isabelle, Aaron gets a little too close and drama follows.
How often have you picked up a romance novel with a gentleman with a kippa on the cover?
A truly unique tale, the first in the Once Upon the East End series, Marry me by midnight is a must read for all you romance readers. Coming In august from Forever Publishing.

I try really hard not to DNF, but I just couldn’t get through this book. I found Isabelle very annoying and did not believe her chemistry with Aaron. The premise of a Jewish, reverse Cinderella historical romance was so charming, but I was disappointed by the execution.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

It’s so nice to read a historical romance with Jewish characters! This book is clever and I love the twist on Cinderella. Definitely one I’ll read again.

There is no magic except for author Felicia Grossman’s beautiful writing. The English Jewish community of 1830 is just as complex and cutthroat as the ton. To save her family’s position and company, Miss Isabelle Lira intends to marry a man she can manipulate. Unfortunately, she’s extremely attracted to a man who doesn’t possess any of the traits on her list. Aaron’s everything she didn’t know she needed. Great character development and growing attraction. A delightful addition to any historical library.

Heat level: multiple steamy scenes.