Midnight Duet

A Novel

By: Jen Comfort

Narrated by: Meg Sylvan, Hunter Millbrook

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?

©2023 Jen Comfort. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrators Meg Sylvan and Hunter Millbrook bring sparks to Comfort's (The Astronaut and the Star) sexy yet wacky romantic comedy.… Sylvan's impressions of Erika and Sibylle, Christof's sister and Nachtmusik's bassist, are a delight. Almost everything Erika says is tinged with confidence and sarcasm, while Sibylle's obsession with the occult is played for laughs. Millbrook vocalizes a version of Sibylle and the remaining members of Nachtmusik, including Christof, with pitch-perfect comedic timing. Sylvan's sultry take complements the leads' erotic chemistry. Even naysayers of the insta-love trope will root for Erika and Christof to have their happily ever after.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Meg Sylvan and Hunter Millbrook combine their narration talents in this story of love and betrayal—filled with references to Broadway.…Sylvan captures Erika's frustration and delicious sarcasm, while Millbrook masterfully balances the band members' voices and German accents. With two wonderful narrators, this audiobook becomes a fun romance to listen to more than once.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Midnight Duet [is] a gender-swapped “Phantom of the Opera”—which means the heroine, delightfully, gets to play the villain’s role. Erika Greene is ambitious, brashly confident, hedonistic, sharp-tongued, and sexually demanding….The electricity between Christof and Erika is instant and explosive.”—New York Times

Unexpectedly funny and brilliant!

I’ve had this audible sitting in my queue for some time and finally gave it a listen. Now I wish I listened earlier!! It was refreshingly beautiful, brilliant writing, and kept me engaged at every moment. Loved it!

That was very funny, and interesting.

I truly loved this book. It was so much better than I thought it would be. The characters were so incredibly funny and heartwarming in a weird sort of way. The narration was really very well done.

Funny, sexy delight

Funny, sexy, and perfectly threads the needle between fantastical and real. Jen Comfort writes an absolute smash of an "unlikeable" heroine. The voice actors crushed this one!

Interesting spin on The Phantom of the Opera

I really wanted to love this one after seeing rave reviews from a few friends, but sadly it never quite clicked for me. I think it was meant to be bonkers in the best way, but it ended up being too much. The cast of characters were fun and over the top (especially Christoff's sister), but the instalove between Erika and Christoff was a lot and I was never fully sold on their connection. I did love all of the Phantom of the Opera nods and parallels, so kudos to the author for working those in so wonderfully. The book was also deliciously steamy and that pseudo-mutual masturbation scene was an unexpected treat.

I listened and read the ebook and I do feel that my enjoyment of the story was diminished because of my dislike of the male narrator's German accent. Hunter Millbrook's performance was otherwise great, but every time he voiced Christoff (or the other members of the band) I was taken out of the story. Meg Sylvan was wonderful as Erika though and I enjoyed her POV chapters a lot more.

CW: fire, disfiguring injury, grief, anxiety, financial insecurity, FMC previously had sex with married/men in relationships

80s Hair Band Glamour FTW

I am so glad that I read this. Phantom of the Opera had such a chokehold on my high school experience. I know. You're shocked. The show choir nerd was obsessed with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Well this book is absolutely everything that my high school self deserved.

Erika is the most dramatic b*tch I've ever read. I love her so much. She is a diva and I only wish she were a little less apologetic about it!

Christof is a glamorous German hair-band lead singer. What a description. What a man. He is hilarious. He has a budget spreadsheet, but wears leather pants for the sake of the fit in the Nevada heat!

The characters in this hair band. I would one million percent listen to Nachtmusik right now. They started out as a Scorpions cover band and it's not ironic at all. It is glitzy and glamorous and everything a rock opera requires it to be.

In all seriousness, the best part of this book aside from the epic love between Erika and Christof, is how many song lyrics from the stage production of Phantom of the Opera were worked into the text. It's masterful. And every time I heard one, I squealed and giggled to myself.

The audio production was SO GOOD. Meg Sylvan does a very attractive accent for a German man! And Hunter Millbrook provided the perfect comedic counter point. I highly recommend listening!!

Love Love Loved it!!

This gender reversed modern Phantom of the Opera was absolutely amazing!! It warmed this theatre nerd’s heart!

Love it!

Not your typical love story. It made me smile many times. Definitely not what I expected. Truly enjoyed it.

Sexy, titillating, wonderful

I already loved this book but the audio narrators did a fantastic job. This book is perfectly spicy and the plot is charmingly fun. 10/10 would recommend to everyone.

great story

An unusual take on a rock band but well worth a credit. Nice to hear a new take on The Rocker life.

Everything I wanted

This book is sexy and quirky and wholly unique and totally badass and absolutely must be experienced in audio. It was a freaking delight.