Midnight Duet

Comfort (The Astronaut and the Star) delivers a high-heat, high-volume contemporary romance based on The Phantom of the Opera. After a disfiguring accident arranged by a rival, former Broadway diva Erika Greene nurses her wounds in Paris (Nevada, not France). Her life is in ruins, and so is her home, the crumbling opera house and onetime brothel she inherited from her grandmother. With the fire marshal circling, and rich and unscrupulous property developer Raoul Decomte not far behind, Erika needs a miracle. Enter Christof Daae, the intoxicating, recently heartbroken front man of German hair metal band Nachtmusik, who insists that the haunting atmosphere of the opera house is perfect for bringing Nachtmusik’s next album to life. Neither Christof nor Erika intend to fall into bed—or, in this case, the costume closet—together, but from the moment they meet, it’s as inevitable as a drumbeat. Can they save the band, the opera house, and maybe each other, too? Though the plot hews too close to Phantom to hold many surprises, the spicy sex scenes titillate, and the plot is leavened with humor and unabashed silliness. Musical theater fans will especially appreciate the constant winking references to a classic. Agent: Eva Scalzo, Speilburg Literary. (Jan.)