DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT by Emma Holly

A Novel of the Upyr
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: November 2nd, 2010
ISBN: 9780425237816
Paranormal Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained ARC via Publisher


Mercenary Christian Durand has tried to shield his men from his maniacal and power mad father. When he spies a beautiful ghost, he thinks he is finally going insane after this ghost tries to tell him they are friends in another life. Torn between wanting the ghost woman and fleeing, Christian finds it hard to believe her claims of living a life in another time. All he knows she calls to him in ways he never anticipates.

Grace Gladwell knows about abusive fathers when her own father beats her to death for kissing a boy. One minute she is living in 1950 and the next talking to a soldier in 1460. Grace had never had a friend before so when she meets Christian, she has to convince him she isn’t an angel nor a demon. As their friendship turns to something more, Grace and Christian will have to deal with the Vampire Queen who has set her sights on Christian. Can these two find a way to fight together for their love or will all be lost?

Ok, I have got to admit, I really liked this author’s past books but DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT was a little weird for me. The story had a few plot twists that either had me confused or wincing in horror by what the characters were doing. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was good, classic Ms. Holly but it was the characters that had me, at times, wondering what the heck happened to the author I loved? I mean we have got the supposed hero, Christian running around, professing his love for Grace and then he does a total one eighty that had me gasping in disbelief and basically turned me off him completely as a character. As a reader I love multi-dimensional characters that come across as relatable, have layers to peel back and emotions to feel but Christian kept making me want to smack him upside the head in anger three-quarters of the time while I read DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT. Grace was also a hard character to swallow as well. As much as I like the angle of her being a ghost in the ‘In Between’, she was, at times, one heroine I wanted to yell ‘get a spine’ from all the back and forth Christian did in the book. Add in the Vampire Queen Nim Wei’s obsession with Christian, two fathers who made my skin crawl from their abuse towards everyone, I was wondering what happened to the story I found intriguing from the book blurb.

Once the story decided to start doing all these weird plot twists, I had a hard time finishing this book. I understand that sometimes authors like to mix things up to get the readers going “OH MY GOD!” and flip the pages, but in DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT, it just didn’t work that well with me. Even though the author tries her best in creating a storyline that is a bit different, it just doesn’t carry over with me after I found the characters to be a bit distasteful. Plus there were a lot of sex scenes in the story just for the sake of filling in the story in some way. I got turned off, after awhile, from all of them as well.

DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT is a love ‘em or leave ‘em type of book for me as a reader. I enjoy Ms. Holly’s past books and will probably read those to get my fix for her unique and breathtaking stories. DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT just didn’t do it for me this time around. If you enjoy a weird story of vampires, ghosts, past lives and more, then you might enjoy DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT. Myself, I will just go read this author’s backlisted titles for my reading enjoyment instead.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT by Emma Holly

A novel of the Upyr
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: November 2010
ISBN: 978-0425237816
Paranormal Romance
Paper
Reviewed by Pam
Needs amazon link
Obtained from publisher

(3 hearts)


Grace Gladwell has had a life filled with abuse from her father. When he intentionally throws her toward a wall twice, she finds herself flung from America in the 1950’s to the 1400’s in Switzerland as a ghost.

Looking around an amphitheatre she hears a voice, and a man called Michael tells her he’s the guide and she has a true love she meets, again and again.

Christian Durand has followed in some ways his father, Gregori Durand. Cruel in way possible, he’s found Christian’s dog Lucy chasing after him on a hunt. To save her, Christian offers himself but after twenty whip lashes, he’s now ordered to kill his dog. When Grace’s ghost comes to comfort him, things begin to change.

Soon their band of mercenary’s take on a protection job for an unusual woman, who makes them march at night. Nim Wei is a vampire queen or Upyr who hides behind a minstrel’s garb. She’s set her sights on Christian to become her lifelong companion. Knowing the abuse he and his friends will undergo if he doesn’t go, Christian is defeated.

As I hadn’t read the previous books in the Upyr series, I found this tale a little unbelievable at times. DEVIL AT MIDNIGHT is an interesting take on vampires and immortal lives, but it leaves the reader to believe in the concept or not. The part where Grace has become Christian’s lover, the fact she can walk thru walls and through him plus appears almost whole to him sometimes. The book has some interesting scenes, especially in the way it brings medieval times to life.

The sex scenes become very hot but a little monotonous and boring at times, as the scenes are repeated too often. Christian seems to become addicted to sex above most other things, especially when Grace is touching him. As they travel across Europe his father becomes even more unbearable, as he tries to cozy up to Nim Wei, realizing the men who spend a night with her become stronger.

The gory fight scenes are described in detail, so not a book for the faint hearted.
The characters are well drawn enough to make them come alive in the readers mind.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

Fairyville by Emma Holly

Berkley Sensation
September 2007
ISBN 978-0-425-21705-4
Trade Paperback
Paranormal Erotic Romance


Growing up being able to communicate with the dead, and having fairies pop in and out at all times of the day and night isn’t so odd for Zoe Clare. After all she is a “real” Fairyviller and not just a “normal” in the town. But even having her gifts has not made her lucky in love. She has been pining over her landlord/manager Magnus Monroe for the two years she has known him. And to add salt to the wound she has had to watch him go off with a different woman each month to have vigorous and meaningless sex. Hearsay has his stamina and talents to please taking on near mythic proportions.

There is a reason why the magnificent Magnus has avoided doing the deed with Zoe. He comes close and tries to make the situation as satisfactory as possible for the woman he has come to so admire. But close doesn’t seem to count and suddenly there is a rival in her old high school love.

Alex Goodbody left town in shame many years ago and broke his and Zoe’s heart. Now he is back, but as a PI on a case…and he has brought Bryan McCallum his longtime professional partner that has recently become his lover with him.

Ms. Holly continues to please with this story of relationships, humans, fairies, and otherworldly things. Anyone remotely familiar with this author’s work will know that there will be plenty of sizzling sex scenes between hero and heroine, and hero and hero, and other permutations of the characters together. But what really sets this author’s work above many others in her genre is her ability to put convincing meaning and emotion into those scenes.

The characters are multi-faceted and we enjoy learning about Zoe, Magnus, Alex and Bryan. All are rather loveable characters in their own right and shine in different ways. With Zoe’s affinity with the otherworldly, it makes sense that she has attracted the two men she has as possible partners in her life.

Explanations of the fairy realm and other existences were imaginatively done and interesting enough that one wishes we had seen more of the former and its denizens.

This story really focuses on the main characters as two couples, and the mystery of a child whose mother believes must have been switched at birth. As we discover more about Magnus and Alex, things grow very clear regarding the latter. Everything ties together in a remarkably neat manner at the conclusion and a happy ending is had by all.

For those who love their romances red hot, or those who love their erotic scenes in a heartwarming tale. Clear your schedule before beginning the book so that you can enjoy your visit to FAIRYVILLE uninterrupted.