Fade To Midnight (McClouds & Friends, #7) by Shannon McKenna

Mar 09, 2011 willaful rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: series completionists

Shelves: skanky-villains, other-side-of-tracks-or-misalliance, amnesia, made-me-shiver

Warning: inevitable spoiler for Edge of Midnight. If you’ve read this book’s summary, you already know it.

Whew, this was a trip.

Kevin McCloud, brother of Davy, Connor and Sean, was long dead when their stories began. Though being a mystery reader, I knew from page 8 of Edge of Midnight, when we read that “Kev’s body had been charred beyond recognition,” that he wasn’t really dead. And sure enough, by the end of that book, the McCloud brothers know it too. Though fairly inexplicably, when this st...more Warning: inevitable spoiler for Edge of Midnight. If you’ve read this book’s summary, you already know it.

Whew, this was a trip.

Kevin McCloud, brother of Davy, Connor and Sean, was long dead when their stories began. Though being a mystery reader, I knew from page 8 of Edge of Midnight, when we read that “Kev’s body had been charred beyond recognition,” that he wasn’t really dead. And sure enough, by the end of that book, the McCloud brothers know it too. Though fairly inexplicably, when this story begins three years later, they have yet to do anything about it.

The first feeling I had reading this was... well, perhaps “disappointment” isn’t the right word, because it was a disappointment I pretty much expected. Kev sounded like such an interesting, different character in the previous book -- though naturally he never actually appeared -- but here, sure enough, he’s pretty much just another incredibly skilled, hard-fighting, hard-lovin’ uxorious McCloud brother. He’s super-smart but we’re mostly told about that, we never really see how it affected him as a person.

I also found myself reluctant to keep reading. All of McKenna’s romantic suspense books are dark, but there’s usually a bit of distance to keep the reader from getting overwhelemed. Here, many horrible things had already happened to Kev and his love-interest Edie, and I strongly suspected more horrible things were going to happen. (I wasn't wrong.)

But I kept on and in the second half, things got... good? Well, they got something. There’s a lot going on with the Kev’s brothers as they slowly discover what’s been going on, a lot of feelings for them, and for Kev. That was powerful. And there’s some poignant sacrifice and redemption in the ending, especially for a character who had made some dubious decisions.

There was still a lot I didn’t much like. Edie’s family and everyone associated with them are just over-the-top awful. They’re not the super-villains of the piece, but they don’t seem to have a speck of humanity towards her. And we don't see enough of what happens between Kev and his brothers, after all the action is finished. That is so big, where did it go?

And saddest of all... this is Shannon McKenna and I didn’t like the sex scenes. That's like ordering a banana split and getting bad ice cream. They seemed out of place and out of character, especially Edie’s persistence and aggression. I was kind of relieved when the couple were mostly separated for the last half of the book.

Ultimately I guess I was glad to have read it and finished up the series. But it's well named, because the McClouds sort of fade away... not with a bang, but a whimper.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2010 Dina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica-romantica, romantic-suspense, to-blog, series-mcclouds

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

15 likes · like · see review

Jul 26, 2010 Miss Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense, 2010, she-is-tstl, doorstops

Finally! Since I finished Edge of Midnight, I’ve been dying to know what happened to Kev. Where has he been? How bad is the brain damage? Does he know he has 3 brothers?

18 years ago, Kev was a victim of the sickening mind control experiments of a crazy doctor. He was dumped and presumed dead, but he was found by a man that took him in and let him live with him. Kev is badly scarred, is and mute for years. Little by little, he begins to talk again, and realizes there is so much missing from his...more

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 29, 2012 Zeek rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-all-time, rom-suspense, rom-suspense-erotic, alpha-hero, favorite-hero, favorite-heroine

Kev's story was abit of a letdown- the baddies are completely eeeviel and I wanted to smack her family for being so selfish and rotten. (Totally cliched on both counts.)

BUT I loved Edie- smart, a bit backwards socially but oh so fierce and Kev's a McCloud- so of COURSE he's oversexed, uber alpha and extremely intense. (Kev is the epitome of tortured hero (literally) and exactly the kinda romance hero I adore. Yes he's finally reunited with the rest of his family but this story is all His and Edi...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2011 Trish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: shannon-mckenna, suspense, series, contemporary, favorites

I loved Kevin's story!!!!! I am a big fan of the books from Shannon McKenna. This book had suspense, action, romance, confused alpha male, and evil psychopaths who must be stopped. My kind of story. I have been so busy lately that reading is taking longer than usual. I stayed up last night to finish the book and was not disappointed. I am sorry that it is over.

In my excitment I do not want to post spoilers so the following is from the book cover: Beaten and torured almost to death, Kev Larson w...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 05, 2013 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ALMOST LIKE WATCHING A LONG, IMPROBABLE DUKES OF HAZARD EPISODE.
So Kev McCloud finally got his book. What a ride this one was. In many ways a fitting end to the series and in some ways this story showcased how long in the tooth the series was becoming. This was totally Kev's book, thankfuly, the author did not clog it up with too many cut aways to the grieving brothers, but I felt she used Sean and his long suffering stance of "I know he's alive, I feel it in me bones" well and heck Liv was a to...more ALMOST LIKE WATCHING A LONG, IMPROBABLE DUKES OF HAZARD EPISODE.
So Kev McCloud finally got his book. What a ride this one was. In many ways a fitting end to the series and in some ways this story showcased how long in the tooth the series was becoming. This was totally Kev's book, thankfuly, the author did not clog it up with too many cut aways to the grieving brothers, but I felt she used Sean and his long suffering stance of "I know he's alive, I feel it in me bones" well and heck Liv was a total hoot. I was a bit sorry to not have seen more of the wives of the other brothers but trust me that when Liv (Sean's wife) make her appearance she holds it up for the rest of the estrogen troop.

The thing with this series and this author is that it's all sort of a one trick pony by saying that I mean there is a lot of isolation, on the run and filthy grubbiness (for once why can't we escape from the evil-doers in style for pete's sake) big guns, slapping, drooling and horrible, horrible bad guys. However with this story the 2 bad guys were more Abbott & Costello that bad guys with any real teeth. By 1/2 way through the book their plans for world domination was silly and filled with ineptitudes and the trail of bodies left along the roadsides, forest lanes, driveways, buildings and the freezer was too unrealistic. The poor po-dunk cops are gonna take a big hit in this town when it becomes clear that so much was going on under their noses that good old fashioned police work coulda solved.

But the focal point as ever is the McCloud man and men. Kevin was actually very likeable and I sorta really loved the way he approached Edie for the first time. However he then went from shy, uncertain, scarred semi-amnesiac to a freakin millionaire, Rambo, Dirk Diggler... I couldn't upshift so fast.

Then when it becomes clear that the other McCloud boys have found their lost brother, the fur and bullets fly. At certain points it was soooo yahooo, giddyap, soildier up, ride-or die I just could not stop envisioning those old Dukes of Hazard episodes where they blow up Boss Hog's latest contraption and get away by sliding across the hood of the General Lee hollering loudly in the night and whizzing past bullets with Boss Hog waving his fists in the air and screaming "I'll git them Duke boys"!!

Maybe I have O-D'd on too much x-cog myself but I am really happy this series is ended, I enjoyed the book but I am waiting to see what next adventure Ms. McKenna can create and hope there is a bit more versatility in her bag of tricks.(less)

like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: part-of-series, traded-sold

I don't even know where to start on this book. What a crazy, violent, sex-charged, emotional, over-the-top story. I really liked Kev. REALLY liked him. I think he did the best he could with the hands he'd been dealt, which had been horrible. Not only was he super tough & sexy, but he was basically a really, really good person. One of my favorite things about a romance book is when the hero just knows the one for him. He was borderline obsessed with Edie, but it was a good obsessed. He saw th...more

like · see review

Aug 17, 2010 Schnuppi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kev, the lost McCloud brother, starts to remember stuff from his past after a headinjury. He remembers Dr. Osterman, the villian from Edge of Midnight, and comes across Charles Parrish who is a former associate of Osterman and his daughter Edie. Edie is also a former victim of Dr. O and Kev and Edie have this insane, wild chemestry that is so typical for Shannon McKenna's books.

Shannon McKenna delivers exactly what she is known for: A very fast-paced, sometimes ugly plot; a hero that is very in...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 28, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense-thriller

Scary roller coaster ride. Excellent pulling me in emotionally. My frustration was how and why conflicts occurred.

I love this author. I eagerly pounce on every new book she writes. I’ve given 5 stars to many of her books, but this book gave me problems. Put an outline on the blackboard showing all the conflicts and how and why they occurred, and you get the following. Bad decisions by good people. People being told the truth and not believing it. Good guys knowing they are in danger but going of...more Scary roller coaster ride. Excellent pulling me in emotionally. My frustration was how and why conflicts occurred.

I love this author. I eagerly pounce on every new book she writes. I’ve given 5 stars to many of her books, but this book gave me problems. Put an outline on the blackboard showing all the conflicts and how and why they occurred, and you get the following. Bad decisions by good people. People being told the truth and not believing it. Good guys knowing they are in danger but going off alone. Bad guys repeatedly lucky. Bad guys’ lies repeatedly believed by everyone. Edie’s truths repeatedly not believed by almost everyone, and their responses to Edie were abusive. I’ve read other books which used some of these conflict devices, and I was fine with it. Limited use is ok. My problem here is this particular “mix” and the “quantity” – way too much of it.

There are multiple conflicts where the bad guys get the good guys, the good guys get away, and then the bad guys get them again later. Getting out of conflicts was done well. But WHY the characters were put in danger was my problem.

A couple of times, the author used a “temporary cliffhanger” which I didn’t like. For example, Kev enters a room, sees bad guys coming in, Kev takes the first shot, and then the author switches to another scene with other characters for several pages before returning to Kev. I prefer logical endings to scenes. There is plenty of suspense due to content. I don’t need this “artificial suspense.” I’ll accept occasional use if it’s helpful to show other things going on, but that was not the case here.

Kev and Edie have some arguments along the way which I didn’t care for. They were based on each one thinking they were not good enough for the other.

Something important was missing. I needed a scene or two with all the brothers finally being together and having a heart to heart about the missing 18 years.

On the positive side, McKenna is great at pulling me in emotionally to the characters. In the first part of the book I hurt for Kev, and I was scared to death of Ava. When I read another book “Ecstasy Unveiled,” I did NOT hurt for the tortured hero, and I was NOT afraid of the bad guy. In my review of that book, I used “Fade to Midnight” as an example of how to pull readers in emotionally (to the characters). McKenna is great at doing that. She also writes excellent action scenes and events. She shows not tells.

As with several other McKenna books, this was a scary roller coaster ride. It was hard to put down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen. The suspense kept me awake at night. I enjoyed it a lot, even though I had the problems mentioned above.

DATA:
Story length: 490 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong, including rape. Number of sex scenes: 12. Approximate number of sex scene pages: 22. Setting: current day Oregon and Washington state. Copyright: 2010. Genre: romantic suspense thriller.

OTHER BOOKS:
Of her full length novels, I gave 5 stars to: Behind Closed Doors, Standing in the Shadows, Return to Me, Out of Control, Hot Night, Edge of Midnight, Extreme Danger, and Ultimate Weapon. I gave 4 stars to Tasting Fear and 3 stars to Fade to Midnight. She’s done some short stories in anthologies which I rated 3 stars and 5 stars. The 5 star short stories are in the following anthologies: All Through the Night and Bad Boys Next Exit.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Jul 20, 2010 Bookaholics rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fade To Midnight (Mccloud Brothers) by Shannon McKenna
Contemporary Romance - June 1, 2010
4 stars

Fade to Midnight is an intriguing and suspenseful read. I was quickly drawn to the deeply scarred and vunerable main characters. Fans will enjoy the conclusion of this story. But new readers will want to read Edge of Midnight first to better understand the complexity of this fascinating novel, since the author immediately jumps into an involving plot.

Kev is the eccentric, rich and brilliant mind behin...more Fade To Midnight (Mccloud Brothers) by Shannon McKenna
Contemporary Romance - June 1, 2010
4 stars

Fade to Midnight is an intriguing and suspenseful read. I was quickly drawn to the deeply scarred and vunerable main characters. Fans will enjoy the conclusion of this story. But new readers will want to read Edge of Midnight first to better understand the complexity of this fascinating novel, since the author immediately jumps into an involving plot.

Kev is the eccentric, rich and brilliant mind behind many innovative children’s toys. His skills surpass the normal man but his history is clouded in mystery, even to himself. But his past is suddenly revealed when a concussion opens up a memory of an evil scientist named Dr. Osterman. (Dr. Osterman performed highly dangerous and experimental research on him and other children.) Kev is also haunted by an angel whose memory gives him strength. When he discovers a graphic novel whose hero bears a striking resemblance to him and his life he is determined to hunt the author down. Only to discover that she is the guardian angel he has dreamed of all of these years.

Edie is an heiress without money, shunned by her parents. Due to her strange behavior and gifts since she was experimented on by Dr. Osterman. She has powers that enable her to read strong emotions and the future. She is also haunted by a scarred boy who she writes in her graphic novels. When she suddenly meets a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to her hero she can’t stop the sudden connection and passion she feels to be near him.

In Fade to Midnight Shannon McKenna introduces her most emotionally charged main characters yet! Both are misfits and long for a sense of belonging that is immediately recognized when they find each other again.

This was a stirring romance. I loved how the 2 main characters finally found each other and compliment one another. They finally found a person would could completely acceptance and understand them. Even though their relationship progresses very quickly I felt their relationship was destined. The scenes between them were very touching and HOT. This book is a little different from the author’s previous novels. The hero is not the supreme alpha male that she is known for writing due to his past but his is also not a pushover. He is definitely more sensitive and sympathetic.

This couple belonged together and is a romance to savor.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 12, 2010 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rs-mystery-thriller, paranormal-elements, back-from-the-dead, tortured-hero, psychic-hero-or-heroine, my-4-star-romances

The seventh book in Shannon McKenna's McCloud & Friends series. Finally, Kev's story. I've waited way too long to be able to read it. I probably would have enjoyed more if I had reread the previous books to get my memory refreshed on certain issues but I got rid of them so I couldn't. Nevertheless, I was able to follow the story fairly well without the reread. Great balance of suspense and romance with the emphasis on romance. Very entertaining.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 22, 2010 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Oct 06, 2010 Cindi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to give FTM (McClouds #7) 5 stars because so many things made this book different from the norm, in a positive way. The writing style was unusual - all short, choppy sentences - but it worked. Ms. McKenna chose her words with intent, and shortened her sentences to create a certain style. This allowed me to feel I was in a man's thoughts(scary, huh?)and let me tell you, the process was DIFFERENT. I admit I laughed when Kev's emotions become unblocked and he is told by the doctor that, yes,...more I have to give FTM (McClouds #7) 5 stars because so many things made this book different from the norm, in a positive way. The writing style was unusual - all short, choppy sentences - but it worked. Ms. McKenna chose her words with intent, and shortened her sentences to create a certain style. This allowed me to feel I was in a man's thoughts(scary, huh?)and let me tell you, the process was DIFFERENT. I admit I laughed when Kev's emotions become unblocked and he is told by the doctor that, yes, men are ALWAYS thinking about sex so his now thundering libido is "normal".

So this thriller is not your average chic-lit by a long shot. In fact, it was a disturbing novel. It had been so long since I'd read the other books in this series (and yes, you need to read them first) that I had forgotten the horror of Dr. O's awful mental experiments *read: torture* and gotten numb to the terrible loss Kev's twin feels. So the romance is all from a man's POV and we all know alpha males don't really think about romance at all. They kind of freak out when they fall in love but immediately strive to get what they want; they make multiple mistakes in communicating with their woman but usually are attracted to incredible, strong ladies who explain what they need to do and why they need to do it in order to keep their relationship going. Luckily the McCloud brothers are all smart enough to listen and obey, even if they don't actually understand.

I couldn't tell if this was the final book in the series, but I doubt it. I want to hear adopted brother Gordon's story - the man is a hoot (he keeps breaking into his brother's loft and leaving food. When he knows his emotionally strangled brother is bringing home his woman for the first time, he also lights candles and leaves rose petals strewn over the bed. When asked by the McCloud brothers - whose wives have expounded on how incredible he is for thinking to do such a romantic thing - why he would do such a thing, Gordon admits he does it to get laid but he doesn't actually know why it works . . . ) and a half. The secondary characters are quite tangible and integral to the story, in addition to providing a bit of comic relief.

My only complaint is the editing and proofreading. I understand that this style of writing is difficult to proof electronically but I just can't understand why a physical proofreading did not catch sentences where the entire word was incorrect (i.e.: "the" should have been "she"). I almost downgraded to a 4 star rating but ultimately decided this was the publishers fault and not that of the author.(less)

like · see review

Jan 20, 2013 Elaine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alpha-male-s, blazing-hot, great-plot, hostage-non-con, owned-kindle, romantic-suspense, rough-past, series, slippery-when-wet, super-satisfying, violence, wounded-soul, pnr

If you are reading this review without having read the prior books in the series, be informed now that you MUST read the series in order, and that this is Book 7. The series is awesome, but you cannot start with book 7.

Loved reading the story of Kevin, the once thought dead McCloud brother. As with the other brothers, he is a very complex character, but because he was lacking some of the history with them, he often had a different approach, making things fun when they all finally met up.

I also e...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 03, 2012 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, new-reads-2012

I have to admit, I kind of cheated on this one. Normally, I figure if I'm going to put it up on Goodreads, I have to read every word. Only, I found the ick-factor on this book a little too high for my taste. I got it -- sadistic mad scientists like to torture people in new and shudder-inducing ways. Once, OK. Twice, OK. Three times, enh. Four, five, six times. These were like the teflon bad guys. Just push 'em over a cliff already and let's get on with things. Every time the plot seemed to be mo...more

like · see review

Feb 02, 2012 Vasiliki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this and probably would have given it a higher rating if it wasn't for the detailed descriptions of the villains' brutality. This made me uncomfortable at times and made my reading experience painful too. It's some time since I've read this author but I felt that there was an element of gratuitousness to the violence.

However if you have a strong stomach and don't mind really sinister and psychopathic baddies with nothing held back in the describing of their crimes then go for it. The de...more

like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 Gwynne Andal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The action started way early and I loved it. Couldn't put the book down.

I guess this would be my favorite in the bunch. Yep, I jumped Nick and Tamara's story after I read Sean because I wanted to find out what happened to Kevin. The whole concept of the crown and controlling others was really intriguing and creepy. I also liked how the hero managed the manipulation.

Kevin is my favorite McCloud because he was sensitive and vulnerable and almost always on the verge of tears because of the onslaugh...more

like · see review

Oct 28, 2011 Cara Ellison rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense

I should preface this by saying I love Shannon McKenna's books. I've read all of them, and I plan to continue reading them. That said, I want my money back for this book.

Before I get to the substantive stuff, I'll point out that McKenna is in dire need of an editor. This book had typos all over the place. "Lights shown from his eyes." "He as dead." "Have gave." "Incounter". Are you effing kidding me? I paid $8 for this book - I expect it to be a little more polished than your average internet ra...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 04, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, enhanced-human, romance, sexy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't have access to the whole series... so the McClouds were introduced in earlier books - the four brothers were reaised by Eamon McCloud, a vietnam vet that suffered from paranoia, raising his boys in isolation, teaching/training them to be tough, to fight, to hunt, to self educate... But at 18ish Kev is kidnapped by Dr. Osterman, who finds him the perfect subject for his torture-ous mind control (he doesn't die after a session)... but Kev learns to shut off his mind, and escapes... He goes...more I don't have access to the whole series... so the McClouds were introduced in earlier books - the four brothers were reaised by Eamon McCloud, a vietnam vet that suffered from paranoia, raising his boys in isolation, teaching/training them to be tough, to fight, to hunt, to self educate... But at 18ish Kev is kidnapped by Dr. Osterman, who finds him the perfect subject for his torture-ous mind control (he doesn't die after a session)... but Kev learns to shut off his mind, and escapes... He goes to Charles Parrish's office (who is funding Osterman's research), but Parrish is horrified, and in shock at Kev's appearance (blood, scars, bruises, etc) does not make the connection with Osterman, and has him removed - and his 12 year old daughter Edie witnesses this - Kev's eyes stay on the daughter as he is removed, and she becomes an angel is his mind that guides him to peace & sanity. Kev was rescued by Tony, a vietnam vet who saw him being beaten to death through security cameras and intervened... For years Kev actged brain dead - no speaking, no responses... and Tony set him up in a room in the back of his restaurant, and used him for menial labor. Tony did not take him to a doctor, thinking those who beat him would be looking for him there... and though he found dog tags on him with Eamon MacCloud's name, after looking into MacCloud and his reputation, he thought Kev was one of his men, and again that he would be harmed if connected to him... after a few years, Tony's grand nephew Bruno comes to live with him and his sister... Bruno is a year younger than Kev, and he is a nonstop talker... and when Kev defends him when three of his mother's gangster lover (who killed his mother) come to take him, Kev steps up and lays them out flat (dad's training kicking in), and Bruno idolitizes him, followinghim around, helping him, talking to him... until Kev finally finds the words to tell him to be quiet : ) And Kev, bit by bit, tough he has no memory of his past, does learn to live in this world - Kev has a brilliant mind, and Bruno takes a kite design (with a mandala symbol he had painted on his ceiling in his boyhood) and sells the design... and continues to produce educational toys ... they start Lost Boys Toys, with Bruno the face of the company, and the company is doing quite well... Kev has taken up extreme sports to feel alive ... and though he has a premonition of bad, he goes rafting and sees 2 teens out of control, heading for a waterfall... and in his efforts to save them (he only rescues one), he goes over the waterfall & survives... and after being knocked around and brain surgery, something is loose in his head - and he is starting to remember... and its making him crazy...

as he pulls the threads, discovers Osterman's name (goes into another short 'como' at seeing his face on the computer)... and then he sees a picture of his students - and recognizes his angel - Edie Parrish - and when he and Bruno come across her graphic novels, and he recognizes himself and many of his life events in her novels, he decides he must meet her...

Edie, a bit of a rebellious teen, spends time in Osterman's modified program for rich teens (not total mind control, but brainwashing & electrical shock)... of the teens in the program, many die (mysteriously, or of suicide, or of health issues) - and the 'successes' (by Osterman's standard) have their morals/inhibitions stripped and consider themselves Osterman's army... Edie leaves the program, more damaged and less acceptable by her family... the part of her that is unblocked is a part that can 'see' other's auras, futures, personality and it most happens when she draws - often compulsively draws. She will not toe the line with her father's demand (taking medication to control her hallucinations, dressing a certain way, acting in certain ways), and he does not support her (trying to control her). The only pull he has over her is because of her younger sister, whom she loves and wants to see more of... She supports herself (though not extravangantly) through her graphic novels... and a turning point in her life was seeing the damaged man in her father's office j- and the hero of her novels is the dark Fade Shadowseeker - based on her connection to Kev - to the man she saw at her father's office - and with whom she shares some sort of psychic connection - in her dreams & in her drawings. I found it inconsistent that once she and Kev connect, she drew him the first night and one reluctant other night at his insistence... where before this she was compulsive about drawing at any onset of stress... hmmmm

and the MacCloud brothers and their wives are having babies... and his twin, Sean, is expecting his first... but he has been having more disturbing dreams than usual about Kev... and his wife and brothers don't accept that it is due to a true connection to Kev, but his own stress... One of the brothers (3 years earlier) was osterman's subject... but he & his now wife manage to kill Osterman & get their freedom, and some truths come out about what Osterman was up to.

And Kev and Edie recognize one another... and though Edie wants to deny her connection to him through her drawings, she is drawn to him and keeps her with him... Their relationship is a crazy duel of two crazies - who feel and express and accepts their passions, but both feel damaged and not worthy of the other and that sabatoges their time more than anything else... and out of their natures, and out of their insecurities, there are some dominant games going on (I want sex now, I don't care if we're in a car in an alley... if we start, i won't stop having sex with you until i'm done... yadda yadda)... but both find salvation in the other.

Osterman's army - Dr. Ava Cheung (who's best subject was Kev & who envies Edie, whom she thinks got the breaks she didn't), Desmond Marr (president of Helix), and Tom Bixby (gangster, who can supply Russian artistic disposable women for Ava to experiment on)... are continuing Osterman's research into a cap pairs that allows one complete physical control of another human - a perfect assassin... and they plot to kill daddy Parrish and younger sister Parrish, and blame it on crazy Edie Parrish - later modified to blame it on Kev, Edie's lover - so that they would have control of his money...

After a few days/nights of passion; unsuccessful attacks from Parrish's security men & from tom Bixby's men; hiding out in the Ranieri cabin, Kevin meets with Des (thinking he is looking at Osterman archive files, not knowing it was a trap)... and drugged, taken down to the basement lab, and left with Ava - Ava puts the cap on him... he shuts down, but then 'hears' Edie's call & protection... mentally emerges, and takes control of Ava (reversing the flow?) and gets free (freeing one of the Russian subjects, who later testifies for him)... but in the mean time, Des has killed Edie's father, Edie finds out and leaves the cabin to go to her sister... not being able to reach Kev, and seeing that he was set up to take the blame she sneaks out of her dad's house/compound - Des corners her, just as Kev has located her... and they are reunited - although some harsh words as Kev reacts in his fear & disappointment in her apparent mistrust...

By this time, Kev's brothers have unraveled their threads - tracking down the kite/toy company, Bruno & Tony... and tracking the Shadowman author, and Kev's home... and Kev helps to rescue Sean & Liv from his apartment, and they are all rescued by Tony/Bruno and the rest of the family... and then they rescue Edie from Des... and they are one of the commandos hide outs... but Tom tracks them down, and Edie gets taken again & drugges... but she fights off Ava (who has capped her and wants to her to kill her sister) by going to her 3rd eye... and she feels Ava's emotions & memories and feels sorry for her... and when Kev & company shows up, Ava takes Edie out on the roof, and drops them both... Ava died, Edie survived with some broken bones and emotional backlash from the drugs & experience... and isolates herself with her sister, aunt, and cousin in a country home. After being released from jail (only took 24 hours for Kev's innocence to be proven), Kev is frantic to find Edie, but can't... he's angry that she won't give the courtseyof a good by if that's what she wants...

and 6 weeks later Ronnie (sister) calls him, and tells him where they are... and he goes to her - and they talk... and they are both tentative and afraid... and Edie is weak and out of control... and Kev reassures her... and they reconnect... and kiss... and know their destiny is with one another... ahhhh

(less)

like · see review

Jul 04, 2010 Jill Dunlop rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fade to Midnight is the long awaited conclusion to Shannon McKenna's McCloud Brother series. It features the long lost missing brother Kev who is Sean's twin, whom they believed has been dead all these years. Sean troubled by nightmares believes his twin is still alive. Kev is alive but has no recollection of his former life. As a self protective mechanisim his brain has chosen to forget the torture Kev experienced at the hands of a mad scientist.

Fade to Midnight starts out with a fairly intrigu...more Fade to Midnight is the long awaited conclusion to Shannon McKenna's McCloud Brother series. It features the long lost missing brother Kev who is Sean's twin, whom they believed has been dead all these years. Sean troubled by nightmares believes his twin is still alive. Kev is alive but has no recollection of his former life. As a self protective mechanisim his brain has chosen to forget the torture Kev experienced at the hands of a mad scientist.

Fade to Midnight starts out with a fairly intriguing premise. Kev McCloud can't remember is past but for some reason he continually pictures a beautiful girl, whom he deems his "angel". He discovers that his angel is actually a real person, Edie Parrish. She has made him the main character in her popular graphic novel. Edie had horrible experiments done on her as a child. These experiments eventually lead to her psychic abilities which come out through her drawings. Edie has always been shy and a disappointment to her father.

The best part of Fade to Midnight is in the beginning when Kev and Edie first meet. They come together in an emotional and fiery explosion. If you have read McKenna before than you’ll know what I am talking about. Kev immediately knows that Edie is the woman for him and he must have her and protect her at all costs. He struggles with wanting to keep Edie safe and do what is best for her, yet he can't seem to keep his hands off of her which places them in danger. Oh, what a conundrum.

Unfortunately, after Kev and Edie get separated from each other because of the bad guys, the book takes a downturn. I felt like things got dragged out too much. The bad guys are so completely over the top eeeevil. Actually, why we are on the subject, everything about this book is over the top. Which can be great in small doses, but in this book at close to 500 pages it got old after a while. In the beginning it is exciting and addictive but by the end of the book I was uninterested and ready for it to be over.

I think fans of the McCloud Brother series will not want to miss this conclusion. But do keep in mind that Fade to Midnight is not without its share of problems.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 05, 2012 Marleen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As always you can’t go wrong with Shannon McKenna when you are looking for steamy romance combined with action-packed adventure. Again here, with her 7th McCloud brothers installment, McKenna delivers just that. Unfortunately there were aspects of this story that bothered me to no end; mainly the villains. They get more and more grotesque with each book! I couldn’t believe how vile and empty the O Club members were – ok they are ex-lab rats, but gosh, they were so unrealistic and devoid of all h...more

like · see review

Nov 09, 2011 Sandra Valente rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: have-read, romantic-suspense

Kevin McCloud who everyone believes has been dead for 18 years is back. After recovering from near death and saved by Tony Ranieri, Kevin is desperate to remember where he came from or who he is and break loose from the amnesia after his traumatic experience. With the help of his "adoptive little brother Bruno Ranieri", they stumble across Edie Parrish's name. Edie is a graphic novelist who has a psychic power (an inner eye) which enables her to see what's inside a person or what their future ho...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 08, 2012 July rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: home-library

Such a very good book! The roller coaster of this book was quite amazing in story. Kev McCloud has been lost to his family for eighteen years. He has no memory of his past before the incredible torture that took his memory. Kev has taken the last name of Larsen. And he has started getting some memory back since a accident. Now he is on the lookout for the evil men who are responsible. Once he finds out that the evil Dr. O is dead and that the man in some of the pictures with him is the man he be...more Such a very good book! The roller coaster of this book was quite amazing in story. Kev McCloud has been lost to his family for eighteen years. He has no memory of his past before the incredible torture that took his memory. Kev has taken the last name of Larsen. And he has started getting some memory back since a accident. Now he is on the lookout for the evil men who are responsible. Once he finds out that the evil Dr. O is dead and that the man in some of the pictures with him is the man he begged to save him and the man turned him over to the evil men who almost killed him. He has flash backs of an angel with this man. So he goes looking for him. In his search for him he runs across a graphic book with a photo that looked just like him. He ended up looking up the author and she is the daughter of the man who he begged to help him. And she has a remarkable resemblance of his angel. His angel who helps him in everyday life.
When Kev tracks down Edie Parrish to the bookstore for her newest book signing he is intrigued. She is not intimidated by his scars, but she is shocked that her character is standing before her. They decide to go to her apartment for tea. She explains to him that she see's the past or future when she draws and that tends to freak her family out that is why she does not live with them. He asks her to draw him. One thing leads to another. Which is SEX! Hot Awesome SEX! She does want to spend time with him but she has to go to a function with her father. And when he asks about him because of the trauma from eighteen years before, she doesn't think her father will help. They decide to meet up afterwards. But things go crazy when someone tries to kill her father and set her up for it. Then they realize that she is seeing Kev McCloud and they thought he was dead. Full circle it couldn't be more sweet. So they use Edie to get to Kev.
It takes awhile into the story before the McCloud brothers enter into the story and things get really interesting otherwise I would have given it a 5 star rating.... (less)

like · see review

Feb 01, 2012 Michele bookloverforever rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense

the mccloud brothers and their spouses/lovers/friends find the missing, presumed dead brother alive if not well. Bad case of amnesia...not surprising considering all the trauma this brother endured both before and after his "rescue" by a 3rd party who kept him incognito and buried in a back room of a small diner to protect him from whomever had nearly killed this missing brother way back when. The brother starts piecing together his past, the people who tried to kill him so many years ago find o...more

like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dangerouse-hero, sexy-domineering-types, romantic-thriller

Okay , I was really disappointed in this book. I was expecting a whole lot more, I don't know, Hell a family reunion. Kev's only been missing thought dead for 18 years. Where was the celebration. Where were his emotions on his family. It was like he didn't feel anything.
I was just expecting more.
If I hadn't been, this would of still been a good book, and it was. I was just expecting great. I was hanging out for it. I still feel a little disconnected to the characters, they just weren't as aweso...more

like · see review

Oct 24, 2010 Kris (KindleRomance) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this suspenseful, albeit long, ending to the McCloud series. You get a chance to revisit with the characters from the earlier series and finally meet the sweetest of them all, Kev. I loved him and Edie together, but he was the star. He was extremely patient and kind with everybody except the bad guys. The storyline was interesting and continued the Dr. O nightmare from before. I don't think you could read this book without having read the earlier McCloud books. I will list more details...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 13, 2011 Wminbc rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I was soo happy to have the brother united again, I just didn't get the anger????

They never gave up hope, well, Sean never gave up hope and belief deep down that Kev was out there.

That said, it took some of my love for Kev away when he was less than thrilled that he was back with his brothers.

The story was good, but I would have loved even more Tam (what can I say, I lovers her...my lesbian crush, I think).

Enjoy...this series rocks (every book before this one was amazing for different reas...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 01, 2010 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book to me was F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C! My favorite book of the year to date. The action in this book blew me away. How in the world did Shannon come up with the idea's in this book, I'll never know.
I don't think there was a thing that I did not love about this book. The H&H, The secondary charters, The bad guy's/girl, the plot, the action, the love scenes, the ending, The whole darn book was fabulous.
I'm sorry to see this series end but I'm sure that whatever Shannon write's next will be jus...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 27, 2012 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blond-hero, hot, favorites, suspense

Damn, Mrs. McKenna- can you please be careful with my blood pressure here? I swear this writer will give me grey hairs anytime soon...her books are so thrilling, the villains so evil- I would close my eyes if I could. Makes reading pretty hard, though.
Kev is a wonderful hero, and my heart broke for him when I read about his past. His love for Edie is pure and wonderful, and the way they met- SIGH.
It's great to read about all the McClouds again, especially Liv and Sean.
The sex in here isn't quite...more

like · see review

May 20, 2011 ~V~ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense

What a great book! I have thoroughly enjoyed this series SO MUCH! The intensity level is off the charts! I swear...every time i pick up one of these books i truly have a hard time putting them down and my stomach is in complete knots the entire time i'm reading them. The suspense and
the action, the romance, the SEX!?...WOW!

I would not hesitate to recommend these books to anyone looking for one heck of a thrill ride, as long as you don't have a problem with quite a bit of sexual content...there...more What a great book! I have thoroughly enjoyed this series SO MUCH! The intensity level is off the charts! I swear...every time i pick up one of these books i truly have a hard time putting them down and my stomach is in complete knots the entire time i'm reading them. The suspense and
the action, the romance, the SEX!?...WOW!

I would not hesitate to recommend these books to anyone looking for one heck of a thrill ride, as long as you don't have a problem with quite a bit of sexual content...there is a LOT of sex in these, however, having said that...these are by no means books that have more sex than story..there is definitely a LOT of story...and really great story at that!! Her characters are just very sexual beings..I mean..really...when you're being chased down by psychotically scary villains who work for the Russian mob...or you're constantly on the run from evil, depraved scientists looking to experiment on you...who wouldn't need all that sex to release some tension! ;)

One thing that Shannon Mckenna does, that i recently mentioned loving about Shelly Laurenston's books..is that she brings back ALL her characters for each book, whether it's an actual McCloud brother, or one of their friends...everyone still plays major roles...with each release, we are kept up on everyone's on going lives and we get to meet all the new "little additions" to everyone's families...you're never left to wonder what ever became of a couple once they've gotten their HEA..it's really great!

I was a little bit sad when this book came out, thinking that it would wrap up this series, being as how it was about the last McCloud brother, but apparently Shannon McKenna is not done w/ this wonderfully dysfunctional group of characters! She continues to introduce us to new characters along with being able to keep each book from becoming a repeat of the previous ones..so far she's succeeded in keeping things fresh, interesting and very exciting! She has another book in this series coming out this fall and i can't wait! This is a series that will remain on my keeper shelf and one i'm hoping i will be able to keep adding to! :)(less)

3 likes · like · see review

title link	preview: Fade To Midnight
avg rating	preview: Fade To Midnight Goodreads rating: 4.13 (1064 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12474897-fade-to-midnight?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348113964l/12474897.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12474897-fade-to-midnight?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Fade To Midnight by Shannon McKenna[/url]

Fade To Midnight (McClouds & Friends #7)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Shannon McKenna

Books by Shannon McKenna

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Fade To Midnight