Crimson Midnight (Crimson, #1)

Feb 22, 2013 Lissa & Alexa The Novel Lasses rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adult & Young Adult Reader of Paranormal Romance

Recommended to Lissa & Alexa by: Amos and Cassidy

Shelves: 5stars_i_want_more_more_more, adult_or_erotica

Part of http://www.novellasses.blogspot.com 2013 Challenges: TBR Pile and Self Published; Blogged Feature

This dynamic duel writing team bound for success…The writing team of Amos and Cassidy has taken me by surprise. It is hard enough for one author weave a creative story and transcribe it to words that will grasp the reader imagination and not let go; much less add a second jolt of creativity to the mix. However these two pull it off. Their writing style is so in sink that it’s almost seamless...more Part of http://www.novellasses.blogspot.com 2013 Challenges: TBR Pile and Self Published; Blogged Feature

This dynamic duel writing team bound for success…The writing team of Amos and Cassidy has taken me by surprise. It is hard enough for one author weave a creative story and transcribe it to words that will grasp the reader imagination and not let go; much less add a second jolt of creativity to the mix. However these two pull it off. Their writing style is so in sink that it’s almost seamless as to who wrote what. Yet small changes in the flow and descriptiveness allows you to see the creativity that each one of these authors brings to the book making the it a remarkable story that will stay with you for weeks if not months after you have read the last word.

I was a little off put by the cover and almost backed out of reading it. Yes, yes I know how shallow that sounds. In spite of this I wonder if I will ever learn— ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover” because it’s the magical story beneath this cover set my imagination a blaze. The prologue immediately captured my attention and had me feverishly turning the pages clear into the wee early or late hours of the morning depending on if you are a night owl or not.

It wasn’t until I read the very last word I shook my kindle and demanded it produce more with no such luck. I was at a loss and found myself verbally saying, “wtf????” The prologue just didn’t fit the story so I went back to read the prologue again then I contacted the authors directly. I had my suspensions that the prologue would have made for a better epilogue and my assumptions were verified when the authors answered stating, “You will further understand the prologue when you read next book in the series.” With that being my only complaints tells you how much I enjoyed the book.

In a nut shell this is one book you will find you can’t put down. It has all the right elements just enough mystery, action, romance, drama, comedy, magic, betrayal, and wicked twists and turns to keep you completely engrossed to the very end. Rose and the other dynamic characters were depicted so vivid that you find you could befriend them if they were real.

Anyway on to the plot of the story… I have already mentioned Rose and as you can guess it’s all about Rose. Although we find out a lot about Rose’s self character such as; she grew up not knowing her mother because of the coma she is in. Then as a teenager she was brutally mugged and she withdrew until her father found her an outlet in self defense classes. Now a confident young woman with the ability defend herself she’s off to London to stay with Flo, her mom’s best friend and teach self defense classes at a new state of the art gym. As the reader you already know Rose is trusted into supernatural world but it the joys of watching that world unfold for Rose that will have your toes tingling. Not to mention all the surprise twist and turn as the reader you get hit with.

Hang on to skirt tales ladies and gentle men because this is where all the fun and excitement begins…. Dare I mention the wolf pack… Yes, I must … because surely they will keep you at your wits end. They are such a swoon worthy pack even in all their dysfunctions? Ahh, and Raven my favorite of the pack— strong, silent and such a presents. Did I mention that he is gay? I loved that the authors dared to make Raven gay. Only one other author that I can recall off hand (Patricia Briggs) has ever dared to write about a dominate gay werewolf in a mainstream fiction. However, I love the fact that this dynamic duel took it a step further and gave him a full life and not just the appearance of one.

With everything that is going on in this story my favorite sub story line is the interaction between Rose and Roman. From the moment they meet the attraction is evident. Though most of the time you want to strangle him and scream, “What the hell is wrong you?” You can’t help but to see it from his point of view. Yet as Rose and Roman’s friendship grows the lines become blurred and passion that these two share will only leave you just as frustrated as they are.

I can’t go on anymore I will just give away the ending but I must share a few more tide bits of helpful information…. Make sure you have nothing else planed because once you start reading you will not want to stop till the very end. So if you have to work the next day be prepare to buy extra coffee to make it through the day. Also if you get invested in character as much as I do… make sure your away from sleeping kids as you cheer on your favorites. Also, if you don’t own stock in Kleenex I suggest purchasing a share or two because you will need as the emotions journey through this book will leave you weathered in a tear soaked face.
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Jun 04, 2012 Alana ~ The Book Pimp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fae, shifter-were, vampires, 2012-reading-challenge, ebooks, owned-books, covers-genres-and-themes-oh-my-r, series-r-us, series-urban-fantasy

Why?

WHYWHYWHY?

Okay. It's been a few days. I had to let the book sink in, stew, and marinate in my brain a bit to decide what I thought. I didn't want my impetuous reaction to the end to 'flavor' (too much) in my thoughts of the book overall.

I have to say... it's a fabulous ensemble cast in the book. An entire menagerie of characters (supernaturals and human) that were well written, intriguing and HAWT in many cases. Raven nearly makes me wish I could be a gay male just to say 'I tapped that.' Ap...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Midu Hadi rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: PNR fans

Shelves: 212books, abuse, alternate-dimensions-worlds, amazon-and-other-warriors, apocalyptic-post-apocalyptic, books-about-the-fae, demons-succubi-and-hell, family, fantasy, first-in-the-series, humor, magick, magical-objects, romance, serial-killers-and-other-murderers, series, shifters, swords-and-sorcery, vampires, witches, wizards

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Jul 19, 2012 Mad about rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rose is feeling the need to leave the nest and explore life while she's still young after seeing what it can throw at you with her comatose mother being a constant reminder. Lucky to have a godmother in London she travels there with her bff Faye to stay in the spare room of Flo's house along with her two son's, one of which happens to be a werewolf.
She unwittingly befriends him and his pack, slowly getting drawn into their world until there's no turning back with her own unwanted secrets being r...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Lee Anne - Give me a Good Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review-not-lendable, paranormal, romance, shapeshifter, suspense, vampire, werewolf, witch, wizards

Crimson Midnight started off a little slow for me. I had a hard time getting into it. Once I did finally get into it, I couldn’t put it down. I think the reason I had a hard time getting into the story was because I kept getting confused.

Roman and Raven were difficult to separate in my mind and that created a problem for me. I also had a hard time because the story would jump to some new random person for a few paragraphs, then jump back to the original members we started with. It did become app...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Amy Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gifted-free-copy, read-in-2012

*I received a free e-copy of the book for an honest review*

Wow. I literally just finished this book, and I can say that I really did like it. The characters were well developed and the overall story was well thought out. I really like the various paranormal species and how they interact and while they have their own clans, groups, packs and whatnot, they all coexist fairly well. Well, the fey are sort of the exception, but I think they did it to themselves. I also do like how they stuck to the f...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Genea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-new-adult-reading-challenge, februrary-2013-red-cover

This is one of my non-stop till the end read. Enjoyed it immensely, the story drew me in right away. I wanted to find out the plot immediately, as soon as I learned of Rose's mum's illness I was making guesses at what could make her that way. Was it Supernatural? Will Rose find a cure? I've never been so anxious to get to the nitty-gritty of a story before. When the story got to the supernatural it really took off and was packed with action and mystery. Loved the characters, Rose was no shrinkin...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) by: Alana

Shelves: reviewed

Quick review:

Cover: Interesting
Rating: R
Thumbs Up: 4.5
Overall: An OMG story that had me at hello
Characters: Solid
Plot: A page turning that steam rolls ahead
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Roman

SUMMARY (50 words or less)

This was recommended to me by a goodreads friend. I was so not disappointed. This was the kind of book that was hard to put down. There were a parade of characters, but they all fit. I hope to learn more about some. I just need to read the se...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Baisakhi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-books

Urban Fantasy is my favourite genre to read. So after reading the summary, I was really psyched about this book. But sadly, Crimson Midnight by Amos Cassidy didn't really live to my expectations.

To be honest, there wasn't anything wrong in the book. The protagonist, Rose, was awesome. The dialogues and the witty banter were highly entertaining. And the storyline was more or less good. But after reading countless Urban Fantasy books, just 'good' failed to stand out.

Nothing about the story was gre...more Urban Fantasy is my favourite genre to read. So after reading the summary, I was really psyched about this book. But sadly, Crimson Midnight by Amos Cassidy didn't really live to my expectations.

To be honest, there wasn't anything wrong in the book. The protagonist, Rose, was awesome. The dialogues and the witty banter were highly entertaining. And the storyline was more or less good. But after reading countless Urban Fantasy books, just 'good' failed to stand out.

Nothing about the story was great or exceptional. It was a good book, just not memorable. And there were bits and parts of elements that reminded me of other books, The Fever Series in particular.

Even then, the book would have been really enjoyable, if not for the structure. There in, lies my main problem with the book. The author employed a sort of TV show route. In soaps, we see the show from the points of views of minor and major characters. They have their individual story arcs. Sometimes these smaller arcs are linked to the main event, sometimes they aren't.

But when it comes to a book, this method, according to me, doesn't work at all. To me, the protagonist is the most important part of the story. I want to know her life, her interactions, what she makes of various events, how they all connect to her. I don't really care about how Damon discovered the first Demon attack, just the fact that he did will do. Or, like, in the second chapter, we switch to the wolves' point off view. Well I don't really know them...so I don't care about them. At least not until they meet Rose. Even then, their perspectives should have been much shorter.

Another thing was the time spacing. The author really needs to work on that. Sometimes minute and unneeded events (example: brushing teeth) are shown in excruciating details, and other times weeks go by with major events only being told in flashbacks. It makes the reader continuously have to check to see what timeline it is.

Finally comes the character relationships. I really didn't find Rose's relationship with Roman to be exciting. It just failed to hook me in. Sure, their banter was fun, but that's about it. To be honest the only characters I really liked were Rose and Harold. I know Harold comes off as a bad guy, but despite his faults he is honest, loyal and all in all a good character to read about.

So in short, it was a good book, but by no means a great one. Writing still needs a lot of work. The plot, however is interesting. So you should give it a try. You may end up liking it more than I did.

P.S. - This is 21st century England! Who on earth names their child Raven or even Roman, especially since they are all big on 'assimilating' into the human society. And we get Damon is big on 1950s, but WHY?! It is not a running joke unless you explain it first.(less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Leanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-ebooks-for-review

*Received e-book through Read It and Reap program from the Shut Up and Read! Goodreads group from author for an honest review
**Also posted on Amazon.com under Leanne

Crimson Midnight starts with Rose discovering her boyfriend in a compromising position in bed and deciding to move to London for a fresh start with her best friend, Faye, in tow. Right before she leaves, her comatose mother wakes up and warns her to “beware the shining stranger.” Not knowing how to interpret this, she goes ahead and...more *Received e-book through Read It and Reap program from the Shut Up and Read! Goodreads group from author for an honest review
**Also posted on Amazon.com under Leanne

Crimson Midnight starts with Rose discovering her boyfriend in a compromising position in bed and deciding to move to London for a fresh start with her best friend, Faye, in tow. Right before she leaves, her comatose mother wakes up and warns her to “beware the shining stranger.” Not knowing how to interpret this, she goes ahead and moves in with her godmother, Flo, and her sons, Roman (adopted) and Erin. As sparks fly between her and Roman, who just happens to be a werewolf, she is drawn into the supernatural world in which not everyone is who they appear or who they say they are. After an encounter with a demon, Rose’s powers are brought to the surface and she must learn who she is and why she is being hunted.

I believe the writing team of Amos Cassidy succeeded in presenting a new entry in the paranormal fantasy/urban fantasy genre that can stand on its own. I loved Rose’s character from the first paragraph, especially when she punched her cheating boyfriend in the face. She was a no-nonsense, tough character (teaching self-defense even!) and loyal to her friends, especially Thistle. I thought that the friendship that developed between them was pleasantly surprising and heartwarming. In addition, I found Raven to be a multi-dimensional character as a gay werewolf dealing with being second-in-command (reminiscent of Warren in the Mercy Thompson series). Lastly, I enjoyed the scenes from multiple points-of-view that added depth and context to the secondary characters, tying the plot together to the ending.

On the other hand, there were a couple of things I didn’t like about the book. I didn’t feel that Rose’s romance with Roman was that believable or engaging, although there was more insight in Thistle’s and Roman’s open relationship. Likewise, I thought Rose’s friendship with Faye almost non-existent and her predictable romance with a bad boy werewolf a bit of a cliché. Both of these views, unfortunately, led to the ending of the book to be a little anti-climatic and not as impactful as it could have been.

Overall, Crimson Midnight was a fast-paced, interesting read with a few flaws. There were still enough unanswered questions that I would read the sequel. I would recommend this book to teen and adult fans of paranormal and urban fantasy, such as those by Patricia Briggs and Charlaine Harris.
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Jun 22, 2012 ⚝ Ŧáẅņá ⚝ rated it 4 of 5 stars

I would say more like 3.5 stars for me because I am still left half confused as to what the hell happened. Also, it felt like there was some disjointed parts where you knew it was two different people writing.

There were some scenes that I thought didn't really need to be there for the story, didn't move the plot along at all and I don't know why it was there. The marriage scene is one example. I still don't know what the hell Rose is. Still don't know why they did what they did to the fey. I do...more

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May 25, 2012 Susan Ashcraft rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, fantasy, fiction, mystery, novel, paranormal, suspense, supernatural

Six years ago, 15 year old Rose was mugged. The kids were never caught. Since then the petite blonde had learned all about self defense and was sure she could take care of herself. Leaving home for the first time, Rose and her friend Faye, are moving to London. Rose is going to live with her godmother while Faye is renting rooms with several kids from university.

Rose meets and becomes friendly with several people including the brooding Harold, Kris the peace maker, Raven, Roman and his very stra...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Laura *Little Read Riding Hood* rated it 4 of 5 stars

I apologize in advance if I talk in circles. I am still trying to wrap my head around this book. and to talk about it WITHOUT giving away the ending will be extremely difficult, because … well damn. Seriously. Damn.

This book has every supernatural creature, or at least the possibility of every supernatural creature, in it. Vampires (that don’t sparkle and cannot go in the sun), werewolves (that don’t have to change at the full moon, but have to change on a regular basis), demons (yeah, you can’t...more I apologize in advance if I talk in circles. I am still trying to wrap my head around this book. and to talk about it WITHOUT giving away the ending will be extremely difficult, because … well damn. Seriously. Damn.

This book has every supernatural creature, or at least the possibility of every supernatural creature, in it. Vampires (that don’t sparkle and cannot go in the sun), werewolves (that don’t have to change at the full moon, but have to change on a regular basis), demons (yeah, you can’t really make them any different), witches (again, pretty standard), and other creatures that I won’t name, because they may or may not show up later on!

Overall, the book was good. It is definitely not for everyone. Several of the characters are gay. Openly gay. Gay clubs, men admiring men, men kissing men, but that is a graphic as it gets. I am obviously ok with that, but if you aren’t don’t read this book. If you are, then read this book dammit! I need someone I can discuss the end with … at length. Like WTF happened? And what … AGH!

Also, it takes place mostly in London, which I am obviously not from. Some of the language and dialect are a little unfamiliar to me. I easily figured out that “Do you want another cuppa?” meant “Do you want another cup of tea?” I am so smart sometimes. :-)

Rose is the main character. She survived an attack at 15, and came out of it stronger. She is moving to the big city for a change and to teach self-defense classes at a gym. As I am sure you can guess, at some point she manifests some sort of crazy powers. I had a theory early on as to what she is, but I am not going to tell you. If you REALLY want to know, shoot me an email and we can discuss.

So I was torn as to whether or not I wanted Rose and Roman to get together. In the end it didn’t matter what I wanted, the authors (yes there are two!) took it where they wanted it to go. I mean he is kind of a jerk. AND they live under the same roof, AND he has a girlfriend, who becomes a good friend of Roses’, AND … well, there are other reasons. But their attraction is strong. And they really do care about each other.

My favorite character in the whole book is Raven. He does do something about half way through that is pretty mean, but I can still forgive him. He is that big, strong, silent, sexy, gay man who you just want to snuggle up with on the couch and tell him it will all be ok; while inside you are screaming “WHY ARE YOU GAY?!?!” Damn. Too bad I suppose for us ladies.

But what I really want to talk about is the mind-blowing ending. Seriously. Rumor has it the second book should be out sometime this fall, and I NEED to read it! Did ______ really happen? What is going to happen to ______?

Anyway, after reading this book I would give it a solid 4.5 stars. Why not 5? For me, there were just too many characters to get as emotionally invested in them as I wanted. Not that I didn’t care about them, but once you get past 5 or so, for me anyway, it is a little difficult to keep them all close. Not that I want to see any of them killed off, don’t misunderstand. I just really like to be able to focus my emotions on a small handful, rather than a large group.(less)

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Apr 07, 2012 Quiana rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who like Urban Fantasy

Shelves: the-fae, romance, paranormal, werewolves, necromancers, warlocks, vampires, demons, urban-fantasy

From the very start, Crimson Midnight by Amos Cassidy captured my attention. We are introduced to Rose Carmichael. She’s had a few misfortunes. She was mugged as a teenager, causing her to withdraw from society for a few years, and grew up with a mother who’s considered to be in a “waking” coma. That was then. Now Rose teaches self-defense to those who need teaching. Her mother is still in a mental coma, but Rose has accepted that she may never know her. Adversity has made Rose a self-proclaimed...more From the very start, Crimson Midnight by Amos Cassidy captured my attention. We are introduced to Rose Carmichael. She’s had a few misfortunes. She was mugged as a teenager, causing her to withdraw from society for a few years, and grew up with a mother who’s considered to be in a “waking” coma. That was then. Now Rose teaches self-defense to those who need teaching. Her mother is still in a mental coma, but Rose has accepted that she may never know her. Adversity has made Rose a self-proclaimed realist, with a take no prisoners attitude, who’s capable of protecting herself, while doing damage to those who would do her harm. I enjoyed getting to know Rose, as she is a strong and compelling female character.

Eager to make a fresh start, Rose decides to move to London. A new job in a big city is the perfect opportunity to do just that. With her best friend Faye by her side, she’s ready and willing to take advantage of all the opportunities a big city like London offers. However, Rose gets more than she bargained for when she discovers that humans aren’t the only beings living in the city, and that she herself is far from human. Werewolves, vampires, and demons are just the tip of the iceberg. Now Rose must learn to navigate this newly discovered supernatural world. That’s if she can survive long enough to do so.

Survival becomes complicated when Rose is repeatedly attacked by
demons and rogue werewolves. She’s not the only one attacked. Several people throughout the city turn up missing and it looks like something supernatural is behind the disappearances. Things really get strange when a close friend of Rose’s goes missing. Now, not only does Rose have to find her friend, but she must protect herself from those who seem to want her dead.

While Rose can be considered the lead character, she is not the story’s only focus. There are several characters who receive a fair amount of focus and attention; Faye, Thistle, Harold, Roman and Raven, just to name a few. Little bits and pieces of information are slowly revealed about the more prominent characters throughout the book. This allowed me as a reader to really get to know the characters. Whether I grew to love or hate a character, I understood their motivations, and why they reacted a certain way to certain events or circumstances. All in all, the authors did a commendable job on character development.

I highly enjoyed the relationships that formed between some of the characters. For instance, I liked Rose and Thistle’s budding friendship. I liked the way they bonded and how protective and sincere they were with one another. For example, there’s a scene where both are under attack. Thistle doesn’t hesitate to shield Rose, and Rose refuses to leave Thistle’s side. You get a sense that they genuinely like each other. It was a pleasure to read scenes where there was interaction between the two.

I also liked the romantic flirtation and attraction between Rose and Roman, as well as the tentative friendship they formed. Their relationship was complicated and very intense. Throw in the fact that Roman and Thistle are an item, and you have a recipe for frustration, longing, misunderstandings, and potential heartbreak. Thistle isn’t the only thing that stands between a happy ending for Rose and Roman. There are other obstacles, which I won’t give away as that would spoil a major plot twist.

Overall, Crimson Midnight by Amos Cassidy is the type of book you start reading and don’t want to put down. That’s how engrossing and entertaining this book is. There’s action, drama, comedy, romance, magic, betrayal, and shocking twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued. It took me two days to finish this book, because I became so invested in the story and the characters. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, partly due to a major cliffhanger that left me on the edge of my seat. I would give it four and a half stars, but I’ll have to settle for four stars. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in a fun read with dynamic characters and a great plot, and anyone who’s interested in an Urban Fantasy, with a dash of romance on the side.
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May 28, 2012 Kerry sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-urbanfantasy, vampires, shifter-werewolf

This book was reviewed for Musings of a bookworm as part of the tour for this book

I was approached by the authors to review this and be part of a tour and if I am totally honest I thought I was going too be dragging my way through a stilted story, well boy was I wrong!! Not only is this a really good story but it is the start of a series that I am now champing at the bit to get the next one to find out what happens. My only complaint about the book is, for me, the prologue is not necessary, it a...more

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May 08, 2012 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: uf, vampires, magic-mages, fae

Crimson Midnight drew me in from the very beginning when Rose walks in on her boyfriend with another woman and punches him in the face. After that, I was pretty sure I was going to like her :)

Rose is eager to leave the country behind. She's ready to go somewhere new and be seen as someone new. So she decides to move to London to live with godmother and take a job at a local gym. Life in London is pretty good. She easily adjusts to her new job and home. Then, one night she is attacked and is intr...more

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Apr 24, 2012 SarahSmith rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this as part of the ARR Urban Fantasy part of the Making Connections group on Goodreads. Overall I liked this book, it started out with a lot of promise and ended with a bang (albeit a What in the heck just happened ending), making me want more, but it was somewhat head scratch worthy. Some of the story lines seemed either forced or just under explained, the authors (Amos and Cassidy) had some great ideas for story arcs that didn't appear to go anywhere, perhaps I just missed somethin...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Mcgoo4 rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book started out with a lot of promise & ended with it also.

Rose, the main character of the book, has decided it's time to strike out on her own. She and her best friend Faye move to London where she has a job teaching self defense classes. Faye, whose father is very wealthy, is just along for the ride & bunks down with several other people while Rose moves in with a friend of the family.

While at Flo's (the family friend), she meets a cast of characters including Roman, Harold, &...more The book started out with a lot of promise & ended with it also.

Rose, the main character of the book, has decided it's time to strike out on her own. She and her best friend Faye move to London where she has a job teaching self defense classes. Faye, whose father is very wealthy, is just along for the ride & bunks down with several other people while Rose moves in with a friend of the family.

While at Flo's (the family friend), she meets a cast of characters including Roman, Harold, & Raven who unbeknownst to her are werewolves, and "Thistle" a vampire who quickly becomes a close friend.

After being attacked one night by a demon, it is revealed to Rose that she is some type of warlock and that the people she knows and loves are in fact supernaturals and not human. She spends the next few days enjoying her soon to be lost "freedom" (at least in her mind) before she turns herself over to the supernatural community for registration and determination of exactly what she is.

While all this is going on, strange events have been occuring. Rogue werewolves are on the loose, warlocks and other supernaturals are disappearing, and finally, Rose's friends start going missing. Thistle doesn't return from the Harvest Moon/wedding of friends, and Raven, the Beta werewolf, disappears.

All is revealed however on Halloween night. Flo doesn't show up to the Halloween party and then Roman, who left to check on her, never returns to the party. Rose goes back to the house and finds blood and an unexpected surprise.

Now, to not spoil the ending, I'll stop here. Let's just say there is a surprise ending that leaves your wanting more.

While I did find this to be a good read, different storylines seemed "forced". The story around a few homosexual couples seemed to be trying to convince you of something and so does the story around Thistle, the vampire community, and their "Moon Goddess". All seemingly forced dialogue and all having nothing to do with the mail storyline. Mention it, even talk about it here and there as warranted, and move on. We don't need to be convinced of anything.

All in all, a decent read and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.(less)

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Jul 03, 2012 Sharon Caldwell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: july-2012

After discovering her boyfriend cheating on her, Rose and her best friend move to London. Rose is staying with her mother's best friend. Rose's mother has been comatose since before her birth. Nobody can discover the reason.

Rose doesn't know that her new friends are supernatural. She has no idea that werewolves, vampires, and fairies really exist. She discovers she has some kind of supernatural talent when she is attacked by werewolves.

There are demons being summoned and people are disappearing....more

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May 13, 2012 Roxanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

What! It ended like that?!!? Oh Lord no!

4.5 Stars

This book so close to perfect it's almost scarey. This book is about a girl named Rose. She's just moved in with her Godmother Flo and her two sons so she can start her new job as a self defense instructor in London. She also meets Roman (One of Flo's sons) and his group of friends who seem a bit odd but Rose seems to fit right in with them. But things don't go as planned, people are disappearing around London, Rose get's attacked and she's strug...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Gabriela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: r-r-arr-books

Well, first of all I want to say that I appreciate the opportunity to have read this book; I received it through the RI&R program to read in exchange for a review. Crimson Midnight is about a young woman leaving her comatose mother and her father for a new life in London only to find herself as an unknown in the world of the supernatural. The plot is confusing albeit an interesting attempt to something original. The ideas are there however there seems to be no rhyme or reason until the end;...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Rose Scandell rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Apr 21, 2012 Hazel G. ( I ♥ Mr. Grey) *Fifty Shades obsessed* . rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Urban fantasy, fantasy readers

Recommended to Hazel G. ( I ♥ Mr. Grey) *Fifty Shades obsessed* by: PR&UFF R2R

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy

Crimson Midnight is a terrifically written novel by Amos Cassidy, who are two amazing authors, Amos and Cassidy, writing under one name. I read this as part of a R2R with Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics! As always, I'm sending out a huge thank you to the moderators and authors for allowing me to participate.

I really loved this book! It had so many different angles, twists and turn that it left me a little confused at certain points, but it all came together at the end. I LOVED al...more Crimson Midnight is a terrifically written novel by Amos Cassidy, who are two amazing authors, Amos and Cassidy, writing under one name. I read this as part of a R2R with Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics! As always, I'm sending out a huge thank you to the moderators and authors for allowing me to participate.

I really loved this book! It had so many different angles, twists and turn that it left me a little confused at certain points, but it all came together at the end. I LOVED all the different characters. I loved their friendships and their individual relationships. There wasn't a dull moment in this book. It was packed with revealing moments, interesting and lively characters and action packed from the first page to the last. Everything happened for a reason even if you're left scratching your head and wondering why that part was added to the book. I adored all the different supernatural aspects. The story itself was intriguing and filled with lots of humor, fun, magic, fantasy suspense and even a bit of romance. The characters were so well written, I felt like a part of their world. Rose was an excellent lead heroin! She was no wilting flower. She could kick some major "arse" and that was before she learned of the supernatural world. I adored the wolf pack! Each and every member has a special place in my heart. (view spoiler) Flo was terrific!!! She was the epitome of a den mother even though she didn't possess any supernatural(ness), and she didn't take any crap from anyone. She was a joy! The vampires were lovely and I liked the twist on their culture. It was original and just a wonderful read.

This was a terrific novel and I hope there is more to come! It left with a HUGE cliffhanger and I for one would love to see another book, continuing this story with all these fascinating characters and this fabulous world! We really need to see where Rose is headed next.

And lastly, I loved the shout out to my favorite TV heros, J2 (Jensen and Jared) from Supernatural in the "About the Authors" notes. That gave me a right little giggle. Eye Candy indeed!(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: loooooooved-it, intense, couldn-t-put-down

WOW. Just WOW!!! I'm sitting here like, book 2...September? Wtf am I supposed to do til then!!!!? NOT gonna lie but I'm disappointed!!! The whole book I thought I was gonna get some answers!!!! *slams fist on table* I NEED ANSWEEEERS!!!!! Oh and then the excerpt for book 2!? *drools * I'm excited and mad all in one!!! lol

Anyways on to the review. This book started out with a bang!!! No pun intended. *pauses* Did I just???!.......I punned!!! Lmbo!! Ok I'm a dork. Lol. Back to the review.

This boo...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Rachael Woohoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 2012-challenge-books-challenge, book, ebook, review-copy, parafantasy-challenge-2012, june-challenge-2012, reviewed, june-2012, ebooks-i-own

Disclaimer: The fact that the author has provided me a free copy of Crimson Midnight in exchange for an honest review has not affected my rating.

As the first adult urban fantasy novel I've read, I'm not quite sure what I was expecting - more mature situations? Maturer characters? In Crimson Midnight, Rose, who was mugged when she was fifteen, takes a new job in London as a self defense teacher in a gym. There, she discovers love, true friendship, and finds her own identity.

The best part of this...more

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Jan 17, 2013 The Novel Lasses Alexandria_Lissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: author_requested_review, 5stars, paranormal, vampire, werewolf, book_1_series, magic, challenge_2013_tbr, challenge_2013_self_published, want_signed_copy, romance, blogged, reviewed, mythology, read_in_2013, read_in_january_

This dynamic duel writing team bound for success…The writing team of Amos and Cassidy has taken me by surprise. It is hard enough for one author weave a creative story and transcribe it to words that will grasp the reader imagination and not let go; much less add a second jolt of creativity to the mix. However these two pull it off. Their writing style is so in sink that it’s almost seamless as to who wrote what. Yet small changes in the flow and descriptiveness allows you to see the creativity...more This dynamic duel writing team bound for success…The writing team of Amos and Cassidy has taken me by surprise. It is hard enough for one author weave a creative story and transcribe it to words that will grasp the reader imagination and not let go; much less add a second jolt of creativity to the mix. However these two pull it off. Their writing style is so in sink that it’s almost seamless as to who wrote what. Yet small changes in the flow and descriptiveness allows you to see the creativity that each one of these authors brings to the book making the it a remarkable story that will stay with you for weeks if not months after you have read the last word.

I was a little off put by the cover and almost backed out of reading it. Yes, yes I know how shallow that sounds. In spite of this I wonder if I will ever learn— ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover” because it’s the magical story beneath this cover set my imagination a blaze. The prologue immediately captured my attention and had me feverishly turning the pages clear into the wee early or late hours of the morning depending on if you are a night owl or not.

It wasn’t until I read the very last word I shook my kindle and demanded it produce more with no such luck. I was at a loss and found myself verbally saying, “wtf????” The prologue just didn’t fit the story so I went back to read the prologue again then I contacted the authors directly. I had my suspensions that the prologue would have made for a better epilogue and my assumptions were verified when the authors answered stating, “You will further understand the prologue when you read next book in the series.” With that being my only complaints tells you how much I enjoyed the book.

In a nut shell this is one book you will find you can’t put down. It has all the right elements just enough mystery, action, romance, drama, comedy, magic, betrayal, and wicked twists and turns to keep you completely engrossed to the very end. Rose and the other dynamic characters were depicted so vivid that you find you could befriend them if they were real.

Anyway on to the plot of the story… I have already mentioned Rose and as you can guess it’s all about Rose. Although we find out a lot about Rose’s self character such as; she grew up not knowing her mother because of the coma she is in. Then as a teenager she was brutally mugged and she withdrew until her father found her an outlet in self defense classes. Now a confident young woman with the ability defend herself she’s off to London to stay with Flo, her mom’s best friend and teach self defense classes at a new state of the art gym. As the reader you already know Rose is trusted into supernatural world but it the joys of watching that world unfold for Rose that will have your toes tingling. Not to mention all the surprise twist and turn as the reader you get hit with.

Hang on to skirt tales ladies and gentle men because this is where all the fun and excitement begins…. Dare I mention the wolf pack… Yes, I must … because surely they will keep you at your wits end. They are such a swoon worthy pack even in all their dysfunctions? Ahh, and Raven my favorite of the pack— strong, silent and such a presents. Did I mention that he is gay? I loved that the authors dared to make Raven gay. Only one other author that I can recall off hand (Patricia Briggs) has ever dared to write about a dominate gay werewolf in a mainstream fiction. However, I love the fact that this dynamic duel took it a step further and gave him a full life and not just the appearance of one.

With everything that is going on in this story my favorite sub story line is the interaction between Rose and Roman. From the moment they meet the attraction is evident. Though most of the time you want to strangle him and scream, “What the hell is wrong you?” You can’t help but to see it from his point of view. Yet as Rose and Roman’s friendship grows the lines become blurred and passion that these two share will only leave you just as frustrated as they are.

I can’t go on anymore I will just give away the ending but I must share a few more tide bits of helpful information…. Make sure you have nothing else planed because once you start reading you will not want to stop till the very end. So if you have to work the next day be prepare to buy extra coffee to make it through the day. Also if you get invested in character as much as I do… make sure your away from sleeping kids as you cheer on your favorites. Also, if you don’t own stock in Kleenex I suggest purchasing a share or two because you will need as the emotions journey through this book will leave you weathered in a tear soaked face.
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Apr 25, 2012 Charlayne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, young-adult, alternate-lifestyle

Humans, vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, and demons. The whole cake and the icing too! What a wonderful treat for fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Rose has to get away from the stress at home. Mom is uncommunicative from a mysterious illness. Dad is busy but hovers. Rose wants freedom and has found work in London, teaching self-defense in a local gym. She plans of living with her Aunt Flo and her cousins Erin and Roman. Her friend Faye is coming along and has plans to live i...more Humans, vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, and demons. The whole cake and the icing too! What a wonderful treat for fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Rose has to get away from the stress at home. Mom is uncommunicative from a mysterious illness. Dad is busy but hovers. Rose wants freedom and has found work in London, teaching self-defense in a local gym. She plans of living with her Aunt Flo and her cousins Erin and Roman. Her friend Faye is coming along and has plans to live in a group house. It is going to be a grand adventure.

What she doesn’t realize is that the world is full of more than just humans. Her cousin, Roman, is a werewolf in a pack of werewolves, his friends Raven, Harold, Kris, and Damon are all werewolves and hanging out at Aunt Flo’s house. Roman is dating Thistle, who is a vampire.

Other characters are disappearing, there are things stalking the supernatural of London. The leadership of the werewolves and vampires are watching and trying to figure out who is doing it. Rose is finding out that she is….

Amos Cassidy’s first book in the Crimson Series has more twists and turns than a garden walk on the side of a mountain. I had to make sure to remember what each character was doing and who they had been with the last time I read about them. The story weaves in and out between characters and groups before racing toward a very fast and unexpected ending. It left me breathless and wanting to go back a few chapters and see if I missed anything because what I read was so hard to believe it happened that way. It’s not a bad ending, it’s more such a surprise that I was thinking “They did what?” as I stopped reading (and tried to remember to breathe).

I want to read more about Rose and her world. I cannot wait until the next book comes out in the fall to read about how things go from where she left it. I do recommend this book for late teens to adults. There is no blatant sex, although there is some same-sex action and there is violence.

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Jul 09, 2012 Laurie: Almost Faemous rated it 3 of 5 stars

Originally posted on my blog http://ufreview.com/2012/06/24/crimso...

I got a copy of Crimson Midnight from from the Making Connections group on Goodreads so thanks to the mods and the author for making it available. I had to take a couple of days after reading it to write my review, there were parts of the book I really liked and other parts...well...not so much. Urban fantasy is what I read more than anything else and this had all the elements hot werewolves, fae, vampires and demons, sadly tho...more Originally posted on my blog http://ufreview.com/2012/06/24/crimso...

I got a copy of Crimson Midnight from from the Making Connections group on Goodreads so thanks to the mods and the author for making it available. I had to take a couple of days after reading it to write my review, there were parts of the book I really liked and other parts...well...not so much. Urban fantasy is what I read more than anything else and this had all the elements hot werewolves, fae, vampires and demons, sadly though the story was just ok and there were some technical issues that made it a bit irritating to read, but a good edit would clean all that up.

The story is told from the first person and centers mostly around the character Rose, Rose was an interesting character and I liked her immediately. Rose and her friend Faye are leaving their homes and moving to London to start a new life, Rose goes to stay with a friend of her mother's while Faye shares a flat with some students. Rose meets a bunch of new friends in London, but doesn't realize right away that they are all supernaturals. When Rose discovers her friends are all supernaturals, she also finds out that she is too but no one knows exactly what she is.

Like I said the novel is told from the first person and it jumped from person to person often, so much so that it left me kinda confused and it was a weird way to introduce new characters. Overall I liked the story, but it needed a good edit, there were chapters that seemed to serve no purpose to the overall plot and there were also issues with timing. Rose arrives in London eats, sleeps goes to work comes home and it still her first day in London, then we move to 3 months later, it just made it confusing and left me wondering what the hell I missed. The whole chapter of a vampire wedding served no purpose to the storyline and I kept waiting for it to tie in to the rest of the story and it never did.

I did enjoy the story and the characters. I found all the werewolves interesting and I liked how they interacted with each other. Rose, from the very first chapter I thought was great and I loved her sarcasm. The ending...*sigh* I can't express how much I hated the ending. I understand cliff hanger endings even if I hate them but you want your audience to buy your next book so they can see what happens, but this ending left me with more questions than answers. I was left scratching my head going WTF...that's it?! I will more than likely read the second book just to see how they wrap up all my unanswered questions.(less)

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Jun 08, 2012 ♥ Ashleigh ♥ contrary to popular belief im not actually mad! rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who enjoy Urban Fantasy books.

Recommended to ♥ Ashleigh ♥ by: Tammy

Shelves: 2012, 3rd-person-pov, adult, heroine, multi-paranormal-species, urban-fantasy, vampires, were-shifters, witches-warlocks, fae

2 friends of mine told me about this book, it was one of those get for free but have to write a review afterwards which i usually hate but im really glad i read this book.
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hmmmm im not really sure what to say about this book, i did enjoy reading it and got a few laughs out of it but i wouldnt call it original. very UF.
i think i had such a hard time writing this review cause i went away on a holiday right in the middle (not a great idea, lol) im...more 2 friends of mine told me about this book, it was one of those get for free but have to write a review afterwards which i usually hate but im really glad i read this book.
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hmmmm im not really sure what to say about this book, i did enjoy reading it and got a few laughs out of it but i wouldnt call it original. very UF.
i think i had such a hard time writing this review cause i went away on a holiday right in the middle (not a great idea, lol) im thinking of re-reading this book in the future and hopefully writing a better review.

if you ignore the "witty" come backs and loads of swearing (which got a bit boring towards the end) the characters where great fun, the banter between Rose and Roman was very cute.
my fave thing about Rose was her past - how it made her who she is today. i liked how she was confident in herself.
my fave character had to be thistle, for most of the book we thought she was some weird drugged up spacecadet chick but after a while we saw this other side to her which was pretty badass (i would like to learn more about her secret talent, does every vampire get one when there turned??) and i think she was an excellent friend for Rose, i loved how close those two became.
the wolves were interesting, i really liked raven, it was great how he was gay and the author showed how that affected the other wolves. the whole hierarchy thing they had going on was fascinating as well - never heard of a werewolf who went around calming the others, lol.
loved Flo, if i had a god mother i would want her. her house sounded a pit cooky what with all the teddy's but it also sounded sweet and homey.

i thought some of the names where a bit bizarre, like Thistle, Raven, Harold, Flo.... did their parents really call them that?? lol.

the writing style was a bit confusing at times - but i think it gave us (the readers) a bigger picture by swapping POV so often so i didnt mind, just wish it could of been a bit smoother or more defined. then again im not used to reading books with switching POVs so it could just be me....

we didnt get much info on the world - we know theres a council that over see's everything and that most of the supernaturals help keep things running smoothly but that was about it, im hoping the next book will give us more info.

the ending was pretty abrupt but i really liked it, didnt see it coming at all.
(view spoiler)

all in all im deff looking forward to the next book.(less)

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Aug 03, 2012 Lily rated it 4 of 5 stars

If I was not aware up front that this was a team effort between two writers, I would have been clueless. This story's flow was flawless. It really read like one voice.

I wasn't ready for how wide this large cast of supernaturals would be, and I tend to be reader who usually picks up novels without too many different paranormal communities interacting. Simply because there is too much to explain to the reader. Thankfully, this too was executed flawlessly, with lots of the same old same old history...more
If I was not aware up front that this was a team effort between two writers, I would have been clueless. This story's flow was flawless. It really read like one voice.

I wasn't ready for how wide this large cast of supernaturals would be, and I tend to be reader who usually picks up novels without too many different paranormal communities interacting. Simply because there is too much to explain to the reader. Thankfully, this too was executed flawlessly, with lots of the same old same old history on all these different folks, with lots of original touches thrown in to keep it all pretty interesting. Each main character is explored and given his/her 15 minutes so-to-speak, with enough background information to really get into their heads, and understand them.

Rose's character is surrounded by intrigue right from the beginning. You know she has a part to play within the supernatural world, but you don't really know what she is, really. And the best part? No one else knows either! She is a complete anomaly, filled with a power she doesn't quite know how to control, and no one seems to understand. And she is so bad-ass. From the first moment her fist connected with her cheating boyfriend's face, I was fully invested already.

This was a full bodied novel with many subplots. Between action packed scenes, to sexual tension, it was all there. Though the story was told from many points of view, focusing on many different players in the story, I liked how it all began to come together, and how everyone did interconnect.

I did have issues keeping all the werewolves straight. They all really blended when they were all in a scene together, and only about half way through the book was I able to keep them all straight. I kept Raven straight though (no pun intended, as he is GAY). Not the first time I have read a novel that features a gay werewolf but he was definitely hard to mix up with the others, as his lifestyle was a bit of a conflict amongst some of the group. His lifestyle and relationships were explored with as much detail as a m/f relationship would be. I am pretty comfortable with this so it didn't bother me, but it may bother others with a different comfort level.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, it's plot and characters. I really do despise cliff hangers in a novel when I have to wait for the next installment, but by no means would that be a complete negative. If I am eager to continue the story, then obviously I really enjoyed the novel. And since it appears that the next book is expected out in September 2012, the short waiting time is not that big of a hardship.
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