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Midnight Magic
A magical painting, a mystical gateway…
Legend has it that a heartbroken artist used magical paint to create the beautiful "Midnight Magic"--and then stepped into the painting and was never seen again. Or so Sara Drimmon is told when she visits the Second Chance Gallery in Rebecca York's "Second Chance." Sara experiences the magic for herself when the painting sends her into her own past and gives her a second chance with her first love.
Then it's Sara's turn to introduce someone to the painting--and she chooses Merline, a beautiful singer who's lost her voice. In Susan Kearney's "Ulterior Motives," the painting sends Merline thousands of years into the future, where she is no longer a superstar. Is Merline ready to trade stardom for love?
In Jeanie London's "Temptation," an artist urges Nina de Lacy to look deeply into the painting. But Nina has her own magical way of seeing into the souls of men--and now she must choose between the destiny "Midnight Magic" offers her and the two men who wait for her to tell them their future…
Legend has it that a heartbroken artist used magical paint to create the beautiful "Midnight Magic"--and then stepped into the painting and was never seen again. Or so Sara Drimmon is told when she visits the Second Chance Gallery in Rebecca York's "Second Chance." Sara experiences the magic for herself when the painting sends her into her own past and gives her a second chance with her first love.
Then it's Sara's turn to introduce someone to the painting--and she chooses Merline, a beautiful singer who's lost her voice. In Susan Kearney's "Ulterior Motives," the painting sends Merline thousands of years into the future, where she is no longer a superstar. Is Merline ready to trade stardom for love?
In Jeanie London's "Temptation," an artist urges Nina de Lacy to look deeply into the painting. But Nina has her own magical way of seeing into the souls of men--and now she must choose between the destiny "Midnight Magic" offers her and the two men who wait for her to tell them their future…
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 2, 2006
107 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca York
323 books449 followersRuth Glick (born 1942) is a best-selling author of healthy cookbooks and has also written dozens of romantic suspense romance novels under the pen name Rebecca York.
Ruth earned a B.A. in American Thought and Civilization from George Washington University and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Maryland. Although she always wanted to become a writer, Glick was convinced that her lack of spelling skills meant that her goal was unattainable. As a stay-at-home mother, she took a community college course to help her choose a career. The course made it very clear that writing was her primary interest. Glick began writing articles for newspapers and magazines, but after several years decided to try writing fiction. Her first book, a kids' science fiction book, was finally purchased by Scholastic Inc..
Since then, Glick has become a highly successful author of over 50 romantic suspense and paranormal novels. Many of her novels are published under the Harlequin Intrigue line, and in June 2003, she became one of the first authors published under Berkley's new Sensation imprint. Before 1997, she often collaborated with Eileen Buckholtz and Kathryn Jenson.
Glick also is a highly regarded author of cookbooks focusing on healthy eating. She sometimes hires trained chefs to test the recipes that she creates, and makes sure that every recipe is tested at least three times before it appears in one of her cookbooks.
Glick is the head of the Columbia Writers Workshop. She and her husband, Norman Glick, live in Columbia, Maryland, where Ruth collects rocks, and enjoys cooking, walking, reading, gardening, travel, and Mozart operas. They have two grown children, Elissa and Ethan, and two grandsons (Jesse and Leo).
Ruth earned a B.A. in American Thought and Civilization from George Washington University and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Maryland. Although she always wanted to become a writer, Glick was convinced that her lack of spelling skills meant that her goal was unattainable. As a stay-at-home mother, she took a community college course to help her choose a career. The course made it very clear that writing was her primary interest. Glick began writing articles for newspapers and magazines, but after several years decided to try writing fiction. Her first book, a kids' science fiction book, was finally purchased by Scholastic Inc..
Since then, Glick has become a highly successful author of over 50 romantic suspense and paranormal novels. Many of her novels are published under the Harlequin Intrigue line, and in June 2003, she became one of the first authors published under Berkley's new Sensation imprint. Before 1997, she often collaborated with Eileen Buckholtz and Kathryn Jenson.
Glick also is a highly regarded author of cookbooks focusing on healthy eating. She sometimes hires trained chefs to test the recipes that she creates, and makes sure that every recipe is tested at least three times before it appears in one of her cookbooks.
Glick is the head of the Columbia Writers Workshop. She and her husband, Norman Glick, live in Columbia, Maryland, where Ruth collects rocks, and enjoys cooking, walking, reading, gardening, travel, and Mozart operas. They have two grown children, Elissa and Ethan, and two grandsons (Jesse and Leo).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 6, 2024
Midnight Magic
by Rebecca York, Susan Kearney, and Jeanie London by Melinda Leigh is a set of three novellas. Each centers around a magical painting. The legend is that a heartbroken artist used magical paint to create the painting to escape his unhappy life. He then stepped into it and was never seen again.
In the first novella, Second Chance by Rebecca York, Sara Drimmon enters the gallery and views the painting. She is sent back into her past for a second chance with her first love. Is it possible to change their future? This story was my favorite of the three.
Susan Kearney’s Ulterior Motives features singing sensation Merline Sullivan and is being chased by paparazzi. She ends up at the Second Chance Gallery and enters the painting as well. However, she ends up in the future. This is a science fiction romance.
The third, and my least favorite novella of the three, is Temptation by Jeanie London. This is a historical fiction story that has intrigue, but felt extremely slow paced to me. I also had trouble connecting with the characters in it.
Overall, this anthology captured my interest and imagination, with the common theme of a magical painting serving as a portal.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date May 16, 2017.
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My 3.13 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
In the first novella, Second Chance by Rebecca York, Sara Drimmon enters the gallery and views the painting. She is sent back into her past for a second chance with her first love. Is it possible to change their future? This story was my favorite of the three.
Susan Kearney’s Ulterior Motives features singing sensation Merline Sullivan and is being chased by paparazzi. She ends up at the Second Chance Gallery and enters the painting as well. However, she ends up in the future. This is a science fiction romance.
The third, and my least favorite novella of the three, is Temptation by Jeanie London. This is a historical fiction story that has intrigue, but felt extremely slow paced to me. I also had trouble connecting with the characters in it.
Overall, this anthology captured my interest and imagination, with the common theme of a magical painting serving as a portal.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date May 16, 2017.
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My 3.13 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
July 26, 2019
This is probably not a book I would have chosen to read, but a friend gave me a box of books and this was in it. Reading the back cover, I thought perhaps it would be more of a fantasy or time-travel type "magic" and it did start that way, but midway through the first novella, fortune-telling came into the story and I was done with it.
Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead
***
I didn't actually mind the "legend" of the painting. reading the back cover blurb and the part I did read, it kind of seemed like the owner of the painting chose the next person who would have the experience. (But the third novella's blurb didn't seem to follow that pattern.)
I also didn't mind the time travel aspect of the first book. I've read other scifi/fantasy stories involving time travel--so why not through a painting? Though you do run into that pesky "if you change something that already happened, what does it mean for the future?"
I thought Matt and Sara had been married before he died based on the narrative in the beginning, but then something Sara said when she went back in time and met Matt again made me think that was not so. Even though I'd still have disliked the sex between the two when they met again, if they'd been married, I probably could have rationalized it (even if Matt didn't know they'd get married at the time) but since it seems they were never married before he died . . . I had a harder time with it.
And then when the fortune-teller at the fair came up and Matt wanted to have it done . . .well, that was the last straw for me.
Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead
***
I didn't actually mind the "legend" of the painting. reading the back cover blurb and the part I did read, it kind of seemed like the owner of the painting chose the next person who would have the experience. (But the third novella's blurb didn't seem to follow that pattern.)
I also didn't mind the time travel aspect of the first book. I've read other scifi/fantasy stories involving time travel--so why not through a painting? Though you do run into that pesky "if you change something that already happened, what does it mean for the future?"
I thought Matt and Sara had been married before he died based on the narrative in the beginning, but then something Sara said when she went back in time and met Matt again made me think that was not so. Even though I'd still have disliked the sex between the two when they met again, if they'd been married, I probably could have rationalized it (even if Matt didn't know they'd get married at the time) but since it seems they were never married before he died . . . I had a harder time with it.
And then when the fortune-teller at the fair came up and Matt wanted to have it done . . .well, that was the last straw for me.
May 23, 2015
Mysterious stories about a painting that grants second chances. Nice light reading. I liked the first two stories but the third story fell flat for me. It didn't match the tone of the other stories and didn't really have a resolution. Also I didn't really care much for the majority of the characters in the final story.
May 23, 2008
I enjoyed the first two stories. The third dragged a bit for me but did pick up at the end. The funny thing is I was reading this mainly for the third story because its the set up story for the book, Retrieval.
October 5, 2021
It's kind of hard to rate this because it was three short stories, not an entire novel. I loved Rebecca York's story. Susan's story was good, but what happened to the others Dubane held captive? Were the dancer and artist freed too? I couldn't get into the third one.
October 6, 2010
I pick up anthologies specifically so I can try new authors with very little time or money invested. Each story was good for different reasons. I think I liked the Kearney story the most.
March 9, 2008
Interesting premise for short stories, but I couldn't even finish it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews