Midnight Sky

Sky Brooks #7

by McKenzie Hunter

Being part of the Midwest Pack isn’t easy—especially now. My life has never been simple—and it only keeps getting more complicated. The Alphas, Ethan, and several key players in the otherworld go missing, thrusting me into the position of Elite Alpha and tasking me with finding them. The list of suspects grows as I realize that mating with Ethan has caused allies to become enemies. Will I locate the missing in time or will I be the last Alpha standing? I don’t know who I can trust. Too many people want me dead, including a new group of witches who want to rid the world of were-animals, especially those who can wield magic like me and Ethan. Adding to the problems is a new group of vampires, who would do anything necessary to gain control of the Northern Seethe and the power it holds over the Midwest, including hurting the people I love. There’s no way I’m going to let that happen. But will my life be the cost for their protection?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Audiobook, Shapeshifters, Paranormal

490 pages, ebook

First published March 22, 2019

About the author

McKenzie Hunter is the author of urban fantasy, dark fantasy, and paranormal romance books. She discovered early that new adventures were just a page-turn away; all she had to do was read a book. She’s had her share of escapades from hanging out with vamps, joining the chaos of shifter packs, creating spells with witches, and avoiding deals with the fae.

When she isn't working on her next book, she’s reading, binge-watching TV, or disappearing into her own world during nature walks (probably on the lookout for magical beings—or maybe not).

Want to chat with McKenzie Hunter, discuss her books in her readers group or stay up to date with new releases, see cover reveals first, and participate in exclusive giveaways? Click the link: https://mckenziehunter.com/social-links/

Reviews

[Jazer (catching up on TBRs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up!

Okay. This was okay. It wasn't as impressive as the books 4-6. Was the ending satisfying? Kind of? It was a gradual win throughout the book but I now understand why Chris was warranted a POV on book 2. She did play a bigger role on the latter part of the series.

This book was like trying to wrap up all the loose ends from the previous books and it wasn't as exciting. The second half felt like an extended Epilogue instead of the ending I was looking forward to. I enjoyed it though. I didn't think we'd reach the part that Ethan would make a total 180 from his jerk reputation at the beginning. Similar with Chris, he had the biggest character redemption which was a good thing since he's the male lead and all.

Who am I kidding? OF COURSE I loved the sweet and fluffy moments. It had been a long time coming and witnessing their slow progress from an undefined relationship to domestic bliss was great. Their banter improved SO MUCH in this book and commitment looked really good on Ethan. I'd say Skylar and Ethan weren't the best main characters I've encountered but I enjoyed the suspense, action, and development of their story.

P.S.
I just saw that there were books on Ethan's POV and I am debating on reading them. I do want to see his view of Skylar especially since it was only at the latter part that they revealed how territorial he'd been about Skylar and his rumored denial of his feelings for her.

[D.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finale

As a series finale, I’m not disappointed, but as a story within a series, I am, if that makes sense. This book concludes the series nicely. There’s no opened ended “what if’s” or questions left unanswered, but judging it as a book, the story that was given, I found it rushed, anticlimactic, and predictable. All the issue that arose were quickly settled just for a new issue to arise and be taken care of just as fast. The book seemed to be a placate piece. No real turmoil and little conflict.

[Witch-at-Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can never get enough of this storyline and I wish so much it was not the last book in the Sky Brooks series! The characters have grown so much and the world building is so vivid and detailed I feel as if I can see everything in my mind as I read.

I love all the humor and attitude, and no matter how dire the situation the pack always comes together, battered, scarred, and baring fangs, magic and intelligence! There is always more than one monster on the attack so who is the enemy and who is are the allies... So much mystery intrigue and the long game coming to fruition in this perfect ending.

As a reader, I was impressed as the story fell into place and ongoing machinations are exposed. It is masterful writing.

The romance between Ethan and Sky that has been slowly simmering and smoldering finally comes to some incredibly tender and loving moments as barriers fall and they grow as a couple.

All of McKenzie Hunters character dynamics are so multifaceted and fascinating. The characters are all realistically vibrant and I learned to love even the bad guys in this series. Yep empathy over choices is a real thing in this book and I love the emotional payoffs! In addition, can I say the dialog between characters is priceless… Midnight Sky has moments filled with humor, bantering and sarcasm within the pack. You can feel a real closeness and comradery that a tried in fire team develops when facing life and death situations. So many things are explained/explored in this non-stop action packed ending to an amazing series.

Well and it left me hungry for all that isn’t explained leaving a door open just in case McKenzie Hunter ever decides to revisit this world (and I so hope she does).

What sets the Sky Brooks series apart is the relationships the characters have developed with each other over time they are believable and heartfelt. A nice addition is even when you feel like you understand a characters motivations you can still be surprised as new tidbits are revealed or revisited in conversations. I find this incredibly refreshing and I love how much detail is taken into consideration in not only the characters but also the overall plot. It is incredibly well planned out and executed. Bravo McKenzie Hunter this is a home run!!!

[Neha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a series which I never fully liked but was strangely addicted to hence I had to finish it.

* This was a weak one, it was very scattered, the plot was more collection of various small story arcs which were just hasty summaries of various plots from previous books. There's nothing new.

* Sky is even more annoying, judgmental and disrespectful in this one.

*I liked Chris' character arc and her chemistry with Sky.

[Jeanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pet Peeve: wedding, pregnancy & baby
A completely average series. Books 1-7 Audible version.

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Good end to the series. As always, Sky is not the most likable character, but the story flows well. In this novel, just like some of the previous, some characters (David and Trent come to mind) let curiosity and naiveté push them into really dumb decisions that make you question their intelligence. And I could have gone this whole book without hearing/seeing the name Quell.

[Kittens bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series. My favorite part was the wedding planning, wedding and sky experiencing her pregnancy and the joys of her daughter sage. I really wish the series didn’t end

[Viv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good enjoyable series.

When I read the first instalment of this series I wasn't sure what to make of it. It started off slow , but I had purchased the series so decided to carry on. I'm glad I did as the books and storyline get better and better!
Its concentrates around Skylar who is a were wolf and part vampire and hosts a spirt shade that is a fae. She falls under the protection of the Midwest pack and we follow her through all the changes and turmoil her life brings and her turbulent relationship with Ethan the packs Beta.
Its full of magic , vampires , Elves , fae , witches and were animals. Its really a worthy read !

[Chrystie Colon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow ! How we have come full circle, The last book and I love how much Sky has grown, how much she has changed Ethan how she calms him , I love the progression of their relationship from bickering, to lovers , to bf/gf , to fiancé to wife .. to baby mama !!! Love that they had a baby together , the way Sky has been eating I knew she was. I’m happy to have everyone’s story come to a close, of course there’s more stories you want to know like Josh (Does London say yes ? ) Baby T ( and her magic using in wolf form ) Sebastian and Ariel make it official ? .. I spiraled I know … overall happy with the ending … off to Read Ethans last POV 🤗🙃

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excited for the next book!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up truly enjoying this series. It started out so elementary but turned into some very thoughtful and lovable story lines

[Jacqueline Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series (:

[Beth Babb · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤❤❤

I can't believe Sky and Ethan's story is over. I have so enjoyed being a part of their world. If you are looking for a series with a lot of heart then this is the best.

[Brittany Duszczyszyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man so many books and they feel like the same story over & over again I’m done!

Their pack is always fighting for their lives with everyone out to get them, it would of been nice if sometimes they were helping their friends out if a bad situation rather then everyone always having to save them.

Why did we have Chris’s POV in that one book then not have anything come from it? Plus when she was almost killed when she was a human she promised her revenge but then never did it was a waste of storyline. Then how many times did we need of stories of someone wanting Chris (the daemon & the king of vampires) the pack always paid the consequences then Chris ended up just going to the king of vampires? We could have skipped so many useless fights & stories.

Don’t get me started on Cole the Alph dick that we all knew was bad news and he lasted 2 books, making creepy sexual advances on sky and they just let him stay in their pack and know all their secrets well he kept challenging Ethan. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!

I’ve waisted a week of my life on these books and they weren’t worth it!

This series should have been condensed it was to dragged out!

The end was cute enough

[Shannon (shan_reads_with_cats) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an overall view of the series from Sky’s perspective, I give it a solid 3/5⭐️s. This was one of the first series I read when I got back into reading in 2020. I remember really loving the creativity and urban setting of this fantasy world. Having it sent in modern time with all aspects of the Otherworld was just want I needed to get back into reading. It was only after finishing the Sky Brooks versions that I realized there was Ethan’s POV and I read them after. I always thought to myself that it would have been cool to alternate them so starting at the beginning of the year, I did that with the audiobooks.

TBH, the FMC and constant storyline repetitiveness just drove me nuts. The over explanations of metaphors and hyperboles when Sky was trying to joke about something. I didn’t think her stubbornness was cute, it was just really childish and petty. She seemed very entitled when she knew next to nothing most of the time. And her obsession with Quell, literally hated it. Could have done without it. The friendship with David and Trent, loved it. We all need gay best friends and let’s be real, I’d ask to be a wereanimal in a heartbeat if I were them.

And the storyline was written to explain everything as if you had amnesia halfway through the story. By book 7, you shouldn’t have to tell me who and what one of the major returning characters are or what each magical object is. But that was constant through the whole story. I literally didn’t have to worry about not paying attention to details because it would have been repeated within the same chapter.

But weirdly enough, world and characters kept pulling me back. I think I like Ethan’s POV stories way better.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too long and meandering, but still a cliffy?

I had mixed feelings about this series. The premise and overall vision of the series I think was achieved successfully for any readers enjoyment, but this book like all the rest felt like it went off on random things that didn't advance the storyline....spoilers with pros and cons.......
pros...........................................................................A few of the storylines felt like they reached some type of conclusion. Sky's narrative voice is entertaining throughout the series and really added to the experience. cons.............................................................
The antagonist of this story were so predictable and the first conflict with the whole kidnapping thing felt almost rushed and pointless to the greater story. It can be difficult to enjoy a story with a protagonist that drives you crazy. I found myself agreeing more with the rest of the Otherworld. Yes, many things happened across denizens...but they were reckless and want everyone else to just let it go. The story was so long that I had to take breaks cause I was a little done, but wanted to know the ending. My final complaint is that I hate that to get Ethan's perspective I have to read basically the same thing again. And it ends with a cliffhanger!

[NL Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the entire 7-novel series:

The characters were fairly well-developed (at least, at first), the plot's path in each novel seemed well-considered (at least, in the beginning of each novel), the narrative style (for the most part) was more sophisticated than most I've read recently, and I enjoyed the dry humor (especially "Sky's" italicized asides).

Note: I've given up criticizing the numerous errors I find. I figure, these days, it's a fact of literary life for the types of novels I'm reading and, also, I've become very adept at re-writing in my head to correct for all the typos and the incorrect grammar and the confusion between homonyms and... yeah, all that.

So... what I didn't like - especially in this last novel - were solutions that popped up out of nowhere (what the heck is/are "the Roho"????). There were also ultra-fast resolutions to plot lines that didn't really satisfy (the "Cole" conundrum, for example), a lack of proper motivation for change (can we all say "Ethan" - and, even "Sky," for that matter), and I found myself confused a lot, even after re-reading several passages several times. (I know I'm old, but jeez!)

Anyway, these novels were a much better "use" (read as "waste") of my time that the series I'm currently finishing...

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last book

Each book was filled with action even though the pack was wolves it was more focused on magic. more that it goes wrong allot.every book did not really end it was more like episodes ending on cliff hangers.the bad guys was the vamps then witches and a mage or two more witches some elves,fae and even humans. It made it interesting and worth the read the ending is a HEA but I was kind of disappointed how it ended no big fight go down.plus there is room for more series. even a 20 years later with kids.there was not many mated relationship in this but sky was the heart who changed the pack.I would of liked to see kids would of been funny with Sebastian,Ethan and Gavin.how they acted.
We was in winters head at the end there thought that was odd no warning.also what happened to Maya? Or did nothing happen?
This series is worth reading there is also ethans books two.
I'm a member of kindle unlimited but if I played over £6 for each book I would not of been happy.for ebooks that's very overpriced.

[Jamie - The Bookish Attitude · Rating 4 out of 5]

All wrapped up in a nice wolfie bow.

The final book in the Sky Brooks series wasn't quite what I expected. There were things that I seen coming a mile away, some that made me go, oh no they didn't! And some that I really really wanted more time exploring.

It had been almost two years since I read book six, so I took the week and binge read everything. Including those released in Ethan's point of view.

It was definitely worth it to see how McKenzie grew as an author and how her characters evolved, changed, matured and hung onto, or at least tried to hang onto, most of their old ways/beliefs.

For the most part book seven has wrapped up everything that came before it. It's answered a lot of questions but also raised some more which I'm kinda hoping spin-offs and maybe novella's will come of it. But we'll wait and see.

[Livey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic ending to this series. This pack lead by Sebastian has the perfect Allies to battle the fairies and witches who have chosen to go against Ethan and Sky. Josh is a bad azz and with London he will be a good liaison between the Creed and the “bad witches”. I am glad Winter dumped Abigail, she is a user and it really comes out in this book. Sebastian just doesn’t know when to quit, a magic less world, go figure. I hate it when Sky is backed into a corner and must defend herself and when she succeeded everybody’s afraid so they try to “collar” her. And I like the truce Chris and Sky reach. I love the HEA in the last 3 books that I wasn’t getting in the first two books of the series and am glad that all Sky’s friends stick with her to the end.

[Savannah Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole new outlook

This series was the first I’ve read in probably close to five years without losing interest. All the drama, comedy, romance and smart-assery I’ve not only read, but felt as well. The author is one of the best I’ve found and I can’t wait to read more by her (hopefully a continuation of this amazing series eventually). I’m hooked. The complexity of the characters is unbelievable and the plot was thickened with every book making it impossible to put down, I read the entire series in less than a month between work and school both full time. This is officially my favorite.

[Sharon D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Skylar and Ethan!!

I loved this series and the complimenting series told from Ethan's point of view. In this one. The relationship between sky and Ethan is at an all time high. There is so much going on in this book its crazy! And all throughout I had one thought...that's right Bonnie and Clide this. B***h! Their energy and fight is infectious. You'll find yourself cheering and laughing out loud. The writing is flawless as it transitions frI'm peril to peril to peril. I love how this book truly shows the dynamics of a good relationship. Not perfect by everyone's standards, but its perfect for them. I really enjoyed reading it. And loved the ending.

[Firehorse Australia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting end to the series

I loved the way the story was rounded out, not going for cliché storyline’s or predictable ends.
I loved that it ended without a nice little bow as a presentation but instead as a fell-fire that was the life of the main characters were and would be.
Will miss this series, but very great full to have been able to live with the characters, to laugh, cry, yearn, and be shocked. But glad it did end, if it hadn’t happened it would have gotten repetitive and lost all of the beauty and intrigue that the Sky Brookes universe had.
Thank you for an amazing series.

[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title (Audible Membership)

Again, we have a period of continuous mayhem, where those against the were animals and their supporters tried to find creative ways to out the were to the human society.
It amazed me that the thought of: the weres being outed as an extension to the idea if one mythical creature existed, well then, some of the others in folklore were also viable, never seemed to cross the fanatics minds.
Anyway, not to give the final of the series conclusions away, just to say that this has been a very entrancing series.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...where to start? I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. The amount of love and detail poured into every bit of this final chapter was amazing. There is no character left behind, everything is brought to a beautiful finish. For me it is not often that a series is closed flawlessly and this series finale was pretty flawless. I highly recommend this series to anyone. Shifters, witches, vampires, faeries, battles, love, and humor all rolled into one. You can't ask more from a series that literally touches every emotion and leaves you wanting more. Happy reading!

[Edyta · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, I don't want this to be the last

I love this series and this last book breaks my heart because it is so good, I really don't want it to be the last. I couldn't put it down. I love that the author took the time to give each of the characters a satisfying farewell. This is not the end of these beautiful characters. For all of us fans of the Sky Brooks world, they will continue to live off page and McKenzie Hunter gives us peace that our favorite pack will be living life to the fullest. Enjoy the ride.

[NCChris · Rating 2 out of 5]

The final installment - I’m mostly apathetic about the series. I appreciated the plot in this one and felt it wrapped up pretty nicely. I still think Sky should have burned the world down, but I felt like Ethan grew through the last two books. I didn’t love the series, but I didn’t hate it. The final chapters & epilogue felt rushed - clearly the story was over, but still had a few final details to tie up and I could feel that they were afterthoughts. I won’t read it again and I’m glad I read them on a free Amazon Unlimited trial.

[Heather Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this entire series!

I have read this series more than once and love it. This final installment was so good. From the first book until the last I was invested in the complex relationships of each character. I love how McKenzie Hunter created a environment for Sky's character to grow into a confident woman. I loved how Ethan fought his attraction to Sky but when he finally succumbed to it, he seemed to finally find peace that he never expected. If you like stories similar to True Blood or Discovery of Witches you will love this entire series.

[Danielle Youngblood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series. I was captivated through the whole series. Sky's internal banter and sarcasm kept me laughing. Although some would not understand the dynamic in her and Ethan's relationship it is understood by understanding wolf nature's. Considering this is a series in most part about werewolves their relationship was cute and quirky. It worked and I love them together. The only thing that bothered me about the series is some of the repetition of information. Luckily I can over look that and see the amazing world building and story that the author was able to provide.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok - with 2/3 of the book left, it felt like the climax...and then there was another one, and another...I think altogether there were 5 or 6 times when it felt like MH was wrapping it up, but there was still more book left. It made it feel 10x more suspenseful knowing it wasn't over yet. I loved the way that old characters were brought back and integrated into the story. I feel like the way the book ended, there could be another added to the series but it was already written 6 years ago, so what do I know? Altogether a suspenseful and entertaining story.