Midnight Reborn

The Watchers #1

by D. McEntire

Never look back. The Watchers, Book 1 After suffering years of abuse as the virtual prisoner of a drug lord, Robyn Andrews has had enough. A carefully planned escape is her only hope for survival. Her past nipping at her heels, she boards the first bus out of town and heads for Louisville, Kentucky. Trigg is a Watcher with two missions in life. One, to hunt and eliminate Rogue vampires. Two, to be left alone. Yet he can't bring himself to harden his heart against the petite woman who looks so lost standing in the rain. And when Robyn joins him in a battle against Rogues, the little spitfire shows the bravery of ten Watchers. She's someone special, someone he needs in his dark life. Someone he can never have. He's vampire; she's human. A future for them is impossible. But the past has a way of catching up-and changing destinies with deadly speed. Warning: This book contains violence, spicy sexual scenes and erotic biting!

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Vampires

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

D. McEntire lives with her husband and two children in Southern Indiana. However, both she and her husband are originally from Louisville, Kentucky. D. McEntire relishes life in the peace of the country along with the menagerie of animals on their small farm.

Being hooked on romance novels for several years, she decided to try her hand at writing her own. Even as a child, she had a vivid imagination—or so her mother says.

By day, she is the secretary for the nursing department at a local health care clinic. By night, she works on her books after her childrens’ homework assignments are finished. Weekends are for fun, which can be found anywhere on their little farm in the country. A menagerie of animals keeps them all busy and entertained.

D. McEntire’s first and foremost love for romance stories is paranormal romance, particularly vampire love stories, but she also writes stories set in medieval times, along with modern-day adventures.

An avid reader of romance novels, she decided to try her hand in putting some of the ideas bouncing around her head to paper, and thus The Watchers Series was born.
To learn more about Diane send an email to diane@dmcentire.com.

Reviews

[Cindyg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific read. I love Ms. McEntire's writing and storytelling style. I fell in love the characters, Trigg, Robyn, Vane, Rosa and Rayne. I was on the edge of my seat thru most of story. You'll Trigg's integrity, and Robyn's strength to endure and overcome the things she's survived. Vane whose favorite letter is "F", you'll have to read the book to find out what that means. And Rayne the level headed one, the one vampire the others respect and listen to.
And let's not forget the sensual ingredients, they are HAWT...
Loved the book, loved the story, loved the action, the pace; loved everything about it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves hot vampire reads...

[Mindy Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m conflicted. This book kind of missed the mark for me. However, there were aspects of it that I absolutely loved.🧐


The heroine Robyn was imprisoned for 4 years by Jake, a druglord that her mother hooked up with. The suffered a great deal at the hands of that monster. The abuse she suffered….😢😭 She was young, sweet, lonely and brave. Shortly after her mother dies she has a chance to escape and flees. We then get introduced to the hero Trigg. He is a Watcher(A vampire that is tasked with eliminating rogues). He is dedicated to his job but does not come off quite as detached as I expected.

I loved Robyn’s personality. She wanted to feel safe/loved and she also loved taking care of others. I loved how protective Trigg was.

What I didn’t care for:

Jake came off as comically bad
The final showdown was disappointing. Not nearly enough suffering for Jake
Some of the vampires didn’t come off as strong as I expected
I wanted more spicy scenes. The ones we got were too quick and lacked depth
I wanted to see the conversation about children

The next book is about a different couple

[Meka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh this book. I just don't know. I feel like I just keep reading books that simply miss the mark for me, and yet I have a sinking feeling this is going to be my it's so bad, it's kind of good' story.

The book has all of the tropes that I really like. I love trauma tropes and watching characters overcome the terrible things that have happened to them. I also love vampires. But this book had way too many moments where I sighed and said woefully 'oh, this book.'

Robyn Andrews is a prisoner of a druglord that her mother hooked up with, and now she's alone after her mother's death. The abuse was terrible, and I felt like the author did a good job of portraying Robyn's experiences. I felt empathy for her and wanted better. The first few chapters were harrowing and I just wanted Jake to get what he had coming to him.

I won't rehash too much of the plot since it's in the summary of the book, but I started rolling my eyes shortly after she escaped Jake. I had a few problems with the believability of Jake as a villain. He came off as very cartoonish to me. It was hard for me to believe that he'd wait until she was eighteen before taking liberties with her, but I also understand comfort levels of writers and readers. Still, that part just seemed so bizarre considering that her mother was dead for a year or two.

There were other eye rolling parts of this book for me, particularly the names of the heroes. Whatever happened to our standard romance favorites, like Lucian, damion? We had Tank, Vane, Rayne, and our intrepid hero, Trigg. They all lived together in a cell, a small group. Although the author makes sure to crack the cellmates joke and then explain it to us just in case we didn't get it. I couldn't get over the name Trigg. I kept getting visions of someone who couldn't control himself during intimate moments. I'm a horrible, horrible person.

There were gaping plot holes like just how Jake found out that Robyn was in Louisville. That part seemed so contrived and like it came out of left field.

I also had trouble sympathizing with Robyn sometimes but I chocked it up to the fact that she was eighteen, and had been a prisoner for most of her teen-aged life, and she was falling in love for the first time. I think the love story portion of this book would have worked better for me if Robyn wasn't barely legal.

The other problem that I had with this book was that the writing style was full of extraneous wording. I didn't need to know all of the details about how Robyn went down to the washer, grabbed the detergent, unscrewed the lid, poured it in, put it back in its place, turned the knob, and then went upstairs. There were several passages like this that didn't really pertain to the overall plot of the book and felt like they were tossed in to make the story longer. It was frustrating, and I found myself sighing in annoyance.

There were other parts of this book that really took away from my overall enjoyment of it, such as a trope that takes place in their second intimacy scene that drives me nuts, the fact that I felt as though a few of the characters had stereotypes that they obviously had lived up to due to their ethnic backgrounds, and that I didn't find the love story to be entirely believable even if I did kind of like both characters.

So what did I like? When the story wasn't bogged down with so many words, it clipped along. I found myself hoping for a happily ever after for Robyn and Trigg. Also, the author writes some fabulous fight scenes that didn't hold back on the gore. Also, there are some common vampire tropes that are turned on their heads.

Despite my misgivings about the first story, I find that I want to read the next one if for no other reason than to figure out how things turn out for the rest of the Cellmates (har har).

Maybe I've read too much paranormal romance and am getting jaded. I hope that the next installment in the series is more enjoyable for me than the first. I feel like this story had a lot of potential but fell flat. But I guess if I want to read book 2 then it wasn't completely horrible.

[Verna Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love a great Vampire book with romance and love then you need to check out this book. It was absolutely wonderful and the characters will steal your heart :)

Brace yourself when you start to read this book. The beginning will have you an emotional wreck. It sure did me. I was so angry and sad all at the same time. I felt absolutely horrible for Robyn and all that she went through. She endured a lot of abuse and it really got to me.

Robyn was a very strong young lady. She went through things that most people wouldn’t survive yet she kept going and doing the best that she could. When she meets Trigg, I immediately adored him. He is so very charming and mysterious. But then you learn that he’s so much more. He is very caring and has a really big heart especially when it comes to Robyn. I loved how as soon as he laid eyes on her he was protective of her and wanted to do nothing but help her and show her that not everyone was going to hurt her. Everything about him will make you love him.

“Before you came into my life. I wanted nothing and no one. I lived day in and day out caring only about my mission to seek out and destroy Rogues. You have shown me something I have never felt before-love. I almost lost you and I couldn’t bare it. Will you have me as your mate?”

Then she meets Trigg’s friends, Vane and Rayne. They both welcome her just as Trigg did and accept her in their lives. They all help her to grow and show her the good that is in the world. They all help her to open up her mind and she finally feels safe and at home with them.

I really enjoyed seeing their love for one another grow and that no matter what they learned about each other they still wanted to be with one another. Even when she discovers who Trigg really is, she isn’t afraid of him and trusts him. I loved and mean loved getting to know about the watchers and vampires in this book. The guys are all three amazing and I instinctively loved all of them. I loved all of the characters in this book with the exception of those who hurt Robyn and her mother.
I was so glad when Robyn met Rosa, Darla, Phillip, & Abigail. They all pretty much became like family to her, she finally had friends and that made me so very happy. Rosa was great to Robyn from
the start and helped her out which made me love her that much more.

Now brace yourself for the end of the book as well. I couldn’t help it, I cried because of what happened. Robyn truly had one of the biggest hearts and very courageous which she shows near the end when she saves Darla & Abigail. I was so thankful that Robyn gets to see her mother again. Even though she is faced with a decision that could change her life forever. I don’t want to give too much away, but I was so rooting for a happy ending at this point and hoping that Trigg and Robyn would get the ending they so much deserved. Thankfully the more I read the happier I got. I was beyond ecstatic for the two of them.


I can’t wait to get to read the next book in this series so I can see where things go for Vane and Rosa because I loved both of them in this one.

*Arc received by Author for an honest review :)

[Starry · Rating 4 out of 5]

After suffering years of abuse as the virtual prisoner of a drug lord, Robyn Andrews has had enough. A carefully planned escape is her only hope for survival. Her past nipping at her heels, she boards the first bus out of town and heads for Louisville, Kentucky.

Trigg is a Watcher with two missions in life. One, to hunt and eliminate Rogue vampires. Two, to be left alone. Yet he can-t bring himself to harden his heart against the petite woman who looks so lost standing in the rain. And when Robyn joins him in a battle against Rogues, the little spitfire shows the bravery of ten Watchers. She-s someone special, someone he needs in his dark life.

Someone he can never have. He-s vampire; she-s human. A future for them is impossible.

But the past has a way of catching up-and changing destinies with deadly speed.
__________________________________
Robyn and Trigg-main characters in the damn frickin book!

][]'''



Robyn and her mom was left from Robyns dad to take care of themselves, and her mom later on found a job at a bar that gave good tips. Then one day, Robyn whole world changed when she saw her mom bring Jake home, a guy that her mom meant at the bar and was hanging out with. Then one day Jake asked them if they wanted to move into his farm with him, and her mom agreed, while Robyn thought that her worst nightmare came true....and it did. Jake forbidden them a few months later or so from leaving his house, and he would abuse robyn and her mom. Escaping is one thing, but with jake's guard friends watching the house most of the time it was near dan impossible.
Robyn was now eighteen, 4 years locked up in Jake's place, and she hadn't even seen her mom most of the time, because Jake drugged her mom, and now her moms a drug addict. Robyn later on sneaks out of Jakes house, and gets a bus ticket all the way to Lovielle, Texas.
Triggs cell mates are rayne, and vane(a guy who loves women).
Trigg feels a connection between him and Robyn the first time he set eyes on Robyn. and later on Robyn sees him fighting rogues and things go down from there.
Bad things happen when Trigg and Robyn had a sexual encounter, and Trigg almost took all of Robyn's blood that would kill her from her.
Jake heard someone finding the notebook that Robyn wrote and now knows what place shes at.

Robyn moved into a new apartment and meant Rosa(Rosa's going to be the main charcter in the next book-with Vane).
Later in the end drake is killer, Robyn was changed into a vamp and survived the change, and after that she mated Trigg, and trigg to her-wink-, and i have a feeling that vane's finally found his true mate, Rosa.

#105

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in The Watchers series is an intriguing and fascinating vampire world.

After escaping years of abuse as the prisoner of a brutal drug lord, Robyn Andrews boards the first bus out of town and heads for Louisville, Kentucky where a chance encounter with a stranger changes her life for the better? Watchers have one mission in life; to hunt and eliminate Rogue vampires and Trigg just wants to be left alone and do his job. But he can’t seem to harden his heart against the petite woman who looks so lost standing in the rain. He knows that that a future for them is impossible, she’s human, he’s a vampire, but she’s someone special. But the past is catching up and it has a way of changing destinies.

This steady to fast paced plot keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end with well written scenes, vivid images and great compelling characters. The author does such a fantastic job of giving these characters life that the reader can’t help but become enamored and want to know more. As the reader gets caught up in the lives of Trigg and Robyn they are swept along with the Watchers missions as they battle the rogues and get their adrenalin pumping.

The attraction between Trigg and Robyn is such a sweet passion that burns super hot at the same time. The author conveys that chemistry and their relationship with such intensity that it captures the imagination. The reader can’t help but feel for these two characters, Robyn’s such a strong and sweet person that has been through hell and Trigg is this tough vampire that has such tender feelings for this lost waif, how can the reader not fall in love with them. Even the sex scenes are contradictory in the fact that he is so sweet and tender but carries away by hot steamy lust that it takes the reader’s breath away.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this wonderful and entertaining vampire world, Vane, Rosa and Rayne have definitely caught my attention and I want to know more about them as well as the Watchers.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this story mostly stuck to the basic vampire rules, which I personally like, there were also a few differences which kept it interesting rather than distracting from the story. Truthfully, I found myself unable to stop reading it. Being an author, I hear the old adage of show and don’t tell quite often, but I think this story did a nice job of both. I liked the “telling” to tell you the truth, it was written passionately enough to easily glide me through it like a vamp salivates over the smell of human blood. Sorry, had to use the analogy, blame the full moon!

The story violently grasped my attention on the first pages with Robyn’s plight, tugging at my anger and emotions, making me mentally fight for her, in hopes of a new life. Of course, life isn’t easy for a runaway, especially one who has run from abuse. But, it becomes even more of a battle, with at times overwhelming issues, when one gets rescued by a vampire, especially a vamp who has to uphold secretive missions. All of the characters are readily likable, full of quirks and commonalities, and that works in the stories favor. The suspense lends itself well to the romance, to the angst of the hero and heroine. I love a good, jaded hero who thinks too deeply, errs on the side of justice, and loves just as passionately once ensnared unknowingly by a woman!

Knowing this is a series and having read over the other blurbs, I do like the way that the coming stories, not just Book 2, were alluded to at times in the plot line. This takes some planning, and foresight to do. As an author, I am impressed by this alone! So, I look forward to reading the others, and hopefully meeting up with Robyn and Trigg again.

Look for my review of Midnight Rose, Book 2 coming in March at http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com on the first day of spring! I thought it was appropriate.

[Book Review Diva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane McEntire's book "Book 1: “ The Watchers- Midnight Reborn "

Midnight Reborn is a wonderful love story. I could feel the characters emotions throughout the book. At times the emotions ran so strong within me that I had tears in my eyes. I was blown away by this book and how well it was written. I'm excited to read the next book of this squeal. I highly recommend this book to everyone, a must read for vampire lovers. Very, Very, Good Job Diane!

5 Fangs out of 5!

Reviewed by: Raven Kelly- VampireBooks.ca


Click Here to Visit VampireBooks.ca

[Bitten_by_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Midnight Reborn, Robyn Andrews is a young girl with a single mom watching out for her. Her life is a struggle on some levels, but that is nothing compared to what happens when her mom hooks up with Jake Carter. Then both of their lives take a turn for the worse. The two women are transported into a living hell of extreme physical and emotion abuse...

For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal Review site on the web, Bitten By Books for the review of Midnight Reborn in it's entirety. You won't be sorry.

[JoAnne Kenrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why'd I wait so long to start this series? I feel I missed out on something now :( I really enjoyed it. And, although I hate to compare authors, I can't help with this one. I thought it was authored by Lara Adrian and V.C. Andrews together. Two very different authors, yet here, in this book, those two styles combine perfectly. I loved the voice, and characterization was spot on. I'm invested in the characters and want more. All the ingredients of a successful series. Like I said. Sorry I didn't read it sooner.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story and characters. Robyn's story is heartbreaking yet hopeful. The interplay between characters is believable and made this a book I could not put down. I can't waight to read more!

[Monikat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good startup to the series, good quick read.