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Midnight #7
Devil at Midnight
For years, mercenary captain Christian Durand has done everything he can to protect his men. When a beautiful ghost appears to offer comfort, he assumes the strain has finally pushed him over the edge. All he knows for certain is that this woman tugs at both his heart and desires. But now that a vampire queen has set her immortal sights on Christian, he must choose between his darker urges and a powerful love that spans centuries.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 29, 2010
7 people are currently reading
372 people want to read
About the author
Emma Holly
92 books1,267 followersI'm a USA Today bestselling author who LOVES the hot stuff, both to read and to write. My favorite obsessions are all things coffee, almost everything on HGTV, and dreaming up new stories.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 2, 2011
*Note: Read and reviewed for The Season for Romance.
Grace Gladwell is a typical girl in suburbia 1950. She’s sweet and pretty and Johnny is just crazy about her, but no one other than her mother know that Grace is the victim of her father’s drunken violent rages. He’s physically and verbally abusive. One night he goes too far when he catches Grace giving Johnny a goodnight kiss. He pushes her and she hits her head when she stumbles into the brick fireplace. Next thing she knows, she wakes up in an amphitheatre with a blond guy in a suit (very Meet Joe Black) who says he’s her guardian. He radiates patience, love and goodness. Never having known any of that, Grace asked him if she would ever get to meet her One True Love. He surprises her when he tells her that she’s already known a love like that.
Christian Durand is a young mercenary in Switzerland during the middle ages. Strong, loyal and compassionate – he’s easy to love. However, it seems he’s never been able to gain the love or approval of his father who continues to push him around. One day, he brings home a dog to join their hunting party, but the dog is young and playful and a distraction to some of the men. In place of the men who were caught “goofing around”, he takes a severe whipping as punishment. He is then forced to destroy the dog. (As a dog lover, this scene nearly broke my heart.)
Back at the amphitheater, Michael shows Grace this scene. Grace is overwhelmed by a fierce desire to comfort Christian so she asks Michael to send her to him. Grace is sent to Christian, but in the form of a ghost. Christian cannot comprehend how or why the specter of a beautiful girl suddenly appears to him. At first, he wants to be rid of her but after a short time together; he finds that he enjoys her company. She even manages to go corporeal from time to time so in those rare moments, they get to enjoy some very powerful and intimate time together.
A couple of days into her “visit” with Christian, he and several of their men are sent to accompany a mysterious minstrel on a journey to Italy. What no one knows is that the minstrel is no ordinary woman. She’s a powerful upyr (aka vampire) and she has set her eyes on turning Christian. With Grace’s love and support, he refuses Mistress Wei’s advances and soon learns of her real identity. What Christian has no control over is when and how Grace will appear to him or of the battle against his father that will cost him everyone he loves. He then makes a decision that will change the rest of his life…
To be quite honest, I was a little concerned about how the story would play out considering the interesting cast of characters. I couldn’t imagine how a mercenary from the middle-ages, a 1950’s ghost and a vampire would all fit together. However, it didn’t take me long to become fully engrossed in Grace & Christian’s story.
Christian was indeed easy to love. He embodied all the qualities that we look for in a perfect hero. Grace was stronger and more assertive than I initially expected her to be considering her violent past. It seems that she overcame her fears rather quickly. They shared a very powerful connection that transcended the 500 years between their lifetimes. The love scenes were more intense than I expected them to be – even when Grace wasn’t corporeal.
I debated on whether to give this novel an 8 or 9 and so I settled on a compromise of 8.5. Overall, the story was fast paced with a lot of passion, action and unique characters. I loved the emotional connection between Grace and Christian. I also enjoyed getting to know the background characters, particularly Christian’s friends. They were amusing, well-diversified and provided depth to Christian’s story because they were so much a part of his life.
I had a couple of concerns with this novel though. Christian and Grace were both quite young (under 20 years old) and I felt that their sexual relationship seemed almost inappropriate. I had to remind myself that the story took place at a time where people married young and this was the norm. My other concern was that although the differences in language between them were referenced, I think it could have been a bit more accurate to their respective eras.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the ending. I was a bit surprised by the turns that it took. It did, however, set up the follow-up novel, Angel at Dawn which I look forward to reading. The story will go from a historical to a more contemporary and I’m intrigued as to how the Emma Holly will accomplish this.
RATING: 4.5 - Very good
HEAT LEVEL: 5.5 - Borderline Erotic
Grace Gladwell is a typical girl in suburbia 1950. She’s sweet and pretty and Johnny is just crazy about her, but no one other than her mother know that Grace is the victim of her father’s drunken violent rages. He’s physically and verbally abusive. One night he goes too far when he catches Grace giving Johnny a goodnight kiss. He pushes her and she hits her head when she stumbles into the brick fireplace. Next thing she knows, she wakes up in an amphitheatre with a blond guy in a suit (very Meet Joe Black) who says he’s her guardian. He radiates patience, love and goodness. Never having known any of that, Grace asked him if she would ever get to meet her One True Love. He surprises her when he tells her that she’s already known a love like that.
Christian Durand is a young mercenary in Switzerland during the middle ages. Strong, loyal and compassionate – he’s easy to love. However, it seems he’s never been able to gain the love or approval of his father who continues to push him around. One day, he brings home a dog to join their hunting party, but the dog is young and playful and a distraction to some of the men. In place of the men who were caught “goofing around”, he takes a severe whipping as punishment. He is then forced to destroy the dog. (As a dog lover, this scene nearly broke my heart.)
Back at the amphitheater, Michael shows Grace this scene. Grace is overwhelmed by a fierce desire to comfort Christian so she asks Michael to send her to him. Grace is sent to Christian, but in the form of a ghost. Christian cannot comprehend how or why the specter of a beautiful girl suddenly appears to him. At first, he wants to be rid of her but after a short time together; he finds that he enjoys her company. She even manages to go corporeal from time to time so in those rare moments, they get to enjoy some very powerful and intimate time together.
A couple of days into her “visit” with Christian, he and several of their men are sent to accompany a mysterious minstrel on a journey to Italy. What no one knows is that the minstrel is no ordinary woman. She’s a powerful upyr (aka vampire) and she has set her eyes on turning Christian. With Grace’s love and support, he refuses Mistress Wei’s advances and soon learns of her real identity. What Christian has no control over is when and how Grace will appear to him or of the battle against his father that will cost him everyone he loves. He then makes a decision that will change the rest of his life…
To be quite honest, I was a little concerned about how the story would play out considering the interesting cast of characters. I couldn’t imagine how a mercenary from the middle-ages, a 1950’s ghost and a vampire would all fit together. However, it didn’t take me long to become fully engrossed in Grace & Christian’s story.
Christian was indeed easy to love. He embodied all the qualities that we look for in a perfect hero. Grace was stronger and more assertive than I initially expected her to be considering her violent past. It seems that she overcame her fears rather quickly. They shared a very powerful connection that transcended the 500 years between their lifetimes. The love scenes were more intense than I expected them to be – even when Grace wasn’t corporeal.
I debated on whether to give this novel an 8 or 9 and so I settled on a compromise of 8.5. Overall, the story was fast paced with a lot of passion, action and unique characters. I loved the emotional connection between Grace and Christian. I also enjoyed getting to know the background characters, particularly Christian’s friends. They were amusing, well-diversified and provided depth to Christian’s story because they were so much a part of his life.
I had a couple of concerns with this novel though. Christian and Grace were both quite young (under 20 years old) and I felt that their sexual relationship seemed almost inappropriate. I had to remind myself that the story took place at a time where people married young and this was the norm. My other concern was that although the differences in language between them were referenced, I think it could have been a bit more accurate to their respective eras.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the ending. I was a bit surprised by the turns that it took. It did, however, set up the follow-up novel, Angel at Dawn which I look forward to reading. The story will go from a historical to a more contemporary and I’m intrigued as to how the Emma Holly will accomplish this.
RATING: 4.5 - Very good
HEAT LEVEL: 5.5 - Borderline Erotic
March 31, 2011
Incomplete plot development. Things were not tied together or explained well. There is a lot of sex, which was ok.
STORY BRIEF:
In 1950 Ohio, Grace is 18. Her father beats her. The current beating causes her to go unconscious. Her spirit travels to 1460 Switzerland where she meets Christian. Grace is able to switch back and forth between ghost form and human form. She and Christian have a lot of sex.
Christian’s father Gregori is evil and has Christian whipped for being kind to a puppy. Gregori is the leader of a group of mercenary soldiers including his son. Nim is an Upyr, an immortal race superior to humans who drink blood and avoid the sun. She hires Gregori’s men to escort her on a two-week trip. She wants to seduce Christian, but he’s not interested. Therefore she has sex with various other soldiers. When she drinks their blood, they become stronger for a while.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The plot didn’t do anything for me. I wasn’t engaged or entertained. It was plodding rather than interesting. There are bad guys and bad things happen. Grief causes the hero to do certain things. One storyline was evil dad wants son to be subservient to him so he kills everything the son loves. It’s not a bad idea, but it wasn’t developed well. It needed more.
Nim had an odd role at the end. We don’t understand her thoughts and feelings and why she did what she did at the end.
Grace’s last name was Gladwell in the beginning of the book. At the end it was Michaels. Was this a typo? It wasn’t explained.
There is a lot of sex, including rear door activity. There are also gay men with each other.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
Gregori asked Nim to seduce his soldiers to give them strength. He said he would then kill Christian’s soldiers and give Christian to Nim. She does this. After Christian’s soldiers are dead, Christian is grieving and goes to Nim. She said (page 287) “I did not know your father would go this far. I would not have wished it so.” Come on. That had me shaking my head. She sounded like she wanted to be sincere but apparently she was not.
Christian became immortal so he could kill his father and Laroux. (He could have done that without being immortal.) We see him kill his father, but we don’t see him get revenge against Laroux. Maybe that will be in a sequel, but it felt like the author forgot to finish it.
Then, I didn’t like the jump in plot. (Page 305) Christian says to Grace “You shall stay with me forever.” She says “Nothing could make me leave you.” Then she disappears for 500 years. We have no idea what he is thinking, doing, or feeling. However, now he is immortal, and he lives for 500 years, coming to her time, when all of a sudden she shows up. He remembers her, but she has no memory of him. Her lack of memory was unsatisfying and not explained. It wasn’t a fulfilling feeling ending. I understand their story will continue in the sequel “Angel at Dawn.”
How did Nim know about Grace and how to find her but Christian didn’t? Nim never knew about Grace in 1460 (at least it wasn’t written about).
What happened between 1950 and 1956 with Grace’s parents? And with Grace?
DATA:
Story length: 322 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 10. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 45. Setting: 1950 Ohio, 1956 Texas, and 1460 Switzerland and Italy. Copyright: 2010. Genre: time travel paranormal romance.
STORY BRIEF:
In 1950 Ohio, Grace is 18. Her father beats her. The current beating causes her to go unconscious. Her spirit travels to 1460 Switzerland where she meets Christian. Grace is able to switch back and forth between ghost form and human form. She and Christian have a lot of sex.
Christian’s father Gregori is evil and has Christian whipped for being kind to a puppy. Gregori is the leader of a group of mercenary soldiers including his son. Nim is an Upyr, an immortal race superior to humans who drink blood and avoid the sun. She hires Gregori’s men to escort her on a two-week trip. She wants to seduce Christian, but he’s not interested. Therefore she has sex with various other soldiers. When she drinks their blood, they become stronger for a while.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The plot didn’t do anything for me. I wasn’t engaged or entertained. It was plodding rather than interesting. There are bad guys and bad things happen. Grief causes the hero to do certain things. One storyline was evil dad wants son to be subservient to him so he kills everything the son loves. It’s not a bad idea, but it wasn’t developed well. It needed more.
Nim had an odd role at the end. We don’t understand her thoughts and feelings and why she did what she did at the end.
Grace’s last name was Gladwell in the beginning of the book. At the end it was Michaels. Was this a typo? It wasn’t explained.
There is a lot of sex, including rear door activity. There are also gay men with each other.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
Gregori asked Nim to seduce his soldiers to give them strength. He said he would then kill Christian’s soldiers and give Christian to Nim. She does this. After Christian’s soldiers are dead, Christian is grieving and goes to Nim. She said (page 287) “I did not know your father would go this far. I would not have wished it so.” Come on. That had me shaking my head. She sounded like she wanted to be sincere but apparently she was not.
Christian became immortal so he could kill his father and Laroux. (He could have done that without being immortal.) We see him kill his father, but we don’t see him get revenge against Laroux. Maybe that will be in a sequel, but it felt like the author forgot to finish it.
Then, I didn’t like the jump in plot. (Page 305) Christian says to Grace “You shall stay with me forever.” She says “Nothing could make me leave you.” Then she disappears for 500 years. We have no idea what he is thinking, doing, or feeling. However, now he is immortal, and he lives for 500 years, coming to her time, when all of a sudden she shows up. He remembers her, but she has no memory of him. Her lack of memory was unsatisfying and not explained. It wasn’t a fulfilling feeling ending. I understand their story will continue in the sequel “Angel at Dawn.”
How did Nim know about Grace and how to find her but Christian didn’t? Nim never knew about Grace in 1460 (at least it wasn’t written about).
What happened between 1950 and 1956 with Grace’s parents? And with Grace?
DATA:
Story length: 322 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 10. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 45. Setting: 1950 Ohio, 1956 Texas, and 1460 Switzerland and Italy. Copyright: 2010. Genre: time travel paranormal romance.
October 26, 2010
Devil at Midnight by Emma Holly
Paranormal Romance -Nov 2nd, 2010
5 stars
Devil at Midnight is an amazing new installment to Emma Holly’s Upyr series. In this book the author explores reincarnated love between 2 touching and abused characters which this reader did not want to end!! But even if you are new to this series this book can easily be read by itself.
Grace Gladwell is young and beautiful but she has a terrible secret. Her father is abusive and demeaning and in a fit of rage he kills her. Grace finds herself in heaven where an angel tells her she has the chance to meet her best friend/soulmate. Grace jumps at the chance even though she finds herself meeting him for the 1st time as a ghost. She discovers he is a lonely and honorable young man named Christian Durand who lives under the brutal and watchful eye of his mercenary father in Medieval England. Together they find a rare connection that leads to a sweet and poignant love. But their budding love and sexual attraction are hindered by Grace’s incorporeal form and a dangerous immortal named Nim Wei who wants Christian for herself. And is willing to do anything to keep him.
I simply LOVED this book. Emma Holly has written a steamy romance that made me blush as Grace and Christian try to make love although they can’t really touch each other. This only added to the sexual tension as I really wanted them to be together. The villains were diabolical and ruthless and I was surprisingly sad for the lonely Nim Wei. The only disappointment for some readers will be that this book does not conclude! In the next book called Angel at Dawn Grace and Christian will continue their story. But while I would usually be upset with this I can only be glad!! Because I loved the 2 main characters and did not want their story to end.
The author has created a rare and heartfelt love that made me cry for their love. I haven’t read such an emotionally charged romance with some very sexy writing in a very long time. It reminded me a bit of Romeo and Juliet. I wanted them to be together so much. But not only did the author have such a deep passion between the 2 characters but she also deftly strings together a very sensual and excitingly erotic story, too. Neither character ever really had someone who cared for them and I felt their loneliness. I was so happy they were able to find each other. They were both good people who struggled in their lives and deserved love. And despite the difficulties in their lives they were honest and noble people. There is an innocence and wonder to their love which made this story all that much sweeter.
This story really moved me. It has it all the imaginative paranormal aspects that are compelling to read. A tough and brawny knight with honor, a courageous and admirable heroine and a deep desperate love that is eternal. I loved it!! If you love any of these things don’t walk, run to the bookstore!
Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
Paranormal Romance -Nov 2nd, 2010
5 stars
Devil at Midnight is an amazing new installment to Emma Holly’s Upyr series. In this book the author explores reincarnated love between 2 touching and abused characters which this reader did not want to end!! But even if you are new to this series this book can easily be read by itself.
Grace Gladwell is young and beautiful but she has a terrible secret. Her father is abusive and demeaning and in a fit of rage he kills her. Grace finds herself in heaven where an angel tells her she has the chance to meet her best friend/soulmate. Grace jumps at the chance even though she finds herself meeting him for the 1st time as a ghost. She discovers he is a lonely and honorable young man named Christian Durand who lives under the brutal and watchful eye of his mercenary father in Medieval England. Together they find a rare connection that leads to a sweet and poignant love. But their budding love and sexual attraction are hindered by Grace’s incorporeal form and a dangerous immortal named Nim Wei who wants Christian for herself. And is willing to do anything to keep him.
I simply LOVED this book. Emma Holly has written a steamy romance that made me blush as Grace and Christian try to make love although they can’t really touch each other. This only added to the sexual tension as I really wanted them to be together. The villains were diabolical and ruthless and I was surprisingly sad for the lonely Nim Wei. The only disappointment for some readers will be that this book does not conclude! In the next book called Angel at Dawn Grace and Christian will continue their story. But while I would usually be upset with this I can only be glad!! Because I loved the 2 main characters and did not want their story to end.
The author has created a rare and heartfelt love that made me cry for their love. I haven’t read such an emotionally charged romance with some very sexy writing in a very long time. It reminded me a bit of Romeo and Juliet. I wanted them to be together so much. But not only did the author have such a deep passion between the 2 characters but she also deftly strings together a very sensual and excitingly erotic story, too. Neither character ever really had someone who cared for them and I felt their loneliness. I was so happy they were able to find each other. They were both good people who struggled in their lives and deserved love. And despite the difficulties in their lives they were honest and noble people. There is an innocence and wonder to their love which made this story all that much sweeter.
This story really moved me. It has it all the imaginative paranormal aspects that are compelling to read. A tough and brawny knight with honor, a courageous and admirable heroine and a deep desperate love that is eternal. I loved it!! If you love any of these things don’t walk, run to the bookstore!
Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
November 12, 2010
After being killed by her abusive father, Grace Gladwell awakens in a sort of purgatorial realm. An angel confronts Grace and offers her a chance to meet and help a friend in need from another lifetime. Longing for love and friendship, a concept, due to her father, unattainable in her more recent existence, Grace willingly and whole-heartily accepts. However, the one condition of her time travel leaves her corporeal in form. Grace arrives in Medieval England, year 1460, to find the man she is sent to help, wounded, a result of his father's brutality. Immediately Grace feels a connection to Christian Durrand, and wants more than anything to help him. Although Christain Durrand is skeptical of the ghost's intentions at first, he is quickly enamored by both her beauty and kindness. Grace becomes the half to Christian's whole and with each passing moment, Christian is reminded of how much he truly needs her. Unfortunately, the Vampire Upyr Queen, Nim Wei also wants Durrand and with what she can give him coupled with her seductive power, not even an Angel of saving GRACE can compete with.
First Impression
I love both the hero and heroine of this book. Grace starts out scarred, a timid girl and turns into a courageous, yet forgiving warrior. Christian is strong, passionate, and completely selfless when it comes to the people he cares about. Definitely my type of ALPHA-male.
Favorite Quotes
"I'll be sleeping with two men," she explained between gasps for air. "I never imagined being a ghost would be this racy."
"Upyr. Vampire. I know Bram Stoker hasn't been born yet, but what's the difference if they've got fangs?"
Final thoughts
After reading Emma Holly's 7th installment (not including novellas and/or short stories) in the Midnight series, I am left with one simple phrase,"I WANT MORE!!" With themes such as bravery, redemption, and forgiveness...and a dip into the reincarnation swimming pool, Devil At Midnight is a must read for Paranormal Romance lovers. I eagerly await the January 11, 2011 release of Angel At Dawn, the second part to Grace and Christian's story (Upyr Book #8)!
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
First Impression
I love both the hero and heroine of this book. Grace starts out scarred, a timid girl and turns into a courageous, yet forgiving warrior. Christian is strong, passionate, and completely selfless when it comes to the people he cares about. Definitely my type of ALPHA-male.
Favorite Quotes
"I'll be sleeping with two men," she explained between gasps for air. "I never imagined being a ghost would be this racy."
"Upyr. Vampire. I know Bram Stoker hasn't been born yet, but what's the difference if they've got fangs?"
Final thoughts
After reading Emma Holly's 7th installment (not including novellas and/or short stories) in the Midnight series, I am left with one simple phrase,"I WANT MORE!!" With themes such as bravery, redemption, and forgiveness...and a dip into the reincarnation swimming pool, Devil At Midnight is a must read for Paranormal Romance lovers. I eagerly await the January 11, 2011 release of Angel At Dawn, the second part to Grace and Christian's story (Upyr Book #8)!
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
February 17, 2011
It´s my first book in the Upyr-series but it was no problem understanding the story.
When you first meet Grace Gladwell it´s in modern times, well 1950´s. She is severly abused by her father and when he finally hits her so badly that she almost dies, an angel steps in.
Grace always wanted a friend, someone she could both laugh and cry with. She has always been so alone.
Christian Durand is a noble mercenary living in Switzerland during the Middle Ages under the harsh thumb of his first officer, who is also his father. He feels disconnected from others because of his in-between status as commander and son.
When he sees a ghost, he dosen´t know what to think. But Grace is persistent and after awhile Christian starts to think of Grace as real.
They are very attracted to each other and did what they could to find pleasure when they couldn´t touch.
Emma Hollys use of language is like a song to me. I think her words flows like a river, very smoothly. And she sure can write sex scenes but in this book they weren´t the main thing.
The story is so sweet and lovley that you almost forget some holes in the story (why did the angel transfer Grace to Christian?). Or maybe they will be explained in the next book. Yes, the story continues and for that I am glad. I didn´t want to leave Grace and Christian. I felt so sorry for the harsh hand life had dealt them. Two battered people finding strength in each other. I couldn´t stop reading the book so I stole moments when ever I could so I think I read it a bit too fast. I will definitley re-read it.
When you first meet Grace Gladwell it´s in modern times, well 1950´s. She is severly abused by her father and when he finally hits her so badly that she almost dies, an angel steps in.
Grace always wanted a friend, someone she could both laugh and cry with. She has always been so alone.
Christian Durand is a noble mercenary living in Switzerland during the Middle Ages under the harsh thumb of his first officer, who is also his father. He feels disconnected from others because of his in-between status as commander and son.
When he sees a ghost, he dosen´t know what to think. But Grace is persistent and after awhile Christian starts to think of Grace as real.
They are very attracted to each other and did what they could to find pleasure when they couldn´t touch.
Emma Hollys use of language is like a song to me. I think her words flows like a river, very smoothly. And she sure can write sex scenes but in this book they weren´t the main thing.
The story is so sweet and lovley that you almost forget some holes in the story (why did the angel transfer Grace to Christian?). Or maybe they will be explained in the next book. Yes, the story continues and for that I am glad. I didn´t want to leave Grace and Christian. I felt so sorry for the harsh hand life had dealt them. Two battered people finding strength in each other. I couldn´t stop reading the book so I stole moments when ever I could so I think I read it a bit too fast. I will definitley re-read it.
November 11, 2010
It's a very good thing we only must wait until January for the next book. I, for one, am most eager to know what happens next.
I'm eager to continue Christian and Grace's story. I hate waiting *sigh* *** Very slight spoiler ***
Suffice it to say that I grew to like, indeed admire, characters whose lives were lost.
February 8, 2020
4 1/2 stars 🌟 please.
Every character has their story to tell and Christian’s is no exception. We became acquainted with Christian within the Fitz Clare saga. Here we find out who and what made Christian the person/upyr he is.
An era of old where ones upbringing held more responsibilities due to nobility. Where sorcery reminded you of Camelot, Knights were the norm. This is who a Christian was. An unexpected spectre comes into his life - Grace.
Grace, of the modern world, a young lady who lived it tough. A formidable parent, and unfortunate accident that changed her 6 minute life forever.
Again, no spoiling as per rule. What we do find is a new understanding of Christian and his inner turmoil.
Recommend, yes.
Every character has their story to tell and Christian’s is no exception. We became acquainted with Christian within the Fitz Clare saga. Here we find out who and what made Christian the person/upyr he is.
An era of old where ones upbringing held more responsibilities due to nobility. Where sorcery reminded you of Camelot, Knights were the norm. This is who a Christian was. An unexpected spectre comes into his life - Grace.
Grace, of the modern world, a young lady who lived it tough. A formidable parent, and unfortunate accident that changed her 6 minute life forever.
Again, no spoiling as per rule. What we do find is a new understanding of Christian and his inner turmoil.
Recommend, yes.
November 8, 2010
Originally posted at smexybooks-http://www.smexybooks.com/2010/11/rev...
Favorite Quote: “Why would he think she would never comes back when she always had before?”
Grace Campbell lives in fear of her abusive father. When she is brutally beaten by him, she “dies” and finds herself in a waiting station. She is offered the chance to help someone make an important decision. She soon finds herself transported from 1950 America to 1450 Switzerland. Here she meets Christian Durand. A mercenary in his father’s army, Christian lives a harsh life with his cruel father and does what he can to protect his men.
When Grace and Christian meet-sparks fly and desires flare. Loving a ghost isn’t easy and when the vampire queen Nim Wei sets her immortal sights on Christian, he must choose between his darker urges and a powerful love that spans centuries...
Grace is sent back to Christian as an angel, ghost-still unsure what she is-to befriend him and help him make a life altering decision. When Christian sees Grace for the first time he is shocked and believes he is losing his mind. But soon he accepts her presence for what it is and their journey begins.
When Christian’s father sets up a mission for Christian and his men; both he and Grace know that something is wrong. Their client, Nim Wei, is to be escorted to her new home but her rules for her transportation leave them all expecting the worse for she is not what she seems.
As Grace follows along side Christian and does her best to protect him, Christian is trying his best to protect his men who Nim is slowing bringing under her spell. When Christian’s father makes a devil’s bargain with Nim, Christian is left making a decision that will cost him his life and his love.
This is a hard review for me to write. I have never read a book where I loved the characters but didn’t like the story they were written into. The story and the characters have a distinctly modern feel to them despite being set in the 1400’s. Strong and personable; I found myself very taken with them all. Our protagonists have a good report and the interaction between them and others is genuine and believable. They both have abusive fathers that play large roles in shaping their lives; they are both starved for love which is reiterated through out the book. The plot however is a mess of confusion though. So many contradictions made for uneasy reading. There is so many events that happen without foreshadowing or conclusion that I was often left in the dark. Christian and Grace’s actions left me thinking constantly, “This makes no sense.” For example, after 24 hours of knowing each other, they both exhibit a bond that's better reflected in those who have known each other for years rather then hours. Also, Christian and Grace show no real curiosity in each other’s past lives. Honestly, If I met someone from the past or future I would ask questions. The love interest between Grace and Christian is fast and under developed. They go from A to Z in 60 seconds. SPOILER: There is one scene where he masturbates in front of her within 12 hours of meeting her. The fact she isn’t shocked or even a little put off was strange considering she is an 18 year girl from 1950.
The book plays heavy on them becoming friends-soul mates-and you get the feeling that they are and more but it happens so fast you can’t justify WHY they are. And that’s the whole problem I had with the story. Everything just happens. The action is non stop and the story pacing is fast but scenes happen, again, without any foreshadowing. We aren’t given adequate knowledge to justify their actions. I was really left in the dark about our villains Nim Wei and Christian’s father. We get the whos and whats but no real whys.
The ending comes at you hard and fast and leaves you with a lot of questions. Quite a cliffhanger. While I enjoyed the characters and the premise of the story, I didn’t enjoy how it was presented. I will read the next in the series just because of the characters and I want to see what happens to them. I can only hope that storyline settles down a bit.
Rating: C- this translates to a 2.5 in stars.
Favorite Quote: “Why would he think she would never comes back when she always had before?”
Grace Campbell lives in fear of her abusive father. When she is brutally beaten by him, she “dies” and finds herself in a waiting station. She is offered the chance to help someone make an important decision. She soon finds herself transported from 1950 America to 1450 Switzerland. Here she meets Christian Durand. A mercenary in his father’s army, Christian lives a harsh life with his cruel father and does what he can to protect his men.
When Grace and Christian meet-sparks fly and desires flare. Loving a ghost isn’t easy and when the vampire queen Nim Wei sets her immortal sights on Christian, he must choose between his darker urges and a powerful love that spans centuries...
Grace is sent back to Christian as an angel, ghost-still unsure what she is-to befriend him and help him make a life altering decision. When Christian sees Grace for the first time he is shocked and believes he is losing his mind. But soon he accepts her presence for what it is and their journey begins.
When Christian’s father sets up a mission for Christian and his men; both he and Grace know that something is wrong. Their client, Nim Wei, is to be escorted to her new home but her rules for her transportation leave them all expecting the worse for she is not what she seems.
As Grace follows along side Christian and does her best to protect him, Christian is trying his best to protect his men who Nim is slowing bringing under her spell. When Christian’s father makes a devil’s bargain with Nim, Christian is left making a decision that will cost him his life and his love.
This is a hard review for me to write. I have never read a book where I loved the characters but didn’t like the story they were written into. The story and the characters have a distinctly modern feel to them despite being set in the 1400’s. Strong and personable; I found myself very taken with them all. Our protagonists have a good report and the interaction between them and others is genuine and believable. They both have abusive fathers that play large roles in shaping their lives; they are both starved for love which is reiterated through out the book. The plot however is a mess of confusion though. So many contradictions made for uneasy reading. There is so many events that happen without foreshadowing or conclusion that I was often left in the dark. Christian and Grace’s actions left me thinking constantly, “This makes no sense.” For example, after 24 hours of knowing each other, they both exhibit a bond that's better reflected in those who have known each other for years rather then hours. Also, Christian and Grace show no real curiosity in each other’s past lives. Honestly, If I met someone from the past or future I would ask questions. The love interest between Grace and Christian is fast and under developed. They go from A to Z in 60 seconds. SPOILER: There is one scene where he masturbates in front of her within 12 hours of meeting her. The fact she isn’t shocked or even a little put off was strange considering she is an 18 year girl from 1950.
The book plays heavy on them becoming friends-soul mates-and you get the feeling that they are and more but it happens so fast you can’t justify WHY they are. And that’s the whole problem I had with the story. Everything just happens. The action is non stop and the story pacing is fast but scenes happen, again, without any foreshadowing. We aren’t given adequate knowledge to justify their actions. I was really left in the dark about our villains Nim Wei and Christian’s father. We get the whos and whats but no real whys.
The ending comes at you hard and fast and leaves you with a lot of questions. Quite a cliffhanger. While I enjoyed the characters and the premise of the story, I didn’t enjoy how it was presented. I will read the next in the series just because of the characters and I want to see what happens to them. I can only hope that storyline settles down a bit.
Rating: C- this translates to a 2.5 in stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2011
Devil at Midnight is a story about Christian and Grace two people from different Time only find out they aren't that much different.Fantastic tension because Grace was a ghost and could not be materialize when Christian is human. So although their friendship and love bloomed, they cannot physically touch each other, which made it very intense when Grace is able to materialize even if for a little bit which was hottttt. Love meeting Christian's soliders/friends and seeing that they was more family to him then his own father.Personal I hated Christian's father that why it doesn't bugs me that he gets his in the end but at the cost of Christian turning in to a Vampire and giving into the Vampire Queen. On another note enjoyed how Christian and Grace both come over their fears which makes them see they are worth loving only to be seprated.... As Grace's angel Michael told her Christian is a friend that pops in and out of her lifes.. Grace meeting up with him again only she has no memory of their time together, but Christian remembers everything from the good to when she left him as if it was yestarday. It couldn't be his Grace or could it... Whatever it is he doesn't know how he should feel special since Nim Wei the Queen of the Vampires his maker had her fingers twisted all in it.Which is never good!!!!! Can't wait to start Angel at Dawn to see where this leads ;)
January 8, 2011
This book is very different from the other umpr books thus far. First it starts in 1950 America, Jumps to "the in between" than lands in 1460 Scandinavia. Grace is incorporeal (for the most part) With only Christian able to see her (makes for some very interesting sex scenes) alas I am somewhat confused, but only on chapter 13 so hopefully it will all pull together in the end.
I have to say this is the least favorite of Emma's books I have read. It took me until almost the end of the book to figure out that Christian was the mercenary form Saving Midnight (duh!) But it never is even mentioned in this book that he ever even knew the Fitz-Claires, even though it is a "Fitz-Claire" novel.
I felt the lead up was too drawn out and than bam it was 500 years later and the end! Felt like part of the book was missing.
I have to say this is the least favorite of Emma's books I have read. It took me until almost the end of the book to figure out that Christian was the mercenary form Saving Midnight (duh!) But it never is even mentioned in this book that he ever even knew the Fitz-Claires, even though it is a "Fitz-Claire" novel.
I felt the lead up was too drawn out and than bam it was 500 years later and the end! Felt like part of the book was missing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2014
This feels so very out of chronological order as this tragic story surrounds the upyr queen, Nim Wei, and her pursuit of a hunky mercenary, Christian Durand, in the Middle Ages in Italy. The main story however is of Grace and her near-death experience which catapults her from the American 1950s to Durand's time period and Christian's doubts about his father and his own abilities. The secondary issues include Christian's attempts to placate his father while protecting those men loyal to him and the voyeuristic (and self-stimulated) sexual antics of both Grace and Christian.
May 23, 2011
The only thing that saved this book for me was the sweet romance and sexy scenes. The story line fell flat for me, and I have read the series. I was okay with the time travel and the ghost and the whatnot, but the development of the story once Nim Wei enters was painfully slow and not worth reading. I lost interest and it was all I could do to finish the book half-heartedly. I would give it less stars, but Emma Holly can write good sex scenes. She is one of my favorite authors, so I expect a lot, and this left me disappointed!
September 4, 2012
At first I didn't know if I was going to like how this story was headed - but all of a sudden I was drawn in and couldn't put it down. I really like that Durand got to tell his story of how he became. You kinda knew how it would end but the ride to get there was awesome. I can't wait to read the next part to this book!
January 13, 2011
This book was pretty predictible for the most part. I figured I had the ending all worked out... Until I actually GOT to the ending. And it was nothing like what I'd expected! 4 stars just for surprise factor!
September 1, 2016
Some how missed that I had already given another book in this series a bad review. Won't make that same mistake again. This book was bad- with poorly handled plot elements like time travel and "ghosts." A vampire was thrown in, too.
April 5, 2011
Devil At Midnight is a fairly good book. Its about a ghost who goes back in time to join her friend from a past life. Both of the have been abused in their lives. Throw in a vampire to the mix and it makes a good story. The ending was the best surprise.
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July 31, 2011It's another great novel from Emma Holly, could not put it down, just kinda sad that it's another story split into another book. Would love to keep reading but will just have to wait to finish the tale. A must read if you love her books.
February 6, 2011
Good mix of historical, paranormal and contemporary romance/erotica.
October 30, 2010
This book is by far one of Holly's best, and I'm totally loving Christian and Grace's interaction that's prevalent right away.
November 10, 2010
I don't usually write reviews but simply stated....I could not put this book down! It was hot and had a great story...I can't wait for Angel at Dawn in January!!!
November 21, 2010
My rating and reviews are based on my emotions while reading the story. Emma Holly is a gifted storyteller...very descriptive and plenty of romance and eroticism in her books.
January 25, 2011
3.5 Stars...
January 17, 2011
I did not want to get another series but this book made me reconsider. I was so surprised that i must now read all of this series... thanks
February 8, 2011
I loved this book. Much more than "Angel at Dawn" her last couple of books (trilogy and this duology) have been fantastic, but this book was fabulous!
June 14, 2011
The premise was intriguing and the primary characters, Grace and Christian, were likeable. Unfortunately, I didn't care for anything else in the book.
July 4, 2012
love these books!
Read
December 11, 2013I almost couldn't finish this one because I knew bad stuff would happen, and no HEA in this book. As a result, I rushed thru the end to get to the sequel.
April 10, 2014
Ok I am addicted to the Midnight series. This book read as independent novel although I can't wait to read earlier ones.
November 5, 2012
I truly enjoyed reading this one. I can't wait to read the second part!
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