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Shadows at Midnight
She was just a shadow of her former self.
Until he came back into her life.
U.S. intelligence agent Claire Day and former Marine Sergeant Dan Watson must solve a deadly conspiracy-or forfeit any chance of having a future together.
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2010
31 people are currently reading
537 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Jennings
38 books96 followers...also writing under the pseudonym
Lisa Marie Rice
Lisa Marie Rice
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
July 17, 2018
DNF at 80%
As the book advanced I started to be very confused, I kept thinking that I was reading a book I have already read, but I wan't, I was sure of it, I had never read this book before. So I went to check the other book, the one that was so similar to this one. It was Nightfire (Protectors, #3), who was written by Lisa Marie Rice, who is a writer that has a few novels I really liked. Then, I found out that Elizabeth Jennings and Lisa Mari Rice are actually the very same person. Let me tell you, I was shocked. Shadows of Midnight and Nightfire are practically the same book, written by the same writer under different names. How is this possible I have no idea, but I can't comprehend how a writer would do such a thing.
After that, I decided I was out. I had no intention or interest in finishing a book I had already read in another version and that I didn't actually enjoyed much on the first place.
As the book advanced I started to be very confused, I kept thinking that I was reading a book I have already read, but I wan't, I was sure of it, I had never read this book before. So I went to check the other book, the one that was so similar to this one. It was Nightfire (Protectors, #3), who was written by Lisa Marie Rice, who is a writer that has a few novels I really liked. Then, I found out that Elizabeth Jennings and Lisa Mari Rice are actually the very same person. Let me tell you, I was shocked. Shadows of Midnight and Nightfire are practically the same book, written by the same writer under different names. How is this possible I have no idea, but I can't comprehend how a writer would do such a thing.
After that, I decided I was out. I had no intention or interest in finishing a book I had already read in another version and that I didn't actually enjoyed much on the first place.
August 10, 2010
I enjoyed this one more than Into the Crossfire but I had a few issues with it. I liked the suspense part and the side stories actually added to my enjoyment instead of annoying me (like they have in some of her other books). I liked the leads despite the similarity to her other characters. By now we know LMR loves artistic (well she was a translator this time) gentle females, the hero will be a super military man who falls into love/obsession at first sight of the gorgeous heroine, condoms aren't necessary since she is on birth control to "regulate" based on sickness (ummm I guess they missed health class), the hero will have a blue steeler (seriously, LMR's editor needs to ban this word from her) and the heroine will need saved by the hero using his super military skills. I am okay with that, I even like that (except for the blue steeler and "yeah I get to go bare back"). I do think LMR needs to make an effort to stop repeating the same thing over and over because it starts to seem...lazy. I really enjoyed the story and I liked that the heroine was smart and learned how to overcome great difficulties. It did seem like she went from pretty messed up to having a miraculous recovery but maybe Dan has super healing semen because she got better real quick after their first wild nookie night. One other small quibble was I felt like I was reading an advertisement for the Marines, because Dan loved being a Marine and his Marine buddies were so helpful and his whole life was about being the best Marine he could be since they made his life so great. I was looking for the recruitment number I was supposed to call so I could be just as cool. Just kidding, but it was a bit over the top.
So overall - I liked this one and enjoyed reading it. The suspense part was good but the romance needed more attention in the second half of the book which left me a little unsatisfied.
So overall - I liked this one and enjoyed reading it. The suspense part was good but the romance needed more attention in the second half of the book which left me a little unsatisfied.
August 7, 2010
Good book. A little heavier on the suspense than the romance, but it was so well written and fully developed, that it worked for me. I enjoyed and respected both the hero and heroine, and was really invested in their relationship and their HEA.
This book had some uncanny similarities to the author's most recent work as Lisa Marie Rice, Into the Crossfire, so I'd advise against reading these books back-to-back. The heroines in both books are beautiful, smart, have sickly fathers, no mothers, and work as translators, although in this book the heroine Claire starts out working as a defense intelligence analyst for the U.S. government. The heroes in each book have had rough childhoods, are former military (and each has suffered a punctured ear drum!) and now have their own security companies. Both the heroes are described as built, ripped, buff, etc. (but not handsome), furry chested, and the author's fascination with the details of the hero's hands continues in this book. And of course, as in all Lisa Marie Rice's books, the hero is gaga for the heroine, almost to the point of obsession.
*********possible spoilers**************
The plot is...Claire is working as a defense intelligence agent for the C.I.A. in the U.S. Embassy in West Africa. She's 28, pretty, doesn't really date (her work comes first), and is trying to establish herself in her male-dominated profession. Unknown to her, she has caught the eye of Marine Gunnery Sergeant Dan Weston, early 30s, who was stationed at another embassy where Claire worked previous to the West African one. Dan is so taken with Claire that he makes sure his next assignment is at the same embassy where Claire now works. It's Thanksgiving day, and Claire and Dan are the only ones left at the Embassy. There's trouble brewing outside, as hundreds of rebel soldiers have taken to the streets, firing their weapons. Dan hustles Claire to a safe room in the Embassy, as they decide to wait it out. They talk a bit and share a hot kiss, but are interrupted by Claire's good friend Marie, who insists Claire come with her for a minute so she can tell her something important. Dan eventually goes to look for Claire when she doesn't come back, following her outside of the Embassy and into the gunfire. Then there's an explosion--the Embassy has been bombed. Dan is seriously injured and assumes that Claire is dead.
Fast forward one year later. Claire is at home in Florida, a shell of the confident woman that she used to be. She's very frail physically, having been in a coma for three months and then in rehab for months due to her injuries in the bombing, has amnesia about what happened in the days leading up to the bombing, and is suffering from post traumatic stress. She suffers from horrible nightmares, has panic attacks, and hardly eats. She no longer works for the government, and now has a translating business she can do from the safety of her home. But she's tired of living in fear and wants to get her life back. By a stroke of luck, she has her TV on when a news story comes on about a man who made a heroic rescue of a mother and her children while entering a burning building in D.C. The man is none other than Dan Weston, now head of Weston Security, and doesn't he seem familiar to Claire? She looks up some records and discovers that Dan was part of the Marine security staff at the Embassy at the time of the bombing! Maybe Dan is the key and can help her fill in the blank spots in her memory--what happened that day of the bombing that her best friend Marie was killed?
A shaky Claire heads to D.C. to meet with Dan, who is stunned to see that she's alive, and just as beautiful as he remembered her. But Claire doesn't really remember him (or their kiss). Dan is determined to do all he can for the woman who has haunted his dreams, and wants to help her remember the days that are a blur. They go to dinner, and Claire realizes that she's attracted to this big, tough man, so unlike anyone she's ever dated. He's so capable, macho yet gentle with her, and makes her feel safe and protected. But when they head back to Claire's hotel, trouble is waiting for them in her room. A 'hit' has been put out on Claire, and she narrowly escapes with her life. Dan takes her to his place while they try to figure out who would want to kill Claire--and why? Of course they also give in to the lust that has been simmering between them at dinner (hot stuff here), but then another attempt is made on Claire's life, and Dan heroically saves the day again. Someone is serious about offing Claire! Why? Claire must know something, and it must have something to do with that bombing of the Embassy. But what...?
Dan and Claire spend the rest of the book (less than a week) on the run, and Dan calls on some of his Marine buddies to lend them a hand, while they try to figure out who wants Claire dead...and why. During this time Claire and Dan's relationship grows stronger, Claire grows to love how Dan is willing to do anything to protect her, and Claire starts getting her mojo back, and returns to being the strong, smart, confident woman she once was. Dan has brought her back to life, and she loves him for that. Dan realizes that these feelings he's never had for any woman before must be love, and no one will harm what's his while he has a breath left in his body. Claire doesn't know it yet, but he's never letting her go.
************************************
The suspense in this book was excellent. Lots of details given, and lots of background about the ambitious, smarmy villain and his network of underlings, and his plans for his future. The scenes where Dan and Claire narrowly escape death time and again had me holding my breath and biting my nails.
I wish EJ would have spent a little bit more time on the romance, because what she did give the reader was very good. Dan was one sexy alpha, and the handful of scenes with Claire, although not really explicit, were certainly hot enough, but I still wanted more. Another thing I would have liked was to see a conversation about their pasts. I don't think Dan ever told Claire about his troubled childhood, and I wanted to see him open up to Claire and tell her his feelings about his past, and how he felt about her. I also don't think that Claire or Dan ever said the ILYs--which is strange, because I certainly felt that they did, and the epilogue proves that they certainly did.
But overall, this was a pretty satisfying romanantic suspense, the emphasis being on the suspense. It's got all the trademarks of a LMR story, just with the eroticism toned down. I loved Dan and Claire together--I loved how they worked together as equals, and I loved how they connected as a romantic couple. And I especially enjoyed seeing Claire get her confidence and her life back, and find a guy who makes her feel safe and loved. Now I'm hoping that EJ writes a story about some of the other characters in this story--maybe about Dan's Marine buddy police detective Marcus Stone? 4 1/2 stars
This book had some uncanny similarities to the author's most recent work as Lisa Marie Rice, Into the Crossfire, so I'd advise against reading these books back-to-back. The heroines in both books are beautiful, smart, have sickly fathers, no mothers, and work as translators, although in this book the heroine Claire starts out working as a defense intelligence analyst for the U.S. government. The heroes in each book have had rough childhoods, are former military (and each has suffered a punctured ear drum!) and now have their own security companies. Both the heroes are described as built, ripped, buff, etc. (but not handsome), furry chested, and the author's fascination with the details of the hero's hands continues in this book. And of course, as in all Lisa Marie Rice's books, the hero is gaga for the heroine, almost to the point of obsession.
*********possible spoilers**************
The plot is...Claire is working as a defense intelligence agent for the C.I.A. in the U.S. Embassy in West Africa. She's 28, pretty, doesn't really date (her work comes first), and is trying to establish herself in her male-dominated profession. Unknown to her, she has caught the eye of Marine Gunnery Sergeant Dan Weston, early 30s, who was stationed at another embassy where Claire worked previous to the West African one. Dan is so taken with Claire that he makes sure his next assignment is at the same embassy where Claire now works. It's Thanksgiving day, and Claire and Dan are the only ones left at the Embassy. There's trouble brewing outside, as hundreds of rebel soldiers have taken to the streets, firing their weapons. Dan hustles Claire to a safe room in the Embassy, as they decide to wait it out. They talk a bit and share a hot kiss, but are interrupted by Claire's good friend Marie, who insists Claire come with her for a minute so she can tell her something important. Dan eventually goes to look for Claire when she doesn't come back, following her outside of the Embassy and into the gunfire. Then there's an explosion--the Embassy has been bombed. Dan is seriously injured and assumes that Claire is dead.
Fast forward one year later. Claire is at home in Florida, a shell of the confident woman that she used to be. She's very frail physically, having been in a coma for three months and then in rehab for months due to her injuries in the bombing, has amnesia about what happened in the days leading up to the bombing, and is suffering from post traumatic stress. She suffers from horrible nightmares, has panic attacks, and hardly eats. She no longer works for the government, and now has a translating business she can do from the safety of her home. But she's tired of living in fear and wants to get her life back. By a stroke of luck, she has her TV on when a news story comes on about a man who made a heroic rescue of a mother and her children while entering a burning building in D.C. The man is none other than Dan Weston, now head of Weston Security, and doesn't he seem familiar to Claire? She looks up some records and discovers that Dan was part of the Marine security staff at the Embassy at the time of the bombing! Maybe Dan is the key and can help her fill in the blank spots in her memory--what happened that day of the bombing that her best friend Marie was killed?
A shaky Claire heads to D.C. to meet with Dan, who is stunned to see that she's alive, and just as beautiful as he remembered her. But Claire doesn't really remember him (or their kiss). Dan is determined to do all he can for the woman who has haunted his dreams, and wants to help her remember the days that are a blur. They go to dinner, and Claire realizes that she's attracted to this big, tough man, so unlike anyone she's ever dated. He's so capable, macho yet gentle with her, and makes her feel safe and protected. But when they head back to Claire's hotel, trouble is waiting for them in her room. A 'hit' has been put out on Claire, and she narrowly escapes with her life. Dan takes her to his place while they try to figure out who would want to kill Claire--and why? Of course they also give in to the lust that has been simmering between them at dinner (hot stuff here), but then another attempt is made on Claire's life, and Dan heroically saves the day again. Someone is serious about offing Claire! Why? Claire must know something, and it must have something to do with that bombing of the Embassy. But what...?
Dan and Claire spend the rest of the book (less than a week) on the run, and Dan calls on some of his Marine buddies to lend them a hand, while they try to figure out who wants Claire dead...and why. During this time Claire and Dan's relationship grows stronger, Claire grows to love how Dan is willing to do anything to protect her, and Claire starts getting her mojo back, and returns to being the strong, smart, confident woman she once was. Dan has brought her back to life, and she loves him for that. Dan realizes that these feelings he's never had for any woman before must be love, and no one will harm what's his while he has a breath left in his body. Claire doesn't know it yet, but he's never letting her go.
************************************
The suspense in this book was excellent. Lots of details given, and lots of background about the ambitious, smarmy villain and his network of underlings, and his plans for his future. The scenes where Dan and Claire narrowly escape death time and again had me holding my breath and biting my nails.
I wish EJ would have spent a little bit more time on the romance, because what she did give the reader was very good. Dan was one sexy alpha, and the handful of scenes with Claire, although not really explicit, were certainly hot enough, but I still wanted more. Another thing I would have liked was to see a conversation about their pasts. I don't think Dan ever told Claire about his troubled childhood, and I wanted to see him open up to Claire and tell her his feelings about his past, and how he felt about her. I also don't think that Claire or Dan ever said the ILYs--which is strange, because I certainly felt that they did, and the epilogue proves that they certainly did.
But overall, this was a pretty satisfying romanantic suspense, the emphasis being on the suspense. It's got all the trademarks of a LMR story, just with the eroticism toned down. I loved Dan and Claire together--I loved how they worked together as equals, and I loved how they connected as a romantic couple. And I especially enjoyed seeing Claire get her confidence and her life back, and find a guy who makes her feel safe and loved. Now I'm hoping that EJ writes a story about some of the other characters in this story--maybe about Dan's Marine buddy police detective Marcus Stone? 4 1/2 stars
October 7, 2010
A year ago they shared a perfect kiss. A few minutes later he lost her in an explosion.
Now, she’s back from the dead, merely a shell of the woman she was before, amnesiac, haunted by nightmares and real-life danger…And only one man can keep her safe.
Though I’m a big Lisa Marie Rice fan (I loved her Dangerous trilogy), I couldn’t claim the same for her alter ego, Elizabeth Jennings. As in Pursuit the suspense in this one had its ups and downs (more ups than downs), the villain was obvious from the very first paragraph he was mentioned in, the pacing was slow…And the “romance” left me completely cold. There was no chemistry between Dan and Claire beyond what the author told us, the sex scenes were lukewarm at best, I couldn’t care less what happened to the two, and we’re talking about the hero and heroine here.
But the biggest surprise of them all was the fact it was the hero who was the annoying one in this pair. While I usually cannot stand the heroines, Claire wasn’t so bad, while Dan…Oh, boy, could the boy bitch with the best of them. And not bitch in a good way. There was oh-too-much inner whining and moaning, how he lusted after her, how beautiful she was despite the bruises, the fatigue blah-blah-blah, how he lusted after her, how he was afraid to break her with his lust, but he wouldn’t mind slaking his lust on her, despite all the fragility she displayed, but was still beautiful despite it…On, and on, and on he went, for pages and pages and pages.
But I guess I understand why there was so much inner bitching from the hero. We’d have a short story if he didn’t.
Now, she’s back from the dead, merely a shell of the woman she was before, amnesiac, haunted by nightmares and real-life danger…And only one man can keep her safe.
Though I’m a big Lisa Marie Rice fan (I loved her Dangerous trilogy), I couldn’t claim the same for her alter ego, Elizabeth Jennings. As in Pursuit the suspense in this one had its ups and downs (more ups than downs), the villain was obvious from the very first paragraph he was mentioned in, the pacing was slow…And the “romance” left me completely cold. There was no chemistry between Dan and Claire beyond what the author told us, the sex scenes were lukewarm at best, I couldn’t care less what happened to the two, and we’re talking about the hero and heroine here.
But the biggest surprise of them all was the fact it was the hero who was the annoying one in this pair. While I usually cannot stand the heroines, Claire wasn’t so bad, while Dan…Oh, boy, could the boy bitch with the best of them. And not bitch in a good way. There was oh-too-much inner whining and moaning, how he lusted after her, how beautiful she was despite the bruises, the fatigue blah-blah-blah, how he lusted after her, how he was afraid to break her with his lust, but he wouldn’t mind slaking his lust on her, despite all the fragility she displayed, but was still beautiful despite it…On, and on, and on he went, for pages and pages and pages.
But I guess I understand why there was so much inner bitching from the hero. We’d have a short story if he didn’t.
August 8, 2010
Favorite Quote: He hadn’t had sex in a year so he’d probably come in the first five seconds but that was okay, no way he’d lose his hard-on. In fact, he might sport his hard-on forever, the way he was feeling right now.
Maybe be buried in a closed casket because they couldn’t get it to go down.
Claire Day wanted an adventure and she found one as a spook or a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst. She finds herself working at the US Embassy in Laka, Africa on Thanksgiving Day. And things are about to go from adventurous to very dangerous.
Marine Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston has finally made it to Laka, after briefly being introduced to Claire a year before. From the first glance he knew, absolutely knew, he had to be with her. And now, they have both made it to the same place, and they are under siege. The Red Army, a very chaotic out of control mob is flooding the streets and Dan has whisked Claire into Post One, the safest room at the Embassy. Claire has no idea Dan has been doing everything possible to be relocated to be with her. As they sit, minute after minute, hearing the horrible guns go off in the street, the tension is so strong Dan can barely believe he actually has Claire with him. Waiting out the gunfire eventually leads to a kiss. But as fate has a funny way of screwing with people’s lives – that kiss is short lived.
The Embassy is bombed. Claire is thrown into a coma for three months. Dan receives information that she is dead, and has to deal with his own physical recovery. Devastated, Dan leaves the Marines and opens his own private security firm in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Claire moves to Florida, where her father recently passed away. She is absolutely alone, and in bad shape. Awful nightmares, the Post Traumatic Stress is in full gear – she deals with panic attacks, nausea, is very weak and worst of all, has absolutely no memories of the bombing. When she happens to catch the name of Dan Weston on the news, his name jars her memory. She realizes he was at the Embassy at the same time she was. She is desperate to piece together those missing memories and in an act of spontaneity, books a flight to Washington DC. Fate is about to bring Claire back to Dan. But they will soon find out, the bombing may have not been a random attack, and Dan is going to have to pull out the big guns to keep Claire safe.
All I have to say about Shadows at Midnight is WOW!! Okay, maybe I have a few more words to use. This is the first book I have read by Elizabeth Jennings (aka Lisa Marie Rice.) I was blown away by the dynamics between these two characters. Dan is so alpha, so lethal, so obsessed by Claire and Elizabeth Jennings writes his internal dialogue of his struggle so well. In just a few pages she takes us from a Dan who is so excited to have finally found Claire in Africa, to a heart rendering kiss, and then suddenly thrusts us to a Dan that has lost his love for a year – a devastating year. And then finally we get a Dan that has another chance – although with a Claire that is physically and mentally in a bad place.
We get such a contrast with the hero and heroine. Dan is the overpowering, extremely muscular, just overwhelming presence. And Claire, post bombing is a shell of a human. Can barely eat, can barely be around people. But Dan always knows exactly what she needs. As he tells himself, he is the “Big Man.” He is there for all her needs. He allows Claire to feel human again. To feel safe.
Dan slid his hand back across the table. “We okay?” His voice deep and quiet.
She looked into his dark eyes and found not a trace of censure of worry. No hint whatsoever that he’d invited a lunatic to dinner. A woman any other man would have dumped back on her doorstep in an instant.
None of that. If anything, his body language was warm and welcoming. He leaned forward, watching her, a faint smile on his face.
“Yes,” she said. “We’re okay.”
His internal struggle to not throw the frail Claire on the floor and take her is amusing, as many mentions of his “steel rod” swelling to massive proportions is written. Dan had been celibate for the year while he thought Claire was dead, and oh boy is he ready for some action. While we don’t necessarily get an abundance of hot sex scenes, the sexual tension, is written so well, I didn’t need the sex. Like their first kiss post bombing:
He lowered his head, slowly knowing that this was going to be momentous. It would divide his life into a before and an after. So he took it slow and easy. Just a touch of their lips at first. He felt an electric charge down to his toes.
Elizabeth Jennings also does a great job with the suspense in this book. The action scenes were nail biting and fit in perfectly with the over sensitized romance. The villain in this book is bad news, and holds nothing back to get to Claire.
If you take a step back, the romance is over the top – Dan’s obsessive feelings towards Claire are really over the top – but damn it, I loved it. I honestly had the best time reading this book. I loved every word and every page and I am totally going to hunt down her other books (in both pen names) because I think I just found a new favorite author.
Rating: 4.5/5
Maybe be buried in a closed casket because they couldn’t get it to go down.
Claire Day wanted an adventure and she found one as a spook or a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst. She finds herself working at the US Embassy in Laka, Africa on Thanksgiving Day. And things are about to go from adventurous to very dangerous.
Marine Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston has finally made it to Laka, after briefly being introduced to Claire a year before. From the first glance he knew, absolutely knew, he had to be with her. And now, they have both made it to the same place, and they are under siege. The Red Army, a very chaotic out of control mob is flooding the streets and Dan has whisked Claire into Post One, the safest room at the Embassy. Claire has no idea Dan has been doing everything possible to be relocated to be with her. As they sit, minute after minute, hearing the horrible guns go off in the street, the tension is so strong Dan can barely believe he actually has Claire with him. Waiting out the gunfire eventually leads to a kiss. But as fate has a funny way of screwing with people’s lives – that kiss is short lived.
The Embassy is bombed. Claire is thrown into a coma for three months. Dan receives information that she is dead, and has to deal with his own physical recovery. Devastated, Dan leaves the Marines and opens his own private security firm in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Claire moves to Florida, where her father recently passed away. She is absolutely alone, and in bad shape. Awful nightmares, the Post Traumatic Stress is in full gear – she deals with panic attacks, nausea, is very weak and worst of all, has absolutely no memories of the bombing. When she happens to catch the name of Dan Weston on the news, his name jars her memory. She realizes he was at the Embassy at the same time she was. She is desperate to piece together those missing memories and in an act of spontaneity, books a flight to Washington DC. Fate is about to bring Claire back to Dan. But they will soon find out, the bombing may have not been a random attack, and Dan is going to have to pull out the big guns to keep Claire safe.
All I have to say about Shadows at Midnight is WOW!! Okay, maybe I have a few more words to use. This is the first book I have read by Elizabeth Jennings (aka Lisa Marie Rice.) I was blown away by the dynamics between these two characters. Dan is so alpha, so lethal, so obsessed by Claire and Elizabeth Jennings writes his internal dialogue of his struggle so well. In just a few pages she takes us from a Dan who is so excited to have finally found Claire in Africa, to a heart rendering kiss, and then suddenly thrusts us to a Dan that has lost his love for a year – a devastating year. And then finally we get a Dan that has another chance – although with a Claire that is physically and mentally in a bad place.
We get such a contrast with the hero and heroine. Dan is the overpowering, extremely muscular, just overwhelming presence. And Claire, post bombing is a shell of a human. Can barely eat, can barely be around people. But Dan always knows exactly what she needs. As he tells himself, he is the “Big Man.” He is there for all her needs. He allows Claire to feel human again. To feel safe.
Dan slid his hand back across the table. “We okay?” His voice deep and quiet.
She looked into his dark eyes and found not a trace of censure of worry. No hint whatsoever that he’d invited a lunatic to dinner. A woman any other man would have dumped back on her doorstep in an instant.
None of that. If anything, his body language was warm and welcoming. He leaned forward, watching her, a faint smile on his face.
“Yes,” she said. “We’re okay.”
His internal struggle to not throw the frail Claire on the floor and take her is amusing, as many mentions of his “steel rod” swelling to massive proportions is written. Dan had been celibate for the year while he thought Claire was dead, and oh boy is he ready for some action. While we don’t necessarily get an abundance of hot sex scenes, the sexual tension, is written so well, I didn’t need the sex. Like their first kiss post bombing:
He lowered his head, slowly knowing that this was going to be momentous. It would divide his life into a before and an after. So he took it slow and easy. Just a touch of their lips at first. He felt an electric charge down to his toes.
Elizabeth Jennings also does a great job with the suspense in this book. The action scenes were nail biting and fit in perfectly with the over sensitized romance. The villain in this book is bad news, and holds nothing back to get to Claire.
If you take a step back, the romance is over the top – Dan’s obsessive feelings towards Claire are really over the top – but damn it, I loved it. I honestly had the best time reading this book. I loved every word and every page and I am totally going to hunt down her other books (in both pen names) because I think I just found a new favorite author.
Rating: 4.5/5
July 31, 2010
Excellent characters. Claire Day had a good heart, but she was dedicated to her work as an Intel Analyst for the government. Dan Weston, Marine, noticed Claire by accident and then commenced to arrange his next assignment so that he could be with/near her. She didn't even know he existed.
The story began in a U.S. Embassy in Laka, Africa and went to Florida, Washington D.C., and a few other places. The suspense was excellent. Great character buildup, and the hero made my "heartthrob shelf." The writing would have been excellent except for the repetitiveness (restating of facts already read). Also, a few inconsistencies in the overall plot. Initially the length of time a character was in a coma is 9 months (page 29), then that changes to 3 months (rest of the book). A character started the engine to a car, then other things happened, and he was starting the engine (again).
Even barring those minor bugs, if the steam level had been increased, this would have been a 5 star read for me. The build-up was certainly there, then **poof** nothing. Numerous times there was serious buildup then the story moved to something else and talked about (briefly) what had happened in the bedroom. Bummer. Why buildup the level only to disregard it? And there was SERIOUS buildup! Enough so that those wanting a mild book may be offended, and those wanting more were let down. I was the latter.
My suggestion is to not build the fire if there is no intention of lighting it. No need to buildup the pre-intimate scenes then close the door. I don't mind reading a mild book, but don't tease so descriptively, then gloss over. I was very disappointed in this aspect of the storyline.
Finally, this has the potential to be turned into a series.
The story began in a U.S. Embassy in Laka, Africa and went to Florida, Washington D.C., and a few other places. The suspense was excellent. Great character buildup, and the hero made my "heartthrob shelf." The writing would have been excellent except for the repetitiveness (restating of facts already read). Also, a few inconsistencies in the overall plot. Initially the length of time a character was in a coma is 9 months (page 29), then that changes to 3 months (rest of the book). A character started the engine to a car, then other things happened, and he was starting the engine (again).
Even barring those minor bugs, if the steam level had been increased, this would have been a 5 star read for me. The build-up was certainly there, then **poof** nothing. Numerous times there was serious buildup then the story moved to something else and talked about (briefly) what had happened in the bedroom. Bummer. Why buildup the level only to disregard it? And there was SERIOUS buildup! Enough so that those wanting a mild book may be offended, and those wanting more were let down. I was the latter.
My suggestion is to not build the fire if there is no intention of lighting it. No need to buildup the pre-intimate scenes then close the door. I don't mind reading a mild book, but don't tease so descriptively, then gloss over. I was very disappointed in this aspect of the storyline.
Finally, this has the potential to be turned into a series.
January 23, 2022
Fast paced, edgy, and completely over-the-top ridiculous. I loved it! Like a poor man's James Bond. Though, James was wayyy better in the bedroom. There is much to be said for foreplay, and there was none of that here. All big member shoving it in. 🙄 I digress. I did not read this for the sex. Fun, interesting characters. Even the bad guys were interesting. Chanel your inner Romancing The Stone. You get the idea. 🛥🏍😉
March 21, 2024
Ecco un RS di tutto rispetto, praticamente un classico nel suo genere, visto che "Shadows at Midnight" è uscito la prima volta nel 2010, quando il romantic suspense era uno dei trend del momento. Ma la storia resta ancora fresca, accattivante, piena di adrenalina e assolutamente attuale.
Claire Day e Daniel Weston lavorano entrambi all'ambasciata americana di Laka, paese africano sprofondato nella corruzione e negli scontri tribali. Quando i ribelli attaccano l'edificio, i due condividono un breve, ma intenso, intervallo di paura e vicinanza. Finchè un attentato non li divide di nuovo, rendendoli estranei e lontani.
Ma se Claire ha perso la memoria, Daniel non l'ha mai dimenticata, subito pronto a proteggerla e ad aiutarla per far luce su un intrigo che li ha coinvolti e che minaccia ancora una volta la loro vita.
Come dicevo, c'è un ritmo serrato, con agguati ed inseguimenti, scoperte e complotti, ma c'è anche spazio per i sentimenti, dall'amicizia all'amore.
La Rice è una maestra nel calibrare le varie scene, usando ispirazione e perizia tecnica in fatto di strategie, armi e nuove tecnologie di tracciamento, non lasciando nulla al caso e riuscendo ad essere sempre credibile, senza ricorrere a stratagemmi irreali.
Claire Day e Daniel Weston lavorano entrambi all'ambasciata americana di Laka, paese africano sprofondato nella corruzione e negli scontri tribali. Quando i ribelli attaccano l'edificio, i due condividono un breve, ma intenso, intervallo di paura e vicinanza. Finchè un attentato non li divide di nuovo, rendendoli estranei e lontani.
Ma se Claire ha perso la memoria, Daniel non l'ha mai dimenticata, subito pronto a proteggerla e ad aiutarla per far luce su un intrigo che li ha coinvolti e che minaccia ancora una volta la loro vita.
Come dicevo, c'è un ritmo serrato, con agguati ed inseguimenti, scoperte e complotti, ma c'è anche spazio per i sentimenti, dall'amicizia all'amore.
La Rice è una maestra nel calibrare le varie scene, usando ispirazione e perizia tecnica in fatto di strategie, armi e nuove tecnologie di tracciamento, non lasciando nulla al caso e riuscendo ad essere sempre credibile, senza ricorrere a stratagemmi irreali.
August 14, 2010
"Do you think we're going to die?" is what Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Claire Day asks Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston, Detachment Commander of the Marine Security Guard of the US Embassy (try to say his title three times fast) as they are both hiding behind bulletproof glass at the US Embassy in Laka, as a rebel army has poured in the city. Even with the fear of death lurking outside, there's no other place Daniel would rather be. He has followed Claire to Laka after seeing her at a conference. To say Daniel is smitten by the elegant, pale blond is an understatement. Daniel is so far gone over Claire, who he has watched from a distance, finding the nerve to speak to her. He finally gets his wish, which is under less than ideal circumstances, but, Claire seems pretty calm talking to him. They eventually share a steamy kiss after having a heart-to-heart to the sounds of gunfire outside. But before things can go further, Claire's friend needs to talk to her privately. Against Dan's better judgment, he lets Claire go. It will be the biggest mistake of his life because an explosion goes off and he thinks Claire has been killed.
Claire has just buried her father. It's now a year later, after Claire has been in a coma for three months and then has gone through intensive physical therapy. She can barely make it through the day and has bad panic attacks and nightmares because of her post traumatic stress disorder. Her memory of that Thanksgiving Week is gone. She wants to retrace her steps to find out what happened to her. She also has dreams of a phantom man who makes her feel safe. She watches a television news report about a man who has gone into a burning building and saved some lives. It's former marine Daniel Weston, who now runs his own security consulting business in Washington D.C. Claire recognizes Daniel as the man in her dreams. She will travel to D.C. to see if he can help her remember.
Daniel is suffering silently over the death of Claire. So much so, that he hasn't had sex in a year. Claire haunts him and he blames himself for her death. But then Claire stands before him very much alive. Now he won't let Claire, his Blondie, out of his sight and wants to claim her as his own. But he knows all too well of how fragile Claire is. He will help her regain her memory and chase all her nightmares away.
But a new nightmare for Claire is about to begin. Someone wants Claire dead, because in the recesses of her mind, she knows something very damaging and she must be snuffed out. But what this evil mastermind doesn’t know is that Claire now has Daniel, who will do whatever he can to keep safe.
For those who may not be aware, Elizabeth Jennings is also erotic romance author, Lisa Marie Rice. Shadows at Midnight reads very much a LMR novel. We have an
uber-protective alpha hero, a somewhat delicate, classy looking heroine, and enough sexual tension, mainly on the hero's side, to scorch the pages. Shadows at Midnight has the makings of a fast-paced suspense thriller, comparable to the Bourne Identity movies. I was enjoying Shadows at Midnight up to a point, but then Dan does a truly TSTL (too stupid to live) move that jolted me out of the story. Some may argue it's not a big deal, but when you place the heroine in danger, that's a big blinking red light for me to stop reading.
This TSTL move occurs when Daniel is returning Claire back to her bed and breakfast after dinner. Now, if this was a LMR, Daniel would have taken Clare to his home and given Claire too many orgasms to count. But since this is an Elizabeth Jennings' novel, the bouncing on the sheets must wait. An assassin is hiding in Claire's room, where the moment she walks in, he'll shoot her in the head. Dan knows something is very wrong when the front desk clerk is missing and he spots is blood on the floor. Dan takes out his gun and will go up to Claire's room to investigate, because he just knows the big baddie is there waiting to strike. Now you'd think Dan would store Claire in a safe place, like the laundry room, have her call the police, or even have her hide out next door or down the street until he takes care of things. But no. She follows him up the room. Bullets start flying by Dan and the big baddie while Claire is in the hallway. And when the police finally come, the reason Dan give why they didn't call for help right away is that he wanted to put a stop to the immediate danger. The kicker with Claire is that it was okay for her to go with him because he has her crouched by the side of the door and she fell to the ground when the gunfire started.
This is where I went, WTF?
This move really irked me. I found this to be a big mistake on Dan's part and after that I couldn't really count on him to do the right things in regards to Claire safety.
After that TSTL decision, Dan and Claire cement their relationship by having sex. Dan has only one condom, which he doesn't know if it's expired or not, so if they have sex, he'll be riding bare. Dan's reasoning is that it's okay for them to have sex sans protection because of his year long abstinence. Claire is more than willing to be with him that way because she's on the pill and hasn't had sex in years. Another reason I couldn't really wrap my head around.
These two scenes really put a damper on my reading, including the way we would suddenly be taken away from Dan and Claire in order to show the villain and why he has to stop Claire at all costs.
Shadows at Midnight is a speedy read, but my concentration began to falter by the time Dan and Claire put two and two together. Elizabeth can still write too good to be true heroes, but because of some of Dan's questionable motives regarding Claire, I was expecting a much better, planned story.
Claire has just buried her father. It's now a year later, after Claire has been in a coma for three months and then has gone through intensive physical therapy. She can barely make it through the day and has bad panic attacks and nightmares because of her post traumatic stress disorder. Her memory of that Thanksgiving Week is gone. She wants to retrace her steps to find out what happened to her. She also has dreams of a phantom man who makes her feel safe. She watches a television news report about a man who has gone into a burning building and saved some lives. It's former marine Daniel Weston, who now runs his own security consulting business in Washington D.C. Claire recognizes Daniel as the man in her dreams. She will travel to D.C. to see if he can help her remember.
Daniel is suffering silently over the death of Claire. So much so, that he hasn't had sex in a year. Claire haunts him and he blames himself for her death. But then Claire stands before him very much alive. Now he won't let Claire, his Blondie, out of his sight and wants to claim her as his own. But he knows all too well of how fragile Claire is. He will help her regain her memory and chase all her nightmares away.
But a new nightmare for Claire is about to begin. Someone wants Claire dead, because in the recesses of her mind, she knows something very damaging and she must be snuffed out. But what this evil mastermind doesn’t know is that Claire now has Daniel, who will do whatever he can to keep safe.
For those who may not be aware, Elizabeth Jennings is also erotic romance author, Lisa Marie Rice. Shadows at Midnight reads very much a LMR novel. We have an
uber-protective alpha hero, a somewhat delicate, classy looking heroine, and enough sexual tension, mainly on the hero's side, to scorch the pages. Shadows at Midnight has the makings of a fast-paced suspense thriller, comparable to the Bourne Identity movies. I was enjoying Shadows at Midnight up to a point, but then Dan does a truly TSTL (too stupid to live) move that jolted me out of the story. Some may argue it's not a big deal, but when you place the heroine in danger, that's a big blinking red light for me to stop reading.
This TSTL move occurs when Daniel is returning Claire back to her bed and breakfast after dinner. Now, if this was a LMR, Daniel would have taken Clare to his home and given Claire too many orgasms to count. But since this is an Elizabeth Jennings' novel, the bouncing on the sheets must wait. An assassin is hiding in Claire's room, where the moment she walks in, he'll shoot her in the head. Dan knows something is very wrong when the front desk clerk is missing and he spots is blood on the floor. Dan takes out his gun and will go up to Claire's room to investigate, because he just knows the big baddie is there waiting to strike. Now you'd think Dan would store Claire in a safe place, like the laundry room, have her call the police, or even have her hide out next door or down the street until he takes care of things. But no. She follows him up the room. Bullets start flying by Dan and the big baddie while Claire is in the hallway. And when the police finally come, the reason Dan give why they didn't call for help right away is that he wanted to put a stop to the immediate danger. The kicker with Claire is that it was okay for her to go with him because he has her crouched by the side of the door and she fell to the ground when the gunfire started.
This is where I went, WTF?
This move really irked me. I found this to be a big mistake on Dan's part and after that I couldn't really count on him to do the right things in regards to Claire safety.
After that TSTL decision, Dan and Claire cement their relationship by having sex. Dan has only one condom, which he doesn't know if it's expired or not, so if they have sex, he'll be riding bare. Dan's reasoning is that it's okay for them to have sex sans protection because of his year long abstinence. Claire is more than willing to be with him that way because she's on the pill and hasn't had sex in years. Another reason I couldn't really wrap my head around.
These two scenes really put a damper on my reading, including the way we would suddenly be taken away from Dan and Claire in order to show the villain and why he has to stop Claire at all costs.
Shadows at Midnight is a speedy read, but my concentration began to falter by the time Dan and Claire put two and two together. Elizabeth can still write too good to be true heroes, but because of some of Dan's questionable motives regarding Claire, I was expecting a much better, planned story.
December 23, 2010
2.5 to 3 stars. I'm honestly not sure how to rate this book. I remember there being a joke on SNL with Tina Fey saying you could make a drinking game of how many times Sarah Palin said "Maverick." I think that could apply here. If we drank every time we're reminded that Dan is a MARINE (OMG!), you'd never get passed the first 25 pages. Good grief. I get it! He's a marine. Marines are the most bestest men EVER! This book would have been half as long if we removed every referene to the sheer awesomeness of the marines (I should mention that I have a healthy respect for Marines. My dad was one--but EJ is a little obsessive about reminding us).
All that aside, I really liked both characters. Dan Weston is wonderful, alpha-male, swoon-worthy hero. I love the way he loves Claire. I love that whenever he's near her, all he can think about is sex. Then he has to remind himself that they're in danger or in a garage or whatever. It's sweet. Claire is our damaged heroine. She's beaten and she's down and she feels broken, but she's not. She regains her inner strength and becomes quite the strong woman. They balance each other wonderfully.
I just wish these great characters weren't in a poorly written story. It had potential. I liked the story idea. Just not execution of it. This book would get 3 stars or more for the characters, but barely 2 for the story.
All that aside, I really liked both characters. Dan Weston is wonderful, alpha-male, swoon-worthy hero. I love the way he loves Claire. I love that whenever he's near her, all he can think about is sex. Then he has to remind himself that they're in danger or in a garage or whatever. It's sweet. Claire is our damaged heroine. She's beaten and she's down and she feels broken, but she's not. She regains her inner strength and becomes quite the strong woman. They balance each other wonderfully.
I just wish these great characters weren't in a poorly written story. It had potential. I liked the story idea. Just not execution of it. This book would get 3 stars or more for the characters, but barely 2 for the story.
February 20, 2012
I loved both the heroine, frail and weak with PTSD but finding an inner strength with the hero's help, and the hero, so focused on her, borderline obsessional. They had great alchemy together, and the sex scenes were really steamy! Plus Claire's evolution was well done and realistic.
I had more problems with all the inner dialogs. The characters repeated the same thoughts too many times, as if the author wanted to be sure we slow thinking readers understand why the character was behaving as he/she was. Those thoughts were several pages long too, slowing down the plot and taking a place which should have been used for the couple development. Instead of this development we have an epilogue set one year later, with a few sentences to resume the past months, and I found that frustrating.
I had more problems with all the inner dialogs. The characters repeated the same thoughts too many times, as if the author wanted to be sure we slow thinking readers understand why the character was behaving as he/she was. Those thoughts were several pages long too, slowing down the plot and taking a place which should have been used for the couple development. Instead of this development we have an epilogue set one year later, with a few sentences to resume the past months, and I found that frustrating.
February 16, 2019
Suspense adrenaline and both tenders and hot moments.
June 1, 2022
Super Smart heroine. Actiony military hero who is badass and very devoted to her. Foreign intrigue. Treason and murdering assholes. Lots o' explosions and taking out bad guys. Excellent climactic scene where bad guy gets their comeuppance. Surprising not as sexy-sexy as some of her other stuff, more on the action suspense side which was fine. I liked the plot.
March 31, 2011
I've been wanting to read Elizabeth Jennings - have read most of the books she wrote under the name of Lisa Marie Rice. I fell in love with Shannon McKenna (who I read first) and almost swore LMR and now EJ were pen names for the same person. Their writing is so extremely similar.
Almost all the lead males in these 3 authors stories are either military or ex military. They have all eventually gone into private security businesses. They are all on testosterone overkill and extreme alpha's, dangerous, deadly, and OBSESSED with THE woman who they consider "MINE".
All the above are featured in this story. If you've read one, you've read them all. But, I never get tired of these crazy lead males and a few years have lapsed since I've read one by any of the 3 writers. In each the scenarios change, the heroine's differ, and the locations have never been the same...but each story is non-stop action with edge of your seat driven suspense.
Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston is a tamer version of the testosterone overkill alpha hero in this one. Jennings writes so you know EVERY thought that enters his sex obsessed mind. She writes so you know every thought that enters the Defense Intelligence Agency analyst heroine, Claire Day's mind also. Since I know these alpha leads so well and exactly how their minds work, I skimmed lightly over some of the thinking processes of Dan the man. For me, Jennings went on a leettle bit too long with this internal dialogue. Although I love Lisa Marie Rice/Jennings...none of her characters can out-shine, out-do Shannon McKenna's Seth Mackay from
. Seth is the craziest, wildest, stalker obsessive, dangerous testosterone overkill hero I have ever had the pleasure to read about. I absolutely fell in love with this guy. (This one is a keeper.) Back to this book review:
The location of this story begins in Laka, West Africa at the US Embassy where we are thrown right into the thick of it... AK-47s, RPGs and machine guns explode into violence on the streets of Laka from the military junta's soldier's. The action is NON STOP.
Soon the story moves into scenes that take place a year or so later, into the lives of Claire, then Dan. I have to say I actually teared up as I was drawn into Claire's resulting Post Traumatic syndrome. My heart went out to her, the writing was done so well. Rice, I mean Jennings, is a great writer and I believe she knows her subjects well.
From then on out, the plot zooms into more non stop action. Plots, danger, lies, conspiracy, suspense, hit men, murder, political intrigue...I was glued to the pages as it all unfolded. From West Africa, to Florida, to Washington D.C., then back again, it was a fast moving drama.
I gave it 4 1/2 rating because most of Jennings hero's are the same repetitive basic alpha character in her other books. She does them well, but they are all pretty much the same, they just have different names.
In summary I have to admit when I finished this book I came away feeling very disturbed and writing this piece revived it again. What disturbed me is the subject matter covered in SHADOWS AT MIDNIGHT and the consequent turn of my thoughts to real time...in our US government. Just what the hell is really going on behind the scenes and with the fools in DC that we elected, pay generously, and know NOTHING about? Ahhh, very disturbing to me.
Almost all the lead males in these 3 authors stories are either military or ex military. They have all eventually gone into private security businesses. They are all on testosterone overkill and extreme alpha's, dangerous, deadly, and OBSESSED with THE woman who they consider "MINE".
All the above are featured in this story. If you've read one, you've read them all. But, I never get tired of these crazy lead males and a few years have lapsed since I've read one by any of the 3 writers. In each the scenarios change, the heroine's differ, and the locations have never been the same...but each story is non-stop action with edge of your seat driven suspense.
Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston is a tamer version of the testosterone overkill alpha hero in this one. Jennings writes so you know EVERY thought that enters his sex obsessed mind. She writes so you know every thought that enters the Defense Intelligence Agency analyst heroine, Claire Day's mind also. Since I know these alpha leads so well and exactly how their minds work, I skimmed lightly over some of the thinking processes of Dan the man. For me, Jennings went on a leettle bit too long with this internal dialogue. Although I love Lisa Marie Rice/Jennings...none of her characters can out-shine, out-do Shannon McKenna's Seth Mackay from
. Seth is the craziest, wildest, stalker obsessive, dangerous testosterone overkill hero I have ever had the pleasure to read about. I absolutely fell in love with this guy. (This one is a keeper.) Back to this book review:The location of this story begins in Laka, West Africa at the US Embassy where we are thrown right into the thick of it... AK-47s, RPGs and machine guns explode into violence on the streets of Laka from the military junta's soldier's. The action is NON STOP.
Soon the story moves into scenes that take place a year or so later, into the lives of Claire, then Dan. I have to say I actually teared up as I was drawn into Claire's resulting Post Traumatic syndrome. My heart went out to her, the writing was done so well. Rice, I mean Jennings, is a great writer and I believe she knows her subjects well.
From then on out, the plot zooms into more non stop action. Plots, danger, lies, conspiracy, suspense, hit men, murder, political intrigue...I was glued to the pages as it all unfolded. From West Africa, to Florida, to Washington D.C., then back again, it was a fast moving drama.
I gave it 4 1/2 rating because most of Jennings hero's are the same repetitive basic alpha character in her other books. She does them well, but they are all pretty much the same, they just have different names.
In summary I have to admit when I finished this book I came away feeling very disturbed and writing this piece revived it again. What disturbed me is the subject matter covered in SHADOWS AT MIDNIGHT and the consequent turn of my thoughts to real time...in our US government. Just what the hell is really going on behind the scenes and with the fools in DC that we elected, pay generously, and know NOTHING about? Ahhh, very disturbing to me.
January 5, 2011
Ok, now I'm really annoyed and disgusted. I'm a quarter into the book and I've come to the realization that this book is just another version of "Into the Crossfire" and the Dangerous Series. In fact this leans more towards Into the Fire with the Ex Military Man turn Security Specialist and the fragile female translator. I guess Ms.Jennings, who also writes under the name Lisa Marie Rice doesn't believe that her Rice fans read her Jennings books, but I do and I feel like I'm paying money to read the same book again. I pretty much feel like I'm reading "Into the Crossfire" again, just a lighter version. I mean it's almost the same down to the ex military assassin who was booted out of the military on a dishonorable discharge and is now a gun for hire. I think that Ms. Rice/Jennings is a great writer, but maybe Alzhemiers is starting to creep up on her and she doesn't realize she is writing the same books over and over and over again. I'm sorry to say, no matter how much I like her I will not be spending any more money on her novels.
I haven't finished the book as of yet, but I think I'm just going to leave my rating at 3 stars. I'm only giving her 3 stars because I like her as a writer and the book is pretty well written. If it wasn't for those reason I would have just given her two, maybe even one star.
As I get further and further into the book my rating of the books goes way down. For an ex-marine who was a sniper the hero sure can't keep his mind on the job at hand. It seems like he spends most of his time either staring at the heroine thinking she is so beautiful or thinking about all the sexual things he wants to do to her. I'm surprise that he was able to save her life. Being in his head is kind of skeeving me out and he seems like kind of a pyscho. Don't get me wrong. What I love most about Ms. Jennings/Rice characters is the fact that the hero is usually way intense, but now her characters are coming across as the kind of men you may need to take a restraining order out some day in the future. I also notice that the heroines feelings for the hero is never as intense as the hero's feeling are for her. She seems to be more stuck on how mind blowing the sex is. By the time I finish this book my rating will probably be down to one star.
I finally finished the book and just as I predicted I gave it one star. Well written, but a repeat of all the books I've read by this author.
I haven't finished the book as of yet, but I think I'm just going to leave my rating at 3 stars. I'm only giving her 3 stars because I like her as a writer and the book is pretty well written. If it wasn't for those reason I would have just given her two, maybe even one star.
As I get further and further into the book my rating of the books goes way down. For an ex-marine who was a sniper the hero sure can't keep his mind on the job at hand. It seems like he spends most of his time either staring at the heroine thinking she is so beautiful or thinking about all the sexual things he wants to do to her. I'm surprise that he was able to save her life. Being in his head is kind of skeeving me out and he seems like kind of a pyscho. Don't get me wrong. What I love most about Ms. Jennings/Rice characters is the fact that the hero is usually way intense, but now her characters are coming across as the kind of men you may need to take a restraining order out some day in the future. I also notice that the heroines feelings for the hero is never as intense as the hero's feeling are for her. She seems to be more stuck on how mind blowing the sex is. By the time I finish this book my rating will probably be down to one star.
I finally finished the book and just as I predicted I gave it one star. Well written, but a repeat of all the books I've read by this author.
August 28, 2010
Claire Day's promising career as a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst comes to a shattering end in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Laka, West Africa. For more than a year, Claire has been rebuilding her life and her confidence when she suddenly remembers the man who tried to protect her, and who might hold the key to the mysteries haunting her nightmares. Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston believed Claire was dead. But the woman he grieved for has just come back into his life seeking to reconnect with her past, unaware of the feelings he has for her. Determined not to fail Claire again, Dan vows to help her heal. Together, they begin to unlock Claire's lost memories only to uncover a conspiracy that puts them and any future they might have together in deadly danger.
Shadows at Midnight wasn't as good as I was expecting. The overall story was still pretty amazing but I found that there was more background and description than I was expecting. This is why I only give Shadows at Midnight 3 stars. I was hoping for more Dan and Claire time, there was quite a bit of it but not as much as I would have personally liked.
Shadows at Midnight read more like a first novel at times. I found it too descriptive in places and not so much in others. I thought the first few chapters weren't the best at setting up a beginning for the story with the relationship that was going to come from Dan and Claire but when the story got going I really fell in love with the characters and the overall storyline.
Shadows at Midnight is a great romantic suspense that I enjoyed thoroughly but wished there had been more to it and that it was so clear who the bad guy was.
Shadows at Midnight wasn't as good as I was expecting. The overall story was still pretty amazing but I found that there was more background and description than I was expecting. This is why I only give Shadows at Midnight 3 stars. I was hoping for more Dan and Claire time, there was quite a bit of it but not as much as I would have personally liked.
Shadows at Midnight read more like a first novel at times. I found it too descriptive in places and not so much in others. I thought the first few chapters weren't the best at setting up a beginning for the story with the relationship that was going to come from Dan and Claire but when the story got going I really fell in love with the characters and the overall storyline.
Shadows at Midnight is a great romantic suspense that I enjoyed thoroughly but wished there had been more to it and that it was so clear who the bad guy was.
April 10, 2024
Nayeli - per RFS
.
Dan e Claire si perdono e si ritrovano in modo davvero unico. Hanno avuto a malapena il tempo di darsi un bacio prima che il mondo attorno a loro letteralmente esplodesse e finissero per perdersi, lui pensando che lei fosse morta, lei perdendo la memoria.
Andiamo per ordine: Dan è un marine e Claire una agente della DIA, una spia informatica. Entrambi vengono dislocati in basi all’estero, lui a contatto con il nemico, a differenza di Claire. Dopo che Dan è rimasto affascinato da lei e fa in modo di trovarsi nella stessa base, in Africa, riesce a dichiararsi. Ma proprio nel momento in cui arriva a strapparle un bacio, subiscono un’aggressione da parte di ribelli e rimangono entrambi feriti gravemente. Tornano a casa e si perdono di vista: lui crede che Claire sia morta nell’attentato, mentre lei perde la memoria, oltre ad affrontare un percorso di riabilitazione.
Perché ora Dan sapeva quale fosse la sua nuova missione nella vita. Era stato addestrato a svolgere delle missioni da quando si era arruolato nei marine. Si concentrava sul suo obiettivo e lo raggiungeva. E adesso il suo obiettivo era prendersi cura di quella donna incredibile. Era magica. Intelligente, bella e forte, messa al tappeto da dei delinquenti. L’aveva quasi persa e, per miracolo, l’aveva ritrovata. Non l’avrebbe persa di nuovo. Era impossibile.
Ritrovarsi è un puro colpo di fortuna indotto dagli incubi di lei che la spingono a seguire le briciole di pane fino a lui. E anche se Dan prova ancora la stessa infatuazione, ulteriormente accentuati dal sollievo di vederla viva, assisteremo a un secondo innamoramento da parte di Claire per questo ragazzo che sembra semplicemente perfetto. Il solo stare accanto a questo marine (che adesso gestisce un’agenzia di sicurezza privata) la fa sentire al sicuro, protetta, amata e accudita.
Curioso e intelligente il ribaltamento dei cliché: per una volta è lei ad avere il disturbo post-traumatico da stress, mentre lui mostra empatia e capacità di leggere i sintomi, la sensibilità per accompagnarla senza fare pressioni.
Sparì prima che Dan lo notasse, ma lo colse. Un sorriso. Un rilassamento dei lineamenti, le labbra leggermente curvate verso l’alto. Un sorriso. In reazione al bacio. Era bello. Avrebbero fatto sesso. Prendendo mentalmente a pugni l’aria in segno di giubilo, mantenendo una presa prudente sulla sedia di lei e sul tavolo, Dan si chinò per baciarla di nuovo. Più a lungo. Più dolcemente. Meglio di prima.
Inaspettatamente, nel seguire gli indizi per recuperare la memoria, Claire scatena una reazione da parte di qualcuno che inizia a perseguitarla e attentare alla sua vita. Il filone poliziesco si dipana tra fughe, strategie e scontri violenti che portano letteralmente a bruciare le pagine. La trama di questo filone che è ben più che secondario rispetto a quello romance è molto ben architettata: è divertente e intrigante il modo in cui i protagonisti effettuano le indagini e riescono a essere sempre un passo avanti rispetto ai cattivi.
E rende l’inseguimento molto accattivante.
Nel complesso il romanzo è una vera sorpresa, per il mix esplosivo di romanticismo passionale e adrenalina pura, dando un ritmo avvolgente e incalzante alla lettura.
A causa del ritmo serrato dell’adrenalina, a dire il vero, le scene erotiche esplicite non sono tante quanto mi sarei aspettata. L’erotismo assume più le nuance della seduzione, di sogni a occhi aperti e di un’attrazione desiderata, agognata, ma impedita a causa del pericolo così imminente.
Tutto in Dan la intrigava. Il corpo vigoroso e in forma. La voce profonda. L’aria assolutamente virile che emanava da lui era come il vapore che saliva da una griglia infuocata mescolato a un’infinità di feromoni maschili.
Ho apprezzato molto anche le caratterizzazioni. Dan è un marine virile ed efficiente tanto quanto affidabile e rispettoso, ma allo stesso tempo anche estremamente focoso, appassionato, e capace di controllarsi mentre legge in lei i segnali del consenso o di un possibile disagio nel delicato equilibrio mentale che un passo avanti nella loro relazione causerebbe.
Claire è un personaggio in cui i chiaroscuri tra la superficie e la sostanza sono resi al massimo. È una donna che in questo momento ha quindi bisogno di molto sostegno perché sta vivendo la fase “peggiore della sua vita” sotto ogni punto di vista: fisicamente, psicologicamente, professionalmente ma anche intellettualmente (il trauma ha influito sulle sue abilità da spia). Eppure sotto sotto rimane una tosta, con grandi capacità, intelligenza e una forza interiore ammirabile, che sa reagire e non ama piangersi addosso.
.
Dan e Claire si perdono e si ritrovano in modo davvero unico. Hanno avuto a malapena il tempo di darsi un bacio prima che il mondo attorno a loro letteralmente esplodesse e finissero per perdersi, lui pensando che lei fosse morta, lei perdendo la memoria.
Andiamo per ordine: Dan è un marine e Claire una agente della DIA, una spia informatica. Entrambi vengono dislocati in basi all’estero, lui a contatto con il nemico, a differenza di Claire. Dopo che Dan è rimasto affascinato da lei e fa in modo di trovarsi nella stessa base, in Africa, riesce a dichiararsi. Ma proprio nel momento in cui arriva a strapparle un bacio, subiscono un’aggressione da parte di ribelli e rimangono entrambi feriti gravemente. Tornano a casa e si perdono di vista: lui crede che Claire sia morta nell’attentato, mentre lei perde la memoria, oltre ad affrontare un percorso di riabilitazione.
Perché ora Dan sapeva quale fosse la sua nuova missione nella vita. Era stato addestrato a svolgere delle missioni da quando si era arruolato nei marine. Si concentrava sul suo obiettivo e lo raggiungeva. E adesso il suo obiettivo era prendersi cura di quella donna incredibile. Era magica. Intelligente, bella e forte, messa al tappeto da dei delinquenti. L’aveva quasi persa e, per miracolo, l’aveva ritrovata. Non l’avrebbe persa di nuovo. Era impossibile.
Ritrovarsi è un puro colpo di fortuna indotto dagli incubi di lei che la spingono a seguire le briciole di pane fino a lui. E anche se Dan prova ancora la stessa infatuazione, ulteriormente accentuati dal sollievo di vederla viva, assisteremo a un secondo innamoramento da parte di Claire per questo ragazzo che sembra semplicemente perfetto. Il solo stare accanto a questo marine (che adesso gestisce un’agenzia di sicurezza privata) la fa sentire al sicuro, protetta, amata e accudita.
Curioso e intelligente il ribaltamento dei cliché: per una volta è lei ad avere il disturbo post-traumatico da stress, mentre lui mostra empatia e capacità di leggere i sintomi, la sensibilità per accompagnarla senza fare pressioni.
Sparì prima che Dan lo notasse, ma lo colse. Un sorriso. Un rilassamento dei lineamenti, le labbra leggermente curvate verso l’alto. Un sorriso. In reazione al bacio. Era bello. Avrebbero fatto sesso. Prendendo mentalmente a pugni l’aria in segno di giubilo, mantenendo una presa prudente sulla sedia di lei e sul tavolo, Dan si chinò per baciarla di nuovo. Più a lungo. Più dolcemente. Meglio di prima.
Inaspettatamente, nel seguire gli indizi per recuperare la memoria, Claire scatena una reazione da parte di qualcuno che inizia a perseguitarla e attentare alla sua vita. Il filone poliziesco si dipana tra fughe, strategie e scontri violenti che portano letteralmente a bruciare le pagine. La trama di questo filone che è ben più che secondario rispetto a quello romance è molto ben architettata: è divertente e intrigante il modo in cui i protagonisti effettuano le indagini e riescono a essere sempre un passo avanti rispetto ai cattivi.
E rende l’inseguimento molto accattivante.
Nel complesso il romanzo è una vera sorpresa, per il mix esplosivo di romanticismo passionale e adrenalina pura, dando un ritmo avvolgente e incalzante alla lettura.
A causa del ritmo serrato dell’adrenalina, a dire il vero, le scene erotiche esplicite non sono tante quanto mi sarei aspettata. L’erotismo assume più le nuance della seduzione, di sogni a occhi aperti e di un’attrazione desiderata, agognata, ma impedita a causa del pericolo così imminente.
Tutto in Dan la intrigava. Il corpo vigoroso e in forma. La voce profonda. L’aria assolutamente virile che emanava da lui era come il vapore che saliva da una griglia infuocata mescolato a un’infinità di feromoni maschili.
Ho apprezzato molto anche le caratterizzazioni. Dan è un marine virile ed efficiente tanto quanto affidabile e rispettoso, ma allo stesso tempo anche estremamente focoso, appassionato, e capace di controllarsi mentre legge in lei i segnali del consenso o di un possibile disagio nel delicato equilibrio mentale che un passo avanti nella loro relazione causerebbe.
Claire è un personaggio in cui i chiaroscuri tra la superficie e la sostanza sono resi al massimo. È una donna che in questo momento ha quindi bisogno di molto sostegno perché sta vivendo la fase “peggiore della sua vita” sotto ogni punto di vista: fisicamente, psicologicamente, professionalmente ma anche intellettualmente (il trauma ha influito sulle sue abilità da spia). Eppure sotto sotto rimane una tosta, con grandi capacità, intelligenza e una forza interiore ammirabile, che sa reagire e non ama piangersi addosso.
August 26, 2010
Shadows at Midnight was a real page turner, or rather a real hit the little right side button as the case may be since I got this one as an eBook. I think this is the fastest I've clicked since I got my Kobo. I was late for work; I was late getting back from break; I was late getting back from lunch and the minute I left at the end of the day, I had to sit outside on the bench reading since I couldn't wait long enough to get home to read it.
First off, it has the kind of hero I adore, the heroes that are totally gone for the heroine. And this was certainly the case with Daniel Weston. He caught a glimpse of Claire Day when she was working in the embassy in Makongo, a fictional West African country where she worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency and wheeled and dealed until he got himself assigned to the same location. He had yet to talk to her until one Thanksgiving when they were the only two people left at the embassy when it came under attack by rebel forces. Daniel is seriously injured and Claire is killed in a bombing - or so he believes until she shows up over a year later, not the same person at all that he remembered.
Daniel is so gone for Claire that he deeply mourned the whole time he thought she was dead, mourned to the point where he lost all interest in sex with anyone else. You just gotta love a hero like that! Due to his injuries, he's forced to resign from the army and has started his own successful private detective agency in Washington DC, but he still feels responsible for Claire's death.
Things haven't gone so well for Claire either. She was in a coma after the explosion and is unable to remember anything of what happened. On top of that she is suffering from PTSD and has become a real recluse without any kind of life to look forward to. When she watches a news story where Daniel has risked his own life to save a mother and her children and thinks she recognizes him, on the spur of the moment, she takes a big risk to go see him, hoping he might be able to fill in the blanks of missing memories.
As you can imagine, Daniel is delighted to see the Claire didn't die in the explosion and he is determined not to let her out of his sight. It soon becomes apparent that someone is after Claire and as they try and figure out who wants her dead and why, they grow closer and closer.
Daniel makes for a great hero. He feels unworthy of her for all kinds of reasons. He came from a nasty childhood, he figures she could never feel anything for a guy who is 'just a soldier' when she could get someone much better and he feels such regret that she was injured so badly on his watch. But this doesn't keep him from being so adorable protective. He truly respects her and at no time does he think he knows better than her. While he disagrees with some of the things she wants to do, he thinks things through and allows her to do things her way.
And Claire also makes for a great heroine. She starts out a real mess, she can't eat, she can't sleep, she's cut off from any real connection with anyone, but as time goes on and she and Daniel begin to figure things out, she grows and gains strength and slowly becomes the intelligent and determined person she used to be.
Together Claire and Daniel make a great team. They each have their own talents and each respect the others gifts. It would have been so easy for the author to make Daniel out as this big macho marine who knew better, but she didn't do that. As I said, I found myself racing through this book, wanting to find out what would happen next.
The only small, small thing that kept this from being a 5 out of 5 book was the slightly over the top villain.
I love her writing as Lisa Marie Rice and now I love her writing as Elizabeth Jennings. Good thing I have her new LMR book on the TBR pile - heh, heh, heh!
First off, it has the kind of hero I adore, the heroes that are totally gone for the heroine. And this was certainly the case with Daniel Weston. He caught a glimpse of Claire Day when she was working in the embassy in Makongo, a fictional West African country where she worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency and wheeled and dealed until he got himself assigned to the same location. He had yet to talk to her until one Thanksgiving when they were the only two people left at the embassy when it came under attack by rebel forces. Daniel is seriously injured and Claire is killed in a bombing - or so he believes until she shows up over a year later, not the same person at all that he remembered.
Daniel is so gone for Claire that he deeply mourned the whole time he thought she was dead, mourned to the point where he lost all interest in sex with anyone else. You just gotta love a hero like that! Due to his injuries, he's forced to resign from the army and has started his own successful private detective agency in Washington DC, but he still feels responsible for Claire's death.
Things haven't gone so well for Claire either. She was in a coma after the explosion and is unable to remember anything of what happened. On top of that she is suffering from PTSD and has become a real recluse without any kind of life to look forward to. When she watches a news story where Daniel has risked his own life to save a mother and her children and thinks she recognizes him, on the spur of the moment, she takes a big risk to go see him, hoping he might be able to fill in the blanks of missing memories.
As you can imagine, Daniel is delighted to see the Claire didn't die in the explosion and he is determined not to let her out of his sight. It soon becomes apparent that someone is after Claire and as they try and figure out who wants her dead and why, they grow closer and closer.
Daniel makes for a great hero. He feels unworthy of her for all kinds of reasons. He came from a nasty childhood, he figures she could never feel anything for a guy who is 'just a soldier' when she could get someone much better and he feels such regret that she was injured so badly on his watch. But this doesn't keep him from being so adorable protective. He truly respects her and at no time does he think he knows better than her. While he disagrees with some of the things she wants to do, he thinks things through and allows her to do things her way.
And Claire also makes for a great heroine. She starts out a real mess, she can't eat, she can't sleep, she's cut off from any real connection with anyone, but as time goes on and she and Daniel begin to figure things out, she grows and gains strength and slowly becomes the intelligent and determined person she used to be.
Together Claire and Daniel make a great team. They each have their own talents and each respect the others gifts. It would have been so easy for the author to make Daniel out as this big macho marine who knew better, but she didn't do that. As I said, I found myself racing through this book, wanting to find out what would happen next.
The only small, small thing that kept this from being a 5 out of 5 book was the slightly over the top villain.
I love her writing as Lisa Marie Rice and now I love her writing as Elizabeth Jennings. Good thing I have her new LMR book on the TBR pile - heh, heh, heh!
March 14, 2014
Fantastic premise, but poor execution. (See book description for general plot.) I just didn't couldn't buy that a woman (Claire Day) so physically, mentally and emotionally weak after recovering from a bomb blast that left her in a coma for three months could make such a miraculous recovery in such a short period of time. Way too implausible.
And the "romance" was too much, too fast. One date with a guy she kissed once over a year ago (Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston) and *bam* she's ready to bed and wed the guy. Never mind that she almost throws up during dinner because there's too much food on her plate...Or that she can't remember diddly-squat about him because her mind is fuzzy...Or that she suffers from panic attacks...Or that she has trouble doing even the easiest of tasks (like turning a doorknob). One dinner with Dan and she can screw like a minx, throw like a professional baseball player, hack a computer like a tech genius, and scheme like a con man.
And don't even get me started on Dan's injuries. He was honorably discharged from duty because of a blown out knee and eardrum, yet he had absolutely no problems running or hearing. There was not a single mention of his disabilities...ever.
Now that I'm writing this review and really thinking about the book, perhaps two stars is too generous. It probably only deserves one...but I'll give it an extra star for a good premise. Perhaps another author could rewrite this story and make it live up to its potential.
And the "romance" was too much, too fast. One date with a guy she kissed once over a year ago (Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Weston) and *bam* she's ready to bed and wed the guy. Never mind that she almost throws up during dinner because there's too much food on her plate...Or that she can't remember diddly-squat about him because her mind is fuzzy...Or that she suffers from panic attacks...Or that she has trouble doing even the easiest of tasks (like turning a doorknob). One dinner with Dan and she can screw like a minx, throw like a professional baseball player, hack a computer like a tech genius, and scheme like a con man.
And don't even get me started on Dan's injuries. He was honorably discharged from duty because of a blown out knee and eardrum, yet he had absolutely no problems running or hearing. There was not a single mention of his disabilities...ever.
Now that I'm writing this review and really thinking about the book, perhaps two stars is too generous. It probably only deserves one...but I'll give it an extra star for a good premise. Perhaps another author could rewrite this story and make it live up to its potential.
December 6, 2022
Elizabeth Jennings (aka Lisa Marie Rice) is one of my favorite authors. This book was fantastic. There was the perfect blend of romance and suspense. Claire, the heroine, was suffering from PTSD and it was a realistic process to see her come out of her shell and return to her former self. The only issue I had with the book was a scene in the beginning. As I was reading it I wondered why the hero (Dan) did what he did and I still can't figure it out. He was returning Claire to the bed and breakfast she was staying at and it was obvious foul play had occurred while they'd been out and someone was in her room. He obviously didn't know the person in her room was a hired assassin with a silencer and infrared goggles but I still don't understand why he decided to check her room. Yes, he was trained and an all around bad ass but it would have made more sense to call the police. At least IMO.
Either way the book was amazing and it's staying on my keeper shelf. I think this is one of the stronger female leads that Ms. Jennings has written and I really enjoyed the sexual tension between the H/h. The villain is known pretty early on but the book was still very fast paced and I found myself wondering how they were going to bring the bad guy down.
Either way the book was amazing and it's staying on my keeper shelf. I think this is one of the stronger female leads that Ms. Jennings has written and I really enjoyed the sexual tension between the H/h. The villain is known pretty early on but the book was still very fast paced and I found myself wondering how they were going to bring the bad guy down.
June 16, 2013
I stopped reading at page 205. There just was not enough dialog to keep me interested. I got tired of reading every detailed thought and emotion of BOTH the hero and heroine. I wanted them to connect and talk to each other, not sit around in silence and think about each other. It was frustrating.
Claire started to get on my nerves too. I get that she had a horrible, traumatic experience. It was thoroughly covered in the beginning of the book. And that was all fine and dandy. But by the second half of the book it was still a constant recurrence. I got tired of her thinking Dan would never want her, that she was too mental. Blah blah blah. It got old. Fast.
Claire started to get on my nerves too. I get that she had a horrible, traumatic experience. It was thoroughly covered in the beginning of the book. And that was all fine and dandy. But by the second half of the book it was still a constant recurrence. I got tired of her thinking Dan would never want her, that she was too mental. Blah blah blah. It got old. Fast.
December 6, 2013
I really enjoyed this. The focus is less strongly on the sensual sphere than in the LMR novels but the sensuality is still there, and Dan is as strongly "pointed towards his woman", compass-wise, as Lisa's male characters are. I liked the context in which the story was set, too, and I love the intense language with which the author, no matter the pen-name she uses, drags us into the characters' hearts and souls. I will continue to read her :)
June 28, 2015
I liked it. Elizabeth Jennings has a way of writing that really appeals to me. This wasn't one of my favorites by her but I still enjoyed it. She is able to keep the story going and not get too bogged down with filter.
June 25, 2011
Wonderful! I loved the heroes and their adventure. A lot of emotion, too.
Read
January 28, 2019✶✶✶✶
Great romantic suspense!
Dan is such a strong, adoreable hero. He loves Claire from the first moment he saw her und is determined to do everything in his power to keep her save and happy.
Great romantic suspense!
Dan is such a strong, adoreable hero. He loves Claire from the first moment he saw her und is determined to do everything in his power to keep her save and happy.
March 12, 2019
Interesting premise, but unfortunately the execution needed a little bit of polishing for me. The characters were a mostly 2D in my opinion and I couldn't care less about the antagonist. I really wanted to root for the characters but half the time I wanted to shake "Blondie" and Daniel made me roll my eyes way too much.
Also, was it my imagination or were we reminded that he was a Marine three times per chapter?
Also, was it my imagination or were we reminded that he was a Marine three times per chapter?
May 4, 2022
I am a fan of LMR books especially the protector and midnight series but this book was just ok. There is a decent plot and the MCs are well written but there is not much romance or steamy scenes unlike LMRs previous books. The repeated and ad nauseum mention of how broken Claire is and how much of a marine Dan is gets a bit on the nerves after a while. Overall an ok read! nothing exciting and will not reread at all!
April 25, 2018
Found it in an used bookstore, that book was great ! :D
January 14, 2024
great thriller
Lisa’s books always thrill. What is impossible, is thoroughly researched and becomes probable so her stories flow, surprise, create empathy and have great endings.
Lisa’s books always thrill. What is impossible, is thoroughly researched and becomes probable so her stories flow, surprise, create empathy and have great endings.
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