I guess I'm not having much luck with romantic suspense this week.  I DNFed the last one and this one... well, it was just alright.  Nothing exciting really.  Definitely not enough to make me overlook the things that bugged me.

And what were those things?  Well, for one, I was getting a whiff of the misogyny that so turned me off the previous book. While the hero, Reed, did his best to be respectful and look for consent etcetera, his inner thoughts were just a tad too leery for me to be totally comfortable.  When it's the bad guy, it doesn't bother me, but in the hero?  Nope.

Then there was the instalove.  I didn't buy it. 

There was also a scene set in a Wiccan shop that was run by a woman who the author described as 60-ish.  You would have thought this woman was a doddering old fool, just because of her age. I'm here to tell you, (at 62), that we are nowhere near as ready for the home as this woman was depicted.  And maybe I could have glossed over it, but the heroine came across as rather judgmental and mean in her thoughts about the woman.  It was a small thing, but it really irritated me.

And then we came to the end.  I like my thrillers to come to a conclusion. This did not. All of a sudden, the people in danger were rescued, the bad guy got away, the MCs declared their love for each other and decided to move away.  Oh yeah, the bad guy got away.  It was totally unsatisfying. I went online and discovered that book two in the series concerns the brother of the heroine taking up the chase for the bad guy. I have it in my TBR, but honestly?  I'm not that anxious to read it. 

Midnight Exposure

by Melinda Leigh
Book 1 of Midnight

 

 

This book would have been more interesting without all the romantic angst, which, when the conclusion rolls around, seemed awfully moot, as none of the misunderstandings really affected anyone's feelings.  There was instalust, which quickly became instalove, and a couple who are unwilling to talk to each other, even though they are willing to sleep with each other, and think that they're in love.

At the very least our heroine wasn't TSTL, but that's little consolation for the fact that a whole bunch of other stuff in the book bugs the crap out of me.  Not least of all was the way too predictable murder mystery / crime thriller.  I most definitely saw the killer's identity from the beginning.

As I have a predisposition to give second chances to an author who didn't thoroughly annoy me--because this book was less frustrating than it was just formulaic and predictable--I will probably move onto the next book and see how that one works out.

Otherwise, pending my decision to continue or drop this series, I'll have to move onto my backup series for the Can You Read a Series in a Month? Challenge for this month.

Meanwhile, this book was also read for the 24 Festive Tasks, Door 18: Winter Solstice / Yuletide:
'Read any book that takes place in December; OR with ice or snow on the cover; OR that revolves around the (summer or winter) equinox; OR a collection of poetry by Hafez'.

This book takes place in December.

I'll come back and add the Door's graphic when it is officially revealed!

 

 

I really enjoyed this romantic suspense title. It had great pacing and was filled with suspense. The tension just kept ramping up and it kept me guessing until almost the very end. Jayne Sullivan travels to Huntsville, Maine, on the trail of recluse sculptor R. S. Morgan. She is working for a tabloid despite her moral reservations because she needs to make money to help her brother who was injured while serving in Iraq. Jayne is also the survivor of an attack by a man who attacked, raped and killed two other women. She ended up scarred and with her confidence battered but she is a survivor. She has learned to shoot a gun and do martial arts but she hasn't learned to trust her heart.Jayne didn't expect to meet Reed Kimball who is both sexy and reclusive. He has some major secrets. He has come to Maine to find a quiet life for himself and his seventeen-year-old son. His was a police detective in Georgia when his wife was murdered. He was briefly suspected of her death and became the focus of a media frenzy. He certainly doesn't trust the media now. He is completely determined to keep his second career as a sculptor hidden.While she is looking around the town and taking pictures, she accidentally shoots a picture that brings her to the attention of a local crazy who is planning a Druid ritual that involves human sacrifice. This crazy has already killed a young man who was hiking in the area. His body was found during a warm spell but there was so much damage that the police can't confirm murder. Jayne is kidnapped by this guy but manages to escape and stumble into the path of Reed who was out searching for her. Since they are in the midst of a blizzard, Reed takes her home where their attraction grows. The sexual tension is increasing but both characters' issues keep them apart.Jayne is determined to leave town to get back to the relative safety of her big city life and the care of her brothers. She is also afraid that her stalker might hurt Reed or his son. Reed doesn't want her to go but can't open up enough to ask her to stay. It takes gunfire to force them to acknowledge their attraction.This was a great story. As I was reading it, I was already planning which of my friends to pass this book along to. I know fans of romantic suspense will really enjoy this one.