Ryne is a trouble shooter for the Gineal people and her latest quarry is her former mentor, Anise, who has embraced dark magic and is trying to lure Ryne to her side. She has been planning her latest attempt to capture Anise for a few years and finally has figured out exactly what spell she needs. Unfortunately, this particular one requires Ryne to skate closer to dark magic herself than anything she has ever before attempted.

Deke Summers is a private investigator whom Ryne has just released from a curse placed by Anise… or so she thought. It turns out his freedom is only temporary but Ryne knows he holds the key to defeating Anise once and for all, if only he could remember what it was.

Now time is running out for Ryne to find the answers. She has always sworn she would never get involved with a human, but her defenses are beginning to crumble in light of Deke’s irresistible charm. Soon she realizes that more is at stake then just defeating Anise and resisting the allure of dark magic… Ryne is in danger of losing her heart.

I loved the idea of the magical society found within the covers of this novel. The Gineal are an ancient race of beings similar to humans but different, with much of their culture and language based on ancient Celtic/Scottish ways. They coexist with us but are far more evolved than humans in magical skills. They are sworn to protect their ways at all costs and can never reveal what they are or what they can do. Even in rare cases like Ryne’s sister Maia, (who I sure hope is getting her own story one of these days. I loved her!) those who have given up the Gineal way, the secret of what they do must always be protected. This adds extra complexity to Ryne and Deke’s relationship. His is a unique situation and he does need certain information to help capture Anise, but Ryne still must keep most of what she does and who she is hidden from Deke.

The adventure begins with the very first sentence, when we find out Ryne’s current job at the same time she does. The first chapter is jam-packed with excitement as we are there with Ryne battling her current villain, and continues at an intense pace through the rest of the story. I was on the edge of my seat many many times through all the raging conflicts.

In the Midnight Hour is more of a sensual story than a sexy one, as we are very far into the story before Ryne and Deke give in to their passion. However, don’t let that fool you. The attraction between them is sizzling and as it builds, we know these two soul mates will explode when they finally come together. One warning though, there are a couple flash back scenes (not involving our fearless couple but centering around Anise) with some D/s activity that could potentially make sensitive readers uncomfortable. The real purpose of these scenes is to emphasize how cruel and dark a person Anise and they were pretty important to the story line due to the affect it all had on Ryne.

I loved the concept of the curse placed on Deke. The impact it has on Deke once he is released is key to his behavior through the rest of the novel. While it isn’t exactly a spoiler since the details are revealed very early on, I think it would take away from the enjoyment of the story to know what exactly happened before experiencing it for yourself. So I won’t say anything about it except that I think you’ll love it too!

I own every book Patti O’Shea has written but this is actually the first one I have read and I wonder why she didn’t get moved up on my “must read” list much sooner. In the Midnight Hour was a wonderful book! Full of action, intrigue, magic, and romance, it has everything I could possibly want in a romance novel. I hope we will soon have more stories based in the world Patti O’Shea has created with In the Midnight Hour.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2007. All rights reserved.