Midnight Star by Billi Jean

Title: Midnight Star

Author: Billi Jean

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Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Length: 295 pgs.
Reviewed by: yadkny

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 5

Presentation: 5

Editing: 3.5

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 4

Overall Card Rating: 

                                           

About The Book: One mission could bring them together or cost them their lives.

Star has kept her guard up when it comes to letting others in to her life and for good reason. She lives in a lighthouse and that is the way she likes living – alone. She has adopted family that she is close to, but she doesn’t really feel like she belongs and is an outcast to her own kind. The “House” that she grew up in was not quite family oriented and it doesn’t help when your adopted family is part of a species that is sworn to hate everything about you before they actually know you, so in that regard she is an outcast on both sides. Two females and a few friends of similar outcasted circumstance, keep her grounded as much as possible. Since the meeting of one particular Lykae, her world has been turned upside down and she finds herself in constant battle of cravings and thoughts that she wished she didn’t have, but his disgust of her keeps her firmly away from him. Now all of sudden he’s decided to treat her differently, but she can’t fathom why. With ever-mounting distrust and much reluctance for several reasons, she agrees to go with him and a small team on a missing Lykae recovery mission back to the last place she’d rather be.

Ranger knows exactly who Star is and won’t be dissuaded by anyone from claiming her. Trouble is he made the error of waiting to long in wooing his female, so now her regard for him is even lower than it was before. Throw in the problem of a missing Lykae packmate and Ranger decides to combine the two in a ‘knock to birds down with one stone’ approach. Star’s unique ability and familiarity with the location makes her the perfect partner for the mission, but he knows she’s smart and doesn’t have any reason to agree, so he decides to obtain her cooperation with the use of a 10-year old and the promise of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. It’s a brilliant plan, with the exception of everything that could possibly go wrong, so will it be enough to change Star’s mind?

The Review: Any reader will fall in love with Ranger and immediately recognize his alpha-male characteristics especially with them all displayed in full Lykae glory and with a brogue accent no less. His brand of wooing Star isn’t exactly conventional but with Star’s personality, he wouldn’t have gotten far with her otherwise. Ranger is extremely possessive, as are all of the Lykae in this story when it comes to their mates, but it isn’t an unattractive, overbearing possession without choice for Star. He does make it awfully hard for her to resist him, but that’s part of the territory. The banter back and forth between the characters is entertaining and there are a few lengthy scenes with just the two of them, so it allows the reader to really focus in on their personalities.

Ms. Jean’s writing style is fresh and you never know what any of the characters are going to say, think, or do next. I could actually picture it from beginning to end like watching a movie. There are familiar creatures of all sorts to appeal to any readers taste and the world built around them is fantastic. The story gets going right from the beginning with the prologue and the reader will need to pay close attention so not a minute of the action is missed. There were quite a few moments of confusion for me, since all of the characters and situations are new, and not enough background is given to really set everything up. Almost feels like the reader is plunked down right into the middle of a brewing storm of character activity without a history base to hold on to, but I still couldn’t help getting swept away with it and neither will any other reader of this genre. Wonderful twist at the end and it sets it up nicely in case this is to be part of a series, since there are several other characters with stories that need to be told.

I’ll definitely be keeping my reading eye out for any other works by Ms. Jean.

Pagan Elements: N/A

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