Where did you get the book: E-arc from Netgalley
Publisher: Carina
Release Date: Out now
Reviewed by: Has
In their race for the truth, love must prove more powerful than America’s worst enemy…
When a gorgeous, bleeding woman on the run falls into the arms of Sean “Metal” O’Brien, the former SEAL medic knows just what he can do. Heal her. Tend to her. Keep her safe.
What he can’t seem to do is keep his guard up. Something about the haunted, hunted beauty knocks down all his defenses.
Felicity Ward is no stranger to secrets. Raised in the Witness Protection Program, her whole childhood was a lie. But she couldn’t have known that her family’s secrets—secrets she didn’t even know she was keeping—could spark a nuclear war.
And nothing could have prepared her for the tough, sexy warrior who first saves her life and then vows to protect it, no matter what.
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*
MIDNIGHT PROMISES has all the hallmarks of a typical Lisa Marie Rice book; big brawny hero who falls hard for the heroine who finds herself in deep trouble with bad guys chasing her. And this book delivers with the crackalicious elements of a sweet romance, sexy tension and a cute heroine who knows her way around a computer.
I loved Felicity who was smart, resourceful and quick on her wits. I also loved the fact that she was also a geek and was a huge fan of shows like Doctor Who and The Arrow. I also thought it was a nice touch that as part of being in the Witness Protection Programme, she named herself under the namesake from The Arrow. Metal, who appeared in the previous book, MIDNIGHT VENGEANCE, is a big guy and feels very clumsy and awkward around Felicity, which is cute and a trope that Lisa Marie Rice does well. However, it’s not all sunshine and roses when Felicity finds herself being targeted by an ex KGB agent who wants the location of hidden nuclear devices her parents had hidden (when defecting from the Soviet Union) and was attacked on her way to visit her friend Lauren at the airport.
While I enjoyed this entry and the romance in the MIDNIGHT series, I did wish there was more depth to the plot, as well as more time on the love story. It was a breezy and a pacey read but a lot of things were glossed over, especially the romance which suffered with instalove syndrome. And it was literally over the course of three days that had both leading characters professing their love and there was not much build-up leading to the romance. I did find that disappointing because there was a lot of promise, especially with Felicity who I felt really shone as a character, because she was quirky and smart. And I would have liked to see more of her interactions and development in the romance. I was also disappointed with the lack of smex factor, even though there were a couple of heated scenes. It was not up to Rice’s previous ones which really helped to carry forward the romance and I think this was a factor on why I was disappointed with elements of the book.
I also found the villain another weak aspect of the book. He was one dimensional but he was effective. I just think the short length of the book let me down. What could have been a great story became a good book but with an underdeveloped romance and an anti-climactic ending.
Overall, I was disappointed with the short length and glossed over romance which had insta-love. But I did enjoy the book and the romance but it could have been much better, and you got to love a good nerdy heroine who knows how to outsmart the bad guys!
I give MIDNIGHT PROMISES a C!
Nice review Has. I have recently become a member of Lisa Marie Rice’s street team (still don’t know what it all entails), so I will have to read some of her books soon … I have only read two short novella’s that I loved.