In the Midnight Hour (Light Warriors, Book 1)

by Patti O'Shea and Ana Huang

Anise is trouble Ryne is a magical troubleshooter, sworn to protect the innocent from being harmed by magic--and she's been chasing Anise, her former mentor, for six years. Deke is a private... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765355795
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.9" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant!

This author just keeps getting better and better. Not that any of her efforts have been bad, mind you, but IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR goes above and beyond any ordinary romance. It's not your average paranormal, either. The concept is new, intriguing and well fleshed-out. I won't reiterate what more talented reviewers have already said, other than to add that this is a new concept that engages the imagination. It has everything from good -vs- evil, to humor, love, laughter and magic. It's like a good Sherrilyn Kenyon without the men whining about their past. (No disrespect to Ms. Kenyon, either - - she knows I adore her!) But if vampires and spoofs of vampires are getting old for you, give this a try. It's wonderfully imaginative and heartwarming. I can't wait for the next one! And one more thing - - to the reviewer obsessed about male rape: Loosen your bone, Wilma - and get yourself some counseling, you sound as if you could use it! Rock on, Patti O!

A "must" read

In the magical sphere of the Gineal, RYNE FRASER is a troubleshooter. She is sent to corral those who are misusing power. Ryne is also trying to stop her former mentor, Anise, who has turned to the dark power. Trying to keep Anise from wreaking more havoc draws Ryne closer to the dark forces than she's ever been before. To complicate things even more, Ryne is the only person who realizes that a TV cartoon character, "Deke Summers, Private Investigator" is really a human who has been "bespelled" into the cartoon. Ryne performs a spell to free him, only to find out he doesn't know why he was bespelled. Ryne thinks Deke may have some information she needs to put a stop to Anise once and for all, but he can't remember what it might be. Working together to defeat Anise, they become closer, complicating things even further. Ryne has always shied away from relationships with humans, but Deke know just how to get to her. Deke hates not being able to protect Ryne from the magical creatures that attack them, but he can't get enough of her fiery spirit. In the Midnight Hour is a wonderful story. The power of the attraction between Deke and Ryne, the fierce way they fight together, and ultimately the way they discover love will draw you in, keep you "bespelled," and leave you wanting more. The characters are richly drawn, the entire world intriguing, and the ending is definitely satisfying. This is by far my favorite by Ms. O'Shea, and I definitely look forward to her next book.

4.5 stars - A nice little gem you might enjoy...

Just about the time I'm ready to give up reading all fantasy/romance, along comes a book that restores my faith in women authors, independent thought, and "true love" stories. Thank you, Ms. Patti O'Shea. Deke, our hero, is trapped in animation, doomed to the cartoon network by an evil spell of Anise, a Gineal turned to the dark side. (Think powerful witch with a bit more meat to the definition). Ryne, our Heroine, is also a Gineal, (still on the good side,) who used to study under Anise, and it is her job to catch the wicked witch (sorry, Gineal), and strip her of her powers. Quick beginning, Ryne releases Deke from the evil spell, then has to deal with the consequences. Now things start to get a tad complicated. Deke is again human, has very little memory, is brash, sarcastic, sexy and fun as hell. He's an Alpha male given a beta role to play, which does not sit well with him. Ryne is overly serious, dedicated, more powerful than Deke, and while as attracted to him as he is to her, sees no future between them. She does have the Alpha role to play, but has a beta vulnerability that needs some air to breathe. At this point, anything I say can be a bit of a spoiler, so I'll drop plot points, and let you enjoy the subtle and not so subtle nuances for yourself. There is wonderful humor, horror, tension, romance, action, mystery and sacrifice, it was, simply, an adventure and a joy to read. As an added bonus - it's complete! No cliffhanger to agonize over, no dangly bits to drive you nutty. NC-17 for Sexual content (some quite grim, but necessary to the story). Complex and original storyline, well-defined characters, honest romance. STRONGLY recommended.

I loved the idea of the magical society found within the covers of this novel

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques A CK2S Recommended Read! 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 is and they were pretty important to the story line due to the affect

Magical troubleshooters.

Ryne Frasier is a magical troubleshooter. She is sworn to protect the innocent from harmful magic. For the last six years Ryne has been chasing Anise MacAlister, her former mentor. Anise is now completely corrupted from using dark magic. Since Ryne had been sent to Anise, at the age of twelve, for her formal live-in seven years of training, the Gineal Council decided Ryne knew the dark user better than any other and the best to hunt her down. But after six years now Ryne seems no closer to tracking Anise down, much less defeating the dark user in battle and bringing her before the Gineal Council. Ryne has another mystery to solve now too. Ryne has been watching an animated private eye show on television at night. At the end of each episode, Deke Summers, P.I. takes off his glasses and stares into the camera. Ryne is positive she sees a real man's soul trapped within the character. Ryne takes a big risk and uses gray magic to pull the trapped man from the cartoon character. Of course, this means the Gineal Council comes knocking on her door for using forbidden magic. They fear Ryne may be tempted over to dark magic since her mentor had been. But learning the reasons, the council grants Ryne time. Ryne's incantation grants Deke only temporary freedom. Anise's spell returns Deke to his cartoon at the next full moon - only two weeks away. No one knows why Deke is a threat to Anise. But it is clear Anise used a great deal of magic to kill Deke, and failing that, place the man within a cartoon character. Worse, Anise has found a way to bypass the protection around Ryne's home. Not physically, but mentally. Anise has been invading Ryne's mind and dreams recently. And Ryne's mind shield is slowly fading. It will not be long before Ryne is vulnerable. ***** This story starts out with a magical battle in a graveyard. Needless-to-say, it gripped me quickly and held on tight. The tale slows down a bit in the middle, but during that time readers learn more about the Gineal and watch as Ryne and Deke become close. Some secondary and minor characters (of Ryne's magical world) have their own charm and I have hope they will get their own stories told in the future. I found this to be a solid foundation for the author's new series to build upon and look forward to more from Patti O'Shea soon! Terrific new series! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.