Emma Holly returns to the upyr world in Kissing Midnight. Edmund Fitz Clare, older brother to Aimery (Catching Midnight), has adopted three children in 1930’s England in an effort to atone for his sins in the past. His daughter’s friend, Estelle, has been the object of his affection since he saved her at the age of fifteen. Now she has grown and their mutual desire can no longer be leashed.
Having enjoyed the other upyr novels, I was looking forward to this story, especially since it was set in a time period usually ignored in romantic literature. Emma Holly does an excellent job of bringing us into pre-WWII London. From the clothes, to the detail in Estelle’s apartment, it was very easy to picture the Fitz Clare’s environment. This is what Emma Holly does best; world building and sex scenes, which there are plenty of. If you have read any of her previous works, this should not come as a surprise. Each scene is very detailed, from start to finish, and not for the prim and proper. This is not a novel you would have casually out on your coffee table. I enjoyed Kissing Midnight, to a point. I feel as if I can’t express a true opinion of it, and I will explain why.
Spoiler Alert- Spoiler Alert- Spoiler Alert- Spoiler Alert- Spoiler Alert- Spoiler Alert!
The story doesn’t end. Not one bit of it. And there is still a third in the series, (Saving Midnight.) There are essentially three storylines in Kissing Midnight: The relationship between Edmund and Estelle. Adopted brother and sister, Ben and Sally are struggling with a mutual attraction. And the eldest Graham was sent on a mission to expose Edmund’s secrets. None of these storylines come to a conclusion, which leads me to one of my biggest literary pet peeves. I do not like to “have to” read a novel. If I choose to read a novel I want it to be because I chose to, not because I have to in order to find out what happens next.
There are two types of series. The ones where every novel is a stand alone story but share common characters or a story arc, and the ones where there is one central character and their story never finishes. In the second one, you have to continue reading book after book to find out what happens next. There are places for both, I just prefer the former. I probably will never read Charlene Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels because I know already that the story doesn’t end, yet. I have heard that it is a wonderful series, and I might enjoy it, but I have a lot going on in my life and trying to keep track of someone else’s trials and tribulations is not what I need to spend my time on. That is why I read in the first place, to get away from some of that.
Which is why I get really annoyed when a continuation happens in a series when I am not expecting it. All of the previous upyr stories had a beginning, middle and end, which was why I was thoroughly disappointed when two-thirds of the book in I realized I was going to “have to” read the next one to find out what happens. The same thing happened with Katie MacAlister ‘Dark Ones”. All of the previous ones ended, but not Zen and the Art of the Vampire. I had to read Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang to find out what happened to Kristoff and Pia. Even then, ZAV had some closure. Not so with Kissing Midnight. And I know the subtitle is The Fitz Clare Chronicles, which suggests a series. But couldn’t some part of the story have been finished? Not one storyline was wrapped up. It wasn’t as if it was extraordinarily long either. I don’t see why it could not have been one big book. I wouldn’t have minded.
So that is why I will reserve judgment until I read Breaking Midnight and Saving Midnight. The funny thing is I try to read all of Emma Holly’s work and I would have probably read Breaking Midnight anyway. It’s the whole “have to” thing.
Nobody likes to be told they have to, especially when it comes to a book.