The Midnight HouR
by Patti O'Shea

Published by Tor
228 pages
April 2007
Paperback
ISBN: 13-978-0-765-35581-2

“Suzanne Brockman crossed with Lois McMaster Bujold….”

A blurb at the front of this novel claims the above, and it's one of the few things about the book I'd ask readers not to heed. There is a lot to recommend about Ms O'Shea's latest work, The Midnight Hour , but being akin to Bujold isn't one of them. Having read all of Bujold's works, I can safely say that there isn't a whisper of Miles Vorkosigan or the marvelous quaddies or any of the other trademark characters that Bujold so deftly weaves into her science fiction anywhere in this book.

I would characterize The Midnight Hour as more of a marriage between Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde and Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden. Making a marriage of two such strong heroes can't be easy, but O'Shea makes it look that way, as she sets up her main character, Ryne Frasier, as a tough, intense brunette who is a Gineal, a race of magical people living alongside humanity to protect them from things that go bump in the night. Ryne, who is a troubleshooter (Gineal's version of cops), rescues ex-policeman Deke Summers from a spell that's keeping him in a Magnum PI-type cartoon (yes, you read that right, a cartoon) and then seeks to find the reason her nemesis, an old mentor named Anise, put the spell on him in the first place.

A great deal of heat builds between Summers and Ryne, of course, and O'Shea makes us wait until the final third of the book for the two to consummate their relationship. Still, she keeps the desire the two feel for one another realistic, and Summers fantasies about Ryne and his tart dialogues with her all sound just like what guys generally think about women they're hot for…there's no ‘throbbing manliness' or other silly euphemisms used, thank heaven, just normal names for body parts and lusty doings. I think this makes the novel all the sexier for its realism.

I also enjoyed the fast-moving plot that had not an ounce of pudgy prose on it anywhere. The writng itself is zingy and has moments when it sounds like a screenplay, which isn't a bad thing. It means that the author knows how to distill a scene to its essence and keep readers turning the page to see what happens next.

My only real problem with the book was the “info dumps,” meant to fill the reader in about magic, how it works, and Ryne's past relationship with Anise and other Gineal. I understand knowing the past relationships of the main character is important, but is it really necessary that we know specifics about the magic Ryne wields? That we know how the spells are done, or what their limits are? Perhaps it is, but I felt those magical info dumps could have been tapered down a bit, because I don't believe the average paranormal romance reader is that interested in the specifics of magic, they just want to see it in action, and know that it works to fight evil.

However, the book chugs along just fine with the info dumps, (and I realize some people prefer reading details of magical spells and so forth), and we're treated to some fascinating visits with other Gineal, plus some fun magic, such as turning regular clothing into expensive designer wear and teleporting into an apartment building.  We're also in on the final battle with Anise that we know was coming, yet I was sincerely surprised at the way O'Shea managed to further the main relationship, uncover some important details about Summers and save the day, all in one fell swoop.

Once Ryne and Deke actually have sex, there are more than a few juicy sex scenes in the book that should have romance readers getting flushed and salivating, including, thankfully, some oral sex for Summers, something that is as rare as hen's teeth in romance novels in general. O'Shea is a rarity, in that she understands that it's not just the act of copulation that's hot, it's all the sexy references to it that the couple engages in, the little touches, the reveling in the beauty of each other's bodies even when clothed, and the anticipation of tasting, touching, rubbing against the partners most sensitive areas that builds passion.

I also enjoyed Ryne's honesty about her shortcomings and her inability to deal with her past effectively. The fact that she's able to do some serious soul-searching and find her courage and power, while shoring up her sense of self is realistic and something most women can empathize with.

I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy action-oriented paranormal romance, and those who love Butcher's “Dresden Files” TV series. I'd also recommend it to those readers who miss Diana Tregarde and her forays into paranormal investigations. Ryne Frasier is as good a replacement as I think Lackey fans will ever find.

by DeAnn Rossetti
reprinted from BOFFM #4 (forthcoming)