Midnight Secrets: The Wildefire Series

ABOUT THE BOOK:
AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, THE HEAT BEGINS

On a hot southern night, with a storm on the horizon, a family is shattered. Three beautiful daughters—Savannah, Samantha, and Sabrina Wilde—go on with their lives, each significantly changed, as they bear the memory of the murder-suicide that killed their parents. For years, they have stayed away from Midnight, Alabama. Until Midnight calls them home.

Savannah is the first one back, when a grueling case in Nashville leads the young prosecutor to seek shelter in the quiet of the once grand Wilde mansion. But when she finds letters casting doubt on her family’s dark, shameful past, she realizes that peace in Midnight is a shallow façade and sinister secrets lurk beneath the show more surface. Zach Tanner, once the town’s bad boy, is now the new police chief and still has a wild hold over her. Zach can feel it, too, but he hurt Savannah once. As teenagers, they broke every rule together. Now it’s his job to keep her safe, even though he isn’t sure who her enemies are—or which ones might be his own.

REVIEW:
Okay, okay, I have to say this was a good read. Was it great? Not exactly, but would I recommend it? Yes.

I liked how it started out. The mystery was within the first few pages and it set a great tone for the rest of the book. When the POV changed from the antagonist to that of a young teen, it had me cringing slightly, but wasn’t too bad. The best part was though, the last three quarters of the book, when the action and plot really kicked off.

Now, why three stars you ask? Well, I will tell you the writing and some of the lines were not up to par for me. Some of it seemed really cheesy at times, and a bit cliché. I found many issues with grammar, and I wasn’t even looking.

I won’t say it was a terrible book, because it wasn’t and I definitely am looking forward to the next in the series. Ms. Grace has me liking a few of her secondary characters and I’m hoping for their HEA in the future.

If you want some action, a lot of background so you can understand just where the characters are coming from, and many second guesses through the story, make sure you pick this piece up. Three out of five stars for a good job. show less

The town of Midnight, Alabama has its share of sultry, sensational secrets. The three Wilde triplets, Savannah, Samantha, and Sabrina, are all too aware of how interconnected lives are in a small town. In "Midnight Secrets", from author Ella Grace, everyone knows everyone else's business--if they don't, then they'll die of curiosity if they don't find out! After the murder-suicide of their own parents, the Wilde sisters were raised by their paternal grandfather, Daniel. When the girls had finished high school, each went their separate ways with a new life and career far away from Midnight. They stayed in close touch with their grandfather, who had given them much love and care. Savannah, the quiet bookish sister, becomes an assistant show more district attorney in Nashville, TN, and when Daniel passes away, she is the one who goes home to resolve Daniel's estate. The timing couldn't be better for Savannah, whose boss suggests she takes a two-month break after she is threatened by a man she helped convict of the charges against him. The only problem is, Savannah knows she will come in contact with Zach Tanner, the love of her young life who made her a promise of forever and then left her broken-hearted. A decade has passed since she and Zach last saw each other, and he has gone from being a decorated war veteran to becoming Midnight's chief of police. Not bad for the town's former bad boy whose mother's many affairs are still fodder for town gossip. Zach has waited a long, long time to tell Savannah the truth of why he left her behind without a word, and Savannah has quite a secret of her own. The love between them has never died, but can they overcome deep hurt and find a new life together? All is not as it once seemed in the death of Savannah's parents, and when new evidence comes to life, someone gets nervous and wants to squelch Savannah's curiosity--permanently. Then there's the threat of the criminal Savannah helped convict--is there a contract out on Savannah's life? Zach will do everything in his power to protect the woman he loves more than his own life--but will it be enough? I really enjoyed "Midnight Secrets", and I stayed up all night to finish the story! The characters were very appealing, especially Zach, and the story line was well-paced and readable. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series which will feature Savannah's two sisters, Samantha and Sabrina. Author Ella Grace is a pseudonym for bestselling author Christy Reece.

Review Copy Gratis Library Thing show less

So, I liked this one! It had childhood sweethearts reunited, it had angsty secrets, a murder mystery and many many more of my secret favourites plot lines (I won’t mention them; but they all fall into spoiler territory). I laughed, I swooned, I swore at it when it tested my numeracy skills with its scary timeline jumping antics....

Within the first few chapters of this book, I was ready to put this whole thing down. There had been scenes from three different times in the characters lives and, although they were sequential, it was rather confusing as to what was going on. I’m glad I persevered; although there were some flashback scenes littered throughout the story, they made more sense within the plot than the beginning chapters did. show more I really loved the scenes that showed a teenaged Savannah falling in love with the slightly older and world-weary Zach. It was such a sweet love set amongst the truly horrible situation that Zach had found himself in through no fault of his own. It had that heart-warming quality that a good rom-com has; of course it all went to hell quite quickly.

I was truly confused as to what went on and when when we got back to present day. I knew that it was all Zach’s fault that loves young dream disintegrated, but that was about it; I had no idea as to when and the details. It was a bit maddening, as I felt I was progressing the tale with only half the pages of the story. I wanted all the facts at hand and it was distracting that I was drip fed them throughout the tale; I have never been a patient reader and it is a complete possibility that this is only my issue! What I did love was the way the main characters had developed into adults who were still the teenagers we met at the start. Zach still had the protective qualities that had made me swoon in the opening chapters, Savannah still had the beliefs that everyone deserved a chance and they still had ridiculous chemistry between them. From the paragraph that they met again I knew I was going to love their story.

Of course, the problem remained that a lot of water had passed under the bridge and the secrets that were between them had festered and become deep, emotional wounds. They were secrets that would keep them apart if they let them or they could accept that they both made these mistakes and move on. I was a little taken aback about how quickly they both forgave each other. These were resentments that had been held close for years; it took sentences for them to be gotten over. I was glad that they did get over them though, so I let it go.....

The chemistry between them led to some unbelievable sex scenes and a developing relationship that had both highs and lows. The angst created a depth that kept me hooked and made me immediately mark the next in the series on my wish-list. This, ladies and gents, is a hero who refuses to let anything come between him and the woman of his dreams again and I loved him!

This book did have some flaws for me but there is also no denying how much I enjoyed it. All of the characters were fantastically well written and the romance took just enough work that its progression was incredibly satisfying to read about. The sex scenes were fabulous, the chemistry combustible and the sub-plot was meaty enough to keep the pages on my kindle flicking. Overall, I’m hooked into this series from just the first book. show less

My rating:4 of 5 stars
Midnight Secrets by Ella Grace is the first in a romantic suspense series set in Alabama. This is a Random house publication with an expected April 2013 release date. Savannah and her two sisters grew up in Midnight, Alabama. They were raised by their grandfather after the death of their parents- an alledged murder/suicide. Savannah was a shy awkward teen attending her first school dance when she was rescued from a frightening situation by Zach, the bad boy from the other side of the tracks.Savannah fell hard and fast for Zach, but things went terribly awry. Now ten years later, Savannah's grandfather has passed away and the three story mansion she grew up in, now stands empty. Savannah takes a "vacation" from her show more job in Nashville as a DA, to come home and go through the house and get it ready to sale. The thing Savannah dreads most is running into Zach. He is now the Sherriff of Midnight and their paths are bound to cross in such a small town. But, when certain information comes to light regarding Savannah's parent's deaths, Savannah and Zach must get to the bottom of the long buried truth about what really happened that night eighteen years ago. Zach came back to Midnight a war hero. He had grown up on the other side of the tracks and had been the town bad boy. All that is behind him now that he is the sherriff here. His worst regret is what happened ten years ago when he last saw Savannah Wilde. Now she is back in town and Zach wants to set the record straight once and for all. In the meantime, he has his hands full with break ins, vandalisms, and attempted murders. Do all these events have anything to do with Savannah's investigation into her parent's deaths? This is a solid romantic suspense novel. Steamy romance, a good murder mystery, and a touch of southern charm. I liked Savannah and her sisters, each having dealt with their own heartaches. I loved Zach most of all. He had nothing going for him at all. He had to be the parent growing up and often went hungry and got into trouble. But, he made good by going into the military, became a hero, and then came home and made something of his life for the good. I think this is a great start to a new series and can't wait to read more about the three Wilde sisters and the secrets of Midnight, Alabama. Overall I think this one deserves an A. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC. show less

Savannah, Samantha and Sabrina are identical triplets. They had an idyllic life growing up in Alabama, until the night their father murdered their mother and then killed himself. Or did he?

Zach Tanner is a classic bad boy type, but really he's misunderstood. He and Savannah fall in love and Zach promises that he will never leave her. Then he disappears without contacting her and leaves her heartbroken. Zach turns out to be a cad after all. Or is he?

Savannah has come back to Alabama to sell the family home, and also to get some answers. What really happened to her parents? And what happened to Zach? He's the sheriff now, a man that people trust, but what happened all those years ago when he left Savannah alone and broken? And is there show more still a spark left between them?

This novel is somewhat unique in the romance genre in that it also has a fully fleshed out, and quite dark, mystery. There's the standard girl meets boy, they fall in love, there's a terrible misunderstanding, they warily come back together and . . .well, read the book to get the rest of the story. That part of the book is pretty classic romance. But the mystery is an interesting addition to the plot, and it was engrossing, even if a bit disturbing. I thought the murder mystery part was a bit too tragic and dark for a romance novel, but it was an interesting part of the story.

I enjoyed this book. The sisters are interesting characters and Zach is not just the standard romance hunk. He's a more complicated character than is usual for these kinds of books. The story was engrossing and well paced and I'd like to read the upcoming books in this series. show less

On a hot southern night, a family is shattered. Three daughters—Savannah, Samantha, and Sabrina Wilde—go on with their lives as they bear the memory of the murder-suicide that killed their parents. For years, they have stayed away from Midnight, Alabama. Now, a prosecutor, Savannah is the first one back when a case in Nashville leads her to seek shelter in the once grand Wilde mansion. While she's home, Savannah decides to start going through the mansion, preparing it for sale. When she finds some old letters left by her father, she begins to realize that her parents' death wasn't what it seemed. As she starts asking questions, she realizes that her life is in danger. Zach Tanner, once the town’s bad boy and her first lover, is show more now the new police chief. Working together to solve the mystery, Zach and Savannah realize that the chemistry they had as teenagers is still there.

This was an entertaining, romantic, suspenseful book. I thorougly enjoyed reading it and I look forward to reading the next books in this series. show less

First off - Ella Grace is a pen name for writer Christy Reece, who is an awesome romantic suspense writer. While the Midnight Tales / Wildefire Series is ALSO romantic suspense, Christy/Ella decided to separate the Wildefire series from her others since they were "different". Basically I have found that ANYTHING written by her, under ANY name, is a sure-fire winner!

"MIDNIGHT SECRETS" is the first book in the "Wildefire" series - a trilogy about triplet sisters whose lives have been shaped by the murder/suicide of their parents when they were ten years old. Be warned - when you first start the book, it's a bit confusing - you skip through several years and each time the perspective is the voice of a different character (start with the show more father, then the grandfather, then Savannah). Just hang in there. The flipping around doesn't last long. This is the story of the rich girl / poor boy... who fall in love. She's headed to college, he's headed to the Army - but as we start the book when Savannah is returning ten years later to close up Wildefire after the Grandfather's death, we discover that Zach broke her heart. She's now an ADA and he's the town's Chief of Police. Midnight Secrets is just about that - SECRETS. The secret of why Zach broke her heart... the secret of if it truly was a murder/suicide... and the final secret that Savannah is keeping from Zach.

This should definitely go to the top of your TBR stack, especially if you're a fan of romantic suspense writers (Maya Banks, Lori Foster, etc...). Some sex scenes but nothing too overtly graphic. THUMBS UP!! show less