Edge Of Midnight [Mass Market Paperback]

Shannon McKenna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2009

On the very day an arsonist burns down Liv Endicott's bookstore in a small town in the Washington mountains, she finds fate has another shock in store for her. Amid the smoke, rubble, and tears, Sean McLoud appears, calling her name. He's every inch the man he always was - the man she kept on wanting. But wanting is not the same as trusting, and she doesn't dare let him get too close. Yet a ruthless killer is gunning for Liv, and she'll die unless they join forces to unearth a chilling truth - and come together in a blaze of searing passion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wild boy Sean McCloud takes center stage in McKenna's over-the-top fourth entry in her romantic suspense series (Behind Closed Doors, etc.) featuring Sean and his brothers Davy and Connor, who specialize in security, catching villains and keeping their women very happy. Sean is still dealing with the death of his brainy twin, Kevin, one of many victims of the covert Midnight Project directed by the sadistic Dr. Christopher Osterman. When Sean's lost love, Olivia Liv Endicott, returns to Endicott Falls, Wash., to open a bookstore, Sean is both thrilled and terrified. And when the store is torched by Dr. O's pet assassin and Liv is almost killed by the relentless goon (whom she dubs T-Rex), Sean vows he won't lose her again. Sean swings into full-frontal heroics, battling T-Rex and working to reclaim Liv's trust. Full of the author's trademark turbocharged sex scenes, this action-packed novel is sure to be a crowd pleaser. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"* "A passionate, intense story. Intricate storylines give the book depth and power, tying in the edge of your seat ending with flawless ease." Romantic Times starred review * "Full of turbocharged sex scenes, this action-packed novel is sure to be a crowd pleaser." - Publishers Weekly."

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Brava; Reprint edition (June 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758211864
• ISBN-13: 978-0758211866
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shannon McKenna is the NYT bestselling author of over ten action packed, turbocharged romantic thrillers, among which are the stories of the wildly popular McCloud series. She loves tough and heroic alpha males, heroines with the brains and guts to match them, villains who challenge them to their utmost, adventure, scorching sensuality, and most of all, the redemptive power of true love. Since she was small she has loved abandoning herself to the magic of a good book, and her fond childhood fantasy was that writing would be just like that, but with the added benefit of being able to take credit for the story at the end. Alas, the alchemy of writing turned out to be messier than she'd ever dreamed. But what the hell, she loves it anyway, and hopes that readers enjoy the results of her alchemical experiments. She loves to hear from her readers. Contact her at her website, shannonmckenna.com, or join the newsletter by signing up at http://eepurl.com/hb3JY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Edgy erotic thriller, September 13, 2007

By 

LVLMLeah (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Edge of Midnight (The McCloud Brothers, Book 4) (Paperback)

First I have to say that the general way I experienced this book, until towards the end, was like when you see a train wreck, you feel a bit repulsed and ill at ease, yet you cannot look away. Ms. McKenna's style of writing is, in this book anyway, very bawdy, raunchy, and gritty and it felt a little too intense sometimes. However, I did enjoy it and could not look away for the most part.

Right out of the gate though, I couldn't stand Sean. He's so self destructive and full of self pity. And, he is supposed to have loved and dreamed about Oliva for 15 years, and yet their first sexual encounter was so base and crude to me. And Sean was such a jerk, that I felt a bit ill after reading it and decided to not read the book further. However, I'm really stubborn. So after reading a bunch of other books, I came back to this one reasoning that a lot of these alpha males start out somewhere in the stone age and end up in the 21st century due to loving and be loved by their woman. I wanted to see where the author would go with this; if Sean would change. This is my first Shannon McKenna book and based on others' ratings I probably should have started with the first McCloud brother book, but that's how it goes.

I'm glad I did pick this up again, although I still never really totally warmed up to Sean until after the proverbial manure hit the fan towards the end when I started to feel, this guy is OK. The way he and Olivia related made me feel a bit uneasy and not quite relaxed. Until the end, he's all--- you are my goddess and I bow to you and live to lick your boots type of thing--- to Olivia, yet he very insistently and sometimes coldly and forcefully orders her to do things when they are physical, although Olivia is aware of it and even tries to wrestle control herself at times. None the less, even though it's clear that he so totally loves her and would die before hurting her in any way, and Olivia is no put upon, docile doormat, that way of relating has a little too much of a dominance/control factor, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes.

What I loved about this book:

I loved, loved the thriller/suspense plot in this book. It was very well done and was totally believable. Mengele type people do exist. The tension and suspense was kept taut until the exciting build up at the end. It's when that part of the story really kicked in that I got into this book. I actually started skimming over the sex to get to the thriller parts. And I loved the multiple threats to Liv in that her family is just as much her enemy as well. Besides being chased by a killer, what Olivia's mother does to her towards the end had me breaking out in hives and hyperventilating. I was reading my worst nightmare. So of course, I loved the ending.

I totally loved Olivia. How nice to have a heroine who has a real body and is not a tiny, petite waif. And she's very bright and reacts to the events the way most "normal" females would act, not too stupid, yet not all kick butt either. She rolls with the punches and she stands up to Sean all the time even as, helplessly, her body responds to him before her head and heart can catch up.

And then there is Tamara... She is Sidney Bristow, Lara Croft, Lady Heather, and Famka Janssen in Golden Eye, all rolled in one. Wow! I loved this character. All dark, extremely intelligent, edgy, bluntly direct, and she suffers no fools. What type of man could melt her heart? It's interesting to think about. I would read a book with her as the main character in a heart beat. Very intriguing!

I also loved the Miles/Cindy story and would have loved to know more about them.

Now I guess I will have to read the other McCloud books. What-a-bummer. : )

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scorchingly Hot Romantic Suspense!, July 31, 2007

By 

auntee (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Edge of Midnight (The McCloud Brothers, Book 4) (Paperback)

This book tells the story of Sean McCloud, youngest of the four McCloud brothers, whose stories were told previously in "Standing in the Shadows" and "Out of Control".

Sean and his brothers were raised by their paranoid and delusional widowed father in the backwoods of Washington state. Older brothers Davy and Connor and friend Seth Mackey ("Behind Closed Doors") have all settled down with wives and are starting families of their own. But Sean's life seems to be on hold. He has never gotten over the supposed suicide death of his identical twin brother Kevin 15 years ago. Nothing seems to hold his interest for long; not his various jobs or any one woman. His brothers refer to him as a "man slut" due to his prolific and shallow love life. They want him to find the kind of happiness they now enjoy with their own wives and to stop drifting thru life.

But the only woman that meant anything to Sean was his teenaged girlfriend Liv, who he cruelly dumped in order to save her life.

Sean has kept tabs on Liv for all these years, and surprisingly comes in contact with her again. He discovers that she is back in Washington and owns a bookstore that is torched by a crazed stalker who Liv refers to as "T-Rex".

Although she doesn't want to trust him, Sean convinces Liv that she needs protection until the stalker is captured, and she reluctantly lets him help her when her parents seem less than interested in believing or helping her.

Sean and Liv are on the run after the stalker makes an attempt on her life and Sean saves her. This attempt is tied into Kevin's death. Before Kevin died, he gave a note and a sketchbook to Liv to deliver to Sean. The note gives clues about a person that Kevin thought was trying to kill him. Kevin was participating in a neurological research project called the "Midnight Project" led by a diabolical doctor named Chris Osterman. The people conducting the project knew that Liv had the notebook, and want it back and her dead because they think she knows too much.

While on the run, Sean and Liv's love re-ignites with a passion, with numerous steamy encounters. But both Sean and Liv have some insecurities about themselves. Sean can't believe that a person of his background is good enough for a rich refined woman like Liv, while Liv can't believe what a charismatic and experienced man like Sean would want with a less than svelte, boring book store owner like herself.

All the characters from the previous McCloud books are back, including Seth & Raine, Margot & Davy, Erin & Connor, Miles & Cindy (Who have major roles), Tamara, and even Nick Ward has a cameo. Sean reminded me a lot of his brother Connor: witty, sometimes arrogant or overbearing, but also sweet and vulnerable, and Liv knew just how to handle him--they were great together! This book was fantastic, kept me on the edge, and the last 30 pages had some truly gruesome moments. But the ending was worth it, and I had tears in my eyes. Of all the McCloud brothers books, this one may be my new favorite. Highly recommended!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Edge of Midnight, March 8, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edge of Midnight (The McCloud Brothers, Book 4) (Paperback)

A very well written erotic thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Sean and Liv are characters you want to root for. Liv is also a character that is easy to identify with. She is normal, and isn't perfect with the perfect body. The passionate and steamy encounters are very hot!