The Midnight Hour (Madaris Family Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Brenda Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Madaris Family Novels | Publication Date: April 6, 2004

Sexy, dangerous, unforgettable. . .the Madaris family and their unlikely band of friends captured readers' hearts and souls. Now, in The Midnight Hour, bestselling author Brenda Jackson brings us another breathtaking novel featuring the Madaris family and friends.

One, CIA agent Sir Drake Warren gave his heart to a woman---a fellow Marine whose death in an explosion left him aching for justice. Drake vowed he would never love again. But his devotion to his former lover is tested when he meets his mysterious new partner, Agent Victoria Green. With golden-brown eyes and skin like melted chocolate, Victoria leaves Drake yearning for the love he lost---and flirting closely with the white-hot passion he once knew, he's sure he'll get burned. . .

Few people know that Victoria was once a Marine named Sandy Carroll. . .and that she was embroiled in a fervent love affair with Drake until an explosion nearly killed her. Her life-saving surgery gave her a new face and identity---that of CIA operative Victoria Green. Now, Victoria is bound by duty to keep her true identity a secret, especially from Drake.

Paired on a deadly mission, Victoria's senses are awakened by Drake's every move. But just as the passion she's denied for so long threatens to boil over, Drake begins to put together the pieces of the puzzle. And when he does, will Victoria lose him forever?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this taut, over-the-top romantic thriller, Jackson revisits her popular Madaris Family and Friends series (Surrender, etc.). For five years, ex-Marine turned CIA agent Sir Drake Warren has been haunted by recollections of his former fiancee, fellow Marine Sandy Carroll, who was killed in an explosion during a mission in Haiti. The only thing that has kept Drake going is his desire to annihilate Solomon Cross, the psychopathic drug lord who orchestrated Sandy's death. When Drake is paired with beautiful CIA agent Tori Green on an assignment to rescue the President's niece from kidnappers, he finally begins to heal. Although he notices eerie similarities between his new love interest and Sandy, he never suspects that the two women are one and the same. This plot twist is more than a little far-fetched, but Jackson smoothly alternates between several points of view and throws in a number of plot twists. Although readers new to this series may be daunted by the complexity of the family trees detailed in the first few pages, Jackson's knack for creating characters with emotional depth and distinct voices helps readers untangle the relationships in this tension-packed read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

CIA agent Warren Drake is the epitome of a military man in physical stature and personality. After he loses the love of his life, Sandy Carroll, during a military mission in Haiti, he spends the next five years alone, bitter and eager to avenge her death. His senses are awakened when he is ordered to work with a new partner, Victoria Green. Her physical beauty and military skills are enticing, and he falls for the first time since Sandy. Only two people know that Sandy didn't die, and after her extensive surgeries to change her looks and identity, Sandy is now CIA agent Victoria Green. She senses that Drake is attracted to her yet, she's unable to tell him she's Sandy. After an enemy from their past forces them to protect themselves, they team up to put an end to his madness. The suspense and danger of their mission is heightened by their love for and protectiveness of one another. Jackson has written another compelling drama about the Madaris family and their friends. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (April 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312989970
• ISBN-13: 978-0312989972
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhilarating romantic suspense tale, April 6, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Midnight Hour (Madaris Family Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Five years ago US Marine Captain Sandy Carroll died while on a rescue mission in Haiti. Her beloved Drake Warren never recovered as he takes on impossible CIA missions that psychiatrists would say were death wishes. His latest endeavor in Tikrit, Iraq ends with him evacuated seemingly close to gaining his wish as he totters near death in Bethesda. That night an angel pretending to be a doctor visits him encouraging him to live. Miraculously Drake recovers.

After being lectured for her nocturnal visit, CIA Agent Tori Green must stay away from Drake, the man she loves Drake since she barely survived that explosion in Haiti. She knows that Drake and drug lord Solomon Cross blame each other for the deaths of their respective loved ones and she would become a pawn if she surfaced on her cherished one's arms. However, five months later, Tori and Drake are paired off on an assignment, which stuns him because he is attracted to his partner, which means Solomon will return.

IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR is an exhilarating romantic suspense tale that also includes elements from a second chance at love tale. The story line is fast-paced, but belongs to the two males who detest one another, but a "new" female pawn in Tori ups the stakes to such a degree that the audience knows the final confrontation between them will leave one dead. Though the logic of keeping Tori and Drake apart for their safety seems strange, fans will enjoy this terrific tale of intrigue.

Harriet Klausner

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dangerous passion..., May 1, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Midnight Hour (Madaris Family Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

For five years, CIA Agent Drake Warren, or Sir Drake as he is affectionately known, has believed that his fiancée and partner Sandy Carroll was killed in a fiery explosion. Drake is so distraught, he feels that life is not worth living anymore so he takes on the most deadliest assignments the CIA can give him.

When his latest stint lands him in the hospital, balancing precariously between life and death, Drake's desire to live is returned full force after a visit from what he believes is an angel. His angel turns out to be none other than Sandy, but in the new and improved persona of Victoria "Tori" Green. She has wanted to contact Sir Drake over the years to let him know she was still alive and with a new identity, but since the person who tried to kill her is still on the loose, she was unable to do so. When they are once again assigned as partners, the sparks begin to fly and Tori doesn't know how much longer she can keep her real identity a secret. Will Tori keep her secret and miss out another chance with the only man she has ever loved?

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR is the latest, and highly anticipated, installment of Brenda Jackson's famed Madaris & Friends series. Well worth the wait, this read is chock-full of intense action, danger, and powerful passion. Jackson, writer extraordinaire, has yet to fail to deliver a novel that will not only capture the hearts of readers everywhere, but one that will also quickly become part of a prized collection.

Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long awaited read, April 25, 2004

By 

Annette Reader "avid reader of interracial ro... (East coast, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Midnight Hour (Madaris Family Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have been waiting a long time for another Madaris book and especially one about Sir Drake as he has been prominently written about in several of Brenda Jackson's books. As expected it was an excellently written book. It was great how she revisited with many of the characters written in her other books. You really feel as if you know these people and that they are not just characters on paper. Brenda Jackson writes with her soul and her heart and it is evidenced in all her books. I read this book over two days and was disappointed when I was done. I wished the story could have gone on longer but alas I must wait for the next Brenda Jackson book which according to the end of the book will be the Christy Madaris story... I can hardly wait.