Breaking Midnight

Breaking Midnight His enemies captured Edmund when he foolishly ran off the night he received the surge of power Auriculus' death gave him. He finds himself in a dungeon, God knows where, being tortured for secrets that he is unable to reveal, because what the torturers seek isn't something Edmund can tell, much less show. That, however, is no deterrent to his captors who are convinced that Edmund is lying. The Fitz Clare clan doesn't plan on waiting for the safe return of their patriarch. Estelle, the unofficial leader of the family, has decided to go after Edmund as she is having extremely lucid dreams that are slowly revealing clues to Edmund's whereabouts. The men, Graham and Ben, Edmund's grown sons, have no intention of letting Estelle run off on her own to rescue their father, which means, of course, that Sally will be off with them as well. Now with this small family army in tow, they set off to Europe to track down Edmund. However, fate has plans for them that they never counted on - Graham becoming an Upyr to save his father and then there's the addition of the mysterious Pen to their group. Will they reach Edmund in time or will they be too late in spite of all their efforts? Saving Midnight Now that Edmund is home safe and sound, they have retreated to an old family home in order to help Edmund come to terms with the fall out of his rescue and his ever-increasing powers. Not much seems to be going Edmund's way and he is slowly, but surely driving Estelle away - the only one that will ultimately help him come back to himself. In the meantime, attacks of unconscionable brutality have been occurring in America that Graham and Edmund suspect are the acts of Edmund's captors. Edmund is unable to go with such an unstable control over himself, although Graham, Ben and Sally are more than willing to go in his stead to put a stop to the atrocities occurring. But what do they find once they reach America? None other than Pen, in the middle of it all, and involved in a secret organization created to protect humans from horrors such as these. In the end, Graham must decide if he trusts Pen, and himself, enough to have her along on this mission to save humanity from the depravities occurring. In the end, they might have to sacrifice it all to triumph, but will they be willing or able to do so? Breaking Midnight and Saving Midnight brings this epic tale that Emma Holly began in Kissing Midnight in such a spectacular fashion that will not only wrap you in the sensuality of the characters, but also have you on the edge of your seat as the mystery and fast paced action rocket explosively from the first page. Edmund continues to be a fascinating man, full of contradictions and vulnerability. Estelle becomes, almost by default, the leader of the Fitz Clare clan and becomes the driving force behind Edmund's daring and deadly risky rescue. The real surprise within both of these novels is the revelation of Edmund's children - Gra

I really enjoyed this book and it's characters. I enjoy reading Emma Holly's books that are more on the "mild" side. It has just enough sex without crossing the line to erotica. I enjoyed the love stories. The characters really grew on me and made me want to keep reading all night.

Made vulnerable by his love for a human female, powerful vampire Edmund Fitz Clare has been kidnapped by a rival faction of shapechangers. For weeks now, he's been shackled in a dungeon far from his London home, a pawn in a deadly game to control the world. From the terrible hour Edmund disappeared, Estelle has welcomed him in her dreams--tantalizing visions of ecstasy and fear. Each dreamwalk brings her closer to finding him, but also puts her in the psychic sights of their enemy. She'll have to draw on every drop of courage she has: to save her lover, to help his family, to keep her very world from falling into dangerous hands. As I said about the last one, you mostly need to be in a mood to read Emma Holly, but this sequel does a good job of making you want to read it as soon as you get it. It continues with the adventure of Edmund Fitz Clare, who after being kidnapped by some rival vampires, is being earnestly hunted for by his fiance Estelle and the rest of his family. Holly writes with her usual zest, and the result is a book filled with lust and love and a little bit of adventure. Because come on, even with torture, this is a romance novel and so you knew they were going to get him back in the end - I'm just happy that I didn't have to wait for another book for that to happen. Though truthfully I could probably just have combined this second and third book and been happy. Either way, the book is good, I can add it to my collection of Holly's books and know that I have one more to look forward too! Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. It's a fun read, and typical of Holly, filled with sex and historical adventure. Series - 1) Kissing Midnight 2) Breaking Midnight 3) Saving Midnight (August 2009) Reading Amidst the Chaos - [...]

SYNOPSIS: This second installment in the Fitz Clare chronicles begins immediately as the first book, Kissing Midnight (Upyr), leaves off. Edmund Fitz Clare is being held by vampires Frank and Li-Hau and he is completely helpless to free himself because of all the iron bullets still in his body. Those two corrupt individuals have a truly horrendous plan in mind for Edmund. Back at the Fitz Clare home Graham makes a decision with life changing repercussions in order to help find Edmund and bring him home. OPINION: I'm very glad to say that this second segment of the three part Fitz Clare family story is even more interesting and exciting than the first was. And that is really saying something special from my perspective. This story has a great deal of action and activity in it and also reveals why it was so important that Emma Holly set the stage for this series in 1933. All of the characters from the first book return with each one showing great changes in their personalities brought on by the stress of Edmund being kidnapped. Estelle finds even more powers and insights which she learns to use. Graham makes a life changing decision and has Robin, Edmund's natural son, guide him through the process. Ben is given more depth to his character and plays a very important part in the rescue plans. And I get my wish, Sally does indeed grow much more mature because of the circumstances she is faced with. There are two new characters introduced, Penelope (Pen) Anderson, the daughter of the man Graham worked for and another vampire, Durand, who will figure quite prominently in the third installment of this adventure. There are still quite a few sensual scenes written into this story, but the attempt to rescue Edmund takes center stage and so there is a wonderful, complex plot to this novel. The period setting is presented with all the rich trimmings available from this time period and it all made for a very opulent feel to the book. RECOMMENDATION: Once again, I highly recommend this book. Emma Holly actually did a wonderful job of incorporating all of the happenings from the first part of the trilogy so that this book can be read as a standalone. And this book does not contain the cliffhanger atmosphere which was present at the ending of book #1, but I really want to read that last novel to make sure Frank and Li-Hau finally get exactly what they deserve. The idea for the final segment sounds interesting enough to make me look forward to receiving the third and final part of the Fitz Clare chronicles.

In 1933 Upyr Elder Edmund Fitz Clare is shocked with the affront when he regains consciousness. A rival group of shapeshifters apparently abducted him and chained him inside some dungeon. He can only guess that he remains in London and that their plan is to use him as an expendable bargaining chip. Edmund is unaware how far his enemies plan to go as they want nothing less than world domination; to succeed Edmund and his faction must be removed. Mortal Estelle begins having visions of her missing lover in which she sees him in bondage. She is not sure what to do, but the kidnappers are aware of her and plan to take their fight to her and her family; only Edmund can save them, but he is incarcerated. The second Fitz Clare historical urban fantasy (see KISSING MIDNIGHT) is a super tale filled with plenty of intrigue and suspense as the hero is trapped but more worried about his loved ones than himself. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Fitz begins to understand his predicament and never slows down as he knows he must find a way to escape. Fans will feel they have been transported to a unique Depression Era London courtesy of Emma Holly. Harriet Klausner