Review: After Midnight by Donna Grant

★★★ #AfterMidnight #DonnaGrant #OutNow

Betrayal of the heart is hard to accept. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Sabryn's loss years ago inspired her to create a team of druids designed to protect other druids. Specifically, they named themselves the Knights. As the ring leader, she came to know each and every one of them personally. Some more than others, but there was only one she has not met face to face, Saber. The uber hacker and tech support for the Knights, Saber has always remained in the shadows. Now that Saber is targeted, they need to come clean and reveal their past. This is like a dagger into Saber's heart, all over again.

Turns out, Saber befriended Sabryn years ago and was part of the reason why she started up the Knights. Saber, for their part, has been remorseful and wanting to repair their friendship as well as reignite the passion they felt for each other.

From a romance story line, this second chance romance is set up with all the right elements. The twists and turns in this tale on who is an ally versus a foe keeps the pace moving. It also creates extra tension and suspense. I enjoyed all of these elements from character development to storytelling. If this was a standalone story, I would have rated it higher. This is the 7th in a series spin-off and the over reaching storyarc is muddled or lost in the numerous subplots. I feel like we are not on the main quest and instead, we are taking smaller side quests to smell the roses. This would be fine if we did not have a harbinger of doom breathing down our neck. What is in the void? Who is stopping the Ancients and how? I have so many questions that are not answered. This is a standard protocol from Ms. Grant through all her series. It keeps me hooked in and wanting to know what happens next yet leaves me unsatisfied. The meager kernels of information doled out accompanying more questions tends to drive me into a tizzy. Still, from a romance perspective, this story is cathartic and well written. Recommended to romance readers who enjoy angst and redemption themes.

* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.