Midnight, Moonlight and Miracles
Grade : B

I have a sneaking fondness for nurse/patient stories. When I put the new series romances out at the bookstore, this one looked interesting, so I took it home. My book radar was working at peak performance; Midnight, Moonlight & Miracles turned out to be a good one.

Simon Reynolds comes into the hospital after a motorcycle accident. Bruised, scraped, with a shoulder laceration and deep tissue damage to his leg, he is well known at the hospital since he's had many other accidents. Seemingly, he has a death wish.

Megan Brightwell is the nurse in the emergency room when Simon comes in. She is no-nonsense, very capable, tough, and compassionate. She chews Simon out royally for his recklessness, and when he wants to sign himself out, she warns him he will be sorry.

Simon quickly finds he can't cope with his injuries, and he needs nursing and assistance. So he asks for Megan to be his home nurse. At first she does not want to help, but her kind heart won't let her refuse and she takes over Simon's care.

Simon and Megan are linked by a tragedy. Simon's young son and his ex-wife were killed in an accident. Since Simon was away on business, his mother-in-law allowed their organs to be transplanted and Megan's daughter got Simon's son's corneas. He is still bitter and guilty over their deaths and when Megan finds out that his son is her daughter's organ donar, she is afraid of his reaction.

Midnight, Moonlight & Miracles is told with lots of dialogue - wonderful dialogue. It's fast, realistic and never sounds forced. The characters are revealed through their words and I found myself liking them very much.

Simon is a good man who spends most of his time torturing himself. He was a successful businessman whose workaholism cost him his marriage. When his ex-wife and son were killed, it was his turn for custody, but he had not taken his son - instead he had gone on a business trip. Ever since then, Simon's mantra has been If Only I Had Not Gone . . . . As a result, he is subconsciously trying to kill himself.

Megan is a delightful woman who loves her work. When single Megan became pregnant, she assumed she and the baby's father would marry. But when their little girl Bayleigh was born with defective vision, the father left. Megan and Bay are close, and she is a sweet girl who gradually worms her way into Simon's affections. Simon falls hard for Megan - her warmth, her kindness and her refusal to put up with his stubbornness. But what will happen when Simon finds out about Bayleigh?

Yes, this book takes coincidence to a whole new level. Not only does Bayleigh have Simon's son's corneas, but his ex-mother-in-law is a good friend of Megan's. But in series romance land, we have to get the characters together somehow. Although this was a bit much, it didn't bother me; the author made it work.

Fans of tortured heroes are going to love Simon. I've seldom seen someone beat himself up so with guilt. Happily, he does not hate other people, only himself, and his actions after he finds out about Bayleigh's transplant are very understandable. And since this is a series romance, he comes to his senses very quickly and we get a wonderful grovel scene.

Midnight, Moonlight & Miracles is not a masterpiece, but it has what I like in series romances: sympathetic characters, an interesting story, and an ending that made me smile and feel all warm inside. This is the second series romance I've read in 2003 and the second good one. I hope this signals a trend.

Reviewed by Ellen Micheletti
Grade : B
Book Type: Series Romance

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : January 23, 2003

Publication Date: 2003/01

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Ellen Micheletti

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