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In Death #7.5
Silent Night
"Midnight in Death" / J.D. Robb (In Death #7.5)
Lieutenant Eve Dallas's name has a made a Christmas list, but it's not for being naughty or nice. It's for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. Eve must postpone her first Christmas with her new husband, Roarke, and she must stop the killer from exacting his bloody vengeance-or die trying. But with her husband at her side, they still manage to find ways to celebrate....
"Christmas Promises" / Susan Plunkett's
Brings a woman and her ex-fiance together after four long years as they search for a missing child - and make up for broken promises of Christmases past...
"The Unexpected Gift" / Dee Homes
Sabrina McKay and her five-year-old son are coping with the first Christmas since her divorce when her sons finds a "body" in the yard - and unexpectedly they rediscover the true spirit of the holidays...
"A Berry Merry Christmas" / Claire Cross
A mysterious nanny has a special message to deliver to a young orphan and her uncle who long to feel the joy of Christmas in their hearts once again...
Lieutenant Eve Dallas's name has a made a Christmas list, but it's not for being naughty or nice. It's for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. Eve must postpone her first Christmas with her new husband, Roarke, and she must stop the killer from exacting his bloody vengeance-or die trying. But with her husband at her side, they still manage to find ways to celebrate....
"Christmas Promises" / Susan Plunkett's
Brings a woman and her ex-fiance together after four long years as they search for a missing child - and make up for broken promises of Christmases past...
"The Unexpected Gift" / Dee Homes
Sabrina McKay and her five-year-old son are coping with the first Christmas since her divorce when her sons finds a "body" in the yard - and unexpectedly they rediscover the true spirit of the holidays...
"A Berry Merry Christmas" / Claire Cross
A mysterious nanny has a special message to deliver to a young orphan and her uncle who long to feel the joy of Christmas in their hearts once again...
340 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1998
12 people are currently reading
3033 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Robb
177 books35.3k followersJ.D. Robb is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series and the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. The futuristic suspense series stars Eve Dallas, a New York City police lieutenant with a dark past. Initially conceived as a trilogy, readers clamored for more of Eve and the mysterious Roarke. Stolen in Death (St. Martin's Press, February 2026) will be the 62nd entry in the series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
December 20, 2016
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Overall, I don't think the tone of the first two stories matched the tone of the final two. I also didn't care for the first two all that much, as they didn't really fit into what I thought I was getting (romantic suspense) when I began the book. Also, I totally only got this to read Midnight in Death. And this collection, in my opinion, is worth it for that one story.
Here's a few brief thoughts on the four stories:
Story: A Berry Merry Christmas
Author: Claire Cross
Rating: 2.5 stars
Review: Yikes...this was so heavy-handed and syrupy sweet that I was pretty much rolling my eyes through the whole thing, but I'll be damned if the end didn't end up tugging at my heart strings after all. I actually got a little teary eyed. So, the 1.5 stars that I was planning on rating it ended up getting bumped up a star.
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Story: The Unexpected Gift
Author: Dee Holmes
Rating: 3.0 stars
Review: I ended up liking this one about the same as the first story in the book (as in, not all that much), but in the spirt of the season, it gets an extra half star because I didn't feel like I was in danger of getting a cavity while reading it. Basically, the MC's ex-boyfriend shows up passed out in her front yard. This somehow makes her realize she still loves him. He takes awhile longer to come to the same realization. Asshole ex-husband shows up briefly to try to win her back, and there's a cute kid. This was a super short story, and I didn't feel like I had a handle on any of the characters, so it was really hard to connect to them.
-----
Story: Christmas Promises
Author: Susan Plunkett
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: This story is more in line with what I thought I was going to be reading when I started this collection. It fits firmly in the 'romantic suspense' category. It's also quite a bit darker than the first two, and despite the limited pages, the author created two lead characters who I cared about wanted to see end up together.
It could also be triggering for some, and I'll put the reasons why under a spoiler cut...
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Story: Midnight in Death
Author: J.D. Robb
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: This was the one I'd been waiting to read since I began the book. And it did not disappoint. This story was so head and shoulders above the other three, it's not even funny. And despite it being a novella, it felt like a full length story.
Overall, I don't think the tone of the first two stories matched the tone of the final two. I also didn't care for the first two all that much, as they didn't really fit into what I thought I was getting (romantic suspense) when I began the book. Also, I totally only got this to read Midnight in Death. And this collection, in my opinion, is worth it for that one story.
Here's a few brief thoughts on the four stories:
Story: A Berry Merry Christmas
Author: Claire Cross
Rating: 2.5 stars
Review: Yikes...this was so heavy-handed and syrupy sweet that I was pretty much rolling my eyes through the whole thing, but I'll be damned if the end didn't end up tugging at my heart strings after all. I actually got a little teary eyed. So, the 1.5 stars that I was planning on rating it ended up getting bumped up a star.
-----
Story: The Unexpected Gift
Author: Dee Holmes
Rating: 3.0 stars
Review: I ended up liking this one about the same as the first story in the book (as in, not all that much), but in the spirt of the season, it gets an extra half star because I didn't feel like I was in danger of getting a cavity while reading it. Basically, the MC's ex-boyfriend shows up passed out in her front yard. This somehow makes her realize she still loves him. He takes awhile longer to come to the same realization. Asshole ex-husband shows up briefly to try to win her back, and there's a cute kid. This was a super short story, and I didn't feel like I had a handle on any of the characters, so it was really hard to connect to them.
-----
Story: Christmas Promises
Author: Susan Plunkett
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: This story is more in line with what I thought I was going to be reading when I started this collection. It fits firmly in the 'romantic suspense' category. It's also quite a bit darker than the first two, and despite the limited pages, the author created two lead characters who I cared about wanted to see end up together.
It could also be triggering for some, and I'll put the reasons why under a spoiler cut...
-----
Story: Midnight in Death
Author: J.D. Robb
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: This was the one I'd been waiting to read since I began the book. And it did not disappoint. This story was so head and shoulders above the other three, it's not even funny. And despite it being a novella, it felt like a full length story.
November 26, 2012
This book is a collection four short Christmas themed stories. Sometimes anthologies or omnibuses work well, especially holiday related novellas. But, sometimes the stories compiled just don't compliment each other well. That's the case with this book.
The first story was written by Claire Cross, aka Claire Delacroix. This one set a poor tone for the book and shouldn't have been the lead in. In my opinion, the story was a rip off of the movie "Elf ". Way to silly for my taste . I think it would work well for teens or YA.
The second story was written by Dee Holmes. While definitely more mature, the story was weak and rushed.
The third story was written by Susan Plunkett. This was a pretty good one. It may be a bit too dark for some.
The last story was an Eve Dallas story written by J D Robb. Of course, this was the best story and the books saving grace.
I gave the book three stars because I liked the last two stories . I didn't feel like the other two stories fit in with the last two and were mediocre at best. Overall a C.
The first story was written by Claire Cross, aka Claire Delacroix. This one set a poor tone for the book and shouldn't have been the lead in. In my opinion, the story was a rip off of the movie "Elf ". Way to silly for my taste . I think it would work well for teens or YA.
The second story was written by Dee Holmes. While definitely more mature, the story was weak and rushed.
The third story was written by Susan Plunkett. This was a pretty good one. It may be a bit too dark for some.
The last story was an Eve Dallas story written by J D Robb. Of course, this was the best story and the books saving grace.
I gave the book three stars because I liked the last two stories . I didn't feel like the other two stories fit in with the last two and were mediocre at best. Overall a C.
November 2, 2025
This book Is a collection of stories from various authors. Some of the stories are bearable and some are just terrible.
1) A Berry Merry Christmas: Badly written, stupid details. One character offers sex for a $50,000 "loan". REALLY?? No sex is worth $50,000. The dishwasher overflows in the ground floor kitchen but drips water in an upstairs bedroom. The little girl hasn't smiled in two years for shown any happy emotions but "her eyes sparkle", she dances around the room and she is "delighted".
2) The Unexpected Gift: just blah.
3) Christmas Promises: Didn't make an impression.
4) Midnight in Death: Typical In Death.
1) A Berry Merry Christmas: Badly written, stupid details. One character offers sex for a $50,000 "loan". REALLY?? No sex is worth $50,000. The dishwasher overflows in the ground floor kitchen but drips water in an upstairs bedroom. The little girl hasn't smiled in two years for shown any happy emotions but "her eyes sparkle", she dances around the room and she is "delighted".
2) The Unexpected Gift: just blah.
3) Christmas Promises: Didn't make an impression.
4) Midnight in Death: Typical In Death.
September 11, 2023
Here is my take on the final two novellas in the Silent Night book beginning with The Unexpected Gift, the second novella, followed by Christmas Promises, the third novella.
The Unexpected Gift
Stars: 2.5 / 5
Recommendation: Plot, although well written, felt a lot weaker led by the key characters' libido and felt really rushed at the end. I am amazed author Holmes managed to squeeze in a sex scene in a mere 66 pages of the story. What I missed was the unexpected gift of rediscovering the Christmas spirit. Where was it?
The Unexpected Gift is the second novella in the book Silent Night that has four novellas by established authors such as J.D. Robb; Susan Plunkett; Claire Cross; and ofcourse Dee Holmes who wrote this novella, published in November 1998
A couple days before Christmas, Sabrina McKay, finds her old boyfriend, Zach Danforth, drunk and unconscious in her yard. Memories and past passionate encounters surface for both of them. However, they have changed. But are their feelings remnants of the past or new ones surfacing now?
I have mixed feelings on this. It left me confusing a bit at the characterization of Sabrina McKay. She is a well rounded mother trying to make a better life for her and her son Josh. However, she falls back into the old feelings for her boyfriend. Just felt like the whole story was driven by Sabrina's libido. May be I am reading too much into the plot.
Neither the first novella, A Berry Merry Christmas, nor this one fit with the entire theme of romance mystery that normally J. D. Robb's books go. Although this book gives all the elements of love, romance, a cute kid and an asshole of an ex-husband who times it to get his family back for his career benefit; and mix in an old flame, this is a standard Hallmark movie plot.
I don’t understand Sabrina at all. She doesn’t put with her neglectful ex-husband. But she puts up with Zach who is very rude with her. Of course he is charming and trying to get into her pants, but he is rude too. So why does she want to give him redemption? Clearly confused me.
Plot, although well written, felt a lot weaker led by the key characters' libido and felt really rushed at the end. I am amazed author Holmes managed to squeeze in a sex scene in a mere 66 pages of the story. What I missed was the unexpected gift of rediscovering the Christmas spirit. Where was it?
Christmas Promises
Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: This book had all the elements - romance, mystery, love, redemption and above all a certain edge that normally comes with any of the Robb's or Nora Roberts' novels. I think that is why this novella piqued my interest.
Christmas Promises is the third novella in the book Silent Night that has four novellas by established authors such as J.D. Robb; Dee Holmes; Claire Cross; and ofcourse Susan Plunkett who wrote this novella, published in November 1998
Marne York and her ex-fiancee Jake Rimsa come face to face after four years of heartbreak. However, now they are working together to find a missing child. Past feelings surface, but Marne has a secret that might break them apart again. Will their love withstand the shock and they keep their Christmas promises?
The first two novellas didn’t fit with the entire theme of romance mystery that normally J. D. Robb's books go. However, this third one sits perfectly along-side J.D. Robb's Midnight in Death.
This book had all the elements - romance, mystery, love, redemption and above all a certain edge that normally comes with any of the Robb's or Nora Roberts' novels. I think that is why this novella piqued my interest.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Book Trivia and Plot Reveals:
a. From The Unexpected Gift:
i. Sabrina McKay: A divorce with a kid, Josh; Ex-husband Robert Townsend; Mother Caroline McKay and father Warren McKay.
b. From Christmas Promises:
i. Jake Rimsa is an ex-SEAL and an FBI agent. He has a sister named Alice; mother Caroline and step-father Harrison Hudson and other family.
ii. Marne York works for Grayson Foundation an organization that helps battered and abused women.
2. Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. From Christmas Promises: On Pg. 239, Line 20, it should be "ruined" not "ruint".
The Unexpected Gift
Stars: 2.5 / 5
Recommendation: Plot, although well written, felt a lot weaker led by the key characters' libido and felt really rushed at the end. I am amazed author Holmes managed to squeeze in a sex scene in a mere 66 pages of the story. What I missed was the unexpected gift of rediscovering the Christmas spirit. Where was it?
The Unexpected Gift is the second novella in the book Silent Night that has four novellas by established authors such as J.D. Robb; Susan Plunkett; Claire Cross; and ofcourse Dee Holmes who wrote this novella, published in November 1998
A couple days before Christmas, Sabrina McKay, finds her old boyfriend, Zach Danforth, drunk and unconscious in her yard. Memories and past passionate encounters surface for both of them. However, they have changed. But are their feelings remnants of the past or new ones surfacing now?
I have mixed feelings on this. It left me confusing a bit at the characterization of Sabrina McKay. She is a well rounded mother trying to make a better life for her and her son Josh. However, she falls back into the old feelings for her boyfriend. Just felt like the whole story was driven by Sabrina's libido. May be I am reading too much into the plot.
Neither the first novella, A Berry Merry Christmas, nor this one fit with the entire theme of romance mystery that normally J. D. Robb's books go. Although this book gives all the elements of love, romance, a cute kid and an asshole of an ex-husband who times it to get his family back for his career benefit; and mix in an old flame, this is a standard Hallmark movie plot.
I don’t understand Sabrina at all. She doesn’t put with her neglectful ex-husband. But she puts up with Zach who is very rude with her. Of course he is charming and trying to get into her pants, but he is rude too. So why does she want to give him redemption? Clearly confused me.
Plot, although well written, felt a lot weaker led by the key characters' libido and felt really rushed at the end. I am amazed author Holmes managed to squeeze in a sex scene in a mere 66 pages of the story. What I missed was the unexpected gift of rediscovering the Christmas spirit. Where was it?
Christmas Promises
Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: This book had all the elements - romance, mystery, love, redemption and above all a certain edge that normally comes with any of the Robb's or Nora Roberts' novels. I think that is why this novella piqued my interest.
Christmas Promises is the third novella in the book Silent Night that has four novellas by established authors such as J.D. Robb; Dee Holmes; Claire Cross; and ofcourse Susan Plunkett who wrote this novella, published in November 1998
Marne York and her ex-fiancee Jake Rimsa come face to face after four years of heartbreak. However, now they are working together to find a missing child. Past feelings surface, but Marne has a secret that might break them apart again. Will their love withstand the shock and they keep their Christmas promises?
The first two novellas didn’t fit with the entire theme of romance mystery that normally J. D. Robb's books go. However, this third one sits perfectly along-side J.D. Robb's Midnight in Death.
This book had all the elements - romance, mystery, love, redemption and above all a certain edge that normally comes with any of the Robb's or Nora Roberts' novels. I think that is why this novella piqued my interest.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Book Trivia and Plot Reveals:
a. From The Unexpected Gift:
i. Sabrina McKay: A divorce with a kid, Josh; Ex-husband Robert Townsend; Mother Caroline McKay and father Warren McKay.
b. From Christmas Promises:
i. Jake Rimsa is an ex-SEAL and an FBI agent. He has a sister named Alice; mother Caroline and step-father Harrison Hudson and other family.
ii. Marne York works for Grayson Foundation an organization that helps battered and abused women.
2. Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. From Christmas Promises: On Pg. 239, Line 20, it should be "ruined" not "ruint".
October 21, 2012
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Silent Night is marketed as a Christmas anthology, boasting the highlight as J.D. Robb’s In Death novella, Midnight in Death. I’m not a big fan of short stories, but decided to go ahead and give it a read so that I could keep my In Death series going in order.
I found it kind of annoying when I look at the cover and read the blurb on the back that each story is listed in the opposite order than it actually appears in the book. So I’ll break down each story…in the order it appears in the book.
A Berry Merry Christmas
By Claire Cross
Author’s Website: http://www.clairecross.com/
This is a cute little story to get you in the mood for the holidays and in the Christmas spirit, if of course you were reading it around Christmas.
Bachelor Drew Sinclair’s life completely changes one Christmas when his brother’s house catches on fire and burns to the ground. The only survivor of the fire is Drew’s niece, Natalie, and Drew takes over as her caretaker.
Two years after the fire Drew and Natalie are still grieving and refuse to celebrate Christmas, although Natalie wants to. She writes Santa asking for a new mommy for Christmas.
Holly Berry is one of Santa’s elves that can’t seem to do anything right. Santa decides to send her to Toronto to help prepare Drew to be able to accept a wife to make Natalie’s wish come true. Santa tells Holly that Katherine O’Neil wants to marry Drew and he is sending Holly to be Natalie’s new nanny and to pave the way for Katherine.
Holly quickly takes to Drew and Natalie and them to her. She discovers that she doesn’t like Katherine (she has a Cruella DeVille quality to her) and either does Drew and Natalie, but Holly still tries to do what she must to get Katherine and Drew together. But Drew only has eyes for Holly and she feels the same, which leads her to ask for her own Christmas wish; to be mortal so she can stay with Natalie and Drew.
Overall this story was cute and reminiscent of all the made for TV movies you see playing around Christmas. A family that had Christmas ruined for them for what they thought was forever and then out of nowhere a magical elf returns the spirit of the holidays to them.
There were a few little things that drove me crazy in this one. The punctuation drove me nuts as I felt the author overused the exclamation point. And the names….when I read the elf’s name was Holly Berry, I actually rolled my eyes and groaned inwardly because it was so corny and then I started thinking about Halle Berry. My other name issue I had was that Santa’s first name was Noel. Where the heck did that come from? I’ve seen Nick for Old St. Nick, and I’ve seen Chris for Chris Kringle, but never Noel and I really didn’t like it…maybe they were going for Father Noel?? But these little quirks of mine were not enough to make me dislike the story as it probably was the best in the book.
The Unexpected Gift
By Dee Holmes
Author’s Website: http://berkleyjoveauthors.com/author50
Recently divorced Sabrina is trying to make a special Christmas for her son, when he finds a man passed out in their yard. The man turns out to be one of Sabrina’s ex-boyfriends and she decides she wants to rekindle what they once had.
This is the shortest story in the book and was pretty mundane and Sabrina just looked like a desperate divorcé trying to get laid. When she finally succeeds the tale is pretty much over. This story has been written countless times and there was nothing special about this rendition of it. And really if one of my exes was passed out in my yard after a drinking binge, it would not make me want to sleep with him…just saying.
The synopsis says that the characters in this book unexpectedly “rediscover the true spirit of the holidays,” but I really just didn’t see it.
Christmas Promises
By Susan Plunkett
Marne has agreed to go to a family Christmas after not going for several years. She’s expecting her ex-fiancé’s sister to come pick her up and is surprised when her ex, Jake, shows up instead. He never understood why she dumped him and never quit loving her. He vows to win her back.
But she gets an urgent phone call before they have a chance to leave. A girl she has been helping get out of an abusive marriage, Angela, has been beaten by her ex, Julian. She had put her daughter out the window during the attack and now needs Marne to find her before the abusive ex does. Also, Julian has promised to kill Marne before Christmas.
Jake goes with Marne back to the rough streets he grew up on and they find Clarissa and return her to her mother.
When they try to leave again Marne gets a tip that Julian has been spotted and is looking for her. She decides they need to set up a sting with the police to stop him. Julian is smarter than the cops and gets to Marnie, but Jake saves her just in time.
There was something about the writing that I just didn’t care for and I had a hard time getting interested in it or connecting with the characters at all, not to mention the story was pretty predictable. Also, I found Jake being both a former Navy Seal and an FBI officer a little over the top and unrealistic.
And on to the finale…
Midnight in Death
In Death, Book #7.5
By J.D. Robb
Author’s Website: http://www.jdrobb.com/
Eve has just solved the case from the last book, Holiday in Death, and is trying to make the best of her first Christmas with her husband, Roarke, but is called in on Christmas morning to a body that was dumped in the center of the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. She recognizes the work as David Palmer’s, a man she locked up several years ago and the deceased just happens to be the judge that had tried him. A quick search proves her theory as David Palmer had escaped the mental facility he was being kept at off-planet. Palmer left a list with his victim of all his intended targets and Eve was on that list.
This story was a typical In Death book only made shorter, taking out the sex scenes and some of the conversations between Eve and her loved ones and coworkers that are in most of the books of the series.
The story was OK, but I really miss the loving and touching moments between her and Roarke that I’ve grown to love and expect. The climatic confrontation at the end wasn’t nearly as exciting as usual and I can’t wait to go back to reading the full-feature novels that won’t skimp on the details.
Overall Thoughts:
This book was kind of dull to me as a whole and the storylines were pretty shallow and none of them really go into great detail. A Berry Merry Christmas and Midnight in Death were the only two stories that really fit into Open Book Society’s genre as the other two had nothing paranormal, magical or strange going on. And the only one that really felt like a Christmas story to me was A Berry Merry Christmas. The others didn’t really seem to fit into a Christmas anthology at all; they were just normal stories that just happened to take place around Dec 25th.
If you’re looking for a great anthology to get you in the spirit for the upcoming holiday season, I’d keep looking…
http://openbooksociety.com/article/si...
Silent Night is marketed as a Christmas anthology, boasting the highlight as J.D. Robb’s In Death novella, Midnight in Death. I’m not a big fan of short stories, but decided to go ahead and give it a read so that I could keep my In Death series going in order.
I found it kind of annoying when I look at the cover and read the blurb on the back that each story is listed in the opposite order than it actually appears in the book. So I’ll break down each story…in the order it appears in the book.
A Berry Merry Christmas
By Claire Cross
Author’s Website: http://www.clairecross.com/
This is a cute little story to get you in the mood for the holidays and in the Christmas spirit, if of course you were reading it around Christmas.
Bachelor Drew Sinclair’s life completely changes one Christmas when his brother’s house catches on fire and burns to the ground. The only survivor of the fire is Drew’s niece, Natalie, and Drew takes over as her caretaker.
Two years after the fire Drew and Natalie are still grieving and refuse to celebrate Christmas, although Natalie wants to. She writes Santa asking for a new mommy for Christmas.
Holly Berry is one of Santa’s elves that can’t seem to do anything right. Santa decides to send her to Toronto to help prepare Drew to be able to accept a wife to make Natalie’s wish come true. Santa tells Holly that Katherine O’Neil wants to marry Drew and he is sending Holly to be Natalie’s new nanny and to pave the way for Katherine.
Holly quickly takes to Drew and Natalie and them to her. She discovers that she doesn’t like Katherine (she has a Cruella DeVille quality to her) and either does Drew and Natalie, but Holly still tries to do what she must to get Katherine and Drew together. But Drew only has eyes for Holly and she feels the same, which leads her to ask for her own Christmas wish; to be mortal so she can stay with Natalie and Drew.
Overall this story was cute and reminiscent of all the made for TV movies you see playing around Christmas. A family that had Christmas ruined for them for what they thought was forever and then out of nowhere a magical elf returns the spirit of the holidays to them.
There were a few little things that drove me crazy in this one. The punctuation drove me nuts as I felt the author overused the exclamation point. And the names….when I read the elf’s name was Holly Berry, I actually rolled my eyes and groaned inwardly because it was so corny and then I started thinking about Halle Berry. My other name issue I had was that Santa’s first name was Noel. Where the heck did that come from? I’ve seen Nick for Old St. Nick, and I’ve seen Chris for Chris Kringle, but never Noel and I really didn’t like it…maybe they were going for Father Noel?? But these little quirks of mine were not enough to make me dislike the story as it probably was the best in the book.
The Unexpected Gift
By Dee Holmes
Author’s Website: http://berkleyjoveauthors.com/author50
Recently divorced Sabrina is trying to make a special Christmas for her son, when he finds a man passed out in their yard. The man turns out to be one of Sabrina’s ex-boyfriends and she decides she wants to rekindle what they once had.
This is the shortest story in the book and was pretty mundane and Sabrina just looked like a desperate divorcé trying to get laid. When she finally succeeds the tale is pretty much over. This story has been written countless times and there was nothing special about this rendition of it. And really if one of my exes was passed out in my yard after a drinking binge, it would not make me want to sleep with him…just saying.
The synopsis says that the characters in this book unexpectedly “rediscover the true spirit of the holidays,” but I really just didn’t see it.
Christmas Promises
By Susan Plunkett
Marne has agreed to go to a family Christmas after not going for several years. She’s expecting her ex-fiancé’s sister to come pick her up and is surprised when her ex, Jake, shows up instead. He never understood why she dumped him and never quit loving her. He vows to win her back.
But she gets an urgent phone call before they have a chance to leave. A girl she has been helping get out of an abusive marriage, Angela, has been beaten by her ex, Julian. She had put her daughter out the window during the attack and now needs Marne to find her before the abusive ex does. Also, Julian has promised to kill Marne before Christmas.
Jake goes with Marne back to the rough streets he grew up on and they find Clarissa and return her to her mother.
When they try to leave again Marne gets a tip that Julian has been spotted and is looking for her. She decides they need to set up a sting with the police to stop him. Julian is smarter than the cops and gets to Marnie, but Jake saves her just in time.
There was something about the writing that I just didn’t care for and I had a hard time getting interested in it or connecting with the characters at all, not to mention the story was pretty predictable. Also, I found Jake being both a former Navy Seal and an FBI officer a little over the top and unrealistic.
And on to the finale…
Midnight in Death
In Death, Book #7.5
By J.D. Robb
Author’s Website: http://www.jdrobb.com/
Eve has just solved the case from the last book, Holiday in Death, and is trying to make the best of her first Christmas with her husband, Roarke, but is called in on Christmas morning to a body that was dumped in the center of the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. She recognizes the work as David Palmer’s, a man she locked up several years ago and the deceased just happens to be the judge that had tried him. A quick search proves her theory as David Palmer had escaped the mental facility he was being kept at off-planet. Palmer left a list with his victim of all his intended targets and Eve was on that list.
This story was a typical In Death book only made shorter, taking out the sex scenes and some of the conversations between Eve and her loved ones and coworkers that are in most of the books of the series.
The story was OK, but I really miss the loving and touching moments between her and Roarke that I’ve grown to love and expect. The climatic confrontation at the end wasn’t nearly as exciting as usual and I can’t wait to go back to reading the full-feature novels that won’t skimp on the details.
Overall Thoughts:
This book was kind of dull to me as a whole and the storylines were pretty shallow and none of them really go into great detail. A Berry Merry Christmas and Midnight in Death were the only two stories that really fit into Open Book Society’s genre as the other two had nothing paranormal, magical or strange going on. And the only one that really felt like a Christmas story to me was A Berry Merry Christmas. The others didn’t really seem to fit into a Christmas anthology at all; they were just normal stories that just happened to take place around Dec 25th.
If you’re looking for a great anthology to get you in the spirit for the upcoming holiday season, I’d keep looking…
http://openbooksociety.com/article/si...
June 4, 2017
4.5 stars
Four great stories by four great authors under the title Silent Night. . the j. d robb book was classic eve dallas involving a serial killer on the loose. The Unexpected gift by dee holmes revolves around two old loves coming together the holidays in a totally unexpected way. Christmas Promises by susan plunkett a man who grew up on the streets and a girl from a privileged background who fell in love but due to circumstances parted ways. Both there lives had done a total 360 when they met again at Christmas. A berry merry christmas by claire cross is a sweet xmas story involving an elf name holly berry who very prescence causes machines to go haywire. Santa Claus (Mr. C) sends her out in the real world to make a little girls christmas wish come true. Each story was really good.
Four great stories by four great authors under the title Silent Night. . the j. d robb book was classic eve dallas involving a serial killer on the loose. The Unexpected gift by dee holmes revolves around two old loves coming together the holidays in a totally unexpected way. Christmas Promises by susan plunkett a man who grew up on the streets and a girl from a privileged background who fell in love but due to circumstances parted ways. Both there lives had done a total 360 when they met again at Christmas. A berry merry christmas by claire cross is a sweet xmas story involving an elf name holly berry who very prescence causes machines to go haywire. Santa Claus (Mr. C) sends her out in the real world to make a little girls christmas wish come true. Each story was really good.
December 11, 2024
If there's one thing that's consistent about me it's that I'm not a fan of short story collections. This one in particular was kind of wild because of the sheer variety of stories. The first two stories were very much romances, while the last two were thrillers with some smut thrown in. It was kind of a weird balance of stories, and I'm not sure why they're all in a single collection. I guess Christmas is kind of an underlying theme but it's very much in the background of the last two stories. Anyway, my Christmas reading continues and all I can hope is that my next read is better.
October 2, 2017
3.5 stars - Romantic Suspense/Thriller/Sci-Fi/Futuristic Novella
Rating/review is for Midnight in Death
Rating/review is for Midnight in Death
December 31, 2018
The first story was super cute. The second was less memorable, but not bad. I really wasn't a fan of the third story. The final story was really good. All in all, it was kind of a strange mixture of mystery/thriller/Christmas/romance...
July 14, 2017
Pretty Good Book. I prefer series books, so the fact that the other 3 stories weren't part of a series makes me sad.
July 28, 2017
A nice quick read
May 9, 2018
If you like super-cheesy, romancy smaltz, this is the book for you!
July 10, 2018
First of any kind of book I read within a day. Excellent piece of work.
December 11, 2018
Only worth getting this book for the JD Rodd short story.
November 28, 2019
another dallas/roarke adventure...
November 30, 2019
I also picked this one up for the JD Robb story. The rest of the stories are ok.
May 7, 2020
Contains "Midnight in death" number 8 of favorite series..New one came out so I'm rereading all. by the way, I DO own all of these.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
December 16, 2020
Will update full review again. My audible reviews didn't cross over for some reason
June 14, 2021
This was a good book. I enjoyed the stories within it.
December 18, 2021
not fond of smut so i stopped listening.
December 21, 2021
An entertaining little set of stories, I was a bit disappointed to realize I'd already read the last story - but that's hardly the books fault is it!
January 10, 2022
So the first 2 stories were whatever. The last 2 are what made it interesting and J.D Robbs story made it a 4 star.
November 27, 2022
Easy entertaining plane reading. Short stories surrounding Christmas.
March 27, 2023
Nothing really united the stories. And 3 of 4 were pretty dark for a "Christmas" book.
May 11, 2014
This holiday themed anthology is packed with good stories by new to me authors and fast growing favorite author. Here are my thoughts on each of the books:
A Berry Merry Christmas by Claire Cross
Drew Sinclair experiences tragedy losing his brother and sister in law to a house fire just prior to Christmas which leaves his niece Natalie an orphan. Two years have passed since that fateful time Drew is in need of new nanny but despairs to ever finding one especially this close to Christmas. Holly Berry is an elf in Santa's workshop whose a complete disaster when it comes to machinery. Mr. and Mrs. C give Holly a very special assignment be Drew Sinclair's new nanny and help him find right woman to marry. Will Holly be up to the task? Will Natalie and Drew rediscover the magic of Christmas?
The Unexpected Gift by Dee Holmes
Sabrina McKay vividly remembers Zach Danforth especially now since she's divorced single mother. She realizes her mistake in letting Zach go to marry Robert Townsend. When Sabrina's son Josh says there is dead man in their yard just prior to Christmas. Sabrina is stunned to learn that it's none other than Zach. Zach is a man down on his luck never expecting to find himself in Sabrina McKay's livingroom. Seeing Sabrina and Josh makes Zach realize he's lost hope and faith in himself. Will Sabrina rekindle Zach's passion? Will Zach find the true meaning of Christmas?
Christmas Promises by Suaan Plunkett
Marne York is stunned to find Jake Rimsa on her doorstep. Jake is shocked to learn and see how much Marne has changed. Marne is keeping Jake at arms length for everyone's good. Marne's work with battered woman and children becomes even more important when client's daughter goes missing. It's race against time to find the girl and the attacker. Will Jake and Marne find the girl and attacker? Will Jake discover Marne's secret?
Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb
See the book for actual review.
A Berry Merry Christmas by Claire Cross
Drew Sinclair experiences tragedy losing his brother and sister in law to a house fire just prior to Christmas which leaves his niece Natalie an orphan. Two years have passed since that fateful time Drew is in need of new nanny but despairs to ever finding one especially this close to Christmas. Holly Berry is an elf in Santa's workshop whose a complete disaster when it comes to machinery. Mr. and Mrs. C give Holly a very special assignment be Drew Sinclair's new nanny and help him find right woman to marry. Will Holly be up to the task? Will Natalie and Drew rediscover the magic of Christmas?
The Unexpected Gift by Dee Holmes
Sabrina McKay vividly remembers Zach Danforth especially now since she's divorced single mother. She realizes her mistake in letting Zach go to marry Robert Townsend. When Sabrina's son Josh says there is dead man in their yard just prior to Christmas. Sabrina is stunned to learn that it's none other than Zach. Zach is a man down on his luck never expecting to find himself in Sabrina McKay's livingroom. Seeing Sabrina and Josh makes Zach realize he's lost hope and faith in himself. Will Sabrina rekindle Zach's passion? Will Zach find the true meaning of Christmas?
Christmas Promises by Suaan Plunkett
Marne York is stunned to find Jake Rimsa on her doorstep. Jake is shocked to learn and see how much Marne has changed. Marne is keeping Jake at arms length for everyone's good. Marne's work with battered woman and children becomes even more important when client's daughter goes missing. It's race against time to find the girl and the attacker. Will Jake and Marne find the girl and attacker? Will Jake discover Marne's secret?
Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb
See the book for actual review.
October 3, 2015
Midnight in Death - J.D. Robb - 4/5 - I always love a good In Death story - especially the ones where the tensions run high and Roarke is crazy worried for the woman he loves. And that goes for sure in this story, where Eve is targeted by a killer who has gotten loose and is looking for revenge.
A Berry Merry Christmas - Claire Cross - 3/5 - A very cute, clean romance about an elf who is sent to help out an orphaned little girl and her bachelor uncle who is raising her. It is very sweet, but it is a little disconcerting how innocent Holly is, given that she's an elf and has no idea what goes on between men and women...but seeing as they only got to kissing, it wasn't to noticeable. This reminds me of a Lifetime Christmas movie or something.
An Unexpected Gift - Dee Holmes - 3/5 - The rebel ex-boyfriend comes back to town after the heroine's divorce and together they discover they've never really stopped loving one another. Add in a woman's 5 or 6 year old son and some bitter feelings about how things ended last time and you've got a decent story. I liked that Zach was clearly not perfect - he shows up drunk and passed out on her front lawn - but the heroine doesn't care. She can tell he's not dealing with things well and she recognizes the opportunity for what it is, a chance to rekindle a friendship, maybe more.
Christmas Promises - Susan Plunkett - 2/5 - This was not a feel good Christmas story. Jake is back after Marne walked out on him 4 years ago without an explanation. He wants to go back to how things were and understand why she left - she has too many secrets to let that happen. There is a lot of tension between these two, most of it not good and leading to a very awkward and uncomfortable sex scene. All this amongst a search for a missing girl and her abusive father.
A Berry Merry Christmas - Claire Cross - 3/5 - A very cute, clean romance about an elf who is sent to help out an orphaned little girl and her bachelor uncle who is raising her. It is very sweet, but it is a little disconcerting how innocent Holly is, given that she's an elf and has no idea what goes on between men and women...but seeing as they only got to kissing, it wasn't to noticeable. This reminds me of a Lifetime Christmas movie or something.
An Unexpected Gift - Dee Holmes - 3/5 - The rebel ex-boyfriend comes back to town after the heroine's divorce and together they discover they've never really stopped loving one another. Add in a woman's 5 or 6 year old son and some bitter feelings about how things ended last time and you've got a decent story. I liked that Zach was clearly not perfect - he shows up drunk and passed out on her front lawn - but the heroine doesn't care. She can tell he's not dealing with things well and she recognizes the opportunity for what it is, a chance to rekindle a friendship, maybe more.
Christmas Promises - Susan Plunkett - 2/5 - This was not a feel good Christmas story. Jake is back after Marne walked out on him 4 years ago without an explanation. He wants to go back to how things were and understand why she left - she has too many secrets to let that happen. There is a lot of tension between these two, most of it not good and leading to a very awkward and uncomfortable sex scene. All this amongst a search for a missing girl and her abusive father.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2015
It is rather misleading to have Robb's name listed prominently on the cover and have the book listed with her as the author. This is a Christmas anthology of four short stories by four authors. Robb's story is the last of the four. It is an enjoyable book--the first story by Claire Cross something that could appear on Lifetime Channel involving a hapless Christmas elf who falls in love with a mortal. The second involves a divorced mother of a young boy, who in his wanderings discovers a drunken man passed out on their Vermont lawn two days before Christmas. The third reunites a former Navy Seal, now FBI agent with his former fiancé, a girl from an affluent family who is now working with abused women and children in his former wrong side of the tracks neighborhood. And lastly, Dalles and Rourke find their first Christmas Day together disrupted by the discovery of the nude, abused corpse of a judge, thrown onto center ice in Rockefeller Plaza. The body shows all the earmarks of a crazed killer caught by Dalles and imprisoned off-planet for life three years ago. Needless to say the discovery is soon followed by confirmation that the murderer has escaped and returned to NYC to seek revenge upon all involved in his apprehension, most especially Dalles, herself.
Needless to say, while I found the first story cute and the middle ones mildly interesting, it was the futuristic tale of 2058 NYC that was most riveting.
Needless to say, while I found the first story cute and the middle ones mildly interesting, it was the futuristic tale of 2058 NYC that was most riveting.
June 25, 2012
The book cover says "Tis the season for passion & intrigue- in four festive Christmas novellas by four outstanding authors." The first two stories were Christmasy. A Berry Merry Christmas by Claire Cross and The Unexpected Gift by Dee Holmes. I read those in a few hours! The Christmas Promises by Susan Plunkett was more of a story about a woman and her old flame hunting for a missing child of an abused mother. I didnt really care to read about abused women & missing children. After things are taken care of, they go off for a Christmas dinner. Just because they go off to a Christmas dinner, I dont consider it a holiday story! Ugh! Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb was just slightly better! One because I love Robb's "In Death" series, so if you are familiar w/her work, you know this is a continueing story between Det. Eve Dallas and her husband Rourke, set in the future also, the year is 2058! Robb did mention Christmas and presents and the holidays several times, but the story was mostly about hunting down a psycho killer that likes to torture people. Again, not what I was looking for in a holiday story! I should have read the book in 1 day, but the last 2 stories dragged for me and it took me 2 days to get thru it! If you're looking for holiday stories, just read the first two!
December 10, 2010
Read this book because Midnight in Death was part of the omnibus.
Storyline: Eve's name has a made a Christmas list, but it's not for being naughty or nice. It's for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. With her husband Roarke at her side, Eve must stop the man from exacting his bloody vengeance-or die trying.
We begin with Eve Dallas being called to investigate a body in Times Square of a judge found very early Christmas morning. The body was dumped after the judge had been brutally tortured and slowly hung to death. A note is left with the body but is not really needed as Eve recognizes the work of Dave Palmer who she helped capture and put away 3 years ago. Dave Palmer is a psycho and has left a list of those he intends to kill with Eve at the bottom of the list. It also includes the assistant prosecuting attorney, his defense lawyer and the police's own, Dr. Mira, friend of Eve's.
This isn't your typical story, and Eve really was not a nice person in this book. But then again, why should she when people she knows, incuding herself, are at danger from a psycho she put away?
The rest of the stories weren't that good.
Storyline: Eve's name has a made a Christmas list, but it's not for being naughty or nice. It's for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. With her husband Roarke at her side, Eve must stop the man from exacting his bloody vengeance-or die trying.
We begin with Eve Dallas being called to investigate a body in Times Square of a judge found very early Christmas morning. The body was dumped after the judge had been brutally tortured and slowly hung to death. A note is left with the body but is not really needed as Eve recognizes the work of Dave Palmer who she helped capture and put away 3 years ago. Dave Palmer is a psycho and has left a list of those he intends to kill with Eve at the bottom of the list. It also includes the assistant prosecuting attorney, his defense lawyer and the police's own, Dr. Mira, friend of Eve's.
This isn't your typical story, and Eve really was not a nice person in this book. But then again, why should she when people she knows, incuding herself, are at danger from a psycho she put away?
The rest of the stories weren't that good.
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