The Midnight Village

by Holly Martin

A scoop of second chances and a dash of destiny are about to become the recipe for this year's most magical love story.

Star Brightheart bakes cakes that can help a person nail a job interview or mend a broken heart. But when a celebrity food critic nearly bites the dust after eating one of her cakes, she needs to disappear from her flashy public life in London. Fast.

She escapes to the one place where no one will find her; the secretive and exclusive village of Midnight.

But what she finds is a village full of witches, a thirty year old curse, a talking cat and a whole world of magic she never knew existed. Yet she feels like she belongs there, something Star has always struggled to feel anywhere else. And it’s not just because of the gorgeous young Mayor Wolf Oakwood who convinces her to stay, or the delightfully meddling resident witches that give her a welcome. There’s more that draws Star to Midnight. Something that goes beyond chance. It’s a discovery that will flip her world – and her heart – upside down once the truth comes to light.

Holly Martin, multi million bestselling author, whips up a romantic recipe of second chances at first love, soulmates fighting fate, and a delicious grumpy-sunshine pairing just in time for the festive season. Dig into this spellbinding romantic comedy perfect for fans of Erin Sterling, Travis Baldree, Sophie Kinsella and Cecelia Ahern

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Witches, Magic, Chick Lit, Paranormal Romance

416 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2023

About the author

Holly lives in a little white cottage by the sea. She studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of her colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape. She quit her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, she emerged wide eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years and then escaped the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and many hours sat on the M25 gave her a lot of time to plan out her stories and she now writes full time, doing what she loves.

Holly has been writing for 8 years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance. She is the bestselling author of 26 books selling over a million books worldwide. Holly's books have been translated into French, German, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Estonian, Turkish and Russian.

Follow her on Twitter @HollyMAuthor

Reviews

[KaMiLu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

🧙 Pueblo de bruj@s.
❤️ Segundas oportunidades.

Historia muy a doc para estos días.

Fue la cosa más linda que he leído en estos días.
La historia te engancha desde el principio, los personajes principales como Wolf y Star son maravillosos, y los secundarios encantadores.

Un pueblo lleno de magia con brujas y brujos de los que se enamorarán.

[Monica Haak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primaaa!

[Anabela Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just so lovely 💗💗💗

[Lisbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fue una lectura divertida y ligera.

[Grace Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit different from Holly’s usual books but I loved the magical element and got caught up in the story. Witches, magic, laughter and romance combined to make this an amazing and magical read. Excellent for Halloween!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped, going in to this, for a book that was more magic and less romance, but this is very clearly a romance novel with witches, and not a paranormal romance.

It's sweet, and harmless, but there's almost no plot, and what there is reads much more like a YA novel with awkwardly inserted sex scenes (pun not intended, but... well, there it is). Most of the characters behave like catty high school students tittering over their first purity test while making up ways to totally prank the mean girl, and there's very little character development for anyone other than our female lead.

That said, it's not the worst thing I've ever read, and there are occasional charming moments. Just not my cup of tea.

[Melanie’s reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly has taken her gift of writing romance and given it a sprinkle of witchy magic. I’ve always loved her books for her characters and her happy ever afters but as this was something very different I went in completely unsure what I would get.

As soon as Star entered the village of Midnight I was spellbound and I’m just grateful my cat can’t talk or flip me the middle finger like Viktor, as I’m pretty sure he would given the chance.

Wolf was the perfect mix of grumpy and sexy with a hidden softness and I was just hoping that magic wouldn’t get in the way of their blossoming love story. Wolf and Star have both suffered losses and have tender hearts but it is the meddling of boo worthy, jealous ridden Jessica that could really spell disaster.

This is bubbling with cauldrons, potions, love spells, animals with unexpected abilities and two main characters that will have you fall under their spell. There is unexpected humour (sex cake anyone?) and a nice amount of spice but Holly’s trademark romance is taken to new heights.

This is perfect for those that want something a little different for spooky season and I am just hoping this is the start of a series as I would love to visit Midnight again.

[Chloé · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favourite author, and my new favourite witchy magical romance.. I absolutely devoured this book at the same time as not wanting it to ever end.. this is one I’ll be keeping on my kindle for the foreseeable future to re-read every time I need a pick me up 🫶🏻

[Morgan Heffron🧸🌻 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf☹️ im not enjoying the writing style at all it’s coming off kinda childish but the story seems cute just not for me

[Sarah Kingsnorth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Martin / The Midnight Village.

When I think of Holly Martin’s books, I think of sweeping romances in beautiful settings.
The Midnight Village ticks all those boxes but also adds in a sprinkling of magic and some witchy vibes.

Star has always been drawn to the village of Midnight, but she has never known why. When she gets an opportunity to move to the village, it comes at the most perfect time.
Star needs to escape from the real world and her move to Midnight provides just that.
Events quickly begin to unfold in the village. Nothing is quite as it seems and Star has a lot to learn and many revelations to come to terms with.

I liked Star immediately, and thoroughly enjoyed her journey.

There are some wonderful characters in this book. My absolute favourite was Viktor the talking cat. Pronounce his name right or he won’t be a happy kitty! This is one cat with a big attitude.

Wolf, the mayor of Midnight is brooding and sultry, but he is a decent man, kind and fair.

#TheMidnightVillage is a slight change in direction for Holly Martin, but she retains everything that makes her writing so special.

Midnight is a village that reminded me of a cross between Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Bewitched. It’s a lot of fun and nothing is quite as it seems.

I really did adore this story. It’s captivating and funny, with an engaging story at it’s heart. All topped off with a gorgeously squishy, heart warming romance.

A perfect read for spooky season. The Midnight Village is all witchy and lovely, but if your a big baby like me - it’s not scary!

A fabulous read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thank you to Holly Martin for a digital arc of this title.

[marleen persoons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Brightheart zocht een plekje om even onzichtbaar te zijn, alsook om tot rust te kunnen komen. Door haar jeugdherinneringen kiest ze bewust voor Midnight Village , waar ze onverwacht ook een huisje krijgt toegewezen. Want niet iedereen is welkom in dit feeërieke plattelands dorpje.
Dat er een verbondenheid is, komt ze geleidelijk aan te weten tijdens haar verblijf en daar heeft de jonge burgemeester Wolf Oakwood iets mee te maken. Maar niet iedereen is blij met haar komst en roots! En gaan haar krachten, haar weer in een moeilijke situatie laten doen belanden?
Thuis in Midlight is een verhaal waar ik normaal niet zo direct naar zou grijpen, fantasy is net iets minder mijn ding. Maar deze benadering die eerder iets sprookjesachtig heeft met de nodige magische krachten heeft me verrast. Ik denk mede omdat de personages bleven wie ze zijn als echte mensen en hun omgeving zich enkel aanpaste door hun toedoen.
Het is een verhaal dat draait rond de ware liefde, lotsbestemmingen, intriges, identiteit en gemeenschapsgevoel.
En dat doorregen met toverkrachten en fantasierijke fragmenten en dieren.
Holly Martin heeft een mooie balans gevonden tussen de twee genres en
laat de feelgood lezer hier iets verfrissend zien.
Leuk vond ik de pikantere stukjes die we vaak net subtiel meekrijgen in feelgood boeken, maar hier het juist liet zien dat het zeker geen kinder sprookjes zijn.
Het is met de typische klassieke schrijfstijl van Holly Martin neergezet en leest daardoor erg fijn en vlot weg. Voorzien van grappige elementen, fantasierijke toetsen en romantische fragmenten.
Dit was voor mij een nieuw leesavontuur in genre en ja , ik ben fan en ga zeker de reeks verder lezen en ontdekken van Midnight Village.

4 sterren

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[Melenareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! For years now Holly has been one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, and I was excited to see she was writing this magical/paranormal romance. I figured I would enjoy the book, but it exceeded all of my expectations.

The world was fleshed out so well. I loved the idea of a magical village and there were a lot of fun touches to how it all operated. It was interesting, too, how and why the village was developed. As much as I loved Star and Wolf, I also loved the other citizens of the village. They had different magic types and were - for the most part - kind and lovely people. It was really nice that Star found a group of good friends in addition to the romance she found with Wolf.

Wolf and Star had so much chemistry and connection, and I liked how their backstory unfolded and how it affected their present relationship. They had so many sweet moments together and I especially loved the scenes when Wolf helps Star with her magic.

I am so excited that Holly is writing another book in the Midnight series, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, what a lovely book, I found it hard to put down. It is so beautifully written and just magical!

It's about a magical village where only witches live, overlooked by a mayor. A young lady comes to live in the village, someone who is a witch but was brought up by humans, so she never knew about her magic. She and the mayor realise they have an attraction, much to the dismay of another witch.

I do wonder if there are going to be more books about Midnight Village? I hope so.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance books. Holly Martin writes fantastic books, she's one of my favourite authors; so if you liked this book, try another of hers.

[Jodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated - 3.5 / 5 ✨

Star moves into a small invite only village in Cornwall, there she meets the very handsome mayor Wolf. This town is not like others, it has a secret.

This was a lovely witchy romantic autumnal read and I enjoyed it, the characters, the location, it was enchanting. The only reason I didn’t give it 4 stars is because I found the story at times to be predictable, but that didn’t take away from the loveliness of the book overall.

I’d recommend it, especially if you’re cosy on the sofa with a cuppa.

I’ve read quite a lot of Holly’s books, this isn’t my favourite, however, it’s still a gorgeous read.

[Maria O'Hanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a gorgeous book. I really loved the concept of the different types of witch specialisms, and I felt really lost in the witchy world of Midnight, a town that safely houses practicing witches. There was a strong theme of invisible ties, childhood love and second chances in this book that made me as a reader hopeful, worried, excited, happy, always on the edge of my seat. There was enough drama to keep me hooked without getting me nervous, and honestly, it was just a super easy read. Big fan!

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3’5✨

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Cute, really short read. Probably best as a holiday book.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

witches and a talking cat -enough said

[Meagan (she/her) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fab story by Holly Martin. I would love for this to become part of a series taking place following different residents of the Village of Midnight. I will definitely be recommending this cute witchy romance to everyone.

[Kelly Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love a Holly Martin, this was a bit different to her usual and I really enjoyed it, hope we get to visit Midnight again soon

[Crys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine trying to flee from your public image after a baking-gone-wrong incident only to find out you yourself are a witch. A wildling. Because you are now an adult and are clueless that (1) witches are real and (2) you are one, you're just not sure what type.

That is the basic premise of this delightful witchy rom-com read.

Readers will be thrust into the world of Midnight Village, a place for witches to live and be, well, witches. I absolutely loved this as a setting. Imagine a Hallmark movie setting, but make it witchy. That is Midnight Village.

Speaking of Hallmark movies, the plot is if Hallmark and Lifetime had a witchy baby. That is the best way to describe it without giving away any spoilers. But there are accidental sex cakes and a love blanket. I got more than one laugh out of this.

And I just adored all of the characters. Well, all except one, "but every party has a pooper" (the world according to Moira Rose).

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy chick lit, especially witchy chick lit.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Nikki Greveling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute, very witchy, and a perfect book to read in winter! Plus there's a talking cat!

3,5 ⭐️ stars.

[Astrid Vermeulen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️ een heerlijk, lief en gezellig modern sprookje! ik heb ervan genoten.

[Zoe Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ maybe closer to a 2.5 but it’s not worth 3

I’ve been wanting to make more use of Kindle Unlimited and this one was rated highly on Good Reads whilst seeming like a good book to read to bring in the end of spooky season.

I did love the concept of this throughout the first few chapters and the descriptions of the village. In particular the shops, were really creative and imaginative, I felt like they would be cool to see in a movie. However after that I started to feel as though the storyline was becoming a little ridiculous. The removal of the betrothal bonds being the whole storyline was crazy to me. It felt like it was creating drama for absolutely no reason and I think we can all guess what the ending was gonna be. It also seemed to me like they built up this massive thing about the curse being put on the village yet we didn’t really get an answer as to whether it expired, if it was lifted, if Stars arrival helped it? We never got any clarity on Stars weather witch abilities? Basically it could’ve gone in so many different ways to tie up the loose ends and it didn’t. Also, who was the red headed lady?! Did I miss that or did we just get left guessing? Her seeing that red headed lady caused a lot of issues in the book for us to then never find out its significance?

I just feel frustrated with this one because I think it had a lot of potential. By the end of it though, when the miscommunication trope was brought in, I was completely rolling my eyes and hoping it would end.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a nice book. Very easy and cozy to read but it is plagued by its inability to introduce conflict or any sort of obstacle between the main pair unless it's contrived.

There are no obstacles to them being together except a rule that the MMC has decided on and no one is holding him to except himself. This is marketed as second chance and it is because they were separated by powers beyond their control as kids and have basically never gotten past that. Ok sure, but they immediately recognise the other and there is no bad blood and they're still clearly both into each other and I'm 30% in. Where can the story go from here??


Update: I powered through to the end and the rest of the book was like this first third but more so. It felt like the author had crafted the perfect cute couple and was floundering for reasons why they might not be able to be together. So I found the middle and third acts very frustrating as the characters were basically fully formed at the end of act 1, loved each other, and just held apart by arbitrary rules that felt especially weak when you know they're just going to get broken by the end anyway. They had no real room to grow and only had to overcome the easiest of obstacles that seemed to pop up.

[Peace Love Plan & Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a teenager Star fell in love with a local witch, but one day she can no longer find him. Following an awful moment in her career she needs to escape and is drawn to the village of Midnight which is next to town she grew up in. There she discovers that the odd things that have happened to her are magic, and she rediscovers the boy she loved all those years ago.

I really loved the world building in this, which was rich and detailed. There were lots of characters and lore, and I could really imagine the world.

The writing didn’t totally work for me, especially around pacing and conflicting frequent changes of thoughts between Wolf and Star. We don’t get a lot of them as teens but need this to be truly invested in their relationship; I think a bit more of them as teens would have really helped set the scene.

It’s a fun read if you’re looking for a light touch witchy romance. It’s much more Christmassy than Halloweeny despite the cover and premise, so may be worth saving for Christmas time!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoping there will be more in this series 👌🏼

[Elly Tarnas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to love this book, but the writing was just awful. Everything was over explained so excessively. It just didn't flow.

[Yanniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

💌 Ontvangen: Een recensie-exemplaar van Zomer en Keuning van Thuis In Midnight.

Waar gaat het over?
Star Brightheart leidt een rustig en gelukkig leven in Londen, waar ze met liefde haar webshop runt vol prachtige cupcakes. Maar wanneer één van haar baksels onverwachts ingrijpende gevolgen heeft, voelt ze zich gedwongen om haar vertrouwde leven achter zich te laten.
Dan stuit ze op een advertentie voor een huisje in het afgelegen dorpje Midnight, en tot haar verrassing wordt ze uitgekozen om er te komen wonen. Zodra ze aankomt, ontdekt ze dat Midnight allesbehalve een normaal dorp is; heksen vullen de straten, magie hangt in de lucht, en een eeuwenoude vloek hangt als een sluier over het gehele dorp.
En toch, midden in al die betoverende chaos, voelt Star een warm, haast magisch gevoel van thuiskomen.
En dan is er nog Wolf Oakwood, de knappe, attente burgemeester, die een grotere rol in haar leven lijkt te spelen dan Star ooit had verwacht.
Maar voor ze écht een plek kan krijgen in Midnight, moet ze de dorpelingen overtuigen dat ze het waard is om hun geheimen én hun magie te delen…
…en dat blijkt nog een flinke uitdaging.

De sfeer in Midnight
Het dorp Midnight is knus, afgezonderd van de buitenwereld en voelt bijna sprookjesachtig. Iedereen die er woont heeft diens eigen type magie, en daardoor voelt het meteen als een hechte community. De beschrijvingen van het dorp, de verschillende rituelen en de heksentradities geven het verhaal precies die warme, cosy vibe die zo goed past bij deze HEA-Romance met een vleugje magie.

"Midnight is zo’n plek waar je stiekem zelf wel even zou willen rondlopen!"

Voor wie is dit boek?
Perfect voor lezers die houden van:
• Cosy HEA-Romances
• Lichte, toegankelijke verhalen
• Een vleugje hekserij
• Voorbestemde liefde
• Een knusse setting

Minder geschikt voor lezers die zoeken naar:
• Diepgaande worldbuilding
• Flinke character development
• Complexe magie
• Sterke plotontwikkeling

Conclusie
Thuis in Midnight is een heerlijk, licht en magisch verhaal dat voelt als thuiskomen op een plek die je nooit eerder hebt bezocht.

Verwacht geen diepgaand plot, maar juist een cosy romance met een sprankeltje magie, knusse dorpsvibes en genoeg betovering om even helemaal te ontsnappen aan de realiteit.

Ik zeg altijd: “Gewoon een lekker wegleesboek!”

Het perfecte boek voor iedereen die zin heeft in:
• Een feelgood romance gevuld met heksenmagie
• Een luchtig verhaal dat soepel weg leest
• Een knusse setting vol leuke personages

"Een boek om je hoofd mee leeg te maken en je hart een beetje voller"

Kortom: Lees dit boek wanneer je behoefte hebt aan een cosy HEA-Romance met een vleugje magie!

[Marie-Jose Jansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thuis in Midnight (The Midnight Village) is het 1e deel van Holly Martin's nieuwe Midnight Village serie bij Z&K over het betoverde dorpje Midnight. De vertaling was in handen van Nikki Greveling. Holly Martin's befaamde recept van dromerige, idyllische dorpjes met hartverwarmende, kleurrijke bewoners, romantische feelgood en zoete happy ends krijgt hier een extra ingrediënt: Een vleugje magie. Het vervolg is in het Engels al verschenen als Meet me at Midnight, wat om Iris mcKenzie en Lynx Oakwood draait en hun jacht op een magisch medaillon.

In Thuis in Midnight leren we Star Brightheart kennen. Haar magische taarten brengen geluk, maar een incident dwingt haar om Londen te verlaten en haar toevlucht te nemen tot Midnight, een dorpje waartoe zij zich altijd al aangetrokken voelde. Het dorpje blijkt betoverd en bewoond te worden door heksen, een pratende kat, tuinen die zichzelf bijhouden en nog veel meer. Ze voelt meteen dat ze daar thuishoort. De knappe burgemeester Wolf Oakwood heeft daar natuurlijk niets mee te maken..

Zoals we van Holly Martin gewend zijn, heeft dit verhaal een heerlijke cosy setting. Het betoverde dorpje is ook echt betoverend. De insteek van heksen, toverspreuken en andere magische elementen is leuk, al voelde het wel nog een beetje alsof het voor Martin nog wat onwennig was om zo te schrijven. De sfeer is romantisch en magisch, met name de opbouw naar de winterzonnewende zorgt voor mooie scènes en een extra betoverende en knusse, winterse sfeer. Martin's kenmerkende schrijfstijl zorgt voor een vlot leesbaar verhaal waarin de omgeving beeldend beschreven is en de dynamiek tussen de personages centraal staat, de excentrieke dorpsbewoners die je meteen in je hart sluit met hun typische, vaak grappige dorpse perikelen en natuurlijk de romantische ontwikkeling tussen Star en Wolf. Tweede kansen en lotsbestemming zijn belangrijke thema's, al is het plot zoals verwacht wat voorspelbaar.
Al met al een luchtige, cosy feelgood romance volgens vertrouwd Holly Martin recept waarbij magie een extra ingrediënt is, maar nog geen originele vernieuwing. Als je dat met een korrel zout kunt nemen, is dit boek een heerlijke ontsnapping aan de realiteit.