After Midnight

Killer Instincts #4.5

by Elle Kennedy

From a talented author on the rise comes a sexy new novella in Elle Kennedy’s action-packed Killer Instincts romantic suspense series.

Abby Sinclair was one of the deadliest assassins in the world before she became a mercenary. She likes her work—the missions, the adrenaline, the danger. But now she has a secret that could change everything. Especially since she and her husband, fellow operative Kane Woodland, have been thrust into an assignment that has put their lives in mortal danger. But as the secrets between Kane and Abby pile up, they begin to drift apart—until only a fatal twist in the mission can bring them back together….

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Novella, Contemporary, Military Fiction, Suspense, Contemporary Romance

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2014

About the author

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Midnight is the only novella to date in Elle Kennedy's romantic suspense series: Killer Instincts. It follows up on the series' first romance from Midnight Rescue: Kane and Abby. They've managed to make their marriage work in the midst of their mercenary work but this next unexpected step in their life has the power to change everything...and neither one of them know the right course to take.

After Midnight presents a very mild (and surprisingly easy) mission for these characters but this book focuses on Kane and Abby as characters and as husband and wife. It was nice to be in their heads again, after all, they were my hook-line-and-sinker into this series. However, I'd have to say that if more novellas were published in this series along the lines of this one, I might skip them. Overall, this romance series has spoiled me with equal amounts (if not more) of action/suspense and I really missed that. If you follow this series, I certainly wouldn't discourage you from checking it out though. At less than 100 pages, it would be a nice entertainment break with characters you already enjoy.

My favorite quote:
"You know how I feel about happily ever after - it's a nice fairytale, at least until the evil ogre shows up and slaughters everyone in the story."

[Maida (Medley of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 After the Happily Ever After Hearts!! :D <3

After Midnight is a cute and endearing look into the lives of Abby Sinclair and Kane Woodland, the couple from the first book, Midnight Rescue. Despite this being a novella, the suspense, danger, humour and sexy moments that we've come to expect from this series are ever present, cementing our love for not only this series, but this couple as well. I enjoyed catching up with Abby and Kane, and despite being a strong married couple, it was nice to see them work together through an unexpected surprise in their crazy lives.

We also get Noelle and Jim in this short, their advices to this couple and their heated banter nothing short of intense and funny. I can't wait for their book next!

[Yesenia Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I am so glad we got to see more of Abby and Kane. For this being a short story it felt well developed and keeps me on my toes. In this short story, we find out Abby is pregnant and is scared because she doesn't feel like she has emotions like a regular mother but Kane is there to support her. Abby and Kane getting parental advice from Noelle and Jim is funny! We need pregnant ladies on the team it's cute, the guys get all protective.

[Dawn ♥ romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've liked this romantic suspense series but this novella not so much. The action wasn't very exciting and the plot wasn't all that interesting. Good thing it was short. Expert assassin Abby keeps a secret from her mercenary husband Kane while they are on a mission together.

[Rellim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute (well, for a series about assassins 🤣) novella that branches books 4 & 5. It isn’t necessary to enjoying the series, but you would have to be familiar with at least book 1 to appreciate it.

[Teresa Mary Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

After Midnight was a fun little novella where we get to spend some time with Abby and Kane again. I loved seeing these two again and I adored seeing them established in their relationship.

Abby and Kane are so wonderful together and even more so now that they have been married for three years. I love their dynamic and I love how much they love one another. I also really liked watching them work together. They are still mercenaries and it’s fun to see them carrying out missions together. I really loved that aspect of the book.

This was a quick novella but it still packed a punch. There was action and sexy times, which is to be expected with this series, but there was also a bit of a sweeter side to the story which I loved. It was just a good read all around.

After Midnight is not a novella to be missed for fans of this series. It was wonderful seeing Abby and Kane again and I ate this story up.

[Lynsey A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I don't give anything away with my shelf. It's pretty obvious from the synopsis what the issue is for Abby and Kane in this book. What else could it be? :)

This one I actually found really enjoyable. Probably because it was so short and I didn't have to deal with Noelle and D. :)

I liked the interaction between Kane and Abby in this one and I loved seeing a "lighter" side of Abby, although for Abby it wasn't that light. She is just opening up more after 3 years of marriage to Kane.

I'm excited to read more about them and their growing family.

[h o l l i s · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little novella was oohey gooey sweet and lovely with Kennedy's usual steamy and action-packed (though somewhat tame for this shorter length installment) flair. I liked Kane and Abby way more in this little book than I did in their full-length series opener. Also, it was emotional and I maybe got a little misty. Shut up.

I finally have the rest of the series lined up and plan to immediately pick up the next in order to finish my truncated binge.

[mer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars - Adult Romantic Suspense

RD: Oct. 7, 2014.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby and Kane return in a short suspenseful read for a followup after Midnight Rescue! The child of the ambassador has been stolen in an Egyptian market and Abby, Kane, and their bosses unite in a rescue attempt. This installment is overflowing with savory satisfying sweetness - more than normal when compared to the other books in this series.

I have already posted a few fav quotes... will post a full review soon!

4 Wine Glasses!

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a sweet little story but still so them for those who miss and want to know Abby & Kane's story. it's not much but enough to satiated some curiosity & missing their story.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Di buku pertama seri ini, Abby dan Kane tidak berhasil menyetrum hatiku. Apakah novelas sekuel ini berhasil melakukan serangan lanjutan? Aku tak yakin.

Tema buku ini simple tentang ketidak siapan Abby menerima berita kehamilannya. Gadis assasin ini konstan menunjukan hal-hal yang membingungkan dari karakternya sejak buku pertama. Kalau dia tak ingin hamil gunakan dobel pengaman. Jangan bak gadis SMU yang panik saat satu-satunya pengaman yang dia gunakan tak efektif.

Respon Kane menyebalkan tapi manusiawi. Walau begitu aku menyukai cara mereka menyelesaikan masalah ini. So far karakter mereka adalah pasangan sama kuat yang biasanya kusuka. Latar belakang pengintaian dalam kasus penculikan hanya terasa seperti tambahan cerita dan tiga scene hore-hore tetap panas membara. Jadi cerita ini cukup menghibur untukku walaupun tidak sedalam buku utamanya.

My rating :
Star : 3/5
Bikini : 2.5/5

[Aileene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
And for the life of me I can't picture this dangerous couple in my head :(

[Ricci · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

Aww love Abby & Kane but just felt this novella was a little rushed and quick! Loved reading about these characters.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated it. I thought poor Kane, then he decided "if" they keep the baby. Are you kidding me?? I hated that Kennedy chose this narrative for the novella. I looked forward to seeing how Kane and Abby's marriage was doing, and expected the pregnancy news. Expected fear on Abby's part, but for her to consider "the other option," wtf!!? I'm not against a woman having choice, and there are so many reasons a woman might choose this, but for crying out loud, a happily married couple with a good support team - in a fictional book. Since when is Noelle the one doling out sane advice on family and relationships!? Women with dangerous jobs do it all the time so that was predictable bullshit. I really hated the narrative chosen here. And of course, a scare causes Abby to realize she wants the baby. This was an awful side story. We would all be better off had it not been written and in the next book the pregnancy just mentioned in some off-hand way as their marriage was mentioned.

If you havent read this one, spare yourself and just continue to the next book. Kennedy did not write anything worth reading here.

[lily bookscation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still craving for Abby and Kane's story. Fortunately, there's a novella about them.

After 3 years of marriage, Abby and Kane still learning to be best for each other. Now, they are a teammate in Morgan's group.

One day, Abby found out that she's carrying Kane's baby. She's freaking out because she thinks she has no ability to be a mother. Meanwhile, she believes that Kane would be a great father.

Both have to compromise how to raise their child while they realise that the won't be change their lifestyle. They are no ordinary people who could live a normal life, work nine to five or be a housewife.

I wish the next books featuring their child.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition to the series... I can totally picture Kane and Abby’s situation. Just do yourself a favor and read the whole series! I love this author, and this series is so amazing.... Awesome tortured characters, excellent sexual tension and angst, hardened warriors and thrilling military suspense...each book has a great plot with just enough romance mixed in to keep you going!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t read the blurb on this book before I dove right in and holy crap. I was not expecting any of that! Well….. Ok I was expecting Morgan and Noelle to keep their feud going and a mission they were on. But everything with Kane and Abby? Nope didn’t expect a work of it. It was a fast little break from the full length Killer Instinct books that reminded me how much I loved Kane and Abby together.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick

It was good to see Kane and Abby again. I enjoyed their journey and liked how it ended. I didn't care for how much talk there was about whether they would keep the baby and how easily Kane had given in to Abby's thoughts. All in all this is a nice addition to the series.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super short and sweet like all good follow up novella.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book to complete the series, but this book wasn't necessary. I didn't really learn anything new. What was the point?

[Mattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. P.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing for a book from Elle Kennedy

[Hope Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute little novella. I loved seeing Kane & Abby again!

[Melody Loomis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this little novella! I read it in like a day. It's only available as an ebook, which at first I thought was a little disappointing. But then it turned out to be a good thing because if I had it on my phone, I could pull it out every few minutes and no one knew I was reading a book, lol. And I could NOT put it down! (It was like 1.99 from the apple store, which wasn't a bad deal.) And on the plus side, I get to keep it because it's not a library book! :D

Abby and Kane are my favorite couple from the series, and it was great to see how they interact as a married couple. The opening interrogation scene was awesome! I love how Kane prefers a bullet, quick and gets the job done, while Abby prefers a knife and likes to prolong the torture. So Abby and Kane! So if you really like them, you'll enjoy this story.

Abby and Kane have an issue come up between them, which I won't say what it is to spoil it, but it's definitely something life changing for them. There's a little arguing between them, as couples do sometimes, but there's also some really touching emotional moments as well. And of course, the sex is sizzling. ;) As Kane puts it, they don't have "boring sex". LOL

Jim and Noelle are in the story too, so don't miss out on this one. It's more of the same Jim and Noelle banter, but clearly the sexual tension is building up between them. Even Kane can see it and wishes the two would just sleep together already.

Don't miss out on this one if you're a fan of the series! It's 4.5 in the series between Midnight Pursuits and Midnight Action. I think this might actually be my favorite of all the books in this series because I just love Abby and Kane together. :)

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

The opening scene was great but the rest of the story was a giant pile of meh. I think the only reason that Abby's secret - which is revealed early on - is not part of the blurb is because people like me would have skipped this one. I expect better than moments worthy of a Harlequin Romance circa 1960 and contrived plot points powered by urban legends from Elle Kennedy.

Spoiler: Birth control does not stop working because you got sick with the flu or anything else for that matter. Some antibiotics can interfere with birth control but if they are proscribed, obviously a doctor would warn you. Despite all of the propaganda that abounds, pretty much the only way you get pregnant on birth control is to not take it consistently.

[JadeShea · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Midnight begins with Abby and Kane working together to help save a little boy that has been kidnapped. They've been married for a while now, but Abby has a secret she doesn't know how to tell Kane. And when he does find out she's not sure about how things will work out and what he will think.

Kane and Abby must experience some tough times before they can make it out of this while also trying to save a little kid. But with the help of their bosses things may end up working out for the better.

This was a short story about Kane and Abby and a small problem they may have. Since I fell in love with this series while reading the first one about these two, it was really nice to read more about them and their problems. I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to more!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

We met Abby & Kane in Midnight Rescue: (Killer Instincts #1). We revisit them in this short when they are on a case in Cairo. It is 3 years later and they have grown as a couple. I don’t know how much to say without giving spoilers so I will just say that they are just as hot and with Jim Morgan and Noelle for comic relief this is a quick and intense read. I also like that Ms. Kennedy tackled an issue I had questions about and gave satisfactory answers. I don’t recommend this as a standalone. Read Midnight Rescue first.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat this book was. First I love this series and to get a short novella that includes the first couple that made us fall in love with this series – Abby and Kane – and also to get the two people we have been dying to know their story/history – Jim and Noelle – was like a bonus bonus… This was about two mercenaries who have been married 3 years getting an unexpected surprise and having to deal with it while on a mission together. I have to say Noelle and Jim giving words of wisdom was pretty funny along with their bantering. Just makes me all the more ready for their book!!!