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Midnight Runner
Mistreated for years, orphaned Moira dreams of building a new life in the royal city. Little does she know that her dreams will cost more than just her own fate. This medieval tale of romance, mistaken identities, and long-sought redemption will change how you feel about villains and heroines, loss and love.
272 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2015
421 people want to read
About the author
Marilee Jackson
3 books12 followersMarilee Jackson is an avid reader and has dabbled in writing since the third grade. She stays home and chases her four rug rats around. She lives in a tiny Arizona town (don’t blink you’ll miss it) with her amazing husband and their four children. Midnight Runner is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 23, 2015
When I started this story, I was very intrigued by the prologue. A young girl, Moira, who doesn't know her father is suddenly orphaned and taken in by the neighbors. As the story went on, I really felt a Cinderella vibe--Moira is basically mistreated and is a servant for this family. When given the chance, she escapes and finds herself given an opportunity to be rescued by a Prince Charming kind of guy, Brian.
The similarities end there. I guess I was expecting the story to follow along the lines of a Fairy Tale, but this one didn't. I just couldn't like Moira. She was very naive, shallow, a liar, and selfish. She only thought of herself in most of the many choices she had to make, which probably stemmed from her upbringing and her fight to survive. Instead of breaking the mold of running and distrusting, she allowed it to rule her life. So many poor choices were made that just broke my heart to pieces!
Brian was a terrific guy. No girl ever turned his head until Moira came along. I felt that he had so much to offer and so much to give and he wasn't way too much time on someone who wouldn't ever return it. It's too bad that he was so naive and shallow, too. After a few meetings, here were his thought: "All he wanted was a beautiful wife to share his life with and a son to pass on his farm." By rushing into it too fast, his heart was broken to pieces, too.
The adventure was full of emotion and I did want to see how it ended. In a way, it ended well, yet it was overshadowed by the unexpected. I just couldn't feel complete happiness with the way it wrapped up. For a book to get me this riled up, it must be pretty okay.
Content: Moderately clean romance (kissing, implied love making between a married couple, some innuendo); no language or religious elements; mild violence (murder, hanging, abuse--not descriptive).
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
The similarities end there. I guess I was expecting the story to follow along the lines of a Fairy Tale, but this one didn't. I just couldn't like Moira. She was very naive, shallow, a liar, and selfish. She only thought of herself in most of the many choices she had to make, which probably stemmed from her upbringing and her fight to survive. Instead of breaking the mold of running and distrusting, she allowed it to rule her life. So many poor choices were made that just broke my heart to pieces!
Brian was a terrific guy. No girl ever turned his head until Moira came along. I felt that he had so much to offer and so much to give and he wasn't way too much time on someone who wouldn't ever return it. It's too bad that he was so naive and shallow, too. After a few meetings, here were his thought: "All he wanted was a beautiful wife to share his life with and a son to pass on his farm." By rushing into it too fast, his heart was broken to pieces, too.
The adventure was full of emotion and I did want to see how it ended. In a way, it ended well, yet it was overshadowed by the unexpected. I just couldn't feel complete happiness with the way it wrapped up. For a book to get me this riled up, it must be pretty okay.
Content: Moderately clean romance (kissing, implied love making between a married couple, some innuendo); no language or religious elements; mild violence (murder, hanging, abuse--not descriptive).
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
March 4, 2015
I love a book where someone is in tough circumstances and comes out ahead in life. Moira has a terrible childhood. Her mother died and she has no idea who her father is. The family that takes her in treats her like a slave and her goal is to leave. She tries a couple of times but isn't successful. She finally is successful and I was ready to cheer her on.
She makes it to the next town where she makes some friends and falls in love (as much as she can) with Brian. There is still a lot of book left at this point so I was wondering what would happen. When something did, I didn't like it at all. She finds out she's pregnant and makes a rash decision to run again. It devastates Brian and he goes after her.
From there, it just seemed to get worse and worse. Then there's a 16 year time jump and we learn where all the major players are: Moira, Brian and now their daughter Isobail. I didn't care for Moira at all after some of the choices she made. I don't know if it was because she was young and mistreated, but she seemed to change completely overnight and didn't seem to care who she hurt along the way. Brian went downhill, too, and I wished he had been able to pick himself up more. Isobail had a great life but it was sad to me that she didn't know her parents.
I kept waiting for Moira to rectify her mistakes and make things right with everyone she had hurt. I also hoped for a happy ending and I guess there kind of was one but I didn't feel too invested in any of the characters at that point so it fell flat to me.
I do have to give kudos to the author for stepping outside the box and writing a book that doesn't follow any kind of formula in a story of this type. I certainly had no idea where it was headed and kept reading to see how it would all pan out. This is a great discussion book because there is plenty to talk about, both good and bad as far as the characters and the decisions they made. I liked the author's writing style and would certainly love to read another book by her in the future!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
She makes it to the next town where she makes some friends and falls in love (as much as she can) with Brian. There is still a lot of book left at this point so I was wondering what would happen. When something did, I didn't like it at all. She finds out she's pregnant and makes a rash decision to run again. It devastates Brian and he goes after her.
From there, it just seemed to get worse and worse. Then there's a 16 year time jump and we learn where all the major players are: Moira, Brian and now their daughter Isobail. I didn't care for Moira at all after some of the choices she made. I don't know if it was because she was young and mistreated, but she seemed to change completely overnight and didn't seem to care who she hurt along the way. Brian went downhill, too, and I wished he had been able to pick himself up more. Isobail had a great life but it was sad to me that she didn't know her parents.
I kept waiting for Moira to rectify her mistakes and make things right with everyone she had hurt. I also hoped for a happy ending and I guess there kind of was one but I didn't feel too invested in any of the characters at that point so it fell flat to me.
I do have to give kudos to the author for stepping outside the box and writing a book that doesn't follow any kind of formula in a story of this type. I certainly had no idea where it was headed and kept reading to see how it would all pan out. This is a great discussion book because there is plenty to talk about, both good and bad as far as the characters and the decisions they made. I liked the author's writing style and would certainly love to read another book by her in the future!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
February 10, 2015
Wow! I love being surprised by books, and this book had something new at every turn. I didn't connect with Moira very much, every move she made worried me. But, that was her life. She was mistreated her whole life and hadn't learned how to trust anyone. Her choice is always to run away. Don't get me wrong, I felt sorry for her with all she had to endure, but she wasn't necessary likable. But, that is what I liked most about this book. Even though Moira's choices weren't the best, I still cared about her and those she meets along the way, especially Brian. What a great guy. I LOVED how time passed in this book, and I especially loved Isobail. I would have loved a whole book on her. The book has twists on every page that were very unexpected, but very cool!
4 out of 5 stars. The ending is perfect for this story, loved it!
Received a paperback copy in exchange for an honest review.
4 out of 5 stars. The ending is perfect for this story, loved it!
Received a paperback copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 11, 2015
The Story-
Moira looses her mother at an early age and is forced to be a house servant for an abusive couple. She endures for years until she is old enough to runaway. Her journey doesn't go very far, in fact, just the next town over, but there she finds a welcome spot, love and a husband. Things seem to be perfect, until she finds out she's pregnant and runs away again. After ditching her baby, she travels to the city of nobles where she finds out that she is actually the daughter of a noble and has a jealous younger brother.
My Thoughts-
I had a hard time writing a review for this novel. The story itself is nice and moves well. My issue is that there is no real plot line. What you have is the story of Moira's life, and it only goes up to a certain point and then jumps in the last chapters to her daughter Isobail.
I also have mixed opinions about Moira. At first I really liked her, but then it is like she does a 180 and is someone new. I understood her fear of being a mother, but why leave her husband and then why leave her baby? Plus, after she finds out she is rich and powerful, why doesn't she go get her daughter? Also, the way she treats Brian is horrible and makes no sense. The poor man turns into an alcoholic slip of a man.
The writing is well done and the characters certainly well developed, but in some ways I feel this book is just a long prologue and the real story that holds the plot, tension and conflict are still coming.
Moira looses her mother at an early age and is forced to be a house servant for an abusive couple. She endures for years until she is old enough to runaway. Her journey doesn't go very far, in fact, just the next town over, but there she finds a welcome spot, love and a husband. Things seem to be perfect, until she finds out she's pregnant and runs away again. After ditching her baby, she travels to the city of nobles where she finds out that she is actually the daughter of a noble and has a jealous younger brother.
My Thoughts-
I had a hard time writing a review for this novel. The story itself is nice and moves well. My issue is that there is no real plot line. What you have is the story of Moira's life, and it only goes up to a certain point and then jumps in the last chapters to her daughter Isobail.
I also have mixed opinions about Moira. At first I really liked her, but then it is like she does a 180 and is someone new. I understood her fear of being a mother, but why leave her husband and then why leave her baby? Plus, after she finds out she is rich and powerful, why doesn't she go get her daughter? Also, the way she treats Brian is horrible and makes no sense. The poor man turns into an alcoholic slip of a man.
The writing is well done and the characters certainly well developed, but in some ways I feel this book is just a long prologue and the real story that holds the plot, tension and conflict are still coming.
February 9, 2015
This book has SO MANY AMAZING twists and turns that it flows into a 2nd generation before it is all worked out...SO. WONDERFULLY. GOOD!
Moira has been mistreated for years and the only way out that she seem to see is to run...
Run under the cloak of darkness.
And running from one bad situation to another seems to be the pattern.
Then life seems to come together when she finds herself living in a palace.
But life isn't always that easy...
AN AMAZING READ!
YOU WILL LOVE HOW THIS BOOK TWISTS AND TURNS!
SO MANY GREAT SUB-STORIES GOING ON!
WILL DEFINITELY READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
Moira has been mistreated for years and the only way out that she seem to see is to run...
Run under the cloak of darkness.
And running from one bad situation to another seems to be the pattern.
Then life seems to come together when she finds herself living in a palace.
But life isn't always that easy...
AN AMAZING READ!
YOU WILL LOVE HOW THIS BOOK TWISTS AND TURNS!
SO MANY GREAT SUB-STORIES GOING ON!
WILL DEFINITELY READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
March 22, 2023
Confusing and odd. One of the characters mentioned on the front cover wasn't really in the book until the last 100 pages.
It was just underwhelming.
It was just underwhelming.
January 3, 2024
Quick, easy read. Good story line, but lacked some character development. Overall it was a feel-good ending that I enjoyed.
February 16, 2015
Moira Agar is forced to live with an unpleasant family after her mother dies. She dreams of getting away from the harsh and cruel Bards and finding a new place. After many years of planning, she finally makes it away from them by running at night. However, Moira soon finds that once you start running, it's hard to stop. Moira's destiny is more than she bargained for, and the things she does affect more than just herself.
This book started out very interesting. Moira is a young lady who is basically a slave for the family that took her in after her mother died. Moira decides that she must plan her escape, and she slowly lays the groundwork to run. After a few unsuccessful tries, Moira manages to make it out and away from her captors. She manages to make it to a small village where she meets some friendly faces. Soon she finds herself almost settled in this new place with these new friends. Something happens though that makes Moira question everything. This is where I ran into issues. I didn't understand at all why Moira chose to do what she did. I had felt very sympathetic to Moira, but then when all this happened I found myself not liking Moira as much.
I don't want to give too much away, but Moira ends up discovering that her dreams for the future can actually come true. Then there's a time jump go 16 years, and we find Moira living her life still running from the shadows of the past. Again I found myself confused as to why the bad guy in this instance was able to do what he wanted. It didn't make a lot of sense to me in terms of the story. I thought the ending turned out pretty good though. So I just felt like this book had some ups and downs as it meandered down its path. Maybe the plot could have been tightened up a bit? I think I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I wanted to if that makes sense. This book is almost like a fairy tale, so anyone interested in that may enjoy this book. Just be prepared for a rollercoaster.
Book provided for review.
This book started out very interesting. Moira is a young lady who is basically a slave for the family that took her in after her mother died. Moira decides that she must plan her escape, and she slowly lays the groundwork to run. After a few unsuccessful tries, Moira manages to make it out and away from her captors. She manages to make it to a small village where she meets some friendly faces. Soon she finds herself almost settled in this new place with these new friends. Something happens though that makes Moira question everything. This is where I ran into issues. I didn't understand at all why Moira chose to do what she did. I had felt very sympathetic to Moira, but then when all this happened I found myself not liking Moira as much.
I don't want to give too much away, but Moira ends up discovering that her dreams for the future can actually come true. Then there's a time jump go 16 years, and we find Moira living her life still running from the shadows of the past. Again I found myself confused as to why the bad guy in this instance was able to do what he wanted. It didn't make a lot of sense to me in terms of the story. I thought the ending turned out pretty good though. So I just felt like this book had some ups and downs as it meandered down its path. Maybe the plot could have been tightened up a bit? I think I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I wanted to if that makes sense. This book is almost like a fairy tale, so anyone interested in that may enjoy this book. Just be prepared for a rollercoaster.
Book provided for review.
February 19, 2015
Midnight Runner
By Marilee Jackson
Moira and Isobail are running -
one from her past,
the other to her future.
Moira hasn't known love or kindness since her mother's death 12 years ago. But Moira refuses to put up with the abuse and mistreatment any longer. She's planning her escape and the new life she will live in Allail. And Moira is determined that nothing will keep her from achieving her dream. But is the price she'll be asked to pay too much?
Isobail has known only love from her parents. Her plans for the future are anything but grand. Someday marriage and home much like she has always known. But when offered an opportunity to serve as a lady's maid Isobail has a choice to make. A choice that would take her away from all she knows and all whom she loves.
Midnight Runner spans nearly 30 years as two lives unfold not so differently and yet vastly different. The difference being love. This book is both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time as love is discovered and lost. Though the book is complete, I would love to see a sequel that furthers the lives of these characters.
Compelling characters that one can connect with. A story that will touch your heart. Just a couple of reasons why you should give this debut novel your full attention.
I was provided a copy of this book by Cedar Fort/Sweetwater Books in exchange for my honest review.
By Marilee Jackson
Moira and Isobail are running -
one from her past,
the other to her future.
Moira hasn't known love or kindness since her mother's death 12 years ago. But Moira refuses to put up with the abuse and mistreatment any longer. She's planning her escape and the new life she will live in Allail. And Moira is determined that nothing will keep her from achieving her dream. But is the price she'll be asked to pay too much?
Isobail has known only love from her parents. Her plans for the future are anything but grand. Someday marriage and home much like she has always known. But when offered an opportunity to serve as a lady's maid Isobail has a choice to make. A choice that would take her away from all she knows and all whom she loves.
Midnight Runner spans nearly 30 years as two lives unfold not so differently and yet vastly different. The difference being love. This book is both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time as love is discovered and lost. Though the book is complete, I would love to see a sequel that furthers the lives of these characters.
Compelling characters that one can connect with. A story that will touch your heart. Just a couple of reasons why you should give this debut novel your full attention.
I was provided a copy of this book by Cedar Fort/Sweetwater Books in exchange for my honest review.
February 17, 2015
31/2 STARS
This is a good story with lots of drama, the characters are a variety of characters, with lots of weakness and good points. This has a Cinderella feel in some ways. Like orphan, servant, carriages
royalty but sadder story.
Moira is abused most of her youth. She dreams of running away and making a new life for herself. I keep hoping life will get better for her. She makes some hard choices because of her past. Her choices make a difference in a lot of lives surrounding her.
There a lot of characters that I hate. They are not nice people. There are some that I really liked and wanted things to work out for them. I admit to shedding some tears in this story.
It keeps your interest in the book. It is a good clean story.
I was given this ebook to read by Cedar Fort Publishing. In return I agreed to give a honest review of Midnight Runner and be part of it's blog tour.
This is a good story with lots of drama, the characters are a variety of characters, with lots of weakness and good points. This has a Cinderella feel in some ways. Like orphan, servant, carriages
royalty but sadder story.
Moira is abused most of her youth. She dreams of running away and making a new life for herself. I keep hoping life will get better for her. She makes some hard choices because of her past. Her choices make a difference in a lot of lives surrounding her.
There a lot of characters that I hate. They are not nice people. There are some that I really liked and wanted things to work out for them. I admit to shedding some tears in this story.
It keeps your interest in the book. It is a good clean story.
I was given this ebook to read by Cedar Fort Publishing. In return I agreed to give a honest review of Midnight Runner and be part of it's blog tour.
July 16, 2015
First, I wish to thank Goodreads First Reads and author Marilee Jackson for the good fortune of winning a copy of this in the Goodreads Giveaway. This is the story of Moira who was orphaned then raised by a family of very cruel people. She planned for the day that she would run away to the royal city and become someone important. She would not let anything or anybody get in her way. I did have problems with the character of Moira, as sometimes I found her to be sympathetic, but other times selfish and cold. The story takes place a long, long time ago, and almost has a fairytale feel to it. But, there were times when certain words or phrases seemed a little too modern. I can see this story really appealing to young teen girls. It was a fast and easy read, and I did enjoy reading it.
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January 9, 2016I gave this one 100 pages and just could not finish, unfortunately. Just not engaging me and I didn't like the MC.
April 28, 2015
3 1/2 Stars.
Not a typical book. Not typical characters. But an interesting read.
Not a typical book. Not typical characters. But an interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews