Come Midnight

by Alix Marren

Forget the glass slipper. This Cinderella stole the Prince’s jacket... and she’s not giving it back.

"Olivia is a critical system failure in four-inch heels. I know better than to touch high-voltage machinery without protective gear. But when she looks at me with that raw, unfiltered want? Logic goes offline. I don’t just want to fix her problem. I want to be the glitch she never recovers from.”
— Casey Hobbs, Infrastructure Engineer & Reluctant Prince Charming

“My life is a series of executed protocols and mitigated risks. I don't do messy. I don't do impulsive. Then there’s Casey. She’s a variable I can’t control. I should manage the crisis. Instead, I’m managing a sudden, desperate urge to climb into her lap and let her handle everything."
— Olivia Cooper, Chief Technology Officer & Accidental Cinderella

Casey thinks she knows how to stay safe - keep your head down, fix what's broken, don't ask for more. Olivia thinks she knows how to stay in control - smile through the chaos, never let them see you crack.
When an emergency forces them back into the empty office on the Sunday before Christmas, professional boundaries are about to be disrupted. Suddenly, fixing the servers is the least interesting thing happening in the basement.

Come Midnight is a sizzling sapphic workplace romance featuring competence as an aphrodisiac, a very distinct lack of glass slippers, and two cats who judge everyone.
Guaranteed HEA. Contains mature themes.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, LGBT, Christmas

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2025

Reviews

[Diane (IF U'RE PRIVATE, PLEASE SKIP ME!!!) Wallace]

Okay read!
Enjoyed the 1st book in this series but this wasn't as enticing.. --- still readable.
Recommended book and series!

[Tierney Moore]

Another fun and emotional story from Alix Marren. This one is isn't quite as strong as her debut duology, but still very worthwhile.

[MissAlice]

The writing style is so easy to fall into, the dialogue effortlessly made me laugh, the kitty antics made my eyes roll with understanding and even with the 80% ruhroh moment, it didn't linger and moved on into the adulting world. I am really enjoying the women this author is giving life to. You can tell Marren has experience in the corporate realm, maybe writing what she knows, and it is gift wrapped along with the character arcs as the MCs fall into sync with one another. Steamy scenes are sexy, the holidays aren't integral to the storyline, but a sweet HEA makes a perfect epilogue.

[Nicole]

This is the second thing I've read from this author, the first one was a novella that I raved about.
It's a dual 1st person POV and I would argue Casey two cats are also main characters. They are both "older" Casey being 44 and Olivia being 39 but we all know age is merely a number.

The author states in their blurb that they are from the corporate world and it certainly reflects in the writing since I understand almost nothing of what the MCs jobs are aside from the corporate hierarchy.

That being said I can barely turn on my work computer so don't let my technological ignorance dissuade you from reading this book! Mechanics and Casey's motorcycle was more my speed so really there's something for everyone!

The majority of this book happens over the holidays and it's a cute workplace romance. I wouldn't call Olivia an ice queen but she can be cold and unapproachable should the scenario present itself.

The MCs are mature and witty and this is easily reflected in their communication and banter. The story isn't complex by any means and it follows the standard workplace tropes but with minimal angst.

There is a couple spicy scenes and a bonus spicy one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will continue to read what the author doles out!

[Angel]

I can appreciate what I was supposed to feel with this… I just didn’t, unfortunately. Casey and Olivia are straight up computer engineering nerds and I love that they found each other, they both love to leave an event early, and they do their jobs incredibly well. What fell flat is all the technical jargon, and the fact that it seemed quite pertinent to the story. In those times I really may have well been reading in Italian. The obstacle they face is very easily resolved and super convenient that Casey built the system and no one else is around to be competition. Most boss/employee tropes at least have to deal with the nepotism of it all but we just skip over all that completely and it felt less realistic because of that.

[Ariadna]

Plot and writing were solid. Due to the MCs working in the tech department of the company, there was a lot of 'tech talk' as well as most of the conflicts being tech-related. BUT all of that was presented in a way that was easy to understand for the average reader.

Olivia and Cassie were interesting both together and separately.I could feel their chemistry. Their intimate scenes were hot too, heheh. Bonus points for the two MCs being in their early-to-mid 40s (I think one of them is 44, can't recall how old the other character is exactly.)

As for things that didn't work for me, I did think that the actual!romance part moved fast (considering that the timeline covers late December to February). Other than that, there wasn't anything objectively wrong with this novel. OTOH, though, this isn't a book I'll be thinking abt in 4 years time.

Trigger/Content Warnings:One of the MCs is so stressed she almost has 2 anxiety attacks in the novel; A male colleague of one of the MCs says things to her that are borderline workplace harassment (nothing blatant, just insinuations); One MC is the other one's boss (this is addressed with the head of HR in an oblique way. Both MCs are OK with the work and romantic relationships between the two of them.

TL;DR: A standard F/F workplace romance that I enjoyed from beginning to end. Even though it's the third book in a series, I picked it up without having read the first two novels (which feature another couple) and was A-OK.

Despite not being particularly memorable, I do rec this book to anyone looking for a pleasant contemporary romance.

I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited.

[3DKing]

Short, easy to read, dry humor and fast moving plot. It's a snack and I enjoyed it.

[Andrea]

When I added this to my shelf, I didn't realize it was the second book in a series I had rated the first book poorly. This book started off so great, I feel Marren really knows how to write an interesting character. Then the book just suddenly puts the pedal to the metal, and everything happens within the first 30% of the book. It ended up leaving much to be desired and the forming of the relationship feel entirely unreal. I probably won't try another book by this author unless her books double in size and plot.

[AncsaT]

A leszbikus Piroska és Farkas történetéhez képest itt már majdnem volt valami konfliktus féle, de sajnos csak egy félreértésre futotta, amit némi kommunikációval sikerült is gyorsan elsimítani. Cserébe viszont kaptunk egy kis informatikai zsargont (a szerző szavajárásával: buzzwords), szóval ami elveszett a vámon, az visszajött a réven, így ennek is négy csillagot adtam.
Akit se a leszbikus szex, se az informatikai projektek szervezési kérdései nem hozzák lázba, annak nyilván nem fog tetszeni, de amúgy ez is aranyos történet, magányról, önbizalomhiányról, munkába fojtott vágyakozásról, reményről és életre szóló elköteleződésről.

[Robin Ray]

The first half of the book was readable, but I'm not sure I'll finish it. The quality of the prose was probably the best thing about it. But the story just wasn't very compelling or exciting for me. Sure, the two women are different in many ways, but certainly love can find its way around an org chart disparity. Plenty of bosses and secretaries fall for one another, so falling in love with a talented professional in your own field isn't much of a stretch. I kept hoping this would take a more interesting turn, but I am not confident it will.

I'm a software engineer so the technical details definitely appealed to my geekier side, but I feel sorry for people who couldn't relate to that.

[Krista Willimas]

3.5/5 ⭐️
I did really like it, but in relation to other books I've read it was missing just a little something for me personally. I love the length of the book because it's a nice short read, however I wish we got more of their story from later on. This was a nice book to read during a very busy time because it was easy to follow, I could pick it up and read a chapter or 2 and know exactly what had happened prior, whereas in the past with other books, I've had to go back to remember what was going on.

[Maria Magdalena]

My second A. Marren sapphic novel and it did not disappoint. Liked the way computer language was used in every day settings. Liked the way the two mature women preferred spending the X-mas break together in the computer basement solving a dramatic glitch, instead of spending time with their 'traditional' families. A little word of advice 'Princess': when you next need to break some bad news to your love interest, maybe start with the 'good news' first!?

[Sandi]

Olivia is finally being seen..

Funny how you can know someone for ages and suddenly something changes you are finally seeing them. Olivia and Casey have worked together for years. Olivia on the fast track until she ended up CTO of the company. Olivia is in the same position limited by her lack of a degree. The legacy system has a tech failure which brings the two together over the Christmas holiday working to keep the system running. Turns out there’s chemistry between them.

[Marta Minder]

A fun holiday romance

What more can one ask for? This is another well written and humorous work place romance. The characters are lovable and easy to relate to. The added spicy cat antics are a plus to anyone who has independent judgemental fur babies. Curl up with something warm and enjoy the fun.

[Christine E Carcary]

Delightful

Two books by this author are really delightful and interesting, characters who excel at their careers but insecure in personal lives, overlooked for promotion Casey all but gives up but is drawn to Olivia the cto of the company, the rest is history. Great characters and story, romance is 🔥 a great read.

[Amanda Kaye Signo]

I didn’t realize until I started the book, that this was the same author that wrote Chasing Red, and I gave that book 1/5 stars. I don’t regret giving this book a chance, but I’ll admit that I didn’t LOVE it. Some of the writing seemed very millennial (for lack of better phrasing), but the pacing was decent and had no workplace harassment this time.

[Kathleen Bender]

thank you, Alix!

I really enjoyed this book. Possibly Because I've been part of migrations and personnel "downsizing". It's just aa brutal as Alix portrays. And there are not a lot of Olivias in Corporate America. Which makes this story so much more fun. I can imagine Casey's relief.

Great story, well delivered.

[Rebecca]

Techie romance

Enjoyable read, I liked both MCs and was pleased they made each other feel more at ease.

There was a lot of technical language around IT stuff but it didn't detract from the story despite the fact I had no idea what it all meant! Similar to reading a sports based romance with a sport I don't know very well, it just goes over my head

[Marie]

Hands Down : The Best

Alix Marren is the best at this sapphic, steamy, romance writing. I will read absolutely everything she writes! Like Jo and Alex in the Red stories, Marren hits ALL the right notes here: shivery anticipation, breathless attraction, dangerous passion, sweet hot love scenes. I can't write anymore because my glasses are steaming up!

[Claudia Garib]

Can’t Wait for More from this Author

Almost cried at multiple parts in this story. This is the second book from this author that I’ve read and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for more from this universe!

[Jazmyn Gannon]

I LOVED this one, everytime I had to put my kindle down I just wanted to pick it back up again (work is stupid)
The characters really felt like people. And I loved their dynamic
And the cats, as someone who has a house of 4, can relate to their antics

[Diane Baker]

Thoroughly enjoyed!

I'm new to this author but hopefully this won't be the only time I read their work. Great characters and storyline and truth be told I was left wanting more. Don't go by give it a try!

[Madds]

This was a cute book, cute storyline and love the build up between the characters. They had entertaining banter and I enjoyed their dynamic. The ending seemed a little far fetched/ unrealistic, but overall it was a good story! Not terribly exciting or spicy for my taste.

[Crystal Abbott]

New favorite author

Great follow up book to Chasing Red. Love the characters! Beautifully written. Can't wait for the next book to come out!

[Tegan Brookes]

Who doesn't love a cheesy spicy sapphic read?

[Hannah]

This is the second story I have read but Alix. Even though these are short stories the characters are developed and are likeable. Looking forward to Alix's next story.

[Kathleen Maltz]

Coat of love

Really loved your. Book. I read it right after Chasing Red. Loved them both.
Casey and Olivia were definitely meant for each other. This also is an easy read.

[Bennett]

A good follow on from "Chasing red" I like the format and the characters. Look forward to more of what is building to be a series.

[Willow Hewitt]

yeah not bad.
loved the cats!!

[Ta-Leaha]

This book was phenomenal!