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Upon a Midnight Clear: Xmas Flash
Librarian Note: This edition's ISBN is in conflict with another's in the database - Disturbing Stranger.
Exciting. Moving. Another page-turner by the author of Aspen and Night Whispers
Exciting. Moving. Another page-turner by the author of Aspen and Night Whispers
Bless the beasts and children especially at Christmas!
After nearly a hundred years, there are wolves in Colorado again. And Brigitte Hartman, a field biologist working with the Fish and wildlife Service, is one of the people responsible. The reintroduction of a wolf pack to the Flat Tops Wilderness area is her jobbut it's also her passion.
Local ranchers, like Steve Slater, are passionate about the project, too though not in quite the same way. They're against it. They believe the wolves are a threat to their cattle, their livelihood.
Considering how he feels about the wolves, Steve finds that his life is complicatedto say the leastby his attraction to Brigitte. Falling for Steve complicates her life, too. Particularly when she grows close to his young daughters and begins dreaming of a family Christmas. This family. This Christmas. And a husband called Steve
- GenresRomance
299 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
24 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Erickson
64 books30 followersAbout Lynn Erickson
Molly Swanton and Carla Peltonen were born in in Aspen, Colorado, U.S.A. on January 22 and September 12. In the late 60s, both newly returned from bumming around the world, they met in Aspen in the Red Onion, an Old West saloon. They were both new brides, wet behind the ears. It was several years later that they dreamed up Lynn Erickson, the pseudonym a combination of their husbands' names. They had read every romance put out in the early 70s and started saying, "We can do better than this." Well, they couldn't, but what the heck? The wrote two fat novels before we chanced onto an agent and made a sale. His first words to them: "The manuscript is flawed, but..."
They published their first novel as Lynn Erickson in 1980. Their early books were historical romances, full of blood and guts and murder, then they turned to contemporary women's suspense. "We've set almost all of our books in Colorado, especially in Aspen, a town where the truth is usually stranger than fiction. Aspen is a character in our books, not just a setting. We love to drop inside jokes about the quirks and fancies of our hometown. The scenery truly is glorious, the mountains magnificent, the skiing and hiking and fishing and horseback riding legendary. We cover the arts, too - the world-renowned music festival, the shops full of museum-quality paintings and sculptures. Southwestern art is big, of course: paintings and pottery and Navajo rugs."
Molly Swanton and Carla Peltonen were born in in Aspen, Colorado, U.S.A. on January 22 and September 12. In the late 60s, both newly returned from bumming around the world, they met in Aspen in the Red Onion, an Old West saloon. They were both new brides, wet behind the ears. It was several years later that they dreamed up Lynn Erickson, the pseudonym a combination of their husbands' names. They had read every romance put out in the early 70s and started saying, "We can do better than this." Well, they couldn't, but what the heck? The wrote two fat novels before we chanced onto an agent and made a sale. His first words to them: "The manuscript is flawed, but..."
They published their first novel as Lynn Erickson in 1980. Their early books were historical romances, full of blood and guts and murder, then they turned to contemporary women's suspense. "We've set almost all of our books in Colorado, especially in Aspen, a town where the truth is usually stranger than fiction. Aspen is a character in our books, not just a setting. We love to drop inside jokes about the quirks and fancies of our hometown. The scenery truly is glorious, the mountains magnificent, the skiing and hiking and fishing and horseback riding legendary. We cover the arts, too - the world-renowned music festival, the shops full of museum-quality paintings and sculptures. Southwestern art is big, of course: paintings and pottery and Navajo rugs."
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 12, 2018
A really interesting and enjoyable story about the reintroduction of a wolf pack to the Flat Top Wilderness area in Colorado. Rancher Steve, along with his fellow ranchers, believe the wolves are killing their cattle and want the wolves gone. Fish and Wildlife Service field biologist Brigitte is doing some undercover investigating because she does not believe the wolves are responsible for the killings. When romance blooms between Brigitte and Steve, there seems no hope for a future with them being on opposite sides of the fence. This was a thoroughly entertaining read with a colorful cast of characters including the suspicious Garrett men, Steve's two daughters, and the wolves themselves. The story was set during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in the beautiful, atmospheric small-town setting of Sweetwater, Colorado.
May 2, 2021
Interesting use of the wolf to develop the plot.
December 28, 2010
This is a book about wolves masquerading as a romance novel.
From the back cover:
Bless the beasts and children...especially at Christmas!
After nearly a hundred years, there are wolves in Colorado again. And Brigitte Hartman, a field biologist working with the Fish and Wildlife Service, is one of the people responsible. The reintrodution of a wolf pack to the Flat Tops Wilderness area is her job--but it's also her passion.
Local ranchers, like Steve Slater, are passionate about the project, too...though not in quite the same way. They're against it. They believe the wolves are a threat to their cattle, their livelihood.
Considering how he feels about the wolves, Steve finds that his life is complicated--to say the least--by his attraction to Brigitte. Falling for Stever complicates her life, too. Particularly when she grows close to his young daughter and begins dreaming of a family Christmas. This family. This Christmas. And a husband called Steve...
And my review:
Well, first of all, I want to clear up that although this novel has only one author's name on the cover (Lynn Erickson), UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR is actually a compilation written by two authors who write under a single name. And I'm afraid that if I'd known that, I would never have bought this book. I have yet to read a single book written by two (or more) people that wasn't choppy and difficult to read. There was no easy flow to the words--instead, they seemed all over the place, like fragments of random thoughts.
Of course, that won't bother everyone. But many readers will be bothered by the fact that the romance in this story feels very tacked on. This book is more about wolves than it is about a romantic relationship. While an unusual background issue in a romance can add a lot of interest to a story, it needs to be just that: background. Instead, this novel is all about the wolves. I kept waiting for the romance to get started. Which was a loooong time in coming, considering that the hero and heroine don't even meet for a long, long time. If I'd been that interested in wolves, I'd read a non-fiction textbook, not a romance novel.
From the back cover:
Bless the beasts and children...especially at Christmas!
After nearly a hundred years, there are wolves in Colorado again. And Brigitte Hartman, a field biologist working with the Fish and Wildlife Service, is one of the people responsible. The reintrodution of a wolf pack to the Flat Tops Wilderness area is her job--but it's also her passion.
Local ranchers, like Steve Slater, are passionate about the project, too...though not in quite the same way. They're against it. They believe the wolves are a threat to their cattle, their livelihood.
Considering how he feels about the wolves, Steve finds that his life is complicated--to say the least--by his attraction to Brigitte. Falling for Stever complicates her life, too. Particularly when she grows close to his young daughter and begins dreaming of a family Christmas. This family. This Christmas. And a husband called Steve...
And my review:
Well, first of all, I want to clear up that although this novel has only one author's name on the cover (Lynn Erickson), UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR is actually a compilation written by two authors who write under a single name. And I'm afraid that if I'd known that, I would never have bought this book. I have yet to read a single book written by two (or more) people that wasn't choppy and difficult to read. There was no easy flow to the words--instead, they seemed all over the place, like fragments of random thoughts.
Of course, that won't bother everyone. But many readers will be bothered by the fact that the romance in this story feels very tacked on. This book is more about wolves than it is about a romantic relationship. While an unusual background issue in a romance can add a lot of interest to a story, it needs to be just that: background. Instead, this novel is all about the wolves. I kept waiting for the romance to get started. Which was a loooong time in coming, considering that the hero and heroine don't even meet for a long, long time. If I'd been that interested in wolves, I'd read a non-fiction textbook, not a romance novel.
November 14, 2014
Steve Slater is kind of pushy, but I guess for a good reason. Since he has two children and his wife passed on.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews