Secrets at Midnight

Psy-Changeling #12.5

by Nalini Singh

Bastien Smith is frustrated. A changeling male should be able to track his mate anywhere—through fire and hail, snow and rain. But he keeps finding and losing her scent in the city streets, ever since he first became aware of it two weeks earlier, when the elusive fragrance awakened the leopard within him...

Then Bastien is suddenly confronted with his prey. Kirby is an all-too-human woman who wants Bastien just as much as he wants her. But he can’t deny what his body and senses are telling him: there is a raging chaos inside of Kirby that he doesn’t understand, secrets that whisper awake at midnight and cause her terrible pain. If they’re to have any chance of forever, then he must solve the mystery that is Kirby...

Secrets at Midnight originally appeared in Night Shift.

INCLUDES A TEASER FOR ALLEGIANCE OF HONOR

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Novella

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 25, 2014

About the author

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.


I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.

Reviews

[Somia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little novella focuses on Mercy's brother - Bastien, a leopard shifter and teacher Kirby - who holds secrets, secrets that even she is unaware of.

This was a little slow to start but things picked up quickly and I found myself entertained, amused and engaged.

An enjoyable short re-read.

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh is the #12,5 book in her Psy-Changeling Series and once again, it was more like an okay read than a fab one.........novellas do that to me......I can't really get fully into the characters and story...and before I can...I come to THE END. But being a fan of this series, I have to read everything that comes out!!!

So, in this quick and short read, the hero, Bastien, leopard shifter and one of Mercy's brothers is not one for settling down. He's quite happy to wait until he meets his true mate.

Suddenly, he enounters a scent that tells him is his mate and when he finds her...it turns out that he can't figure her out. Kirby seems human but there's something more to her than what it seems.

The two soon feel that insta-love and then spend the rest of the time trying to solve the mystery of Kirby oh, she's a lynx shifter...a very rare kind of shifter

This story was okay....but some parts fell a bit flat.

I am happy to continue visiting this world!!! Can't wait for more adventures!!!

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bastien (leopard shifter) and Kirby ( human and a latent lynx shifter.)

Bastien is one of Mercy's brothers. He is unmated and happy until he sniffs his true mate and then he loses her scent. He cannot relax until he finds his female.
Kirby is a kindergarten teacher who has recently relocated in the pack's area. She is small, cute and human and apparently she is Bastien's mate.
There will be insta-love for these two, but Bastien soon realises that Kirby is more that she appears.
Is she lying?
Does she really not know?
This is the mystery of the book.

The story is the second one that I read with a latent changeling and I truly enjoyed it.
To be honest sometimes I love these short stories more than the longer novels because they usually focus on one couple and one storyline.

[Lana Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

​Another insta-love-story, but damn, did I like it!!
Was it a little predictable? Yeah, sure. Did I care? NOPE.
Kirby and Bastien kinda melted the pages, their chemistry was hot and I enjoyed it. I really love these short additions to the series.

[Talltree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Playboy shifter H paired with damsel in distress h. The H as usual had all the experience, all the power/knowledge/resources in the relationship while the h was a virgin orphan who was just barely making it. H saves h and mates her. Meh, read this trope one too many times - wish authors would write h's who were more empowered and experienced.

3.5 stars

[Giorgia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Not my favourite novella from this series.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - This is more of an insta love kind of story than we often get in Psy-Changeling, but I do love how sweet Bastien & Kirby were together! Plus the lynx angle was very fun

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Secrets at Midnight was delicious, like a snack just the way you like it! I'm always in awe at how good Singh is at character development - even in her shorter stories, I get the full experience of fleshed out characters that entice me and keep me coming back for more!



Secrets at Midnight was just what I needed to hold me over until the next installment is released. Bastien was a great character, and I loved how confused he was about Kirby at the start... And how he went about to woo her even when he understood that she didn't really know herself as well as she could have. Even though this story is a novella, the character development was amazing, and I fell for both Bastien and Kirby. I really hope they'll both show up in future Psy-Changeling novels.

I love the universe in this series, and Secrets at Midnight showed me another aspect of it - as Kirby was a stranger, but welcomed into pack territory, I was able to see things with new eyes once more. And getting to know Lucas and the other panthers as if it was for the first time was a real treat that kept me happy throughout the whole story.

Written in third person point of view, past tense, and from both Kirby's and Bastien's perspectives, I felt like I got to know both of them very well. There are also plenty of dialogues, and some of my favorite characters in the series showed up more than once.



So Kirby didn't have the excuse of ignorance. But she didn't pull away, didn't tell Bastien to stop touching her. Because regardless of her worry at the ungovernable nature of her reactions, his big body beside her, the pressure of his hand, it felt good... better than anything had felt in a long, long time.

Her skin prickling with that strange, near-painful awareness, and her heart a throbbing drum, Kirby brushed her fingers over his jaw. 

Mercy patted her cheek, her leopard's laughter in her eyes.

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

** Originally read in Night Shift **

We are taken back into the Psy-Changeling world in Secrets At Midnight by Nalini Singh.

I was pulled in from the moment it starts to the very end. I love this world and can never get enough.

Bastien is a leopard changeling, so we get to see some of our old friends. He is intelligent, witty, and a little wicked. Loved him. Kirby is human or is she? She has not had a great life so far, but things are about to get interesting.

The relationship development and growth is lovely and to see Kirby finally learn what love means, heartwarming.

You don’t have to have read any of the Psy-Changeling books to pick this up. Secrets At Midnight gives you a nice taste into the world of the Changelings and what it means to find a mate. I highly recommend picking up Nalini Singh’s books.

Rated: 5 Secret Stars

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little novella, featuring Mercy's brother Bastien Smith and a latent lynx shifter named Kirby. Not much to say about this one - it was insta-love, but worked very well.

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of Night Shift anthology.

Thank goodness it wasn't the Psy people which to me are extremely boring. I would be interested in the shifter's POV but when it flipped to the Psy, I was yawning. I was hoping this would be a little better because of no Psy but not much. The love story was okay but while I realize this is a short story, it still felt insta-love - just add water.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best! And I don't usually like novellas at all!

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooked from the beginning. This was a fun, sexy novella! Made me laugh and smile.

Bastian and Kirby were great for each other. Kirby's situation was unique.

Love Angela Dawe's performance (in the whole series), especially her Southern accent for Kirby.

[juju 𓏲𝄢 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bastien and Kirby are hands down one of my favorite couples. Bas was utterly whipped for his woman and it was the sweetest and hottest thing ever. Kirby went through a lot and it was heartwarming to see how adoring and protective Bas was while recognizing the strength she had. They’re so perfect together and gosh I love them so much. I was genuinely disappointed when their story ended.

I love the Smith family! Crossing my fingers that Sage and Grey get their own stories some day!


Reread: Ugh these two😩! Bas and Kirby are still one of my favorite couples, they’re just so sweet and turn my heart into a gooey mess. My only wish is that they had a full length book. I’m still holding onto hope for Sage’s and Grey’s stories !

[Littlebookterror · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not too impressed - and maybe it's just me having read 13 of her works in English but that translation... I find it hard to believe Singh used that many exclamation marks. (It's also not the same translator as the main books have, so that might also be why).
The story was compressed into a hundred pages so it felt rushed.
Kirby herself was not really fleshed out, she has the typical problems of a Nalini Singh protagonist which she resolves just as quickly. Bastien felt more settled since we've met him in earlier novels but she did not add much tbh.

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread: 4 stars. I liked this more the second time around.



Original 2.5 stars. Very blah. The concept was cute but the execution didn’t do anything for me. This one felt rushed and incomplete to me...like there needed to be more time with them as a couple.

Safe; heroine was a virgin

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So love Bastian!

[~♥*Marianna*♥~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The situation is such that there wasn’t a lot of conflict. Bastion finally finds his mate and is all in from first sight. Insta love, insta lust, and although there wasn’t insta mating there was like zero doubt in both of them of where it was going. The only thing that kept the tension up is them not having sex until basically the very last page.

Why does Bastien love her? To me it seems like it was just because of the mating bond. She seems like a sweet and nice woman but there’s millions of her and I don’t see anything in particular about her that completes Bastien. Bastien was whole. He was fine. If not for being a changeling and having the destiny of a mate I think he would’ve been just fine.

The heroine on the other hand was the needy one. She needed family, friends, and a mate very very much. And although I was happy to read her basically being saved right in the nick of time by Bastien, this isn’t a story that needs to be read more than once.

[Fanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets At Midnight narra la historia de Bastien ( hermano de Mercy ) y Kirby.

Esta lectura no me gusto tanto como esperaba, desde hace tiempo queria leer las historias de los hermanos de Mercy, especialmente queria leer como Bastien se enamoraba y aunque fue un libro ameno y agradable, me falto que tuviera mas desarrollo, aun asi, fue dulce leer sobre esta pareja, son muy tiernos.

2.75 Estrellas!

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read within the Night Shift anthology.

I enjoyed this short read to give more insight into Bastien and his mate. He is Mercy's brother. She and other members of the family have parts here so it's a further development of their characters.


COYER # 8 Read a book for October or November book club OR part of the October - December Psy-Changeling Read Along.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not read books looking to cry but sometimes great authors like Nalini Singh just sneak one by me.

This was the story of Kirby who lost her family in a fire when she was just a baby and had to grow up in the foster care system. Then she meets Sebastian from Dark River and cue the sexy fun happy ending.

But it's when Kirby meets her grandparents that have been looking for her all their lives that I teared up because it got me


I loved this short story. I hope these two don't disappear the way Clay and Talin have. A must read for Singh fans.

*there was some fodder for The Nalini Singh Drinking Game. :)

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bastien is Mercy's brother and from the previous books he seemed arrogant and full of himself, exactly what one expects from a male changeling in the prime of his life. I certainly didn't expected for him to be so patient and tender toward Kirby but his protective instincts are alerted from the moment their eyes meet side by side with a scorching passion for the woman he finally acknowledges as his mate.
Kirby, met his arrogance and his passion head on and found in Bastien the one person who would bring forth her hidden self.
As novellas go in this series this is one of the best.

[Rachel-RN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bastien (one of Mercy's brothers) scents his mate, but gets frustrated when her scent vanishes. Kirby, is an orphan, having grown up in the foster care system. She moved to CA and is a kindergarten teacher.
I enjoyed this one. I loved how Bastien wasn't overpowering and how slow he went with Kirby. I also really liked Kirby and how strong she was. Enjoyable read. I love, love this world!

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: 4/5
Characterisation: 3/5
Prose: 4/5
How much I enjoyed it: 4/5

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bastien and Kirby were too cute, I am going to cry lol.

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant and engaging. Both leads were vibrant characters for their short screen time.

[Dakota · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realized while I was reading this that I did read it before.
still a nice reread

[Deea (Andreea) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story.
There's no secret I'm not a fan of novellas, they're always too short, too cheesy, too melodramatic, too insta-love, insta-everything for my liking, buuut Nalini can do no wrong even with a novella. I loved getting a new perspective of the changeling world. Both Bastien and Kirby are awesome characters and their story was sweet (and obviously, hot.) *sigh* Like I said before, you can't go wrong with a dominant changeling. ❤

[Under the Covers Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bastian is getting frustrated, he keeps catching his mate's scent...only for it to trail off and disappear. It's frustrating, he should be able to track his mate no matter what. But, he is determined to find her and won't give up, which leads him to Kirby, his human mate. Or atleast she seems human. Kirby has never quite felt comfortable in her own skin and meeting Bastian only seems to make it worse, but she can't deny that she is drawn to him. But, for them to be together they must solve the mystery of her past.

Secrets at Midnight was everything you have come to expect from Nalini Singh; beautifully written, highly romantic and full of more adjectives than you can shake a stick at. I was glued to my kindle screen. It was set in the Psy Changeling world and features one of Mercy's brothers, Bastian, and we get to see him find and fall in love with his very unusual mate, Kirby.

I also loved that we got to see the Smith family together and all their playful and fun filled interactions, it gave this book a warm feeling, like you're popping in to have some time with your favourite cousins.

This novella was straight up romantic, not to mention a little sexy and I highly recommend that you pick it up and give it a try.

*ARC (in anthology) provided by publisher
Reviewed by Suzanne

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