Midsummer Moon

Midsummer's Night #1

by Megan Derr

Homeless, lonely, and desperate for a cure to his lycanthropy, Lowell chases a rumor of a cure to the small town of Midsummer's Night. What he doesn't expect to find is a town that accepts his kind, the mischievous vampire who immediately befriends him, or the beautiful, sad-eyed doctor he can't stop thinking about...

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Romance, Audiobook, Vampires

63 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Megan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.

meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr

Reviews

[Rosa, really · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Paul Morey,

For the love of sweet baby Jesus. Please. Fucking stop. With the southern accents.

You are killing me.

Sincerely,

Rosa, who likes southern accents generally but really, really hates yours.

[Ingie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written January 9, 2015

3.3 Stars - A very sweet short werewolf tale

Book #1

Midsummer's Moon is the first shortie in a paranormal novella series in three parts with new lovebirds in each bookpart.
I listened to the 3 hrs audiobook which was very well narrated by Paul Morey (always fun and inspiring to hear). It was also my first experience with a story written by Megan Derr.



Heartmelting nice and the beginning was simply great. Perhaps more a fairy tale like romantic story than a smexy steamy M/M romance but an enjoyable three hours listening was it.

***********************************************************

Lowell is a young lonely and homeless werewolf who travels to Midsummer's Night Town. He is following a rumor that the doctor there, Peter has a cure for werewolves.
Peter is a lovely man with a lot of paranormal friendly friends and neighbors and soon is Lowell's highest wish to stay. ~ Will he cure Lowell?

***********************************************************

Nothing unique or particularly memorable but really nice.
Looking forward to soon listening to next novella, #2 - Midsummer Curse, in this Midsummer series.

I LIKE - Yes, a heartwarming one.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Werewolf Finds Happiness, World Cheers.'
 
 -Fin

Low was adorable, I just wish there had been a bit more of his relationship with Peter on page or at least an epilogue.

[Nikyta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midsummer's Moon is quite different from the usual alpha werewolf story. Whereas normally the alpha is cock-sure and intimidating, Lowell is definitely the opposite, still awkward, shy, and in no way intimidating. He's had a rough life; being an orphan and then becoming homeless without a chance of keeping a job has taken it's toll on Low. In an effort to fix that, he goes looking for Dr. Peter Kuhl rumored to have a cure for lycanthropy. When Low finds out Peter doesn't have a cure, he doesn't know what to do. Peter, feeling bad Low was misled, offers him a place to stay. Staying with Peter allows Low to learn things he never knew about himself, come to terms with the monster he is, and explore the reasons Peter smells so good.

One of the things I liked about this one was the 'headliner' thoughts. Some of them were just so funny, I had to get a few laughs out before I could continue reading. My favorites were: 'Werewolf Killed By Kindness; Kindness Prefers Semiautomatics' and 'Werewolf Drowns in Water and Own Thoughts.' Alright, so, they're not that funny when you just read them like this that with Low saying them and the way he acts, damn, it cracked me up!

I liked how Low was different from most alphas. Everyone thought they could just walk all over Low because he was obedient and respectful but when he used his 'alpha voice', which he didn't even know he had, nobody knew how to act and I loved that. It made the story more appealing to me because it wasn't just another werewolf story. What I loved, though? Was the little twist about Peter. Never even saw it coming!

I'll admit, at times, I wanted to slap Peter because he was holding things back but he grew on me with the way he treated Low well from the get-go... Plus, I just loved Low so much that there's just no way you can't like Peter too, especially when you read how much Low does for his mate. Definitely recommended.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently discovered Megan Derr (by way of friends' gently push); loved her two books of her Devil series. Went through her backlist and decided to read this series because they're shorter (I'm in the mood for novella lengths stories) pieces and offers supernatural creatures I like to read.

Guess what? I'm charmed, once again.

Lowell, is young and shy and a little bit awkward, which of course grabs my heart the moment I read his (very funny!) "headline" thoughts (Body Found By Highway: No One Would Give Poor Werewolf A Ride in the Rain). Although Lowell knows that he's a werewolf, there's so much more he is yet understand about the nature of werewolves and other supernatural creatures -- until he meets Dr. Peter Kohl and arrives at Midsummer's Night.

It's lovely paced and romantically tender; as Lowell realizes what he is capable of, and why Peter smells so "yummy" to him. It's enjoyable to read how Lowell blossoms (I'm using purple prose, ick!) to a stronger and protective wolf, even when he doesn't know who he actually is (he is a purebreed and an Alpha in the making). This gentle Alpha is so different than regular Alphas; I think it's simply wonderful...

Off to the next novella!

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. That was excellent. I mean, it was perfect. I am actually in a kind of speechless place at the moment.

I really just need to read the next one.

Shit that was good. Great. Loved it!

[Eva Müller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Midsummer's Moon is a werewolf-story. The main-character of that werewolf-story is Lowell the werewolf. Lowell is a werewolf. The author is very worried that the reader might forget that werewolf Lowell is a werewolf so the fact that Lowell is a werewolf is mentioned approximately five times per paragraph.
Did I already mention that Lowell is a werewolf? A very sad and miserable werewolf. Werewolf Lowell is also supposed to be 18 years old but alternated between sounding like an emo-teenager, written by somebody who has never met a teenager and sounding like a six year old, written by somebody who has never met a six-year old.
Also Lowell is a werewolf. A sad and miserable werewolf. The author is almost as worried about the reader forgetting that werewolf Lowell is sad and miserable as she is about the reader forgetting that Lowell is a werewolf, so the fact that Lowell the werewolf is sad and miserable is mentioned about three times per paragraph.
So we spent about 90% of the story establishing that Lowell, the sad and miserable werewolf is a sad and miserable werewolf and dropping hints that Lowell, the sad and miserable werewolf is in fact as special werewolfy snowflake but while everybody knows what kind of special snowflake Lowell, the sad and miserable werewolf, is they don't tell him because of reasons. But they are not very good at not saying anything so they keep implying that Lowell, the sad and miserable werewolf, is somehow different from all the other werewolves without going into more detail. As a result Lowell, the sad and miserable werewolf, gets even sadder and more miserable because he is certain that he is even more a freak than he had thought and everybody will hate him for that.
In the last 10% some drama happens but Lowell the sad and miserable werewolf can immediately use all his special werewolf snowflake powers that he learned about only two paragraphs before and solve all the drama. Afterwards Lowell is no longer a sad and miserable werewolf but just a werewolf.
The End.
Werewolf.

ARC received by NetGalley.

[Deeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megan Derr has a unique way of telling tried and trusted stories.

I adored Lowell and Peter. Watching the way Lowell fought his feelings believing himself unworthy was sweet. I did want to shake Peter for making things look more confusing than they needed to be though lol.

The werewolf aspect on this one was a delightful change. I loved the twist with Peter and Anita.

I really love how Miss Derr can take a modern day world but give it an old world feel.

ETA See above

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually like Megan Derr much more than this. Lacked depth and relationship-building, but lacked the plot and worldbuilding that would usually be engaging when a story is light on romance. Curious to try more in the series and see if I like others, as giving 2 stars really is an outlier for me with her.
Having an uneducated orphan teen protagonist also contributed to very young-sounding and repetitive wording (his mate “smelled yummy” so many times) which really took away from it for me.

[Charly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Practically no character development

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 4/10

PROS:
- The world of the story is interesting. Not just the town populated by mostly supernatural beings; there are also some new details about vampires, for instance, that I haven’t ever seen before (not that I’ve read a ton of vampire fiction).
- Lowell is quite the pitiful sight at the beginning of the story (although not completely pathetic), so I was rooting for him to find a happy ending right from the start.

CONS:
- There are a bunch of news headlines sprinkled through the story (e.g. “Mute Werewolf Left to Die”) which Lowell uses to comment silently on his current situation. I’m sure they’re meant to be amusing, but I found them incredibly annoying.
- POSSIBLE SPOILER HERE: I liked the dominant side of Lowell that comes out later in the story (not in bed, just in increased confidence when dealing with the antagonists). But it also made me more annoyed at his timidity and constant ���uh-um” stammering in non-confrontational situations. And I think the author takes it a step too far.
- The lack of editing drove me a little batty after a while. Native speakers usually use contractions in conversations, not the full words like “I do not know” and “I am surprised you do not start with me.” Also, “co slaw” is not a thing; and if you’re going to use the news headline thing, at least make sure you don’t repeat any of them. Your readers are going to notice if you use “Werewolf Dies of Mortification” and “Werewolf Dies of Embarrassment” just two pages apart.

Overall comments: There’s no depth to this. The men may spend a couple of weeks together before anything physical happens (which really isn’t long, but compared to some stories in this genre, it might as well be half a lifetime). But we don’t get to see any deep connection between them in that time. There’s not much conversation about anything other than eating or werewolf lore, and there’s no chemistry to speak of, physical or otherwise. This one left me cold.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Uh, um, rolls eyes, yummy" Really? If we could eliminate all occurrances of those words from this story, I think I would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, all of the characters kind of sounded alike. The dialogue was a bit amateurish. Lowell sounded more like a child to the point where the relationship with Peter seemed a bit eeky. And, the switch from lost puppy to alpha was a bit abrupt. And, did we have to go through the paranormal 101 where they defined everything?

[Vfields Don't touch my happy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Lowell is trying to cure his affliction and he stumbles onto the life he was meant to live. We are introduced to a few of this towns wonderful characters. I just don't understand why Megan Derr won't write me ( and yes, it's all about me) a longer novel. I want more because these short bits & pieces are annoying me. I love these characters and they make me so happy but I want more.

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midsummer Night is a paranormal town, and just so interesting. You don't get to leave if the town doesn't want you to, and pretty much any kind of supernatural creature can be found there. Lowell heads there on the advice of another werewolf, in search of a cure for his "affliction" that is supposedly offered by the town’s doctor, Peter. Turns out to be a false rumor, but the start of something great. I absolutely loved Low, and the way he thinks in terms of headlines "Werewolf Dumbest on Planent, Studies Show" was endearing and funny. To be alone your whole life with no idea of your heritage, well, you can’t help but want good things for Low. And Peter, having been part of Stacy’s story, deserves someone like Low. The whole town just makes me want to move there.
I was a little worried about listening to this story, because I have read it and loved it. I can only say – the sexy drawl of the narrator, Paul Morey, just adds so much yum to the whole thing. I want to listen to something by Morey that isn’t set southern, to see if it works as well.

Audio edition

[Cheesecake]

I tried to listen to this one a while ago and just remember giving up because it was all just so sad and slow and depressing. Like a long winded rainy day.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the longer shorts. I liked Lowell but he felt young so a little awkward on the relationship side. I liked the supporting characters. Felt sorry for Peter.

[Caroline Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE

Lowell is a werewolf with a difference. He hates that part of himself and wishes only to be human. Abandoned by his parents, struggling through orphanages and generally having a pretty miserable first 18 years of his life he is thoroughly fed up. When he hears about a doctor in a small town who may have worked out how to cure his lycanthropy he puts all his eggs in that basket and starts the journey to find him.

Luck is not on his side and whilst walking mile after mile to find the doctor he has deemed his last hope he gets caught in a downpour late at night. Bedraggled, dirty and soaking wet he is on the verge of just lying down at the side of the road and giving up when a car pulls over and offers him a lift along with a place to stay for the night and food. Lowell is overwhelmed by the stranger’s kindness.

As coincidences come his saviour is a pretty big one. The gentle man whose name is Peter just so happens to be the doctor he is looking for. His joy is short lived when he realises the cure is just a myth and Peter can’t help him achieve his dream.

Peter offers him refuge, clean clothes, food and kindness. The town they end up seems to attract supernatural beings of all kinds and they all appear to live in relative harmony. As the days turn into weeks Lowell feels settled for the first time in his life but there are secrets yet to be spilled and he is confused regarding his feelings for the very yummy smelling Peter.

When Peter’s family arrive in town years old truths will finally surface leaving Peter vulnerable and yearning for his old pack. He will need Lowell and his new found dominance and strength to get through it all.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars Hmm, I liked this, although since I knew there were more books in this series I figured we'd get more Lowell and Peter relationship development in book 2. Turns out each book in the series features new couples. Not even people we met in this book, completely new, which decreases my interest in continuing, to be honest. But I digress.

I would have liked for a second book about Lowell and Peter because I was a bit underwhelmed by their romance. Peter was a great guy. Lowell blushed and clearly had a crush on Peter. But that's about it. No sexual tension. Not much of anything. Until suddenly it's all explained away like a how-to manual and they're mates and Lowell is Alpha and blah blah blah.

Speaking of Alpha, that turn-around gave me whiplash. And was a bit over the top with the threats and the "mongrel" and the "master." I mean, really? The audio may have contributed to this because Lowell's voice went insanely deep and sounded like a 45 year old man, not an 18 year old kid. That was probably the point, but it didn't quite fit for me.

As I'm writing this, I feel bad it's mostly negatives. This is a sweet story that held a lot of potential. But I think it either needs some adjusting, or needs a true sequel. The narration was good, although not stand out. The story just wasn't fully developed enough for me, but that wasn't the audio versions fault.

Audiobook received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, reviewed for Hearts On Fire

[Notta Chance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just reread this story and enjoyed the first couple of sections pretty well. Peter is pretty awesome. I found him very grounded and well adjusted if not a bit young (28-ish) for someone of his qualifications and scientific experience. Most doctors are just finishing up their schooling at this age. Lowell is cute too as long as he's alone. The second someone else walks into the room he starts acting like a kicked puppy. He comes off a bit weak and soft for someone who managed to survive living on the streets as a child.

The third section was one eye roll after another. Strange, I didn't remember it being too bad when I first read it a year or two ago but maybe it's just my mood. Either way, Lowell comes off more like a yapping chihuahua in the last section than a big bad wolf. Yo quero Taco Bell. The brother and cousin's excuse for hating Peter seemed a bit thin too. I wouldn't have been disappointed to have seen Low go rabid and eat the whole bunch. Lol Stacy especially needed some eatin'. Low should have gobbled him up like a big old country fried steak with extra gravy.

[Phaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh god! I just might be dying from an overdose of sweetness. And not the syrupy kind either.
This was just wonderful. <3

I didn’t notice one word too many and loved being deeply immersed into the narrator’s point of view.
Even as far as lore goes, the paranormal setting felt fresh – and at the same time fit in with a lot of the lore established before the subgenre took off on its own.

But – and forgive me for jumping topics like that – it’s really the characters that melted me.
Everyone is just so utterly sweet in this story. Lowell’s humble selflessness in particular gave me the warm fuzzies, but also those funny thoughts of his (the headlines just as much as the rest).
Just… aww. *happy sigh* This story goes to show that you do not need to have sex for a fulfilling romance.

Perhaps one day I will write down all the headlines and see if the result works as a story of its own. So adorable!

[Ng · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lowell, a homeless werewolf is trying to get to Midsummer, where a doctor has found a way to cure him of lycanthropy. He is picked up/given a lift by someone when completely exhausted and cold. That someone turns out to be Dr. Peter Kuhl, the doctor he is trying to meet. Lowell is shy and does not have any confidence and is most unlike any alpha werewolf he learns he is. Whenever there is a problem, he has thoughts that run like these: "Werewolf Finally Dies: World Sleeps Better". This was cute to start with, but got tiring soon. The constant usage of "bloodsucker", "mad scientist" got tiring. This never appears in the following sequels. So that is certainly better.
The town of Midsummer seems interesting with different paranormals more than humans. The back story of Peter was good.

The premise was good, but I just wish the book was a bit more polished.

[Sucajo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your usual werewolf story. Lowell doesn't want to be a werewolf anymore. He is alone, homeless and jobless but he's heard a rumour about a doctor who can cure him of being a werewolf. Whilst hitch-hiking in the rain he meets Peter (who smells very nice!). Accepting a lift from Peter starts Lowell on a journey that's not quite what he was expecting. This was a very sweet story and I loved the wolf headlines from Lowell's thoughts. I wish it was longer but I will go on to read the next book in the series.

[L-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lowell is a lone wolf that is traveling to a town called Midsummer because he's heard that a local doctor there has discovered a cure for lycanthropy. Once he arrives and meets the good doctor, Peter, however, he makes a few astounding discoveries.

I enjoyed this story and liked Lowell and Peter. It's hard to say too much without spoilers but I thought it was a quick, fun read and I liked it as part of the Midsummer series.

[PointyEars42 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%. No thank you - I do NOT want to be stuck inside this child's mind for a second longer. I am, in fact, totally squicked out by how naive and ignorant and innocent he's written to be. Refering to himself as a werewolf every few minutes also makes me wonder if he has memory issues or some sort of mental disability... which just exacerbates the feeling that I'm reading some paedophile's werewolf fantasy.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this lovely little tale, the start of a series by Megan.
Lowell, the hero, is a great character. His newspaper headline thoughts cracked me up.
I'm going to read the rest of the series, starting now, and am happy I've found another jewel by Megan, one of my favourite authors whom I can rely on to be worth spending the money on, time after time.

[Mistral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, short story about a very unusual alpha werewolf. Lowell is an endearing character, he's awkward, shy and adorable and his inner monologues are so funny! Loved him and loved this book, I wish it was longer...

[Meggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hm, this story was personally to short and the way it ended, simply didn't gave that "it's complete" vibe for me. Anyway, both MC where cute, but cuteness, doesn't make such story, great! Anyway, Lowell was way to passive and as a character way to calm, personally a boring Alpha gentleman.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 Re-Read:

I thought the inner-monologue-headlines were adorable, although the narrator could have done a better job with them. And, as usual with this author's shorter books, I would've liked a lot more story to this story.

[Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss you Paul Morey.

[Audra Rytter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest issues were not resolved leaving the story feeling incomplete

Derr does her usual brilliant job creating a world very quickly and well. I like how original Lowell's voice and personality are. Peter, however, felt thin and controlling (even though withholding information hurt rather than helped). This story isn't a romance to me because it focuses on how clueless Lowell is rather than on the two interacting. Treat the Midsummer series as an installment story (instead of a series) and I think you'll enjoy the world created and the quirky characters that inhabit it. I give the whole "series" four stars as all of them put together create a charming peek at a small town and the characters flow in and out of multiple stories and convey the feeling of continuing growth.

[Justyna Małgorzata · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartwarming story, but too short, I guess? I liked how awkward and shy Lowell was - that is, at the beginning he sounded a bit dumb and weird, but I imagined him as an adult then. When I realized he was just a teenager, it suddenly fit. He had really grown on me more and more with every paragraph. Peter was nice, but not outstanding. And Stacey deserves a good lashing. All the other characters were rather bleak and undeveloped. The plot itself was just so-so. But it had a few really cute moments and Lowell himself, so... 3.25 stars it is.