Midsummer Law

Midsummer's Night #3

by Megan Derr

Being Sheriff is a hard job, even in a town like Midsummer. The law is the law, and when magic is thrown into the mix, everything gets more complicated. Kirby is lonely and worn out, and his latest unpleasant duty is contacting the brother of a recent suicide. Given the complications surrounding the tragedy, and just how loathed the deceased man was in Midsummer, meeting his brother is not something Kirby is any hurry to do.

But when he arrives, Merry is nothing like his deceased brother—nothing like anything Kirby has seen in a long time, and quite possibly a reason to feel things Kirby thought he’d never feel again.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Contemporary, Audiobook

46 pages, ebook

First published July 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

[Drusilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll keep this short: it was sweet and a nice addition, but I'm also glad I'm done with the series now. Definitely not the author's best work, but if you're already a fan, it might work for you.
For me, this installment lacked depth; both main characters deserved better. The concept behind it was great, as always, but as I said, I've read better.

❝
Kirby could see the ruby studs in his ears, the various rings on his fingers, the bracelets on his wrist. He wore purple eye shadow that should have looked bad against the touches of red, but in fact looked amazing, and black lipstick that made it damned hard to stop looking at his mouth. 🖤🖤🖤

❝
"Hey, Mer! There's a cowboy here to see you!"
The words were almost immediately followed by a crash and the sound of glass breaking. 🤭

[Ingie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written February 3, 2015

3.2 Stars - Super sweet, wonderfully told and narrated

Book #3

Yet another cute short tale from Midsummer Town. This time the sheriff got his kinky dream fulfilled.

Midsummer's Law is the third book in the sweet paranormal Midsummer series in three parts. New lovebirds in each book-part and you get quickly done, sweet amusing, fairytale feeling novellas. (My reviews:

★★★☆☆ ~ #1 - Midsummer Moon (3.3 stars)
★★★★☆ ~ #2 - Midsummer Curse (3.5 stars)
)

The audiobooks are all narrated by Paul Morey in a perfect entertaining way. Love, love, love his voice. This one is just 2:11 hrs long.

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

The small, but very paranormal friendly, Midsummer town's own Sheriff Kirby's love-story. Kirby is an lonely man with witch ancestors who has mourned his dead life-love-lovers for a lot of years (19!!). Then one day he get a visit from the now dead Kerry's (see book #2) very attractive twin-brother.

Merry is a gorgeous neat hobgoblin in lace, leather and make up. Kind of Kirby's secret wet dream.

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

Undoubtedly very good to listen to if you just want something quickly done, short and sweet.

I LIKE - a short amusing fairy tale

[Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really getting into this one. At 54% all details are mostly about clothes or pointless thoughts from the Mc. Then when the two guys finally get to hang out it skips over it with a small they had fun flashback and now story back to rambling thoughts of mc but there has been no character growth or any plot happening...

By the end they have spent almost no time together, every time they do get together story skims a little bit of them and then jumps months ahead where something apparently happened during that time but the characters forgot the details of it. So pretty much no plot to this one and as a reader I saw no connection between these two at all they were both very shallow (undeveloped) characters and with no plot this was pretty boring

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars

My favorite of the 3 listened to so far. Very sweet, flirty & romantic. I especially loved Merry's wardrobe (if not how it's basically called "goth" all the time) and how gender-fluid it could appear sometimes. That it's what first attracted Kirby to him - seemingly based on a dead teen lover's old style - wasn't really addressed until the end of the story, but even though we don't get much heat it's easy to see that Kirby lusts after Merry.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 stars

I agree with few of the reviews already available for this story. For example: quite a number of scenes explaining Merry's clothes instead of actual interaction to explain their attraction -- it made me wonder, does Kirby like Merry because of the clothes?!? Because once the boy Kirby used to love wore similar goth clothes not long before he died??

Plus, the ending is abruptly fast forward. Right after such a cute New Year's Party, suddenly Kirby is grumpy because he and Merry had a fight? My reaction to this was: Wait, WHAT fight?! Where, when, how, about what?!? It has never been explained.

I do like the New Year's Party and the intrusive nature of the supernatural citizens of Midsummer's Night, with their gossips and their teases over Kirby, the Sherrif. Feels exactly like the type of small town I used to read from M/F contemporary romance. And again, a hobglobin as character, that's another plus point :)

[Mandy*reads obsessively* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I always enjoy Megan Derr's stories, and her Midsummer books are sweet and cute.
This was Sheriff Kirby and Merry's story, I liked the cowboy and the goth theme that Ms Derr got going in this story, but it was just to short for me to really fall in love with the MCs.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pacing was a bit weird, but Kirby and Merry were super cute.

[Nik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally read this book before the other two in the series but it was still good. I liked how it started out as insta-lust and gradually, over a few months, grew to love between Kirby and Merry. I loved how different Merry was, all decked out in full-goth gear; while it might sound juvenile, the way it's written and described just fit with what you come to know of Merry. I couldn't help but laugh at what was Kirby's 'type' and Merry definitely is his type.

I found the relationship between Kirby and his secretary to be hilarious. Whoever says woman don't rule the world is totally wrong because in this book Nancy does. Lol. Oh, and I have I mentioned Kirby being auctioned off? Hilarious.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midsummer is a paranormal town, with every kind of paranormal creature, in a Mayberry type small town setting. Kirby is the Sheriff of Midsummer, a lonely man who lost his true love years ago. He feels partly responsible for the suicide of a hobgoblin, Kerry, (in the book before this, Midsummer Curse) and is worried when he find Kerry had a twin brother, Merry. Even worse when Merry shows up, and is the Goth boy of Kirby's cowboy dreams. This the third in the series, and really needs to be read in order, to understand the backstory. Merry is absolutely delicious but I question the time jump from starting to date to having a fight we don't see.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this story and especially the characters - Merry in particular was absolutely adorable. However, even after reading the story, I don't feel like I really know Merry and Kirby as a couple. A lot of 'getting to know you' stuff that I would have liked to see was skipped over - the first weekend they spent actual time together, then a month was skipped until Merry visited Midsummer, then the final 3 1/2 months until he visited again and the story was over. What this means is that we only 'see' them together for a total of about a day. As a result, I feel like this story isn't as fleshed out as the other two.

[Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

They didn’t have enough page time together. So much of their relationship happened off page.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues on from the previous story with Sheriff Kirby and Kerry’s hobgoblin twin Merry. I liked it, it was sweet and the duo made a nice couple.

[L-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

We met Sheriff Kirby at the end of Midsummer Curse when he was investigating the death of one of Midsummer's residents. This story picks off after Midsummer Curse and Kirby is trying to reach the brother of Kerry, the hobgoblin from the last book. When they finally meet, he discovers that Merry is nothing like his brother Kerry and everything that Kirby finds attractive in a man. With an instant attraction, Kirby, a long-time bachelor, must figure out how to draw Merry into his world.

This was basically a straight romance. There was no mystery to solve like in the first book, or even any antagonists like Stacy from book 1. It was simply two men who live hours apart who are trying to make a go of a connection that they both feel for each other. Very sweet. I would have liked a bit more substance to the story - like maybe Kirby and Merry joining magic to defeat some bad guy or whatnot - but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

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

Megan Derr you're killing me here!
I am very taken by this series but I can't stand how short these stories are. That and that alone leave me with a sour taste in my mouth. Let me explain...
We get some of Kirby's story. He's the sheriff of Midsummer. He is handling the remains from a character that died in the second book/installment. We meet the deceased's next of kin, Merry. We didn't get to know very much about Merry, WHICH IS SO DARN FRUSTRATING! While I was reading it I was jumping up & down in my head excited to get a character with Merry's characteristics - which I don't see very often. Missed chance to explore more! We never got to explore Kirby's tastes and see how this couple would handle things in a public non-safe environment.
All THESE missed opportunities were so sad.

[Phaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freakishly lovely! <3

This third narrator is quite different yet again.
Kirby is the most normal of them thus far (if you consider being a witch normal), and he oozes inner loneliness – the kind that results from loss and sticks to you no matter how much you are part of a social network.

As usual with single POV, we don’t get that close to his love interest, but that’s okay since these stories bring the emotion across beautifully anyway. They’re strangely real, strangely relatable.

This one isn’t filled with squee-worthy sweetness like the previous volumes, but it still feels just wonderful. Like a hot cup of tea after you’ve been out in the Christmas cold, maybe. Definitely heart-warming.

[Fairy / Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually I love books by this author, but not this time. This story was about nothing and I didn't feel the connection... For me, kind of disappointment.

[Charly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost no development of the romance

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

Rating: 4/10

PROS:
- I found the writing in this volume noticeably smoother than in volume 1. (I puzzled over this a bit: as far as I know, these aren’t Megan Derr’s first and third stories ever, so… perhaps a better editor this time around? Maybe she liked these characters a bit more and really took her time with their story? I don’t know.)
- I was intrigued early on by little details in the story--things like Kirby using protective spells instead of locks on his home.
- I like that Merry is effeminate and goth. It’s not a characteristic I see too often in m/m novels, and Derr describes it (and its effect on Kirby) well.

CONS:
- The story has no development to speak of. Here’s an illustration: shortly after their first meeting, Merry asks Kirby to stay for the weekend and then we see them headed out to brunch together. Then there’s a scene break, and the next scene begins with “Thanks for the weekend.” The story skips literally the entire first formative period in their relationship… and then skips the next several weeks as well, because the next thing we see is Kirby pining away for Merry because they’re already deeply in love.
- As interesting as I found the little world-building details, I also found myself frustrated by the fact that the boundaries of the magic in the story aren’t explained / spelled out / defined. For instance, Kirby uses a heating ward to keep his house warm because it works better than central heat; why, then, does he have to use a coffee maker to make coffee? Why can’t he just use a spell when he wants some?

Overall comments: Someone gifted me volume 1 of this series and this volume a while back and told me it wasn’t strictly necessary to read them in order. I thought I’d read these two before deciding on whether to purchase volume 2, and I’ve decided the answer is no.

[esda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was actually missing all what makes lovestories interesting in this story: the chemistry between the characters, standing up against the odds.. Nothing of that happened.
The MC and his love interest meet for the first time, fall in love, and the only obstacle is, that they live "a nine hour drive" away from each other. But even that obstacle is solved pretty quickly.
Then there's the abrupt ending of the story: there seems to be a "cut" in the story: one moment, they celebrate New Years Eve together, in the next scene the MC is at work and all grumpy because of a falling out with his lover. Problem here: we never get to read (or hear, if you were listening to the audiobook, like I was) the quarrel. Even after they "make up" (which is more like: "oh, yeah, I'm moving here now, if you still want me to") we never actually get to hear what happened.
And then the story just ends. Uh.. o_O

[Nix Buttons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike the previous stories, this one doesn't have any mystery or drama. It also lacks proper relationship building and even character depth, very unsatisfying. On the plus side are the tolerant characters, having no problems with queerness in all it's forms. And I really liked both main characters very much. If only so many important scenes and parts weren't skipped over... I felt cheated.
I would be disappointed even if this was by another author. Being that Derr is actually one of my favourite authors, this series is plain disappointing. I feel seriously let down.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirby is the sheriff for the town of Midsummer, and he's feeling isolated, burned out, and tired. Lonely might be a better word for it. Then he's given an unhappy chore: inform Merry Greyling that his brother has killed himself. Only Merry is unlike anyone he's ever encountered before, and he's immediately fascinated by the flamboyant and dazzling man. Their new relationship has some bumps and snags, but the course of true love does flow direct and sweet here.

This was really cute. A lot happens in such a short story, and Derr really does that well.

Four stars.

[Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

My favorite of the series so far. The MCs are the Sheriff Kirby (a witch; we met him in the previous book) and Kerry's twin brother Merry (a hobgoblin). The author has the cowboy and the goth theme going. With the previous books, the werewolves could sense their mates. Here it is not clear why Merry and Kirby like/love each other. There is a lot of description of Merry's clothes. This book should have been longer as the ending is very abrupt.

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. This has been number one on my To Read shelf since 2018, lol. FINALLY!!!

And I was a bit let down, boo. I enjoyed this series and ummm, nothing really happened in this book?

They meet and the end. I was seriously bummed. I thought there would be something scandalous or something OMG happens but nope. I mean, THAT'S NOT BAD. I guess I was just expecting something more?! Oh well. It was ok. It was sweet/cute.

[Christine]

This was a really cute book about a sheriff who has to inform a man that his brother committed suicide.  It turns out that the brother is a twin and looks like something that walked right out of the sheriff's favorite fantasy.  After some awkward flailing, communication happens.  This cute tale might contain some graphic sex, and it does help if you have read the two preceding novels.

[Allerleihrau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich mag den Sheriff, ich mag Merry und das war eine nette Geschichte.
Irritiert und rausgerissen hat mich allerdings ein Zeitsprung der erst eine halbe Seite später erwähnt wird. War ziemlich verwirrend.
Die Geschichte ist kurz und das macht sich bemerkbar. Daher vier Sterne

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paranormal mm romance between two magic wielders. Overlap with previous characters from the series. Not as much drama in this one except for an off-page unspecified argument. The usual sloppy typos on almost every page.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than #1, not as good as #2, but acceptable. Its one major flaw was the author's decision to skip a fight between them entirely, so we end a chapter with them happy, and the last one's they broke up and the Sheriff cranky. The resolution's good. Just... that was not the best choice.

[b. binaohan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gay cops are the worst.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo goooood.

[Dawn Lacroix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merry and Kirby

Always loved this story even though it's basis is a tragedy. Would be great to more of these two characters. Great job Megan

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.