Upon The Midnight Clear (A Dream-Hunter Novel - Book 2)

I swore to myself that I would not read anymore of Kenyon's books after the great disappointment of Dark Side of the Moon but I never could do as I say. Someone need to truly slap me!

Anyways enough of that. I'm not going to waste my time retelling the story. Excerpts can be found in other reviews.

What surprised me about this particular book was that I actually don't hate it as I thought I would when I plucked it off the shelf (and I only did so cus I ran out of books to read!). I actually like Leta and Aiden and enjoyed their quick love story. Yes they did fell in love too fast but what do you expect when this is supposedly a novella? I would had given this a 4 star if it was part of an analogy cus at least I would get 3 or 4 more potential good story for $6.99. But because we were cheated, I took back 1 star. I should take back another but I do like Leta. Oh and also, the "gift" story at the end was just as bad as Dark Side of the Moon and Dream Hunter! I give that a -5! It wasn't even a story. It was just her attempt to let the fans know what the others are doing on Christmas. That was really really cheap. You know, seriously, I don't think I even care unless they have something to do with the plot.

As for the reviewers who are hoping that Mrs. Kenyon take a step back and realize how far off course she's gone and realize that she is just publishing dump for us to read, I say keep hoping. I don't think she'll ever realize it as long as people like us keep supporting her by buying her books and of course the die hard fans who praises her and give her 5 stars for everything she publish. I mean her board is still bombard with fans who applaud her and beg her for more. Unlike Mrs. Feehan who heard us and actually are trying to redeem herself, Mrs. Kenyon ear plugs are just in too deep.

Now with that said, will I read the Dream Chaser? Probably. Oh dang it! Slap me again!!! However, I can tell you this, I'm still done with Ash. I'll read the rest of the series, however many she'll write but I won't read Ash's.

This was my second shot at a "Dream Hunter" novel and I'm sorry to say that they still suck. The scenario of the book is this, a gorgeous yet jaded guy staying in remote cabin in the wilderness to get away from the society that he hates because he feels that they turned on him. Unbeknownst to him he has been targeted by his own brother to be killed by the god of pain, yes, that's right, the god of pain because his brother hates his success and has turned everyone against him with the lies that he has spread. But a beautiful woman shows up unexpectedly at his door claiming to be lost in a sudden snowstorm and he grudgingly lets her stay until the storm subsides. She is actually there to protect him because as a Dream Hunter she has made it her mission to defeat the god of pain again as she once did hundreds of years ago. So here we have a beautiful woman alone in cabin with a gorgeous man who even though he hates and distrusts all people on page one has decided that he can trust her once she reveals that she is there to help him and also because he is just so damn attracted to her.
They never leave the cabin except in his dreams which of course she can enter where they battle the god of pain who they ultimately defeat and live happily ever after.
What I don't get is how her Dark Hunter books can be so good and these can suck so much.

The only thing that made this book bearable was the glimpse into other characters' lives in the end in a kind of short story. It was nice to hear about Bride, Nick, Ash and the others. Not that this part was in any way a short story, it was too jumbled up for that, I just liked reading a a bit about Kenyon's other characters who actually are interesting and likeable.
Because believe you me, the characters in this book: Upon the Midnight Clear are everything but. How Kenyon who has written so many exciting books that I tear eagerly through, still hungry for more when the book is over. How far, far away from that this book is. Buying th,is book is a waste of time and money. Don't buy it and don't read it unless you feel a strong urge to punish yourself.
There is practically no story here. The entire dribble is uneventful, unengaging, flat, frustrating and just plain boring.
The main male character, Aidan, is a whiner who spends the entire book whining and complaining how bad the world has been to him and how he is such a wonderful, perfect person himself who has never done a single thing to deserve the harsh treatment of the world. After a couple of pages of: Waaahh waaaah, poor me, I have it so bad, feel sorry for I wanted to slap his face. Unfortunately, it only gets worse. The whole sorry story is in fact nothing but mind tearing, frustrating whine from this most boring of characters.I wanted to throttle him, slap him and scream in his face: Would you please stop! I can't take any more! Seldom does it happen that I actually want a character to die an excruciating death and never to be seen from or heard again (actually, that NEVER happens) but in this case I did. He was begging for it! What were you thinking Kenyon in inflicting this story upon us unsuspecting fans?! To borrow a page from this wretched character's book: What did we do to deserve this horror?!
The main female character, Leta, is supposed to be a goddess who is there to save Aidan from a horrible death. Well, I didn't see much saving there. Leta is such a lame, weak goddess that she actually can't manage that. Despite of Aidan being a puny human he is better suited to dealing with the angry god who is out to get him, rather than the goddess Leta who is all but worthless in a fight.
What can I say about Leta. Flat. Uninteresting. Dull. She is supposed to have a tragic background but I can't muster any interest in it. She is totally lifeless. Once in a while she comes up with a snide comment that spark a glimpse of humour in an otherwise dull story but right after she starts to feel for Aidan and his poor, poor soul. So the book is from start to finish a whiny retelling from Aidan about the bad, bad things people have done to him and the rest of it Leta thinking: Poor, poor Aidan.

In short: Nothing happens in this book except for mind numbingly boring conversations between the main characters about how bad the world has been to poor, undeserving Aidan, the rich movie-star and the thoughts of the MCs on the same matter.
That's it.

Please, PLEASE, in the name of everything that is good, wake up Sherrilyn! Stop torturing us and give us something good, fun and original to read again! You're too good for this! Find the spark again! Cause it sure wasn't in this sorry excuse of a book.

I was looking so forward to this book--I was so hoping the characters would be dramatic, complex, the type who stay on your mind long after you finish the book, but for some reason all those hopes were dashed, and all the writing didn't ring true. I tried to find the hero sexy and attractive--his description said he was--but he was so busy hating the world--and while he didn't whine about it, the constant bombardment of resentment he felt made it ring like a whine in my head. As for Leta--I loved her strength and determination--but what kept ringing untrue here was how in one days time--probably not even a whole 24 hour period--these two could fall madly in love--in the I'd give my last breath type love....

Perhaps because it was only a short story, the hero and Heroine lacked the sizzle I have come to expect between SK's character--they had sex only once--it was in a dream--and I wanted there to be more...I expected there to be--more....

And because of that--of all the books Sherri has written--and I've read them all but the "Bad" series--this has to be the least sensual....
It did add some interesting new information on the Dream god's curse--

The little Christmas with the Dark hunters in the back was great....I love that Sherri does little things like this.

First, I take umbrage with the fact that I was charged so much for what is essentially a short story with font large enough to make it the length of a book. Eight dollars for what amounts to 100 pages of text? No, no thank you.

It just goes downhill from there. I haven't met a whinier character than Aidan O'Connor in quite some time. What with the lengthy, LENGTHY descriptions of all the ways life has screwed him over, I found myself wanting to slap him upside the head repeatedly. He's got little to no chemistry with Leta, who he's supposed to be madly in love with by the end of the story. (Any Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves fans out there? I wanted to say "You whine like a mule, you are still alive" a LOT, but with SLAPPING and KICKING involved.)

I've really been less than impressed with the quality of the last few books, especially when the first four or five had such promise. I wish she'd slow down and stop catering to the demands of the publishers and actually take the time to write a good book again.

I admit that I have been sucked into reading the Dream-Hunter novels because I loved most of the Dark-Hunter books. I guess you could say that I am worried that I might miss something that relates to Acheron and his dark-hunters. DREAM HUNTER was mediocre at best but at least it provided some background on Acheron and his origin. With this second book, however, not only was it repetitive but it lacked any spark to make it even slightly memorable.

UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR is the story of a world-renowned celebrity who turned his back on the world after suffering from the heartbreak brought upon by the betrayal of his friends and family. Aidan O'Conner is the central character whose brother would stop at nothing to destroy him. And it looks as if his brother's wish may finally come true in the form of the god of pain, Dolor. But Aidan is not without help as Dolor's archenemy Leta, an oneroi, is hellbent on ensuring that Dolor is kept locked away for eternity. Leta pretends to be a human stranded in the mountain whose only chance for survival in the freezing cold is Aidan's charity. Now you would think that Kenyon would have worked on the characterization to at least make the "blossoming" attraction believable, but no, just about every second page of the book was focused on Aidan venting out his frustration and despair about people's greed. Alright, we get it, you've been used. By the way, the oneroi in front of you has fallen head over heels in love despite your grouchiness. No, I didn't dream this. I have read many romance novels and have never had any problem with the pace that the characters fall for each other, but I couldn't understand how Leta could have fallen for Aidan. The man was an absolute bore! By the time Dolor was able to manifest into the real world, I was almost wishing that he would rip Aidan's head off and prevent Leta from making the biggest mistake of her eternal life. But of course good prevails over evil and everyone is supposed to live happily ever after.

Trust me when I say that you should try borrowing this if you truly want to read it. It is not worth paying regular price for a book that should have been included in a novella (read: really big font). I am sorry Sherrilyn but your fans deserve better.

First off, I knew that this was a Christmas gift to fans and a novella. I also knew the font size would be large for older readers. As someone who has purchased large print books before, I have to say this: You're paying four to five dollars just for the font. The story is worth only two to three dollars (and that's for the length of the story, not the quality.)

If you're a die-hard Kenyon fan who has loved every story published, you'll love this book.

If you're someone who's become a fan based on stories published in the last few years, you'll probably enjoy this book and love it if you buy it used or a couple dollars cheaper than the printed price.

If you're a Kenyon fan who hasn't been completely disappointed with her past few books (mainly because you waited for the paperback or checked it out at the library)you'll probably like this book, but still be a bit disappointed if you buy it at regular price.

If you're a Kenyon fan who's wondering where Sherrilyn disappeared and thinking that based on her last few books, success has destroyed her storytelling ability...you'll continue thinking that way, be quite upset, decide to give up on Sherrilyn and demand a refund if you buy this book.

In short, even if you want a story that any author could write, it's best to save your money and check this book out from your local library. (If your library stocks her books, they'll definitely have it and it will most likely be in stock. I go to three small town libraries every week and they always have this book in stock even though they each only have one copy of it. All three also have used bookstores and always have a copy or two for fifty cents to a dollar.)

As for me personally, I've enjoyed all of Ms. Kenyon books that are published under the name Kenyon except the Dream-Hunter books. I skimmed both books at the library because I simply wasn't interested enough to actually check them out. I never considered buying them because the blurbs on the back screamed at me not to. If this book's summary is what brought you to the reviews, trust your gut and save your bucks.

This is a surprisingly short book. Although initially appearing usual mass-market paperback size, as soon as the pages are opened it becomes clear that there's less to the story than initially expected. It's almost like reading a large print book with the font size very large and a significant gap between the lines. Despite the normal(ish) number of pages at 250, it's more like a novella and took me less that two hours to read in total. Also, despite the seasonal title, there's very little in this book about Christmas; that's not a bad thing, just that if it were being purchased for seasonal reading it wouldn't quite fit.

The overall theme of this story is about trust. Aiden O'Conner is a famous actor with five Oscars to his credit but now no-one he can trust. His fiancee, friends and family have all turned against him in order to get money, even though he was previously willing to freely give it. He's now holed up in a cabin on his own licking his wounds, feeding his anger and vowing never to trust anyone again.

Leta is a goddess who once was able to stop Pain, otherwise known as Dolor, by banishing him. However, when Donnie O'Conner summons Dolor in order to inflict Pain on his brother, Leta realises she will have a battle again to defeat Dolor. She needs to work with Aiden to do this but he doesn't trust her - or anyone else. Aiden's already riddled with pain from all the treatment he has received from those he thought loved him and he is unwilling to trust Leta - initially at least.

The story follows their battle with Dolor along with meeting various other gods and the sacrifices Leta has to make in order to protect Aiden. It's a short read which is reasonable enough but the characterisation of Aiden didn't seem to work for me - he was too good to be true and his friends and family were too bad to be true. Fans of Kenyon's other works will no doubt enjoy this story but as a standalone novel it's short and rather lacking.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2007

This was the worst book I have ever read. I have to wonder if the author recently ended a bad relationship or was conned in some way. It was just too angry. The main character whined the entire book...about nothing! This is the second book in the Dream Hunter and serious and I didn't think anything could be worse than the first. I was wrong. Besides the fact that this book was printed in like 18 font and was less than 250 pages and seemed like a rush job. I have no idea about the characters because there was basically no development, I was really hoping the bad guys won.

I had to finish it because I am reading ALL the books in the series. This was painful. I think it should be taken out of print and forgotten. I ate my vegetables...I now get to read Acheron.

I think Sherrilyn should start taking advice from Acheron: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Just because she has an established fan base and loyal readers, doesn't mean that she should just offer us anything, and still expect us to buy it. This latest story: Pure Trash. This was a short story stretched with a 20 font. I wondered why the book looked so thin when I bought it. Honestly, as readers, there comes a time when you really have to start taking your pride back. Sometimes, this means refusing to purchase books from authors that you used to love.

Honestly, Sherrilyn hasn't written a good, solid story in years. And in trying to be unique and prolific, she's turned her "world" into something that's complicated and silly. I read this book, wondering, okay, who are the Dolophonos and aren't the Cholothonians (sp?) more powerful? Quite frankly, I really resent the fact that you probably need to own a freaking "guide" to understand the characters in her world and their places.

This book was stupid. The romance was dry, and too quick. Where's the build-up?? And, it wasn't worth $1.00, much less the $5.00 I paid for it. It certainly wasn't worth my time. Read at your own risk!!

Arikos is a dream-hunter a race of gods who were cursed by the Zeus to longer feel any type of emotions. After centuries of searching he finally found a woman whose dreams are so vivid he could feel her emotions as his own. He comes to her in her dreams over and over till it becomes an obsession. After being told that he has spent too much type on one human and that he must leave her and move on. He finds he can't and the strangest part for him is the fact he wants more than just what he can have in his Dreams. He wants to be part of her life feel her as a human man would. So In order to become human he must make a deal with a god and no god in Olympus would dare help him so the only one who he could ask to help is Hades. As with any deal with a god there is a steep price to be paid , And the price Hades is asking is the soul of the one person In This world he covets more than anything else.

Dr. Megeara kafieri has watch most of her family searched for Atlantis and many died for the search. Her father died a laughing stock the world never believed his findings. On his death bed Mageara promised she would not let his research go to waste and would continue on he's quest to find the lost city. This promise was given half heartedly with no intentions of following though. Till she received a few items that he father left for her. They were irrefutable proof that the city was real and obtainable. Through her own need to proof her father right and the guilt of not believing him herself she set out to uncover his secrete city.

Arik fell into the voyage with Geary quite latterly. After his deal with Hades he found himself drowning Geary jumping in to save him. Now he must help Geary on her quest to uncover Atlantis to gain her trust. But the gods have other plans they refuse to allow Atlantis be found and Apollymi inadvertently released causing an apocalypse.

Arik is a bit stiff and how naïve he is of the real world is hilarious. He has a cute little boy charm and he finds more than what he thought he would in the real world. Geary is very driven a bit of a prude you know she wants Arik but she will not let down those guards wail she is awake. But my favorite is Solin he is soo funny. He sarcastic and he bring out a fun teasing personality in Arik. He tries to pretend that he doesn't care about anyone but himself but you can tell underneath it all he has a heart of gold. I hope to see more of him in the future. This was not my favorite book in the series but I must say even the slower books that are not my top favs they are still some of the better books I've read. There is not one book in this series I did not like.

Really a novella masquerading as a novel, which is why I am so confused by the price. For a dream-hunter Christmas novella, it was good. Rushed romance and no actual plot development for the main series, but sweet. Still, disappointed by this.

It was a great story but Aiden did nothing but complain and whined. Granted I felt his betrayal but most of the story he complains of the wrongs he was handed by people he trusted and loved but eventually those people did more than turn their backs on him or used him for his fame and money. Leta finds herself facing down the monster that killed her husband and daughter, and with Aiden's help she finally puts the monster down but its Aiden that taken Dolor down and in the process losses a women that opened his heart to love and trust.

I loved Sherrylin Kenyon's books but the last few have been nothing but a great let down. I bought this book despite the bad things I read about it because of the author. This might have made an ok short story but she tried to drag it out. There are less then 200 page and the font is HUGE. There is little substance, the characters are poorly developed, and I cannot even begin to describe the plot (if I ever could find one). In the previous books there was some development of a relationship between the two main characters but here they hate each other one second and jump to loving each other deeply and passionately next without any reason. The ending seemed to be too perfect as well with no explanation and no real consequences. I agree with some of the earlier reviewers, I will wait for Ash's book because that one was written earlier. But in regards to this book and any of her future books I will not waste my time or money.

The second book in the Dream-Hunter series and the eleventh in Dark-Hunter series. I enjoyed this one, mainly because it was a quick read. It did seem to get a bit repetitive at times but it was so quick it didn't even bother me. At times it almost felt as if she was dragging it out on purpose so that it would be a longer story.

Your best friend is just your first betrayer. That's pretty much the code Aidan O'Connor lived by. Trust no one because they're going to use it against you the first chance they get. Leta, a Oneroi has awoken from her 2000 year stasis to find that her enemy has escaped her curse. Dolor is out for vengeance but not before he can find a human host. Leta has to save Aidan from Dolor, one of the gods of pain before it's too late and he's released into the world.

As I said, it was repetitive. Aidan hated everyone, we get it. It was annoying at points because he was constantly reminding us of that hate. Yeah yeah. His brother betrayed him. His family turned on him. The only people he loved. I get it.

Even with that, it was still a good quick story. Easy enough to figure out but still entertaining.

Don't be fooled by the gorgeous male on the cover. This is a horrible horrible nasty book featuring a rich whiney supremely self-centered small-minded jerk who thinks because he hands out money to his friends and relatives they should give him their undying love, gratitude and loyalty. And then hates them and the world in general when they don't. News flash. When I get my salary every month it does not mean I love the corporation I work for nor am I particularly grateful for it.

The jerk's name is Aidan. He's about 100 times worse than an 80s Lowell hero. Aidan's brother Donnie is in jail for lying to the tabloids about Aidan.!! (That could only happen to one of life's serial losers.) So what does Aidan want to do? He sets out to kill Donnie. But will he end up in jail. Like hell. Because he's a multi-multi millionaire. But the reader's sympathies are supposed to lie with rich Aidan. There's an absolute ton of this kind of stuff in the novel;

"(Aidan) was so tired of people playing him, using him to get what they wanted, then casting him aside the minute they got what they wanted."

Tons and tons of how Aidan is the only loyal, good, sincere person in the world. You know. This type of thing happens to many non-rich people in life too. I've had friends cry on my shoulder about how their partners or bosses have used them for money, career advancement. Sure they are hurt. But they get over it and on with their lives. To obsess about each bad life experience and plot vengeance or death is the type of thing only a social misfit or weirdo would do. People who can't take not being the centre of the universe. People who resent other people being happy without them. And that's the hero of this book!! Which is supposed to be a vampire action-romance.

So why did I pick up the book? Basically I forgot about the immature revenge fantasies often written into this series and just thought `greek gods and goddesses plus vampires plus good romance.' I should have thought `petty trailer-park mind-set.'

In traditional Kenyon style, Upon The Midnight Clear is very formulaic. Boy meets girl, boy (or girl) has a troubled past, girl (or boy) helps them get past it and everyone lives happily ever after. It's a great formula which has made her books not only successful sellers but very popular in the paranormal romance genre. Her Dark-Hunters continue to be popular and this second book in the Dream-Hunters off-shoot was much anticipated.

So why the two star rating? I can't speak for the many others who have reviewed or commented though I can say I see many valid points presented. From the opening of the book the large print and strangely laid out chapters were a red flag. Something was certainly different this time around. One could argue this was a bad thing but if this was the worst issue I think most readers will get past that.

This is the story of Leta and Aidan. Both characters have reasons to be doing what they are doing as the story starts that could have made for a good story. The trouble is the action started so quickly and moved so fast I wasn't sure what motivated the characters beyond the basic emotions. Aidan is angry and doesn't trust anyone... but why? I kept finding myself asking "Okay, but why?" over and over as I read. When the story was done I was still left wondering why on many things. I hate to use the analogy but this book reminded me of Swiss cheese. It's cheese and it's likable... but there are holes in it.

I feel that this story would have been a very suitable addition to an anthology like Holidays are Hell with its timeframe set at Christmas. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't backed by one of Kenyon's usually well built plots. I'd have liked to see more Dream-Hunter mythology presented in this book and hope that when book 3 comes out it will give us that.

If you go in expecting a diet sized story you shouldn't be too disappointed and the Christmas catch-up with all of the couples we know and love from the Dark-Hunters series is certainly a fun little tidbit. Buy it if you're a collector or hate an incomplete series, borrow it if you'd rather save your money for a stronger story. Sit down on a free night with a glass of wine and enjoy it in one sitting. Enjoy!

I love the author's Darkhunter Series, so when I saw the first Dreamhunter book I thought I was on the path to another series to love. Unfortunately the first book was not a 'wow'. I decided to give it another try with "Upon the Midnight Clear". I was extremely disappointed. Firstly, the story was incredibly short. I didn't realize exactly how short until I finished the book and found a short story in the back. The length was evident in the story, as things progressed very quickly, with a very brief and lackluster climax, and predictable resolution. There was very little character development, and the male lead's angst was overblown to the point of being annoying. The instigator in the story was predictable, not in the least bit clever, nor was the villain. Overall, this book left me with the feeling that the author was just trying to crank out another book with no real commitment to the plot or her characters. I will not be purchasing the third book. No point in throwing good money after bad.

I lost interest in this story half-way through the book. I couldn't have cared less about the characters. I didn't like the first Dream-Hunter book but at least I managed to finish that one. I did try to read this again after a few weeks but I was just as bored as the first time I tried to read it. The only enjoyment I found in this book are the Christmas stories at the end of the book about the Dark-Hunters. I hope Xypher's story is a lot better than this one because I did find him intriguing in Devil May Cry. Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Hunter" books are an automatic buy for me but this book makes me worry that my anticipation for Ash's story (scheduled to be released later this year) will result in a big disappointment.

~Upon a Midnight Clear~
Dream-Hunter Series
~Book 2~
Novella

At one time he was a world-renowned celebrity who gave freely of himself and his money without wanting anything in return...until those around him took without asking. Now Aidan wants nothing of the world--or anyone who's a part of it.

Born on Olympus as a goddess, Leta knows nothing of the human world. But a ruthless enemy has driven her from the world of dreams and into the home of the only man who can help her: Aidan. Her immortal powers are derived from human emotions--and his anger is just the fuel she needs to defend herself...
Trapped together in a brutal winter storm, Aidan and Leta must turn to the only power capable of saving them--or destroying them both: trust.

*Aidan is a very bitter man, but for good reason he was Betrayed by everyone he ever knew.Even his own Family. his brother Sent the God of Pain to torture and kill him. Leta a Goddess/Dream-Hunter is Sent to Save him.

another entertaining quick Read in the Dream-Hunter/dark-Hunter/were-hunter Series. I've enjoyed all the books in the Series I love Sherrilyn Kenyon Writing Style She's A Very Gifted Writer!

I really believe that Sherrilyn has great writing talent but i have a feeling that her publishers etc are trying to get too many books out of hre,too quickly.
The first six or so Dark Hunter books were excellent..well written,funny,good character developement..and enough action,passion and romance to keep me happy.
However starting with "Dark Side of the Moon" i feel that her characters have become cardboard cutouts..they have no depth and i don't get a sense of passion or real love between any of the recent hero's and heroines.
I will try one more dark hunter book but will give the whole dream hunter series a big miss from now on..i found myself just skimming through the end of all three of the books as they didn't hold my interest past the halfway point..and that's sad.

As a fan of the Dark-Hunter series, I've gotta say that Dream-Hunter has been a continual disappointment. Who are these people giving out FIVE stars for this stuff??? I understand being a fan of an author, and sticking by her through thick and thin, but that doesn't mean you have to swallow everything she writes and rave about it. Sometimes authors have slumps, and I'm saying, Kenyon's in slump. Come on! This is the same person who wrote Acheron - we know she can do better.

Anyway, saying I found this book uninspired is being kind. Kenyon's just going through the motions on this one. I hated the hero and wanted to put a bullet in his head myself just to stop his pity party life.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. It was entertaining but I would say it's the worst book I've read so far from kenyon. It seems like it should have been written for an anthology or short story instead of a novel. I liked the first dream-hunter book, it was definitely much better than this one. This one lacked character and it seemed rushed to me. It's only 200 and some odd pages and the print is huge compared to kenyon's normal books. I just didn't find it as captivating as I normally do her books. I of course will continue on with this series as I absolutely love the dark-hunter series and I will also read any other dream-hunter books she writes since I don't want to miss out on details...but I hope she steps them up more than this. I also hope that she writes books for the more famous dream-hunters such as Neco, adarian, M'ordant and solin.

I just finished up this book a few minutes ago. Ummm...just...no. There are so many things wrong, where do I begin? This was a short story, expanded to book form by making the words bigger and putting loads of extra spaces in. I was in high school once too...I know that trick. Upon first glance, this book is much shorter than any of the other books. The actual book is 248 pages with 34 more pages of random scenes from Christmases of the Dark Hunters/Weres. You open it up and are immediately struck by how insanely large the font is. All the chapters start WAY down the page, so more space could be added to the book. There's VERY little build up to the story. Not background for Aiden OR for Leta. This story takes place in a real time of less than 24 hours.

**The next part could be considered a spoiler, but it's totally not because you KNOW both these facts are coming** Aiden decides he's hopelessly in love with Leta after about 12 hours. Seriously. And what a big surprise at the end of the book that she comes back from the dead, becomes mortal, marries Aiden, and is pregnant when the book ends. WOW was this book bad and totally unbelievable. It was just...horrid. I'm going to venture to say that it's even worse than the BAD books.

I will be honest and state that I got halfway through this book and could not finish it. I wish I could have given the book zero stars. At first since the book was $6.99, I was determine to finish it. However, I could not torture myself any longer as I did when I forced myself to finish her latest Brotherhood of the Sword book.

In one chapter, you have the heroine willing to sacrifice the hero for the greater good and in the very next chapter determined to keep him safe. In addition, Aidan (the hero) was so whiney that after reading page after page of his pity party, I just could not finish the book. His family sucked, his friends sucked, the world sucked, everybody sucked--I get it already. It was way too over the top that I could not even empathize with him. There are way more people that have it worse than Aidan and they don't have $35 million in the bank and a private lodge to hide out in.

The "plot" just did not make sense, just like the villains' motives or Leta's. I could not understand why the hero's brother would do the things (some really vile and horrible things) he did, it just did not make sense to destroy your meal ticket--the jealousy reason just did not cut it. Moreover, if Leta has no feelings/emotions, why would she care to save the world or Aidan from the God of Pain?

I use to love Kenyon's books, but for the past few years I have been very disappointed in her writing. Her heroes and heroines have become repetitive and boring; her storylines inconsistent causing me to have to re-read sections of her books or find a previous book to make sure I was not wrong; and her storylines have become too confusing with too many characters, too many gods/goddess/ and too many parallel planes/worlds.

It is painful to watch a writer who had consistently produced exceptional books become a writer who is now consistently producing mediocre (sometimes awful) books. The Dream-Hunters and the Orders of Avalon series are especially bad. Maybe Kenyon is stretched to thin; it seems she has several books coming out. I would prefer an author put out one great book a year than several bad books in one year (LESS IS MORE). I also put a lot of blame on her publisher and editor (shame on you). Once Acheron's and Nick's books come out, I am done. When an author's book covers are better than the content, it is time to find a new author. Suggestions are welcome!--Thanks

I should have known when I opened this book, that it would not be up to my normal standards. The print was huge. That could only mean the following things: 1. The characters would not really have any depth. 2. It would happen in a relatively short amount of time. 3. There would be really little action. 4. I wouldn't care much for the characters.

I was right on all the accounts. The story line was implausible, how could this bitter angry man fall in love and trust so quickly with Leta? I was bored by the time he fell asleep. I plodded on because, you never leave a dying man behind but my goodness, was this book boring. I finished reading in less than 2 hours. Not 100% fair because I speed read but I expected more.

Next time Miss Kenyon, give us a little more fleshed out story. How about the epic battle between Leta and Dolor? How about some of Aiden's time in Hollywood? How about some time that Leta spent with her family? Give me more than just a basic outline with some filled in details.

Uugghhh

I'm not as angry as some people about this book for the sole reason that I didn't spend any money on it, but checked it out from the library instead. I can assure you that the previous reviewers did not exaggerate when they described the huge print and wide margins. They didn't mention how each chapter begin 3/4 of the way down the page, though. The story line was terrible. I couldn't help but feel annoyed by the male character. The constant bitter self-disgust. The woe is me attitude. It was horrible. Poor me, I'm famous and everybody wants a piece of me, waa, waa. Who cared? I'm not giving up on Kenyon, but I hope there is a significant change in her future novels.

...the story was fine. I have to admit that the Dream Hunter stories are not a big hit for me, especially the last one - I think it took me two weeks to read that book and normally I can read SK stories in one day.

This is a short story, with big spaced out writing!!! Not worth the £5.59 pricetag that I paid. When I first got the book and I flick through the pages I have to admit I was pretty annoyed.

It's you pretty basic SK story, the hero Aidan, superstar actor has had horrible, terrible, atroscious, things done to him and yes, he's bitter about it.

But hey give this guy 24-48 hours and you guessed it he's over it cause he's found LOVE with our heroine, Leta - Goddess of something that I cannot remember no wait it's to do with dreams..uhh...protection. Nope still can't remember.

Anyway, the story is fine in fact I thought it was more suited to mills and boons or the silhouette books but then I don't think they would have been able to publish it because it would fall short of the minimum words they require.

Sorry I am being mean I know but I am getting to the point that I don't care about the Hunter stories anymore - move on SK and write something new and fresh.

I am also getting fed up with the snippets for Acheron and this book has one. A christmas story at the end which gives you an up-date on previous characters stories.

At first I was looking forward to reading Acheron's story (I think that was in 2005) but 3 years later it's too late, the publisher and author are putting me off with the unnecessary books in between.

I'm sorry but this book was an exceptional mess. Completely unbelievable and left me asking what it had to do with any of the series and why was it even published as a full length book. Definitely a short story and not worth the time it took to read. Aiden and Leta fall in love in one day when he has so many trust issues, that you have to read about over and over and over, we get it already. The reasons behind his brothers betrayel are laughable at best. Don't waste your time skip it and go to the next dark hunter/dream hunter novel.

I have loved all of Kenyon's dark-Hunter Series because they are imaginative and I enjoy the story line. I think my reading style must be caveated prior to further review. I read just for the enjoyment of reading and do not like to have to "think" when I read. I want something easy, engaging and if the ending sucks the book sucks.

The Dream Hunter series from book one has really sucked. After I skipped ahead and frequently skipped ten pages at a time, read three, etc. I realized that I really do not like her Dream Hunter series. I think that it might have been really good if she had given it the same passion she gave her Dark Hunter series. Her characters have only two a dimensional flavor and the story drags, drags, drags. I just do not think that any of these Dream Hunter books are worthwhile.

A morality tale. 4.25stars

This novella from the dream hunter portion of the Dark Hunter universe was basically a morality tale to me. It was well done and not preachy but a morality tale nonetheless. What happens when youÂ're consumed by or a victim of extreme jealousy. I liked it better than the other Dream Hunter installments so maybe this piece will be a turning point for them.

I love the Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark-Hunter & Dream-Hunter series. I will say some are better than others but this really fell short with me. This story seemed trite compared to the others and it felt mostly like a really long supplement for the novel Acheron. Okay I don't mean to be terribly rude but it was long-winded when regarding everyone's "feelings" and I felt like I was being preached to more than narrated to. All in all this is my least favorite book she has yet written. And if I never have to read the word "seared" again it will be one moment too soon.

I was surprised when I went to write this review that the book was getting poor reviews. After reading them, I do agree that it reads more like a short story then a full novel, however, it is well written and fast paced and I enjoyed the storyline more then some of her more recent books, which seem to get a little repetitive.
This book took a different turn, more like fantasy lover. One ancient God protecting a mortal against another God. I thought the character background and development was just enough for this shorter story and was tearing up by the end where they show their willingness to selfless acts for the other.
If you like her books, this is definitely worth buying. If other people's complaints about it being a short story are scaring you off, I guess I would just state that there are many times I wish even a short story was released from my favorite authors so I can indulge in their characters more then once or twice a year. If you only read sparingly throughout the year you might be disappointed. If you read alot I don't think you will miss the length you usually see in her other books.

I have faithfully stuck with Sherrilyn Kenyon in spite of the fact that her last few books have been really tired. I so hoped that this would break that sad trend. Other reviewers have talked about the whys and wherefores of this book so I will just highlight the top two reasons to wait for this book to turn up in a used book store... which will be soon because this is NOT a keeper.

1. Kenyon simply phoned this in. This is a somewhat mediocre short story that was padded with inane conversations to lengthen it. I spent most of my time wanting to yell 'Oh stop whining why don't you!' We have read this story in one form or the other dozens of times. Not original and certainly not on par with Kenyons earlier books.

2. This should have been published as part of an anthology or as a Harlequin length book for about $3.50. Instead the publisher opted to set the print in larger letters and pad the end with previews. This not value for money at all.

Robbing readers with a sub-par story and overpriced product are a poor way to reward faithful readers or try to attract new ones. I can safely say that I will not be in hurry to put down my hard earned money for any of Kenyon's books again.

The first in this series I really didn't care for. Maybe because the series is in itself so complex and involved that making a novella (or what seems to be a novella, it was very large type, 200 some pages) just doesn't allow it the time to work. The characters were based on one dimensional stereotypes and the quick build-up left no time for depth, ending up merely melodramatic. Hmmph.

When I picked up my first Dark Hunter novel a few years back I praised the book selling god for finding such an excellent series and an emotion provoking author. The first six books of this series hold special places on my book shelf (Night Pleasures, Night Embrace, Dance with the Devil, Kiss of the Night, Night Play and Seize the Night). When I read Seize the Night I was really pumped, I was ready for some great new books to follow after she shook the world up with that installment.
But after that book...nothing.
The series took a complete nose dive. Sins of the Night did nothing for me in any way. I enjoyed Wren's story Unleash the Night, were we visit out New Orleans crowd again. In the next two stories (Dark Side of the Moon and Devil May Cry) I didn't feel any romance between the hero and heroin. They certainly didn't compare to the heart wrenching love between the older characters Kyrian, Amanda, Talon, and Sunshine.
And now these Dream Hunter books make my want to sob at the demise of what once was such a great series. This book, Upon the Midnight Clear, seemed very rushed and whinny and completely unemotional. I dredged through it, hoping for redemption in one of the chapter but found none. It was so boring! Even worse than the first book The Dream Hunter which sat by my bed for five months before I could finish reading it (me, who usually can read a good book in a matter of hours). The characters were not interesting in the least, there was no real heat or emotion between them, and the ending seemed very much like the The Dream Hunter were one lover gives up their life for the other and they talk Hades into releasing their soul so they can be together. It was nice the first time, but I would have likes to see a fresh idea to resolve the problem instead of a twice baked ending.
Read it if you have to, but don't expect much. Just cross your fingers with me and hope Kenyon still has it in her to return to her once awesome characters and story lines. I'm still waiting for Fang, Fury, Sundown, and some of the other characters we were introduced early on to get stories.

Another good read! Aidan (Human - Famous actor) and Leta (Dream Goddess - body guard against the god Pain) romance was sweet in the end.

The story was based upon how jealousy can ruin your life if you let it rule you, it can cause you to lose everything you love without you even realizing it.

I bought this book because i buy every book in the dark hunter/dream hunter series. It is a good book, but i find myself missing the New Orleans crew. It's not a bad book by itself, but I think I (as well as other fans) are getting restless to get back to New Orleans.
After reading other reviews I thought this book was going to be horribly written and be able to be read in an hour, but it's not that bad. She did a good job of writing the two characters. I actually thought there was more chemistry in this shorter story between Aiden and Leta, then in the other dream hunter novel.
There is a nice little short story at the end with her usual christmas stuff, but this time we get to visit everyone from the Peltiers, to Wulf and Cassandra, and of course the Hunter family.
Overall, I would reccomend this book, but don't expect it to be her greatest.

I usually love Kenyon's books, but this one is very hard to like let alone love. It's short around 290 pages and unbelievable. Plus I wouldn't call this love on a good day. They meet they fall in love and ....

Spoiler....

She dies and he cries a little then he has lunch with friends, about an hour later. And says I'm so happy I wish she was here bla blah..
loo and behold the door bell rings after his friends leave and its her. I would have smacked him for not mourning me for at least a day. Not run in to his arms, but hey that's fiction.

I usually love Kenyon's books, but this one is very hard to like let alone love. It's short around 290 pages and unbelievable. Plus I wouldn't call this love on a good day. They meet they fall in love and ....

Spoiler....

She dies and he cries a little then he has lunch with friends, about an hour later. And says I'm so happy I wish she was here bla blah..
loo and behold the door bell rings after his friends leave and its her. I would have smacked him for not mourning me for at least a day. Not run in to his arms, but hey that's fiction.

.....beacuse clearly they aren't doing their job properly. This "book" and I use the term very loosely is now officially the worset I have ever read from Sherri on my own personal meter. Clearly she has eitehr surrounded her self with people that just want to bow down and tell her that everything she writes is brilliant, or she has believed her own hype so much that Sherrilyn feels she can write any garbage and send it off to be sold for way over it's actual value.

Her earlier work was brilliant, it was fresh, you connected with the characters and the dialogue flowed greatly. The plots didn't feel rushed, trite or luckluster. There was real connection and no price seemed to over the top to pay for these quality stories. Now, geez, I paid $3 for a second hand copy after I was so dissappointed with The Dream Hunter and Devil May Cry and even then I still think I paid too much. Just like with the last few books this was littered with inside jabs at former friends and employees of the authors but the worst bit of the whole story was how it was so rushed, the characters were very whiney and one dimenional and the plot was so laughable I found myself just wishing Aiden would end up dead at the end of the book to put me out of my reading misery.

I truely did have high hopes that Sherrilyn's books would start to find their way back to their quality of old but I hold little hope for that. She has too many series ont he go, is churning out some absolute rubbish, and sadly no one seems to have the balls to tell that to her face so she can save what is left of what was once a great series.

I really liked the first few books of this series but as each new book comes out I no longer rush to buy them. I only buy them when I am bored with everything else and have NOTHING else to read. The plots are horrible and the romance is stale. The author commented once that it only took her a couple of weeks to write a book and I can definitely tell. She needs to slow down and actually get back into a 'good' writing mode. I probably won't buy her newest book for about 2 or 3 months. It took about 3 months to even finish this one.

I usually buy everything from this author. I don't know what happened to Mrs Kenyon with this book. It makes you think that it was written on a weekend. The story was rushed and the dialogue repetitive. The characters too simple minded and childish. The font extremely big to make the book look like regular novel. You can resume the story in 20 pages.

Read the rest of the reviews before buying it!!!

What can I possibly say that has not been said already? Sherrilyn Kenyon has definitley lost her touch. I mean when she first started the series I was blown away I liked them that much, I mean they were just so well written. But the last few books she has put out have been horrible. I once read that she would not put out a book that she did not like and well I have to say that well, we are the ones buying them so maybe she should put out books that we would like to read! The book that started Kenyon's downfall for me was Unleash the Night I mean it just was not as good as say Dance with the Devil.

Okay now on to the book: Our hero Aiden is a actor right and I really tried to like him but he just came off whiny I mean yes what his family done was awful but man you do not have to repeat it all through the book? We know that they used him but the author constantly informed us of this. Heroine was definitley not developed enough, I mean basically the whole story was way too short it should have stayed a novella which the last time I checked that is what they had it listed as and then low and behold I was out at the store and I seen this cover and it was a whole book. That really should have been my fist sign but dummy that I was I bought it anyway praying that Sherrilyn Kenyon would get her touch back...oh how wrong I was!

I am just sick of The Dark-Hunter Series I mean there are a few charcters that I liked but I am not willing to buy these books that are not worth the money. Oh yeah I did not even buy Devil May Cry basically because my Wal-Mart did not have it and I refused to pay 20 bucks for hardback,which is a total ripoff by the way. After so many bad books I really should learn my lesson but I still hoped that Sherrilyn would start writing books like she used to. Which one problem could be that she is trying to write books for way too many series, I mean pick one or two and stick to it.

I have been anxiously awaiting Ash's book which comes out in August 2008 but I am really scared about buying it I mean the last few books have been sh*** so I don't have high hopes for his I mean she should have already had his book out if you ask me instead of putting out these books that are pretty crappy basically. I mean conisdering it is Sherrilyn Kenyon there for a while I would have bought anything with her name on it but not now. Dangling little pieces of info in her dark-hunter books about Ash has been very frustrating at least for me and will I get his book when it comes out? I hate to say it but yes I probably will just to see if it is as good as they predict it will be. I really hope that it is like the best but I doubt it.

A short review, as befits a VERY short book. Don't be fooled by the large print; this is a novella, not a novel.

Angry, betrayed, angsty and whiny hero is holed up in the mountains and refusing to celebrate Christmas. Stranded heroine forces her way in and reminds him about Christmas spirit - but she's really a Dream-Hunter and has come to 'save' him. Does that sound like thousands of other formulaic books? Well, welcome to the travesty that Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series has become.

The book's even shorter than it looks, as at least 1/3 of it is devoted to 'updates' about earlier characters in the series. Very annoyingly, it revealed a major spoiler about Katra, which anyone who resisted paying $20 for a hardback copy of Devil May Cry would not have known. Shame, Kenyon.

I was excited when this book came out. I am a huge fan and I couldn't wait to read this one. Well, I should have known something was wrong as soon as I picked it up. This book was a lot shorter than her others have been. And then I kind of flipped through it a little bit and saw the font was larger than normal (to make the book longer than it actually was).
Needless to say, I was very disappointed. This has easily been her worst book to date. The hero's (and I use that term lightly) turn from being cynical and bitter to trusting and in love was so sudden that I was wondering if I skipped pages that weren't there. Usually, she writes very good intimacy scenes. This time, I skipped right through them so I could get done with the book faster. Maybe she should limit herself to only two or three series instead of (how many?) seven or eight (including the new one she's working on). I was worried she would start to spread herself thin, and now it's started to happen.

Okay, I adore Sherrilyn Kenyon's books but "Upon the Midnight Clear" was horrible. It read like a cheap knock-off of "Dance With the Devil" (Zarek's story).

I was also very uncomfortable with the sibling hate in this book. It felt like the author was directing a very personal message towards certain family members.

This book was one of the most disappointing things I've looked forward to in years. After months of looking forward to the next installation in the Dark-Hunter/Dream-Hunter series, this book was definitely not worth the wait. What it lacked in plot it also lack in actual words. This was much more suited to an anthology than a novel and even that would have been sorely lacking in depth. Hopefully the editor will choose not to subject paying consumers to something so lacking in the next book.

Kenyon is becoming more and more prolific at branching out within her dark-hunter world, from were-hunters now to dream-hunters. I am glad to see her world becoming more secular to include these other stories, and you will not be disappointed with this latest installment as the dream-hunters are slowly regaining their emotions. As she begins these new books, we are embraced into the enigmatic world that once and still does elude the dark-hunters, and even the Gods themselves. I look forward to her third installment in February, and am greatly anticipating ACHERON to be released in August 2008! Thank you Mrs. Kenyon! You have given me a new world to explore!

I am a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon, however, I have to say this was not her best effort by far. This was supposed to be the story of Aiden and Leta but instead, every other line always tries to hammer home how screwed over and bitter Aidan feels about his girlfriend dumping him for his fratricidal brother. I think Kenyon should have taken a page out of Zarek's book (Dance With The Devil) and just told Aiden's ex (and her editor) to go &!%# themselves rather than putting this to print. I gave this book two stars because now that it has been published it can only get better...

This was a very short book which was my main disappointment. I just found it hard to believe that Aidan reacted so well to the fact that a Greek God was out to kill him sent by his jealous brother, and that Leta was a Goddess to protect him. For someone supposedly so jaded and bitter he fell in love pretty quick with Leta. The new Greek God characters and insights into old ones were good (Zeus makes his debut here) but I honestly liked the ending better. SK added Christmas epilogues of previous DH and WH characters, and a tantalizing clip of Acheron's vision on how bad things are going to go for him. The last few pages bumped it up to a 3 star. I still love SK and I am looking forward to Xyphers story with some old friends from the New Orleans gang.

Sherrilyn Kenyon was up front and honest about the size and content of this book. She TOLD us it was shorter than her regular novels. She TOLD us it was a christmas story NOVELLA. She never misled us or promised anything different. The book was good, it introduced new characters to love, and increased our knowledge of existing ones. It let us in on some things we'd speculated about but not yet seen. If you don't like it, TOUGH! It's no reason to bash it. Anyone who read this book and got nothing from it, in my not-so-humble opinion, didn't read it thoroughly enough.

The characterizations in this book were incredible. Some peripheral characters will catch your attention and make you wonder or want more. Some characters from previous books are shown in a new light. The insight into the day to day fear experienced by Dream Hunters and their leaders will leave you gnawing at your hand and FUMING at the originator of that fear. The intra-family relationships will give you pause, and sadden you. The actions of a few of the characters will give you hope for their futures. These characters have run the gamut of love to hate, and learn to love again, releasing a wall of indifference that keeps them separated from those who would care for them.

The font was larger, by the way, from her older fans requests. You know, those of us with failing eyesight and a love to read. It was kind of her and her publishers to help us out.

The characters were vibrant, AS USUAL. The scenes heart-rending and Laugh-making, AS USUAL. The background was believable, understandable, and Myth-compatible. The scenery was well described, and actually essential to the story. The new characters have me wanting more, and the VIGNETTES were the Icing on the cake. The insight provided into the world of the Hunters, be they Dream, Were, or Dark, was excellent.

If you didn't like it, Fine. I'll buy an extra copy of her next books, so that she feels not the loss of you and your poor opinion. I support the AG, and I put my money where my mouth is. I have not yet read a book by this Author that I haven't liked.

This book really is not up to the author's usual standards. The plot line has no surprises, and the relationship between the main characters is not particularly interesting. The conflict is a mostly ho hum. This little novel has the feel of something that was just slapped together quickly. I have found this Dream-Hunter series to be a big disappointment.

This book is not worth the $7. Not even close. It's very obviously a short story, that they double-spaced and large-printed into something resembling a novel. Once you get past that horror, you realize that the story isn't even that good. NOT one of SK's best. Worse than the previous Dream-Hunter novel (which is saying something). Unless you are an absolute die-hard SK fan who has to have all of her books, you are better off borrowing this one from the library. Or just skipping it altogether and saving yourself the pain.

I have most of her older books and look forward to each new one in the dark hunter series. But WHAT was up with this one?

It was short in length, had large fonts, no in-depth characterization, and a so-so plot. Kenyon needs to go back to producing a great story. She is going to lose readers if she doesn't.

I made the mistake of buying this book without checking the number of pages. It seemed slim, but spoiled as I am by other writers, I assumed it would have small print to accomodate its size. I was wrong. Not only is it less than 300 pages, but it's about a 14 typeface. In her earlier days, this would have been an "extra" at the end of another book, not one released on its own. I haven't read this "book" yet because I am planning on returning it. Her last 3 or 4 books have shown me it's not worth the 7 bucks.

I didn't really have too high of hopes for this book, since it's been some time since Sherrilyn Kenyon wrote a Dark-Hunter world book I really enjoyed (Unleash the Night was the last one I liked). Unfortunately, I was right.

Leta is a Oneroi, and her mission in life is to protect humans from Dolor, the god of Pain. Aidan O'Conner is - gasp, in a completely original move for romance novels - rich and famous. He's a movie star who has been burned badly by everyone in his life, from his brother to his girlfriend. He has lost the ability to trust and hides away on his Tennessee mountain-top cabin. And his brother, Donnie, has unleashed Dolor on Aidan. Leta shows up at his door, and the quest to save his life and destroy Dolor is on.

From the first meeting, there is zero chemistry between Aidan and Leta - of course, if they'd taken a moment between reflections of how much pain they were in and how long it had been since they'd touched a member of the opposite sex, maybe we could have found some. And what was with the word "literally" popping up everywhere? Was it the word of the month while this book was being written? And how did two people wind up in bed so fast? The first ninety pages Aidan was snarling and following that in quick succession he was sleeping, then being told this completely outrageous story, then they visited Olympus, then it was bed. All within the next thirty or forty pages.

Between the overwhelming name-dropping of characters that had never popped up before and the flat protagonists, there is a little of the old style in there - very little. But enough to make this a 2-star instead of a one-star. All in all, I read until about page 142 (out of 250, which I was stunned to see) and skimmed the rest.

I had to post this review because I don't think Once Upon The Midnight Clear has been done any justice by other reviews. I think the whole problem is that people are expecting the Dark-Hunters and the Dream-Hunters are gods and these books deal more with mythology then Ash and his mad, bad, bitterly betrayed, sex-deprived Dark-Hunters. So, if you've never liked the greek mythology part of the previous books, or the amoral, selfish and self-serving gods of the Greek Pantheon then don't bother with these books. That being said, this is a lovely little story I couldn't put down. I fell in love with Aiden's character and I loved how he interacted with Leta. My only quams with this story is that is that it wasn't longer (as I wanted a bit more from their story then one day), and that their story developed only over a day. Given all that Aiden and Leta had been through in the past, I felt they needed more time to get to know each other. But I do understand they why they were on a time limit. I hope this helps other readers keep a more open mind about the Dream-Hunter stories.

Like many other readers, I was very disappointed with this offering from Sherrilyn Kenyon. I would have preferred that she had taken her time and fleshed out the characters and the story that to submit this half-baked insult to those of us that pay good money for her books. If this book had cost $2.00 it may have been worth the price. I was more interested in learning about the twins than I was in how the main characters would resolve the problem. Besides the ending was extremely predictable. No suspense at all and minimal romance.

The past few books just are not the same quality as the first few. It took me 1 1/2 hours to finish this book on a plane. After, I felt strangely as if I had gorged on candy that I thought I wanted and was then suffering from a slightly empty sick feeling.

There was no character development and the storyline flat. I wasn't rooting for the main characters.

A waste of my $8. I also now question whether I would faithfully continue to purchase Kenyon books.

Please keep your hard earned dollar, this is a novella that they tried to pass off as a full length novel, with ginormous print & humogous margins...I say shame, shame, shame...And you know what sucks about the whole thing? The plot reeked, it was so bad, even with the 10 or so pgs that it consisted of, took forever to get through, talk about painful to read! I wanted poke my eyeballs out! Save your money and yourself some torture!!

As Kenyon's books go this is a bit of a let down. If you view it as a holiday short story it works better. It is a fairly simple plot Bitter boy met magic girl goddess. Girl saves boy and boy get his humanity back. Supporting cast is mean, and nasty gods with equally disfunctional father figure. All ends well.
The back pieces in the book is a catch up of charactors found in other well known series of Kenyons popular stories.
Quick read, might make a good stocking stuffer for a fan.

I should have stuck with my gut and not purchased this book when I opened it to the first page and saw the absolutely humongous font jumping out at me. It seemed wrong to pay $6.99 for a short story that was being sold in the guise of a novel, but being a Sherrilyn Kenyon fan, I went ahead and bought it anyway. I have no one else to blame but myself.

The story was a true letdown. I did not connect with the characters in any way and I just wasn't able to swallow the premise that two people with absolutely no chemistry could fall in love so quickly (less than a day) and be willing to give their lives for each other.

Also, the constant theme of anger and jealousy running through the book made it appear as if Kenyon was standing atop some sort of personal soap box.

If you are considering buying this book, don't. It may not even be worth borrowing it from the library. I really hope Kenyon makes a comeback with Ash's story....

Luckily I didn't buy this book otherwise I would have been highly upset about paying for it. The story was too short and kind of boring. As a previous reviewer said, it looks like it was meant for an anthology and then scenes were added to make it almost a full book. The best part, for me, was the "sneak peek" at the end. It was good to see that Nick has regrets about the way he's acting. The only thing I'm looking forward to now with the series is Ash's story.

I'm an avid reader of the Dark Hunter series. This book is light and fun. I enjoyed a pleasant evening reading this book. I liked the holiday snippet at the end featuring past characters from the series. I felt good when I put the book down and that's why I read it!

This was an impulse airport buy that I regretted for the duration of my cross-country flight. It was my first book by Ms. Kenyon and I'm not sure I'll attempt a second title.

In summary, the storyline was weak, the characters one dimensional, and the writing was tired. I'm an avid reader of paranormal romances and this was by far one of the worst in a burgeoning genre full of great writers.

I don't know why so many people didn't like this book. It's a good story. True, there isn't a lot of back story but I think the book stands on it's own. There wasn't a whole lot of discription and personally I like that. It cut to the chase. There was a lot of character interactions and I wasn't bored reading it. I actually finished it in a few hours. It's a quick read and an easy one, but also a great one. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon.

This is one truly awful book! It's a very short story and in this case that's a good thing as you don't have to waste to much of your time on it. The bad side espically for those of us in Australia,is that we pay alot for our books than our American cousins and to pay up to $15.95AUD is insulting. Ms Kenyon either needs to put much more effort into her work or get a day job. Either way this is the last time I read anymore of her dribble...including the Dark Hunter series.

I'll start by saying that I love the Dark-Hunter series and Sherrilyn Kenyon books in general. This one makes me want to ask the author: "who are you and what have you done with Sherrilyn?". "Upon the Midnight Clear" sounds like it was written by a thirteen year old girl: the protagonists are totally unlikable, whiny and one dimensional. Save your money and wait for the next Dark-Hunter book.

I was so unhappy about paying 8 dolars for a book that had R.L Stine fear street print, that when I opened it, I chucked it across the room. Being an avid Sherrilyn Kenyon fan, I know that some books can be hit or miss. However, when you swindle money out of your readers for a book that says 297 pages but in all actuality is probably less than a hundred, thats when you lose my vote. I spent the money on Devil May Cry, even when Dark Side of the Moon was awful(in hardcover.)

I have read all of her books in the Dark Hunter series, including the anthologies.but no longer.

NO longer will I buy her books, because regardless of anything, she should have put her foot down to the publisher, instead of both of them trying to make a quick buck.

p.s. You are getting beat out by some of the newbies. Maybe you should go back to the drawing board.

I'm mad at S.K. for even putting this book out!! Why this wasn't part of an anthology is beyond me. It was too short and it felt rushed.

Aidan was just to easy for me. Leta was just to normal to be a goddess. For the potential this story had I was shocked to read such a blaah story from S.K. I have read all her books and was excited to read this story.

Although I felt for both characters I was left kinda pissed. I mean come on!! I would advise all of you reading this to buy it used or half price. To pay full price for half a story is silly.

By this point I really should know better. I have only myself to blame because the Dream Hunter novels have never been anything less than absolutely dreadful. Sherrilyn Kenyon has been really cranking them out this year, with at least three Whatever-Hunter novels and who knows how many of her other series that I don't read. Too bad they've all been unabashedly terrible. It occurs to me that Kenyon has reached a point in her career that she obviously doesn't care anymore. Her hard core fan base is going buy, buy, buy no matter what. I'm sorry but three pull your hair out awful books in a row amounts to three strikes you're out.

Admittedly Kenyon was never really a high caliber writer to begin with but there is no comparison with her early books. There was a freshness, an excitement, to the work. These were genuinely exciting adventures and the story reflected an obvious passion and enthusiasm that Kenyon had for her characters and her world. It could pull you along. Now? Ehh... the style is more akin to a bored salary worker just doing it for the paycheck.

Upon a Midnight Clear is the usual Dream Hunter malarky. Leta, the oneroi heroine, like all Dream Hunters is supposed to be under a terrible curse that has sealed away their emotions. Of course, this doesn't stop her from being whiny and angsty. Leta is on the trail of her archenemy Dolor, the god of pain. Dolor's target is Aidan, a reclusive actor that is supposed to be a stand-in for Eboneezer Scrooge. He's shut himself off from the world thanks to having the standard Kenyon background of having his friends and family be the usual string of evil cartoon villains that live only to torment him. Leta shows up at his cabin and teaches him the meaning of true love and charity like some erotic Tiny Tim (Isn't that an awful thought?).

Truly, one of the reasons the Whatever-Hunter series has gotten to be such a pain to read is that Kenyon can't make her characters nuanced anymore. Evil people are like comic book villains, insane laughing balls of unstoppable malice just because it feels good. Really, how seriously can anyone take a character that acts like Gargamel from the Smurfs? Good hides itself behind rippling pectorals and a wounded past. Wounded as in every person you ever met treated you like a red headed step child. Everything is about as subtle as a bat to the face. Plus everyone, from the gods to thirty something humans, talks like an idiotic teeny-bopper. Also included in the back of the book is a short piece about the Dark Hunter characters past and present opening Christmas presents together. It was a mistake to include this because it really drives home the point that all the characters have one single personality type to share between them like the Gorgons share a single eye.

I also have to wonder about the editing. In one scene, Kenyon tries to work in a Dexter reference but its so forced that any decent editor should have nixed it. As if the audience is to dense to get the joke, the writer clarifies that it's a show on Showtime. And Dexter is serial killer! And he lives in Miami and has boat! Really, I don't appreciate being talked down to. The audience is either going to pick up on the reference or they aren't.

To add insult to injury, this is really an anthology piece disguised as a novel. This story probably wouldn't crack one hundred pages if not for huge margins, huge typeset, and the fact that with every new chapter the text starts on the last fifth of the page. Best of all, its sold to you at full novel price! Unbelievable! There is absolutely no redeeming value to this. If this was supposed to be a Christmas present to the fans, it amounts to a lump of coal in your stocking.

While i agree that this book seems to be more of a slightly padded short story than a full fledged book, i don't think that it's horrible. As a matter of fact it's much much better than the first Dream Hunter installment. The thing that this book most lacked was adequate character depth. We seem to just jump right into the story without delving much into the characters pasts and personalities. I'm certainly not giving up on Ms. Kenyon's work and have high hopes for future novels.

While i agree that this book seems to be more of a slightly padded short story than a full fledged book, i don't think that it's horrible. As a matter of fact it's much much better than the first Dream Hunter installment. The thing that this book most lacked was adequate character depth. We seem to just jump right into the story without delving much into the characters pasts and personalities. I'm certainly not giving up on Ms. Kenyon's work and have high hopes for future novels.

This was the first novel that I read by Sherrilyn Kenyon and based on the simplistic writing and plot, I don't think I'll be reading any more of her novels. I was looking for a good read on a rainy Sunday afternoon and got stuck with a dud.

I'm a big fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon, but the Dream-Hunter books have left me wanting. I will continue to read them hoping that eventually the characters will start having some of the chemistry between them that the Dark-Hunters have. I have to keep hoping because the alternative is very long stretches of time between Dark-Hunter books, and I just can't wait that long.

If you check out her site you will find that this was never intended to be a full length novel. It was always intended to be longer than a novella and shorter than a novel, so keeping that in mind, it is great. I bought it as walmart so the cost was just over $4 which I think is a good price for this short of a story. The plot is predictable but I believe it was supposed to be. Read it. Enjoy it. And wait for Xypher's story to come out.

I BOUGHT THIS BOOK AFTER READING ALL THESE REVIEWS- JUST TO KEEP MY COLLECTION COMPLETE.....NOW AFTER READING IT I AM GLAD I DID! NOT AS BAD AS EXPECTED FROM OTHER FEEDBACK HERE AND THE ADDON AT THE END WAS GOOD TOO.....IT WAS BETTER THAN A DARK HUNTER BOOK I PAID TOO MUCH (RED COVER) FOR IN A HARDBACK AS SOON AS IT CAME OUT WHICH WAS SOOOO BORING I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF IT!! AND NEVER BOUGHT ANOTHER HARDBACK....FEW IF ANY AUTHORS CAN WRITE GREAT EVERY TIME IN A LONG SERIES....ALWAYS A FEW BUMPS AND BRUISES ALONG THE WAY......
ANYWAY IF THESE CRITICS WANT MORE OUT OF A LIGHT ROMANCE SERIES THEN THEY ARE DOOMED TO DISAPPOINTMENT...TRY THE "LIADEN" BOOKS BY SHARON LEE/STEVE MILLAR...NOT A BAD ONE IN THE BUNCH!!

I Don't really understand why it seems that nobody likes this book. I actually enjoyed the Dream Hunter series very much, as well as the Were Hunters and obviously the Dark Hunters. It was a book that kept me reading all throughout and made me cry at its critical parts. I guess maybe after one's read the dark hunter series you expect to keep on stumbling into the characters in every story that follows, but it doesnt have to always be like that, just because it doesnt have Ash or Kyrian or any of the other characters doesnt mean it sucks. Additionally, Kenyon did a great job at describing other aspects of greek mythology that were not seen before. I really enjoyed it...as well as Phantom Lover and Dream Chaser.

I hate the first dream hunter book but this one is a contrary. This is good. There's sacrifice, love....and happy ending.
It also shows us how easy to believe a lie, I think it brings a good message.
LOVE it!!

While this may have been a shorter book than i'd of liked, it was still a wonderful book!
And the little story at the end called Holiday Gatherings was fantastic!!!! That alone made it worth it! Wasnt this book just supposed to be kind of like a gift to us readers. I think some readers are greedy and expect too much. I was just happy to have the story! And another in only a few months. AWESOME!!!!!

Now for the main story, which was Leta and Aidan. I liked both of these characters and I have to say that I balled like a baby at the end of the book! There were several scenes that got me teary throughout the book, though. Aidan would have made a great Dark Hunter! He has that whole lethal, beautiful thing going and boy does he have attitude!

BRAVO SHERRI!!!!!!

If your a Kenyon fan this book is a must have. Kenyons style of humor, imagery, and the great contrast of things aren't always what they seem creates a wonderful story that you will read over and over.

I agree with other reviewers that this seemed like a short story that was expanded into a novel--and not just padded--the text size reminded me of double-spacing and increasing the font size to get that extra required page.

As far as the story, the characters just weren't fleshed out and the plot seemed just on the surface. I had been looking forward to this book, but I was disappointed. This is one to borrow, if you need to read it.

I like Sherri's books, but this one just didn't seem up to the rest.

This is a poorly written book. Normally, I enjoy books by Sherrilyn Kenyon, but I have to agree with other disappointed fans who eagerly waited for this book. I wish that I had read the ratings by other fans before paying $7.99. Total waste of money and not worth keeping.

True to most of her books in the last five or more years, this book follows Kenyon's pattern of consistently bad writing. Flat dialogue, characters you can't force yourself to care about and an uninspired plot. Save your money on this one. And don't bother wasting gas to drive to the library to borrow it.

On her website, Sherrilyn Kenyon even says that this was not intended to be a full length novel, but more of a gift for her fans. Yes, it's a quickie of a story, but that is all it was ever intended to be. I enjoyed it, as it tides me over to her next full-length book out in 2008. If you love her work, then you'll enjoy this one as well....

This book is #1 on NY best-sellers list for a reason. Sherri not only makes you feel for both the H/h she introduces some drool inducing characters as well... I love all her books and will continue to purchase them as long as she writes them. Plus for all you fans, you get a little Christmas Treat at the end that will have everyone feel the holiday joys... Can't wait for the next installment.

I really was disappointed. In fact, I agree with the other reviewers, especially the one who said this book felt "phoned in". Unfortunately, I think that best describes this story and the last few published.

I hope the long awaited Acheron story isn't such a let down!

I found this book a fun, quick read. It is not a full-length novel but then its not advertised as one. If you're a Sherrilyn Kenyon fan and have read the other Dark Hunter books, you will most likely find this book as an entertaining short break in your day.

I loved Kenyon's first six books in this series. But the last 4 have gone from bad to worse (starting with Wren's story, Ravyn's story and the last two terrible dream hunter installations). This latest Christmas Dream Hunter story reads like it was originally planned as a short story for an anthology; then was stretched out to make a full length novel by slapping additional scenes in. There's no chemistry between hero and heroine and way way too many secondary and superfluous sketchy characters. Altogether a waste of my $8.00. I think Kenyon knows her fan base is not happy, because she added some extra short chapters at the end giving us a peek at the past beloved New Orleans characters (Kyrian, Amanda, Grace, Julian, Val, Tabby, Talon, Sunshine having Christmas together, along with a glimpse of Nick, and a Christmas scene with Ash, Danger, Alexion, Simi, etc). The only other book in this series that I will purchase is Ash's story and only because Kenyon herself said she wrote Ash's story a few years ago, back when she took the time to really craft a storyline and characters we cared about. Other than Ash's book or books, I won't purchase another book in this series (or in the other series she's writing about the Arthurian Era Knights.)

I bought the above book and was very happy with it. It was a short novel but very well written. The main character was true to life and I couldn't put the book down. The price reflected that the book was shorter than normal which is appreciated but overall I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books in the future.

This is another one in the excellent "Dark Hunter" series. If you like them I would strongly recommend it, if you are not familiar with them you should go back to the earlier ones so you will understand who and what they are about.

Great!!! Awesome as always Ms. Kenyon gives us great characters and a fast paced novel! I especially loved the vignettes at the end of the book that caught us up on some of our favorite characters from previous novels!