Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead.

3.5 STARS.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one but I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely a good one for moody, dark months whilst you're inside with a fireplace and a coffee. Will be checking out other works by this author.

Ashley Winstead never disappoints! "Midnight is the Darkest Hour" by Ashley Winstead is a gripping Southern gothic thriller that masterfully intertwines themes of love, religion, and the quest for power. Set in the eerie town of Bottom Springs, the story follows librarian Ruth Cornier and her darkly intriguing friend Everett as they confront haunting secrets and a chilling murder mystery. Winstead's atmospheric writing and complex characters create an engaging narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. This novel is a powerful exploration of the monstrous struggles women face, making it a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. Five stars!

"Midnight is the darkest hour." - Ashley Winstead

This is my first book by Ashley. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I liked it, but unfortunately, I didn't love it. There was so much going on in this book with so much potential; however, I felt it didn't deliver. I found that sometimes the pace of the book was slow. I'm intrigued to read from this author again though..

I absolutely loved this author‘s book The Last Housewife and I had high hopes for this one…unfortunately it was a bit of a disappointment.

The story follows Ruth Cornier, who lives in a small religious town in Louisiana, works as a librarian and is the reverend‘s daughter.
Ruth has always felt like an outsider - both in her town and in her family.
She's been oppressed her whole life and it's only since she met her best (and only) friend Everett in high school that she's managed to break away from her parents a little.
Everyone in the town fears the Low Man, a local myth, and when skulls and weird symbols start appearing in the swamp, questions are unearthed about a serial killer living among them.

First of all, I lost count of the number of times ’Twilight‘ references were thrown into the story. I‘m not a Twilight fan, never been interested in the books or movies, so all these references were kind of annoying.

I think this book was very well written from a language standpoint, but the story was too slow paced for me, especially the first two thirds, and I felt like it could have been a good 50 pages shorter.

I did like the setting and dark atmosphere of the book. All the descriptions of the forest and the swamp. And the creepy small southern religious town vibes.

The whole vampire thing was a bit too much but the extremist religious/cult aspect of the book was interesting.

All in all it was a solid 3.75 star read. I had fun and I did become invested in the relationship towards the end…but it’s definitely not my favorite Ashley Winstead.

It was OK, very slow paced and twilight heavy. A Southern thriller that needed more. I did enjoy the ending though.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ashley Winstead, and I unfortunately didn’t love it. The plot failed to grip me, and I found the pacing very slow. I also didn’t connect with the characters, and I found the FMC to be frustratingly naive.

I think from the synopsis I expected something very different. I’m sure there will be people who will love this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

Ashley Winstead is one of my favorite thriller authors. I LOVED The Last Housewife and was really excited for this one. This one was way different than her other 2 thrillers, but I really enjoyed it still. I loved the relationship between Ruth and Everett- towards the beginning of this book (and only the beginning) it reminded me of A walk to remember- Pastors daughter falls in love with the local “bad boy”- but also all the twilight vibes- which I loved. Even the ending had me in shock!! She left us on a cliffhanger..why?!?!

Nice development but the time jumps left me a bit off. I was focused sometimes in what I should focus. I wish there was a bit more of suspense too.

Still, It's worth a read for those who love the author and are fans of slow burn and character driven plots.

I throughly enjoyed this read, this was my first book by the author and it did not disappoint. I am looking forward to the next release!

I can't quite believe how easily and seamlessly Ashley Winstead moves from genre to genre. I've read one of her romances, a thriller and now this and it's really impressive how she is able to capture the feel of each one as well as she does.
This leans into all things vampire/Twilight and gave me True Blood vibes at times as well. But I really liked that it also brought up the topic of cults, which I always find incredibly interesting and this linked it in some way to The Last Housewife too.
Sometimes the focus on religion felt a bit heavy handed but the story kept my attention the whole way through.
It was atmospheric and eery and I really liked the dynamic between the two main characters too.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a coy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth and Ever have an unlikely friendship with one having a father who is the town preacher and the other whose father is the towns drunk but a terrible event throws these two together and their friendship grows even after Ever leaves. After a skull is found in the swamp Ruth starts to question what is exactly happening in the town and how her father and Ever seem to be involved. After much investigation and confession leads to a fiery conclusion Ruth realises that her and Ever are not that different after all.
I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Ruth and Ever were likeable although Ruth was, through most of the book frustrating in her naivety (which was explained later) I was gunning for both of them through the ups and downs. The twist near the end was a surprise that I did not see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early review copy!!

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is an eerie, atmospheric read filled with mystery and dark romance!

I really loved how the book jumped from past to present- building up tension and mystery as you read! I honestly couldn’t stop reading this book once I started- and then the ending absolutely blew my mind!!

I loved the progression of the romance between Ruth and Everett! There was also so much character development- Ruth was a really relatable character with real struggles! I loved the running themes of religion and superstition and how it affected the lives of the small town people.

Overall this was an amazing read that I would recommend to everyone!!

I feel I have to give this book minimum 4.5, but I’m rounding it to a 5 overall.

The plot, the characters, the writing, the vibes, it was all there and I absolutely adore Ashley Winstead now. Possibly one of my all time favourite authors.

Ruth was a fantastic main character. She was flawed yet so so real and I adored her.
Everett, I loved too. The relationship these two had with one another was truly wonderful and made me sob.
The dual timeline and POV of Ruth when she was younger was so relevant to the story and I’m so glad we had scenes of going back and forth between present day and the past to get a sense of why certain characters did what they did.
I did NOT expect the ending. That was truly INSANE and I just, the writing had me hooked and Ashley really grabbed me by the throat with this one.
Interesting as I’m not usually a person who’d enjoy religion in books, especially this heavy, but it worked and I enjoyed it so much, to my surprise

Ruth Collier has always felt like a an outsider in her small home town; her father is a fire and brimstone preacher and his word is law. However, the town is afraid of the Low Man who kills sinners and when suspicion turns on her only friend Everett, Ruth's small world starts to unravel.

I didn't really know what to expect from the book as I'd heard of Ashley Winstead but wanted to read the book a little 'blindly'. and I'm so please I did. I was completely hooked but the characters and the story that unfolded; it was definitely not what I expected but I was hooked until the last page and the ending literally stopped me in my tracks. A 5 star read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

I was really interested by the premise of this novel and having heard nothing but praise for Winstead’s previous books I hoped I’d enjoy this but unfortunately I didn’t. I think I’ll still try some of Winstead’s other novels but ultimately this one felt like a slog, in part due to the main characters not feeling like adults despite them being basically the same age as me - I’m in afraid of unlikeable characters but this immaturity was too much for me to look past.

In the town of Bottom Springs, librarian Rush Cornier grapples with the challenge of being an outsider despite her father's influential role as the town's pastor. Her connection with Everett Duncan, considered an outcast by the entire town, only deepens her sense of isolation. When the sheriff discovers a skull near the swamp adorned with carved symbols, the town is thrown into chaos, perpetuating the fictional legend of the Low Man—a sinister figure believed to punish sinners.

As the narrative unfolds, Ruth understands the complexity of human nature—recognizing that individuals are not simply good or evil and that even good people can commit wrongful acts. The story takes unexpected turns, delivering twists that take the reader by surprise and contribute to an enjoyable experience. The well-paced narrative, coupled with the author's skill in creating suspense, kept readers hooked throughout.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I liked the premise of this novel, a dark mystery set in backwoods Louisiana. The story was well writing but I failed to engage with the narrative. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Well this is definitely one for a past Twilight fan. You can see the places where it's drawn inspo from our protagonist's favourite book. I'm not sure where to land on this one. The relationship between Ruth and Ever fascinated me. Two people on the outskirts of a highly religious society for different reasons, brought together by a crime they can't outrun. So much of it kept me hooked but then it would go that bit too far into exaggeration. Suspension of disbelief was definitely hard at times but I found myself unable to put it down. I'll have to sit with this one for a while.

I went into this one so excited after loving the authors previous book but unfortunately it didn’t hit the same. I struggled with the characters in this one and it didn’t have the same edge of your seat shock value that her first book did. I didn’t care for the storyline and didn’t feel massively invested in it.

Heard so many great things from this author so was really excited to get stuck into this. It was a real slow burner for me and ultimately I just don’t think it was for me it felt more like a YA and the twilighty stuff put me off.
I can definitely see why people love it just not my cup of tea.