I really enjoyed this one! I loved the Louisiana setting. I think this book kept me intrigued because of the eeriness of the bayou and the cult like vibes. Religious cults are so fascinating to me, I just can’t believe the way people will follow leaders they way they do. This book was deep and touched on some pretty uncomfortable topics but it was done so nicely. I got WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING meets A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES with this one. I am a huge Ashley Winstead fan and if you are too, you won’t want to miss this one when it comes out October 3rd! Thank you so much Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the gifted copies!

I didn't like our protagonist at first. She is so weak. She just lets people make choices for her. She is like unseasoned chicken, no spice.
I was annoyed. The only crime she ever commits is being friends with the outcast kid. And while he is a total weirdo, and does sacrilegious things, he isn't that spicy.
I mean that is her only crime except the murder.
Ugh. It all grew on me though. It is what you expect for a good southern gothic horror book.
The narration is perfection.
This was weird but good.

The most terrifying part though is the book banning, That's why we don't ban books.

A small pious town hiding dark and evil secrets, a forbidden romance, and Twilight undertones, I AM HERE FOR IT!

Why I LOVED this book:
The way that thriller and romance were so interwoven, it's everything I need in a book!
The writing style is so atmospheric that I felt as though I was just dropped right into Bottom Springs, Louisianna.
Eerie/spooky vibes (perfect for those October TBR's!).
The ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Ashley Winstead for for the ALC, it was a great honor to listen and review this book!

Read if you like:
Forbidden romance
Mystery
Twilight
Nonlinear timelines
Reading past your bedtime

Religious Oppression In a Gothic Southern Atmosphere!
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ashley Winstead’s thrillers suck me down a rabbit hole that I don’t want to escape! This thriller is bursting with gothic suspense, dark romance, religious fanatics and corruption.

Some mistakes can’t be buried. Although Ruth and Everett can be described as crossing moral boundaries, they did it with good intentions. Ruth is a grown woman being treated like a child by her God-fearing parents. It was inspiring to watch her nourish her rebellion and become her own person.

If you’ve read my reviews, you know I don’t like romance in my thrillers. There is dark romance entangled in this bleak Louisiana setting but it’s subtle and doesn’t distract from the excitement of the central story. Once the mysterious symbols are discovered and linked to a type of occult worship, the story becomes too captivating to put down.

I wasn’t sure if I liked the southern voice of the narrator when the story started. The more I listened, the more hypnotic the voice became. I would have enjoyed a male voice in the mix, but Sarah Welborn did an incredible job with the character voices!

Sincere thanks to Tantor Audio for providing this complimentary audiobook through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#MidnightIsTheDarkestHour #ashleywinstead #SarahWelborn #TantorAudio #netgalley #honestreview #audiobookreview #thrillerbookloverspromotions #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #thriller #Louisiana #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #religiousfanatics #instabook #readaholic #igbookreels #newrelease #justfinished #occultworship #southernatmosphere

Thank you Netgalley for the early audio read. Set in a small community in southern Louisiana, where religion is held above all. If you enjoy cult-like thrillers with small town dramas, you will enjoy this one. Small references to the Twilight Series as well, which fans will enjoy but not necessary for reading the book. The ending doesn't tie a pretty bow of a conclusion for readers.

The setting wasn't for me and I didn't get Verity vibes as the description had suggested I would.

4 stars
I really liked this book. Ashley Winstead’s writing style gave this story a fable kind of feeling. I also liked how she was able to touch on the ideas of religion and power. My only complaint is that the use of the word twilight, to describe the time of day, got old quickly.

The thriller elements were fine, I don’t think this book is for thriller readers solely looking for twists. This is a character driven story and both Ruth and Everett are easy to empathize with and fun to root for.


Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the audiobook for a review.

Dark, Lyrical, Spellbinding!

Ashley Winstead returns following The Last Housewife with MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR—A dark, disturbing, and eerie Southern Gothic tale with evil men masked as Godly, an innocent, determined young preacher's daughter, and an outcast trying to escape this wicked, sinister horror-filled town for a darkly romantic, lyrical, suspenseful intense ride of Bonnie and Clyde.

That ENDING!! ??? Heart-pounding! I was listening to the audiobook, exceptionally narrated by Sarah Welborn, and was hanging on her every word. I had to rewind multiple times to see if I missed something; however, it was a perfect ending for the reader to decide how they envisioned.

Welcome to the God-fearing folks of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. However, most of them who claim to be righteous are pure EVIL!! There are plenty of dark secrets.

The preacher's (Holy Fire Baptist) daughter, Ruth Cornier, is an outsider and a bookworm. She is a romantic. Of course, she is not interested in the guy her parents have chosen for her. Her parents are controlling and monitor everything she does. Her dad, the pastor, has everyone in his back pocket, including the sheriff and local townspeople.

The town folks fear God, the Devil, and the Low Man, a vampire said to steal into the sinner's bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights.

When they find a skull in the swamp, Ruth and Everett Duncan have their secrets and begin a dangerous search for the dark underbelly of this evil town.

Ruth's parents forbid her to see Everett (they think is the son of the Devil), who has been under the torture of his father and the town. The two (Bonnie & Clyde), in secret, uncover the town's dark secrets, including those of her father.

Will the two escape this evil town for a life away from this horror and make it out alive for the dreams and life they longingly search for?

What a book! Ashley Winstead's writing is lyrical and poetic, and the characters of Ruth and Everett (loved) are well-developed—you will root for them until the end.

Atmospheric, twisty, gripping, commanding!

MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR is a powerful and dark Gothic Southern tale exploring occults, abuse, rape, torture, trauma, religion, and evil, with dark romance, love, revenge, and redemption. With the tenacity of a young woman trying to fight/find her way through a small-town environment of evil, monsters, and corruption.

Ideal for Halloween reading!

Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an early listening copy for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 3, 2023
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3.5 Stars for this genre bending novel. Part horror, mystery, slow burn thriller, romance and horror so there is something in there for every type of reader. The story takes place in a small town in Louisiana where the protagonist, Ruth, daughter of the preacher, is trapped by her religious and controlling parents. When skulls are discovered in the swamps the town is convinced a serial murder is amongst them or a town legend, the Low Man may be to blame. The audio narration was great and it was quick listen however, it was a little slow to develop and the last quarter of the book was the best part. The twists were a bit predictable. Ruth's love of books and longing for love and romance were a bit unexpected in the creepy and dark plot of religious zealots, witch craft and cults. There just was so much going on with this story and too many unlikeable characters for me.

Thank you to net galley and RB Media for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Tantor Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the new book by Ashley Winstead, and perfectly narrated by Sarah Welborn - 4.5 creepy stars!

In Bottom Springs, Louisiana, librarian Ruth Cornier has always been an outsider, even in her own family. Her father is a fire-and-brimstone preacher at Holy Fire Baptist and has controlled all of Ruth and her mother's actions. Then there are the myths that are powerful throughout the small town, especially the story of the Low Man, said to steal into sinner's bedrooms and kill them. When a skull is found in a swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, the town is really thrown. But Ruth and her friend, Everett, have secrets and power of their own.

I loved this creepy, southern Gothic-feel thriller. The males dominate the women, there is the power of a fundamentalist religious group, small-town myths and legends, violence and abuse, and everyone has secrets. Ruth and Everett have kind of a Bonnie and Clyde feel and bears the question - when are bad things justified? This was a tense thriller and that ending - wow!

This is my first book by this author, and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!

It's the town of Bottom Springs, South Louisiana, and Ruth is the daughter of the local pastor, James Cornier. She wanted to get away from this town and these people and go to college, but her dreams were nipped in the bud by her parents. Instead, she now works in the local library and is in a relationship with the Sheriff's deputy, Barry; a relationship that her parents approve of.

What nobody in the town approves of is her friendship with Everett Duncan, the son of a local mechanic, an outcast, a rebel, the Son of the Devil, as the townsfolk think of him, because of his appearance, his lifestyle, his behaviour, his unsocial ways. But Ruth and Everett are each other's ride-or-die, and this fact does not sit well with the rest of the town, who can neither understand nor accept it. They are bound by friendship, love, and secrets--so many secrets, told and untold.

One day, man remains are found in Starry Swamp, and it unleashes speculation about whether there's a killer amongst them, or whether it's the work of a local mythological creature, known as 'The Low Man'. Even though the setting of the story is in modern times (post the novel 'Twilight'), Bottom Springs is a horrible place, plagued by narrow-mindedness and blind faith, ruled over by Reverend Cornier and a few bad men, who wield all the power and call all the shots.

The portrayal of the pastor is excellent. I found him so hateful and menacing, so devoid of any empathy, so manipulative, so cruel, so EVIL.

The setting is perfect. The town is rural, the weather is hot and stifling, and there are swamps, forests, and crocodiles. It's so dark at night, and the people are superstitious, AND, what if the legend of the Low Man is true? I could hardly breathe, imagining the humidity. Try and visualize a darker and more foreboding version of the swamps in the film 'Where the Crawdads Sing'. Now you're getting it.

The story jumps back and forth, and you need to pay close attention, especially if you're listening to the audiobook, because a lot is happening in the past and the present.

Ruth and Everett start out thinking that the situation is pretty simple; all they have to do is keep a secret that they share from getting out. But when not one, but two, human skulls are discovered in the swamp, along with strange witchcraft symbols on the trees, they realize that what they have descended into is something much more dangerous and sinister, and involves a LOT of other people. But can they get out of this mess, or have they set themselves up for Everett to take the fall for it all?

The twists and turns are surprising and unpredictable, and there is never a dull moment. I could visualise the whole thing as if a film were playing out in front of my eyes.

Even at the very end, I was like...' They're so close! Let them make it! Please, please, please...!'

Taking something that has elements of 'Twilight', Bonnie and Clyde, and the legend of The Low Man, and mashing it up in a setting of a regressive and superstitious small Louisiana town could have ended in an unholy mess, but, luckily for us, it just makes you want to read on and on, hungry for more, and curious, and breathless.

The characters are so well fleshed-out. Ruth is the rebellious small-town girl who is restricted by boundaries that she has created herself, but out of a sense of love, duty, and fear. Only someone who has grown up in an environment like that can truly understand the urge to run far, far, away, yet at the same time unable to, because of all the conditioning and guilt-tripping and misplaced sense of obligation that has seeped like poison into one's heart and conscience.

You just know that the character of Everett is fashioned after Edward Cullen from 'Twilight', right from the colour of his skin, to his broodiness, and his sharp canines, how he supposedly never ages, and how he is so at-home in the darkness and the swamps. If you ever forget it, Ruth will keep reminding you of her love for the book and her search for her own perfect Edward Cullen.

The chemistry between these two characters is the kind that makes you want to stop whatever you're doing hold your breath, and pay close attention every time they're within arms' length of each other. But you know it won't be that easy, won't you?

If you are the type of person who enjoys little amuse-bouches and appetizers a lot more and doesn't care much for the main course, then you will find this satisfying, because sometimes a physical description of the act of love is not necessary, or required. It's much better in one's imagination.

A special mention to Narrator Sarah Welborn, who did a stellar job and added to the experience of this book in an entirely positive way.

My thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Ashley Winstead for creeping the ever-loving shite out of me with every thriller you write.

"Midnight is the Darkest Hour" is not for the faint of heart.

This is what I love most about her stories. She does not hold back. The darkest shades of reality come out in her prose and I am subscribed for eternity.

Beware my sweet hearts of the bookish world, please please check your triggers before you pick up this book. The topics can be nightmareish and awful to read. [Big shout out to Queen Winstead for always having the warnings on the first few pages]

I want to thank Tantor Audio, Libro.fm and NetGalley for the advanced listener copy of this book. I hate to say it, skip the audiobook for this one. I had a very hard time with the absurdly fake southern accent that the narrator adopted. There were even moments where she dropped the accent almost as if she was deeply into reading the story that she forgot to continue the ruse. It was just distracting and took away from how deeply terrifying this story could be for the people who choose to listen.

Give me a story with an wicked religious cult and I am hooked. Nothing can dig deeper into my fear glans like a group of people who's minds are controlled by a "God" person to spread evil. I am sorry but there are "cult-like" groups all over the world. It's horrifying.

The small-town in Louisiana with a mega-church that holds secrets deep to its core. *rubs hands together* Just typing that sentence gives me the creeps. We follow the pastors daughter on her dual past and present view of learning about the sins crawling in her beloved town. Her saving grace is her only friend and the town's oddity, Everett. Together the pair are insperable. Everett is Ruth's only chance of surviving her families power. Skulls are uncovered. Strange symbols are carved in trees. Secrets are unfolding. Ruth's life changes forever.

This is a perfect book to pick up for "spooky" season. It's extremely unsettling. The Holy Fire Born Again Church will forever haunt me. I was into the dark romance that Winstead threaded through this horrific tale. I found myself constantly rooting for Everett and Ruth. I appreciate our main characters for recognizing their places in their socieity and ignoring what the town-folk thought of their unfaithful souls. I loved Ruth's character arc. I appreciated her awakening from the innocence she gripped tightly to throughout the entirety of the story.

"Midnight is the Darkest Hour" is a deep dive into the look at justice, the following of a divine being, not accepting societies unfavorable ideals and good versus evil.

You need read this book, if you like:
🌙 Bonnie and Clide re-tellings
🌙 Cult Stories
🌙 A Dark Romance
🌙 Twilight and Vampires
🌙 The Evils that Can Become of Religion
🌙 A horrific small town filled with secrets
🌙 Feels very similar to an SA Cosby book

Wow!!! This is probably the darkest book that I have read. I have been reading more and more thrillers recently so and since I have loved Winstead’s romcom books, I knew I needed to read it. I was lucky enough to get approved for an ALC from @netgalley and @tantoraudio

I typically do not read things that have witchy/cultish vibes because they are not my thing, but this book pulled me in from the start. The twists are well timed, the fear factor is intense, and the darkest friendship between Ruth and Everett was perfect for the story. The dual timelines worked in this story and gave good insight into things that happened before that were becoming relevant as the story went on. The ending was insane and I still have not gotten over it.

Appalachia and the trauma of religion - these are my two favorite things.

Ashley Winstead is a pretty revered author amongst friends, but this was my first and it felt like a great starting point for me personally.

This book is about Ruth, a god-fearing girl who exists in a perpetual state of fear, both due to local legend of the Low Man, a creature that hunts sinners in the night, and the way the men in her community constantly remind her to be good, to not be loose, to ready herself for her future husband,

A lot of this book was extremely for me - dissecting how religion perpetuates misogyny and does so by preventing women from learning in favor of living for men they'd one day marry as well as discouraging education and lauding hard work to keep the populace uninformed. It's very real and reflective of my life in the south. I was also pleasantly surprised to see this book delve into the opioid crisis and how it's facilitated by the same people that publicly demean it - the creation of a problem in order to create religious necessity which in turn funnels money into churches, etc.

Where the book waffled a bit was in storytelling. This book spans both past and present, investigating Ruth's relationship with local bad boy Everett and things from their past that are threatening to come to the surface.

A skull is discovered in a swamp. People whisper that it's the work of the Low Man. But in reality, the truth is so much more insidious.

Also definitely didn't expect so much discussion of Twilight. I think it was great metaphorically, but at one point it got a little bit weird.

First of all, I want to start off by saying that I loved this author's first two books and I was so excited for this one. I was hooked from the start and enjoyed the audiobook so much. I did not think this one was a thriller, more like a coming of age story. I did like the twilight vibes this book gave off and the spooky vampire aspect of it.
I loved how the ending left us guessing and wanting more. I gave this read 4 stars because something was missing for me. I think the beginning was a bit slow for me, but overall it was a fun read. This would be a great read for fall and/or spooky season.

Thank you Sourcebooks and netgalley for the audiobook.

It has taken me a few days to gather my thoughts on this Southern Gothic novel, the latest from must read author Ashley Winstead.

I think this one is best to go into blind, just knowing it is set in a small town in Louisiana where the church is a huge part of everyone’s life and anyone who doesn’t follow the same path is looked at as an outsider. Ruth is the daughter of the man leading the church, and her best friend is a man named Everett who has never fit in in their town.

The atmosphere was superbly written, with a haunting and dark feeling hanging over the entire story. Many important events take place in the dark cover of night, when things feel the bleakest like there may be no tomorrow.

The story started out as a slow burn, introducing the characters and the town and making sure that we understand who is thought of as good and bad in the town, once I hit 40%, this book had me in a chokehold, needing to hear what would happen next. The pace sped up, shocking things happened, and I was completely captivated by this dark read. I felt all the things, from anger to frustration to shock to sympathy.

The narrator uses a great Southern accent, and her intonation sounds youthful just like the main character. The time jumps did get slightly confusing at times over audio, particularly because the jumps aren’t over a great period of time and the characters themselves don’t change much over the course of the story.

Ashley Winstead remains one of my favorite authors, with the incredible ability to span multiple genres and the gift of clearly and cleverly delivering a story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is essentially about a young woman who grew up extremely sheltered by her fire-and-brimstone fun-hating preacher father learning to stand up for herself and learn what's ACTUALLY evil.
I did like this one. At times I did feel like some of the dialogue was a little drawn out (like girl... you made your point three paragraphs ago) but that would be my only "complaint."
If you have some religious trauma perhaps use caution when reading this one but you'll like the ending if you can stick with it.
Also if you absolutely loathe anything Twilight related with every fiber of your being just be aware there are a lot of Twilight references in this book. The main character found and read a forbidden copy and it made it her personality. I enjoyed the nostalgia but did wonder if it was going to end up just being a love letter to Twilight for a little bit in the middle.

This just wasn’t for me. I should have guessed by the synopsis – I was not a fan of A Flicker in the Dark and haven’t even read Verity because it doesn’t seem like my kind of book. I loved the setting (obviously – Louisiana) but the pacing was too slow for me, especially for as long as it was. I found myself rolling my eyes at Ruth’s naivete (but I did understand why she was like that). The cliched Twilight references (every other page) killed this, especially in relation to Everett. And the religious zealotry was too much for me. I almost gave up but read a review that said it got better at 70%; it did not for me.

This was my first ever Audiobook. I was a little hesitant as I have never listened to a book, but this one defintely kept my interest and I was finding evey opportunity to put my headphones in and listen. Thank you to @netgalley for the audio book!

The book definitley gave me Where The Crawdads Sing vibes.

This book for me was a 5 star book until we got to the scene that was straight out of Twilight when she was asking Ever if he was a vampire. That part was soooo cringey for me.

The ending also did not make me happy. I definitely am a set in stone ending (movies like Inception drive me crazy) kind of gal. Don't leave me wondering what happened.

I also felt like this book could have ended way earlier than it did. It reminded me of the movie Speed where the first time I watched it, I was sure the movie was over about 3 times before it actually did end. Felt the last police chase was not necessary. Give our poor Ever and Ruth a happy ending! They finally escape this town and we have no idea what happens to them.

Overall, it was an entertaining read and well written. I enjoyed listening to it.

It's been a huge week of new releases with this book my most anticipated of the lot. Ashley Winstead is one of my favourite authors and though this book did take me a little while to get into, I was fully invested by the halfway mark. I enjoyed the Twilight references in the book and that ending, wow!
This was a twisted tale with touches of romance, gothic and suspense throughout. Highly recommend!

Another twisty, dark, bendy, mind f****ry of a book from Winstead…this audio option was truly fantastic with an incredibly talented narrator.