Music biographer Ellie Connor goes to Gideon, Texas on a dual mission: to research blues singer Mabel Beauvais, and discover who Ellie's father was. Mabel was on the verge of fame, then mysteriously disappeared more than forty years ago, and no one has reported seeing her since. Ellie's mom was in love with someone from Gideon, but never revealed who the father was, and she died of a drug overdose who Ellie was small so there is no chance of asking her. Ellie is staying in the guest house of Laurence “Blue” Reynard, whom she met online, and she has been warned by every woman in town that he is trouble, and to be careful. Blue, despite his seductive good looks, is a damaged soul, and will hurt any woman he gets involved with. The journey Ellie will go on to find answers will be arduous, but she will not only get the answers she is looking for, but she may even find unexpected love in the process.

This is a combination mystery & romance. "Blue" was the epitome of a tortured soul in need of redemption by a good woman, and Ellie was the perfect woman for the job. The mystery of what happened to Mabel and the identity of Ellie's father keep the reader guessing until almost the very end.

I read this book in 2013 and fell in love with Barbara O'Neal's story telling. I love the depth of the characters, the richness of the world in which the characters live. I love the sassiness of the woman and the vulnerability of the men. I love the story of the Blues and the homey feeling of a small town and the interest in wanting to understand a mystery. I always love authors that give characters a career or interest that you would never expected them to do but who thrive in it and make the story more interesting.
Even though I had read this story before, I still enjoying the unraveling of the mystery of blues singer Mabel Beauvais and the heated relationship between Ellie Conner and Laurence “Blue” Reynard with its up and downs and some surprises they need to deal with and the love they share. There is never a dull moment in this story and I wished it never ended.
I am so happy that O'Neal is bringing back some of her earlier stories because they are so wonderful and make you happy you read it.

I want to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy of this wonderful tale about Romance and the Blues.

In the Midnight Rain by Barbara O'Neal is a very engaging read and I was glued to the book till the last page!
Her character development in her books are rich. Her descriptive writing puts you right into the scenes with her characters.
This was a wonderful story and one I would not only recommend but one I think I might reread in the future.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I always enjoy this author as she creates atmospheric stories with emotion and the right amount of drama. This was a enticing story of Ellile who is a biographer seeking to research a story on a jazz singer fromt he 1930's who disappeared. She communicates with a man she meets online who invites her to the area to stay at his available home. She does not know his background that he has and trust him so she goes to write and research. She also has a family drama to investigate in the area. They have a instant attraction that is obvious to both and as the story progresses their relationship drama takes a most interesting turn with her family drama as a secondary story.

I enjoy the authors works as she writes of locations and characters with depth . This was a enjoyable read that I recommend. Thank you to the author, Net Galley and the publisher. My review opinions are my own.

I loved this outstanding book! The author always writes emotionally charged novels and this did not disappoint. Beautiful, heartwarming and well written.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In the Midnight Rain by Barbara O'Neal is an entrancing story of love and loss in which the author takes her readers on an exceptionally captivating journey. Biographer Ellie Connor finds herself in Gideon, where her research about a blues singer, Mabel, has led her. She is determined to unveil the mystery surrounding this once-famous singer and the cause of her disappearance, right when her star is taking off. Enchanting Laurence Reynard, nicknamed Blue, accommodates her in his home, and as the entire town knows, his reputation is very bad. He also has unresolved issues buried deep, and Ellie decides to keep off his path. Unknown to Blue, Ellie has another agenda for this particular research; she has to find some answers concerning her roots. As days go by, things become more complicated as more stunning secrets come to the surface, making Ellie's research take a different direction, which readers will have to find out in the book In the Midnight Rain by Barbara O'Neal.

Firstly, I like the characters in this book. Both the major and minor characters have great personalities that make them easily likable, and it's easy to relate to them as well. I additionally like how the author has taken her time to unveil the story, especially the climax and the anti-climax of the book. The book does not end abruptly after the climax. Additionally, I admire the way she has put emphasis on conversations; they are deep and engaging.

Although the book is very interesting, some parts are quite wordy, especially at the beginning, but ease as the book progresses.

I rate this book, In the Midnight Rain by Barbara O'Neal, 5 out of 5 stars, as I like her style of writing. I like the easy way the author writes her books, her creativity, and her easy-to-follow stories. I like this one in particular; she is a seasoned author.

I recommend this book to adults who love women's fiction and romance books that are accompanied by hidden secrets and mysteries. I also recommend it to those readers who have gone through the loss of loved ones and those close to them; it will teach them a lesson or two about loss, as it does not mean that it is the end of the world for them.

Ellie is in Gideon to research a singer named Mabel Beauvais. She’s also hoping to find out more about her parents.
So there’s two mysteries to solve in this book. There’s some romance too. It’s another good book by this author.

As one of my favorite authors I’ve always enjoyed Barbara O’Neils novels , this was no exception. The characters are well rounded with grit and depth. With the history contained in the storyline the reader is drawn into the lives of the diverse characters. An entertaining read with a bit of history, mystery and romance.

I have recently become a fan of Barbara O'Neal. I have binged read several of her books. This is one of my favorites. As always the characters are great, but the plot, and the mystery in this one kept me reading. Ellie is a writer. She specializes in biographies of blues singers. One, is a mystery from decades ago when a young up and coming singer disappears. Ellie also has another mystery she needs to solve. Who is her father. She was raised by grandparents, the illegitimate daughter of their hippie daughter who died young from an overdose. Seeking answers to both mysteries Ellie finds herself also attracted to a young man who is known as the town womanizer. The answers to Ellie's questions and mysteries of her past, a missing woman, and a young man known as Blue will keep you reading. Thanks to #NetGalley#intheMidnightRain for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Biographer Ellie Connor, comes to Gideon Texas to research blues singer Mabel Beauvais, who was about to come into fame when she dissapeared more than 40 years ago. Ellie also had another agenda, a personal one. To find out about her parents, who she never really knew.
Once there she meets up with Blue Reynard, who she had been emailing to for months, as he was helping her trying to find contacts who might have information for her, to find out about Mabel. He also lent her a cottage on his property for the time she was there. Blue, an extremely good looking, interesting man, but also a person who had gone through tragedy, so was very cautious and a bit withdrawn., but they were both drawn to each other, and learned to work together in both of her pursuits.
This book has a wonderful cast of characters, and each played an intricate part in this story. Such a good story line and a fun read as we discover more and more what happened to both questions being researched.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake union Publishing for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book even though after reading another Barbara O'Neal republished book, I wasn't sure I would. I was very pleasantly surprised.
This book sucked me in, in the first few pages and I didn't want to put it down or sleep until it was completed..
It's about a broken woman who finds herself renting a cottage from an equally broken ladies man. They had a friendship previously though online board chats and she has come to research a biography she is writing. It ends up having many twists, turns and emotional journeys with crazy amounts of electricity between Ellie and Blue. The last few chapters blew my mind and I didn't see that coming until right there at the end.

If you want to read a great book that will cause you to lose sleep because you can't put it down. This is a great option.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy of a rerelease of In The Midnight Rain.

I received at complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
This was such a well written book about romance, family, friendship and so much more. The characters had depth and were well thought out with a lot of back story that makes them what they are in the current timeline. I loved this book and all of the different things that were going on at the same time and the ending was so good and brought all the different little stories together at the same time.

In the Midnight Rain by Barbara O'Neal there is two converging stories, or mysteries if you like, both linked to Gideon, Texas.

One is the search for what happened to the up and coming blues singer Mabel Beauvais who on the eve of her breakthrough mysteriously disappeared more than forty years ago.

The other one is the very personal search biographer Ellie Connor is taking on, that to find her own roots in Gideon. Ellie's mother died when Ellie was very young and she never knew her father. They are an unsettled piece of Ellie’s own past. Ellie believes that somewhere in this town is the answer to both of her quests.

During the story, Ellie is piecing together Mabel’s known whereabouts, and those of her own father with help from the locals, and Blue in particular.

Slow burn romance full of hope and angst, requiring some thought when reading as there's plenty to enjoy and process.

Another Barbara's story where we find a mystery about a famous singer who from one day to another disappears without a clue.
In the search for the story behind this disappearance our protagonist finds herself in an atmosphere of Jazz music with a local who also keeps his own secrets that may or may not be related to her search.

It has been very entertaining and I always enjoy a good historical mystery wrapped in a beautiful romance. So it's been a great read that I only just found out it's a re-release, so this genre has been written for a long time and I'm just discovering it.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.
#IntheMidnightRain #NetGalley

A wonderful love story filled with mystery, lost love, and a deep love growing within a lost heart. Music biographer Ellie is in the process of researching a blues singer who turned from her career and disappeared. Ellie comes to the singer’s small town. It is the place where her deceased mother lived one summer and got pregnant. Ellie knows nothing about her father and along with her research, is determined to find out who he is.
The story flows with Ellie’s research into both the singer and her father while she is standing her ground with handsome Blue, a genuine man with a heart filled with hurt.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I did not realize that this was a re-release and that I had missed this book originally, boy did I miss out!
Written so absolutely beautifully
With the storytelling that only this author can do I was completely mesmerized from beginning to end!

I absolutely loved this book. It did take a little while to get into the story, but I think it’s because the author is really descriptive of the characters and the setting. Once I fell in love with the small town charm, I couldn’t put it down.

Ellie is a writer who travels to a new town to research a blues artist named Mabel who mysteriously vanished. We also find out Ellie has personal ties to the town and is hoping to find out more while searching for Mabel. The story focused so much on Ellie that I felt Mabel’s story was a little lost in it all. I wanted to know more about her. Overall, the author did a fabulous job drawing me in and did great job wrapping it all up in the end. It is a genuinely a happy ending.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well thought out, the pacing felt perfect and I fell in love with the characters. The mysteries weaving together held your attention and the ending was phenomenal.

I wish I liked this book more.

The wording was quite heavy and thus it took me a few tries to really get into this. I kept trying to visualize the characters as well and I just never got a clear image of them. Ellie Conner and Laurence “Blue” Reynard were interesting love interests and it was fun to watch their journey as a couple.

The ending felt a touch rushed but did tie up the book well.

Another great read from Barbara O'Neal. Biographer Ellie travels to Gideon, Texas to research two mysteries, the disappearance of an up and coming blues single years before and the truth about the parents she never knew. As she unravels the mysteries, she meets a local, charming musician and must decide the trajectory of her own future