This is book 2 in the lost lake series by Kate Hewitt. This book follows Alex and her family and starts 7 months after a nuclear holocaust that changed their lives and the world. Family survival and love is paramount to this novel.
Can’t wait for the next one in the series …

This is not a book that I normally would have picked up but it was offered to me and I agreed to read and review it. I'm glad I did. I did not read the first book and it might have helped to understand this book and the characters a bit better. But the author did an admirable job filling in the back story.

In this book, the family has just escaped from a horrific attack on the former vacation home that they fled to after a nuclear holocaust. They are traveling, with supplies, to find a place that is experiencing minimal radiation fallout and somewhere where they can be safe.

The trip is long and dangerous. The author describes the desperate straits of survivors. No homes, no food, no tap water, no heat as we've all become accustomed to. She also goes back in time to describe the journey that the father took to find and bring back his son.

I knew that I was living within the story when a couple of times I thought like the characters in the book. For instance, where was I going to find fresh fruit for a fruit bowl I planned to put together? Oh yeah. I could just go buy it.

I loved how the characters stepped up to the challenges that they faced and the snap and longer term decisions that they had to make to survive. There is violence and other uncomfortable situations but I found it well worth reading. It is not a "zombie" story, but instead a real family adapting to the new world that they lived in.

BOOK: THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
AUTHOR: KATE HEWITT
PUB DATE: JANUARY 2025
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I love disaster movies, especially sci-fi ones. This book is just like that and I loved it too! This book was set in modern time North America, US and Canada to be exact and major cities there have been attacked with nuclear bombs leaving a lot of people dead, government destabilized and the survivors left struggling. We follow the lives of the Parker family and the people they meet along the way.
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We start off with Alex, a housewife with three kids plus two who has had to go through extreme changes like everyone else to survive. She's determined to keep her family safe and provide for them. She was really admirable. Because I can only imagine the world coming to an end and to have to act as a parent too! But, she did all that seamlessly.
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Then Daniel, her husband, an equally amazing person too. When the bombs first hit, he went on an exhausting journey to bring his eldest son home. It was very difficult and it put a toll on him, unsurprising. He's also a protector and provider who went all out with his family. I really admired him. Before the start of the book, he and his wife had a huge fight. Fortunately, they were able to mend broken fences before the end of the book.
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The other characters were the Parker Children and the others they met on the road. They all worked hard to be self sufficient, foraging food and just trying to survive.
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What I liked most about the book was that it was realistic. Yes, it was focused on the family, but the author's rendition of the aftermath of the attacks and people trying to survive, even going to extra lengths just to do that.
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This book was very good and I read it in 24 hours. I'll definitely recommend this book
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I LOVED the first book in this series - The Last Stars in the Sky - and definitely recommend reading it before The Midnight Hour. This book picks up where the first one left off - how a family is surviving after a nuclear holocaust. No Government, no water, cities demolished and people can't be trusted. The book is told from the perspectives of Alex and Daniel, the parents of the family. Learning their different feelings, experiences and outlook on the situation is incredibly fascinating. Their determination, strength and positivity during the most impossible of times is awe inspiring. This book makes you think, keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you want to turn the pages for more. My biggest complaint (and why this was a 4 star, while The Last Stars in the Sky was 5 star) is that it is very repetitive, especially in the beginning. I felt like much of the first half of the book was repeating different experiences instead of learning about new ones.It was another cliffhanger ending, which is SO frustrating. The experiences and descriptions in this book are so well done that I felt like I was there. I felt all the fears and emotions that were running through the characters and family. I am now waiting and hoping for a 3rd book in the series. Do yourself a favor, and add both of these books to your 2025 TBR.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

A intense and scary book to read as it could actually be something that will happen to our World.
Just thinking about the reality this story makes me feel so sad….life after nuclear bombs devastate parts of Canada and the United States.
The Midnight Hour is a tension filled read.
This story literally broke my heart ♥️
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book form my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

its an apocalyptic storyline that does grip you right to the end... there are some shocking scenes and i have to admit there was one scene that brought a tear to my eye

its a compelling read and i cant wait to read the next book in this series


think walking dead without the zombies

What a great book! I was so happy to hear there was a sequal to The Last Stars in the Sky! This book draws you in and keeps you turning pages until its done. Highly recommend this series!

I listened to this second story in the Lost Lake series on audiobook. It works well in this medium, with the narrator differentiating between the main characters and bringing them to vibrant life. The story is an emotional one set in post-apocalyptic North America. I didn't listen to or read the first book, although I have this now. The story is engaging and told from the mother and father's viewpoints. Both are complex, flawed characters, and the story explores how they change after the bombs have dropped and how they come to terms with the new version of themselves. I do not usually read or listen to this type of story, but I like this author and am glad I took the chance. It focuses on their journey to make a new life for their family after their first attempt ended in violence and tragedy. The cleverly created menacing, unpredictable ethos has subtle sensory imagery that immerses the reader in the setting and makes them receptive to the protagonists' thoughts and feelings. It's an addictive book with lots of suspenseful moments. I like the story's emotion and sensory imagery, drawing the reader into the characters' lives, the evocative setting and the family dynamic.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and purchased an audiobook copy.

The Midnight Hour by Kate Hewitt is the second book about the holocaust that took place when someone started dropping nuclear bombs on American and Canadian cities and the widespread death and destruction that followed. It is focused on one family and the people they picked up along the way and the mind-numbing life that was now theirs. David, the husband, returned to the cabin they had moved to after a six month journey to bring the son home from college. The trials both her and the family had gone through were beyond anything they would have imagined before this all had happened. This second part of the story tells of their lives after they burned down their cabin after they had been attacked. If they couldn’t have it, no one could. People died. Some were slated to die anyway, some were not. They killed people and stole. All to survive. It preyed on their minds but it had to be done.

Alex, the mom, had to watch her children suffer and grow up way before they should have. She was an excellent character, as was her husband, David. They learned how to be married through all of this, and how to love. She was grateful for that, but continued to kick herself for the mistakes she’d made, both before and after the bombings. Slowly things began to normalize, although the new normal would be nothing like the original. I don’t normally read post apocalyptic books but am a huge fan of Kate Hewitt. She brought her usual mastery to this wretched tale. It was readable, and frightening. Something we all should think about, I guess.

I was invited to read The Midnight Hour by Storm Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StormPublishing #KateHewitt #TheMidnightHour

This was a very different novel from the others I have read by this author. Stuck in a post-apocalyptic America, Alex and her family are trying to make their way to a safe place, not knowing if it even exists. The country has been subject to nuclear attacks - areas are unsafe due to radiation and the survivors have taken matters into their own hands in order to survive. Fuel, food and even uncontaminated water are at a premium, and some are prepared to go to extreme lengths to survive. A great read. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

This story is about a family who is fighting for survival with family in a nuclear holocaust. Now they’re on the run. They don’t know who to trust. Everyone can be the enemy. They are fighting for the lives of their children. Will they succeed? Will they be doomed. If you love a emotional, fly by the seat of your pants, hard to put down and trying to guess what will go down, this book is for you. Kate Hewitt makes you feel everything they’re feeling. Awesome read. The characters are strong, protective and would do anything for their family. Worth the read. I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review. I give it voluntarily.?

If you read Kate Hewitt’s first book in the Lost Lake series, Last Stars in the Sky, then you have been like me trying to patiently wait to read what happens next to this family. Now in the second book, The Midnight Hour, we can read all about it. It begins right where the first book finishes. Well, five miles down the road but still within the last few minutes. So heartbreaking realistic is I found it difficult but also unable to stop reading. It takes a while to find the hopeful new life with so much bad, but this family is one of resiliency and resourcefulness. It is a bit scary to think of what lengths you would go to for your children or who you would sacrifice.

A versatile writer, Kate Hewitt has given us a poignant, gut-wrenching look at what life could be like if an unimaginable horror happens. A story that sticks with you long after you have finished reading it. I would recommend reading the first book to see how it all came to be as well as The Midnight Hour when much of life is full of darkness, loss, emotional exhaustion but also hope or at least an open door by the end. Like the first book, the journey is not over.
4.5 Stars

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of The Midnight Hour.

A family who has just been through months of fighting for survival has just lost the cabin they were living in. Living off the land is brutal until they find a place to stay but it may not be as perfect as it seems. They will stop at nothing to stay together and survive even if it means doing things they never thought they were capable of.

This is the second book in the series and you definitely need to read the first book before reading this one. Again I really wanted to love this book but it was just an okay read for me. The choices some of the characters made seemed odd in my opinion and I was not a fan of the ending.

The sequel to The Last Stars in the Sky it follows Alex, Daniel and their family’s fight for survival as they navigate a world which has changed forever. Having all her family around her at last has given Alex some comfort although Daniel is distant, holding onto secrets which he isn’t ready to share.
They become self sufficient as much as possible but they have to face new dangers and make impossible choices to keep everyone safe.
I have such mixed feelings, only in the sense of my own fears that this could be the reality in my own lifetime, given the state of our world in the last 3 years it’s become less of an irrational fear unfortunately.
The story in told in dual POV, Alex in the current timeline and Daniel from book 1, folllwing his journey with Sam and Alex’s mother back to the cabin.
Given my own feelings about the storyline I think it’s been written so well, my gosh if anything ever happened to our own world I would want to be Alex, she is a true warrior mother, so courageous.
Even with the heavy storyline there is so much hope for a better future. I will definitely be adding book 3 Where the Dawn Finds Is due for release Jan 2026 to my TBR.
The book is dark given the storyline, it covers heavy topics so please check your trigger warnings before reading.
Thank you NetGalley, Kate Hewitt and Storm Publishing for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the series.

The story keeps you turning the pages as we read about what happened to Alex, Daniel and their family.

The story had a bit of everything, hope, fear and love. The end was emotional, tissues needed.

It was very well written and had you feeling as though you were there alongside the characters.

I highly recommend this book.

The Midnight Hour
by Kate Hewitt
Pub Date: Jan 10 2025

The Midnight Hour is the second book in the Lost Lake series written by Kate Hewitt but can be read as a stand a lone book. It is recommended you read the first book, The Last Stars in The Sky though to get a better understanding as the second book starts off right where the first book ended. This book is about how a family has settled with a nuclear holocaust and dystopian drama. Be ready for an action-packed, post-apocalyptic, thought-provoking morality tale in this book by author Kate Hewitt!

Many thanks to #TheMidnightHour #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me with an E-ARC of this book!

The Midnight Hour is the second book in the Lost Lake series written by Kate Hewitt and ENDED ON A DAMN CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!! I read the first book last year, The Last Stars In The Sky, and if you decide to read this book, I highly recommend reading the first book first because The Midnight Hour starts off right where the first book ended. I really loved this book and I was so excited to reunite with this family after following their story in the first book because that one also ended in a cliffhanger, but there were a few issues I had with this book, so therefore I couldn't give it five stars even though I loved it. I know this is an ARC and not the final product, but there were a bit too many grammatical errors, another reason was the repetitiveness, I don't have a problem when things are mentioned a few times, but if they are mentioned again right after I had just read that sentence, then it drives me nuts, but anyways I felt this book was just as good as the first one, minus for the cliffhanger because I still need some answers. I can't recommend this book enough, so please go do yourself a favor and read the first book and then immediately after read the this one, so mark your calendars for January 10th, 2025 for The Midnight Hour. This book is super dark and deals with heavy topics, so please check trigger warnings before reading, I will also list those warnings in my review.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND STORM PUBLISHING FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

TRIGGER WARNING'S
Mentions of Rape.
Mentions of Suicide.
Gun Violence.
Death.
Cancer.

"I'm on the run in a world that is on fire, I don't have time to feel afraid of two men with guns".

"I think we will always be scared. It's just learning to live with fear".

"Men can be so stupid when it comes to their egos".

"In The dead of winter, a nuclear war is a disaster".

Seven months ago, Ontario, Canada and a huge majority of the United States were hit with a nuclear holocaust. Everywhere the Walker family looks, destruction still looms and lives are forever changed, but now there is a new fear in the air, the idea and worries of radiation. Alex Walker and her husband, Daniel Walker have three children, and now two other children in their care. Ruby is their twelve tear old daughter, Mattie is their fifteen year old daughter, and Sam is their nineteen year old son. Now, they have two others, Phoebe who is four years old lost her own mother to a gunman while trying to escape and survive, Kyle is also nineteen years old and he was Kerry's cousin, Kerry lost her life while trying to protect Mattie from bullets. Phoebe is always attached to Mattie's hip and Mattie is more of a mother figure to Phoebe than Alex is. Seven months later Alex and her family are still trying to fight for their lives. They have no where to live, so they are living in the woods way off grid, but there's a new destination, North Bay Survival and Resettlement Center which houses up to four hundred to five hundred people, medical examinations and family interviews are needed in order to be accepted. Michael Duart the owner is so sketchy.

That's all I'm going to say about this book, because I believe everyone and their mother should read this series. Like I said in the beginning of my review, The Midnight Hour ended on a cliffhanger which ended abruptly, and now I need book three asap if there will be a book three bahaha. After reading this book, it made me take a minute to just stop and think because this could literally happen anywhere and it's so frightening to think about. Alex Walker must confront new dangers and make impossible choices to protect those she loves. The Walker family showed so much determination, bravery, and resilience that it actually broke my heart watching them navigate a scary world of destruction. I also appreciate that Kate Hewitt portrayed the bad judgement calls this family made because no one is perfect and there's not always someone right there telling you what the right decision to make is even though you are surrounded by your family. Despite facing horrible times and horrible people along the way, Alex, Daniel, Mattie, Sam, Kyle, Ruby, and Phoebe meet the most kind hearted people while trying to navigate this scary world after nuclear bobs destroyed their lives. I just wanted to reach into my kindle and hug this family because their story truly broke my heart.

This is such a powerful and emotional book - a book about life and family at a time that we, as readers, cannot envisage.
Amazing writing as always by Kate, truly a case of showing the reader and keeping us on our toes.
Thank you

This book follows on from The Last Stars in the Sky, which I had not read. I have previously read books by this author, the Willoughby Close series which I had enjoyed. I did not realise that unlike that series, which is a heartwarming one of the type that I enjoy, this is a post nuclear war dystopian story. Other authors that I follow have also changed genres, in particular cozy mysteries, which I have subsequently enjoyed. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of this particular genre as I much prefer more upbeat stories, however this isn't a criticism of the story itself as this is a very personal preference. If you do enjoy these type you will like this, and I have rated it accordingly, however be warned if you're not a fan.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Seven months ago, our family left suburban Connecticut for my parents’ isolated lake house in a naïve attempt to reconnect. Life had imploded, or so I thought then. I hoped the change would reset us: a montage of Hallmark moments—card games in candlelight, spontaneous hugs and important, healing chats. What I got was a nuclear holocaust five days after we arrived.

A week ago, the lake house burned to the ground. Our last place of safety. Now, I watch my children huddle together, their faces lit up by our tiny campfire beneath the towering blackness of endless pine forests. I wonder what tomorrow will bring—for the world, but also for my family.

My daughters are so young. They’ve seen so little of life, but far too much. What future can they possibly have? What future can I make for them? I must keep them safe. No matter what lies ahead.

Gripping. Heartbreaking. Emotional. This one hit me harder than I expected. I definitely recommend reading the first in the series before this one. Go read it. I'll wait! 🙂 The characters in this were very well written, and the plot compelling enough to keep me engaged from the beginning. This is one that will stick with me. 4.5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.