I enjoyed this story set in the late 1990s and then twenty years later. The characters were relatable and the momentum of the story carried me along. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I’m May 2019, author Maggie Parker is living in Paris writing under the pseudonym Margaret Foale. She receives a phone call and it’s one she has been dreading. Backtrack to Notting Hill (London) in 1998 and Maggie’s beautiful widowed model mother Dee Dee is getting ready for a night out, leaving her in charge of her younger brother, Kit. When she doesn’t return by the midnight hour as promised, Maggie is unsure of what to do. However, a chance and very fortuitous meeting with Wolf not only opens her eyes to a previously unknown world but also delays any decision making.

This is absolutely fabulous in very possible way. It’s beautifully written with originality and creativity encompassing a multilayered story. It’s part suspenseful mystery, part love story, an novel of friendship and family secrets which is very cleverly told via the dual timelines. Fabulous characters bestride the pages from golden Kit to loyal Maggie to gruff Gav Out Back to the colourful Aunt Cora with all portrayed in full technicolour. You ponder at the secrets which are so intriguing, you feel the same sense of doom that Maggie does with some characters making you feel unsettled and wondering what’s afoot. The mystery of Dee Dee continues to puzzle but it stultifies Maggie with tension which oozes from her pores.

There are so many aspects of the book that are well done but I love that the film ‘Notting Hill’ is being made in the 1998 timeline which adds its own distinctive flavour! I also enjoy the antiques element with the inclusion of some fascinating objects and great scenes at Gav’s Out Back.

The storytelling navigates multiple twists with the author dropping in little teasers which ignite the page, sending my brain into overdrive. Sometimes these are dirty great information bombs that send my jaw to the floor! A few of the reveals are so good, some scenes are sad, occasionally horrifying as it builds to the ending you hope for. An outstanding book and one I can highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Fair play to everyone that's managed to read this with all the typesetting issues. There's a number on every line but sometimes at the beginning, sometimes at the end and sometimes in the middle of the word! It's so disjointed and totally distracts so I've had to give up. I'm so disappointed as I love Eve Chase and I’m sure it’s brilliant.

I loved this book! When I requested it on NetGalley it was purely based on the front cover and I was definitely not expecting the story inside at all. It had me hooked from the beginning and I loved how the author drip-fed us the information and kept me guessing.

Eve Chase writes beautiful, evocative prose and the cast of characters in this novel were vividly brought to life, with the Notting Hill and Paris backdrops feeling very real. I felt, however, that there wasn't a great deal to the plot - the story was carried by its location and its characters, and it felt like not a lot was happening - it took me a long time to engage with the story.

Some of this I think was down to the review copy I was reading, which had line numbers scattered throughout the text, making it sometimes quite difficult to read, which was a shame as it detracted somewhat from what I think would have been another really good book.

Wow what an incredible story, so grateful to of been accepted for this arc, I’ve always been amazed by Eve chase’s books, each one holding a lifetime of secrets! The twists and turns so fabulously put together!

This book had me hooked from the start. Told from Maggie and Kits' perspective over two timelines. I just loved this storyline of the dysfunctional family who kept hidden a lot of secrets that I didn't see coming.

I enjoyed the mystery of what happened to make them leave the house that ran throughout the book. Another twist I didn't expect.

Highly entertaining and quite the page turner.

I had to stop reading this sadly as the copy I downloaded was full of random numbers dotted through the text. I can normally ignore mistakes and typesetting and I am grateful to get arcs but I just couldn't get through this. I will buy the book when it comes out though as it sounds amazing!

A lovely read by Eve Chase set in two time zones 1998, and 2019.

In 1998, in Notting Hill, Maggie’s mother, the beautiful Dee Dee goes out one night, and doesn’t return, leaving 17 year old Maggie alone with her 5 year old brother Kit. Maggie has to navigate London, and her mother’s Bohemian friends to try and find the truth of her disappearance.
In 2019, Maggie, now a successful novelist living in Paris, is summoned home, and has to uncover family secrets going back many years.
Narrated by Maggie, and her troubled younger brother Kit, it is the story of a family split by secrets and half truths.
With a cast of interesting characters, and lots of twists along the way, I raced through to the very satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for the opportunity to read this book.

A brilliantly, tantalising, engaging read which keeps the reader guessing with all it's twists and turns. Set mainly in London through the eyes of well depicted characters, Maggie and her younger brother Kit over two timelines 1998 and 2019. Very atmospheric descriptions, beautifully written, which draws the reader in with lots of secrets and mystery along the way.

Thoroughly recommended despite numbers 01-28 appearing throughout sometimes in the middle of words, but these didn't detract from the story or enjoyment only disrupting the flow and I only hope they disappear before publication.

I always look forward to a new Eve Chase novel and this one did not disappoint.
The story is told through 2 timelines and i really like that in a book, it’s a story of family, secrets, deception and lost love with mystery along the way to keep you hooked and guessing til the very end. As always with Eve it’s very character based and I enjoyed getting to know them as this story unfolded. I highly recommend and I’d like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the pleasure of this early proof.

The format of this preview really let the book down and made it a difficult read. The fact it jumped between time periods took a while to get used to and that was made worse because of all the numbers that had been added into the preview copy. A real shame as it really did spoil my enjoyment and understanding of what otherwise would have been a brilliant story, and this is the reason I've scored it a 3/5. I probably will invest in buying a copy once it's released so I can enjoy it properly.

The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase

A beautiful story wonderfully told with characters I really felt I could engage with .
Loved the plot and the way the story flowed.
Eve Chase is a master storyteller of this genre.

Another beautifully written book by Eve Chase. The story is told through alternating time periods, 1998 and 2019. The two timelines are cleverly interwoven bringing the story to a satisfying climax. There are lots of surprises along the way with plenty of mystery to be uncovered. The characters, as always, are delightful. This is a story about family, secrets and deception and finding yourself. There is tragedy and delight and all the emotions in-between. An absolute joy to read. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always look forward to an Eve Chase book, this one didn't disappoint. Well-written, great plot and characters. Recommended.

Having read Eve Chases's books before, I was really excited to read this one, and it didn't disappoint.

From the start of the book where you find out there are secrets being kept about a day in the past you are hooked into the story, both past and present.

Jumping back and forth into the different times of the story takes a little getting used to, but once you get used to it you want your chapter to go on and for more of the story to reveal itself.

Chase has a clever way of engrossing you in the worlds of Portobello Road and Paris, and fans of her previous books will not be disappointed.

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, BY EVE CHASE

When seventeen-year-old Maggie watches her mother getting ready to go out, she has little idea that she will never see her again once she leaves the house. She is left having to take care and entertain her little adopted 'brother, Kit, on her own. Having recently relocated to London from a more rural part of Surrey to be closer to her mother's work as a television personality, Maggie and Kit become acquainted with the area of Notting Hill and its people as they go about searching for their mother.

Twenty two years later Maggie has become a successful author, living in Paris. Her past comes back to haunt her when an old boyfriend unexpectedly gets in touch, alerting her that their childhood home is being rebuilt and the patio dug up. Fearing a terrible secret being unearthed, Maggie returns to England.

In alternate chapters, yo-yoing between 1997 and 2019 the reader learns about what has happened to the two protagonists in the intervening years. The jumps between periods feels a little clumsy, but generally speaking this is a well-written, well-paced novel.

Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and Penguin Random House for a copy of this wonderful novel in return of an honest review.

I've just read the last words of this book and immediately want to sing its praises in my 5 🌟 review.
In my humble opinion, this is an absolutely wonderful work of fiction. It touches every sentiment of life's ups and downs. Navigating joy, pain, love, hate, tears of happiness and tinges of sadness.
The writing presents a perfect balance of hidden secrets and known truths. At every turn, Maggie and Kit uncover the hidden angst of their mother's life. Together, they unwittingly discover the events that have led them to a complicated adulthood.
Lost loves, family secrets, and scandals, delivered on a backdrop of 90's, Notting Hill, London, and the enchantment of Paris.
A beautiful story that had me praying for Maggie and Kit, hoping that they would find the answers they deserved.
#TheMidnightHour
#Netgalley.co.uk

This is probably the most satisfied I've been after reading an Eve Chase novel. I'm always lured in by the cover and plotlines but left somehow slightly disappointed. "The Midnight Hour" however seemed to have a more engaging story. The mystery at the centre of Maggie and Kit's mother disappearing does have you thinking the worst, especially when the remains of a body are discovered in their former home... Aside from that there are plenty of other threads to get you guessing and life doesn't always have to be horrific,as shown in this book.

Masses of numbers throughout the text made this a difficult story to read.
A confusing story difficult to keep straight as it jumped from the past to the present.