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

Please excuse that this is my first review. I very much enjoyed this book for it's twists and turns. It had a very rough start for me. Once you are drawn into the small town charm, it is so hard to stop reading. I really enjoyed the stories of love between man and woman, man and cat, and woman and dog.
It took me a few times to get into the story. I started reading and stopped maybe 4 times. The beginning is quite wordy, which I was not used to. All though there were many descriptions of the place and environment, i feel some of the character descriptions were lacking. Even by the middle of the book, I did not have a clear picture in my mind of what the protagonist and antagonist looked like. The climax of the central storyline did not really make sense. The dots did not connect about who Mabel was. It felt like the author was running out of time and had to say something.

I have to start out telling you that Barbara O' Neil has some wonderfully written books! I especially enjoyed my last read by her- This Place of Wonder. This author has a way of enticing the reader with fully thought out stories that are truly relatable with unique characters and mystical plots hat send you to another place in the world. In The Midnight Rain is yet another romantic, magical,enjoyable and very beautifully written story that makes the reader wAnt more.! It is truly a work of art and makes the reader enjoy life within itself. Thank you Net Galley for this opportunity and I look forward tomany more future titles by Barbara ONeil

While I enjoy Barbara O’Neal’s books, this one was so-so. The story unfolds quite slow and then felt a bit rushed to tie it all together in the end. With that said, Barbara O’Neal has a gift for storytelling. The characters, plot, and setting are well developed. The author has a way of writing the characters in a humanistic way highlighting their strengths and weaknesses so well. I appreciate how the characters have “real”, true dialogue.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Barbara O'Neal never fails to put out great stories, and this was no exception!

Who doesn't love a story about a biographer writing on blues singers? A love story, a family reunion, healing old wounds....

This story's got a little bit of something for everyone.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I was losing my mind when i read this until I realized, yes I did red it before. Still good even the second time around. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher

I love Barbara's books and this book I loved too. It's a re published book and it's a tale about loss and love. A definite recommend like all her other books.

Thanks Lake Union and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

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 the share. There is never a dull moment in this story and I wished it never ended.
I am so happy the 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.

another great book by barb!!!! very well written like her others, likable characters, and strong plot. highly recommend

This is a re-release of one of Barbara O’Neal’s earlier written books. Like most of the books of hers I’ve read, it’s a nice story with good descriptions of characters, relationships, and the settings. This Place of Wonder is still my favorite of hers.

Thank you very much to Lake Union Publishing for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In the Midnight Rain is a reissue of this Barbara O'Neal novel. I first read this novel 3 years ago and enjoyed it very much. Like many of O'Neal's novels, this one is a fast read but with lots of good depth and a number of interesting characters. I enjoyed reading this novel the first time, but being stuck inside as the wind howls so loudly outside, adds a new appreciation to read a good easy novel.

I cannot detect differences in this reissued edition of In the Midnight Rain from the initial publication. I do wish the publishers would reissue the older novels, since they are less available.

I did enjoy rereading In the Midnight Rain and do recommend it.

In the Midnight Rain by B. O'Neal, published by Lake Union Publishing is a full length, small town romance.
The story spans many years, generations of a family and there are stories to be told, believe me.
An intriguing read, 4 beautiful stars.
Blurb:
Two converging mysteries compel a woman’s search for the truth in a captivating novel about loss, love, family, and healing by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

Biographer Ellie Connor is in Gideon, Texas, to research blues singer Mabel Beauvais who, on the verge of fame, mysteriously disappeared more than forty years ago. Gideon holds another mystery for Ellie. It’s the truth about her parents—a restless mother who died young and a father she never knew. They are an unsettled piece of Ellie’s own past. Somewhere in this town is the answer to both of her quests.

No one is more accommodating than charismatic Laurence “Blue” Reynard, a local with deep roots in Gideon. Sexy and charming, he’s also getting under Ellie’s skin like a smooth jazz rhythm. Yet beneath his seductive facade is a soul damaged by loss. Tragic, wanting, and beautiful. So wrong for a woman just passing through town. If only his passion and vulnerability weren’t so irresistible.

As Ellie pieces together Mabel’s puzzling life and that of her father, Blue takes the surprising journey with her.

This was a really compelling tale about loss, love, life and family. It centred around two women and their journey towards finding the truth. It was raw, real, and authentic. There was also an air of mystery to this novel, which had me looking forward to the next chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and lake union publishing for giving an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.