Halloween – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

It’s that time again, time for some Halloween themed posts and why not with book tags? This tag was originally created by **The Bookish Porcupine** but I saw it around the blogosphere – most recently on Dinipandareads. Check their blogs out!

Creepy house on the corner of the street:
Book with a creepy cover

The Haunting of Hill House is a book that I’ve been meaning to for years!

Lights out (party poopers):
A book you want to read when you want to escape

I like escaping into fantasy books and Throne of the Fallen takes you to Hell, a Vampire stronghold and Faerie!

The house that gives out the cheap candy:
Guilty pleasure book

I like a good strange small town, spooky story! I don’t know if that’s a guilty pleasure but sometimes I just liked to be weirdly spooked. I think Together We Rot fascinated me because stories about cults always have interested me!

The house with the best decorations on the block:
Best haunting/Halloween-themed cover

I haven’t read Delicious Monsters but I want to – but yikes look at that cover!

The house that gives out the best candy:
#1 Halloween recommendation

If you like a little history with a haunted house then you’d enjoy The Hacienda!

SPEED ROUND

Corn Maze or Haunted House?

I used like Haunted Houses but that was in my younger years! I’d go with a corn maze now.

Classic or Unique Costume?

I love both but I’ll go with Unique because my kids are always picking unique costumes. This year my daughter will be Sailor Moon and I’m Luna (the cat) lol.

Sexy or Scary Costume?

Scary because I can’t pull off a sexy one lol

Comedy or Horror Halloween Film?

I was forced to watch horror films all during my childhood because my older male cousins picked the movies! So now I go for comedy.

Chocolate or Sour Candy?

Definitely chocolate!

It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️ Happy Halloween! 👻🎃

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Three Kisses, One Midnight

Author: Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, Sandhya Menon

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 8/30/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Halloween, Paranormal, Teen Readers

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.

“To summon joy and love in another’s soul
For a connection that makes two people whole
For laughter and a smile that one can never miss
Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”

This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance—with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.

But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.

Content Warning:

This is a three story anthology filled with romance, Halloween and autumn vibes and I thought it was lots of fun. Here’s what I like and didn’t like:

+ The stories are short and the whole anthology itself is under 300 pages. The stories flowed nicely together even though it’s told by three different authors. It’s perfect for teens.

+ Onny and Ash’s stories were my favorite because Onny’s is a rivals to lovers romance. Onny is into the mystical – she loves astrology, Halloween and believes in love potions and fate. Her rivals to romance story was perfect for her personality. Ash is the quiet, shy artist who is in love with the girl next door, Cassidy. He finally gets to talk to her and finds out she was mutually pining for him too.

+ The friendship between Onny, Ash, and True is tight and I love the three of them together.

~ True’s story was the weakest because it was so insta-love. I did like how she was a science-minded girl and not into Onny’s hocus pocus but her mind is opened a bit on Halloween night. Orion is someone she meets on Halloween night and he’s into ghosts. Theirs is an opposites attract relationship which would have worked out better for me if it wasn’t an insta-love thing. If she had a past with him like Onny did with Byron and Ash has with Cassidy then it would be more believable.

Tropes: mutual pining, rivals to lovers, opposites attract

Why you should read it:

you want to get into fall vibes, Halloween vibes
super cute Halloween romance stories in a book that is under 300 pages long
diverse author line up, and diverse characters

Why you might not want to read it:

not into anthologies or novella type stories

My Thoughts:

Three besties find love on Halloween night: one was in front of her face the whole time, the other is pining for his his love next door, and the last one meets a potential love on Halloween night. This is a cute collection of stories for teens but I did enjoy even as an adult. And it’s a good one to read for Fall and around Halloween.