Midnight on the Midway
(Carnival of Mysteries series)
by Morgan Brice
Publisher: Darkwind Press
Cover Artist: Dianne Thies
Release Date: September 18, 2024
Pairing: MM
Tense/POV: Third person, past tense, alternating POV
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Mystery/suspense, Paranormal, Shifter, Urban Fantasy
Tropes: Meet cute, found family, suspect & investigator, fish out of water, supernatural carnival, psychics, caring veterinarian, paranormal mobsters, secret agent
Themes: Learning to trust, discovering the supernatural is real
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 65 000 words
It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Supernatural secret agents, vampires, and veterinarians!
Blurb
Drake Carlson is an agent for the Federal Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. He’s psychic and gets visions of alternate realities. Drake is tracking magical Mafiosi involved in paranormal crime. On a rare night out, he goes to an arcade and ends up in a Skee-Ball competition with Garrett Thompson, a cute veterinarian, and they really hit it off. More arcade dates and a visit to the Carnival of Mysteries lead to hot nights and a growing connection, and Drake begins to think he and Garrett could forge a forever relationship.
Then a mobster with a sick dog kidnaps Garrett, and a vampire henchman puts Garrett under his thrall. Drake is going to need all the help he can get—from the carnival, his own psychic mojo, and some paranormally skilled friends to catch the mobster, rescue Garrett—and, of course, save the dog—on the way to his happily-ever-after.
Midnight on the Midway is a fast-paced MM paranormal romance filled with supernatural suspense, found family, a brave veterinarian, vengeful vampires, sarcastic ghosts, midway magic, a fearless fed, hurt/comfort angst, love-conquers-all tension, and a very happy ending!
Part of the multi-author, shared-world Carnival of Mysteries series. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Excerpt—in an escape room
The attendant left the room which was designed to look like a Victorian parlor, and they heard the door click shut behind him. Ominous music began to play, and after a few minutes, Drake picked up other sounds like chattering teeth, moans, and wails.
“They go all-out, don’t they?” He followed Garrett’s lead to handle the objects on shelves and tables, gently shifting them to disclose secrets.
“This place has a good reputation.” Garrett turned slowly to survey the room.
Drake resisted the temptation to dive in with his agent training and decided to let Garrett take the lead. “I’ve never done one of these. Where do we start?”
Garrett looked pleased to share his love of the adventures. “This one was rated spooky but not extreme. It’s not like one of those live haunted houses at the beach where actors follow you around and chase you. Some places do have characters, but this one doesn’t.”
“Have you done it before?”
Garrett shook his head. “Not this particular scenario. I did the UFO one here a couple of weeks ago with some friends from work. So I’m basing my expectations on that.”
“So we get to live out our inner Scooby Doo?”
“Pretty much. Trap doors may open, but you won’t fall through anything. Handle anything that’s loose and look for clues or codes. Gently tug on things to see if they move. If it opens, look inside. There will be doors to other rooms, so look for hidden openings as well as regular doors,” Garrett said. “It’s more fun if we work together, so don’t try to do it all on your own.”
Drake thought that working together on a project might feel awkward, or there could be a push-pull vying to be in charge. To his relief, Garrett proved to be competent and inquisitive without any one-upmanship.
They divided the room into search sections, moving clockwise so they eventually went over each other’s areas without getting in the way. Garrett found the first of several clues and seemed genuinely pleased when Drake found a secret door that opened to lead them into a long-abandoned dining room.
A sudden shriek raised the hackles on Drake’s neck. Garrett chuckled. “Gotta watch out for the sound effects. They’ll get you every time.”
Drake relaxed, chagrined, and reminded himself that this wasn’t the usual life-or-death stakes. As he searched behind paintings, checked under couch cushions, and peered inside the grandfather clock, Drake admired the clever set dressing and the ingenuity of the scriptwriter.
Real ghost hunts rarely went smoothly, and while the escape room was made to look like a creepy abandoned house, it lacked the smell of mildew, rodents, and disuse that came with the real thing.
“You’re pretty good at this.” Garrett bumped elbows with Drake. “I think you’ve got a knack for it.”
If you only knew.
About the Author
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic and urban fantasy, with less romance, more explosions.
All of the modern-day Morgan Brice and Gail Z. Martin series crossover, so characters from one series appear in cameos and on page in important secondary roles in books from other series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but the more you read the more the expanded universe of friendships and connections becomes clear.
Morgan and Gail believe that paranormal elements make any story even better, and her worlds are full of ghosts, psychics, shifters, creatures, vampires, monster hunters, and magic.
She's also a huge fan of the TV show Supernatural. (Chibi art by Kamidiox)
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