3.5 stars

This was an interesting read, that follows a family after the mother leaves them and leads the daughter and her brother to take different paths and then have different recollections of all their time together.

The character of Wolf is a strange one and seems pivotal in certain decisions taken and does have a bit of a darker feel about his character. It really centres around the secrets that families keep and it does build slowly so that keeps you reading to discover just where the leads will take them. I didn't have that connection with the characters that made me care too much about revelations that followed.

Oh I adored this book! The writing is exquisite and you are immediately pulled into Maggie’s world. I love the characters, the setting, the plot, everything about this book! It is an absolutely triumph and a delight to read!

The ending is beautiful, you couldn’t ask for better!

I’m sorry, the format of this arc made it impossible to read & concentrate on.
The lines were numbered & jumped all over the place. I thought my brain would be able to skip over them but it wasn’t happening. As a result. What I was reading went in and straight out :(

Once the kindle book goes down in price I will buy a copy & try again. I’m certain this book will be something I’ll love!

I love a dual timeline story and the tension it brings, this story was no exception. The complex connections between the characters and the family dynamics were executed brilliantly, I particularly liked Maggie. The romance element of the story didn't work for me but this didn't spoil my overall enjoyment.

I absolutely loved this book !
Eve Chase has this ability to be able to take you off into different times and places, you really believe that you are a spectator in her stories.
This is a story about a brother and a sister whose mother was largely absent, their father had died.
It tells of their lives and struggles into adulthood and the people that entered and left that life.
5⭐️’s

It’s an emotional read - a bit slow moving in the first half but keep with it, it’s worth it.
Loved how the two timelines developed side by side, getting to know the characters, their highs and lows, family bonds and relationships as well as the element of mystery - why did Maggie’s mother walk out that day and what happened to her ?
Also loved that the novel was narrated by Kit, a male in his 20s and we got to know him as an adult
Perfect captivating summer read - part suspense and part love story
Thanks @evepollychase @michaeljbooks & @netgalley for the emotional read

Dee Delancey—loving mother, grieving widow, and occasional model—disappears one evening, leaving behind her teenage daughter Maggie and young son Kit. When Dee fails to return for days, Maggie refuses to believe her mother is gone, fearing the tabloid frenzy and police involvement.

Struggling to care for Kit and keep the family's secrets, Maggie finds an unexpected ally in Wolf, a street-smart older boy from the gritty side of Portobello. In a world of dark shops and hidden corners, Maggie feels a sense of safety she can't find elsewhere. But as time passes and danger encroaches, she must make impossible choices to protect her brother.

Two decades later, the new owner of the Delancey house uncovers a hidden basement, threatening to reveal long-buried secrets. The novel weaves a compelling narrative of Maggie and Kit’s struggles, the impact of their mother’s disappearance, and the unfolding mystery as old secrets resurface.

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I thank NetGalley and Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC copy of this novel, which I freely chose to review.
This is the third novel by Eve Chase I have read, and they have all been wonderful experiences.
As was the case with the previous two novels, the story is set in two different time-frames (although not so far from each other this time): the first takes place mostly in London (Notting Hill, and the filming of the movie of the same name keeps popping up) 1998, and the second, in 2019, in a variety of locations (London, Paris, a wonderful farmhouse in The Chilterns…). Two of the protagonists tell the story, a brother and a sister: Maggie, who has become a writer of historical romance and lives in Paris, and her younger brother, Kit, who is an antique dealer and lives in London. Despite the distance, they are very close to each other, and we discover why through the novel, we also uncover many more secrets and mysteries, although in some cases the protagonists are as surprised (if not more) as we are.
Apart from the two different dates, the narration is told from different perspectives (person and time-wise). We hear from Maggie in the first person when she narrates (in the past tense) what happened to her family in 1998. Her mother was a famous model, and when we meet her and the rest of the family, the father had recently died; they had had to leave their house and move to London, where their mother was more likely to find modelling jobs. The chapters from the past are interspersed with chapters told in the third-person and present tense from both, Maggie and Kit’s points of view, and it becomes evident that although they both remember the same events, Maggie knows much more than Kit does, and her attempts at protecting her brother and others from learning the (disturbing) truth of what happened get more and more difficult as the action advances and secrets are slowly revealed.
Chase has a penchant for depicting complex family relationships, full of lies, secrets, mysteries, and even false identities. And she is also wonderful at capturing places and eras and making readers feel as if they were there. Notting Hill becomes a protagonist in the story, and we get to meet some colourful characters and pretty menacing ones. Other locations are also important to the novel, but not to the same extent.
I don’t want to spoil the story for future readers, but as is the case in her previous novels, there is a mystery (more than one) at the heart of the book, an unsolved crime, although this is no standard mystery novel and the intrigue builds up slowly (yes, there are red herrings and twists and turns galore); there is a wonderful love story that ends up in a separation in difficult circumstances; there are adopted children; there are mothers that decide to give up their children; fathers looking for their sons; authors suffering writers’ block; a mysterious man everybody is trying to find; there are lies and lies to cover other lies…
In some ways, this is a coming-of-age story, as we witness Maggie having to step up and take her mother’s place, but she isn’t the only one who has to grow up and accept her responsibilities. It is also a story about families, identities, and who and what makes us who we are. It is a story about forgiveness and about learning to accept the limitations of others and our own. And it is a novel about a bunch of people who slowly realise they have more in common than they knew.
Eve Chase writes beautifully about people, places, and emotions, and there are so many quotable lines that it is impossible not to highlight large parts of the book as one reads. Although this is not my favourite of her novels, I love the ending, and regarding the mystery… Most readers will get an inkling of what is being hidden, but what I particularly liked was how each new revelation was followed by an “a-ha” moment as one realised that every little detail fitted together and everything that seemed puzzling as one was reading ended up making perfect sense. This is a novel beautifully written and beautifully constructed, and I recommend it to all fans of Eve Chase, readers who enjoy lyrical and superb writing and aren’t looking for fast and frantic action, but enjoy a slow build-up and having time to get to know the characters and what makes them tick.

Told through a dual timeline, it started slow (as have other Eve Chase books I have read) while the story and characters develop and then suddenly you realise you’re addicted and can’t put it down! This one will keep you guessing throughout.

Started this expecting a missing person mystery. Ended up with a story of people muddling through together. How family can be what you make it with the people that show up for you.

We get most of our time with Maggie, her brother Kit and a new connection in Wolf. I loved reading about all three of them, across the two timelines we cover. Super down to earth and believable while keeping me hooked.

This is a fabulous book and it is quite complex as the author flits back and forth over time. Dee had lived in Nottinghill with her two children, Maggie and Kit. One night Dee does not return home and the children are left alone not knowing where she has gone. Maggie is nearly 18 when this happens, not wanting to call the police as she thinks they may then take her brother away from her, she tries to carry on as normal.

20 years later and we are in the present, Maggie is living in France as a writer under a nom de plume, she receives a phone call from someone from the past. This person is important to Maggie and Kit, but no one has been in touch with him. The Nottinghill house is being renovated and there is a secret that if discovered could change all of their lives.

I was hooked on this book from the outset. The author takes the reader on a journey through the lives of Maggie and Kit, the people they come across, those who help them and those who know their mother. Their mother is well known so this is the reason that the police are not involved, and also Maggie's age. There are many struggles in the past and also the present as things become more obvious after time has passed, but there are also a whole host of new questions. Many of these have been hidden and so were not necessarily asked by the right person at the right time.

I did mention that this is a complex story and I think this is where I should add that it flows so well. The author has kept her characters and the storyline under control so that even though it flits back and forth, it makes sense. I think this is a book that is more complex to review as there are so many things happening and I don't want to risk letting any spoilers out.

If you are looking for a story that shows and tells the struggles of a family growing up in the 90s and coming to terms with things left unsaid then this is a book for you. If you are looking for something with mystery and drama this is also one for you.

Once again this author has written a compelling and interesting book about the dynamics of a family and how this shapes them into the people they become. Fabulous story and characters, a great pace and one I would definitely recommend.

1998 and, after the death of her husband, model DeeDee has moved from Surrey to Notting Hill with her daughter and young son. One evening she goes out to a party and doesn't come back. This leaves Maggie in charge and she tries to cope with parenting Kit whilst being intimidated by a stranger called Cooper. She finds solace and protection with Wolf. 2019 and Maggie, now a successful novelist living in Paris, hears that the garden of her former home is being dug up. Maggie knows that if that happens her life will fall apart.
This is not my normal genre for reading but, having read a previous novel by Chase, I knew that the quality of writing would be excellent and so it proved. There is a wonderful evocation of pre-Millennium life, all Brit-pop, drugs and decadence, and the plot is almost believable. OK so it stretches the imagination at times but the story covers so many genres and I really enjoyed it.

First book I have read by this author and was captured by the fragile characters and storyline.

Dee, famous, sometime model and clearly sometime mother has left her Notting Hill home. Her teenager daughter Maggie cannot believe she has gone and tries to keep surviving along wit younger brother Kit whilst telling the world that everything is ok. Her mother will return, won’t she ?

Maggie befriends a local boy called Wolf, surely this friendship will end in disaster, when his background is revealed. Wolf is a million miles away from the genteelness of Notting Hill. However there is someone lurking in the background that seems to have an interest in not just Maggie’s mother, but Wolf too.

20 years later, Maggie now known as Margaret a famous author is drawn back to that Notting Hill house as it seems that secrets are going come tumbling out and there is nothing that can be done.

A contemporary family drama story, that has the entitlement of the Notting Hill we all thought it was when we watched the film of the same name. It shows what really goes on behind those closed doors, not just to houses but people as well.

I will perhaps look out for this authors work in the future.

The Midnight Hour is told in two timelines 1998 and 2019 and set in Notting hill and Paris .Maggie and Kit's Mother goes out one night and never returns ,where did she go ?This is a story of love and loyalty families and mystery .A very enjoyable read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC .

I found this book to be too slow for me; I lost interest halfway through and gave up. Just not my style, but I am sure it will appeal to others.

This book was so creatively written, I really enjoyed it. It's so original with lots of different layers.
There's a love story, it's mysterious, and I really liked the dual timelines.
I love how this author writes.
Just perfect.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Midnight Hour is another captivating novel from Eve Chase. In 1998, Maggie is 17, living with her mum, and little brother in Notting Hill following the death or her father. When her mum goes out one night and doesn’t return home, Maggie is forced to assume the role of her brother’s primary carer. During this time, a tragedy occurs and when human remains are uncovered twenty years later, Maggie has to face up to what happened at that desperate time.
This book really is a page turner with several unexpected twists and fascinating, but flawed characters. It kept me fully engaged and invested in young Maggie and the responsibility imposed on her.

This story is told in an easily followed dual timeline of 1998 and 2019. In 1998 17 year old Maggie wakes one morning to discover that her glamorous model mother hasn’t returned home from an evening out. This leaves her to care for much younger brother Kit. She meets and falls in love with antique dealer Wolf who helps her with the responsibility of Kit. Maggie is afraid of calling the police to report her missing mother as she is under 18 and fears Kit would be taken away from her. Fast forward to 2019 and Maggie, now a successful author loving her life in Paris receives a disturbing phone call bringing memories of the past rushing back. The Notting Hill former home of Maggie and Kit is being excavated and threatens to reveal secrets of long ago. Eve Chase novels grabbed me at Black Rabbit Hall and I’ve eagerly awaited new releases ever since. The author gradually builds the mystery and suspense in her novels until it seems to explode with revelations and answers. This book took me a while to get into but I would say to anyone about to read it to persevere. The rewards are well worth waiting for! My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for the advance E-arc.

Maggie, Kit and Wolf are phenomenal characters that step of the pages from the word go.
Crossing two timelines we meet Maggie as a 17 year old, abandoned with her brother by her mum and then again 20ish years later as a dark secret threatens to surface from a soon-to be excavated basement.
The stories and characters entangle across the timeframe in a very clever way and the emotional connections between Kit, Wolf and Maggie stand the test of time in a thoroughly believable way.

I have previously been a big fan of Eve Chase and this one surpasses all of them. It follows the chaotic lives of siblings Maggie and Kit in 90s London whose father has died and whose mother is a model. We fall in love with them and their sibling bond and the connection they both feel with Wolf.
Interspersed with this is a present day timeline in Paris and London where they now lead separate lives, however their lives become entangled again as dark secrets from their mother and Aunt Cora emerge in a sinister twist. There is great character development, it's a coming-of-age story for Maggie and Wolf but it's also about the resilience and fragility of family and friendship bonds.