IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR Kimberly Randell Jove Haunting Hearts Romance May 1999 ISBN # 0-515-12483-4 {Click here to buy this book} Kimberly Randell's first book "In the Midnight Hour" combines contemporary, historical and paranormal genres. Set against a

Three months from graduation, all Veronica Parrish ever wanted was her accounting degree, a career as a CPA and her parents' approval. The only thing keeping her from achieving these goals is a grade in her Human Sexuality class. The exhaustion from exam time drives Ronnie to make an impulse purchase, an antique bed. A good nights sleep is just the thing she needs to prepare for finals. That night, though, she finds the man of her dreams living between the sheets. Now Ronnie finds herself in turmoil as her heart and head do battle over getting her final grades for graduation and the impossibility of loving a ghost.

Valentine Tramaine was murdered in his bed in 1848. He's been 'tied' to his bed ever since. Only when he finds out the truth will he be allowed to 'pass over'. Did he really father a child? This claim comes from a young woman who becomes pregnant and blames the local rake for the deed, Val himself. Val's always prided himself on remembering each of the hundreds of women he's taken to his bed but he can't remember this one woman for the life of him. When Ronnie Parrish buys his bed at an auction house, he strikes a bargain with her. He'll help her through her Human Sexuality class if she does the research to find out who really fathered the baby. But what does he do when he finds himself in love for the first time in his life?

Though "In the Midnight Hour" might be better suited to a younger, or college age, reader, I found it quite entertaining. It's a quick read and the storyline is unique. Randell's descriptions of Valentine Tramaine's ghost was one I haven't heard of or read before and I constantly had to remind myself that he was indeed a ghost and not a mortal man. Though I liked Ronnie's character I had a hard time with how Randell dealt with the issues surrounding Ronnie and her parents. Ronnie's father had disowned her when she chose a career he didn't approve of. Her mother submits to her husband's wishes not to contact their daughter but still manages to send gifts occasionally through one of Ronnie's friends. Ronnie goes to her parents to invite them to come to her graduation. She's never invited in and her father pretty much slams the door in her face. In a book where happy endings are the order of the day, I found this part a little difficult to understand. Other than that, I enjoyed reading about the mysterious kissing bandit who stalked the school Library, and commiserated with Danny's growing pains with his own first love.