From the New York Times bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky and Racing the Sun comes a wildly romantic novel about a young American in Norway who runs into the man who broke her heart eight years ago. After years of bartending her way across Europe, Shay Lavji has seen almost everything the continent has to offer, but there’s one country she hasn’t crossed off her bucket list: Norway. It’s … off her bucket list: Norway. It’s not that she doesn’t want to visit the land of the midnight sun–far from it; she’s obsessed with the culture and is dying to see the majestic fjords for herself.
What she’s not dying to do is run into her Norwegian ex-boyfriend, Anders Johansson, who broke her heart in America eight years ago before returning home. The last time she saw Anders, he was a cocky, rebellious, and tortured teenager who couldn’t stop himself from pushing all of her buttons–both good and bad. But Shay isn’t going to let Anders stand in the way of her wanderlust, and besides, it’s a big country…right?
She doesn’t count on Anders seeking her out the moment he learns she’s on his home turf. When Shay sees him again, she’s shocked at his transformation into a bearded, tattooed farmer and fisherman who values family over everything else. Is it possible that time has tamed this former bad boy? Shay wants to believe everything can be new and bright again under the summer sun, but she knows, when it comes to Anders, that darkness is never too far behind.
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Bright Midnight is finally here! It’s been a few years, right?! Time to go to Norway!!
It’s no surprise that I’m a Karina Halle fan. I love her books and especially her travel romances. I love when she can take me out of reality for a bit and transport me to another country or another beautiful place. Especially now. I definitely got that with Bright Midnight but with a heavy dose of second chance romance.
The first half of Bright Midnight is told from Shay and Ander’s POVs going back and forth from Then and Now. We get to see a chance meeting in Norway (really, what are the odds?) and we get to witness a relationship that started when they were 16 and Anders was in the US living with his mom for the year. The first love feels. The intense feelings. The first everything with one another. Too bad it ended very very badly. Actually, a bit too badly to warrant such a “happy” chance meeting years later.
The problem is that I love her. I’ve fallen back in love with her. And if history has taught me anything, it’s that this isn’t going to end well.
I liked both characters and felt their intense attraction to one another. Things ended so badly and they never really got any closure with each other, but when they connect again, it’s angst, trepidation and then fireworks. It’s chemistry and beauty and finding how to open up to one another more than they did years ago. They both have major issues with their family, or rather their parents and maybe that affected them more than they’ve let on. I wish we delved a little deeper into that and the fact that they didn’t really bring the closure to their first break up. It was more glossed over. But sometimes the past just needs to stay in the past and I think that’s what they did. They wanted a future with one another and that’s where the last half of the story focused on. Their future and their intense physical chemistry and their road trip around Norway getting to know each other again.
I enjoyed Bright Midnight and being able to ‘travel’ again. The setting was stunning, per usual. I could vividly see the scenery, the towns and the whole of Norway the way Ms Halle described it. It’s like that part takes place in color and some other parts of the story are muted. That’s why I like her travel romances. They become as much a part of the story as the main characters. The characters brought a bit of pain from their past into the present and we got to see them grow from their pasts. I liked seeing Shay develop from a teen to a strong, independent woman traveling around Europe on her own. And Anders was just living for someone else until Shay showed up. I liked how her love brought him alive.
Overall, while this story wasn’t my favorite of Karina’s, I still enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the sexy characters and their intense physical chemistry. I liked that we got to see what drew them together from the beginning and how they changed and grew as individuals and as a couple after meeting up years later. I now have another place I want to visit!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky and Racing the Sun comes a wildly romantic novel about a young American abroad in Norway who runs into the man who broke her heart eight years ago.
After years of bartending her way across Europe, Shay Lavji has seen almost everything the continent has to offer, but there’s one country she hasn’t crossed off her bucket list yet: Norway. It’s not that she doesn’t want to visit the land of the midnight sun—far from it; she’s obsessed with the culture and is dying to see the majestic fjords for herself.
What she’s not dying to do is run into her Norwegian ex-boyfriend, Anders Johansen, who broke her heart in America eight years ago before returning to his ancestral home. The last time she saw Anders, he was a cocky, rebellious, and tortured teenager who couldn’t stop himself from pushing all of her buttons—both good and bad. But Shay isn’t going to let Anders stand in the way of her wanderlust, and besides, it’s a big country, right?
She doesn’t count on Anders seeking her out the moment he learns she’s on his home turf. When Shay sees him again, she’s shocked at his transformation into a bearded, tattooed farmer and fisherman who values family over everything else. Is it possible that time has tamed this former bad boy? Shay wants to believe that everything can be new and bright again under the summer sun, but she knows, when it comes to Anders, the darkness is never too far behind.
Loved Shay and Anders story! Beautifully written and heartfelt. Their journey wasn’t an easy one. The description of Norway was absolutely amazing, made me feel like I was there with Shay and Anders.
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„I will be her savior. And she will be mine.”
This is one of the most emotional stories from Karina Halle I have read. Full of heartbreak, loss and longing, this second chance romance is as touching as it is uplifting. From first love, through resentment and disappointment, to longing and desire to fix the past, Anders and Shay’s love story is a journey full of twists and turns. And all of that surrounded by wonderful scenery. Karina’s traveling experiences shine through in this book, creating an enchanting atmosphere and making you want to pack your bag and explore Norway!
Shay and Anders gave me all the feels. Butterflies in my stomach, flushed face from hotness, crocodile tears from heartbreak, happy sobs when they got back together- these two are the whirlwind of emotions! I loved to see the influence they had on each other and that even time couldn’t make them forget about what they had.
I love that in addition to the romantic aspect in this book, Karina deals here with personality issues, namely what influence (especially on young people) family relations have and how they can affect later relationships. Characters development is brilliantly delivered and I love how both protagonists learn from their mistakes so they wouldn’t jeopardize their future.
Bright Midnight is not only a second chance romance. It’s also a story about the second chance at life, without regrets and self-destruction. That’s what I love about Halle’s books- we get not only a wonderful love story, but also a life lesson and a mini travel guide, lol! And Bright Midnight will make you want to visit Todalen as soon as possible!
This is such a gorgeous read! Another of Karina Halle’s travel-related standalones, this book transported me to magical Norway for a second-chance-romance that is passionate, full of chemistry, and gorgeously swoony. I loved it!
Shay has been working and travelling around Europe, searching for something. Her family was neglectful for most of her life and she is untethered and trying to figure out who she is, what she wants and where she belongs. Her travels bring her to Norway, the country that has always been at the top of her bucket list for its wild beauty, and also for the fact that her first love was Norwegian and told her stories of his homeland and she wants to experience it for herself.
Shay and Anders met in high school when he travelled to America for senior year. He was a tattooed, mysterious bad boy and they fell in fast, all-consuming love and were everything to each other in lives where they felt very much alone. But he broke her heart and returned to Norway, leaving her shattered.
“Anders wasn’t just that first love for me, he was so much more. He was the one person who made me feel like I had a home.”
Anders is now a fisherman who also works on his family’s farm in a small village in Norway. It’s not the life that he wanted for himself, but he is driven to uphold his family’s legacy and care for his younger sisters, and this is the way he’s doing it, working almost 24/7 to keep thing going. But when his Instagram stalking reveals that Shay is in the country – and close by – he drops everything to seek her out.
Oh. My. God, the tension between these two is unreal! Things are understandably shaky for them, they didn’t part on good terms and a lot of years have passed, but the chemistry is still very much there and I was loving seeing them together once again! And when Anders invites Shay to stay for a while, of course she accepts.
“I want to experience the country the real way, off the beaten path, in the villages, with the locals.
With my ex-boyfriend.
Who now happens to be a Nordic god.”
Their reconnection is a slow build, and it’s realistic given everything they’ve been through and the fact that they’re getting to know each other again as adults. There are flashbacks to their time in high school so we get to see little bits of them young and in love, and we slowly get to see how it all fell apart for them, and it’s so sad. I could understand how it all went so wrong, and it made everything in the present seem that much more intense as those feelings that never really went away come roaring back to life.
“Sometimes I want nothing more than to grab her, kiss her, ask her if she remembers what it was like to love me, to want me.”
“Oh my god. This man is going to break me all over again.
But I can’t run.”
Days on the farm turn into a roadtrip to explore the stunning countryside, and Shay and Anders soon find themselves caught up in a passionate reunion that consumes them once again. It’s hot and steamy, and Anders is a dirty talker so… *fans self*. But more than that, they are falling in love all over again, and it was so beautiful to watch.
“I imagine us in the future, here, living this life together, trying to make the best of it, make it work. Would it be so unfair to ask her to stay with me? To have her be with me…
Have her…love me?
Can I give her the life she wants, the one in which she finds herself, where she finds a home and stability and the family she’s always been yearning for?
Will she let me try?”
But the issues that plagued them in the past haven’t entirely gone away. There are doubts and insecurities that need to be dealt with, and there are some truly heartwrenching moments as they figure it all out. I was feeling it all, and my heart ached for them, but the angst works for them and their story, and is blessedly shortlived while they work through it all
Shay is a wonderful heroine. Smart but vulnerable, and so relatable, she’s got that edginess that I love about Halle’s heroines, and she’s so gorgeously open and honest. She’s the kind of girl you want to be friends with, and I loved watching her blossom throughout the story as she rediscovers her passion for life and begins to find her place. And Anders is so gorgeous, so freaking sexy, and seriously, I just want to hug him. He’s been emotionally damaged by his past experiences, and I hurt for him as his heart and head wrestled to figure everything out. And watching him find the strength and bravery to break from his rut and figure out where he wants to be is a really gorgeous journey.
And OMG, Norway! It’s always intrigued me, now it’s firmly on the bucket list. Halle writes with such emotion about her ancestral country, describing the towns, the villages, the fjords, and the wild environment in a way that makes you feel like you’re there experiencing Shay’s journey with her. I was googling pictures of all of the places as she travelled, and loved that I got to travel with her from the comfort of my own home (especially at a time when the idea of travelling seems so far away).
“I could live here. To be surrounded by this beautify all the time, to slow down to a simple pace of life. It’s the kind of place that makes your heart dream.”
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a really sweet story with a great romance, and it easily swept me away and left me smiling.
Loved it – 4 stars.
Karina has written a delightful emotional second chance romance. I loved the imagery in the story that made me feel like I was with Shay on her travels. First loves can be all consuming they can be the love of a lifetime or can crash and burn. Shay and Anders had such a sweet beginning and I had hope but you could tell Anders was holding back and we didn’t really get to know the real him until they reunited. I liked the personal growth they did whilst apart, they weren’t so much different people when they reunited but they were more mature and this time they were more open with each other. A story rich in characters with drama and angst that left me satisfied happy and wishing that I could visit Norway.
She’s done it again! “Bright Midnight” has absolutely lived up to the high quality that’s always expected from Karina’s works of art!
I truly enjoyed every word in this story and couldn’t put the book down from the second it showed up on my kindle. I’m always a sucker for a well written second-chance romance.
As per usual, Karina brought to life such an original, well written story that hooks the reader from the very first page. The storyline has great flow, and romance that will keep your eyes glued to the page!
Karina Halle did a superb job of developing the characters in this story, not to mention how she impeccably depicted their deep feelings and emotions throughout every scene. Basically this story and these characters are fantastic and you need them in your life!
Like with all of her written works, Karina kept a perfect balance between heartfelt romance and angsty heartache. Plus, come on, who doesn’t love a good second-chance romance with a bit of tension and build up?! I sure do!
Anders and Shay were such intriguing characters, and I loved reading from both their points of view. Although they’ve definitely gone down a rocky road to get to where they do; by the end of the story, I think that it makes them all the more bonded to each other; simply being together after the challenges and struggles they faced. A perfect balance of feels, angst, and emotions, this novel and these characters were exactly what I hoped for and more!
I always try to keep my reviews of books vague to ensure I’m not giving any unwarranted spoilers but I can confidently say this… Anders and Shay’s story is a must read! I think this is some Karina’s best work yet and I would HIGHLY recommend reading it!
Let me say it again: I love, love, love this story and know you will too! Five Stars!!!
***5 ‘Coffin of Feelings’ Stars***
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It had everything I could have wanted in a second chance romance and then some. The balance of sweet, smexy, angsty and humor was perfect for me and toss in some unique characters ~ that I’m crossing my toes we get to see again at some point in the future ~ and my reading loving heart was all kinds of satisfied, while wanting and needing to spend time with all of them.
I adored Shay. ADORED. And actually admired the hell out of her. She’s sweet, snarky, a little shy and yet bold at the same time and that was what drew me to her. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life and instead of settling for something to get by, she gave into her wanderlust and followed her heart and her gut. Anders. I adored him, I did, but OMG the need to reach out and Gibbs smack him was strong. But despite that, he is charming, protective and cares so deeply about things that he kind of becomes his own worst enemy.
As for their journey to their HEA. I loved them together. They had this flow to all of their interactions ~ even the awkward and emotionally intense ones ~ that showed that they could have it all if only they can work things out. I loved their bantering, the chemistry between them was hot and though they had quite a few bumps in the road to work through, I loved how everything worked out for them in the end.
Outside of Shay and Anders, I have to say, I loved seeing Norway through Shay and Anders eyes. The author painted such a vivid picture of the small towns, mountains, fjords…all of it that I could see it all in my own head and really wished I was physically there. Also, you all know I’m a huge fan of well written secondary characters, and this baby definitely had them. I loved Astrid, Lise, Per, Everly and Espen, and even Tove, though she wasn’t around all that much. They brought depth and heart to the story and I’m crossing my toes that we’ll see them again in the future. There are a few situations that may be triggers for some, but they were handled well. So, if you’re in the mood for a second chance romance, then this is a must click for you!
~ Copy provided by Valentine PR & voluntarily reviewed ~