Book: Beneath the Midnight Sky by Kelsey Lee
Reviewed by plotdrunk
Rating: 2.5/5
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I’m not sure cowboy romance is necessarily for me, and that definitely shaped my reading experience. The ranch work and rodeo elements just never landed, and the writing style itself felt a little stilted and choppy.
But when this leaned into dark romance, it really hooked me. Aspen’s backstory was compelling, her friendship with Ivy was a highlight, and the entire plotline with her dangerous ex-boyfriend added real tension. Rowan and Aspen’s chemistry also worked. I loved the he-falls-first energy, the “touch her and die” moments, and the unapologetically hot spice scenes.
Rowan did make some odd choices (implanting a tracker, overreaching in ways that could’ve been handled differently), which kept me from fully buying into his character. Still, the darker, more suspenseful parts of the story pulled me in enough to land at 3 stars overall. It ended as an uneven mix of cowboy romance that wasn’t quite my taste and dark romance beats that absolutely delivered.