First off, I enjoyed reading Midnight Labyrinth.
I would describe this book as being for a particular audience so I am not quite sure what is fair to criticise here.
The mc is a Gary Stu and his friends all suffer from the perfects a bit as well.
There is emotional growth that somewhat compensates for the lack of other development options.
The story follows typical heist and intrigue themes which I am a bit tired of especially if they become too formulaic. It's not too bad in this case tho.
The characters have unique personalities but their quirks are a bit overplayed as is typical in this kind of story I guess.
There wasn't a single surprise in the entirety of the book for me that wasn't very heavy-handedly foreshadowed ages in advance.
There are a lot of clumsy reminder sections repeating relevant details right before they become important. These kinds of reminders are what I usually only see to refresh memory in a series for people that read the volumes as they come out with long pauses in-between.
It's like these excessive flashback reminders in TV shows designed to help you to understand everything regardless of when you tuned in but this is pointless in a book.
It makes me feels like the book doesn't take me and my attention serious like I am too stupid to remember stuff longer than 20 pages.
Despite all the complaining, I enjoyed this story and others like it every once in a while.
Many stories feel too much like an insurmountable uphill battle and drowned in uncertainty to me which drains me over time and leaves me in a reading slump.
This kind of book is a way to recharge for me.
ps: Some might consider this cheesy but the unexpected section at the end with the domestic violence help got me hard. I've seen this done before but it never got me like this. I am not crying, you're crying. ( )

Fate Actually by Elizabeth Hunter
2nd book in the Moonstone Cove series. Spinoff of the Glimmer Lake series. Paranormal women’s fiction with mystery and romance. Best read as part of the series.
Toni Dusi owns a local car shop in the small town of Moonstone Cove. She is also an Empath with a bit of a sarcastic edge. The feelings of everyone around her are making Toni a bit crazy but she puts her skills to use when a body is found in the family winery. Her empathy can detect when a person is lying, so Toni uses that, with the help of her friends Katherine and Megan to poke around. The investigation will help keep her mind off the fact that she is pregnant at 41 and still needs to make all kinds of life decisions.

A bit more amusing that the previous books. I really liked Toni and her down to earth attitude. Her empathy causes some major emotional swings and the support of her friends and Henry is precious and heartwarming. The trio of women use their skills to solve the crime and it’s a delightful bumbling success. I love their friendship, support and dedication to family and friends. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Moonstone Cove series. I borrowed a copy of this book through Kindle Unlimited to read.

Story (4/5): This story features the same trio of women that was in the last book, but focuses on Toni this time. The story involves a murder of a winery owner who competes with Toni’s family’s winery in the region. As more people start getting hurt, Tony and crew have to unravel the mystery of what is going on before people start blaming her family for the tragedies. I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book in the series but it was still a fun fast-paced read with a good mystery, some neat psychic abilities woven in, and a bit of a love story as well.

Characters (4/5): I enjoyed Toni but she is the hardest character of this trio for me to relate to. I thought her love interest, Henry, was really well done. I also enjoyed Toni’s huge family and all the dynamics there. I continue to enjoy the theme of friendship throughout these books as well.

Setting (4/5): I continue to really enjoy the Moonstone Cove setting. It’s a wonderful small college town. This book features more on the vineyards outside of the town and discusses a “big city” vision to make Moonstone Cove more of a wealthy person’s getaway. There are some great town dynamics here and I am in love with this small town.

Writing Style (4/5): I really enjoy Hunter’s writing style. This was a fun, easy to read book that I had a lot of trouble putting down. I enjoyed the mystery, the setting, and the characters. I continue to really enjoy Hunter’s books and she’s quickly becoming a go-to author for me. I look forward to the next Moonstone Cove book and plan on reading other series from her as well.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun and quick read. Everything is very well balanced here; great mystery, psychic powers, endearing characters, and a wonderful location. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy paranormal mysteries with some romance. This does focus on older women (in their 40’s) and there is more focus on families and friendships than in a lot of other paranormal series. I really enjoy the change of pace from your typical UF/paranormal book and definitely plan on reading more of Hutner’s books in the future. ( )

Just gets better and better!! ( )