Excerpt & Review: Bright Midnights (Limerent #2) by LS Delorme
- Merissa
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
@lsdelormeauthor
@lsdelormeauthor
Amelie has always been different.
Most high school students find life challenging, but 17-year old Amelie has a lot more to contend with than typical teenage angst. Ever since she turned 11, others have been irresistibly drawn to her—with tragic consequences. Her only escape is at night when she flies to different times and places through her “dreams”. Her life begins to change when, on one of her flights, she meets Clovis, an alluring and mysterious young man who hides a secret.
As Amelie finds herself increasingly drawn to him, she learns his story, how it intertwines with her own and finally discovers how to live her life in the real world. Until her own secrets are revealed to the wrong people and that world turns upside down.
Bright Midnights is the second in the Limerent Series and continues in the thought-provoking and beautiful style of the first as it considers different dimensions, different ways of looking at the world, and the transcendental power of love.
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Lying outstretched on a smooth portion of the rock, head resting upon a lazy arm, was a young man. He was dark haired and lean, dressed in the tattered remains of what was a probably once-white shirt and black trousers. His black hair fell to the nape of his neck and was probably straight, but wildly unkempt. His skin was pale but not sickly so. She would have guessed him to be about her age, or at most a couple of years older, but it was hard to tell because he was so beautiful as to seem ageless. So beautiful that Amelie found herself holding her breath. He looked more like a painting or a mythological being than a real human. In fact, with goat legs he could have been a satyr. He rolled over in his sleep, throwing his arm over his eyes. He had a heart-shaped face with just a slight amount of scruff to it, like he was too young to grow a proper beard. Amelie smiled at that. She moved to the water’s edge and sank into a crouching position.
The boy was motionless now, having fallen back into a deep sleep. Overhead, the wind rustled in the trees, and golden leaves danced in the air around her. The sunlight that was able to pierce the trees made dappled patterns on the boy’s pale skin. She watched his chest move up and down. Her own breath was coming faster, and as it did, she became aware that she was feeling something, something strong. Feeling much of anything besides caution was an anomaly for her but feeling something this strong happened … never. Just to watch this boy was more engrossing that any play she had seen, any song she had heard, any book she had read. He did nothing but breathe and occasionally move his head ever so slightly—and she was riveted.
Amelie was startled out of this reverie by the sound of a twig snapping. Starting, she found herself not ten feet from a stag, staring back at her with wide black eyes. She heard a splash, and the stag was gone. When she turned, so was the boy.
A cloud covered the sun, and the wind came up. The air around her crackled with energy. Something felt wrong. She scrambled to her feet and was beginning to back away when the boy leaped from the water and onto the bank just a few feet in front of her. He was crouched and “when his black eyes met hers, she felt her blood run cold. His form was human, but there was nothing human about his movements, or what was behind those eyes. He smiled and uttered a low growl.
Her body had her running before her brain—which was trying to tell her all this was unreal—could stop her. She sprinted toward the manor house, pulling up her wretched skirts as she forced her way through the long grass. Behind her she could hear the sounds of pursuit, but it sounded wrong. The cadence of the running didn’t sound like someone on two feet, but on four. She couldn’t see anyone, but she could see the grass being bent as something came at her. The manicured grounds of the manor house were only a few feet away.
She had just thought she might make it, and be seen by someone, when she was hit hard from behind.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
BRIGHT MIDNIGHTS is the second book in The Limerent Series, so I have read this one slightly out of order. However, as it has mostly separate characters, everything was fine.
Let me start by saying The Limerent Series is absolutely unique, and each book has had me completely gripped from the very beginning. Each book is different and can be read as a standalone - time, place, characters, etc. - but they are still linked together in ways that you may not immediately realise.
Now, moving on to this book. Amelie is an outstanding character and has lived through hell, but has her own personal coping mechanisms. Which work great, until they don't. You get glimpses of what it's like when they don't, which helps you to understand just what she can do and why. Her life is turned upside down and inside out when she meets Clovis, and life will never be the same again.
Clovis is also an exceptional character, with depth and intrigue, s3x appeal and love. I loved the interactions between them in the different 'stories', and how it was written with them both working things out.
There is a full cast of supporting characters - some good, some not so good - but not so many as to get confused. If there were any complaint about this book, it's that I don't know what happened to Hudson. I'm hoping to find out at a later date, because I'm pretty sure he doesn't appear in book 3. Either that, or my memory is faulty!
This is a dark story, so please bear that in mind. I absolutely loved it right up until the chapter, when I hated it, while still loving it. Make sense? No? Well, read the book and then you'll understand. I blame the author!
Sheer brilliance and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Lexy Shaw Delorme (writing as LS Delorme) is the award-winning author of The Limerent Series, a genre-defying collection of emotionally resonant novels that blend supernatural mystery, psychological thriller, historical fiction, and romantic suspense. With a background as a lawyer, pop musician, and science writer, Lexy brings intellectual depth and lyrical prose to every story she tells. Now based in Paris, she lives with her French husband and two very cool sons. Her work explores themes of limerence, memory, identity, and the echoes of past lives—and she’s not afraid to push boundaries along the way.
The Limerent Series (Books 1–4)
Caio — A supernatural romantic thriller about grief, justice, and forbidden connection.
Bright Midnights — A YA dream-thriller following a magnetic girl caught between dimensions.
Fanning Fireflies — A 1940s historical ghost story and romance centered around race, secrecy, and sacrifice.
Ghosting Academy — A high-stakes psychological thriller with VR technology, elite agents, and spiritual unraveling.
Each book is a standalone, yet interwoven through deeper cosmological themes and recurring characters.
Media Recognition & Reviews
Kirkus Reviews praised Caio as "an entertaining fantasy with a dash of macabre eroticism."
Bright Midnights received a coveted BookLife Editor’s Pick from Publishers Weekly, with critics calling it an "enthralling, character-rich narrative."
Fanning Fireflies was IndieReader Approved (4.8/5), described as "an emotionally charged, thought-provoking read."
The series has been celebrated across the book blogging world as genre-bending, hypnotic, and emotionally gripping.
Awards & Honors
Bright Midnights won the Golden Wizard Book Prize (UK) in the YA Fantasy category.
Caio received a positive “Get It” verdict from Kirkus, signaling quality and appeal.
Fanning Fireflies was awarded near-perfect marks from IndieReader, achieving critical acclaim.
Media & Events
Featured guest on BBC Radio 2 – The Gabby Roslin Show, discussing Fanning Fireflies and the mythic architecture of the series.
Interviewed on the What We Reading UK blog and spotlighted by the British Fantasy Society.
Frequent guest on virtual book tours hosted by LiterallyPR and Goddess Fish Promotions.
Upcoming panelist and moderator at C2E2 Comic Con 2025.
Reader Response
Called "a cult classic in the making" by readers.
Described as having “characters who stay with you long after the last page.”
Celebrated for blending literary depth with page-turning suspense.
Follow LS Delorme
Website: www.lsdelorme.com
Instagram: @ls_delorme
TikTok: @lexyshawdelorme
Publisher Contact: LiterallyPR (London)
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