One Minute to Midnight by Jessica Marie Holt continues the Unsung Legacies collection as a stand-alone story that includes characters you’ve come to love in the other books.

My thoughts about One Minute to Midnight

I originally read One Minute to Midnight, not for review, but as a beta reader. Beta readers share their opinions about a book with the author, make small suggestions, and sometimes catch minor typos.

The experience can be both daunting and wonderful. In some cases, you read books that need months to years worth of work. Other times, you read stories so well-written from the start that you immediately fall in love. Those are the kinds of beta-read books you’ll see reviewed here.

Basics of the Story

If you’ve read Sunlight and Shadows, then I only have to mention that One Minute to Midnight follows the Finley family – mainly Louis Finley. Of course, you’ll also recognize Big Jim, Betty, Dottie, Jesse, and other favorite characters from the collection.

Louis has a lot to overcome after his older brothers and depressed father created an unseemly reputation for his family. But his desire to marry the girl of his dreams fills him with determination to make a living. Unfortunately, nearly every business owner in town turns him away, despite their advertisements for needed help. In the end, Louis looks to Big Jim for work, the man hurt most by his missing brother Walter.

Set in the late 1800s, this book takes you to the South where hardworking men struggle to see people for who they really are. A trip north shows city men aren’t much different. But sometimes, when everything seems convoluted and impossible–and maybe it is–those same men discover the truth.

Only Good

Toward the end of my reading, I had to wait for Holt to write chapters as I read. That was hard–way worse than waiting for your favorite TV show. The characters attached themselves to my heart. Even better, Holt managed to twist the story just right, and it didn’t end as I expected. I definitely approved!

One Minute to Midnight comes filled with perfect sentiment and well-rounded, imperfect characters who love their family and have the desire to forgive. Holt includes some amazing and accurate descriptions of New York from this time period. But it’s the story that captured my heart.

If historical fiction with a riveting emotional pull and a touch of sweet romance (but not too much) makes you turn the pages before doing the dishes, you’ve been warned. This book will have your heart like it has mine. So, if you can manage a sink full of dirty dishes, then I highly recommend this exceptional book!

Official Blurb

North Carolina, 1875–With one brother in the grave, another on the run, and his father’s farm failing farther and farther into disrepair, twenty-year-old Louis Finley must do what he can to secure his own future and save the family he has left. But first, he has to face the past, and find out what he’s really made of.

Other Info

Purchase your copy of One Minute to Midnight on Amazon.

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