Forsaking Midnight (Deluxe Edition) (Defying the Stars, 2)

This limited deluxe edition will have printed edges.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily McIntire comes the second book in the Defying the Stars series, where small town drama meets sizzling retellings of forbidden romances.

Some sins are worth the fall.

Lance Calloway fights when they tell him to fight. Bleeds when they tell him to bleed. Breaks when they tell him to break.

Six years in an unsanctioned cage, and the one line he's never crossed? Loyalty to his best friend, no matter the cost.

Then he's asked to protect her.

Genevieve DeGrance didn't ask for any of this.

She came to Rosebrook Falls to be with the mayor's son. But nothing in this town is what it seems.

Especially not the dangerous fighter who watches her every move like a threat.

She hates him.

He hates her.

And yet...

The more time Lance spends guarding Genevieve, the harder it becomes to remember she belongs to someone else.

And the more she uncovers about Rosebrook Falls, the more she realizes the only honest person in her life is the one man she's forbidden to want.

In a town built on secrets and lies, falling for each other could destroy them both.

But staying away might be the one fight Lance can't win.



This book is perfect for readers looking for:

forbidden romance
hate to love
he falls first (and lies about it)
Arthurian retelling
mafia style romance

Emily McIntire is a #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Romance where the stakes are impossible and the happily ever after is always worth the fight. Her books span sub-genres and have been translated into over a dozen languages, hitting bestseller lists around the world.

A stage IV breast cancer thriver, you can find Emily in Tennessee with her family and her cats who think they run the house.

Find Emily!

Instagram: @itsemilymcintire

Facebook Group: The McInCult

TikTok: @authoremilymcintire

X: @authoremilym

Never After Series:

- Hooked

- Scarred

- Wretched

- Twisted

- Crossed

- TBA

Sugarlake Series:

- Beneath the Stars

- Beneath the Stands

- Beneath the Hood

- Beneath the Surface

Standalone:

- Be Still My Heart

Forsaking Midnight by Emily McIntire, released in July 2026, serves as the highly anticipated second installment in her *Defying the Stars* series. Known for her brilliantly twisted reimaginings of classic tales, McIntire shifts her focus to the legendary romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, transplanting the ancient myth into a modern-day, dark romance setting. The story unfolds in the shadowy, corrupt small town of Rosebrook Falls, a place built entirely on power, secrets, and lies. McIntire leans heavily into beloved romance tropes—including enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and the agonizingly tense "best friend’s girl" dynamic—to craft a narrative dripping with yearning and emotional stakes. While the novel operates as an interconnected standalone, it builds upon the deeply atmospheric world McIntire has established, delivering a morally gray hero and a sheltered heroine who are bound by a forbidden attraction that threatens to burn their carefully constructed lives to the ground.

At the center of this romantic storm are Lance and Genevieve. Lance is a hardened, dangerous underground fighter who has spent six brutal years surviving in an unsanctioned cage. Despite the intense darkness of his world, he adheres to one unbreakable rule: absolute loyalty to his best friend, who happens to be the mayor's son and the town's golden boy. Genevieve, on the other hand, arrives in Rosebrook Falls with a hopeful heart, intending to build a life with that very same man. From the moment they meet, Lance and Genevieve are locked in a bitter battle of wills. He views her as an unwelcome disruption and watches her every move like a threat to the fragile stability of his life, while she finds his brooding, hostile demeanor completely unbearable. They are united only by their mutual disdain, setting the stage for an explosive clash of personalities when circumstances inevitably force them together.

The tension escalates dramatically when Lance is tasked with acting as Genevieve’s personal protector. This forced proximity acts as a crucible, slowly melting away their animosity and replacing it with a dangerous, slow-burn attraction. As Lance spends his days guarding the woman who belongs to the man he respects most, he finds it increasingly impossible to ignore the magnetic pull between them. He is a man who is used to winning violent physical battles, but fighting his growing obsession with Genevieve is a war he is destined to lose. The "he falls first" dynamic shines here, showcasing a rugged hero who is utterly undone by a woman he is forbidden to touch. McIntire masterfully balances the heavy spice and intense chemistry with the emotional weight of their situation, making the reader feel every ounce of Lance’s agonizing guilt and overwhelming desire.

As the romance deepens, so does the overarching mystery of Rosebrook Falls. Genevieve’s character undergoes a profound transformation throughout the novel. Initially sheltered and oblivious to the true nature of the town and her fiancé, her close proximity to Lance opens her eyes to a sprawling web of corruption. She begins to uncover the dark realities lurking beneath the polished surface of the mayor's family and the town's elite. In doing so, she realizes that her entire life has been constructed on a foundation of falsehoods. Paradoxically, the dangerous, abrasive fighter who was supposed to be her enemy becomes the only honest person in her world. Lance, who has suffered through years of extreme use and abuse by the very people running the town, becomes her vital anchor. Their shared trauma and mutual understanding forge a bond that goes far beyond physical attraction, grounding their forbidden romance in deep emotional intimacy.

Ultimately, Forsaking Midnight is a story about the devastating cost of loyalty and the courage required to claim one's own happiness. Lance and Genevieve are trapped in an impossible situation where succumbing to their feelings means betraying the people they are tied to and potentially destroying themselves in the process. Yet, as the danger surrounding them mounts, they realize that they must tear down the toxic structures of their pasts in order to build any kind of future together. It is a thrilling, high-stakes romance where love is treated not as a soft, easy thing, but as a hard-won victory that requires massive sacrifice and undeniable strength.

Since you prefer digital reading platforms and love the convenience of keeping a massive personal library right in your pocket, this book is perfectly suited for your device. Given that you regularly use Google Books and Kindle to track down your next favorite read, you can easily pull up *Forsaking Midnight* to search for those exact moments of intense, slow-burn tension or to quickly locate your favorite passages between Lance and Genevieve. Plus, taking advantage of free ebook samples on these platforms is a fantastic way to dive into the first few chapters and experience McIntire’s gripping, modern-day Lancelot and Guinevere retelling before fully committing to the download.