Review: Deeper than Midnight

Deeper than Midnight
Lara Adrian
Paranormal Romance
Midnight Breeds/Book 9
Dell/June 28, 2011

*Spoilers for Previous Books

From Goodreads ~

At eighteen, Corinne Bishop was a beautiful, spirited young woman living a life of privilege as the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. Her world changed in an instant when she was stolen away and held prisoner by the malevolent vampire Dragos. After many years of captivity and torment, Corinne is rescued by the Order, a cadre of vampire warriors embroiled in a war against Dragos and his followers. Her innocence taken, Corinne has lost a piece of her heart as well--the one thing that gave her hope during her imprisonment, and the only thing that matters to her now that she is free.

Assigned to safeguard Corinne on her trip home is a formidable golden-eyed Breed male called Hunter. Once Dragos's most deadly assassin, Hunter now works for the Order, and he's hell-bent on making Dragos pay for his manifold sins. Bonded to Corinne by their mutual desire, Hunter will have to decide how far he'll go to end Drago's reign of evil--even if carrying out his mission means shattering Corinne's tender heart.

I will say that this series continues to keep me entertained. It's not my favorite PNR series but it is very solid in that I can always find something I like about each book. One thing that Adrain continues to provide is that camaraderie of not only the males but the females as well. Once their story is told, the hero and more importantly the heroine don't exit stage left, never to be heard from again. They become an active part in the fight against the enemy Rogues and Dragos. The males are still very protective but they are smart enough to listen to their intelligent mates.

The romance between Hunter and Corinne starts out awkward. Hunter was raised in Dragos' lab as an assassin. He knows nothing of love, physical or emotional. He is learning to care about others since becoming one of the Order's warriors. He's still unsure of his growing feelings for Corinne but trusts his instincts when it comes to her safety which puts them on the run. I liked how Hunter is portrayed as a protective male who is simply carrying out his orders. Then we see how he starts thinking beyond his orders to what he feels for Corinne. That felt real to me, the change that he goes through as he falls in love with Corinne.

Corinne Bishop has been through hell and survived. Kidnapped nearly 75 years ago and kept as a prisoner by Dragos' for experiments and breeding, she is slowly making her way back to some type of normal life. First, we know Corinne is a strong woman to have survived the horror she went through and not end up insane. But what I never felt I knew was why she fell for Hunter other than him saving her and continuing to keep her safe. If it had been one of the other warriors to take her home and keep her safe, would she have fallen for him? I'm not sure.

As mentioned the story also includes the other warriors and their mates which I really enjoyed. You see how their relationships continue to grow in relation to each other and how Hunter has fit into all of this. I would say the romance and the Order's fight against Dragos are the two main story lines with Sterling Chase and his fall from grace a powerful secondary sub-plot. His book is next, in hardcover no less, so it's not surprising that the setup for his story would have a strong presence.

Deeper than Midnight continues the ongoing series story arc, giving the reader more information about Dragos and a need to find out what will happen to Sterling Chase aka Harvard. I do wish I had felt more belief in how Hunter and Corinne's romance developed. Since I wasn't all that crazy about Corinne, the balance of the romance and the secondary characters worked well for me.

Rating: B+

Books in this series ~

Kiss of Midnight
Kiss of Crimson
Midnight Awakening
Midnight Rising
Veil of Midnight
Ashes of Midnight
Shades of Midnight
Taken by Midnight
Deeper than Midnight
Darker After Midnight (January 24, 2012)

Review: Taken By Midnight

Taken By Midnight
Lara Adrian
Midnight Breed/Book 8
Dell/September 2010

*Spoilers for previous books*

From the back cover ~

AT THE CROSSROADS OF DEATH AND DESIRE, A WOMAN TASTES A PLEASURE NO MORTAL IS MEANT TO SURVIVE.

In the frozen Alaskan wilderness, former state trooper Jenna Darrow survives an unspeakable breach of body and soul. But with her narrow escape comes an even greater challenge. For strange changes are taking place within her, as she struggles to understand—and control—a new hunger. To do so, she will seek shelter in the Boston compound of the Order, an ancient race of vampire warriors whose very existence is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps the most mysterious of them all is Brock, a brooding, dark-eyed alpha male whose hands hold the power to comfort, heal . . . and arouse.

As she recovers under Brock’s care, Jenna finds herself drawn to the Order’s mission: to stop a ruthless enemy and its army of assassins from subjecting Earth to a reign of terror. Yet in spite of their resolve, a purely physical relationship without strings soon binds Brock and Jenna together with a desire fiercer than life and stronger than death itself—until a secret from Brock’s past and Jenna’s own mortality challenges their forbidden love to the ultimate trial by fire.

Wow - book 8 and I'm still reading the series, that's always a good sign, right? I plan to read the next book, Hunter's story - another good sign. So while I'm continuing with the series and it still holds my interest, I'm not rushing out to get the book on release day. In fact, I waited on this one for the library copy to be available. I'm not sure what it is, I like the cast of characters, I like the premise - alien vampires crashing on Earth but... it's become a comfortable read. As in I pretty much know what to expect based on previous books and the blurb. There are a few surprises but nothing earth shattering.

Jenna Darrow was introduced in the previous book, Shades of Midnight. She is good friends with Alex Maguire, heroine from that book. After Jenna's vicious attack she is taken to the Order's compound in Boston to recover under the care of Brock, a Breed warrior. It's there that Jenna begins to learn what was done to her and the after-effects of the attack. I liked Jenna but it wasn't like "hey, she great!" more of a "oh, she's nice". She does have a couple of TSTL moments triggered by the freakish situation she finds herself in. She was attacked by an alien vampire and now she's living underground with more vampires and something weird is going on inside her. That would freak anyone out. But she deals with it and with her growing attraction to Brock.

Brock is the calm in Jenna's storm. His ability to take away pain with just a touch keeps him by Jenna's side after she's attacked. He cares about her but he doesn't want to get too close. His past mistake with a female has him determined to keep his distance from Jenna which is hard to do since he's basically put in charge of her. So the inevitable happens, they give into their attraction and spend a hot time between the sheets. And then tell themselves it was only sex. Yeah, right. Brock is a hero that would rather stay in the background. Most of the time he's not an overbearing alpha but he does try to order Jenna around a bit but it was his need to see her safe and not an ego trip. Jenna is more outwardly alpha than Brock. But Brock's easy enough to like. He's a typical vamp hero - dark, dangerous side tempered with a gentle, caring side for his mate.

While Jenna and Brock are denying their growing love, the rest of the Order is working on finding the evil that is Dragos. He has eluded them for sometime but they have been making progress. One thing I do like about this series is that the females, both current and former heroines, don't fade into the background. This time they are working to find the missing Breedmates that they think Dragos kidnapped to use for his breeding program. The women even have their own "war room" in the compound and use their brains and special talents to track down potential leads. And it's not just the men humoring them, they take the women seriously and want their input and involvement as long as their safety isn't jeopardized.

The overall story arc, centered around Dragos, doesn't move along as much as I had hoped. There are a few questions answered but also more crop up. We do find out what is causing Jenna's transformation but it's unclear what she's becoming. A few new characters are introduced with the potential for their own stories but it didn't feel like sequel bait, they actually did add substance to the plot.

The relationship between Brock and Jenna was full of bumps and bruises. They both had past tragedies to overcome before they would allow themselves to feel worthy of being loved. Neither had any problem caring about the other, it was the fear of permanence that held them back. I did think Adrian did a good job showing both Brock and Jenna coming to terms with their pasts and realizing it was okay for them to move on to a lasting relationship. I also liked that Jenna told Brock why she was letting him go, rather than pretending she didn't want him or care about him. Of course, they worked it out and got their HEA.

The next book in the series, Deeper Than Midnight (June 2011) is Hunter's story and yes, I will be reading it. Hunter is one of Dragos' former assassins who is now a member of the Order. He's hard to know, keeping to himself and showing no emotions so it will be interesting to see how he evolves when he falls in love.

Rating: B

Review: Shades of Midnight

Shades of Midnight

Lara Adrian

Paranormal Romance

Midnight Breed series/Book 7

Dell/January 2010

Library book

From the back cover ~

IN A FROZEN WILDERNESS STEEPED IN DARKNESS, THE LINES BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, LOVER AND ENEMY, ARE NEVER BLACK OR WHITE BUT DRAWN IN SHADES OF MIDNIGHT . . .

Something inhuman is stalking the frigid Alaskan wilds, leaving unspeakable carnage in its wake. For bush pilot Alexandra Maguire, the killings stir memories of a horrific event she witnessed as a child and evoke in her the inexplicable sense of otherness she has long felt but never fully understood . . . until a darkly seductive stranger with secrets of his own enters her world.

Sent from Boston on a mission to investigate the savage attacks and stop the slaughter, vampire warrior Kade has his own reasons for returning to the frigid, forbidding place of his birth. Haunted by a secret shame, Kade soon realizes the stunning truth of the threat he faces--a threat that will jeopardize the fragile bond he has formed with the courageous, determined young woman who arouses his deepest passions and most primal hungers. But in bringing Alex into his world of blood and darkness, Kade must confront both his own personal demons and the even greater evil that could destroy all he holds dear. . .

The previous book in the series, Ashes of Midnight, wasn't one of my favorites. It was a bit of a disappointment since I had liked how the hero was portrayed in previous books. I didn't like him very much in his own book and the heroine was just so so for me. So I started reading Shades of Midnight with some trepidation. I liked the premise of Kade going home and expected that to provide some conflict. I also liked the idea of a bush pilot for the heroine. One of the things I didn't like about the last book was that much of it took place away from Boston and the Breed Warriors headquarters. I like the guys interaction and camaraderie and was afraid I might miss that in this one. It turns out I did.

Alex Maguire finds them. The bodies are torn apart and she's terrified of what did it. She knows deep down it wasn't wolves like some of the locals think. Alex is a very no-nonsense woman who is accustomed to taking care of herself. She's not one to panic without reason. She doesn't exactly panic in the aftermath of finding the bodies but she is confused about what she saw. Then she spots Kade and she's drawn to him without knowing why.

Alex was just an okay heroine for me. She was portrayed as a strong female. When she was under pressure while flying it didn't show. She was in complete control and confident in her abilities. I liked that she didn't suddenly turn into a crying ball of fluff. The problem I had with her came when she finds out that Kade is a Breed aka vampire. She freaked, a little, but then she seem to get over it really fast. This was hard to believe considering her worst nightmare is a vampire attack.

Kade is a fairly solid hero. He's sent to Alaska on a mission, not to reconcile with his family. He left Alaska a year ago to join the Breed Warriors and their cause. He left with some very hard feelings between himself and his father. He also left to escape something he didn't want to deal with. So he ran. I liked Kade, I just didn't LOVE him. He was mysterious, sexy and loyal. I also found him a bit boring. I just didn't feel that fire between him and Alex that I felt with some of the other couples. For me, there was too much of that back and forth, "I want you but I can't have you, but I want you," crap. I didn't get that "click" that we readers talk about when we feel a connection to a character.

The mystery surrounding who is doing the killings isn't much of a mystery. Sure, there's a few possible suspects but anyone whose been reading the series has a pretty good idea of who/what is behind the attacks. There are some other activities going on in the Alaskan wilderness that Alex and Kade have to unravel and that helped to keep my interest before the Boston Breeds showed up.

My interest really perked up towards the end when we get the bait for the next book. We know from Adrian's website that Brock's book is next and we get a pretty good, okay - obvious, hint at who his heroine is. IMO, Brock's story has a whole bunch of potential. And, I like him. :)

Kade tells Brock that he's in love with Alex. ~

Brock gaped a minute longer, then let out a whoop of laughter. "Naah! Oh, hell no. Not you, too?"

Kade grinned, gave him a helpless shrug. "I love her, man. And she says she loves me, believe it or not."

"Un-fucking-believable," Brock said, still chuckling and shaking his head. "This is becoming a goddamn epidemic lately."

"Then you'd better watch your step, too."

"Shit," he replied, letting the word hiss out of him on a slow exhalation. "Now who am I going to hang with after patrols -- Harvard? Thanks a lot, man. I'll bet Hunter over there would be a barrel of laughs, too." page 269

I also like Brock's heroine. She comes with a whole trunk load of baggage. Brock comes across as a guy with a very laid back attitude and his heroine, not so much. Yep, looking forward to their story.

One thing that I noticed is the use of the words god, Jesus and to a lesser extent goddamn. As I read I wondered about the Breeds religious beliefs. Sadly, I couldn't remember what, if anything, had been mentioned previously. For some reason I thought they believed in various human religions. That their beliefs possibly came from their human Breedmate mothers. There was a chapel in the Darkhaven compound in Alaska and mention of death rites, which include taking the dead Breed out into the sun and staying with him for 8 minutes. I do wonder, when supernatural beings use the words god and Jesus if it's simply from exposure to human culture. On the show Extreme Home Makeover the people always say "Oh my God" when they see their new home. It doesn't necessarily make them a religious person. But it is something that's commonly said. Anyways, I'm just thinking out loud on this.

I would say that Shades of Midnight was a solid read. It certainly had some good points to it and the way it left off, I will be picking up the next book, Taken by Midnight, this September. But it also had some annoying and slow parts that left me wishing the Breeds from Boston would show up soon. There was some forward motion in the overall story arc with regards to Dagos and his evil schemes. So, not bad but not my favorite of the series.

Rating: B

February Reads...

Why Batman? IDK, never was a fan but maybe if he looked like this...

February was short and sometimes a very sweet month. I managed a total of 12 books and only one audio because, *sob*, my mp3 player broke. I'm suffering withdrawal while dealing with trying to get a replacement. So tempted to go to Sam's Club and get an IPod. Anyway... here's the list. ~

Slow Heat/Jill Shalvis/Contemporary ~ A
Hunting Ground/Patricia Briggs/Urban Fantasy ~ B+
Tell Me Lies/Jennifer Crusie/Contemporary (audio) ~ C
Crazy Beautiful/Lauren Baratz-Logsted/YA Contemporary ~ A
My Soul to Lose/Rachel Vincent/YA Fantasy ~ B+
My Soul to Take/Rachel Vincent/YA Fantasy ~ A
Kindred in Death/J. D. Robb/Futuristic ~ B+
Lord Ruin/Carolyn Jewel/Historical ~ B
Open Season/Linda Howard/Romantic Suspense ~ A-
The Iron King/Julie Kagawa/YA Fantasy ~ A (review to come)
The Texan's Wager/Jodi Thomas/Historical ~ A
Shades of Midnight/Lara Adrian/PNR ~ B (review to come)
What the Librarian Did/Karina Bliss/Contemporary ~ A (review to come)

Overall a very good month. Lots of wonderful reads. I attribute that to the great reviews from all of you book pimping bloggers. So I thank you and my ever growing TBR pile thanks you. :D

Oh, I almost forgot. Bookcases - Abby got a new one and I managed to be good for nearly 2 weeks, then I got a new one too. I swear I didn't plan it, it just happened. :)

March looks to be a great month for new releases. Take a peek at the Slide widget on the right side bar and see what I'm looking forward to for March.

Coming Soon ~ Shades of Midnight...

I still like this series even with my less than favorable response to the last book, Ashes of Midnight. I couldn't find a blurb on the author's website, found the one below on Fantastic Fiction. Releases December 29. Enjoy...

In a frozen wilderness steeped in darkness, the lines between good and evil, lover and enemy, are never black or white but drawn in Shades of Midnight.

Something inhuman is stalking the frigid Alaskan wilds, leaving unspeakable carnage in its wake. For bush pilot Alexandra Maguire, the killings stir memories of a horrific event she witnessed as a child and evoke in her the inexplicable sense of otherness she has long felt within herself but never fully understood . . . until a darkly seductive stranger with secrets of his own enters her world.

Sent from Boston on a mission to investigate the savage attacks and stop the slaughter, vampire warrior Kade has his own reasons for returning to the frigid, forbidding place of his birth. Haunted by a secret shame, Kade soon realizes the stunning truth of the threat he faces-a threat that will jeopardize the fragile bond he has formed with the courageous, determined young woman who arouses his deepest passions and most primal hungers. But in bringing Alex into his world of blood and darkness, Kade must confront both his own personal demons and the even greater evil that could destroy all he holds dear.

The Breeds are off to Alaska for this one. This is Kade's book and I'm looking forward to the different setting. It sounds like he's alone on this mission, too bad since I was hoping for more of Sterling Chase. The heroine, a bush pilot, has potential. She's got to be tough and smart to survive being a pilot in Alaska. I do like that Adrian makes the heroines part of "the team" and doesn't leave them sitting on the sidelines.

Review: Ashes of Midnight

Review: Ashes of Midnight
Author: Lara Adrian
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Midnight Breed/Book 6
Published: May 2009

*Spoilers if you haven't read the previous books in the series*

From the back cover:

A WOMAN DRIVEN BY BLOOD. A MAN THIRSTING FOR VENGEANCE. A PLACE WHERE DARKNESS AND DESIRE MEET . . .

As night falls, Claire Roth flees, driven from her home by a fiery threat that seems to come from hell itself. Then, from out of the flames and ash, a vampire warrior emerges. He is Andreas Reichen, her onetime lover, now a stranger consumed by vengeance. Caught in the cross fire, Claire cannot escape his savage fury--or the hunger that plunges her into his world of eternal darkness and unending pleasure.

Nothing will stop Andreas from destroying the vampire responsible for slaughtering his Breed brethren . . . even if he must use his former lover as a pawn in his deadly mission. Blood-bonded to his treacherous adversary, Claire can lead Andreas to the enemy he seeks, but it is a journey fraught with danger--and deep, unbidden desires. For Claire is the one woman Andreas should not crave, and the only one he's ever loved. A dangerous seduction begins--one that blurs the line between predator and prey, and stokes the flames of a white-hot passion that may consume all in its path. . . .

I have been looking forward to Andreas' story for some time now. I don't remember what book he first appeared in but I found him to be an interesting character because he wasn't the typical leather wearing, smart-ass alpha bad boy that so many PNR heroes seem to be. Andreas seemed to be more refined, an elegant gentleman in his demeanor and language. So I was curious as to how he would be after the horrible loss of his Darkhaven and family in Veil of Midnight. I knew he would be seeking revenge against those that killed his family but how much of that refinement would still be there?

Well, this Andreas is so different from the one we met in previous books. The refined, European gentleman is gone. Don't get me wrong, I never saw him as weak but I did see him as different from the guys in Boston. He just had that European flair about him, very James Bond-ish. Not the type to go off without thoroughly thinking things through. Now he's gone all pyro crazy and killing anyone that gets in his way. His power is awesome, amazing fire. Fireballs flying through the air and he's got one hell of an aim. The only problem is that he's basically gone and this "monster" takes over. It's like Andreas retreats and this big, bad, mean as all hell vamp takes control. His loss of control continues to accelerate until he losses hope of ever getting it back. And since this is a romance, Claire turns out to be his only hope of gaining control and not losing himself forever.

Claire Roth is the heroine and for some reason that I still can't put a finger on, I just didn't connect with her. She came across as old fashion. A lady who fills her time with charity work and maintaining her home. She lives in a house out in the country while her mate, Wilhelm Roth, prefers the city. I didn't understand how the whole feeding works between these two. The impression I had from the previous books was that in order for the female to maintain her youth she had to feed fairly frequently from her mate. But the impression I got regarding Claire and Wilhelm was that they went months without seeing each other. So not sure how that works.

Claire has carved out a separate life for herself and has very little involvement with Wilhelm and his businesses. This explained why she didn't know what how truly evil and nasty he was and what he was involved in. But it didn't explain why she could sense when he was around and he knew when she slept with Andreas - all because of their blood bond. It seems like she should have know how bad this guy was if this blood bond allowed her to sense the other things.

This is a dark book with very little humor. I prefer the scenes with the guys talking the way guys do with their own unique humor peppered with smart ass remarks. Ashes of Midnight had very little of that. It was mainly Andreas and Claire and their attempt to heal old wounds and become the couple they were meant to be.

I liked the parts with Hunter and the little bit with Chase. Chase is still my favorite in this series but Hunter is turning into a very interesting character. I'll look forward to reading more about him and his continued progression from trained killer to potential hero. There was a problem that was alluded to regarding Chase but nothing more. Unless this series takes a complete nosedive, I'll be reading his book too. Kade was given more page time and the set up for his book, the next book in the series, was evident. I don't mind this since Adrian did make it part of the overall story arc and it made sense within the context of this book.

Ashes of Midnight is not the strongest book in the series and I can only hope the difficulties I had with this book is not a trend. The love story is still the focus with the previous characters filling out the story line and continuing the main story arc. I do hope that the next book picks up the pace and brings the breeds face to face with the big bad Ancient One.

Since this is the 6th book in the series I would not recommend starting with Ashes of Midnight. There are just too many reoccurring characters and the continuing story arc that makes it difficult to slip into the series with this book. The next book is Kade's and is set for release in January 2010.

For more info on Lara Adrian and the Midnight Breeds series check out her website.

Rating: B-

Lara Adrian Freebie...

If you've been thinking of trying Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series you can get a free download of the first book Kiss of Midnight here.

The next book in the series, Ashes of Midnight, hits bookstores this month on May 26.









This is a series that I have really enjoyed. The world building makes sense and IMO, she writes some of the best heroines in PNR.

Review: Veil of Midnight

Title: Veil of Midnight
Author: Lara Adrian
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Midnight Breed/Book 5
Published: January 2009

Nikolai is a Breed warrior and a member of the Order. A group of breeds who fight the Rogues and try to keep the humans safe from them. His current mission places him in Montreal looking for a Gen One Breed. Renata is also a warrior but of a different sort. She is the bodyguard for the vampire that Nikolai is looking for. When Niko shows up in Montreal looking for the Gen One Renata doesn't trust him so she sets a trap to catch him.

I started reading Lara Adrian's Breed series around the time it first came out. I was heavily into PNR and couldn't seem to get enough of the blood suckers, er vampires. Since then I've read quite a few different takes on the fanged ones, some I've liked, some I've loved and some I've left behind. Adrian's are in the liked/loved category. While I have enjoyed each book in the series, some more than others, I have come to expect a good story with interesting characters. Veil of Midnight certainly delivered.

An assassin is targeting the eldest of the Breeds, the Gen Ones. Nikolai is sent to warn Sergei Yakut of the threat. It's when he's trying to locate Yakut that he meets up with Renata. Their first meeting doesn't go well, weapons are involved and Niko is thought to be a threat to Yakut. Once things are cleared up and Niko sees what Yakut and his group are really like all Niko wants is to get back to Boston. While Niko finds Renata very attractive he is unmated and wants to stay that way. Not that he doesn't enjoy women, he does. And he wants to continue to enjoy as many as possible. But something happens and Renata and a young girl named Mira need his help. So he dons his armor offers to help.

One thing I'll say about Adrian's females is that they have a purpose. They are not merely sex objects for the males or there to "fix" the hero. Renata is no different. She is well versed in weapons, both guns and knives. She takes her job very seriously because her life and the life of a young girl depend on her doing her job. And she's smart. She found out she was a breedmate right before she was about to be killed. Ever since then she's been doing what she had to to survive. She may detest what she has to do but she has survived hell and has every intention of getting out of there alive.

Niko and Renata make such a good team. When Renata first meets Niko she assumes he's just like the rest of the Breeds. Her experience is limited to Yakut and his environment of bloodsport and death. She begins to realize that Niko is nothing like the horrible monsters that she has been forced to live. That he is honorable and trustworthy. When Niko discovers what really happened to Renata and what she's been through he can't help but care for her. His idea of staying a bachelor slowly slips away. And he's okay with that. When he tries to tell her he loves her he was just adorable.

A few new characters are introduced in Veil of Midnight. One character in particular has such potential for a fascinating storyline. But... we'll just have to wait and see.

The Midnight Breed series continues to maintain solid world building while still developing the main storyline of the hero and heroine. Within that world building we see further development of the antagonists that the Order is fighting. This is Adrian's fifth book and while some authors may hit a lull at this point in a series Adrian is maintaining a decent pace with the overall story arc. The next book Ashes of Midnight, due out in May, is Andreas Reichen's story. He's the leader of the Berlin Darkhaven and assists the Order whenever he can. In Veil the reader learns more about Andreas and his past giving us just enough information to wet the appetite. Visit Lara Adrian's website for more information on the Midnight Breed series.

Rating: A-