Kiss of Midnight: A Midnight Breed Novel

There's absolutely no doubt as to the readership to whom this book is meant to appeal - the commendation from J R Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, gives a big clue. This book is very, very similar to the Black Dagger Brotherhood and will no doubt be enjoyed by those who like those books; the similarities are very marked - a small number of warrior vampires live together in a compound and fight against strong and numerous adversaries. This is the first in the series and it's very akin to Ward's "Dark Lover" (in fact at one point the heroine describes the hero as her dark lover), in that the hero is the leader of the band of warriors, that he isn't looking for a romantic involvement and yet he discovers that a woman is linked to the vampire nation although she herself is oblivious of that fact. There are even mentions of a Red Sox hat, there's a computer expert vampire, a monosyllabic and weird vampire, the death of one of the six warrior vampires... the comparisons with the BDB go on and on. And yet this is a book in its own right and it has its differences. There are several good things about this book when comparing it to the BDB. The first is that the characters don't have silly names but just unusual ones - the hero is Lucan, we also meet Tegan, Nikolai, Dante, Rio, Gideon and Conlan. Secondly there aren't loads of odd words with extra letter h peppered throughout the text which I always found rather cheesy. Thirdly the sections dealing with the Rogues, those against whom the warriors are fighting, aren't as extensive (I always find myself skim-reading the Lesser sections in the BDB) and in this series the Rogues are vampires gone bad rather than a separate species. There are some aspects about this book that didn't feel as accomplished as the BDB. The characterisation felt somehow less authentic although it was hard to put my finger on why. Gabrielle, the heroine, was a plucky woman who seemed able to cope with an awful lot of scary information in one go, perhaps too much. Lucan's conflicted nature about not wanting a mate and being afraid that he's about to lose the plot from Bloodlust was perhaps overplayed in the book but was necessary for the suspense in the plot. And in some ways perhaps that's my chief disappointment with the story, that the overall idea on which this book hung didn't seem quite developed enough. It was a good read with some spicy scenes between hero and heroine, some fighting, lots of blood and gore and awkward relationships amongst the vampire warriors but somehow it didn't quite grip me as much as the BDB. However J R Ward's novels definitely improved as she got into her writing stride with them (with the exception of Vishous' novel) and I have hopes that Lara Adrian's books will equally mature as she continues the series. For those who like the Black Dagger Brotherhood this is a worthy read alongside that series. For those who haven't read that series, read this one first, and enjoy it, and th

I won't give a run down on what this book is about as there are already several reviews on this book. I will just say I enjoyed it. It was reminiscent of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, but so what? It's not like these authors have a patent on the vampire plot. It was good, entertaining, wonderful characters, I liked the female lead. Yes, it wasn't as strong as J.R. Ward's, but overall definitely worth reading.

Loved this book. Its the best "first in a series" paranormal romance I've read in a long time. Is it reminescent of Ward, Kenyon, Alexis Morgan, and Jenna Black? Yes in the sense that most paranormal romance/thrillers that feature strong ALPHA males and their soulmate/bondmate/breedmate share some similar characteristics. But this is a great genre where each author brings her own unique settings, history and storylines. This book is no exception. Ms Adrian captures the flavor of historical Boston/New England vividly. Her vampires with roots in Alien invaders is a neat twist. The heroine was smart, savvy and strong. A must for me...I personally can't stand whiny/TSTS (to stupid to survive) heroines. Gabrielle was a winner. Lucan was sexy, brooding but not too quiet. He talked with Gabrielle which is nice. For me, a good plot includes good dialog. The sex scenes were good, sensual and just the right amount. Another plus for me. Can't stand books where every page is sex without being character driven, but at the same time...I don't like waiting til the end of the book for the main characters to get together. This book has interesting H/H, intriging secondary characters, (can't wait for Tegan's book.) and a nicely goulish villains. And we haven't found out all about the top bad guy yet, Ms Adrian left a nice cliffhanger to be resolved in future books. I recommend this book, and look forward to future installments.

I've had this book on my wish list for months and was glad when I finally could order it. I won't rehash the plot as others have done so, but it was a very enjoyable read. It does remind me A LOT of Ward's brothers but I still liked the story. I also like that the next one will be released so quickly after Kiss of Midnight.