Midnight Awakening

It's official. I love the Breed! After finding the previous two books a little lacking it was so satisfying to see Adrian finally hit it out of the park with Tegan and Elise. The couple is matched perfectly. Both of them have lost mates due to the war with the Rogues. Most recently, Elise also lost her son to the drug Crimson. They know pain loss and Tegan especially understands Elise's need to kill as many Minions as she can. He's been filled with the same need for the past five hundred years.

The romance builds quickly but more believably than in past books. Elise has already been a part of the Breed world for around a hundred years so we could skip the whole "OMG vampires exist?" drama. Elise is strong and capable but unlike the past show more two heroines she has no TSTL moment of leaving the Order's super secure compound only to get herself kidnapped. While I liked Tegan a great deal he seemed a little too much like the cookie cutter hardened badass. Even though this series focuses more on the men, I found Elise's journey to accept love again much more interesting than Tegan's.

My favorite scene in the series so far happens towards the end and sealed the deal with me and the Breed. Breedmates all have special gifts and watching the women work together using their gifts to solve an important piece of the puzzle won me over right there. In so many other series involving warriors the females disappear or don't really have a role to play in the battle against evil. Not so in the Order. Through their special talents the Breedmates can contribute to the cause without being on the front line.

Adrian keeps giving me more and more of what I love about this series. A diverse cast of warriors, empowered females and a new great evil that makes Marek look like a declawed kitten. She's also introduced yet another character I can't wait to get more of. German playboy Andreas. I'm such a sucker for stories of a gigolo who meets that one woman he can't live without. show less

Midnight Awakening is the third book in Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series. This is Tegan and Elise’s story, a romance that was teased in the previous book of the series, Kiss of Crimson. This book begins four months after their initial meeting, and Elise, who recently lost her son after he got hooked on Crimson and went Rogue, has vowed to stop the drug trade and take out those responsible for her son’s death. Unknown to everyone else, she’s left her Darkhaven and is living in a low rent apartment among the humans, hunting down Rogues and Minions, but being so close to that many people, as well as using her gift to track Minions is taking a major toll on her psyche. One night, while on patrol, Tegan rescues her from a group of show more Rogues, and when he discovers what she’s been up to, he tries unsuccessfully to talk some sense into her, while she tries equally unsuccessfully to persuade him that she could be valuable to the Order. It’s not until she retrieves an ancient journal that Marek, the leader of the Rogues, desperately wants and they’re attacked by Rogues again that Tegan realizes how valuable she could be and takes her under the protection of the Order. The journal proves to be a mystery that leads them to Berlin, where they face new dangers as they get closer to the truth that it contains, something that will change everything in the war between the Order and the Rogues. Along the way, passion flares between Tegan and Elise, and although Tegan believes he’s meant to be alone, it isn’t long before he realizes he cannot live without Elise. But Marek and the ancient secrets held in the tome may lead to the demise of them all.

Tegan is the lone wolf of the Order and one of only three Gen One Breeds known to still exist. Centuries ago, he lost his beloved Breedmate after she was kidnapped, tortured, and returned to him a Minion. Ever since, Tegan has blamed himself for not doing a better job of protecting her and has consigned himself to being alone. Four months earlier, after the death of Elise’s son, he shared a moment of connection with her over their common grief, and although he’s tried to push her out of his mind, he hasn’t really been able to stop thinking of her since. When he finds her in an alley being attacked by Rogues, he doesn’t hesitate to jump into action to save her, but he tries to tell himself that what she’s doing is none of his business. When she brings him the journal and the Rogues attack again, he has no choice but to take her to the Order’s compound for her protection. However, he has no intention of getting any closer to her until she insists upon using her Darkhaven connections to help the Order gain access to the person they need to speak with in Berlin. When Elise comes to him, asking for a no-strings blood exchange to strengthen her for the trip, she proves to be too much of a temptation to resist. But Tegan still fights his feelings until he realizes that it’s too late and he’s already fallen in love with her. In the beginning, Tegan can be a bit of jerk, which is something I don’t really like in my romance heroes, although in this case, a part of me understood it was his own method of self-preservation. He also mostly gets a pass, because even though the words that come out of his mouth can be cruel, he always treats Elise gently. Even still, he blows hot and cold so many times, that he was starting to irritate me a bit, but once he gave in to his feelings, he became a much more relatable and admirable hero.

Elise is a Breedmate, one of the human women who make compatible mates for Breed males. She has lived a rather sheltered existence, being raised in a Darkhaven since infancy. She was mated to a high-ranking Darkhaven official who died five years earlier. Then four months ago, her only son succumbed to the scourge of Crimson and turned Rogue, also dying. After losing him, she vowed to make sure his death wasn’t in vain, so she’s been hunting down Rogues and Minions one at a time ever since. However, living in the human world so close to the dregs of humanity has made it difficult to keep her psychic gift for reading minds under control and the warped malevolence of Minions causes her extreme pain. It’s when one of her migraines is coming on that Tegan finds her, and not only saves her life, but also uses his own psychic powers to ease her suffering. He isn’t convinced, though, that she can be any use to the Order until she brings him the journal. Once they’re at the Order’s compound, she insists upon using her late husband’s connections to help them gain access to a Rogue who’s being held in an Enforcement containment facility. However, weak from five years without Breed blood to nourish her, she knows she’ll need sustenance to avoid being a liability on their trip. She reluctantly asks Tegan to supply what she needs, thinking that he won’t want any strings attached, but ultimately she couldn’t have been more wrong. Their chemistry proves to be off the charts, and although he’s not easy to win over, eventually Tegan admits he’s come to love her as much as she loves him. Elise is a strong heroine to survive all the loss she’s been through and I admired her grit and determination to take out Marek and the Rogues. Her stubbornness also serves her well in helping the Order and in winning over Tegan.

With the Midnight Breeds being a long-running series, there are lots of significant supporting characters in Midnight Awakening. Lucan (Kiss of Midnight), the Order’s leader, and his Breedmate, Gabrielle, appear with Lucan saving the day at the end. Gideon (A Touch of Midnight) puts his tech skills to good use, while his mate, Savannah, uses her psychic gift to read the history of an important object, helping to unravel a mystery. Dante and Tess (Kiss of Crimson) appear, with Dante leading a dangerous mission and Tess putting her healing skills to use. Rio who was badly injured in the first book is slowly healing with Tess’s help and is well enough by the end to accompany Dante’s on his mission. He also becomes the hero of the next book of the series, Midnight Rising. Nikolai (Veil of Midnight), Brock (Taken by Midnight), and Kade (Shades of Midnight), the remaining members of the Order, also go on the mission with Dante. We’re introduced to Andreas Reichen, the leader of the Berlin Darkhaven cell, a charmer who proves invaluable to Tegan and Elise while they’re there. I was drawn to him and hoped he might become a future hero, so I was pleased to see that he does indeed get his story told in Ashes of Midnight. I was also happy to see that Elise’s brother-in-law, Sterling Chase, has befriended Dante and also joined the Order, and although he still obviously has feelings for Elise, he doesn’t stand in the way of her getting together with Tegan. He becomes the hero of the book, Darker After Midnight.

Overall, Midnight Awakening was another excellent read in this series. I admired Elise’s strength and determination. In spite of her genteel upbringing, she doesn’t shy away from the messier side of life, and although members of the Darkhavens generally view the Order as savages, she manages to see the humanity in Tegan. Initially Tegan is a somewhat uneven character as he fights his feelings for Elise, but once he gives in, I started to like him a lot more and thought that he was a really good hero. The two balance each other out well and make a great couple. The mystery surrounding the journal was extremely well done, revealing some important things that are not to be missed for fans of the series. I was actually a bit surprised by the ending and very much look forward to seeing where things go from here. Besides Tegan irritating me a bit with his sometimes cruel words and with his back-and-forth, hot-and-cold streak, the only other thing that made me drop the half star is that two characters end up dosed with Crimson and yet inexplicably come out totally fine. Maybe I’m misremembering how Crimson works, but I do know that it’s an extremely dangerous drug that has turned many Breeds into Rogues. So I felt like a better explanation of this would have been helpful. Otherwise, this was a near-perfect read that, along with the first two books of the series, has earned Lara Adrian a spot on my favorite authors list and leaves me quite eager to pick up the next book soon. show less

Geschöpf der Finsternis (Midnight Breed, #3) ♦ Lara Adrian | Rezension

Mit Geschöpf der Finsternis traf ich im dritten Band der Midnight Breed – Reihe auf Elise und Tegan. Natürlich waren mir beide Charaktere aus den vorangegangenen Büchern bereits bekannt. Aber wie es bei dieser Reihe so Brauch ist, sollte ich beide Figuren auf diesen Seiten noch besser kennenlernen. Ich war auch ehrlich gesagt überrascht, dass Lara Adrian den eher kalten und rohen Krieger Tegan bereits so früh in der Reihe vorgestellt hat. Doch dies sollte keine Enttäuschung werden. Aber auch Elise konnte verblüffen.



Geschöpf der Finsternis ♦ Lara Adrian

Gleich zu Beginn muss ich sagen, dass ich Elise wirklich mag. Selbst, wenn ich anfangs meine Zweifel show more hatte. Nach dem Vorgängerband der Reihe, Gefangene des Blutes, hätte ich Elise nie als Heldin betrachtet. Doch ich lernte sie zu mögen und auch zu respektieren. Denn nach allem, was sie verloren hatte, ist sie wie ein Phönix aus der Asche auferstanden und sich entschlossen, ihr Leben und ihre Rache, selbst in die Hand zu nehmen.

Und sie hat sich dafür entschieden untern den Menschen zu leben. Doch aufgrund ihrer angeborenen Gabe leidet Elise Höllenqualen, denn sie kann die hässlichsten und dunkelsten Gedanken der Menschen hören. Trotzdem geht sie los, um Lakaien, deren Gedanken abgrundtief sind, zu jagen und (!) zu töten. Dabei musste ich mit dem Kopf schütteln, aber auch staunen, denn der Schmerz ihres Verlustes gibt ihr die nötige Stärke, um ihre Rachepläne voranzubringen.

Tegan, knallhart und emotional in Mitleidenschaft gezogen, kommt als beeindruckender Krieger des Ordens und Stammesvampir der ersten Generation um die Ecke. Von Anbeginn der Reihe war mir Tegan ein wenig suspekt, er war kalt und mürrisch. Doch sobald die LeserInnen von seiner Vergangenheit erfahren und dann lesen, zu welcher Zärtlichkeit und Sanftmut er gegenüber Elise fähig ist, schließt man ihn letztendlich ins Herz. Auch die Art, wie er den Schmerz von Elise ernst nahm und ihr Respekt entgegenbrachte. Natürlich war er alles andere als begeistert, als er von ihrer kleinen Privatmission erfahren hat, doch er erkannte auch die Notwendigkeit für Elise.

Bevor ich dieses Buch in die Hand genommen habe, konnte ich mir keinen Reim daraus machen, warum die Autorin gerade diese beiden füreinander auserkoren hat. Denn auf den ersten Blick können sie nicht unterschiedlicher sein: Elise, eine verwöhnte, zarte Stammesgefährtin, aufgewachsen in der gehobenen Gesellschaft der Dunklen Häfen; und Tegan, ein wilder, rauer Krieger, der als gewissenlos betrachtet wird. Dennoch haben sie eine Verbindung und können einander verstehen, die Verluste, die beide erfahren haben, ihre Leben und ihre Persönlichkeiten veränderten. Natürlich gibt es auch in Geschöpf der Finsternis eine starke emotionale und sexuelle Bindung zwischen den beiden Hauptprotagonisten, auf welche Lara Adrian großartig aufbaut.

Bisher bauen die Bände der Reihe sehr gut aufeinander auf. Lara Adrian hat eine interessante Welt in der Urban Fantasy erschaffen. Die Idee, dass Vampire die Nachkommen der außerirdischen Rasse sind, welche vor Jahrtausenden auf die Erde kamen, in einen blutrünstigen Amoklauf ausbrachen und sich mit besonderen Menschenfrauen fortpflanzen konnten, begeistert mich. Es macht wirklich Spaß, mit jedem neuen Band tiefer in die Handlung abzutauchen.

Neben den Emotionen und der Erotik kommt aber auch die Action nicht zu kurz. Die Kämpfe der Krieger sind intensiv und gewalttätig. Es besteht immer die Möglichkeit, dass einer von ihnen schwer verwundet oder sogar sterben könnte. Für alle Beteiligten steht sehr viel auf dem Spiel und man hält beim Lesen regelrecht den Atem an und hofft inständig, dass sich alles zum Guten wendet. Der Bösewicht Marek ist ein völlig verabscheuungswürdiger, moralisch abgebrannter Scheißkerl, bei dem man sich als LeserIn wünscht, dass er bald sein Schicksal durch den Orden erfährt.

Wie auch in den vorangegangenen Bänden, schließt dieses Buch mit einem Handlungsstrang ab, lässt aber weitere geheimnisvolle böse Machenschaften offen mit denen sich die Ordenskrieger zukünftig befassen müssen. Ich bin schon gespannt, wie es mit den anderen Charakteren (Rio, Sterling Chase, und Niko) weitergeht und welche Stammesgefärtinnen die Autorin für sie in petto hat.

Mit den neu rekrutierten Waffenbrüdern Kade und Brock schafft es Lara Adrian ethnische Vielfalt in die Reihe einfließen zu lassen, was ich bei anderen Reihen dieser Art oft schmerzlich vermisse.

Fazit

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Geschöpf der Finsternis konnte mich mit jeder Seite mitnehmen. Über den Schreibstil muss hier nicht mehr viel gesagt werden, denn der war wie immer tadellos und lies mich nur so durch die Seiten fliegen. Tegan und Elise sind ein schönes Paar, die gegenseitig ihre Mauern einreißen konnten und ich bin gespannt, wie beiden in den Folgebänden als Nebencharaktere noch auftreten werden.

Geschöpf der Finsternis ♦ Lara Adrian auf The Art of Reading. show less

Assolutamente promosso questo libro di Lara Adrian con la sua nuova storia d'amore fra Tegan e Elise. Quella che nei primi capitoli sembrava una saga veramente troppo "vicina" ai libri di J.R.Ward si sta evolvendo e sta acquisendo decisamente più "carattere".

Non si parla più di una semplice "storia d'amore" ma Lara Adrian sta dando sempre maggior importanza al background su cui si muovono i personaggi e alla trama di sfondo della lotta con i Ribelli. la Genesi dei vampiri Gen Uno, come già detto precedentemente, è molto originale e affascinante al punto che non vedo l'ora di scoprire se l'Antico è ancora vivo e in circolazione come suppongo che sia. Vampiri come discendenti degli Alieni, sembra paradossale eppure la Adrian è show more riuscita a creare un'ottima idea di partenza su cui far sviluppare la sua Società di Vampiri.

Tegan è un personaggio tormentato, chiuso e freddo come l'acciaio. Ferisce il prossimo con parole travestite da "Verità" per il semplice motivo che non vuole che gli altri si aspettino alcunché da lui. Non vuole deludere gli altri o semplicemente non è interessato a preoccuparsi di chi gli sta intorno perché, se dovesse fallire, finirebbe farli soffrire e soffrire di rimando. Si protegge dagli altri semplicemente trattandoli con indifferenza e turbandoli come e quando può, il che è perfettamente logico per quanto "illogico".

Elise è una donna forte, testarda e ferita dalla vita che le ha portato via il suo compagno cinque anni prima e poi, come se non bastasse, il figlio caduto nelle trame dei Ribelli. E quando una donna, una madre, è ferita e furiosa tutto quello che può far per non finire distrutta e combattere, anche a costo di distruggersi. E' quello che decide di fare, lo promette alla memoria di suo figlio.

Sarà in questo contesto che i due si incontreranno e il loro rapporto non sarà niente affatto facile entrambi presi dai loro fantasmi e dalle loro guerre personali. Anche se dobbiamo dare atto a Elise di maggior coerenza e coraggio rispetto al vampiro Tegan, se non altro in ambito sentimentale.

Una storia d'amore ben scritta, graduale e condita da una bella dose di azione che vede protagonista, per una volta, anche la stessa Elise che non si lascia certo mettere in panchina dal suo Forse-Compagno.

Come abbiamo costatato nel romanzo precedente di volta in volta viene presentato, almeno a grandi linee, chi sarà il prossimo membro dell'Ordine che dovrò affrontare una "Compagna di Stirpe" e in questo caso, quasi sicuramente, nel prossimo libro dovremo vedercela con il povero Rio. Ferito nel corpo e nello spirito dal tradimento della sua compagna Rio per il momento è affidato alle mani terapeutiche di Tess, la compagna di Dante, ma è evidente che per l'anima i poteri di Tess non sono e non saranno sufficienti. Non ci resta che attendere il prossimo capitolo di questa saga! show less

I enjoy the plot line of this series. That's the guilty truth. That is also the only reason why I keep going back to torture myself with these books.

I still can't wrap my mind around why her female characters are so... naive. Idiotic. Juvenile. They all make really dumb moves at the worst times possible. I think this time, Adrian attempted to create a tougher female character, but really just made her into a violent, single-minded, spoiled brat.

That being said, I do like where the story is going. It's very interesting how she closed one line, but began a new, interesting one. I would like to see where this goes.

Awww hell! what is it about the brooding, tortured alpha males that get under our skin? I had been looking forward to Tegan's story since he was first mentioned. Cold, distant and to the point of being considered cruel and without emotion, this story met and exceeded my expectations. Having lost his mate centuries ago under horrific circumstances, Tegan's vowed never to love again and devoted everything he had to the war against the Rogues and their leader. Elise, who me met in Kiss of Crimson, was still mourning the death of her mate and her son. While I realize she was in a state of mourning, she seemed like this lost female who had practically given up on life and wandered around as if in a catatonic state. At the beginning of show more Awakening she has decided to leave the sanctity of the Darkhaven and is eager to avenge her son. She sheds her sheltered persona for a more warrior-like one (right on!). There's the small matter of her gift that gets in the way and no need to guess who sort of comes to her rescue.
The push and pull between Elise and Tegan's doesn't happen quickly or easily which was a nice change of pace. The author took the time to lay their individual pasts out fully which helped a lot to understand them and appreciate their growth. The changes in scenery, since this one takes the Order to Europe, was another nice change of pace to keep the excitement and anticipation up. The ending packs quite a punch as a new and probably more dangerous threat emerges. I read this in one sitting without a break because I couldn't put it down. It's that good! show less

This book came free when I purchased another book at a convention. Unfortunately at the time I didn't realize it was the middle of a series. That being said I still actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Ellie is still trying to pull herself together from the death of her husband five years ago and her son four months ago at the the hands of Rogue vampires. Tegan stumbles across her and the two begin working together despite their strong feelings regarding each other.

So what really intrigued me I didn't get a lot of info on (I will probably have to check out the first book); this book seems to have a science fictiony/alien explanation for vampires that definitely seems a little intriguing. I really liked Ellie and Teagan and it was nice to show more read about them getting together. The characters were all pretty likeable and I hope to check out the rest of the series at some point in the future. show less