Midnight Rising

Shades of Midnight
5 Stars

Synopsis:
In the frozen wilderness of Alaska, bush pilot Alexandra Macquire comes across the mutilated bodies of an entire family. The killings stir up horrific memories from her childhood until the arrival of a seductive stranger who makes her feel safe. Kade is a vampire warrior hiding a shameful secret that threatens his fragile bond with Alex. Can he confront his personal demons and protect the woman he loves from an unspeakable evil that threatens to destroy them both?

Review:
A significant improvement over the last book. The story is gripping from the start and the romance is one of the most intense in the series.

Kade has just been added to my list of favorite vampires. He is one of the new additions to the show more Breed warriors and very little is known about him at the outset. The gaps are soon filled in and he is revealed to be sexy, sensitive and honorable. He is the first warrior whose family features prominently in the series, and it is interesting to see the dynamic between the members as well as how Kade copes with the secret he has been keeping from them.

Alex is an independent and determined heroine, and the way in which her relationship with Kade develops and strengthens is simply perfect. As someone who has been exposed to rogue vampires in the past, it is not surprising that she has conflicting feelings once she discovers who he truly is. Her reactions are believable and compelling, and the way in which things work themselves out is intriguing. I do feel that her special ability could have been woven better into the storyline but this is a very small nitpick.

The secondary plots and characters add action and suspense to the main story arc. The appearance of the other warriors toward the end adds extra energy and the scenes presented from the Ancient's perspective actually had me feeling for him. He has suffered at the hands of his captors and cannot really be blamed for what he is or for his natural instincts. Brock’s story is set up well and I look forward to seeing where his connection with Jenna is going, as from what I can gather, she is not a breedmate.

Overall, this is a wonderful series that I wholeheartedly recommend to lovers of paranormal romance. show less

Midnight Rising is the fourth full-length novel in Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series and it’s Rio’s story. After being betrayed by his Breedmate and barely surviving an explosion, Rio has been left severely scarred, both inside and out. He’s been holed up for months in a cave that used to be a hibernation chamber for one of the Ancient Ones and has decided to end his life while destroying the chamber as his last act for the Order. Then a lovely flame-haired woman stumbles into the cave, snapping pictures. Rio knows he can’t allow those photos to get out into the human world, so he reluctantly destroys the cave and follows her, only to discover that she is a Breedmate who stirs him in ways he’d thought no one would again. show more Since childhood, Dylan has been able to see the ghosts of women, and it was a ghost who led her to the cave. As a reporter for a sensationalist tabloid newspaper, she’s awed by what she finds and knows this could be the story she’s been looking for. However, after taking her pictures, she realizes that the strange man she met in the cave and thought was a vagrant has followed her. Upon capturing her, he tells her a seemingly impossible story about vampires being real and her being one of their Breedmates. At first, the two don’t trust each other much, but that trust begins to grow when Rio takes Dylan to the Order’s compound. There it becomes obvious that what he’s telling her is true, and he gives her a choice between being placed under protection in a Breed Darkhaven or having her memory wiped and returning to the human world. Although Dylan has started to become attached to Rio, her mother is sick and needs her, so she has no choice but to go back to her own world. But when it becomes apparent that a new enemy has arisen and has Dylan squarely in his sights, Rio finds himself in a race against time to save her.

Rio spent months recovering in the Order’s infirmary after his Breedmate’s devastating betrayal, but he still bears terrible physical and emotional scars from the ordeal, as well as a traumatic brain injury that causes debilitating blackouts. At the end of the previous book, he went on a mission with other members of the Order to locate a hibernation chamber for the last remaining Ancient One, but unfortunately the cave was empty. Rio volunteered to stay behind to destroy the chamber and told his brethren that he’d be going back to his homeland in Spain for a while afterward. In reality, he’s been holed up in the cave ever since, making plans to either end his own life or trap himself inside while doing the job. Just as he’s finally resolved to end it, a lovely young woman shows up in the cave piquing his interest. When she takes photos of the chamber, Rio can’t let her get away with the evidence of vampire life, so he blows the cave anyway and then follows her. He plans to simply destroy the photos and wipe her memory, but after catching up with her and taking her captive, he’s shocked to discover that she’s a Breedmate. At that point, he has no choice but to reveal the existence of vampires. At first, she doesn’t believe him, but when he takes her back to the Order, she begins to understand. Rio also starts to feel things for her he thought he’d never feel again and he thought she was feeling them, too, so her choice to return to the human world confuses him. Still he respects it, but when he discovers the reason is that her mother is dying, Rio wants to do whatever he can to help her. However, when they discover that a new enemy has arisen and that Dylan’s ability to communicate with the dead may hold the key to finding him, Rio will have his work cut out for him keeping her safe from the enemy’s clutches. Rio is a classic scarred, tortured hero who is a very sympathetic character. He also harbors a lot of self-loathing that dates back to his childhood and being rejected by his own mother for being a Breed and for his terrible deadly gift. His Breedmate’s shocking betrayal only added to his feelings of not being worthy of love, but I was glad that he was able to let Dylan in, learn to trust again, and find peace from the past.

Dylan’s father abandoned them when she was quite young. She also lost one brother in an accident and the other has been missing for some time, so for as long as she can recall, it’s only been her and her mom, who is her best friend. However, her mother has been battling cancer and not doing well. She was supposed to go on a girl’s trip with her friends but wasn’t feeling up to it, so Dylan went in her stead. In order to get time off from her job as a tabloid reporter, though, Dylan had to promise to return with a great story. She’s come up empty, until a ghost leads her to a cave where she finds a seemingly empty crypt and strange markings on the wall, one of which matches a birthmark on her body. Thinking she may have finally found something worthy of writing about, she returns later to capture some photos and finds a rather frightening man who she thinks is a vagrant. She flees from him and escapes to Prague only to discover that he’s followed her. He demands her photos and won’t let her go until he’s found every person she sent them to. Then after seeing her birthmark, he tells her a wild tale about vampires being real and her being a Breedmate. Initially it’s simply too sensational for her to believe, but as the evidence starts stacking up, she can no longer ignore it. After learning all he’s been though, she’s also starting to fall for the tortured Breed male, but when she finds out her mother is back in the hospital and may only have weeks to live, she can’t stay. However, it soon becomes apparent that Dylan’s gift for seeing the dead may hold the key to finding and defeating the Order’s new enemy as long as he doesn’t get to her first. Dylan is a kind woman with a logical mind who I related to well. She loves writing but is basically stuck in her dead-end job with the tabloid and has no real passion for the work. Then Rio come along, showing her a whole new world. I love how accepting she is of him, scars and all, and how she’s adamant about never revealing the existence of the Breed to anyone even though she knows it will probably get her fired. Dylan was the perfect person to help Rio get back on track and give him all the love he deserves.

Midnight Breed is a pretty long-running series, and as such, there are a number of key supporting players. Lucan (Kiss of Midnight) is still the leader of the Order, and looking out for everyone's well-being. Dante and his Breedmate, Tess, (Kiss of Crimson) appear in a few scenes, as does Tegan (Midnight Awakening). Russian Breed Nikolai is Rio’s best friend who calls him out when needed. He’ll be the hero of the next book, Veil of Midnight. Andreas Richen (Ashes of Midnight), the head of the Berlin Darkhaven, gives Rio and Dylan a place to stay for a short time. Newer members of the Order, Kade (Shades of Midnight) and Brock (Taken by Midnight) appear, along with former Darkhaven Enforcement Agent Sterling Chase (Darker After Midnight) who now works for the Order, too. And last but not least, tech geek Gideon (A Touch of Midnight) is always ready behind his computer screen to find information or do a little hacking.

Overall, Midnight Rising was another enjoyable book in this series. It would be impossible not to like Rio who’s suffered so much. After what his former Breedmate did to him and the Order, he deserved a happy ending with someone who understands and appreciates him and will be loyal to the end. Dylan is kind and considerate and exactly the type of person he needs to help get his life back on track after all the pain he’s been through. She needed a new family to support her as well and I think she’s found that in the Order. These two fit together and complemented each other well. I was left with no doubts about their rightness for one another. I was a bit surprised when the Order defeated their nemesis at the end of the previous book and wondered who the new antagonist would be. I wasn’t at all disappointed in the new “big bad” who’s as evil as they come. I have a feeling it might be a while before they’re fully able to defeat him, which should make for some good storytelling in the meantime. Everything just came together to create a good story, so my only small complaint would be that it seemed a little slow to get started. There wasn’t a great deal of note happening in the first two-thirds or so of the book, but then all the juicy bits, including most of the romance, the love scenes, and the excitement kind of got crammed into the last third. I felt it might have been nice if it had been spread out a little more evenly, but it was a fun story and a nice addition to the series that has me looking forward to more. show less

The MC, Dylan, has one of the neater special powers of the Breedmates in the series so far, but her own storyline in this one was dull in comparison to everything else going on in it. Rio’s self-hatred got a little old, too, as the thing went on. I still enjoyed it enough to pick up the next one, but this might’ve been the weakest installment so far.

But the new villainy introduced in this one is HORRIFYING, holy god.

Reporter Dylan Alexander is on the last leg of a tour of Europe when she sees a woman on a hill outside Prague. Knowing of her special gift to see ghosts, Dylan is aware the woman is deceased. When she hears the woman beg her for help, Dylan does her best to ignore the plea. Unable to walk away from the desperate entreaty, Dylan is led by the mysterious apparition to a hidden and dank cave. Initially spooked, Dylan leaves only to go back later when her curiosity demands her return. What she faces in that dark grotto changes her life forever, especially after she takes a picture of her discovery with her digital camera.

Rio has been hidden in the Ancient's secret lair for six months. Six months in which he has denied himself the show more nourishment he needs. Having suffered the ultimate betrayal, Rio wants to end it all. When a nosy woman enters the concealed chamber, Rio urges her to leave and does his best to not let his deprived senses focus on the blood roaring in her veins. When she takes pictures of his hideaway and then swiftly disappears, Rio knows trouble is brewing. After notifying his fellow warriors, he is given his orders. Locate the woman and make sure she does not expose the existence of his kind. Rio postpones his death because now he must find the woman who could bring down his entire race with one download of her computer.

Rio locates Dylan by smell alone. Upon seeing the tiny crimson birthmark on the back of Dylan's neck, Rio alters his initial plans. It is a birthmark that Rio can not ignore, no matter how much Dylan wants to return home. With Dylan's special gift, Rio and his fellow Breeds strive to come one step closer to finding and deleting the evil that continues to plague their kind.

I am having a hard time trying to explain how fabulous I found this book without gushing like a Lara Adrian fan-girl. So I'll stop trying to suppress my fan-girl squeal and I'll get started on my serious gush session. MIDNIGHT RISING is absolutely superb and exactly the type of story I envisioned for Rio. Having been betrayed by his Breedmate in the first installment of this wonderful series, KISS OF MIDNIGHT, Rio was the character that I ached for. I was scared that this beautiful and powerful man would give up on life. Dylan's entrance into his life was the catalyst he needed to step beyond his sorrow and humiliation. She was the perfect type of woman to bring out the best in Rio. Dylan's allegiance, even when she didn't know why she wanted to be loyal, was impressive. She won MY loyalty with her ability to see past the damaged man that Rio was to the whole and innately sensual man he has always been. Rio's concern with harming the woman that was coming to mean so much to him scared him to death but that didn't stop this man. He had the ability to give Dylan the love she needed without making her feel trapped.

MIDNIGHT RISING is a book of many nuances. As soon as one "mystery" would get explained, Ms. Adrian would add more teasers to entice and make me want to continue this series. What I thought was a completed plotline with the ending of the previous installment, MIDNIGHT AWAKENING, was only a drop in a very big bucket of captivating and enthralling storylines to come. Questions were answered but more were posed. This chilling and enigmatic world between good and evil is nowhere near finished when it comes to these powerful warriors and the women who love them. Each Breedmate brings to her warrior a special gift, one that attunes them with the man they love. This is a spellbinding series, and I find myself looking for a Breedmate birthmark on my person - you know, just in case!

MIDNIGHT RISING will release from Bantam Dell on April 1, 2008 . I have already reserved my copy! ***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies*** show less

I was looking forward to this story of Rio. Midnight Rising is the fourth novel in Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed vampire romance series. From the opening pages, where tabloid reporter Dylan first discovers the mysterious secluded cave half way up a Czech mountainside with its half-mad vampire occupant, Midnight Rising captures the attention and imagination of its readers and refuses to let go. Rio has a lot of problems. He was cruelly betrayed by his breedmate (Eva) during the events that occurred in Kiss of Midnight, the first novel in this series. She sold out the Breed warriors to their enemies and Rio was very badly injured in an explosion as a result. Eva took her own life when her duplicity was discovered. Rio was left with show more terrible physical scars and head injuries that left him prone to blackouts and bouts of rage, not to mention his emotional pain after Eva's betrayal. Half-mad with hunger and the pain of his past, Rio is a vampire on the edge of losing his will to live. Dylan soon gives him reasons to live as she shakes up his world when she discovers the ancient's hibernation chamber and tries to write a story about it and the "blood drinking demon" that locals claim is haunting the mountain. With Dylan threatening to expose the entire vampire race Rio has to concentrate on finding out what she knows and eliminating her story. In the process he must fight his own demons and rejoin his warrior Breed brethren in their battle for the future of the vampire race. I definitely think this is one to put on your "must-read" list. show less

What a lovely HEA Rio got. Out of all the warriors he so totally deserved it. His history was so tragic. And that was before Eva's betrayal. It's a wonder he didn't have more issues! This book had me tearing up more than once. When Rio swore he would wait for Dylan while she went to be with her sick mother...gods I wished he was real so I could've hugged him. His loyalty and dedication really shined through. I never ever really warmed up to Dylan. She was ok. I liked her and her bond with her mother was sweet. I'm happy she was the one to bring Rio out of his darkness, but she didn't touch me the way Elise did.

Two main things keep this from getting a higher rating. First, Adrian really has to stop with the Breedmates getting kidnapped show more every time they leave the compound. It's getting soooo predicatable. As soon as Dylan got in the Volvo I wondering how long it was going to take for the Big Bad to snatch her.

Secondly, I didn't like how the situation with Dylan's sick mother was resolved. It was a cheap ploy just so Dylan could go live in Boston without any attachments. Sharon deserved better than that. Even if Tess couldn't cure the cancer, she should've been moved to the compound or a nearby Darkhaven where she could be cared for and be close to Dylan for her final weeks. I'd really like to see a heroine in this series that has a life that's impossible to just break from so easily. Like a child from a previous marriage.

Even with those flaws I still found this a satisfying read. Loved Rio. Andreas is still a sexy GQMF and I can't wait for his story. In the meantime weapons expert Niko is next. show less

MIDNIGHT RISING, the fourth book in Lara Adrian's Midnight Breeds book series, is about Rio, an almost crazy vampire and Dylan, a sleazy journalist's romantic tribulations. Having not read any of the other Breed books I wasn't sure what to expect from this universe.

I can't say I liked Dylan, who's female since the name is an unisex name (I thought this way of spelling was uniquely male), as much as other female leads from the paranormal genre. She makes some unwise choices and I'm not convinced Stockholm's Syndrome didn't figure into her eventual love for Rio, who initially kidnapped her. Denial is also a large part of her personality for much of the book.

Rio, who at the start of the book is half-mad from bloodlust, both made me happy show more and made me miserable. His constant use of the f-word made me cringe and he is a very sensitive guy for all that he is a warrior fighting a fearsome war.

The universe itself, however, drew me in. I love books that have secret supernatural wars being fought and Rio is an awesome fighter. He is also a skilled lover from the few heated scenes that are shown. The book is very much about the electric sexual tension between Rio and Dylan, with Rio fighting his very nature to keep her safe and Dylan pushing the ticket. When they do come together it's well worth the wait (it's not instant gratification; you wait for at least half the book before anything heavy happens).

Dylan being able to see spirits isn't abused either. In fact, it's because of her ability she meets Rio, though the ghost she meets makes it a little sad to be happy over Dylan and Rio's relationship.

Overall this wasn't a book that is in line with particular tastes, rather serious with little levity, but I can easily see why the Midnight Breeds series is popular with lovers of the genre—Adrian writes with a strong attention to detail and keeps the story moving. A different recommendation to anyone who is reading the series.

(originally published at Romance Reader at Heart) show less