Darker After Midnight: A Midnight Breed Novel [Hardcover]

Lara Adrian (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 24, 2012 | Series: Midnight Breed (Book 10)

Book 10 in the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling Midnight Breed vampire romance series

The climactic novel in Lara Adrian's New York Times bestselling Midnight Breed series--and her hardcover debut--Darker After Midnight invites readers to enter a thrillingly sensual world where danger meets desire. 

In the dark of night, a blood war escalates within the hidden world of the Breed. After existing in secret for many long centuries, maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside them unaware, a single act of retaliation has put the entire vampire nation at risk of discovery. It falls to the Order--a cadre of Breed warriors pledged to protect their own and humankind alike--to stop Dragos, the power-mad vampire at the center of the conflict, before his push for domination can explode into catastrophe.

At the center of the Order's quest is Sterling Chase, once a morally rigid enforcer of Breed law, now a warrior fallen from grace, whose biggest battle is the one he wages against his own savage nature. With addiction beckoning him toward eternal darkness, Chase's path to redemption has never seemed more out of reach--until he finds himself drawn to a beautiful young woman who may be something much more than she seems . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fantastic! We recommend this book to anyone who loves action packed, intense reads with gripping characters and spectacular storylines woven into a phenomenally crafted world. If you haven't started the Midnight Breed series yet, we highly suggest that you bump it up to the top of your list and get started today. " --Literal Addiction

"A riveting novel that will keep readers mesmerized . . . If you like romance combined with heart-stopping paranormal suspense, you're going to love this book." --BookPage

“Evocative, enticing, erotic.”—J. R. Ward, bestselling author of Lover Mine

Praise for Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed novels
 
“A fast-paced tale of romantic suspense and intense realistic characters . . . Adrian compels people to get hooked on her storylines.”—Romance Reviews Today, on Shades of Midnight
 
“An entertaining ride and as usual kept me riveted from page one.”—The Romance Reader Connection, on Ashes of Midnight
 
“Will enthrall you and leave you breathless for more.”—Wild on Books, on Veil of Midnight
 
“Packed with danger and action . . . Adrian has hit upon an unbeatable story mix.”—RT Book Reviews, on Midnight Rising
 
“An adrenaline-fueled, sizzlingly sexy, darkly intense addition to Lara Adrian’s addictively readable paranormal Breed series.”—Chicago Tribune, on Midnight Awakening

From the Author

Watch for the next book in the Midnight Breed series, EDGE OF DAWN, coming soon!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Edition edition (January 24, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780345530875
• ISBN-13: 978-0345530875
• ASIN: 034553087X
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (192 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lara Adrian is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of the Midnight Breed vampire romance series (Random House) and seven award-winning, newly reissued historical romances, previously released under the pen name Tina St. John--now available for Kindle and other ebook devices. To keep up to date with all of Lara's upcoming books and to be eligible for special promotions and giveaways, visit www.LaraAdrian.com and sign up for her private email newsletter.

~~ A Note From The Author ~~

Dear Reader,

Thanks so much for your interest in my books. If you've been following my Midnight Breed vampire series, thank you for your support and enthusiasm! Book 11, EDGE OF DAWN, releases February 26, 2013, featuring a grown-up (and kick*ss) Mira in the starring role! I had a blast writing EDGE OF DAWN, and I think it may be one of the most emotionally wrenching books I've ever written.

Reviewers are calling EDGE OF DAWN "a game changer" and "the best of the series." Mira and Kellan's story also received a coveted *starred* review in Booklist--a career first for me. I'm very excited to share this new arc of the Midnight Breed series with you. I hope you enjoy the book!

Love, Lara

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#45 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#58 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#59 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#45 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#58 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#59 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars EPIC book of the series!! January 24, 2012

By Carla Gallway

Format:Hardcover

Midnight Breed is one of the first paranormal romance books I read and I instantly fell in love with the creative and original world Lara Adrian created. The characters stick with you, well after the story has ended and you are always left clamoring for the next book. Every book in this series was great but I have to say that Darker After Midnight is the EPIC book of the series and was truly phenomenal. I really can't give much details without giving away spoilers, so I will do my best to give you a summary.

When Deeper Than Midnight ended, Sterling Chase risked his life by running out of the compound and surrendering himself to the human police and that is where we find him when Darker After Midnight begins. He wanted to give Lucan, the rest of the Order and their mates a chance to flee the compound before the police found them. Chase is now locked up and the bloodlust is riding him hard but he will do what needs to be done in order to save the Order and their mates, the only ones he considers his family and friends. When Tavia Fairchild arrives at the police station for a line up, all hell breaks loose. When Chase meets up again with Tavia, he learns that she is much more than anyone could have expected, to him and to the Breed, and he will stop at nothing to protect her.

Tavia Fairchild is the assistant to a United States senator who also happens to be Dragos' newest minion. Tavia knows nothing about vampires or things that go bump in the night so when she sees Chase for what he really is, and in the throes of bloodlust no less, she thinks he is a monster that's on a killing spree. Tavia's life has been turned upside down. Everything she's ever known is not what it seemed and now Dragos is after her. Utterly alone and weary of who to trust, Tavia decides to go after Dragos to put a stop to his madness.

We also get to see quite a bit of Lucan in this book as well. Lucan is faced with some of the toughest decisions he's ever had to make for the safety of the Order and their mates. After the fiasco that happened at the end of Deeper Than Midnight, Lucan must decide whether or not to flee the compound. And if they flee, where will they go? The biggest test he faces is when Dragos puts his last horrendous plan into motion and puts the entire world into chaos. Now it's up to Lucan to clean up the mess and to try and save the Breed species.

With that said, SO much happens in this book and I don't want to give anything away, so I will not say anything more. This book can be read as a standalone, but I definitely recommend reading the series in order because you will not want to miss any of the events that led up to Darker After Midnight. You will fall in love with the world Lara created and all of the characters in it. This book is a MUST read for all Midnight Breed fans, as the story line from the previous books comes to a conclusion and opens up a new world for the Breed. Truly an EPIC read!!

I give DARKER AFTER MIDNIGHT 5 stars (but..if I could give it more I would)

55 of 69 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars In a genre full of lackluster and tepid knockoffs, this is a good book. In a series that has been exemplary, it's a letdown. January 24, 2012

By Kylin N.

Format:Hardcover

It's awfully hard to keep momentum up through such a long series. Lara Adrian has, for the most part, been successful at keeping me engaged. However, I think this book is the first one that slumped a bit.

Thar be many spoilers ahead. Yar. Don't read if you haven't finished the book yet.

******SPOILERS HERE******

1. YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO STOP READING NOW BEFORE THE SPOILERSSSSS. Bloodlust. Going Rogue. It was supposed to be Sterling Chase's big problemo during this book, and Ms. Adrian definitely delivered on that promise for the first quarter of it. However, I felt that as soon as Chase got his eyeballz on the female protagonist with her glyphs, that struggle faded into the background. It cropped up now and again, notably during the scene where she convinced him to mate her, but I never really believed that fighting this addiction was a real struggle for him. So much of it felt glossed over. For the balance Lara Adrian was trying to walk between smut and action and violence and lurv, I understand why she made that choice. But I felt a bit sad. I wanted to hear about Chase's struggle.

I wonder if Ms. Adrian was hoping for us to believe that being with Tavia was enough to assuage some of that horrible bloodlust... that his lust for her was enough to help him keep the darker urges at bay. Call me a cynic, but I've known addicts, and that notion is way overly romanticized. An addict loves his or her addiction more than he or she loves anything else. And if Chase was really walking the line as closely as he seemed to think, it makes it harder to believe that he was able to shunt that need off for as long as he did.

2. Tavia is a Gen One female. Sigh. I hate it when authors break with their previously established world-building in the efforts to keep things "new" or "fresh." Only males can be Breed. Females with the crescent and teardrop are breedmates. Still. Is Tavia awesome? Absolutely. Chick has awesome Gen One tatts, an eidetic memory, and she is fiercely protective of those she loves. She's a bad-ass. However, she is the Mariest Sue to ever Mary the Sue. I could have forgiven her that if she'd had real chemistry with Chase. But all she appeared to have (in my opinion), was a long-term, blood bond-enforced case of Stockholm Syndrome.

3. Dragos. The end was a total let down. I read about his death, and my eye kept tracking down the page. I had to go back and be like, "Wha? That was it?" Considering how long that story arc has persisted throughout this series, I felt it to be a bit of a let down. Particularly Tavia's role in it. She's a n00b to the whole business of being a Breed. Despite being briefed, I doubt she's suddenly a dab hand at espionage, and the thought that she was able to dupe Dragos at all (even in the smallest of small ways) is kind of a hard thing to swallow.

4. ZOMG, babiez. Everyone has them. Everyone wants them. But no! Must not have! But yes! Want so much! It was kind of ridiculous. The arc between Lucan and Gabrielle felt so stilted and forced and angsty that I pulled a muscle rolling my eyes so hard. And Lucan and Gabrielle are some of my faves.

5. The poison pill. Mentioned about a hojillion times. I was expecting big things from it, but Tavia falling victim to Crimson and its ensuing blood lust was just a weird ending to the book. I hate when novels end on cliffies that are then wrapped up in the epilogue. It's a cheap way of taking away all hope and leaving the reader gasping at the climax of a book, only to put a band aid over the wound in the epilogue. "Oh, but it's okay, because she recovered after six months, and guess what? Gabrielle has a baby! And ta-da! Now the Breed have been inducted into the U.N. Hooray! It can be happy party time now! All the bloodshed was worth it."

So yes. There were many things that ended up irking me in this installment.

BUT WAIT!!! DON'T THINK I HATED IT!! Because I didn't. I know I'm picking things bloody here, but that's only at my leisure, after I've put the book down. What Lara Adrian DOES do very well is pacing and tension. I was white-knuckled as I gulped Darker After Midnight down in one sitting. I wanted Tavia and Chase to have their HEA. I wanted Dragos to pay for all the evil he'd done. I wanted Chase to come back from the edge of blood lust. I felt very strongly for all of them. It's just that when it was done--after I'd read the last page--I felt so unsatisfied. I got up, made myself a cup of tea, and started a list of what--ultimately--bothered me about Darker After Midnight. It turned into points 1 to 5 above.

I guess it boils down to this: In a genre full of lackluster novels and tepid knockoffs of lackluster novels, this is a very good book. In a series that has been exemplary, it's a bit of a let down. (Hovering somewhere between 2.5 and 3 out of 5 stars for me. I rounded up because I lub Lara Adrian normally.)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed February 26, 2012

By MomOfThree

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to disagree with the rave reviews for this book. Looking at it as a stand alone, it's just okay. Viewing it as the grand finale of a long series in which I invested time and money, it's a complete miss.

Without giving too much away, here are the issues I had with this book: story rehashing ad nauseum. I get the necessity of bringing series newbies up to speed, but It was almost painful to have a series synopsis in every chapter. Heres a thought: If you are starting a series at the tenth book, you should expect to be a little lost.

This book had more holes and inconsistencies than all of the earlier books combined. Maybe I need to improve my reading comprehension. Or maybe Im just being waaaaaay too picky, but am I the only one who noticed these inconsistencies (MAY BE SPOILERS COMING UP): Dragos Is a second Gen vampire. Only first generation vampires can create minions (this we learned earlier in the series). Dragos is creating minions. Huh? Wait, theres more. Crimson triggers bloodlust. It was forced on Teagan in book three with almost nil effect. It was forced on a vampire in this book with near fatal results. What gives? Ok, maybe I can let that go, but this one really bugged me: i thought vampires couldn't be photographed. Wasn't that why gabrielles cell phone photo of the rogues in the first book could not be deciphered by humans? But in this book civilians are snapping clear vampire pics all over the place. I could go on.... My point is that I was disgusted my the number of inconsistencies. Think I'm being too picky? Maybe. But after spending time and money on a series, I deserve better than an author who is obviously too distracted by her own budding fame to give her readers a decently crafted finale. Sorry.

Though the book had moments that I enjoyed, overall I felt ripped off. The final scenes were not particularly gripping. It should have been more than just Chases story. The war with Dragos evolved over several books. It started with a fierce battle cry and ended with a whimper. It looks like the author is gearing up for a new series. Count me out.