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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fourth in series, March 29, 2008
This review is from: Midnight Rising (The Midnight Breed, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
Lara Adrian has really hit her stride! This is the fourth in her series about the Breed, vampires who battle the rogue members of their kind and who, one by one, find their mates. The first couple of books seemed to rely very heavily on J R Ward's "Black Dagger Brotherhood" series for ideas but it seems, in this book and to some extent in the last, that Lara Adrian has found her own voice. Yes, many aspects of the Breed's life seems like that of the Brotherhood but as Lara Adrian has explored her world more fully in these books they seem to have taken on more of a life of their own.
The hero of this book is Rio, scarred and wounded after the betrayal of his Breedmate Eva. Rio was meant to have destroyed a cave which contained the hibernation chamber of one of the Ancients in the middle of nowhere in the Czech Republic but as the story opens he hasn't yet done it. Several months have passed with Rio living in the cave almost like some kind of animal, suffering from the blackouts and mood swings as a result of his injuries in the explosion in the first book, trying to work up the energy to destroy the cave - and himself with it. Unfortunately for Rio the cave is discovered by a young American woman on holiday with some friends; not only does she discover the cave and see Rio, she photographs the contents. Rio desperately needs to do some damage limitation to prevent the photographs being shared with other people and the existence of the Breed perhaps being made known to the world. He tracks the woman, Dylan Alexander, but when he finds her he discovers things are worse than he had feared - she's a reporter and has sent the photographs back to her editor in America who has passed them on to some other people.
Rio realises all he can do is destroy the cave, kidnap Dylan and take her back to the Breed headquarters in Boston to get the other warriors to help to scrub the minds of the people who have seen the photographs before they are printed in the magazine. Things are even worse when Rio discovers Dylan is a Breedmate and that she has a very strong reason not to settle into the Darkhavens but to carry on her life in New York City. As Rio and the other warriors try to keep their secrets under wraps, investigate some strange murders and keep Dylan safe, things get very complex indeed.
This story was stronger on characterisation than some of the others in this series. Rio plays the damaged, wounded man very well - and he's also remarkably close-mouthed when it comes to secrets. Dylan, being a journalist, is full of questions, most of which aren't answered to her satisfaction. She is described very well so that we understand why she doesn't fear Rio as much as she might and how she is able to cope with and accommodate to the drastic changes in her life.
The other characters from previous novels are in this book, including Andreas Reichen in Berlin and Sterling Chase, the Enforcement Agent-turned-Warrior. However the vast majority of the pages focus on Rio and Dylan and their interactions; the 'baddie' in this book gets a few pages to himself but this isn't a distraction from the overall central plot - Rio's post-trauma problems and Dylan's life choice. It was a great read overall, probably the best in this series so far. I look forward to the next story, focusing on Nikolai, due to be released in December 2008.
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyable romantic fantasy, April 2, 2008
This review is from: Midnight Rising (The Midnight Breed, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
Dylan Alexander is in the Czech Republic when she sees the ghost of a young woman who begs her to save him. She finds a cave with a stone coffin inside and glyphs on the wall. In the cave is also Rio a Breed vampire whose face is scarred due to a fight he got into with Rogues in Boston (feral vampires who drink human blood). A straightforward mission was compromised by the traitorous actions of his now dead wife Eva. He senses Dylan in the cave but isn't worried because when she leaves he will scrub her memory.
Rio destroys the cave, tracks her down and brings her to the Darkhaven in Germany; where Breeds and Breedmates live. He learns that she sent pictures she took out to her boss, relatives and friends. She shows him her mark and he knows she is a rare female known as a Breedmate. Dylan is having a hard time believing Rio, but at his Boston Order residence he tells her she must choose between living in a Darkhaven with a mate and having her memory scrubbed so she can return to her life. When she sees Eva's picture, she realizes his late wife is the ghost she saw and tells Rio. He goes into a rage and turns into his vampire form; forcing Dylan to believe. As they fall in love, they must find the Ancient vampire father held captive by a mad scientist experimenting on him and destroy them both.
Vampires, ghosts and breedmates seem genuine although it helps especially at the beginning to have read previous Breedmate tales (see KISS OF MIDNIGHT, KISS OF CRIMSON, and MIDNIGHT AWAKENING) to fully savor the supernatural goings on. The changing relationship between Dylan and Rio is wonderfully developed so that the audience appreciates each one as an individual and as a romantic couple. Fans of the series will appreciate Lara Adrian's latest romantic fantasy although the confrontation between good and evil sets up future entries more than it does plot closure.
Harriet Klausner
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rio and Dylan, July 25, 2009
This review is from: Midnight Rising (The Midnight Breed, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
Rio is one of "The Order's" vampire warriors. The Order is group of fierce (all male) warriors, crossbreeds of otherworldly and human origins. Their only mission is to protect "The Breed." The Breed is all of the civilian vampires. This means The Order must wipe out all Rogues. The Rogues are vampires who have given themselves over to Bloodlust and become savage creatures. They are junkies who will do anything for their next fix of blood. But on top of the war on Rouge's and trying to hunt down the ancient alien vampire - a women has damaging evidence that could expose the vampires.
Dylan Alexander's only remaining family, her mother Sharon, cancer had returned. Sharon Alexander and her three best friends had planned a summer tour of Europe. Since her mother was in and out of the hospital a lot Dylan went in her place. Dylan works for a tabloid newspaper and since her impromptu vacation she is at risk for losing her job - the only way to keep it is to bring back a great story. Dylan and her traveling companions, Janet, Marie and Nancy, were in the middle of the Czech Republic when in the first time in twenty years she spots a ghost. After her companions took a break for a snack, Dylan follows the ghost up to a crevice high up the mountain. Inside the crevice she discovered it was actually a tomb. She had found her story, `Ancient Human Sacrifices Discovered in Dracula's Backyard!' - She couldn't write, all she could do was think about her mother's death. After hearing the folklore in town she decided to return to the tomb - she didn't expect to run into anyone...she was wrong.
In Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) Rio's Breedmate, Eva, betrayed The Order. She made a deal with Marek, the leader of the Rouges, to kill Lucien and anyone else but, they were to spare Rio. She gave them information and then whored herself to them to seal the deal - Rio was badly burned, almost died and is still scarred. Because of the betrayal Rio denounced her, and she was so upset that she slit her own throat. Hidden away in the tomb that once held the Ancient One he was haunted by her ghost. He had stayed behind to destroy the crypt (along with himself), but then she came and saw too much. Everything was set to explode but, due to starving himself he was unable to focus - then she returned and the hunger flooded him. Then she surprised him and got away...the hunt begins. This woman, like him, had known disappointment, hurt and betrayal in her life.
This book held my attention. I read it in one sitting - this book pulled me chapter after chapter without a break. The book has a good solid pace, and great flow. This was my favorite in the series.
~~There is an excerpt from Veil of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 5) at the end of this book.~~
The books in the series:
Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) - Lucan Thorne and Gabrielle Maxwell
Kiss of Crimson (The Midnight Breed, Book 2) - Dante and Dr. Tess Culver
Midnight Awakening (The Midnight Breed, Book 3) - Tegan and Elise Chase
Midnight Rising (The Midnight Breed, Book 4) - Rio and Dylan Alexander
Veil of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 5) - Nikolai and Renata
Ashes of Midnight (Midnight Breed Series) - Andreas Reichen and Claire Roth
Shades of Midnight: A Midnight Breed Novel - Kade ~ Coming December 29, 2009
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