Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Lara Adrian (Author)
Key Phrases: Lucan Thorne, Detective Thorne, Gabrielle Maxwell (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell’s deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night—or this man—is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed—a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind—and the unwitting humans existing alongside them—from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.

Here, in the arms of the Breed’s formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all. . . .

About the Author
Lara Adrian lives in New Hampshire with her husband where she is at work on the next novel in her sexy vampire series featuring the Midnight Breed.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Dell (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553589377
• ISBN-13: 978-0553589375
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Midnight Breed Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh new vampire series, May 14, 2007

By	iheartjackbauer - See all my reviews

After witnessing a murder and barely escaping with her life, Gabrielle Maxwell does what any good and sane citizen would do; she calls the police. Upon their arrival, they find nothing that indicates anything violent happened outside the nightclub. While Gabrielle insists that she's not lying, she can't help but think she might be insane like her birth mother. The only thing that gives her hope that she is perfectly sane is the pictures she took on her cell phone as she was running away from the group of men who so savagely murdered a man right in front of her. When "Detective" Lucan Thorne appears on her doorstep, she has no reason to doubt his authenticity.

Lucan Thorne is instantly attracted to Gabrielle and almost makes an irreversible mistake when he attempts to take her blood. Seeing the mark that shows Gabrielle is a Breedmate, Lucan knows that he can't take her blood, nor can he leave her to continue living the life she has. Only a handful of human women are marked as such and to take her blood would mean mating with her for life. The the leader of an elite group of warriors, the Breed only works to protect humans from vampires that have let Bloodlust overcome them and become Rogue. When it seems that the Rogues are somehow organizing their ranks and starting a war in the human world, Lucan is determined that Gabrielle won't end up in the middle of it.

I was skeptical when I first picked this book up. There are so many new paranormal/vampire authors popping up, but Lara Adrian somehow kept it fresh with her new "Midnight" series. Throwing in a whole new twist on where vampires come from and what they represent, KISS OF MIDNIGHT is a promising start to a new vampire series.

Kenyon and Ward fans should enjoy this series.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Derivative but still a great read, November 14, 2007

By	Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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 then read the BDB and enjoy it too. For those who don't like the BDB this book probably isn't for you. Some people may moan about the similarities between the two series but I think there is room in this genre for other books of a similar type as long as they have their own individual differences as well and as long as plot and characterisation are well-written. This is a good start to the series and I have already purchased the sequel.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another New Vampire Series!, June 4, 2007

By	Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Gabrielle Maxwell doesn't feel as if she fits in. Her art is rather dark and lonely and this fits the way she has lived her life since childhood. One night she joins her friends at a new club where she is extremely uncomfortable. She leaves early only to witness a horrific murder outside the club. When she goes to the police to report the incident, with trusty photos from her cell phone to back up her claim, she is laughed at and told to go home. There is no sign of any murder outside the club. Confused and scared she returns home and is pleased when a police detective named Lucan Thorne arrives. The attraction between these two is instant but Lucan is more than what he seems and when Gabrielle learns the truth, she has to decided if she's going to let the handsome man protect her. After all the truth is more fantastic than fiction.

Lucan is a vampire warrior, he was sworn to hunt down his brethren that have turned rogue due to the addiction of blood lust. His job has always been cut and dry and then something goes wrong. A human civilian sees something she shouldn't. He goes to insure that she forgets it all but Gabby is special. She's a breedmate and her memory can't be erased. She also calls to his warrior heart. She is his and he will do what he must to claim her while keeping her safe. Trouble is the new brewing amongst the rogues is getting dangerous and Gabby is caught in the middle. Can these two find their happy ending and stay alive?

There has been a flood of new vampire legend books hitting the market within the last few months. Ms. Adrian has joined this wave with creative determination if her first breed book is any indication. Fans of J.R. Ward will find this title entertaining. Ms. Adrian has tweaked the legend added some extras and made it her own. Lucan and Gabby have a red hot chemistry between them and this fuels the romance making it believable for the reader while entertaining. Secondary characters are an added bonus and readers will find themselves looking forward to the next warrior's romance. If you're a fan of the paranormal and looking for something a little different this books for you.