Gwen’s review of Ashes of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 6) by Lara Adrian
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Dell 26 May 09

For some reason, Lara Adrian’s books continue to surprise me with how much I enjoy them.  I suppose this is the product of the inevitable comparison with other novels about another warrior vampire group, which I have generally loved.  I keep waiting for Adrian to “jump the shark” and it hasn’t happened yet. Plus there isn’t a single mention of Escalades, Armani, or Ketel One in sight.  Read on to see what worked in this new entry into Adrian’s Midnight Breed novels… 

Adrian’s Breed books are engrossing in that key characters die, mates betray each other, and general mayhem often ensues.  You’re never really sure how things are going to work out, and, call me a masochist, but I kind of love that about these books.  Adrian isn’t afraid to “go there” and take risks with your emotions.  I like that these books aren’t safe and that I can’t see what is around the next bend.

First, some background, because this book does not stand alone well.  There are significant details left out of it that are integral to understanding much of the subtexts in the story.  Good for someone like me who has read them all, but not so good for a newbie.  As a result, if you pick up this book without having read at least some of the previous, you may be a bit at sea.

This series is the story of an alien race, the Breed, who when marooned on Earth thousands of years ago, found themselves able to breed with a few select human females, or Breedmates. The all-male aliens subsisted on human blood and were sensitive to U.V. light.  However, they had psychic abilities and were faster, stronger, and more brutal than humans – using mankind as little more than cattle and wombs.  Now, I know this all sounds very sci-fi’ish, but it actually works.

A thousand or so years ago, the first generation of (male) offspring, or First Gens, rebelled against their brutal forebears, killed (they thought) all of the original aliens, and started a “vampire” society called the Breeds.  These Breeds typically live in communal settings, “Darkhavens”, for mutual support and protection.  The Order, our vampy warriors, tasked themselves with protecting innocent humans, Darkhavens, and the Breed in general against Rogue vamps (Breeds who have succumbed to Bloodlust).

Take note that the closer to the original aliens a Breed is genetically, the more powerful he is, thus First Gens are more powerful than Second, etc.  Introduce into this mix power struggles, political in-fighting, a Breed law enforcement organization who calls the Order “renegades”, plus an Ancient (original alien) whom someone is using to sire more First Gens for their own use, and you can imagine the fun and tension that ensues.

Now to this sixth book in the series.  The love story in this entry begins as a bittersweet tale of a love rejected and a man who struggles mightily with his internal demons.  Our hero Andreas, rejected his lover, our heroine Claire, thirty years ago when he had a horrendous life-changing event that caused him to fear for her life.  Rejected and bereft, she turned to a man who hated Andreas and Mated with him.  Thirty unhappy, and childless years later, Andreas and Claire find themselves thrown together in a cataclysmic event that forces them to address their feelings and their lives.

Lara Adrian always manages to weave some very primal struggles into her stories and I think that’s why they work so well for me.  There’s something very basic about the main characters’ struggle to survive and thrive that is very appealing.  I enjoyed Andreas and Claire’s story, though perhaps not as much as the earlier Breed novels.  I think it’s because less time is spent building the heroine’s backstory – I related less with her than previous heroines. I can see why Adrian did this – this entry in the series had a lot of action and suspense ground to cover.

If you’re itching for a new vampire warrior series, this is a good one to try.  You won’t be disappointed.  If you’re following this series, you’ll like this new entry and will be gobsmacked by the cliffhanger – it’s a doozy.

Grade: B

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Summary:
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A woman driven by blood. A man thirsting for vengeance.
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A place where darkness and desire meet…
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As night falls, Claire Roth flees, driven from her home by a fiery threat that seems to come from hell itself. Then, from out of the flames and ash, a vampire warrior emerges. He is Andreas Reichen, her onetime lover, now a stranger consumed by vengeance. Caught in the cross fire, Claire cannot escape his savage fury-or the hunger that plunges her into his world of eternal darkness and unending pleasure.
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Nothing will stop Andreas from destroying the vampire responsible for slaughtering his Breed brethren . . . even if he must use his former lover as a pawn in his deadly mission. Blood-bonded to his treacherous adversary, Claire can lead Andreas to the enemy he seeks, but it is a journey fraught with danger-and deep, unbidden desires. For Claire is the one woman Andreas should not crave, and the only one he’s ever loved. A dangerous seduction begins-one that blurs the lines between predator and prey, and stokes the flames of a white-hot passion that may consume all in its path. . . .
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

		Kade’s book is next, lucky #7 – no date as yet