LynneC’s review of Shades of Midnight (Midnight Breeds Series, Book 7) by Lara Adrian
Paranormal Romance published by Dell 29 Dec 09

After the disappointment of the last book about Andreas Reichen, in Ashes of Midnight, there is a return to form in this book. I like this series, which is more straightforward than others, keeps its heroes on this side of believability and contains some strong heroines to match the hero.

Alex is a bush pilot, flying over her patch of Alaska when she sees what looks like a body on the ground and discovers a whole family has been massacred. She recognises the attack as a vampire attack, because her own mother and sibling were killed in the same way, but since the attack she’s suppressed the memory.

Kade, who has been a member of the Order for a year, is sent to his home territory in Alaska to investigate the killings. He takes time to visit his Darkhaven, where his parents are in charge, but they know nothing about the killings. Kade left home partly because he was aware that his twin brother, Seth, was growing darker.

With the conflicts set up, I settled down for a good read and on the whole I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoyed the new setting, a new place for the Breeds to enjoy but I couldn’t help wondering what they did in the sunny part of the year, when nights are so short. Maybe that’s when they go on vacation.

I liked Alex, with her courage in the face of her problems and her determination to make the best of her life without getting all Pollyanna about it. She has a skill which she uses to the best of her ability and it does become an important part of the story.

I wished the conflict between Kade and Alex had led to more. Kade is a Breed, and half Alex’s family was murdered by vampires. She can’t see the shades of grey that Kade believes in, she sees only in black and white. I wanted to see her progression from certainty to healthy questioning, but she fell into bed with Kade and he made everything better for her.

The sex/love scenes are tender, passionate and well written and by the time they make it to bed you’re ready to follow them into the bedroom. The sexual tension between the two was well built up to, but the conflict that occurs afterwards is a little artificial and the denouement a little messy.

But I enjoyed the exploration of the characters of two wounded but still fighting people, who come together with more than a biological imperative. The story was predictable, but good enough to keep me turning the pages and it was nice to see the other Breeds in the story, but without obvious sequel bait.  I’ll definitely be looking out for the next in the series.

Grade: B-

Summary:

In a frozen wilderness steeped in darkness, the lines between good and evil, lover and enemy, are never black or white but drawn in SHADES OF MIDNIGHT . . .

Something inhuman is stalking the frigid Alaskan wilds, leaving unspeakable carnage in its wake. For bush pilot Alexandra Maguire, the killings stir memories of a horrific event she witnessed as a child and evoke in her the inexplicable sense of otherness she has long felt but never fully understood . . . until a darkly seductive stranger with secrets of his own enters her world.

Sent from Boston on a mission to investigate the savage attacks and stop the slaughter, vampire warrior Kade has his own reasons for returning to the frigid, forbidding place of his birth. Haunted by a secret shame, Kade soon realizes the stunning truth of the threat he faces–a threat that will jeopardize the fragile bond he has formed with the courageous, determined young woman who arouses his deepest passions and most primal hungers. But in bringing Alex into his world of blood and darkness, Kade must confront both his own personal demons and the even greater evil that could destroy all he holds dear.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: