The Book Depository Darker After Midnight (with bonus novella A Taste of by Lara Adrian

Author: Sarah (Feeling Fictional)

Rating: 5

Review: It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of the Midnight Breed series, in fact I'm happy to say it's my favourite adult paranormal romance series! I'm always desperate to get my hands on the next installment and because I'm such a big fan I always have high expectations. Lara Adrian hasn't let me down yet and she always manages to make each book better than the last. Darker After Midnight is no exception and I can't begin to tell you how awesome this book actually is, in fact I'm still struggling to put into words just how much I loved it. Although this review won't contain spoilers for Darker After Midnight please note that this is book 10 in the series and it is impossible to write a review without mentioning events from previous books so you may not want to read further if you're not up to date with the series. If you're new to the series then I can't recommend it highly enough, although each book can probably be read as a stand alone I would highly recommend reading them in order starting with Kiss of Midnight. The story picks up immediately after the ending of Deeper than Midnight, Chase has given himself up to the human police to allow the rest of the Warriors to escape from the compound with their mates. He is on the verge of blood lust but is trying to redeem himself after the trouble he has caused for his friends recently. Tavia is working for a senator who has just become Dragos' latest minion, she was a witness to Chase's attempt at assassinating Dragos and their paths cross again when she comes to the police station to identify him. It doesn't take long for Chase to discover that Tavia is not all that she seems and he quickly realises just how important she is for the future of the breed. Dragos is after Tavia but that is the least of their problems as he has much bigger plans, plans that will cause complete chaos for all of the breed. Can Chase and the Warriors stop him in time? I think I'm in the minority when I say I wasn't a massive fan of Chase, it wasn't that I didn't like him - he just wasn't my favourite Breed male. It wasn't until towards the end of Deeper than Midnight that I really started to get excited about reading his story but I really loved him by the end of his book. For someone who was such a stickler for the rules Chase fell a long way as he came closer and closer to giving into his blood lust. He knows he has let down his friends at the compound and is scared to act on his feelings for Tavia in case he ends up hurting her. He is embarrassed by his actions in the past and wants to be able to earn back the trust of Lucan and the others but doesn't really know where to start. Tavia really surprised me, I had suspicions about her before the big reveal but really didn't have a clue what was to come. It shocked the heck out of me but I mean that in a good way! She was a great heroine and although she was wary of Chase and the other warriors she stood up for herself and didn't sit back and wait to be looked after. There are so many things going on in Darker After Midnight that I really couldn't put it down. Alongside the romance between Chase and Tavia we get to see a lot more of the other Warriors and their mates. There were some scenes between Lucan and Gabrielle that melted my heart and reminded me just why I love him so much, there was also a conversation with Lucan and Tegan that brought tears to my eyes and I really want to just start reading the whole series again from the beginning. Dragos has some shocking plans that cause complete chaos for all of the warriors and things will never be the same again after this installment. The action was breathtaking and it was impossible to guess what would happen next and the ending actually left me in tears of happiness. I panicked for a few minutes because this book wraps everything up so well that it could easily be the end of the series and I'm really not ready for the series to end! I was happy to confirm that the series will continue but I believe that the focus will now move onto the younger generation of the breed with the next book being Mira's story. Darker After Midnight is an unmissable installment to the series and one I can't recommend highly enough - this book will blow you away! I for one can't wait to see where Lara Adrian takes us next and am already excited about Mira's book.

Author: lankylil

Rating: 4

Review: This is book ten in the series. Book eleven and twelve haven't been published yet, unfortunately. I really couldn't put this book down and read it straight through in one day. The book is as action packed and fast paced as the others have been ... but with Dragos throwing caution to the wind and deliberately exposing The Breed to mankind in an attempt to escalate his own evil plans for domination ... the story becomes even more violent and tense. His manipulations bring him closer to the highest seat of power in The US. Chase has been fighting and hiding his increasing Bloodlust for six years but it has grown so bad that he can no longer disguise the madness that is creeping up on him. He knows how near he is to turning Rogue and either being killed or killing himself, as he edges towards insanity. The aggression that accompanies the Bloodlust is pushing him over the edge and causing him to make mistakes ... to the point that he feels that he needs to leave The Order. Living in the shadows, feeling his madness increase ... he still unable to let go of his desire to track down Dragos and continues to seek him alone. The reader feels empathy and sadness when Chase realises that his downward spiral has removed him from the honourable position of Xander's Godfather. It is during his missions to track Dragos and his lieutenants, that Chase meets Tavia. Tavia has spent her entire life living with her aunt and being treated by a doctor for a mysterious illness that she is told could kill her if she neglects her medication. Whilst in the custody of Chase, her medication is missed and her whole life is exposed as a sham, as it becomes apparent that she is not who she thinks that she is ... she is something no-one on earth could ever perceive or imagine existing. She finds herself falling in love with Chase, despite his addiction. Tess and Dante welcome their son, Xander into the world. Gabrielle wants a baby too but Lucan is worried about bringing a child into a world that is diminishing into a bloodbath of violence and torture. He is therefore taken back when somebody close to him reveals their plan to do just that ... The books imagery continues to hold the reader in its thrall ~ Scenes like the manic bloodbath in the Agency's club is so vivid that a mental picture is perfectly painted. I was a little confused by the references made a few times by Dragos who was seeking a weapon to take down The Order ... when the weapon seemed to turn out to be just a few human terrorists. There was considerable interest given to Kellan, despite the initial impression of him only being a cameo role (in order to be the Trojan Horse in The Compound). However, when he asked Nathan to teach him how to kill, I did wonder if this was in preparation of him being featured in a future book. I also wondered if we would see more of Rowan in the future. During the book, a theory arises as to how Breedmates are created ... a link is made as to how each and every one of them has come to be, no matter who they are, where or when they were born. The link has the potential to provide a whole new spin-off plot to be explored and I presume that we will see more of this in subsequent books. The series has introduced creatures of incredible evilness and violence. The Warriors are powerful, honourable men. The Breedmates are feisty women able to kick some serious butt! Spoiler ** I did find the end a little difficult to believe. Even if mankind were willing to accept that there were a difference between The normal Breed and blood thirsty Rogues, the Breed (unless mated) still need to feed on humans ... I find it hard to believe that this would be accepted by humanity as a whole ... to the point of officially accepting The Breed as a member of The United Nations ** I really enjoyed this book, found it hard to put down (I read it in one day) and look forward to more being published. This has proved a thoroughly enjoyable series, with a new slant on the Vampire genre, mixing sci-fi with the gothic. Although there has been an element of erotic romance in each book, the plot thread that has run throughout the series has been captivating and imaginative. I would heartily recommend this series.