Adult book review: Veil of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 5) by Lara Adrian
Publisher: Dell; 1st Printing edition (December 30, 2008)
Summary: Bound by blood, addicted to danger, they'll enter the darkest—and most erotic—place of all.
A warrior trained in bullets and blades, Renata cannot be bested by any man—vampire or mortal. But her most powerful weapon is her extraordinary psychic ability—a gift both rare and deadly. Now a stranger threatens her hard-won independence—a golden-haired vampire who lures her into a realm of darkness…and pleasure beyond imagining.
A combat-loving adrenaline junkie, Nikolai dispenses his own justice to enemies of the Breed—and his latest quarry is a ruthless assassin. One woman stands in his way: the seductive, cool-as-ice bodyguard, Renata. But Renata’s powers are put to the test when a loved one, a child, is threatened and she’s forced to turn to Niko for help. As the two join forces, as desire fans the flames of a deeper hunger, Renata’s life is under siege by a man who offers the exquisite pleasure of a blood bond—and a passion that could save or doom them both forever.…
My review: Okay, this is why I love this series! Veil of Midnight is a thrilling roller coaster ride of a novel . Renata is warrior tough, highly skilled, and has the psychic ability to torture vampires with her mind. This unique skill keeps her alive in the house of Sergei Yakut, a powerful Gen One vamp. Her lone human companion is a child, a girl named Mira who possesses the talent of showing people their future when they look into her eyes. Renata takes on the role of her protector. When Yakut is murdered, Renata believes she and Mira are finally free from a life of cruelty. When his son Alexi proclaims himself successor, the first task he accomplishes is getting rid of Mira, much to her shock. After two hellish years under his father's rule, Renata has had enough. But the only person who can help her rescue Mira is another vampire, Nikolai, a Breed male and memeber of the Order. For a woman accustomed to vampires treating her unkindly and using her for her talent, how can she trust another to help her? To make matters worse, this is the same man she help Yakut's men capture and hand over to the Enforcement Agency at the beginning of the book.
Veil of Midnight had some serious action scenes in it (Renata and her knives-wow). The characters were strongly drawn. The worldbuilding and otherworld of these vampires still intrigues me and I was delighted to see some nice twists thrown in. Renata and Nikolai's story was engrossing and their romance was hot and well conveyed. These two feel an immediate attraction to each other but their warrior ethics and codes does not allow them such dalliances. As their romance grows, the story and backstory unravel concurrently in a smooth and beleiveable way. Some romances have a rushed feel to them, as if the author had to put them together. That did not happen here. Veil of Midnight is another excellent entry in The Midnight Breed series. Long live The Brotherhood!
Rating: ++++
Favorite excerpt: "She shook her head. "I don't need to worry about daylight. I can go back into the city by myself--"
"Like hell you will." His hands were gruff as he turned her around to face him. His eyes glittered with sparks of amber, and an emotion that looked remarkably like fear, even in the darkness. "You're not going anywhere near Fabien without me." He stroked her brow, his fierce eyes burning into her. "We're in this together, Renata. You know that, right? You know that you can trust me?"
She stared into Nikolai's face and felt a well of emotion begin to rise up within her, felt it rise over her like a swamping wave she couldn't hold back if she tried. Tears stung her eyes, then filled them. Before she could stop the flood, she was weeping as though a dam had burst inside her and all the hurts she'd ever felt--all the pain and emptiness of her entire existence--came rushing out of her in great, heaving sobs.
Nikolai wrapped his strong arms around her and held her close. He didn't try to make her tears stop. He didn't feed her soft lies to make her feel better, or give her false promises to cushion her despair. He just held her." (From page 265.)
Cover comment: I will only reiterate my earlier comment about the couples being lost behind the veil of color.
Book source: Owned
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