Book review: Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian
Publisher: Dell; Original edition (December 29, 2009)
Blurb: 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 within herself 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.
My review: I'm still trying to play catch-up with this series and realized I had yet to read book seven in this series. Adrian's formula of brooding male vampire finding his broodmate while trying to stop the evil Dragos has yet to bore me. I do find I like some installments more than others. Shades of Midnight is Kade and Alex's story. Alex flies a plane from her homebase of Harmony, Alaska, and while out on a run discovers the bodies of a mutilated family. Who or what did this and why? When she later encounters Kade at a town meeting, she is drawn to him but isn't sure about getting invovled with a stranger. Kade was likable but I would have liked him more if his story with his twin brother, Kane, had been explored. I could have understood why he was the way he was now if pieces of his past were shared.
The setting of Alaska was a welcome change from the Breed's headquarters in Boston. Snow capped mountains were the perfect place to have a climatic scene. If the brother's relationship had been explored more this scene would have totally convinced me for the sacrifice that is given. As it is, it seemed contrived.
As usual, Adrian's writing was fast paced and held my interest with the exception of sections where past history had to be worked in. Though I liked the pairing of Alex and Kade, I didn't 'feel' them as a couple as I have towards other Breed couples. Otherwise, this was a quick, fun read.
Favorite excerpt: "You're not like other women, Alex."
When he looked back up at her now, the confidence that normally sparked so brightly in his eyes was missing. He swallowed, the dry click of his throat making her blood run a bit colder in her veins. Whatever he had to say, he was the one who was afraid now, and seeing that trace of uncertainty in him made her anxiety spike a bit, too.
"You're very different from other women, Alex," he said again hesitantly. "And I . . . you need to know that I'm not like other men, either."
Cover comment: A typical Breed novel cover.
Book source: Library.
Favorite excerpt: "You're not like other women, Alex."
When he looked back up at her now, the confidence that normally sparked so brightly in his eyes was missing. He swallowed, the dry click of his throat making her blood run a bit colder in her veins. Whatever he had to say, he was the one who was afraid now, and seeing that trace of uncertainty in him made her anxiety spike a bit, too.
"You're very different from other women, Alex," he said again hesitantly. "And I . . . you need to know that I'm not like other men, either."
Cover comment: A typical Breed novel cover.
Book source: Library.
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