Lucan Thorne deals in death. Born of The Ancients, he is a first generation vampire warrior sworn to protect his kind and the lives of the innocent humans who live within his domain. Rogue vampires drunk with bloodlust are organizing to wage a war that threatens to destroy their quiet existence. As the Rogues stalk human prey becoming more violent and bloodthirsty, Lucan and his fellow Breed warriors battle to keep the world from slipping into chaos. Committed to the Breed and filled with an appetite for destruction, Lucan never considered taking a Breedmate...that was until he met Gabrielle.

Gabrielle Maxwell views the world through the lens of a camera. As a photographer, she has always been drawn to desolate places. Some of her work could be described as menacing, but nothing could compare to the gruesome images of the fanged monsters she captured on her cell phone while out one night celebrating with her friends. The gory scene sent her fleeing into the night with evidence that would land her right in the middle of a blood war. Dismissed by the police and scared out of her mind, Gabrielle tried to get past her ordeal. She had no idea that someone had followed her home. And how could she have known that her life would forever be changed the night the very handsome "Detective" Lucan Thorne decided to pay her a visit?

Lucan arrived at Gabrielle's door with the intention of getting those valuable pictures, but he discovered much more. Gabrielle bore the mark of a Breedmate; A human female possessing the genetic ability to carry a vampire child. Resistant to the mental persuasion of the vampire breed, Gabrielle has an innate ability to locate structures occupied by vampires as evidenced in her photographs. All these things add up to danger for Gabrielle and the more time Lucan spends with her, the more he hungers to protect and claim her as his mate. But a warrior is not husband material and Lucan is barely holding back his own demons. Can Gabrielle break through the walls that Lucan has erected around his heart or will Lucan turn out to be more dangerous to Gabrielle than any of the Rogues lurking in the night?

Lara Adrian's KISS OF MIDNIGHT is brimming with all the things we love about vampire romance. Lucan's dark brooding dominance is tempered by Gabrielle's gentle but stubborn disposition. Together they experience passionate highs and heartbreaking lows, but always seem to find a way back to each other. Readers will note many similarities to other popular vampire romance series, but The Midnight Breed will become a favorite for those who love their vampires to be sexy, lethal, and 100% alpha.

~* Courtesy of ParaNormal Romance Reviews *~

Loved this book!
Very exciting and nerve-raking, you'll be bitting you nails through many pages.
Can't wait to start the next!

It's been said before - JR Ward did it better, much better. I really couldn't care too much for the characters and found the main relationship a bit unreal - from mad desire, to total rejection to undying love after just a handful of interactions? Nope, didn't work for me. I also found some of the heroine's leaps of logic a bit much, whatever, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more had I not read the Black Dagger Brotherhood books.

I found these books to be some of the most fun I have had while reading. The stories are fantastic and the romance was phenomenal. If you like great looking vampires who melt your heart....try these!

I enjoyed this book. Yeah, it is a knock off of the Brotherhood series, but if you have to copy, copy well. I'm hooked!

JR Ward and Laurell K Hamilton have ruined the vampire/romance genre for me. Nothing will ever compare to the Black Dagger Brotherhood and Anita Blake Vampire Hunter.

I got about 100 pages into this book, bits were good, other bits I skimmed. But when it came down to it, it was just following the same code of conduct as every other vampire/romance out there. Murders, hot vampire love interest, ordinary human girl, sex, lots of sex... been there and done that.

Maybe I'll return to the series and give it another chance in the future.

Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series is so incredible! She's got a real handle on the perfect man (struggles with commitment, needs love and understanding, fearless, handsome, etc.) but at the same time produces heroines who are strong and fearless in their own right. The entire series has kept me enthralled. I can't wait for the 5th book!

I wanted to like this book partly because I'm on the hunt for good Vampire Romance/Erotica authors. I wanted Lara Adrian to be one. For me, this book was mediocre at best. The characters were one dimensional and lifeless. Lucan Thorne was supposed to be a Breed Warrior but I never got the sense he had dominion over anything. The history of Lucan's race and their struggle against humankind was vague and offered no reason for me to be interested in their journey. The "compound", which one would think to be the pulse of the clan, held only a small handful of comrades with seemingly no allegiance to their leader. The so-called action, lacked tension and excitement and left me not caring who won the fight. Lastly, the sex was average; no heated anticipation or sensuality. Major disappointment.

The reviews are all over the place on this book, so it is one you have to read for yourself and judge. This is my 1st Lara Adrian book and I liked it ****. The complaints I read are to me what makes it a paranormal genre book: comon themes - estiny, Betrayal, One True Mate, old vamp/were vs 21st century female & getting kind of hard/verge of a major meltdown after a LONG life. I have never read JR Ward, so I judge this book on its own merits, but I am a big fan of Paranormal Romance (Kresley Cole, Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jacqueline Frank...etc). Like all of their series, some books within the series more than others.

What I liked about this one was while still mentioning actions in the past, it was more contemporary, the characters even evolved with the changes in life/times, as we all do (should) as we get older unlike some paranormal series were the men get stuck in a time warp and cant get out, it's irritating.

Characters were fairly well rounded/3 dimentional whether you liked them or loved to hate them. I like that it reflects life: that if your mate dies, well you dont, it is hard but life does go on, especially if children are involved. This is the first series which showed a true conflict between mates, that scene was really cool and different and intense. (no spoliers here). I am definately going to read the others books in the series.

THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK THAT STARTS THIS NEW SERIES. LOVE THIS SERIES AND CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT. CHARACTERS ARE ALL INTERESTING AND THE WOMEN HAVE CAREERS. LOTS OF ROMANCE AND INTIMATE SCENES.

In this novel the main male lead is named Lucan, a Generation One vampire that leads warriors of the Breed (a simplistic name for the good vampires, ha ha) against the Rogues who have given into their bloodlust addiction. As a Gen One vampire Lucan has the most strength and power but also the most temptation to fall into bloodlust which is where our female lead comes in.

Gabrielle Maxwell is an artist, a photographer of lonely, desolate places that somehow convey hope to the average viewer. She generally feels alone in life until she witnesses a brutal murder outside of a nightclub. When she reports the strange murder the police brush her off as crazy and even her cell phone photos won't convince them of what she saw; a man brutally torn apart and cannibalized by a group of men with fangs and feral yellow eyes. Lucan protects Gabrielle from the rougher elements of the Rogue society that are after her for her rare gift of finding vampire locations. Lucan has a hard time protecting her from himself (he just can't get enough of her for some reason), especially after learning that she bears the mark of a Breedmate (a woman with the genetic capability of bearing vampire children). By feeding from Gabrielle's blood Lucan would be tied to her for life, a burden that he doesn't want or need in his warrior lifestyle.

Of course Gabrielle breaks through all of that in the end and they learn that it is Lucan's brother controlling the Rogues in the upcoming war (and so the saga continues). But Gabrielle and Lucan live happily ever after so to speak. All in all a likable enough story. We'll see how the next one goes.

This book is a great start to this series. After reading this I ordered the next 3 series straight away.

Awesome series! Loved it almost as much as I love JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Will definitely keep reading Lara Adrian!

This book starts a series that twists the struggle of good vampire against bad vampire while still leaving the reader in the comfort zone. As part of this twist vamps were born from aliens that crash landed on this planet thousands of years ago and learned to adapt and survive to their new environment by drinking blood and avoiding sunlight. Eventually they learned they could procreate with human woman and the new vampire race was born. Occasionally human woman are born who are compatible with them, all specially marked.

Alas, many vamps cave to bloodlust and the Order was established 700 years ago to dispatch their crazed brethren, who are susceptible to the slightest touch of titanium. Now Lucan, the Orders founder and considered a relic, finds both his breedmate and- you guessed it - his greatest enemy in years at the same time. He struggles internally and externally under the twin threats.

Definitely a good read to pick up.

Kiss of Midnight is an interesting and entertaining beginning of a new paranormal series - well, new at least for me :)
It has similarities with the BDB: vampires at war, a group of 6 warriors fighting evil..., but both the development and the writer's voice are different.

In this new vampire tale, we have the Breeds, vampires with alien origins that can only mate with a Breedmate, a human with a mark of a teardrop falling into a crescent moon.
If a Breed loses himself to bloodlust, he turns Rogue, becoming a danger to the Breeds and the humans they coexist with. Lucan Thorne, one of the oldest Breeds and leader of an Order of warriors, has sworn to hunt the Rogues to protect his brethren and the humans.
Gabrielle Maxwell, a human photographer, gets involved when she witnesses a murder outside a club and takes photos with her cell phone. She reports to the police, but as there aren't signs of the murder, they laugh at her. She is pleased when 'Detective' Lucas Thorne arrives at her door, not knowing that he's gonna change drastically her life.

When I started reading the book, I was a little uncomfortable with the alien thing. It sounded a little strange, but by the time I finished, I was used to it, so now it doesn't bother me.
I liked a lot the lead characters. Lucan is a warrior worried about the Rogues and his inner demons, and doesn't plan to have a Breedmate. He has fears and doubts, and isn't prepared to follow his heart.
Gabrielle is a strong woman, somewhat dark and lonely, who always has felt different from the rest of the people. Her life changes suddenly, but she accepts it and goes on.
I liked their love story a lot. They have a lot of chemistry since their first meeting, and the romance is believable and developed. The book also has a few twists on the plot, and interesting secondary characters.

Although it didn't shock me like other series' beginnings - Dark Lover, for example - it's a promising start, and I look forward to the next books.

....I must first admit I have always been a historical Romance reader, until I recently read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, and loved it so much, that I thought I would try other Romance novels with Vampires.

Well, so far, no luck for me. I will say the love scenes are really steamy and Erotic. But I could not connect with the characters. This just isnt what I was looking for. I don't mind steamy and erotic, but I think I was looking for a more Gentler romance book. I'm more of a Dark Shadows and Braham S. Dracula kind of Gal.

Read the BDB series and needed a quick fix. This series is good and has some interesting moments. LA creates an intriguiing world: Gen One, Breed, Dark Haven and Rogue. Lucan sees Gabrielle at a night club and immediately fixates on her. She sees a horrifying Rogue attack outside that club then the action never stops. There are some simiilarties to JR Ward's world but not to the extent of dismissing this series. LA does a good job creating her warriors & the conflict within the vampire world. She does not give extensive character backgrounds but the characters are still full of color.

I highly recommend this series esp. for those who can not WAIT for JR Ward's next installment - May 2009 YIKES! The compendium does not count.
I also recommend on its own merits. Good writing, great action

I love this series, it was a great book. Fast paced, it kept me reading and I couldn't put it down. I can't get enough of Lara Adrian's books.

I always steered away from her because some people in my Dark Dagger Brotherhood group said her books were a pale imitation of J.R. Ward's books. I can see simulairity--such as the Breeds are Warriors and they have a war to fight--but it isn't against baby powdered crazies--that are on the dark side--they are fellow Vampire Breed who have given way to Bloodlust and have turned Rogue...They can have children, but only with Breedmates--a human woman with special DNA.

I really enjoued Gabby and Lucan's stories and look forward to reading about the other Warrior Breeds--especially Tegan. I think if and when Rio's book comes out it will be very interesting because I think he is going to be suffering more mentally, then he will physically!

easy to read, entertaining - for those times when you want to sit and have a fun read.

The paranormal romance genre has become so popular. With great series from Sherrilyn Kenyon & J.R. Ward (and others), it's not hard to see why.
I have to include Lara Adrian now as well.
I've read ALL the Breed books, and have been sucked in.
She has created wonderful characters & interesting storylines. The heroines aren't simpering babies (what a relief.) You can actually relate to some of them and their situations. Of course there are times they need their men to play the hero.
And the guys are sexy, arrogant, the total alpha male package.

Like many others, I'm a fan of the Brotherhood series, and the Dark Hunter series.
But as with each series I read, I start out NOT comparing it to the others. Of course there's going to be similarities. That's a given. How many other ways can vampire romance be written?
Anyways, start any new series with a fresh mind, and you'll enjoy it that much more.

I don't normally like paranormal stories, but Lara Adrian changed my mind. KISS OF MIDNIGHT is awesome. The author weaves a tale through intense point-of-view and imagery that makes me feel like my own teeth are stretching and blood is filling my mouth. The castle is very real to me. I can see myself walking through it, I can understand it. The characters' goals, motivation and conflict are logical. Though the hero, Lucan, is a vampire, he seems very human. And the hero/heroine don't fall in love by the third chapter. Lust, maybe, but they aren't in love yet, which is a good thing (because I've noticed with some paranormal romance, the characters fall in love right away but have too many obstacles preventing them from being together. It tends to get old.)

I love imagery, and she uses it well. She makes me feel like I'm right there, watching it all play out. Her writing style is what I love about certain romantic suspense... Intense, explicit, exciting, non-stop action and romance all rolled into one, and oh, how she pervades my senses with her voice!

KISS OF MIDNIGHT is a series, and I'll definitely be reading the others!

I bought this book because amazon listed it as similar to the JR Ward and Kresely Cole books I was purchasing at the time. So after I had devoured those I opened this one, expecting to get a story along the same vein as the others. However, this book is horrid. The writing is nowhere near as smooth, the flow is choppy, and the wording is tacky. Nothing grabbed my attention, I got 5 chapters into it before I had to put it down for my own sanity. Whatever I expected, this was not it.

Buy it if you like it for the reason I liked it. RED HOT ROMANCE. As I said before about another one of this author's books, I travel and this romance was VERY EXCITING. I thought it was as well written as most of this type books that I have read, and I don't think it was a Kindle Swindle as one reviewer said. I read many different kinds of books, and this one was one that I enjoyed at that particular time. CeeCee

This book was terrible! I could only get a quarter of the way through it. It was as if Lara Adrian had gotten all her ideas about vampires from really bad 'b' movies, which turned me off right away. This was not my idea of how a vampire should be portrayed.

However...if you like 'b' movies about salivating, hissing vampires who hunt in packs and do alot of posturing then help yourself.

I agree that it is not exactly the same as Black Dagger Brotherhood (J.R. Ward - esp. Dark Lover) but combine that story line with the Carparthian series (Christine Feehan esp. Dark Prince) then you get your "good" vampire vs "bad" vampire aspect. Having said that, as these are 2 of my favourite authors, there are certainly a lot worse story lines to combine.
The lack of uniqueness aside, I found the book very enjoyable and the characters sympathetic and realistic (if that term can be applied to a vampire!).
This series also improves as it goes along although I do find Lucan the sexiest so far.

I bought this book based on the reviews and unfortunately I can only give it 2 stars. For me, the book dragged on. I found myself skimming through the last half of the book to get to the ending. I couldn't get into the characters. I was hoping to like this book and find a new series, but didn't.

So I got this book and I wasnt to sure on it. I am a huge fan of the Black Daggerhood series and I thought maybe this would be a cheap rip off of it.

But surprisingly it was not! :)
This book is quite fresh and stands out on its own. I just adore Gab and Lucan they are wonderful characters. Gab as her own life, friends which add to the plot.
Just the right amount of steamy sex and nail bitting drama.

I would of liked to see maybe a bit more details on how the genetics of the vampires work but all in all its a great read

This book was great! I'm so happy to have found Lara Adrian. In a market full of vampire stories, her Nightbreed characters are surprisingly unique. She has strong heroines as well a captivating storyline.

I just recently discovered this series and author. I actually had to go backwards to read book 1. Although all the books are connected in characters and situation, you can easily follow any one book and enjoy it. Lara Adrian's descriptive writing style pulls you into the story so that you can actually see the settings and characters. The only draw back is you don't want to put it down so you stay up late to finish it!

This is a wonderful, erotic, fun and exciting series. Yes, I could not help but compare it to J.W, BDB (Die hard fan here)there "TONS" of similarities...but she puts an interesting spin on the vampire world. I will also add the series only seems to get better so if book one seems lacking (it did "a little") trust me try the others.
All in All great series if you into paranormal/romance fantasy (-_-)

I found this book to hold my attention with a good romantic story line. It's well written and interesting to the point that I decided I wanted to get the books that follow and connect to this one. Would recommend it to anyone who likes a vampire tale where the vampires are the good guys and the endings don't disappoint.

Reminded me too much of the warrior group from J.R. Ward's The Brotherhood.
The characters didn't have a lot of depth, nor did the story. Did like the whole Rogue thing, and the ending was indeed one that had you interested.
Maybe as the author gets more books under her belt the story will become stronger?

Gabrielle Maxwell is a successful photographer out for a night with her friends when her whole world changes. Gabby witnesses a murder outside a club--and it's not just any murder. Though she scarcely believes it, the attackers actually mauled their victim and appeared to be eating him. Snapping some photos with her camera phone for evidence, Gabby heads to the nearest police station. When the police don't believe her story, and instead encourage her to go home and rest. With the promise that a patrolman will visit later in the week, Gabby follows their orders.

Lucan Thorne is the leader of a group of vampire warriors determined to protect their race from Rogues, vampires gone crazy with bloodlust who kill indiscriminately and without remorse. Lucan is about to attack the Rogues outside the nightclub when he sees the pretty girl in the alley snapping photos and running for her life. After dealing with the errant Rogues, Lucan goes to Gabby's house pretending to be a police officer so that he can erase her memories of that night. Little does he know that the innocent photographer has a bigger secret than witnessing a vampire murder...

Kiss of Midnight was edgy and dark, which I liked, but again I'm going to have to go there. It's been said over and over again that Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series bears a striking resemblance to the vampire world created in JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood. And I like the BDB books better. Still, if you haven't read Ward's work and like vampire romances, then you should give this book a try. If you have already read the BDB books, I think it's next to impossible not to make the comparison between the two series. There are some differences, but the similarities are too close together for me to read what is essentially the same series all over again. Kiss of Midnight was good, but Dark Lover: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (The Black Dagger Brotherhood) was better. I'll probably read the next book in this series, but only because I'm strung out for a fix waiting for the next BDB book to be published in June.

Some reviews have compared Ms. Adrian's work to Ms. Ward. I will say yes there are similarities but there are also differences. The differences make this new series interesting and unique. I love paranormal romance novels and this book was very good. It's a page-turner, can't put down kind of book. The characters are well developed and the book ends with your wanting more.

This book was reallly great, a gripping experience from the fits page to the last! I have read some reviews that says that this book is like a copy of J.R. Ward's Brotherhood, and I can't agree with that. This book is about a bunch of "good" vampires fighting against a bunch of "bad" vampires, and between fights and strong personalities comes the spark of love.

I agree that there are similar things between these series and J.R. Ward's, in the fact that the mal eare vampires, the woman are human, that they fall fo each other and form a bound per life, and also in the fact that they are warriors fighting for the greater good. But the way in which things are addressed are different, and I enjyed this book as something unique as a whole.

What I apreciated more was the fact that Lucan doesn't change from day to night, and being honest, doesn't changes that much,except for realising he can be allowed to love.

The female is strong and smart, and is not afraid of her feelings, lesat of it to fight for what she loves without losing her dignity when it looks like a dead end.

All in all this book got me and I devoured and enjoyed it, and sure, I'm going to go on reading the series! A thumbs up for the writter!

This is a great book, Thought I would try the new series, this is one series I will be buying.

I think these books are BETTER than the Black Dagger books. Yes, there are some similarities, but it also has similarities to the Carpathian books. It's the same genre. These "Breed" books are better written, with more scene and character development. Flat out better writing.

Great new twist on vampires, with a surpise or two thrown in to keep it interesting.

I have read a lot of negative reviews about this book the main criticism being its similarity to J.R. Ward's first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Dark Lover. It is true that there are a lot of similarities between these two books but this does not mean that this book isn't worth a try. I read it in a day and I really liked it.

This book is about Lucan, a vampire and leader of his brethren, and Gabrielle Maxwell a photographer and breedmate. A Breedmate is a woman who is born into a human family but is destined to mate with a vampire, because there are only male vampires since vampires can only father sons. Breedmates can be recognized from a birthmark they have on their bodies.

Gabrielle, one night witnesses the murder of a man outside a nightclub, a murder committed by rogue vampires. Rogue vampires are vampires who have succumbed to bloodlust, and they are the same ones that Lucan and his Brethren are fighting against. Gabrielle goes to the police station to tell what she saw to the cops but they do not believe her. Lucan, disguised as a cop, goes to Gabrielle's house to take her cellphone which contains pictures of the events that took place that night and also to erase her memory but he finds himself attracted to her and Gabrielle too, finds herself attracted to Lucan. When Lucan is about to take Gabrielle's blood, he finds out that she is a breedmate, and Lucan being the leader of his brethren and a warrior, does not want to bond with anyone and taking Gabrielle's blood would bond Lucan to her.

Lucan and Gabrielle go through a lot. Lucan lies to Gabrielle about who he really is, Gabrielle does not know of her destiny as a breedmate and many other problems which they have to overcome, and they have to overcome these problems during the war which is taking place between Lucan and his brethren, and the rogues.

Overall, this was a good read. Lara Adrian has created an interesting world of which I want to see more in her future books. The romance between Lucan and Gabrielle is HOT, and good written. It's true that it has a lot of similarities with J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but I think that Lara Adrian is a very good writer and managed to keep me engrossed by this book even though I still think that J.R. Ward's, Dark Lover, is better. Still, I liked this book and recommend it.

I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it before I read J.R. Ward's Lover series, which is one of my favorites. Ms. Ward's characters and story line are much superior to what is set forth in the first book of this series. These characters are much less interesting than Ms. Ward's characters, at least at first blush. Perhaps things pick up in the second book. I purchased the second book and will read it as well, but if you've already read the Lover series, you will most likely be disappointed. If you haven't, then this book is a pleasant diversion, but nothing really to write home about.

There's absolutely no doubt as to the readership to whom this book is meant to appeal - the commendation from J R Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, gives a big clue. This book is very, very similar to the Black Dagger Brotherhood and will no doubt be enjoyed by those who like those books; the similarities are very marked - a small number of warrior vampires live together in a compound and fight against strong and numerous adversaries. This is the first in the series and it's very akin to Ward's "Dark Lover" (in fact at one point the heroine describes the hero as her dark lover), in that the hero is the leader of the band of warriors, that he isn't looking for a romantic involvement and yet he discovers that a woman is linked to the vampire nation although she herself is oblivious of that fact. There are even mentions of a Red Sox hat, there's a computer expert vampire, a monosyllabic and weird vampire, the death of one of the six warrior vampires... the comparisons with the BDB go on and on.

And yet this is a book in its own right and it has its differences. There are several good things about this book when comparing it to the BDB. The first is that the characters don't have silly names but just unusual ones - the hero is Lucan, we also meet Tegan, Nikolai, Dante, Rio, Gideon and Conlan. Secondly there aren't loads of odd words with extra letter h peppered throughout the text which I always found rather cheesy. Thirdly the sections dealing with the Rogues, those against whom the warriors are fighting, aren't as extensive (I always find myself skim-reading the Lesser sections in the BDB) and in this series the Rogues are vampires gone bad rather than a separate species.

There are some aspects about this book that didn't feel as accomplished as the BDB. The characterisation felt somehow less authentic although it was hard to put my finger on why. Gabrielle, the heroine, was a plucky woman who seemed able to cope with an awful lot of scary information in one go, perhaps too much. Lucan's conflicted nature about not wanting a mate and being afraid that he's about to lose the plot from Bloodlust was perhaps overplayed in the book but was necessary for the suspense in the plot. And in some ways perhaps that's my chief disappointment with the story, that the overall idea on which this book hung didn't seem quite developed enough. It was a good read with some spicy scenes between hero and heroine, some fighting, lots of blood and gore and awkward relationships amongst the vampire warriors but somehow it didn't quite grip me as much as the BDB. However J R Ward's novels definitely improved as she got into her writing stride with them (with the exception of Vishous' novel) and I have hopes that Lara Adrian's books will equally mature as she continues the series.

For those who like the Black Dagger Brotherhood this is a worthy read alongside that series. For those who haven't read that series, read this one first, and enjoy it, and then read the BDB and enjoy it too. For those who don't like the BDB this book probably isn't for you. Some people may moan about the similarities between the two series but I think there is room in this genre for other books of a similar type as long as they have their own individual differences as well and as long as plot and characterisation are well-written. This is a good start to the series and I have already purchased the sequel.

if you love J.R Ward or Sherrilyn Kenyon you will love this series. It has a great story line and romance and excitement. This is a must read for a vampire lover!!!

My first thought on reading this book was that J.R. Ward must be pretty upset. The plot is very much like "Dark Lover", the characters are warriors, there are other similarities. But the book was very readable, very interesting. Then my second thought was, wow, so THIS is what Ward would sound like without that stupid slang, and those idiotic names. A great improvement.

I had to compare this author to Ward, because it is blatantly so like her. But even for that, it was a good book. In all honesty, I like the world-building a lot better in Adrian's book, it's simpler and makes more sense. The bad guys, the Rogues, are much scarier than Lessers, and for the added drama, the warriors could turn into Rogues very easily if they don't watch the blood-lust.

Did I like this book better than J.R. Ward's? No, and I'm not quite sure why. I guess Ward's characters seemed more real to me, more fleshed out. There's something elusively wonderful in Ward's world that isn't in Adrian's, at least, not the first book. But this one is a very refreshing take on the genre, at the very least.

I will be reading the second and third, and if they measure up, I have a new series.

After Gabrielle Maxwell witnesses a brutal attack by a pack of Rogue Vampires outside a nightclub, she is plunged into a war that most humans don't realize is happening. A war where Breed Warriors fight to keep the world safe from vampires who have succumbed to the lure of bloodlust and turned rogue. Little does she know, this is a world that has touched her before, and this time it's a world she won't be able to leave.

Lara Adrian's vampires are the progeny of aliens who crash landed on Earth centuries ago. The original aliens were voracious predators, eventually wiped out by their children. But something of the monster still lurks within, and the vampires fight against a bloodlust which if they give into, will see them marked for death by the Breed Warriors.

Kiss of Midnight introduces us to this world through the eyes of Gabrielle Maxwell and Lucan Thorne. Unbeknownst to Gabrielle she is a Breedmate - a human female genetically compatible with the Breed (all vampire children are male). Lucan Thorne is a Gen 1, (the first generation of alien children who rose up to kill their fathers) as such, he struggles harder against the bloodlust than his compatriots. But that doesn't stop him from being drawn to Gabrielle, even though he feels she would be better suited to a pairing with another vampire.

I really enjoyed this story. Maybe because I went into it with the expectation of being underwhelmed. Instead I was racing through it wanting to know what happened next. The plot moves along at a cracking pace, characters are well drawn and believable. And I ended this story happy I could move onto book 2 straight away.

Lara Adrian's world is well thought out. There are a couple of very nice touches, not necessarily part of the main storyline, but they serve to make the world more real. For instance, I like that Dante has to wait for Lucan to finish before he can feed - it illustrates the animalistic hierarchical nature of the vampires without beating us over the head with it.

Although most of her bad guys are rogues, consumed with the need for blood, sex and death. The head guy is a very well written anti-hero. I'm interested to see where Lara Adrian goes with him. She leaves you with the feeling that though he's committed heinous acts, there's a possibility he could go either way. He could be redeemed. It's the fact that there's thought and calculation behind his every action, and we don't yet know if there's only cold intellect there, or something more.

I believed the relationship between Gabrielle and Lucan and liked how it developed as Gabrielle was drawn into the world of the Breed. The love scenes between them are hot. :)

It does have some problems. It's almost bound to be compared to Dark Lover (J.R.Ward). There are a couple of scenes reminiscent of that book - when Lucan breaks into Gabrielle's apartment for example. And Lara Adrian does use what readers might have come to consider as the vampire group sterotypes. Lucan - the oldest and in charge, Gideon - the computer expert, Tegan - the loner, and later in the story one of the warriors is horrifically scarred. Hopefully LA will be able to take these characters and make them her own.

One inconsistency for me - at the end a character is told to jump off a roof but we never see her die, though later Gabrielle says she is dead. Did I miss it? I don't know if this is intentional or not. The vampire master and Gabrielle go up to the roof and whilst they're fighting we never see the other character take her leap. I don't know if we're meant to assume she jumped from a different part of the roof or that she got away?

Despite these minor niggles, this is a fantastic start to a new vampire urban fantasy series. I think if the stories remain this strong, any comparisons between Lara Adrian's series and others will pretty soon be inconsequential. I'm hooked.

This is another variation on the theme of "HE MEN" vampire brotherhood against "EVIL" rogue vampires. If you've read any of the "Black Dagger Brotherhood" books or the "Paladins" then you get the picture. Unfortunately, it doesn't have some of the campy humor of the former or the possibilities (that are coming to light in the later)that all of the "Others" are not necessarily evil incarnate.
This book is just over 400 pages, and about 100 of these could easily be cut without affecting the story. There is just a little too much angst and moaning by the heroine and hero bemoaning there lot in life. And frankly, you'd think a vampire pushing a millennium would be just a bit more mature and a lot more savvy.

Well I liked the story a lot, but honestly I like how J.R. Ward writes her BDB. Honestly Lara Adrian is pretty much writing the same thing...but she did it pretty good. I just didn't like how the main character rejected that girl Gabby throughout the WHOLE book! Until the end. so yeah... it is pretty good. but i still like J.R. Wards BDB better.

Honestly, not much more you can say about it. Plot gets really hasty at times and there is an excess of 2-dimensional characters thrown into the mix. Not the best I've read, but not the worst either.

This series seems a knock-off of the one by J.R. Ward. It is certainly not as well done. The author should strive for a little more originality.

Gabrielle Maxwell is a successful photographer. After a phenomenal gallery show, she and her friends are celebrating at the hottest new Goth club in town. While everyone else is rocking the night along, Gabrielle feels something is wrong. When a fight breaks out, along with brooding stares from an intriguing stranger, she knows something is wrong. And when she sees something horrific in an ally outside the club, she knows her life will never be the same.

Lucan Thorne is a Breed vampire warrior and it's his duty to protect and keep his kind in line. The Rogues are getting more out of control though and their violence is beginning to leave too obvious an impact on not only his world, but that of the humans as well. When he spies an alluring woman across a crowded club, and witnesses her involvement in a grisly murder, he will have to find her and silence anything she knows. It may be too late for her though and Lucan's attraction is too strong to ignore. Too, when he discovers her true destiny, he has no choice but to bring her fully into his world...and into the war waiting there.

There is definitely a unique style to this first in Lara Adrian's vampire Midnight Breed series. It's an urban setting, which we're familiar with by now, but it's got its own atmosphere of dark foreboding twists and turns and she crafts it well through her particular use of language. World-building-wise, it's not doing too bad a job. Where it began to unravel were the main character's interactions, and it usually stemmed from Lucan's end. Tortured, angry heroes are almost always intriguing. It's thrilling to experience the redemption of their character and to see that wicked unraveling to the heroine's irresistible wiles. Lucan, however, has such a mountain of issues that it began to wear very thin before even the middle of the book. His and Gabrielle's pairing didn't make very much sense, as he can't reconcile his inner pain enough to have any real romantic moments with her. Intimacy of the body is not the issue--intimacy of the mind and heart is. Gabrielle is so interesting. At first, she's struggling to understand where she fits in, what she's meant to do with her life. She has some past difficulties that tie in and create a very interesting inner conflict for her character. Where she's weak is her naivety. There are some painful clinches in regards to vampires that she engages in and there honestly were moments of this book that were hard to get into because them. The overall plot and setting are what will induce me to buy the second book, which may be a first for me. While some feel that this is a direct comparison to Ward's beautiful series, I got a much more militaristic, urban feel through the setting and vampire culture itself, as opposed to the backstreet slang and rap infused club hype Ward uses. So, in essence, this one does work well enough on its own merits (well enough for this reader anyway). There were some interesting twists that saved it for me and opened the plot for a continuation in the second book. I actually can't wait to read the second, Kiss of Crimson, and only with the hopes that its main characters will engage me more. First in a new series can be tough sometimes and it's no surprise to me that I enjoyed about half of what it had to offer. The third, Midnight Awakening releases November 27th and the fourth rings in the first quarter of 2008 with a release in March. Plenty of time for this series to redeem itself and get on sure ground.