Midnight Rising-Lara Adrian

Midnight Rising
Lara Adrian
Dell, Mar 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780440244448

Dylan Alexander is in the Czech Republic when she sees the ghost of a young woman who begs her to save him. She finds a cave with a stone coffin inside and glyphs on the wall. In the cave is also Rio a Breed vampire whose face is scarred due to a fight he got into with Rogues in Boston (feral vampires who drink human blood). A straightforward mission was compromised by the traitorous actions of his now dead wife Eva. He senses Dylan in the cave but isn’t worried because when she leaves he will scrub her memory.

Rio destroys the cave, tracks her down and brings her to the Darkhaven in Germany; where Breeds and Breedmates live. He learns that she sent pictures she took out to her boss, relatives and friends. She shows him her mark and he knows she is a rare female known as a Breedmate. Dylan is having a hard time believing Rio, but at his Boston Order residence he tells her she must choose between living in a Darkhaven with a mate and having her memory scrubbed so she can return to her life. When she sees Eva’s picture, she realizes his late wife is the ghost she saw and tells Rio. He goes into a rage and turns into his vampire form; forcing Dylan to believe. As they fall in love, they must find the Ancient vampire father held captive by a mad scientist experimenting on him and destroy them both.

Vampires, ghosts and breedmates seem genuine although it helps especially at the beginning to have read previous Breedmate tales (see KISS OF MIDNIGHT, KISS OF CRIMSON, and MIDNIGHT AWAKENING) to fully savor the supernatural goings on. The changing relationship between Dylan and Rio is wonderfully developed so that the audience appreciates each one as an individual and as a romantic couple. Fans of the series will appreciate Lara Adrian’s latest romantic fantasy although the confrontation between good and evil sets up future entries more than it does plot closure.

Harriet Klausner