I read this instalment in the fantastic Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian back in July when I was on holiday in Italy but I’ve only just got around to looking over my notes on the book and writing a review for it.
So here’s my candid review of this paranormal vampire romance book by Lara Adrian.
Veil of Midnight
Lara Adrian
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.
REVIEW
I love this series by Lara Adrian. It’s absolutely fantastic and each book provides exactly what I want from a paranormal romance when I take some precious time out to read. Well, that is under normal circumstances. I will say now that Veil of Midnight is probably one of my least favourite books in the series. You really should be reading the series in order with this one. I’m not really one to talk though as I went from Kiss of Midnight (the first book) to reading Ashes of Midnight (the one after this book). It was Ashes of Midnight and Andreas Reichen that got me into the Midnight Breed series. The first book wasn’t that good, and I feel this one isn’t either.
Nikolai is as hard as warriors come and a real lover of all things shiny and sharp, and he’s always been one of the most interesting Breed males in the Order in my opinion. In Veil of Midnight, he is sent to Montreal in search of a Gen-One vampire who has gone off the radar, a vampire that he knows from his past, or at least thought he knew. There’s a dangerous Breed male on a mission to kill all Gen-One vampires using his own army of bred-for-murdering Gen-One assassins and Sergei’s name is on his hit list.
In Montreal, Niko meets Renata, a beautiful warrior and also a Breedmate. She’s under the command of Sergei, bound to serve him because of her love for a young Breedmate child, Mira, whom he holds captive. It isn’t long before Niko is torn between his duty and his growing feelings for Renata, but saving both her and Mira from Sergei’s clutches isn’t going to be as easy as it seems.
This story should have rocked, just as the previous ones have, but while it had all the wonderful action and great characters, it fell short of the mark for me. Renata is kick-ass, strong and capable of taking down Breed males with her ability and shares a love of weapons with Nikolai. Let’s face it, he was doomed from the start. Renata is a grade A weapon junkie like he is and is more than happy dishing out a serving of pain on anyone who tries to harm her or those she loves. She’s probably the strongest heroine in the series so far and matches the gorgeous Niko perfectly, which should make for a compelling romance. That’s where I had a problem with this book.
Veil of Midnight is very plot focused rather than romance focused. It took a long time for the romance to begin blooming, beyond half the book, so I found that it was a very slow read. I generally like more romance and passion spread throughout the book. The hero and heroine were apart for so much of the story that I didn’t really feel any of the usual passion, tension and desire we get in the Midnight Breed books. Because of this, I didn’t feel as much love for this book as I have for previous stories in the series.
There was a lot of character hopping in this book too—Nikolai, Renata, Alexei Yakut, Fabien, Dragos, and even Andreas Reichen to set up the next novel in the series. That’s too many characters for me. I tend to lose interest once we move past the hero and heroine, although I could never lose interest when Andreas Reichen is on the page!
Because of the slowness of the romance between Niko and Renata, I really didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wish I had and wanted to, so I give it a 3 out of 5.
Read reviews of Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7600369-veil-of-midnight
