Friday, August 23, 2013

Taken by Midnight (Midnight Breed #8 - Brock and Jenna) by Lara Adrian

Yeah, I loved this book :)
Brock really has a cool talent (I'm not sure he thinks that at all times ;)), he is drawn to Jenna right from the first time they meet (on the previous book). He takes care of Jenna from that first meeting and not so slowly and surely falls in love with her (and she with him).


It's difficult for the both of them - she doesn't want to get attached after loosing her husband and daughter (as we read about in the previous book) and he has a secret from his past that prevents him from even considering having a relationship with someone. There is a really beautiful closure to that in the book and as I was reading the next book's synopsis I understand more will be disclosed about that in the next book.

Jenna is special. I won't say how, but I would say it "complicates" things for them, for the Order, even when the book is finished we still don't know the end of it. 

I loved their relationship, the fact that it wasn't the same as other couples we read about in the previous books. 

I really loved reading how much the women in the compound participate in the war against Dragos. In this book they really do something spectacular. :))

This book was interesting from the start because you want to understand what's going on with Jenna, what happened to her and all of that, but actually we find more questions then answers that I hope, we'll get answers in the next books. and in case you didn't figure it out - Dragos is a total maniac!!! we have a few written POV of him which simply enraged me! - god damn it someone kill him already!!

I loved the epilogue of the book. was really touching. 

and you know what? I miss Dante!!! he had maybe a paragraph about him and that's it!!! (wasn't even with Tess..) I think that he wasn't even mentioned in the previous one. god I hate it when characters get "forgotten". I feel this way about Elise as well, maybe because there is a shift to the newer characters.. 

Another thing - previous book I felt bad for Chase. He really suffers. and in this book we see how lost he is (also a little of him being an asshole..) next one is about Hunter which I'm REALLY excited about! probably going to be very special :) after it we'll - finally! - have the book about Chase. can't wait for that one as well.. he's been "gone" (in the head) for quite a long time now, wonder who will be the woman to "fix him up" :)

and sorry for writing such a messy and untidy review.. having everything still mixed up in my head :]





Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 402 pages, 22-23 August 2013 / On GoodReads
 
 
ABOUT THE MCs
 
Brock
Breed male, Order member. Born in Detroit, Brock is 110+ years old. He was recruited into the Order along with Kade, a few months after Conlan’s death. In the 1930s, Brock served as security detail and bodyguard for the Bishops, a prominent Darkhaven family in Detroit, Brock being personally responsible for one of their adopted Breedmate daughters, Corinne. When she went missing in the city at eighteen years old and was presumed dead, Brock blamed himself, a burden of guilt he carried even as he joined the Order. Good-natured with his comrades, but merciless with those who cross him, Brock felt unworthy of being loved or trusted with another person’s life, until he was tasked with protecting an injured human woman, Jenna, brought back from a mission in Alaska that left her transformed in ways none of the Breed could have ever imagined was possible.
Hair: black, skull-trimmed Eyes: dark brown
Unique ability: can absorb and diminish human pain and suffering with his hands.

Jenna Tucker-Darrow
Human (originally). Jenna is a former Alaska State Trooper and best friend of Alexandra Maguire. Four years before timeline of Shades of Midnight, Jenna lost her husband and young daughter when a timber truck collided with the family’s vehicle on the highway in Alaska. Jenna barely survived, waking a month and a half later to learn her loved ones were gone. She quit her job as a Trooper, even though police work and helping people is a big part of her nature. Thirty-three-year-old Jenna is human, but an attack on her by the Ancient has left her changed in many ways—not the least of which being a growing dermaglyph that’s appeared on the back of her neck. The Order brought her from Alaska to their Boston compound to heal, aided by Brock’s calming effect on the human. As Jenna’s stay lengthened, the Order discovered her human DNA was being dominated by that of the creature who attacked her, gifting her with unusual strength and abilities, and transforming into something never seen before.
Hair: shoulder-length, medium brown  Eyes: hazel
Breedmate mark / Bloodscent: does not have one / Originally Human
Unique ability: superhuman speed and agility, unlimited language comprehension, adaptive regeneration (body learning to heal itself after injury), and other abilities yet to be revealed.
 
ABOUT THIS SERIES
 
Midnight Breed by Lara Adrian is one of my absolute favorite Paranormal Romance Series. Like many of the series in this genre, we have a group of vampire warriors who are in charge of defending their race. 

The Order mainly protect the general population (vampire AND humans) from rouge vampires. Vampires whose crave for blood have reached a point of no return meaning they can no longer control themselves and since there is nothing to be done about this situation these rouges vampires have to be put down. Besides obvious risk to the human population, rouges / rabid vampires also are a treat in the sense that vampires live in secret groups (called Darkhavens) there they can live their separate lives without probing human eyes. Naturally they are a part of the general population but the way they live, in a sort of community, helps them maintain their traditions and way of living. 


In the recent years, the Order became infamous. There is no respect for the members of the Order and moreover they are treated like "barbarians", the vampire population doesn't believe that they are even needed but boy oh boy they are wrong.. dark days are ahead.. 


In the beginning, years and years ago, a group of highly strong vampires crushed on Earth. They are the base of the vampire population nowadays. As is seems there are no female vampires, only males. The females that can reproduce with vampires are called "breedmates" and they can be distinguished by a certain mark (crescent moon with a drop) that each breedmate has somewhere on her body. Each breedmate also has a special (inhuman) ability which she transfers to her vampire son. Thus every vampire has a special ability passed to him from his human mother. Breedmates need to drink blood in order to enhance their special ability and sometimes so they can control it and it won't take over her life.  It takes time until the ancestry of the breedmates is explained, it adds another layer to the story and brings the Order with another adversary they weren't expecting. 


Each book has it's separate story in which each warrior finds himself a breedmate / compatible mate. As you can guess, the Order isn't notorious for no reason.. most of the warriors are somehow "damaged", preferring to live a life in the Order rather than build a life of their own. Finding their mate makes them deal with their past and free themselves from its bindings. Beside the personal plot line there is also a bigger plot line about the main villain progressing from the first book until the 10th. From the 11th book (till the final 18th installment) there is a very significant change following a progression in 20 years changing the whole setting of the series with different villains as well as introducing new characters to the series - some the sons and daughters from the first 10 installments and of course we get to meet the older version of the parents as well. 


The main issue I had with the series in the beginning was the similarities between it and the general setting of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. It only feels this way at the first, it takes a TOTALLY different direction plot-wise and character-wise which after reading enough of the two series I gotta say I MUCH prefer this one (I actually abandoned that one a while back..). 


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!

When the whiffs of the end of this beloved series started to get suffocating Lara announced a Spin-Off called "Hunter Legacy". The series will consist of stand-alone novels of the "Last Boys" - the Gen One Hunters who were bred as weapons of war by Dragos and were freed by The Order round the middle of the series. 

Books:
0.5 A Touch of Midnight [Gideon & Savannah] (published 15 July 2013) ★★★★★
1. Kiss of Midnight [Lucan & Gabrielle] (published 1 May 2007) ★★★★
2. Kiss of Crimson [Dante & Tess] (published 29 May 2007) ★★★★★
3. Midnight Awakening [Tegan & Elise] (published 27 November 2007) ★★★★★
4. Midnight Rising [Rio & Dylan] (published 25 March 2008) ★★★★★
5. Veil of Midnight [Niko & Renata] (published 30 December 2008) ★★★★ 
6. Ashes of Midnight [Andreas Reichen & Claire] (published 26 May 2009) ★★★★★

7. Shades of Midnight [Cade & Alex] (published 29 December 2009) ★★★★  
8. Taken By Midnight [Brock & Jenna] (published 28 September 2010) ★★★★★
9. Deeper than Midnight [Hunter & Corrine] (published 28 June 2011) ★★★★★
9.5 A Taste of Midnight [Danika & Malcolm] (published 5 December 2011) ★★★★★
10. Darker after Midnight [Chase & Tavia] (published 24 January 2012) ★★★½ 
 --- The Midnight Breed Series Companion (Volume #1) (published 26 June 2013) ★★★★★

 
11. Edge of Dawn [Mira & Kellan] (published 21 February 2013) ★★★★★
11.5. Marked By Midnight [Mathias Rowan & Nova] (published 30 June 2014) ★★★★

12. Crave the Night [Nathan & Jordana] (published 5 August 2014) ★★★★★
12.5. Tempted by Midnight [Lazaro & Melena] (1001 Dark Nights #10) (published 14 October 2014) ★★★★★
13. Bound to Darkness [Carys & Rune] (published 30 July 2015) ★★★★
13.5 Stroke of Midnight [Jehan & Seraphina] (1001 Dark Nights #26) (published 13 October 2015) ★★★★★
14. Defy the Dawn [Zael & Brynne(published 1 June 2016) ★★★★★

14.5 Midnight Untamed [Ettore & Bella] (1001 Dark Nights #47) (published 11 October 2016) ★★★★
14.6 Midnight Unbound [Scythe & Chiara]
 (published 14 March 2017) ★★★★½
14.7 Midnight Unleashed [Trygg & Tamisia] (1001 Dark Nights #69) (published 10 October 2017) ★★★½ 
15. Claimed in Shadows [Aric Chase & Kaya Laurent] (published 23 January 2018) ★★★ 
16. Break the Day [Xander Raphael "Rafe" Malebranche & Devony Winters] (published 30 July 2019) ★★★★½ 
17. Fall of Night [Micah & Phaedra] (published 31 January 2021)) ★★★★½
18. King of Midnight [Darion Thorne & Selene the Atlantean Queen] (to be Published 31 March 2022)

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