Because of illness and fragility, Tavia Fairchild has lived
a sheltered life. However, her inner strength has still
allowed her to have a career that places her in contact
with people of influence and the manipulative power-games
they play. Still, seeing a man attempt to kill someone
right in front of her has shaken her to the core, so she
is, if not eager, at least prepared to be the witness
responsible for keeping him under lock and key. Little does
she know, Breeds don't stay under lock and key for long,
and Sterling Chase, known as "Harvard" to a few associates,
allowed himself to be caught as one final play to help the
others regroup. He sees it as a final noble act as he
edges closer to the Bloodlust that will make him a
feral rogue, so his time is running out.
When Tavia saw him, he was trying to shoot Dragos, the bane
of Breeds' existence, a man who does more than dabble in
genetic research and wants to drop the vow of secrecy under
which they have survived for so long and which keeps Breeds
safely under the human radar. Now, Chase has confessed to
everything but the JFK shooting, but he quickly discovers
that perhaps his final act was a bit premature: Tavia
Fairchild is more than she seems.
Together, Chase and Tavia have to unravel the web of lies
surrounding her life. She doesn't know where she should
place her trust, but when the sexy man with the broken
soul, glowing eyes, and fangs appears to be the only person
she can count on, Tavia realizes how dramatically changed
her life has become and must disvcover if she can even
begin to pick up the pieces.
Chase and Tavia are brilliantly developed characters.
Chase's belief that he is some golden-boy fraud in
comparison with his family, particularly his brother,
contributes to his fight with the Bloodlust as well as his
fight with his attraction to Tavia. His desire not to hurt
her in combination with his desire for her is realistic and
well-written. In addition, despite her unusual history and
current unexpected plunge into the tumultuous Breed world,
she is a fiery character who wants control of her life and
her decisions. The combination is explosive, particularly
when placed within the context of a world where one never
knows who will prove worthy of trust and who will be a
betrayer.
Adrian, as always, does an excellent job with fascinating
exposition. Even if one has not read the other Midnight
Breed novels (and why not? Put that on your to-do
list!),
the reader is not left in the dark about other characters
or their back stories. For long-time lovers of the entire
Midnight Breed series: DARKER AFTER MIDNIGHT keeps
up-to-
date on the Breeds, their mates, and the challenges they
prepare to face as they discover increasingly complex
information not only about Dragos' nefarious plans for the
future, but also about their entire race's past.
The climactic novel in the bestselling Midnight Breed
series, of which BookPage raves: “If you like romance
combined with heart-stopping paranormal suspense, you’re
going to love this book.”
In the dark of night, a blood war escalates within the
hidden world of the Breed. After maintaining a fragile peace
with the humans who walk beside them unaware, a single act
of retaliation has put the vampire nation at risk of
discovery. It falls to the Order—a cadre of Breed warriors
pledged to protect their own and humankind alike—to stop
Dragos, the power-mad vampire, before his push for
domination explodes into catastrophe.
At the center of the Order’s quest is Sterling Chase, whose
biggest battle is the one he wages against his own savage
nature. But when his eyes meet those of Tavia Fairchild,
Chase finds himself drawn to the woman—and convinced she is
something much more than she seems. And while everything
logical warns Tavia against getting close to Chase, she
cannot deny that he stirs something ravenous within her. As
the Order’s enemy mobilizes for the battle of the ages,
Chase and Tavia are thrust into the heart of the violence.
With time running out, they must find a way to defeat Dragos
once and for all—or die trying.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Lara Adrian's
Edge of Dawn and the novella, "A Taste of Midnight."