Kiss of Midnight is Lara Adrian’s debut novel in her Midnight Breed series.

Gabrielle Maxwell has always been something of a loner. At the prime of her career, even the building fame doesn’t fulfill her. She loves her camera, loves the thrill from the perfect shot, yet something is missing. When Gabrielle witnesses a horrifyingly gruesome murder, she’s forced into the world of vampires on the verge of war.

Lucan Thorne is a Breed warrior and the leader of his kind. His only goal is to protect his people and to annihilate those that prey on the humans; anything else is only a distraction. From the first time he sees Gabrielle, everything in both their lives changes. At first he meets with her for damage control; to discover just how much she knows about them. Later he keeps going back to her because he just can’t stay away. When Gabrielle’s life is threatened, Lucan pulls her further into his world. Vowing to protect her, Lucan can’t help but wonder how he’ll ever let her go.

Lara Adrian’s Kiss of Midnight is a brilliant start to a new vampire series. Ms. Adrian easily keeps pace with her paranormal romance counterparts. She’s taken the vampire legend and made it her own; there are some aspects of the lore that readers will recognize, but largely she’s added her own twists. This book was awesome! Ms. Adrian pens the emotions so skillfully that readers are right there with Gabrielle, reeling from one mind blowing revelation to the next. Lucan is torn between duty and want and his torment is obvious. At the same time, you want to shake him. So focused on his only goal, he won’t see that Gabrielle completes him, that she doesn’t make him less than what he is. The chemistry between the two is just…wow! The tug of war only lasts so long and then things get real interesting. I loved Kiss of Midnight. The plot is fresh, the display of characters engaging, and I can’t wait for the release of Kiss of Crimson.

Reviewed by: Jaymi