Romance Reviews: Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Gabrielle Maxwell is a professional photographer, and one of the youngest to have her photos hung in museums. What Gabrielle doesn't realize is that her skills hide a special ability--the ability to instinctively photograph places were the Breed and their enemies, the Rogues, live in and around the city of Boston. An ability that makes her a danger to herself and others. But Gabrielle hides other dark secrets, like the fact her birth mother abandoned her in a dumpster when she was a baby, and the very disturbing need to cut herself and make herself bleed. But when Gabrielle witness a brutal murder, it brings her face to face with one of the most dangerous and seductive men she's ever met, Detective Lucan Thorne. 

Lucan Thorne is anything but a detective. In fact he is a Gen One of the Breed--a vampire whose sire crashed landed on Earth centuries ago. These alien creatures, whose taste for blood, destroyed whole civilizations in ancient times, raping and pillaging as they went. But a few special women who were raped by the monsters, carried their seed to term, to give birth to a new generation of vampires, ones who were half human, half vampire. Seeing the need to destroy their alien sires before they destroyed mankind, Lucan and had a handful of his brethren created the Order to protect both human and vampire kind from the terrible Ancients. Now with the Ancients gone, the Order fights the Rogues--vampires addicted to blood, so deep in bloodlust they will kill anyone to feed their hunger. Lucan is one of the few remaining Gen One vampires which means his need for blood is so strong that if he's not careful he could become a Rogue himself. But when a beautiful young woman witnesses and even photographs a group of Rogues killing and feeding off a man, Lucan must track her down to find out what she knows before she tells anyone else what she's seen. 

Much to Lucan's dismay, he finds Gabrielle not only irresistible, but wants him with the same intensity as he desires her. Desperate to drive his need for her out of his system, he seduces her, only to discover that one long, hard night of passion is not even close to being enough to cool his adore for her. He wants her as he has never wanted a woman, which scares him all the more. Especially when he realizes she is a Breedmate, one of those rare females who can bond with one of the Breed and give birth to the vampires. One bite of her sweet blood, and he will forever bind them together, which he can never allow--not when he is so close to loosing himself to the bloodlust. When Lucan discovers that Gabrielle has been cutting herself for years, not to cause pain but to bleed, he realizes it is her innate need to mate with one of the Breed who would feed from her regularly. It is time for Gabrielle to learn who and what she really is, and why her special ability to find vampire shelters is so dangerous. He has no choice but to bring her into his dark world. 

Gabrielle doesn't know what to think when Lucan saves her life from a man determined to kill her, only to discover that Lucan himself is a monster. A vampire. Yet, somewhere deep inside her, she's known the truth all along, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept. And when Gabrielle is thrown into the dark world of the Breed, she finds herself in terrible danger...of not only falling in love with Lucan who wants nothing to do with her, but being a pawn in the deadly war between the Breed and the Rogues. And time is running out for Lucan...can Gabrielle save him from himself? Or will Lucan turn Rogue and destroy them both? 

Lara Adrian's Kiss of Midnight is a provocative thrill ride that sucks you into a dark world of hot vampires and dangerous passions. A thousand years old, Lucan takes his duties to the Order very seriously and the last thing he wants is to get involved with a human female. Even if that female happens to be one of the most stunning and alluring women he's met in a very long tome. In fact, the harder he tries to the resist her, the more he wants her, which is enough to drive this controlled warrior mad. Gabrielle has no idea who and what she truly is, only that she finds Lucan irresistible in a way she's never felt before. And when she discovers he's a vampire and she's suppose to bond with one of his kind, her world is turned upside down and inside out. I found both Lucan and Gabrielle to be deeply complex and compelling characters tortured by pasts they cannot change yet refuse to hide from. Lucan is one hot alpha vampire who's seen too much. He doesn't realize what he has with Gabrielle until it's almost too late. And Gabrielle is his perfect mate: strong, intelligent, courageous, and yet tender of heart. I loved watching these two characters grow and discover a future they could have together. I think Ms. Adrian has created a unique and dynamic world of vampires, one which I can't wait to visit again in the next book in the Midnight Breed series.

Romance Reviews: Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney

Sophie Garou has it all: she's an auditor at a top accounting firm in Austin, her boss is considering her for partnership, she has clothes to die for, and she has a gorgeous lawyer boyfriend who could be a GQ Cover Model and wants to marry her. She only has one tiny, teeny problem...she's a werewolf. Not to mention, her mother is a physic witch who owns the Sit A Spell new age store. Life is good, as long as Sophie drinks plenty of wolfsbane tea (which prevents her from changing at the most inconvenient moments), she constantly shaves her legs, stays away from the other werewolves living in Austin (thankfully the werewolf population is small), and she's able to escape a couple of days a month for the full moon. 

In fact, everything is just peachy until she arrives at work one day to find a strange care package waiting for her. The problem? Besides the awful poetry, somebody knows what she is and is threatening to expose her. As if that weren't bad enough, Sophie gets a phone call from one of the employees at the Sit A Spell..her mother has been arrested for the murder of Ted Brewster, a city councilman. Her mother might be a little crazy but she certainly isn't a murderer. Sophie figures the day can't get any worse, when on the way to the courthouse, she comes face to face with her first werewolf sighting in Austin. And what a werewolf! He's a gorgeous Norse god with long blond hair, piercing amber eyes and a body that makes her drool. She knows instant lust, it hits her like a ton of bricks. And he sees her! Which means if he's a part of a pack, then lone wolf Sophie is in big trouble. 

Why do the police think Sophie's mom killed Brewster? Because the Love Potion he purchased from Sit A Spell, poisoned him. But Sophie knows her mother is too good of a witch to make such a terrible mistake. In fact, Sophie's mom comes from a long line of Romanian gypsy witches, and her potions and spells are her legacy--one that Sophie doesn't share. After bailing her mother out, Sophie and her best friend, Lindsey, decide to join her mother's séance in hopes of bringing Brewster's ghost back from the other side and find out who really killed him. Depending on your point of view, it goes better than expected, Brewster does come back, but Sophie doesn't understand his clues--apparently he doesn't know who killed him... Still something is better than nothing, especially when Sophie has to come up with the real murderer and fast. And who should show up at her mother's store? THE werewolf! Not only is he as drop dead gorgeous up close and personal, but he definitely remembers Sophie. Tom Fenris is one yummy bad boy...er wolf and now Lindsey wants to date him. Problem is, having been abandoned by her father when she was just a pup, Sophie has no idea if Tom plans to take Lindsey out to dinner, or eat her for dinner. 

Where is Sophie the day of the full moon? In Austin. First she has to give a presentation to a potential new client interested in the accounting firm, and Sophie's boss will except nothing short of her death to get out of the meeting. Then, Sophie's boyfriend has planned a romantic dinner to celebrate the anniversary of their first date, and he won't take no for an answer. What is a werewolf to do? Take lots and lots and lots of wolfsbane tea, which has the unfortunate side of effect of giving Sophie a rubber tongue, hot flashes, and hallucinations. Not to mention, Sophie isn't any closer to figuring out who murdered Brewster, nor does she know who's sending those atrocious care packages... Will Sophie ever get her mom off the hook? Will she stop whoever is threatening to expose her wild side? And how will she ever cope with her fierce attraction to Tom when Lindsay's dating him? 

Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney is a fast paced, sassy ride with plenty of laugh-out-loud humour. Sophie maybe young, attractive, and a real go-getter, but she's also a werewolf. And though she tries hard to ignore her wolfy nature, it keeps coming back to bite her in the ass. Heath is her human boyfriend, who hasn't a clue that she gets hairy on the full moon, and she wants to keep it that way. Tom is one hot, hot, HOT werewolf, with a mysterious past and a deep interest in Sophie. But Sophie wants nothing to do with him despite the searing kisses they share. I loved getting to know Sophie Garou and all her foibles. The writing is strong and flowing, and the ending left me wanting more. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Keep them coming, Ms. MacInerney!

Book Review: Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

Clayton was a six year old human boy when he became a werewolf. It wasn't an accident-he asked for the bite which would fling him into a new and deadly world. Now alone, and struggling to understand his new abilities, Clayton becomes more animal than human, surviving by his wolf instincts in the wilds of the bayou outside Baton Rouge. Unable to remember his former life or family, he hides away from humanity, barely able to feed the gnawing hunger in his belly. 

Clayton is brutally attacked by a strange man who turns out to be a werewolf. After tainting his den, the werewolf leaves an injured Clayton to die. But the boy is stronger than even he imagined, and after many weeks, is healed and life continues... Until another werewolf appears. Though similar in appearance to Clayton's attacker, this one was does not do him harm, but simply watches him with kind eyes. The next day, he brings food, and over the course of many weeks, begins to build Clayton's trust. Eventually, Clayton becomes domesticated, wearing clothing, and re-learning language. And with it, he learns the werewolf's name is Jeremy. 

When Jeremy finally takes Clayton to his home in upstate New York, the boy begins to learn exactly who and what he is. And that his attacker is none other than Jeremy's father-Malcolm, a brutish werewolf who despises his son and happens to be the enforcer for the Pack. If not for Jeremy's grandfather leaving everything to him, Malcolm would have killed his son long ago. Clayton begins to realize that Malcolm is the source of most of Jeremy's problems-like making his life a living hell-and one way or another he'll eventually have to be dealt with. 

After nearly a year with Jeremy, it is time for Clayton to meet the Pack. Little does he know that his behaviour could mean his life or death. When Jeremy had proposed to the Alpha he take in the stray werewolf child, he was given a year to see if that child could be a "normal" and productive part of Human and Pack society. When some of his "abnormal" behaviour is revealed to the Alpha, he must await the Pack leader's decision-will Clayton continue to live with Jeremy, or be put down like a rabid wolf? 

Having never read anything from Kelly Armstrong before, I was simply perusing Men of the Otherworld-wondering if I should review it-when I became completely hooked on page one. I love Ms. Armstrong's gritty writing style which sucks you in and makes you part of the novel. Told in the first person (except for Malcolm's story which surrounds Jeremy's birth), it was a real thrill to watch Clayton grow from a frightened werewolf child to a cocky adult werewolf. Clayton's youth is kind of like a werewolf version of the Helen Keller story: he doesn't want to talk, not seeing the logic behind it when grunting and pointing gets the message across; and he has a temper which causes him to throw things around-I'm talking end tables which he smashes against the wall because Jeremy won't let him go outside until Clayton says his request in a full sentence (and Jeremy has the patience of a saint, I might add). Though we discover that Clayton does find his werewolf mate much later on, and we do get to meet Jeremy's mate, this is not a paranormal romance-more like a paranormal novel with a sprinkling of romantic elements. I found Men of the Otherworld utterly fascinating and certainly look forward to reading any future books by Kelley Armstrong.