ASHES OF MIDNIGHT - Lara Adrian
Midnight Breed Series, Book 6
A Perfect 10
Dell
ISBN: 978-0-440-24450-9
June 2009
Paranormal Romance

Berlin, Germany and Boston, Massachusetts - Present Day

In the aftermath of the slaughter of his Breed brethren, Andreas Reichen is consumed by the need to wreak vengeance upon those responsible for the deaths of innocent women and children. While he was out of town, a powerful member of the Breed Enforcement Agency turned Andreas’s human lover into a minion and ordered her to murder everyone in his Darkhaven. The horrific carnage that awaited him when he returned home has unleashed a terrible power that Andreas had long struggled to contain. He will use his curse to destroy Wilhelm Roth, the vampire responsible, and all those who serve him. Roth is blood bonded to the only woman Andreas ever loved, and he will use Claire’s bond to hunt down his mortal enemy.

Claire Roth has long regretted the impetuous decision to become Wilhelm’s mate thirty years ago after an argument with Andreas. As she mourns Andreas’s death and plans a memorial for the Darkhaven site, her quiet life erupts into fiery violence. When Andreas walks out of the flames, he is a man Claire no longer recognizes. He is consumed by revenge and so filled with hatred that Claire fully expects to die. When Andreas informs her that Wilhelm is responsible for the deaths of his brethren, Claire is sure that grief has taken his sanity. But, as the evidence against Wilhelm mounts, she will choose to help Andreas avenge his family and kill the monster who is her mate. Claire will also try to save Andreas and the love that they still share.

ASHES OF MIDNIGHT is a powerful tale of two people living behind public facades. Andreas has lived life seeming to be a carefree bon vivant indulging in a hedonistic life of pleasure. His reality is much darker; he has had to learn to control the pyrokinesis that forced him to flee from Claire when it first surfaced during their affair. Claire has lived life as the perfect Breedmate, hiding behind a vacuous smile and perfect manners. Her cold, empty mating actually finds her preferring a life of quiet solitude dreaming of the man she secretly loves. When their public lives are shattered, Andreas and Claire must face reality together or die.

The superior storytelling that is the hallmark of this series is still going strong in this book. Dark, brooding, and intensely sensual characters with detailed histories draw the reader into this parallel universe of good and evil. After Roth is connected to a powerful vampire who is trying to wrest control of the Breed away from the Order and the Darkhavens, the action moves to Boston and picks up with the rest of the Warriors. Reading the previous books in the series is recommended to enjoy this story to the fullest extent. The emotional depth and originality in this installment earns this book an RRT Perfect 10 rating. Deeply moving and fiery hot romance make ASHES OF MIDNIGHT a book that is a must read for paranormal aficionados.

Jennell