Boston, Massachusetts- Present Day

Gabrielle Maxwell is a photographer. She has always felt like an outsider, isolated from the carefree and happy lives of those around her, and her photos reflect that -- isolated shots of abandoned and unused landscapes. After a very successful showing, her friends talk her into celebrating at a new club. Never one to be in a party mood, the revelers out tonight make Gabrielle more than uneasy. When she can't stand the tension and violence she feels in the air around her any longer, she decides to leave early. As she hails a cab, she is drawn to an alley by some odd noises. What Gabrielle witnesses is a frenzy of ripping flesh and spraying blood. When the attackers notice her, she makes a narrow escape, blinding them with her cell phone camera’s flash. Taking her photos to the police proves pointless, when they check out the scene, there is no trace of a violent and bloody struggle, and her photos are too grainy to see exactly what is happening on them. What Gabrielle has seen, however, will change her life in ways she could never have imagined.

Lucan Thorne is a warrior. He is a rare first generation vampire, the first offspring of an ancient alien race and a human mother who could carry a hybrid child. All of the ancient ones are gone, killed by their first offspring for decimating human populations with their bloodlust. While Lucan and others like him need human blood to survive, they live off of hosts. When they must kill to feed, they choose people who are criminals. There have always been rogue vampires who give into the addiction of bloodlust, and those are the ones that Lucan, and the warriors he leads, must destroy. When he sees the woman stumble upon a rogue kill, Lucan is drawn to something he senses about her. When she is able to escape the frenzied rogues, he is amazed. After dispatching the rogues, and cleaning up the evidence of violence, Lucan tracks her to her home. He is able to convince her that he is a detective and secure her cell phone. However, he is fascinated with Gabrielle and her photographs. He recognizes her loneliness and emotional detachment as a mirror of his own life. When he decides to seduce her, he also recognizes her birthmark. Gabrielle is a Breedmate, able to bear the next generation of vampire offspring. Lucan will never take a Breedmate, his own history is too dangerous to do so, but he cannot leave her on her own. Lucan knows that one rogue escaped his vengeance and can identify Gabrielle, putting her in danger of a fate worse than death.

Lucan fears that another very powerful vampire is declaring war and gathering the rogues together into a large force. Can he and his warriors protect the human population in time to prevent another mass slaughter? And can Lucan protect himself from the magnetic attraction he has to Gabrielle Maxwell?

KISS OF MIDNIGHT is a modern gothic tale, rich with dark, tortured souls. Richly detailed characters and locales fuel a story filled with old pain and loss. Both Lucan and Gabrielle are alone in the world, and both are resigned to lonely, isolated lives. While they fight the attraction they feel toward each other, their individual strength and courage grows by simply being together. Expansive back stories make the characters and story come alive. The mix of warrior knights, both ancient and new, and present-day life make the story pop. The pacing never wavers, and the writing is lush, fresh, and sensual. This book fully earns the RRT Perfect 10 rating for storytelling; it grabs you from page one and holds you to the end. This is a great start to a new series. For a can't-put-it-down thriller, pick-up KISS OF MIDNIGHT.

Jennell