Midnight Rising (Midnight Breed) [Kindle Edition]

I know I've said it before in other reviews but I really do recommend that if you are new to the series that you start with the first book Kiss of Midnight. Although each of the books can be read seperately if you just concentrate on the relationship that develops between the main 2 characters you will miss out on information in the ongoing war between the Order & the Rogues if you read the books out of order. Whether you are new to the series or part way through it I'd recommend you only read reviews of the next book you're going to read.

Rio makes a fantastic tortured bad boy & I really love how his character develops in this book. When we first met him in Kiss of Midnight he seemed like a happy go lucky guy who would take everything in his stride, of course - not surprisingly - that all changed after he was almost killed in an explosion after the betrayal of his Breedmate Eva. Since then he has suffered enormous physical and emotional pain. He is filled with rage against Eva and suffers with blackouts and half of his face and body are covered with horrific scars.

Rio was given the task of destroying the hibernation chamber of one of the Ancients that was discovered by the Order in the Czech Republic but he has failed to carry out his mission. He has been living in the cave for several months, slowly going mad from his physical and mental anguish that has been increased by his hunger. He is desperate to end his suffering and is planning on destroying the cave with himself inside it. Before he can carry out his plan he is discovered by Dylan who finds the cave when hiking in the mountains while on holiday with friends. Before he realises what is happening she has managed to take photos of both the cave & Rio.

The very existance of the photos threatens the Breed with discovery by humans so Rio has to make sure Dylan doesn't make them public. Things get even more complicated when he discovers that Dylan is a Breedmate and he has no choice but to ask for assistance from the Order to help him fix his mistake.

I really like the way the relationship develops between Rio and Dylan. They both have issues from their past that they need to deal with but the way they are drawn to each other is very believable. If you've already started reading this series you'll find this book is still fast paced with plenty of action as I'm sure you'll have come to expect. I found that this book spent more time concentrating on the main characters than some of the other books have which I really enjoyed. I also like the way the background story of the ongoing war is developing. Rather than having just one single enemy throughout the series the Order defeat one threat only to discover an even more evil plot. I can't wait to read Niko's story in Veil of Midnight!

I first picked up Lara Adrian as my friendly local librarian had bought the series in and had reserved them for me, thinking that I might like them, given that I like most paranormals. I tried out the series, and immediately saw a resemblance to the BDB series by JR Ward, but the characters seem more believeable (Noughties-living guys, but not freakishly huge like the BDB, believeable romances and some hot sex!!)and seem to move on quicker. So far, Midnight Rising has been my fave, as Rio is a tortured soul and Dylan helps him come back and believe in himself. I think that when eventually Tohrment's book comes out, it will not be dissimilar to this one. I strongly recommend reading the entire series, in the order published for continuity, and look forward to the Dec 08 release. Hey, amazon.co.uk., why don't you have it available to preorder yet?

Firstly - if you are new to Lara Adrian and the Midnight Breed series, stop, go back and search for 'Kiss of Midnight' and start reading from the first in the series - it's a fabulous introduction to Lara Adrian. You can read each book in the series as stand alone books, but the progression through each book of the characters (both good and bad) is going to be easier to keep track of if you start at the beginning.

Adrian has continued to stake out her claim to a part of the para-mance genre with this next installment of the series. It's very fast paced. By not taking up too much of Rio & Dylan's story introducing the new bad guys, Adrian has made this a very fluid book. It now holds the record for how quickly I can read a 350 page book (3hrs). At the beginning of the series we are faced with only Rogues to cope with but as the series has gone on the baddies have gotten more and more evil and each have their own selfish motives. I find this far more intriguing than other series where the baddies remain constant and their motives never change.

I was not convinced that I was going to enjoy this book, mainly because of the glaring similarities between Zadist in the BDB series and Rio. Zadist being my favourite character of all the paranormal romance I have read makes it hard for me to appreciate Rio in his own right. For people familiar Wards BDB series - Rio is definately no Zadist... those of you who have read Z's book will know what I mean. Having said that though, don't let these likenesses put you off Midnight Rising, the fourth in the Midnight Breed series. I still thoroughly recommend this book. Rio and Dylan's story while not the best story in the Midnight Breed series is good enough to keep me hooked and looking forward to experiencing more of Adrian's dark world of Breed Warriors.