Kiss of Midnight

The Midnight Breed, Book 1

By: Lara Adrian

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell's deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night---or this man---is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed---a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite. Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren.

A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind---and the unwitting humans existing alongside them---from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands. Here, in the arms of the Breed's formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all.

©2007 Lara Adrian (P)2010 Tantor

Another new adult vampire story

This series is frequently compared with JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood. They are similar but I don't think they are as close as some people say. I had forgotten I got this series from the library several years ago. That will teach me to buy a lot of audiobooks that I don't have time to listen to. I bought this one in 2015. Spoilers ahead.

It's meant to be romantic but Lucan arrives at her home with police credentials. He hypnotizes her into leaving the door unlocked. He shows up later, performs oral sex, goes to bite her, and discovers she's a breed mate. He selflessly leaves. She thinks she had a hot dream. Gabrielle is a bit too simpering for my taste and a lot of the Breed Warrior culture is pretty creepy.

Rolled my eyes a lot

The story was ok if you like too angst-y vampires with huge amounts of self loathing. The "romance" was a vomit inducing deluge of white knight rescues.
I'm a HEA(happily ever after) girl - I want the heroine to get her guy but this was a bit much. The sex scenes were pretty explicit with heavy use of unimaginative language. I was most bothered by the term "breed mate" used throughout the book. The breed mates were women who pledged their undying love and existed to bear the vampires children. So the term brood mare might have been more accurate. If you are looking for a series with a strong female lead with some sense in her "pretty lil head" then this is not it. If you are looking for a sexy romance with vampires then this may satisfy you. Or at least hold you over until a new Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs novel comes out.

excellent

it was excellent reading she told the story very well and I understood it I love to listen to her read

Too corny for me.

it needed more background and overall it was just too superficial for me. I struggled to finish it.

Horrible Narrator

This book had so much potential, but the narrator's voice ruined it. The series needs to be re-recorded with a better voice actor. Such a shame.

Loved it!

I have a 45 minute commute to work and TRY to save my audio books for the drive. I couldn't, however, stop listening to this one! Great story... can't wait to start on the second book! Narrator did a great job as well. Worth the credit for sure!

Love the story

I've read this book several times but decided to try listening to it for when I'm at work. I already loved the story and was turned off by Hilary Huber. She sounds board and dull, like she hates her job. I'm still not a huge fan of her, but I feel like the story is worth it.

A little hard to swallow...

Would you consider the audio edition of Kiss of Midnight to be better than the print version?

Overall, I enjoyed the story. The only things that hung me up was the whole Vampires are aliens bit. I got over that pretty quickly. The other thing was the marks that the mates have. Correct e if I'm wrong, but the human race isn't magical on it's own and wouldn't have any vamps if, according to story cannon, they hadn't arrived and started taking wives. I just find the idea that human women who could mate to the vamps would have a mark saying they could be possible mates. It doesn't make any sense to me, unless they have magic? But we aren't lead to that possibility at all because their abilities are explained away as aliens who crash landed.

All in all, I'll probably suspend belief and listen to more. They're fairly well written, even if the sex is raunchy.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The mystery involved with the Rogues. The Alien backstory.

Have you listened to any of Hillary Huber’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first book I listened to by her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really.

Gives JR Ward a run for the money

I know I like an Author when I google to see what else they've written. This was a great debut and I can't wait for the rest of the series to become available on Audible.

Read it years ago...

Would you consider the audio edition of Kiss of Midnight to be better than the print version?

I love audio much better.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the new twist on vampires and how they came into existence. I read this years ago and I enjoyed this series.

Any additional comments?

If you like vampire stories then I think you would like this. Keep in mind this is the first book of a series. In my opinion it's not as good as the JR Wards Brotherhood series, but it does remind me of that series.