Review: Deeper Than Midnight - Lara Adrian

Delivered from the darkness, a woman finds herself plunged into a passion that is DEEPER THAN MIDNIGHT . . .

At eighteen, Corinne Bishop was a beautiful, spirited young woman living a life of privilege as the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. Her world was changed in an instant when she was stolen away and held prisoner by the malevolent vampire Dragos. After many years of captivity and torment, Corinne is rescued by the Order, a cadre of vampire warriors embroiled in a war against Dragos and his followers. Her innocence taken, Corinne has lost a piece of her heart as well--the one thing that gave her hope during her imprisonment, and the only thing that matters to her now that she is free.

Assigned to safeguard Corinne on her trip home is a formidable golden-eyed Breed male called Hunter. Once Dragos's most deadly assassin, Hunter now works for the Order, and he's hell-bent on making Dragos pay for his manifold sins. Bonded to Corinne by their mutual desire, Hunter will have to decide how far he'll go to end Dragos's reign of evil--even if carrying out his mission means shattering Corinne's tender heart.

The Midnight Breed Series:
A Touch of Midnight (Novella included in The Midnight Breed Series Companion, now also available separately)
Kiss of Midnight
Kiss of Crimson
Midnight Awakening
Midnight Rising
Veil of Midnight
Ashes of Midnight
Shades of Midnight
Taken by Midnight
Deeper than Midnight
A Taste of Midnight (Novella)
Darker After Midnight
The Midnight Breed Series Companion
Edge of Dawn
Marked by Midnight (Novella)
Crave the Night
Tempted by Midnight (Novella)
Bound to Darkness
Stroke of Midnight (Novella)
Defy the Dawn
Midnight Untamed (Novella)
Midnight Unbound (Novella)
Midnight Unleashed (Novella)
Claimed in Shadows
Break the Day

Hunter Legacy Series:
(A series of standalone romances set in the Midnight Breed world)
Born of Darkness
Hour of Darkness
Edge of Darkness

Visit Lara Adrian's website  for more information about the Midnight Breed series you will find excerpts from each of the books.  Lara can also be found on Facebook & Twitter where she posts regular updates or you can join other fans to chat about the books over at the LAMB (Lara Adrian Midnight Breed) Forum

Review:
Deeper than Midnight is the 9th book in the Midnight Breed series so although this review won't contain spoilers for this book it may include information from previous books.  You might want to skip reading this review if you're not up to date with the series.  If you're new to this series it is one I would highly recommend, it is absolutely my favourite paranormal romance series (for me even topping J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books) and each book consistently manages to raise the standards and leave you desperate for the next installment.  I would definitely recommend reading the series in order though starting with Kiss of Midnight.

Deeper than Midnight picks up the story just after the ending of Taken by Midnight, Corinne and the other Breedmates have just been rescued by the Order from Dragos' lair and are still struggling to come to terms with the torture they have suffered for years. Corinne was his captive for 75 years and doesn't recognise the world she now finds herself in, she is desperate to see her family but scared that they will have forgotten her and nervous about how they will react when they find out what she has been through.  Hunter was bred by Dragos from the ancient and raised as a lethal killer so he more than anyone else knows what Dragos is capable of.  When he is given the task of returning Corinne to her family he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her but has no idea how to deal with his attraction.

I have been a massive fan of the Midnight Breed series for several years now so I can't tell you how excited I was to get my hands on the latest installment!  I feels like I've been waiting for Hunter's story forever so I couldn't start reading fast enough.  Lara Adrian is my favourite author so be prepared for a bit of a fan girl review, she writes fabulous romances and the ongoing story arc about the Order and Dragos is full of suspense and intrigue that has me on the edge of my seat.

Corinne has suffered unimaginable torture during the years that Dragos held her captive, the worst by far being the loss of her son who was taken from her moments after her birth.  The only thing that kept her sane was the thought that one day she might be able to see him again and now she is free she is determined to track him down so they can finally be together.  She will do whatever it takes to find him but she is unsure of who she can trust to help her.  She is also desperate to see her family again but after finding out that they thought she was dead she is nervous about how they will react when they see her again.  Corinne hopes that they will be able to help her find her son but would never have guessed at the reaction she gets when they see her. 

Hunter was raised by Dragos as a killing machine, as a Gen One Breed male he is strong, fast and powerful and he was trained from a young age to block out all emotion and focus on the task at hand.  Since he was freed and joined the Order he has focused single mindedly on bringing Dragos down and killing anyone who is in league with him.  He comes across as cold and emotionless but that is down to his upbringing, it was seen as a weakness to have feelings and Dragos would not tolerate weakness of any kind.  Hunter is drawn to Corinne but he doesn't know how to deal with the feelings that she brings out in him, when it comes to love Hunter is as naive and innocent as they come but he can't deny his attraction.

I loved watching Hunter and Corinne together, they both had terrible pasts but in their own ways are quite innocent, they are well suited to each other and make a great couple.  We get to see plenty of the rest of the Order and life in the compound which I loved.  Tess and Dante have some exciting news and let me just say that Dante stole my heart all over again (you'll have to read the book to find out why!).  Dragos has been busy plotting against the Order and the warriors find themselves at greater risk than ever before, the action had me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth and I'm still worried about how things will play out in the next few books.  The scene has been set nicely for Chase's story, he has always been my least favourite character in the series, I'm not sure why but I never really took to him.  I have to admit that my opinion has changed and I'm now really looking forward to his book.

I had hoped to find out more about the changes taking place with Jenna but there was so much going on that I didn't really think about that until after I'd finished reading.  The story is fast paced and action packed and I'm sure it will satisfy fans of the series.  I will warn you that the ending almost killed me - I can't believe I've got to wait a whole year to find out what happens next!  Believe me this is one you don't want to miss but make sure you've read the rest of the series before picking it up - once you're drawn into the world Lara Adrian has created you won't want to leave it.

Source: I received an ebook ARC from Lara Adrian in exchange for an honest review but I've already pre-ordered my copy to take pride of place on my shelves with the rest of the series.

Other Reviews:
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