Kiss of Crimson (The Midnight Breed, 2) by Lara Adrian
Only in movies is the second installment worse than the first. In most of the novels I've read recently that have been serialized the best works have been second or third novels.
This held true for Kiss of Crimson. Book 1 got us started on all the backstory about the Breed and the war with the Rogues and set a very definite rough plot of where the series would be headed.
Kiss of Crimson started right up on the action even though it takes place a few months after Lucan and Gabrielle in Book 1. Dante is out patrolling when he stumbles into a Rogue that doesn't react to titanium the way they normally do. The Rogue fights like an animal and Dante has a hard time taking him out when several other Rogues show up at the scene and blow up the dock. Dante barely escapes into the river and crawls upshore badly injured. He pulls himself into a vetrinary clinic needing to feed and finds Tess Culver alone. He tries to convince her that she's safe and she doesn't put up much of a fight through the feeding but stabs him with a syringe once he's closed the wound on her neck and he's realized that she has the mark of a Breedmate. The syringe knocks him out for a few minutes -- long enough for Tess to call a friend who gets worried and calls the police. Dante isn't out for long and has to scrub her memories so that he'll have time to properly explain things to her later. Obviously a beautiful start to a wonderful relationship
Dante heads back to the compound thinking that there's no way his night could possibly get worse when an agent from the Darkhaven comes by with unexpected news about vanishing teenage vampires and a new drug on the club scene that causes Bloodlust in the teens that take it. Those teens eventually become Rogue which would allow for Lucan's brother Marek to practically manufacture Rogue soldiers for his cause. Agent Chase Sterling wants to help the Order stop whoever is dealing in this drug and bring back the missing teenagers and Lucan has assigned Dante to babysit him.
The plot continues to complicate when Dante can't stop thinking about Tess and shows up at an art show just to see her. Tess has the gift of healing (even among the Breed) although before she met Dante she had sworn never to use her "curse" again. She uses her gift to heal a dog that Dante brought to her (to get closer to her, sneaky guy) and sort of helps Dante to fight off the death visions he's been having all his life. Also through a little digging Dante finds out that one of Tess' best friends is not only the dealer of the drug Crimson but also the man who created and pharms the drug. Agent Chase Sterling also has his own agenda and is looking for his nephew among the missing drug users to impress his widowed sister-in-law.
Eventually Dante and Chase catch Tess' friend Ben (the drug dealer that Tess didn't really know about) but Chase lets him go and then Ben gets kidnapped by Marek's minions. Tess was walking by Ben's apartment and Rogues set upon her and nearly killed her with their feeding. Dante goes berserk and pretty much takes out all the Rogues present before deciding that only his blood can heal her. This would complete the Breedmate process something that Dante had been reluctant to do without explaining the ramifications to her or even asking her permission.
Tess did go a little crazy when she realized what had happened and left the compound in broad daylight. Dante is felled by the same death vision he's had all his life but he realizes that it is not HIS death he sees, but Tess' and Dante realizes he can't just let her go to face her possible death. So Dante goes out in broad daylight with Agent Chase and Niko to save her and gets badly burned in the process. It's after this that Tess realizes that no matter what Dante inherently is he still loves her.
The story is more complicated and dramatic than the first and even our heroine Tess seems to be a stronger character than Gabrielle ever was. Tess' whole history and her overcoming her demons automatically make her a more realistic and courageous woman.
Only in movies is the second installment worse than the first. In most of the novels I've read recently that have been serialized the best works have been second or third novels.
This held true for Kiss of Crimson. Book 1 got us started on all the backstory about the Breed and the war with the Rogues and set a very definite rough plot of where the series would be headed.
Kiss of Crimson started right up on the action even though it takes place a few months after Lucan and Gabrielle in Book 1. Dante is out patrolling when he stumbles into a Rogue that doesn't react to titanium the way they normally do. The Rogue fights like an animal and Dante has a hard time taking him out when several other Rogues show up at the scene and blow up the dock. Dante barely escapes into the river and crawls upshore badly injured. He pulls himself into a vetrinary clinic needing to feed and finds Tess Culver alone. He tries to convince her that she's safe and she doesn't put up much of a fight through the feeding but stabs him with a syringe once he's closed the wound on her neck and he's realized that she has the mark of a Breedmate. The syringe knocks him out for a few minutes -- long enough for Tess to call a friend who gets worried and calls the police. Dante isn't out for long and has to scrub her memories so that he'll have time to properly explain things to her later. Obviously a beautiful start to a wonderful relationship
Dante heads back to the compound thinking that there's no way his night could possibly get worse when an agent from the Darkhaven comes by with unexpected news about vanishing teenage vampires and a new drug on the club scene that causes Bloodlust in the teens that take it. Those teens eventually become Rogue which would allow for Lucan's brother Marek to practically manufacture Rogue soldiers for his cause. Agent Chase Sterling wants to help the Order stop whoever is dealing in this drug and bring back the missing teenagers and Lucan has assigned Dante to babysit him.
The plot continues to complicate when Dante can't stop thinking about Tess and shows up at an art show just to see her. Tess has the gift of healing (even among the Breed) although before she met Dante she had sworn never to use her "curse" again. She uses her gift to heal a dog that Dante brought to her (to get closer to her, sneaky guy) and sort of helps Dante to fight off the death visions he's been having all his life. Also through a little digging Dante finds out that one of Tess' best friends is not only the dealer of the drug Crimson but also the man who created and pharms the drug. Agent Chase Sterling also has his own agenda and is looking for his nephew among the missing drug users to impress his widowed sister-in-law.
Eventually Dante and Chase catch Tess' friend Ben (the drug dealer that Tess didn't really know about) but Chase lets him go and then Ben gets kidnapped by Marek's minions. Tess was walking by Ben's apartment and Rogues set upon her and nearly killed her with their feeding. Dante goes berserk and pretty much takes out all the Rogues present before deciding that only his blood can heal her. This would complete the Breedmate process something that Dante had been reluctant to do without explaining the ramifications to her or even asking her permission.
Tess did go a little crazy when she realized what had happened and left the compound in broad daylight. Dante is felled by the same death vision he's had all his life but he realizes that it is not HIS death he sees, but Tess' and Dante realizes he can't just let her go to face her possible death. So Dante goes out in broad daylight with Agent Chase and Niko to save her and gets badly burned in the process. It's after this that Tess realizes that no matter what Dante inherently is he still loves her.
The story is more complicated and dramatic than the first and even our heroine Tess seems to be a stronger character than Gabrielle ever was. Tess' whole history and her overcoming her demons automatically make her a more realistic and courageous woman.
I believe the next one has to do with Tegan and Elise, which makes me wonder what is going to happen with Agent Chase (who had fancied Elise). I guess I'll have to read and see...
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