Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian (spoilers possible)

Book description:

With a dagger in her hand and vengeance on her mind, Darkhaven beauty Elise Chase prowls Boston’s streets in search of retribution against the Rogue vampires who took from her everything she cherished. Using an extraordinary psychic gift, she tracks her prey, well aware that the power she possesses is destroying her. She must learn to harness this gift, and for that she can turn to only one man—the deadliest of the Breed warriors, Tegan.

No stranger to loss, Tegan knows Elise’s pain. He knows fury, but when he slays his enemies it is with ice in his veins. He is perfect in his self-control, until Elise seeks his aid in her personal war. An unholy alliance is forged—a bond that will link them by blood and vow—and plunge them into a tempest of danger, desire, and the darkest passions of the heart. . . .

Wow. This book was fan-freaking-tastic. I loved it from front to back.

Elise Chase is on a mission of vengeance. After watching her son turn Rogue and then be killed in front of her (by her brother-in-law no less), Elise leaves the Boston Darkhaven which has been her sanctuary for close to a century. Though every step she walks through the human world is painful, Elise uses her psychic gift to track down Minions.

Elise totally kicks ass in this book. Introduced in Kiss of Crimson, Elise seemed very sheltered. A “lady of the manor” sort of person. She went from that to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What was great was that Lara Adrian made it completely believable. A mother’s love for her son is a powerful thing. Wanting vengeance can change a person. And boy did it change Elise.

Elise has never forgotten the night that her son was killed. She also hasn’t forgotten the kindness that Tegan showed her on that awful day. Having never expected to see him again, Elise is more than shocked when he comes to her rescue as she’s attacked by a group of Rogues. The last person that Tegan expected to see on the street and covered in blood was Elise Chase. When he finds out what Elise has been up to in the four months since her son’s death, he is floored.

When Elise is targeted by the Rogues and their leader, Marek, Tegan can do nothing other than take her back to the Order’s compound. Though Tegan wants her nowhere near him, he soon finds himself working with Elise to uncover the secret that Marek is willing to kill to protect. Heading to Berlin, Elise and Tegan find themselves drawn to each other though though they both fight their feelings. After 500 years of not having a relationship with any woman, Tegan does not especially like the feelings that Elise invokes. As for Elise, being raised in the Darkhaven, she was taught that the Order’s warriors were little more than savages themselves. Being with Tegan and getting to know the other warriors, Elise knows that these men have been judged unfairly.

I really think that Adrian did a very credible job of making the romance between Elise and Tegan believable. She walked a very fine line as far as deciding when Tegan actually admitted he loved Elise. If it would have happened too soon, it would have been like “yeah right”. If it happened to late, it would have been like “come on already”. I think she did a fantastic job of building the relationship between these two. Though it’s been 500 years since he lost his Breedmate, his pain is just about as fresh as Elise’s. Together they begin to heal each other in a romance that you won’t be able to put down.

4.5 out of 5

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