Gebieterin der Dunkelheit (Midnight Breed, #4) ♦ Lara Adrian | Rezension

Gebieterin der Dunkelheit ist der vierte Hauptband der Midnight Breed – Reihe aus der Feder von Lara Adrian. Mit diesem Buch wurde ich mit vielen Emotionen der Hauptprotagonisten konfrontiert. Nebenher werden immer Rätsel gelöst und der Orden sieht sich eine Bedrohung ausgesetzt, welche nicht nur den Stamm, sondern auch die Menschheit gefährden könnte.



Gebieterin der Dunkelheit ♦ Lara Adrian

Zusammfassung

Gebieterin der Dunkelheit erzählt von Rio und Dylan. Wie in den vorangegangenen drei Bänden, haben auch diese beiden Hauptprotagonisten mit ihren ganz eigenen Dämonen, Ängsten und Sorgen zu kämpfen.

Rio, ein Stammesvampir und Mitglied des Ordens, ist Monate nach dem Verlust und Verrat seiner ehemaligen Gefährtin Eva noch immer von Trauer und Schmerz gezeichnet. Viele Jahrhunderte hat er gegen die Feinde des Stammes und der Menschheit und alles in seiner Macht Stehende getan, um sich und seine Mitstreiter stets zu beschützen. Doch seit seinem “Unfall”, Produkt des Verrats seiner damaligen Gefährtin, bei dem Rio fast tödlich verwundete wurde, ist er nicht mehr er selbst. Ja, ich könnte jetzt wohl mit Sicherheit behaupten, dass PTSD ihn schwer in den Klauen hat.

Als dem Orden bekannt wurde, dass etwas Uraltes und Böses überlebt und befreit wurde, erhält Rio den Auftrag, die “Überwinterungskammer” und sämtliche Beweise über die Existenz eines Ältesten zu zerstören. Dass er plant, sich dabei selbst in den Trümmern zu begraben, lässt er niemanden wissen.

Die Journalist Dylan Alexander reist mit Freundinnen ihrer Mutter durch Europa. In einem Gebirge bei Prag stößt sie bei einer Wanderung auf eine verborgene Grabkammer und sie wittert eine Story. Doch es war kein Zufall, sondern Dylans übersinnliche Gabe, welche sich teils als Fluch empfindet, die sie zu diesem verborgenen Grab geführt hat. Nachdem sie die Grabkammer betreten hat, entdeckt sie uralte, ihr unbekannte, Schriftzeichen. Ein Gefühl des Bösen, das den Raum durchdringt, überkommt sie. Sie stolpert über eine gefährliche Kreatur, einen Mann, dessen Gesicht mit Narben bedeckt ist und Augen voller Schmerz.

Gefahr und Leidenschaft ziehen Rio und Dylan zueinander. Dylan ist der Schlüssel auf der Suche nach Antworten, was den Verbleib des Ältesten und das Verschwinden vieler junger Stammesgefährtinnen betrifft. Doch Dylan ist auch in Gefahr, und nur Rio kann stark genug sein, sie zu beschützen.

Die Charaktere

Rio ist ein Stammeskrieger und einer der treuesten und wildesten seiner Art. Das erste Mal treffen wir in Geliebte der Nacht auf Rio und seine damalige Gefährtin Eva, welche Schuld am jetzigen Aussehen von Rio trägt. Denn ihr Verrat hätte ihm und anderen Waffenbrüdern fast das Leben gekostet. Seither ist Rio verbittert und wütend und voll von schwelendem Hass. Er ist sowohl körperlich als auch emotional gezeichnet. Seine Dämonen sind fast greifbar, doch früher oder später muss er sich ihnen stellen. In vorhergehenden Büchern konnten die ich mitverfolgen, wie sehr Rio um sein Leben gekämpft hat und es war teils herzzerreißend, wie dieser Charakter immer wieder vor körperlichem und emotionalem Schmerz fast auseinanderbricht. Als er kurz davor steht, sein Leben zu beenden, rennt ihm unsere Heldin Dylan in die Arme. Eine langsame Veränderung setzt in Rio ein und ich konnte mitverfolgen, wie er wieder Hoffnung schöpft und sein Charakter beginnt zu heilen. Ich komme nicht um hin, Rio zu bewundern. Lara Adrian hat ihm eine unglaublich realistische Charakterstärke zuteil kommen lassen, die sich auf eine Loyalität und Hingabe, das Richtige zu tun, zuspitzt.

Wie alle Stammesgefährtinnen hat, auch Dylan Alexander hat eine ganz besondere Gabe – sie sieht die Geister junger Frauen und hört auch ihre Stimmen. Doch die Kommunikation ist eine Einbahnstraße. Dylan arbeitet für ein reißerisches Klatschblatt als Journalistin und muss über Aliens und andere mysteriöse Vorgänge schreiben. Als sie während ihre Europaurlaubs ein verstecktes Grab entdeckt, weiß sie, dass sie etwas Echtes hat und wirklich Karriere machen könnte. Dylan war eine andere Heldin, als ich erwartet hatte, und ich bin auch bis zum Ende nicht so wirklich mit ihr warm geworden. Sie ist zwar mitfühlend und hat ein so offenes Herz, doch das ist etwas, was ich nicht richtig beschreiben kann. Dieses Etwas lässt mich einfach nicht an sie herankommen. Trotz dieser “Abneigung” ihr gegenüber muss ich ihr aber ihre bodenständige Persönlichkeit honorieren

Der Plot

Gebieterin der Dunkelheit war so eine gute pragmatische Geschichte. Nachdem ich im ersten Band der Reihe miterleben musste, welchem Verrat Rio erlegen ist, habe ich mit Spannung auf seine Geschichte gewartet. Ich lernte Rio als unbeschwerten und lebenslustigen Stammesvampir kennen, der dann den wohl schwersten Kampf seines Lebens führen muss – eine Rückkehr ins Leben. Auch wenn ich mit Dylan nicht warm wurde, war sie doch genau die Person, die Rio benötigte. Es hat mich wahnsinnig gefreut, dass all sein Schmerz und Hass, von Liebe und einem Happy End abgelöst wurde.

Gebieterin der Dunkelheit spielt ein paar Monate nach dem Ende von Geschöpf der Finsternis. Für seine Waffenbrüder ist Rio ist wie von der Erde verschluckt, denn er ringt wochenlang mit seinem Plan, sich zusammen mit den Geheimnissen um den Ältesten, in der Grabkammer für immer einzuschließen.
Das Geheimnis um den lebenden Ältesten und sein Verschwinden gibt dem Buch die nötige Spannung und eine Wendung, die für mich aber nur teils überraschend war.

Am Ende des Buches erwartete mich trotz eine Happy End zwischen den Hauptcharakteren, ein Cliffhanger, der mich dazu animiert, schnell zum nächsten Band zu greifen. Freunde der Erotik-Romanze kommen auch in Gebieterin der Dunkelheit voll auf ihre Kosten. Die anfängliche Anspannung zwischen den beiden, welche der Entführung Dylans durch rio zu verschulden sit, legt sich im Laufe des Buches und es ist schnell zu erkennen, dass sich beide Charakter emotional und auch körperlich gegenseitig brauchen.

Das einzige Manko, welches auch Schuld an nur drei Sternen ist, dass Dylan nicht realistischer als Opfer einer Entführung dargestellt wird. Unabhängig von der Vampirgabe der Trance ist mir Dylan sehr schnell in eine Art Stockholmsyndrom verfallen.

Fazit

⭐⭐⭐/5

Gebieterin der Dunkelheit ist eine leidenschaftliche Romanze, die tief in dunklere Emotionen eindringt und zeigt, auf welch wundersame Weise Liebe heilen kann. Das Buch enthält Spannung, Action, Begierde und jede Menge Emotionen.

Den Beitrag Gebieterin der Dunkelheit ♦ Lara Adrian | Rezension von RoXXie erschien zuerst auf The Art of Reading. ( )

MIDNIGHT RISING, the fourth book in Lara Adrian's Midnight Breeds book series, is about Rio, an almost crazy vampire and Dylan, a sleazy journalist's romantic tribulations. Having not read any of the other Breed books I wasn't sure what to expect from this universe.

I can't say I liked Dylan, who's female since the name is an unisex name (I thought this way of spelling was uniquely male), as much as other female leads from the paranormal genre. She makes some unwise choices and I'm not convinced Stockholm's Syndrome didn't figure into her eventual love for Rio, who initially kidnapped her. Denial is also a large part of her personality for much of the book.

Rio, who at the start of the book is half-mad from bloodlust, both made me happy and made me miserable. His constant use of the f-word made me cringe and he is a very sensitive guy for all that he is a warrior fighting a fearsome war.

The universe itself, however, drew me in. I love books that have secret supernatural wars being fought and Rio is an awesome fighter. He is also a skilled lover from the few heated scenes that are shown. The book is very much about the electric sexual tension between Rio and Dylan, with Rio fighting his very nature to keep her safe and Dylan pushing the ticket. When they do come together it's well worth the wait (it's not instant gratification; you wait for at least half the book before anything heavy happens).

Dylan being able to see spirits isn't abused either. In fact, it's because of her ability she meets Rio, though the ghost she meets makes it a little sad to be happy over Dylan and Rio's relationship.

Overall this wasn't a book that is in line with particular tastes, rather serious with little levity, but I can easily see why the Midnight Breeds series is popular with lovers of the genre—Adrian writes with a strong attention to detail and keeps the story moving. A different recommendation to anyone who is reading the series.

(originally published at Romance Reader at Heart) ( )

Shades of Midnight
5 Stars

Synopsis:
In the frozen wilderness of Alaska, bush pilot Alexandra Macquire comes across the mutilated bodies of an entire family. The killings stir up horrific memories from her childhood until the arrival of a seductive stranger who makes her feel safe. Kade is a vampire warrior hiding a shameful secret that threatens his fragile bond with Alex. Can he confront his personal demons and protect the woman he loves from an unspeakable evil that threatens to destroy them both?

Review:
A significant improvement over the last book. The story is gripping from the start and the romance is one of the most intense in the series.

Kade has just been added to my list of favorite vampires. He is one of the new additions to the Breed warriors and very little is known about him at the outset. The gaps are soon filled in and he is revealed to be sexy, sensitive and honorable. He is the first warrior whose family features prominently in the series, and it is interesting to see the dynamic between the members as well as how Kade copes with the secret he has been keeping from them.

Alex is an independent and determined heroine, and the way in which her relationship with Kade develops and strengthens is simply perfect. As someone who has been exposed to rogue vampires in the past, it is not surprising that she has conflicting feelings once she discovers who he truly is. Her reactions are believable and compelling, and the way in which things work themselves out is intriguing. I do feel that her special ability could have been woven better into the storyline but this is a very small nitpick.

The secondary plots and characters add action and suspense to the main story arc. The appearance of the other warriors toward the end adds extra energy and the scenes presented from the Ancient's perspective actually had me feeling for him. He has suffered at the hands of his captors and cannot really be blamed for what he is or for his natural instincts. Brock’s story is set up well and I look forward to seeing where his connection with Jenna is going, as from what I can gather, she is not a breedmate.

Overall, this is a wonderful series that I wholeheartedly recommend to lovers of paranormal romance. ( )

Midnight Rising
4 Stars

Synopsis:
Fueled by rage following a devastating betrayal, Rio, the most tortured of the Breed warriors, is about to succumb to his darkest thoughts when Dylan Alexander crosses his path. With the power to expose the vampire race to humanity, Dylan must ultimately choose between the life she has always known and her destiny...

Review:
A good story but not as suspenseful or intense as Kiss of Crimson or Midnight Awakening.

Rio and Dylan are a sweet couple. Rio is the epitome of the tortured hero (for which I have a weakness) and Dylan is feisty and definitely has a will of her own. I liked how she doesn’t let Rio or Lucan walk all over her, and is wonderfully accepting of Rio’s physical and emotional flaws. Nevertheless, their romance feels a bit rushed and their chemistry is not as forceful as in the other books.

I also appreciated the differences between Dylan and the other Breedmates. While she is not as sensitive as Tess or as kick butt as Elise, she is special in her own right. To begin with, her ability is darker than those of the others and the manner in which she copes with it reflects her determined spirit. Second, she has connections to the human world that the other mates lack. Unfortunately, Adrian’s methods for severing these ties feel contrived and even predictable.

Another issue I had difficulty with is the fact that Rio seems to overcome his trust issues and fall in love with Dylan far too quickly. This is inconsistent with his characterization in the previous books where he has an intense distrust of women following Eva’s betrayal.

Perhaps it would have been better if Rio’s story came later in the series after more time had elapsed.

The plot revolving around the villain’s plans for the ancient is developing in an interesting and exceedingly diabolical way. This villain is seriously evil and in this respect surpasses those in the previous books. I look forward to seeing how this aspect of the series develops.

Overall, I enjoy the way the series is developing and will definitely continue reading. ( )

Midnight Rising is the fourth full-length novel in Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series and it’s Rio’s story. After being betrayed by his Breedmate and barely surviving an explosion, Rio has been left severely scarred, both inside and out. He’s been holed up for months in a cave that used to be a hibernation chamber for one of the Ancient Ones and has decided to end his life while destroying the chamber as his last act for the Order. Then a lovely flame-haired woman stumbles into the cave, snapping pictures. Rio knows he can’t allow those photos to get out into the human world, so he reluctantly destroys the cave and follows her, only to discover that she is a Breedmate who stirs him in ways he’d thought no one would again. Since childhood, Dylan has been able to see the ghosts of women, and it was a ghost who led her to the cave. As a reporter for a sensationalist tabloid newspaper, she’s awed by what she finds and knows this could be the story she’s been looking for. However, after taking her pictures, she realizes that the strange man she met in the cave and thought was a vagrant has followed her. Upon capturing her, he tells her a seemingly impossible story about vampires being real and her being one of their Breedmates. At first, the two don’t trust each other much, but that trust begins to grow when Rio takes Dylan to the Order’s compound. There it becomes obvious that what he’s telling her is true, and he gives her a choice between being placed under protection in a Breed Darkhaven or having her memory wiped and returning to the human world. Although Dylan has started to become attached to Rio, her mother is sick and needs her, so she has no choice but to go back to her own world. But when it becomes apparent that a new enemy has arisen and has Dylan squarely in his sights, Rio finds himself in a race against time to save her.

Rio spent months recovering in the Order’s infirmary after his Breedmate’s devastating betrayal, but he still bears terrible physical and emotional scars from the ordeal, as well as a traumatic brain injury that causes debilitating blackouts. At the end of the previous book, he went on a mission with other members of the Order to locate a hibernation chamber for the last remaining Ancient One, but unfortunately the cave was empty. Rio volunteered to stay behind to destroy the chamber and told his brethren that he’d be going back to his homeland in Spain for a while afterward. In reality, he’s been holed up in the cave ever since, making plans to either end his own life or trap himself inside while doing the job. Just as he’s finally resolved to end it, a lovely young woman shows up in the cave piquing his interest. When she takes photos of the chamber, Rio can’t let her get away with the evidence of vampire life, so he blows the cave anyway and then follows her. He plans to simply destroy the photos and wipe her memory, but after catching up with her and taking her captive, he’s shocked to discover that she’s a Breedmate. At that point, he has no choice but to reveal the existence of vampires. At first, she doesn’t believe him, but when he takes her back to the Order, she begins to understand. Rio also starts to feel things for her he thought he’d never feel again and he thought she was feeling them, too, so her choice to return to the human world confuses him. Still he respects it, but when he discovers the reason is that her mother is dying, Rio wants to do whatever he can to help her. However, when they discover that a new enemy has arisen and that Dylan’s ability to communicate with the dead may hold the key to finding him, Rio will have his work cut out for him keeping her safe from the enemy’s clutches. Rio is a classic scarred, tortured hero who is a very sympathetic character. He also harbors a lot of self-loathing that dates back to his childhood and being rejected by his own mother for being a Breed and for his terrible deadly gift. His Breedmate’s shocking betrayal only added to his feelings of not being worthy of love, but I was glad that he was able to let Dylan in, learn to trust again, and find peace from the past.

Dylan’s father abandoned them when she was quite young. She also lost one brother in an accident and the other has been missing for some time, so for as long as she can recall, it’s only been her and her mom, who is her best friend. However, her mother has been battling cancer and not doing well. She was supposed to go on a girl’s trip with her friends but wasn’t feeling up to it, so Dylan went in her stead. In order to get time off from her job as a tabloid reporter, though, Dylan had to promise to return with a great story. She’s come up empty, until a ghost leads her to a cave where she finds a seemingly empty crypt and strange markings on the wall, one of which matches a birthmark on her body. Thinking she may have finally found something worthy of writing about, she returns later to capture some photos and finds a rather frightening man who she thinks is a vagrant. She flees from him and escapes to Prague only to discover that he’s followed her. He demands her photos and won’t let her go until he’s found every person she sent them to. Then after seeing her birthmark, he tells her a wild tale about vampires being real and her being a Breedmate. Initially it’s simply too sensational for her to believe, but as the evidence starts stacking up, she can no longer ignore it. After learning all he’s been though, she’s also starting to fall for the tortured Breed male, but when she finds out her mother is back in the hospital and may only have weeks to live, she can’t stay. However, it soon becomes apparent that Dylan’s gift for seeing the dead may hold the key to finding and defeating the Order’s new enemy as long as he doesn’t get to her first. Dylan is a kind woman with a logical mind who I related to well. She loves writing but is basically stuck in her dead-end job with the tabloid and has no real passion for the work. Then Rio come along, showing her a whole new world. I love how accepting she is of him, scars and all, and how she’s adamant about never revealing the existence of the Breed to anyone even though she knows it will probably get her fired. Dylan was the perfect person to help Rio get back on track and give him all the love he deserves.

Midnight Breed is a pretty long-running series, and as such, there are a number of key supporting players. Lucan (Kiss of Midnight) is still the leader of the Order, and looking out for everyone's well-being. Dante and his Breedmate, Tess, (Kiss of Crimson) appear in a few scenes, as does Tegan (Midnight Awakening). Russian Breed Nikolai is Rio’s best friend who calls him out when needed. He’ll be the hero of the next book, Veil of Midnight. Andreas Richen (Ashes of Midnight), the head of the Berlin Darkhaven, gives Rio and Dylan a place to stay for a short time. Newer members of the Order, Kade (Shades of Midnight) and Brock (Taken by Midnight) appear, along with former Darkhaven Enforcement Agent Sterling Chase (Darker After Midnight) who now works for the Order, too. And last but not least, tech geek Gideon (A Touch of Midnight) is always ready behind his computer screen to find information or do a little hacking.

Overall, Midnight Rising was another enjoyable book in this series. It would be impossible not to like Rio who’s suffered so much. After what his former Breedmate did to him and the Order, he deserved a happy ending with someone who understands and appreciates him and will be loyal to the end. Dylan is kind and considerate and exactly the type of person he needs to help get his life back on track after all the pain he’s been through. She needed a new family to support her as well and I think she’s found that in the Order. These two fit together and complemented each other well. I was left with no doubts about their rightness for one another. I was a bit surprised when the Order defeated their nemesis at the end of the previous book and wondered who the new antagonist would be. I wasn’t at all disappointed in the new “big bad” who’s as evil as they come. I have a feeling it might be a while before they’re fully able to defeat him, which should make for some good storytelling in the meantime. Everything just came together to create a good story, so my only small complaint would be that it seemed a little slow to get started. There wasn’t a great deal of note happening in the first two-thirds or so of the book, but then all the juicy bits, including most of the romance, the love scenes, and the excitement kind of got crammed into the last third. I felt it might have been nice if it had been spread out a little more evenly, but it was a fun story and a nice addition to the series that has me looking forward to more. ( )