ARC provided by publisher

Edge of Dawn

(Midnight Breed #11)

Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.

Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.

Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.

We met and got to know Mira in the Midnight Breed series as a child ~ we saw her take to Hunter, and become friends w/ Kellan & Nathan. But we were left wondering who would become her mate in the future. While I had no doubts I'd love this books, and Lara Adrian never fails to deliver w/ exellent writing packed with emotions and superior world building, I was anxious and curious to see where she'd take the Breed. If you follow the series you know that basically the world as they knew imploded in book 10,

Darker After Midnight, when the secret of their exsistence was exposed to the world, and they lost their beloved home base.

Edge of Dawn picks up 20 years after the end of the last book, Darker After Midnight. The Breeds are out in the open now, but still struggling & fighting for their place in society, and being hated and ostacized by humans. Mira and Kellan were seperated several years back, and Mira has believed Kellan to be dead all that time. She's grieved him, missed the love of her life, and dedicated her life to fighting for the cause.

When she learns that not only is Kellan still ALIVE, but that he is essentially and enemy she's hurt, betrayed and shocked. Not only does she not see a way for them to ever get beyond that, she sees only death, and death by the Breeds at that, in Kellans future.

This book was SO great! I loved the sturggle Mira & Kellan had to go through...while it was sometimes painful reading it, and I was sure there was no way to resolve their conflict, I absolutely LOVED seeing them rediscover one another, and learn about the world through one another's eyes. While life wasn't EASY for either of them, their romance WAS up until the break in their lives...watching them rebuild that bond, that trust, was just awesome.

I so enjoyed seeing all my old fav's from the Breed series again, and seeing the good they've found, and the fight they are still up against. While the dynamics have changed in the series, the storytelling has NOT ~

Lara Adrian at her BEST!!

I DO want to mention here that while you COULD read this book as a stand alone, you'd miss out on Mira's back story, which is awesome!