Customer Reviews
Violent, steamy and well written... - By: Jessica Simpson, 28 Jul 2008 
I know there is a lot of discussion about the similarities between Lara Adrian's gripping new series & other paranormal romance series', but with each book Adrian carves out her own niche in the paranormal romance genre.
Dante is a wonderfully written tortured soul & Tess, while annoying at some moments, has a great honesty about her. The story keeps you involved & whilst slightly formulaic it still manages to keep the reader engaged throughout.
I enjoyed this book & have gone on to enjoy the following books in the series. Each one emmersing you more deeply in Adrian's new world of Vamps. Yes, it could be seen to be an amalgamation of Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood & Kenyon's Dark Hunter Lesser's (although missing both series's slant toward ancient mythologies), however Adrian walks a fine line & I believe she finds success with her own take on a growing genre.
Gripping easy read - By: Dark Clarissa, 12 Apr 2008 Having read the first in the series, Kiss of Midnight, I reallly wanted to follow what happened to the characters that I had been introduced to. In Kiss of Crimson, I was not disappointed.
Dante's character is explored, along with his fears, hopes & desires. He meets a breedmate, Tess, & the story hurtles along from there. Its a fast moving, well written, easy read. Its not deep & meaningful, it won't change your life, but Ms Adrian has created a world that is highly believable & engrossing. These are basicallly romance novels set against the backdrop of vampirism (tackled very differently to some authors). If you like romance, fantasy, vampire stories & nothing too taxing on the old brain cells, this is the book for you.
I have enjoyed both of Ms Adrian's books as light, entertaining reads & would recommend them to anyone in need of a bit of escapism for a few hours.
Excellent follow up - By: Helen Hancox, 16 Nov 2007 
"Kiss Of Crimson" is the follow up to "Kiss Of Midnight", a series very much in the Black Dagger Brotherhood mode, with vampires fighting foes, in this case renegade vampires, & trying to protect the humans amongst whom they live. The first book's similarities to J R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood seemed rather over the top but this book was different, less like the BDB & more of its own story.
Dante, the hero of this book, is one of the vampire warriors who fights against the Rogues. When he finds himself injured he has to take the blood of a young vet that he finds in her clinic - but after he's done this he realises she's one of the Breedmates & consequently he has, in some ways, bound himself to her. Things get more complicated when Tess Culver & Dante meet again & he realises that her ex-boyfriend is involved in the production of a new drug, Crimson, which seems to be having serious effects on the young male vampires of the Darkhavens. In fact it appears that Crimson is causing some of these young males to turn into Rogues.
Dante & the other brothers are searching for the cause of the Crimson, along with Sterling Chase, a male member of the Darkhavens, but Dante finds his path tangled up with Tess Culver. However she's already had a frightening experience with a vampire & he's afraid of causing her more problems, especiallly as he knows she won't want him. But there's more to Tess than meets the eyes & her skills as a vet may have more behind them than just study & training.
This book, although focusing on Dante & Tess, also gives us insights into Sterling Chase & his long-term love for his brother's widow, Elise. Elise is apparently the heroine of the next book in the series, "Midnight Awakening", & I hope that Chase will also appear in that book as he was an interesting new character.
The writing style in this book was always enjoyable with great pacing, interesting locations & events & a rather touching romance between Dante & Tess. There were less scenes from the viewpoints of the Rogues or Minions, most of what we learned was either from Tess or Dante.
This is a very enjoyable series, especiallly now that it appears to be parting ways from its rather close relationship to the Black Dagger Brotherhood & finding more of its own voice. Lara Adrian's writing is good & her characters are varied & interesting. Originality isn't necessarily her strong point but there aren't that many truly original stories in this genre. Fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood should love this series too!
Second in the Midnight Breed Series - By: Lesley70, 10 Nov 2007 Carrying on from where Kiss of Midnight left off. Kiss of Crimson follows Dante, as he & his fellow Breed Warriors search for the suppliers of a drug callled Crimson. This drug has the unfortunate effect of triggering a vampires change into a Rogue. When Dante is injured whilst fighting Rogues, he feeds from Tess, who unbeknownst to him is a Breedmate. Having started the blood bond, he now finds himself drawn to her. But Tess is more closely linked to the distribution of Crimson than she knows, putting both herself, her friends & Dante in danger.
I like that even though Dante & Tess are essentiallly fated to mate once he's fed from her, that they both don't immediately succumb to it. He fights it, knowing he's fed from a Breedmate, & she fights it because she doesn't understand it. Initiallly neither of them are particularly thrilled about the situation. It's handled in a very realistic way. There's no immediate jumping into bed together. Tess is understandably wary having just come out of a bad relationship with her ex-boyfriend Ben.
The subplot of both the Crimson dealing, & new guy Chase & his unrequited love for Elise are smoothly intertwined into the main story. I find myself hoping that Chase will be getting his own story, as he's by far the most complex character introduced so far. He initiallly joined the Warriors with his own motives, & because of his error in judgment towards the end of the story, it's too late to rescue two people who might otherwise have been saved.
My favourite bit of the story, is when Dante tells Tess he has a dog - which he doesn't - which he then spontaneously names Harvard - his nickname for Chase. Of course now he's told her he's got a dog, he has to get one. This so humanized him for me, the fact that this lie came out of his mouth, probably whilst his brain was going WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?
There are other nice touches. When Dante & Tess are discussing the myth of Endymion & Selene at the museum, there's this whole other subtextual conversation going on. The dead pool the other Breed Warriors have going on how long it's going to take Dante before he cracks & kills Chase. It's these little things that raise this story above other vampire novels around at the moment.
I'm still seeing some similarities here between the Black Dagger Brotherhood & Ukiah Oregon series. Rio - horrificallly scarred & misogynistic confronts Tess (Z confronting Beth), & the Ukiah Oregon series has a drug callled Invisible Red. Having said that I think the Midnight Breed series is slowly coming into its own. And I find myself impatiently looking forward to book 3 Midnight Awakening (Tegan's story).
Kiss this Book 2! - By: Winters Kiss, 09 Sep 2007 'He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets & rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man callling himself Dante is no man at alll, but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single eroticallly charged moment Tess is plunged into his world-a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror.
Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives & fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need-but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm...and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, & hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante & Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they discover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself...'
'Kiss of Crimson' is the second stunning novel in the new Midnight Breed series. This novel continues the journey into the world we were introduced to in 'Kiss of Midnight'.
Tess & Dante's story is intriguing. At some point both fight the bond they feel for one another, which leads to difficulties when they're enemies are intent on attacking them.
The war continues, a greater knowledge is shed with the plot of this novel & the intricacies of the Rogues are seen more.
Another 'unable to put down' read. I cannot wait for the third in the series this November, 'Midnight Awakening', with Rio & Dylan's story!
With every novel, the reader is pulled more than willingly into Lara Adrian's world.
