Bound to Darkness
3 Stars

Series note: The 2nd arc of the series continues with the romance between Rune, a Breed cage fighter, and Carys Chase, daughter of Breed warrior Sterling Chase and his mate, Tavia Fairchild (book #10). Important backstory is provided in two preceding novellas, Marked by Midnight and Tempted by Midnight.

While this installment provides significant developments in the ongoing arc focusing on Opus Nostrum, the romance between Rune and Carys is rather lackluster for two reasons.

To begin with, Rune and Carys are already an established couple. Even though details are given on how they met and became involved, this is told rather than shown. Consequently, the emotion associated with their interactions is missing and the sex scenes are mechanical rather than intimate and sexy.

Second, Carys is an exceedingly annoying heroine. She is childish, immature, and whinny in the extreme because Rune, a man who has made it clear that he is not interested in commitment, refuses to reveal his secrets to her. Grow up, woman!

Despite these issues with the relationship, the developments in the plot are compelling. They resolve unanswered questions from previous books and also move the story in a new and interesting direction. Moreover, the action scenes during the climax and resolution are intense and exciting and compensate for the slow pacing in the beginning.

My recommendation - read this for the action not for the romance.



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[b:Bound to Darkness|23348553|Bound to Darkness (Midnight Breed #13)|Lara Adrian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429211437s/23348553.jpg|42906683] by [a:Lara Adrian|375626|Lara Adrian|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1490013860p2/375626.jpg]
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense
4 Stars

Did Not Reach its Full Potential

While I really enjoyed it, I also found some parts to be a bit dry and repetitive. This & a few other small items cost the story a star.

More later...

Carys & Rune are great characters.
The adult romance, suspense and action is very intense.
There are some awesome intense moments.
Cary's can kick butt and Rune is no slouch by any stretch of the imagination.
The supporting characters had very little involvement. Some was noteworthy, some not. ( )

The Breeds are out to the humans and Rune is a Breed Cage fighter, Carys is Sterling Chase's daughter and a Breed female. They love each other but Rune has secerets. There's a world of danger out there and his secrets endanger them both. Enjoyed this latest Breed installment, lots of wondering about how the Atlanteans are going to redirect the series.
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Lara Adrian’s Bound to Darkness is another captivating book in the Midnight Breed Series. Carys Chase is a rare Breed female and daywalker. She is in love with a cage-fighter/breed warrior who goes by the name of Rune. Rune has a secret that conflicts with Carys’ family. This amazing PNR, suitable for adult audiences, kept me spellbound.

I like Rune. He was in a bad situation and got out of it. He cares about other's well being. He is strong mentally and physically. Carys is a great heroine. She has cool abilities. She is smart and rebellious. The plot was amazing. The attention to detail and way things played out was genius. I have been following the Midnight Breed Series since the first book. This is definitely up there with my favorites. I am amazed by how much this series has evolved and stays refreshing. Midnight Breed followers will not be disappointed.

Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the second half of the story but the first half just didn't do a lot for me. I realize that a big part of my problem could be that I haven't read every single book in this series. I have read the first two books in the series and the last book published, Crave the Night. I was never confused while I was reading this book but seeing all the characters from other books just didn't excite me. I do think that this is a series best read in order and this book would not work well as a stand alone novel. I was able to follow the story pretty well because I wasn't completely blind since I have read some of the early books in the series. I would suggest that readers new to the series start with the first book, Kiss of Midnight.

The first half of the book went back and forth between two different plot lines. The continuing story arc from the previous book about the Atlanteans and other enemies was one part of the book. The other main focus was on the romance between Carys and Rune. I have to say that the romance between the pair started in the beginning of the book seemed like it was just a whole lot of sex. I like the sexy parts but wanted to see some connection as well. There wasn't a lot of talking between the pair. I wasn't really seeing a lot of connection between the two parts of the story.

When everything started to come together, the book really started to pick up for me. Rune's true identity and heritage made things much more interesting. When the pair started interacting out of bed just as much as in it, I started to actually see that they cared for each other. I liked the kick ass Rune that was willing to make sacrifices for the woman that he loves. Carys was more than awesome. I loved that she isn't a weak character waiting to be saved. She has abilities beyond that of the men in this story and she puts them to good use. Hands down, Carys was the most fierce of all of the fighters in this book.

I would recommend this book to fans of the series. I do wish that the excitement of the second half of the book would have been present for the first half as well. I actually considered giving up on this book at about the 50% mark because I just couldn't get into it. Then boom...I couldn't put it down. I am so glad that I stuck with it in the end. I do plan to continue to read this series and hopefully read the earlier books that I skipped very soon.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Lara Adrian, LLC via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

This review was also posted at Carole's Random Life. http://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.com/ ( )