This is the 2nd book in the Midnight Hunters series. Be sure to read Book 1 first! In Book 1, we learned that werewolves are violent and are often consumed by “sex frenzy”. In Book 2, we learn that Book 1 was just a gentle warmup.
As amazing as it is, it turns out that “sex frenzy”, and even the lust between newly mated pairs, are nothing…really NOTHING…compared to “breeding frenzy” or vampire lust. Just as you’re thinking, once again, “get a room already”, Raand/Radclyffe reminds you that weres and vampires don’t really have any concerns about public displays of graphic sex.
The violence also ramps up, becoming at the same time more subtle, more intense and more disturbing. Instead of tooth and claw violence, the violence becomes more psychological...more power domination…more…personal. The scenes with the captured were females were disturbingly realistic, perhaps because the jailers were human, and human-on-human violence in the real world is so real that we are more able to identify with the suffering of the fictional non-human captives.
Vampires lend themselves easily to domination and submission themes, and this book explores both physical and psychological aspects amazingly well. We experience characters who are conflicted with their roles, and characters who are very much not conflicted.
Sylvan and Drake continue to play a prominent role, but the story of Jody the vampire and Becca the human is often at the center of this book. Listening to their story unfold is much more nuanced, tender and gratifying. Sylvan and Drake are very cartoony in their lustful, we are soul mates destined to be together, depiction. Jody and Becca have as good of reasons to fight their attraction as any two women in lesfic, many more reasons than most, yet their thoughts of, and for, each other are sweet and their eventual love is believable and wonderful.
Other characters continue to develop in Book 2 as well, with further emphasis on the psychological. Lara, after saving Sylvan’s life at the end of Book 1, is now in turmoil – she knew who she was as a wolf, who and what is she as a vampire? Is she still a wolf? Niki has loved Sylvan all her life. What is her role in Sylvan’s life now that Sylvan is mated to Drake? Can being her guard be enough? And sensual pleasures are becoming more complicated for her after she fed Jody to save her life, and then later feeds Lara. Yet, her attraction to medic Sophie continues to confuse her, as does Sophie’s mixed messages of attraction to Niki.
Vampires Francesca and her #2, Michelle, also develop as complex characters, with physical and psychological passions on full display, yet also clearly withholding secrets. Ahhh….so many intertwined mysteries!
Book 1 was a grand adventure into a well crafted world. Book 2 is an even better adventure because of the increasing complexities. I like that the book expanded the roles of so many characters while continuing the story of Sylvan and Drake. Book 2 continues, btw, immediately after Book 1 ends, which is kind of cool. Many books pick up weeks, months or years later, and struggle to fill what happened between books while at the same time telling a new story. This simply picks up on where we left off.
5*, in case you hadn’t guessed where this review was going! Narrator Maxine Mitchell continues to deliver a first-rate performance!