Fantastic read! I am so sad it is over! I put off reading this book for quite some time, although I have had it for a while. DON'T put it off!! It was such an easy read! I was shocked at how I truly connected with the characters. A MUST READ!! ( )

Ok, I haven't finished yet so I may have an update later but these are my thoughts so far.

My perpetual hang-up when it comes to the "romance" genre comes into play yet again. I have a real problem when the hero/heroine fall for each other based on nothing else besides physical attraction –unfortunately many romances are like this and they just aren’t to my taste so this probably wasn’t the right book for me. Despite this, I’m still going to give me break down of the book.

There is a big difference between the personality/character of Gunnar as presented to the reader and to Raina. Gunnar is verbally, and even a teeny bit physically, abusive to Raina and despite that, because she is physically attracted to him, she starts to fall in love with him. While the reader can see that he is a tortured soul and is granted some reasoning behind his words and actions, Raina just sees the abusive man that has sworn to kill her father, but all of that takes a backseat to that fact that he is good looking. And all of this completely ruins their relationship for me because it feels false.

In addition, the only character I actually like is a secondary character, Alaric. He's the only character that I believe. Everyone else seems to lack a consistency in their personalities.

UPDATE:
The ending got a little better so I'm giving it a 2 rather than a 1. Again, I think this just wasn't the right book for me.
( )

This was Ms. Adrian's first published title according to what I read when it first became available under her Lara Adrian pen name. It was originally published under the name of Tina St. John. Although not nearly as riveting as her Midnight Breed series, this was a decent read. ( )

First of all the new cover is HOT! This was a wonderful historical romance and first novel by Lara Adrian (author of the immensely popular Midnight Breed series). I know her only through that modern paranormal series, so I wasn't sure what to expect of this historical piece. I wasn't disappointed.

As a young boy, Gunnar Rutledge has never forgotten his father's murder, nor the slaying of his mother at the hands of Baron d'Bussy. Now fully grown and a ruthless warrior, he vows to seek vengeance on his enemy. When he meets the lovely Raina, he's shocked to learn that she is his enemy's daughter. When none of his taunts work to lure the Baron into a confrontation, he kidnaps Raina to use her as bait. During her ten day captivity, Raina never imagined she'd learn the truth about her family and come to love the brutish warrior, who not only captured her, but her heart as well. But how can she love Gunnar when he seeks to kill her only family? Is he willing to sacrifice his quest for retribution in favor of gaining so much more?

You can't help but love Gunnar, despite his stubbornness to stay the course he has set for himself. The tough exterior he presented hid the man he truly was at his core. His endless needling of Raina brought out his cheeky side and she showed him how feisty she could really be. The build up to their HEA was nicely paced and the true story between their two families unfolded in a steady flow. The only thing I had an issue with was the Baron's confession at the end. He was definitely certifiable, and I thought Raina let him off the hook too easily in the face of all her father had done. And don't even get me started on Nigel (that was a surprise).

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed their story and for $0.99 this book is a steal! ( )

I’ve been reading cheesy romance novels since I learned to read. I simply love them. They provide me with escape and comfort whenever life gets stressful or I need a good reading palate cleanser because I know I’m always guaranteed a happy ending. So when I saw this one for free I jumped on the chance. I can’t have too many cheesy romances and Lara Adrian is the author of the Midnight Breed Series I’ve heard so much about.

This one was just okay for me. For the most part I found the characters one dimensional and predictable. The hero, Gunnar, is a brooding hunk of a man hell bent on vengeance and Raina, the heroine, is sweet yet fierce when the situation calls for it. The villain, who shall remain nameless because I don’t want to spoil, is bad all around. Every character with the exception of Baron d’Bussy is pigeon holed in their role so that they lack any kind of substance or complexity.

My other issue was the dialogue. There was a lot of “nay”-ing going around and it just didn’t sound authentic enough for me. The dialogue wasn’t particularly witty or amusing either. I always look forward to the hero and heroine bantering back and forth, but for this book there were few scenes where I found the bantering amusing.

From the author’s note at the end of the ebook this was one of her first novels and well…it shows. The writing, the characters, and the plot are not very impressive, but they do show a good enough start. I’ll definitely be checking out Adrian’s Midnight Breeds series because from what I’ve heard she has improved. Check the Lord of Vengeance out if you’re looking for a quick cheesy romance, but just don’t have high expectations if you’ve read any of her later books or are feeding off the hype of her later books, like I did.
( )