Review: Midnight Reckoning by Kendra Leigh Castle

Title: Midnight Reckoning Series: Dark Dynasties #2 Author: Kendra Leigh Castle Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Format: eBook, 384 pages. Published: January 1, 2012 My Copy: NetGalley Rating: Buy: Two separate worlds … One passion that binds them. Wild and passionate by nature, Lyra Black is not just any werewolf. She’s the future leader of the powerful pack of the Thorn – if she can stay alive long enough to inherit the title. One of the Cait Sith bloodline of vampire cat-shifters, Jaden Harrison has no interest in the wars plaguing the world of night. But when he rescues Lyra from a violent attack, they’re both captured by an insatiable desire that threatens to overwhelm them and bind them together for eternity… just as ancient enemies prepare to strike. And when they do, the Thorn and the Cait Sith – and Lyra and Jaden’s love – may never recover from the deadly blow.

Midnight Reckoning is a fun, paranormal approach to the age old dogs VS cats rivalry. Except in this case the canines are of the werewolf variety and the felines are vamped-out. I absolutely adored Lyra as the alpha female! Her character is my ideal she-wolf come to life. I also really got a good sense of the whole picture in this book. Castle has found the perfect balance between expanding the Dark Dynasties universe and homing in on specific couples’ love stories.

Kendra’s vampires posses unique abilities which really helped to freshen things up. Jaden’s lead a very interesting but tormented life. Out of everyone, I enjoyed getting to know him the most. It definitely didn’t hurt that he’s the dark, brooding, hunk-tastic type either! I also met Ty and Lily, the two main characters from the first book, Dark Awakening. Admittedly, I skipped the first book and even though I wasn’t lost, the brief glimpses that I caught of the previous novel’s love birds have left me craving for more!

How much more taboo can you get than a star-crossed, werewolf-vampire, love story!? Lyra puts up an extremely good fight and resists temptation for a lot longer than I expected. Kudos girl! This alpha female knows that there are countless reasons why Jaden is bad for her. A relationship with him will destroy everything she’s been working towards. But, only after she’s lost everything does she realize what’s really important. Lyra and Jaden’s respective light bulb illuminating moments were well-crafted and moving. Their relationship achieved just the right balance between mushy and fierce.

Lyra is my ultimate heroine! If I had to choose a character to play me in my dream, alpha werewolf role, she’d be it! Anyway, my over-active imagination aside, miss Black is the bomb! She doesn’t allow the beefier opposite sex to push her around, and in such an old school patriarchal society, Lyra doesn’t have a problem going against tradition to get what she wants. I admired her strength and determination. In the end, her hard-headedness pays off too!

Whether you’re a cat person or a dog person, a werewolf fanatic or a vampire groupie, you’ll find something for you in Midnight Reckoning. This series is definitely worth a second look. I’ve already added Dark Awakening and Shadow Rising (July 2012) to my wish list and you should too!

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