Chasing Midnight

TEST

As I began my first vampire/werewolf romance, I was a little skeptical. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the setting, plot, and characters Susan Krinard creates in Chasing Midnight.

Allie Chase was the belle of Long Island society until she was stricken with a debilitating illness that left her wasting away and bedridden. Abandoned by her mother and left in the care of servants, Allie is visited by a old friend of her deceased father who offers to give her the gift of immortality. Two years later, Allie is a beautiful woman enjoying the life and wealth her patron provides. She lives for her own personal enjoyment – the life of the New York speakeasies of the 1920s – as the ultimate flapper and a vampire.

Griffin Durant is not your ordinary millionaire, World War I veteran, or adoring big brother – he’s also a werewolf. He returned from the war in Europe a changed man, trying to prevent the wolf in him from rising up as it did in countless battles. His goal is to lead a normal life as part of Long Island high society and negotiate for his sister the marriage he believes she deserves, while convincing her that her inner werewolf can be suppressed. He fits into human society, but walks a fine line with the local werewolf pack, paying tribute to keep them happy and away from his family. He thinks he’s doing well for himself until he meets Allie Chase. He knows her for what she is and is immediately captivated by her, even though their association would be considered taboo.

The couple face tremendous obstacles that include greedy human bootleggers; a territorial, traitorous werewolf pack; and a rivalry and coup attempt within the vampire clan. If it weren’t for clear and concise writing on the part of the author, it could easily have been an extremely confusing read with too many plot twists. On the other hand, one of my problems with the book is that the overwhelming plot took quite a bit away from the love story – the couple simply had too much to deal with outside of romance. As a result, I felt as though I didn’t know Griffin and Allie as well as I would have liked in order to be more sympathetic to their situation.

I enjoyed the unique setting as this is the first romance that I’ve read set in the 1920s. The clothing and mores of that era are different from what I’m used to and Krinard does a good job of bringing her setting to life. She also tends to stay away from many of the preconceived notions I had about vampire and werewolf romances, which is something I appreciate.

For my first vampire/werewolf love story, Chasing Midnight turned out to be far more than I expected. I’m no longer gun shy about branching out into other areas of paranormal romance and will be happy to pick up another of Krinard’s books.

Reviewed by Heather Brooks

Grade: B-

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date: 19/10/07

Publication Date: 2007

Recent Comments …

  1. excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.

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