Kiss of Crimson

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance   Summary  Dante, a member of the breed warriors, is out on a night of hunting rogues. Through a series of events, he ends up chasing a rogue, a rogue that is more dangerous than any he has encountered. Harder to kill, suffering from a  bloodlust madness that even regular rogues don't even suffer from. He ends up being shot and he comes across a veterinarian doctor, Tess, who he realizes after the fact of creating a bond to her, that she is a breedmate. Now she is his but only if he can protect her from the danger of his world. Tess has a talent and a heart for connecting with lost animals, and even though financially she is struggling she will do anything to help those in need. She is drawn to Dante, who is dangerous and makes her blood heat. She senses a connection between them, but there are so many secrets surrounding Dante. But when one of her two closest friends gets involved in some dangerous business with the rogues, with young Breeds turning rogue over the drug "Crimson" soon Tess will have to choose between a old friend and the man she is growing to love. Soon Dante and Tess will be thrown into the fire of danger, passion, and betrayal... The Hero  Dante, is one of the Breed Warriors, and fights to protect both his kind and humans from the savagery of Rogues and their vicious appetites. What I found most intriguing about Dante was his fierce need to protect others. Dante doesn't believe that he will ever be good enough to be lucky to have a mate of his own. He lives to fight and to kill the enemy. Dante's gift is having visions of a future of death and fire...a death he knows will be his and soon. The same happened to his parents, and he knows he inherited his gift from them. Dante is on a mission, to find out the source of Crimson and destroy it. A dangerous drug that turns a breed into a rogue fast...faster than he has ever seen. Their enemy is at work against them once more. Dante is quite the hero in the story. I really loved his fighting spirit and how far he is willing to go to protect the innocent. I really admired Dante because of the way he wins over Tess. “You would quit the Order for her? Niko asked, the youngest only behind Dante, and a warrior who relished his duty perhaps even more than Dante had himself. I would quit breathing for her, if she asked it of me.” It's not a instant love, it's more he takes his time for her, trying to gain her trust not only for information but also because he is connected to her in an emotional and physical way. The Heroine  Tess Culver works as a Veterinarian. She connects with animals and they trust her instantly. Tess grew up in a home of a dysfunctional family, where drinking and abuse were apparent. One night haunts her, the night she used her gift, a gift she views as a curse. She left home and built a new life for herself. But to this day, it still haunts her, so she focuses all of her attention on those animals that need her help that come from abusive situations. “You don’t think I’m . . . some kind of monster? That I’m not much better than him to have killed him like I did, in cold blood?” “Never.” Dante lifted her chin on the edge of his hand. “I think you’re courageous, Tess. An avenging angel, that’s what I think.” “I’m a freak.” “No, Tess, no.” He kissed her tenderly. “You’re amazing.” “I’m a coward. Just like you said, I always ran away. It’s true. I’ve been afraid and running for so long, I’m not sure I can ever stop.” “Then run to me.” Dante’s eyes were fierce as he held her gaze When Tess helps a stranger who is shot, she never realized how her life would be changing. What I liked most about this heroine was her drive. She was dedicated but a bit of a loner. Due to her gift, and her past, she struggles with trust. I really admired her strength and courage, and she proves herself in more ways than one. From beginning to end, we see more facets to her character, and with each chapter you begin to like her more and more. Plot and Story Line  Kiss of Crimson continues off pretty quickly after Kiss Of Midnight. What I found most enjoyable was seeing Dante and Tess come together in the story. Its not a insta love story, which I was pretty glad about. It takes time, and its done slowly and gradually and I felt so at ease with their romance. This story sets off with a mystery and a dangerous situation of a new drug "Crimson" now this stuff is pretty bad ass, it pretty much destroys a Breed within minutes of inhaling the stuff and turns them into a blood crazed rogue, with superior strength moe than the regular breed and it takes a lot to kill them. This aspect of the story was heartwrenching at times. Because these are young Breeds in their late teens or early twenties who are being destroyed by this drug. We have a side plot of a new character Chase and his secret agenda to find his nephew who has been missing for two weeks. We have Elise, a woman his brother was mated to, but a woman he has loved secretly but knows he will never have a chance with. Even though Chase starts off with secret intentions, they are good ones to save his kin and I respect that. It was just the icing on the cake to see Chase win over the warriors here, despite the lies and deceit, he proves himself capable. We some other character Gideon and Savannah, Lucan and Gabrielle, and poor Rio!! Zero trust with women (which for those who have read the first book, know why) and is scarred and still healing from what happened in the previous book. The love story between Dante and Tess is real and vivid in emotion and passion. They fight for the love they have found together and it is quite moving when they finally trust fully in each other. “Everything makes sense when I’m with you, Tess. My life makes sense, after so many years of running scared in the dark. You are the light, the reason I live. I’m bonded to you deep, woman. For me, there will never be another.” This book really grabbed my attention, and i stayed up reading because I was so immersed in the story. I love the way Lara Adrian's writing is so compelling and wraps around you like a heated blanket in the dead of winter. The Cover  I really love the blue and red contrast here...with the red splashes of the city and the blue of the couple. Has an edge and passionate feel to it. Overall View  Kiss of Crimson is a tantalizing read that sinks its hooks into the reader from the first page. A stimulating page turner that is packed with sizzling passion, edgy suspense, and a mystery to unravel!! THRILLING TO THE END!