Where did you get the book: E-arc from Publisher
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: August 18th
Morton “Jacko” Jackman isn’t afraid of anything. He’s a former Navy SEAL sniper, and he’s been in more firefights than most people have had hot meals. Lauren Dare scares the crap out of him.
Gorgeous, talented and refined, she’s the type of woman who could never be interested in a roughneck like him. So he’s loved her fiercely in secret, taken her art classes, and kept a watchful but comfortable distance. Until now.
Lauren had finally found a home in Portland, far from her real identity, far from the memories of her mother’s death, and outside the reaches of the drugged-out psycho who’s already tried to kill her twice. One tiny misstep—a single photograph—has shattered it all. She has no choice but to run again, but this time she’ll give herself a proper farewell: one night with Jacko.
Their highly charged emotional encounter changes everything. In Jacko’s arms there cannot be fear, there can only be pleasure. Anyone wishing her harm will have to pass through him, and Jacko is a hard man to kill.
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*
Has: Lisa Marie Rice’s books is the definition of pure crackalicious reading and that’s mainly due to her heroes who are the best type of alpha heroes without going into alphahole territory. But when their heroines face or fall into danger, then they become so protective but cold to their enemies and it becomes so very addictive and engrossing to read. I was so happy to hear that Rice would go back to her original Midnight series which I think is my personal favourite because these books which hooked me into her writing. Jacko works with John Huntington security company, who is featured as the hero in the first book of this series, MIDNIGHT MAN, (which is one of my favourite titles by Lisa Marie Rice.)
MinnChica: I’ve only read one other book by Rice, and I’d heard so many good things that I wanted to give her another read. While there were a lot of things I liked about this book, there were also some things I would have liked to see more of. While there were a lot of things I liked about Jacko, at times I needed him to be more. He took the strong, silent type to a whole new level. His internal dialogue that the reader got to see was great, but his ability to share with the heroine was practically non-existent. I wanted him to open up more with Lauren, especially after they began their sexual relationship.
Has: Jacko is rough and ready and looks very tough although he is very gentle and sensitive towards Lauren who is delicate and elegant but I loved the contrast between them because Rice does this very well. I also loved that while Jacko, unlike other alpha type heroes, who are tough and over possessive, he was nervous and unsure around Lauren which was sweet and quite funny to read. I also found it refreshing that while he had strong feelings towards Lauren which took him by surprise he didn’t want to overpower her and wanted her to take the lead even though he was such a dominant personality and that was a great balance for a romantic hero with alpha tendencies.
MinnChica: I think, for me, that Lauren out shined Jacko in a lot of ways. She was strong and resilient, and yet she was totally open to help once it was given to her. She refused to be a TSTL heroine, and I liked that she was willing to do whatever Jacko and his team said needed to be done in order for her to stay safe. It’s always refreshing to read a heroine like that, especially when the situation is a life-or-death one.
Has: I liked that Lauren was smart with a fun dry sense of humour which was great to see her teasing Jacko to draw him out of his shell. I loved their scenes together and they both shared good chemistry. However, I did wish there was more insights to her character, especially with what made her tick and her past because I felt that was glossed over in many ways especially with her family’s history and how that affected her. I also felt I got a better sense of Jacko’s character who was more developed. But I think that may be due to the way his presence in the book was more dominant.
MinnChica: I thought the romance was really quick to develop, and I would have liked to see both that and the conflict flushed out a bit more. I thought a lot of the drama was a bit glazed over, and I desperately wanted to see it play out even more on the page. There were moments I would have loved to see on the page, that instead were summed up at the end of the book.
Has: The scenes with Lauren and Jacko were my favourite and I actually wished there was more scenes between them especially when she would be teasing him. It was very cute to witness and seeing Jacko dealing with unfamiliar feelings. I also loved their first love scene which was early on in the book which was classic Lisa Marie Rice. But, I actually wished there was more time to develop the romance. In a lot of ways, I felt there was some parts of the romance and plot which was glossed over especially when Lauren and Jacko got together. Although while it felt breezy in pace and tone I really did enjoy the romance and plot which was very close to the original trilogy of the Midnight books which to me was pure and utter crack.
MinnChica: All in all, I thought my second read by Rice was good, but not great like I had been expecting. Sure, the sex was hot and so smoking, but there was also a lot missing for me. I would have liked the characters and storyline to develop more and dig a bit deeper. I think if this would have been a full length novel, it would be a much different grade for me. That being said, there were still a lot of great parts to the book and characters overall.
I give Midnight Vengeance a C+
Has: I know when I read a Lisa Marie Rice book, I am in for a good couple of hours of pure and unadulterated cracky reads. Her heroes, are fabulous with the way they just totally go gaga towards their heroines, and Jacko is no exception and I am a sucker for a big powerful alpha hero who stumbles and gets nervous interacting with the woman he loves. MIDNIGHT VENGEANCE was a fun, sweet and very sexy romance romance that kept me entertained during one quiet evening. I am so glad that Lisa Marie Rice has revisited this series and the characters which was enjoyable to catch up with them!
I give MIDNIGHT VENGEANCE a B-/C+