Midnight Reckoning (Dark Dynasties, #2) by Kendra Leigh Castle

• Title: Midnight Reckoning (Dark Dynasties, #2)
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Paranormal Romance
• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forever; Original edition (January 1, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 1609418387
• ISBN-13: 978-1609418380
• Author's Website: http://kendraleighcastle.com/

She was the alpha's daughter with aspirations of taking his place as the leader of the Thorn pack.

"Oh yes, I want to fight in the Proving, so obviously I'm nuts. I'd like like a shot at my birthright, but going for it makes me a weak, stupid little she-wolf. You do realize how sexist you sound, right?"

He was a Cait Sith vampire and spent the majority of his life as a slave to the Ptolemy. 

'Jaden now had what he always thought he'd wanted: friends, a home, and most important, his freedom...The empty places inside him still ached like open wounds. Something was missing.'

They weren't supposed to be attracted to each other. Vampires and werewolves weren't supposed  to mix. They weren't supposed to fall in love. Sometimes love is a force of nature that cannot be denied.

'Dark Awakening', the first book in the Dark Dynasties series, by Kendra Leigh Castle was one of my top ten favorite books of 2011. It gave a whole new twist to the vampire genre and I simply adored it. Ms. Castle once again wowed me with Midnight reckoning and I know I've found a new series to love. 

In 'Dark Awakening' the Cait Sith went from being considered nothing more than the undesirable "gutterbloods" of the vampire dynasties to being the foundation for the rebirth of a dynasty long thought extinct that had vanished years ago--the Lilim. With that rebirth, the Cait Sith reclaimed their dignity and were raised in rank among those in Vampire society, but some do not welcome the change. One Queen in particular was not happy that her favorite play things had been taken. Now Lily, the woman who carried the blood of Lilim will set out  to solidify her new dynasty's place by assembling a court and guard. Both Ty and Lily would like Jaden to be the captain. Before he can commit to anything, however, he'll need to return a necklace to Lyra who lost it after a confrontation with an overly zealous werewolf suitor. Jaden put an end to the confrontation when it looked like Lyra was in trouble and ever since he couldn't get her out of his mind. He could have probably mailed the necklace to her. He probably could have sent it with someone else. He could have, but he didn't.  

Lyra wanted to take her father's place in the Thorn pack. Werewolf society, at least in the Thorn pack, was a bit backward. They didn't believe a woman could lead the pack. They still lived by the old rules and the next pack leader was determined to be who ever won the Proving. The Proving was a fight to the finish violent contest where the winner takes all. No woman had ever won it before and only one woman had ever been brave enough to try. Male werewolves definitely had an advantage over their less bulky and weaker female counterparts. So while it sounded rather sexist, there was some real concern about Lyra entering the Proving. Only the strong and skilled survived and the last female who entered the competition died.

Both Lyra and Jaden were easy to relate to and very likable characters. Each is admirable for trying to rise above their status. Neither truly wished to start a relationship, but the attraction between the two was fierce, strong, and undeniable. They knew what they were starting was forbidden. They just didn't know all the consequences of their actions and they would pay dearly for it. On rhe Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating.     

The song that was playing in my head as I read this book was 'Brighter than the Sun' by Colbie Caillat. 

"Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun
Oh, we could be the stars, falling from the sky
Shining how we want, brighter than the sun

I've never seen it, I found this love, I'm gonna feed it
You better believe, I'm gonna treat it better than anything I've ever had
Cause you're so d@mn beautiful..."

Overall, this one scored 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. There were twists and turns and plenty of action and drama. I am loving the series and looking forward to reading the next book.

Order of series: