Midnight Rose

I bought Shelby Reed's Midnight Rose after reading a glowing review of it. While the book didn't leave me speechless, I still enjoyed it very much: 4 out of 5.

By all appearances, wealthy widower Gideon Renaud is an attractive, vibrant man, and an attentive father to his son, Jude, who suffers from a rare disorder that renders him fatally allergic to sunlight. But Gideon has harbored a bloodstained secret for one hundress fifty years--he's a vampire. When he finds himself falling for Kate O'Brien, his son's new home-school tutor, only Gideon knows their passion is a time bomb, one that will end in heartbreak . . . and possibly death for the young teacher.

As Kate finds herself drawn into Gideon and Jude's sinister world, she is forced to confront their extraordinary reality, the existence of the most horrifying evil . . . and ultimately, the power of love to banish even the darkest shadows.

Midnight Rose is quite good, and its strength lies in its characters, especially Gideon and Kate. Gideon is a concerned father, and I thought his troubled relationship with the teenage Jude was portrayed very realistically. I saw what was coming regarding Jude's subplot, but it didn't make the overall story less enjoyable.

Kate is a strong heroine who's easy to like. She obviously cares about Gideon and Jude, and her freshness provides a nice contrast to Gideon's . . . I want to say pessimism, but that's not the right word. Kate's scenes with Gideon are powerful, and their chemistry is almost tangible.

The end of the book was quite moving.

My next Reed purchase will be A Fine Work of Art. I couldn't resist the description; I just wish it were a long enough story to be available in print.