Review: Dark is not evil
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 27, 2013
Midnight Conquest: Bonded by Blood, book one, gives life to the dark issues of abuse and prejudice. The abuse is at the hands of a spouse and the prejudice is embodied in age old  traditions that block understanding and acceptance. Inevitably there is an acknowledgement of human shortcomings where darkness is called light and light is called darkness. Midnight Conquest brings to mind a similar story between Luna and Avery in the book Dark Genesis. Avery said to be the embodiment of evil and darkness was Luna's salvation and Luna's light in a world of darkness where those closest to her could not provide her a safe haven. In Midnight Conquest Broderick MacDougal, said to represent evil and darkness, is Davina's salvation where those closest to her failed to offer her a safe haven and allowed evil to creep within her home in the form of an abusive husband, Ian.If not for eyes to see and ears to hear , we might be able to correctly identify what the heart knows. Love is...Broderick's and Davina's story is a captivating one. It propels the reader forward in search of something, in search of anything good. After all, the human psyche looks to the promise of deliverance that follows trials and tribulations.  In learning of Broderick and Davina's story and their individual hope for some semblance of salvation ( vengeance,  rescue ), we come to recognize their desires and ours as one and the same.  Thus we find ourselves in a quagmire  where with each turn of the page we anxiously await the appearance of a savior/salvation to rid Davina and Broderick's world of Ian  and Angus Campbell, Broderick's nemesis.  In the end, Ian is justly rewarded for the seeds he has sown. Angus disappears. His disappearance lessens the likelihood I'll read book two.Broderick's whole existence for becoming a vampire was to avenge his family. He knew the necessity of beheading Angus if  found in daytime sleep. Angus like him is a vampire.  Yet when given the opportunity to seal Angus's death, Broderick moved away from Angus's lifeless body leaving Angus's head intact.For me there was no greater call for Broderick than to behead Angus. That he failed to do so severed my willingness to continue this series (it'll take Dibbs to get over this one).