Review: Midnight by Ellen Connor

Their desire destroys her defenses.

Their love gives him a reason to live.

Three years of wandering the post-apocalyptic wasteland has stripped Dr. Chris Welsh of humanity and hope. He’s a dangerous man now, full of dark energy and yen for violence. A harrowing loss drove him from his home, and he hasn’t stopped moving since. Grim and sardonic, he never found anything worth sticking around for–until now.

Rosa Cortez runs Valle de Bravo, a haven of civilization amid the chaos of the Change. Soldiers take their orders directly from her–the iron hand within a velvet glove. The last thing she needs is a feral loner upsetting the town’s tentative balance. However, for the good of her people, she lets the sexy doctor stay. He evokes a delicious new longing, but she won’t submit to any man.

Tension rises as bloodthirsty raiders strike again and again, bent on possessing Valle and its resources. Together Chris and Rosa battle hellhounds and dust pirates while also fighting desperate attraction. To save them, love must overcome the pain of the past–and build a future in this brutal Dark Age… 

Dang, Midnight is a great addition to this series. 

What I found so striking is the change in Chris from when we met him in Nightfall until now.  He's wandered for three years, alone perhaps by his own choosing but partially because he cannot escape the memory of Angela and her death.  When he arrives at Valle de Bravo, he's certainly not looking for anything further than helping his own survival.

Rosa Cortez is also running from memories, though she channels her past into a future as "la jefe" of Valle de Bravo.  She runs a well-oiled machine, training her bravos and seizing the O'Malley organization trucks which venture into her territory.  She's spent the last couple of years avoiding male companionship as she believes it will put her position in jeopardy.

This book has everything: action, adventure, romance, sex, violence, death, life, rebirth.  It's a mile-a minute journey with ultra-satisfying twists and turns.  I cannot wait to read Daybreak (December 2011).