Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Taken by the Night-Kathryn Smith

Taken by the Night
Kathryn Smith
Avon, Nov 2007, $5.99
ISBN: 9780061245022

For six centuries, Saint has been a vampire who has seen loved ones die. Not willing to feel the pain of loss any longer, he refuses to fall in love ever again.

Over the past few years whenever he is in London on business, Saint stays at the Maison Rouge brothel when he is not home. In that time he has watched the madam's daughter Ivy Dearing grow into a beautiful intelligent woman that by 1899 he is attracted to; his first in hundreds of years. He helps Ivy with her amateur sleuth investigation into the murders of two Maison women. When more females are killed, Saint who wants to drink Ivy’s blood and kiss her senseless, knows she could be a target of a dangerous serial killer who may prove more powerful than a vampire in love.

The latest Kathryn Smith historical vampire romance (see BE MINE TONIGHT and NIGHT OF THE HUNTRESS) tale is a fabulous paranormal Victorian whodunit. Readers will feel transferred back to the late nineteenth century as the atmosphere of London seems to take on a life of its own even in a backdrop role. The romance between Ivy and Saint is done in such a manner as to not overwhelm the serial killer subplot nor visa versa. However, the key that makes this tale take over a reader’s night is Ms. Smith’s ability to make her cast seem genuine, which in turn means vampires and paranormal killers feel real.

Harriet Klausner

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