Devon’s review of Night Mischief (a Dark Enchantments novel) by Nina Bruhns
Paranormal Romance released by Silhouette Nocturne on 1 Oct 2007
Night Mischief is part of the Dark Enchantments miniseries, released by Silhouette Nocturne last year. I read the first one, Familiar Stranger by Michele Hauf, and quite enjoyed it. The second book was a chore to finish, and I guess that’s why I let this third installment languish in the TBR milk crate. I’m glad I pulled it out, because Night Mischief was very entertaining, with a great hero and heroine, plenty of tension and a satisfying romance.
The world created for the miniseries is a bit different and interesting. The Cadre, a secret order that many of the characters are involved with, hunts down creatures and demons, true. But they take a neutral and academic approach, deciding very carefully whether or not a being is evil. A lot of their focus is on knowledge gathering. It’s kind of a refreshing change from hot headed, leather clad butt kickers. Those are there too, in the form of P-Cell, a covert division of British Intelligence who want to kill all paranormal beings. There’s a lot of tension between the two organizations. Combined with a veddy, veddy British setting, it makes for an intriguing backdrop.
The hero and heroine are both interesting characters. Dawn has always felt inferior to her twin sister, but she is an intelligent, strong and competent woman. Although at first I felt that Galen was falling for her a bit too fast, by the end I definitely believed in their relationship. Galen is one of the better done demon heroes I’ve read. He is overbearing, arrogant, and quite sexy. His increasing vulnerability to Dawn was well done, perhaps because he didn’t turn into a white knight all of a sudden. His sense of right and wrong, is that of a vengeance demon (definite shades of gray), and even though he cares about Dawn, he does some sketchy things throughout. It makes his ultimate redemption far more interesting, as he realizes what love really is.
Bruhns builds a nice tension between the two-a battle of wills punctuated by witty banter. There are some very sexy scenes as well (Galen looks human, but has a forked tongue. Nice!). I loved the Cadre’s mysterious home base, and the cast that resided within. Night Mischief is worth a try for those who are looking for a quick, satisfying paranormal read. One doesn’t have to have read the other books in order to follow the storyline (though I do recommend the Hauf as well). I will definitely be tracking down the final book, Saving Destiny by Pat White.
Grade: B
Daughter to the Earl of St. Yve, the beautiful Lady Dawn Maybank takes her responsibilities to the Cadre, the secret hermetic order of demon hunters her father heads, very seriously. But she is haunted by a fatal flaw she is desperate to hide from the world. One day a thoughtlessly spoken spell conjures Dawn’s worst nightmare…
Galen McManus is a demon of vengeance masquerading as an incubus. Handsome as the devil, he has a sinful body which he isn’t above using to weave his spell of cosmic justice. Those mortals he targets for ruin never suspect his purpose until it is far too late. Galen doesn’t believe in good or evil, in truth or lies, or in passions of any kind-other than for his job. He is all about balance.But this demon is as cunning as he is wicked. To his newest victim Galen proposes a trade: the Demon Stone, a long-lost diamond for which her father has been searching his whole life, in exchange for Lady Dawn spending five nights in his bed. Of course, all this is just a ruse to hide his real objective: to teach Dawn the true meaning of vengeance in a lesson she’ll never forget.
But this time, Galen’s plans go awry and the sinister net the arrogant demon weaves traps his most unsuspecting victim yet…himself. And with the most unlikely of reasons – for love.
Read an excerpt here.
