Lawson’s review of Night After Night (Brotherhood of Blood, Book 5) by Kathryn Smith
Historical paranormal romance released by Avon 27 Jan 09

The fifth and final book in Smith’s Brotherhood of the Blood series follows the leader of the group of knights, Temple, who has been in hiding so he can protect the grail and his vampire brothers. There was mention of Temple in the last two books, Let the Night Begin and Taken by the Night, having to deal with his being in hiding to possibly having been kidnapped by the dastardly Order of the Palm. And so the story opens, with Temple in a cell…

Temple has been in the cell for awhile, as his captors have been feeding him blood laced with drugs, but they no longer take effect and he has a clear head and knows he has to escape. He knows the Order of the Palm is behind his capture, but he doesn’t know why or who is in charge of the operation. What he does know is they want him alive for a reason. When he hears someone coming he feigns being drugged to catch them off guard and hopefully learn something about what has happened while he’s been away from the world.

His jailer, or at least the person bringing him blood, is Vivian, and Temple can tell there’s something different about her. But he is able to learn some small information, bite her and take some of her blood, which hasn’t been laced with a drug, and makes a quick escape out of his prison, but not before finding out the identity of the leader of the Order of the Palm and getting Vivian sent to follow him.

Vivian is uneasy with Temple, though he doesn’t treat her like everyone else she knows, even her friend and guardian Rupert Villiers. When Rupert sends her after Temple to keep an eye on him, she makes her way to a remote island off the coast of Ireland, where she not only finds Temple, but the secrets to her past, and perhaps her future. That is, if she realizes that everything she’s ever known has been a lie and Temple is one who will tell her the truth. And will they be able to protect each other from Rupert Villiers and his dastardly plans?

Vivian is a strong, able woman, but one can’t help feeling bad about her life and the fact that she’s been lied to, or at least not told the full nature of things, all her life. Being a tall, strong woman who can easily beat up a man had her father treating her very poorly and being saved, of a sorts from her father’s ill treatment by Rupert Villiers. He educates her and protects her, but he never tells her the truth of why he did save her. Even then, she’s always grateful to Villers and it takes more than Temple to open her eyes to the facts about Villiers and what he ultimately has planned for her.

Temple is a born leader, but he gets a bit arrogant with it, as well as obviously careless, as he does get captured by the Order of the Palm. Even though he escapes, his plans end up playing into the hands of the Order, and even though he works to get Vivian to trust him, he doesn’t trust her himself, until he really is forced to. While the rest of the Brotherhood, Reign, Saint, Chapel and Bishop, follow what he plans, he realizes his mistakes in keeping them at a distance and not having any contingency plans in place if a group such as the Order ever got close enough to what ends up happening in the book.

Temple and Vivian do seem to complement each other well, even if she does seem to give in to him physically rather easily (and in a thunderstorm too) and the physical part of their relationship is pretty steamy. The other parts take longer for the deep trust to build between them.

As this is the end of the series, all the other characters from the other books, and the one short story, make an appearance and have an integral role in the final scenes and resolution to this series. Though it was a full resolution to all the stories of the Brotherhood, it just seemed a bit too short and a little unsatisfying as compared with how much trouble they’d caused in the previous books.  It’s a good series though, and I would recommend it for anyone who likes some history with their vampire stories.

Grade: B

Read more reviews and info on this series by following its tag.

Summary:
.
I am Temple, Guardian of the Blood Grail…
.
Centuries ago, this magnificent chalice sealed my fate as a vampire, and now I am its protector. Many have hunted me for it, but only Vivian has accomplished the task. Strong, lovely, haunted … I am more attracted to her than I should be, yet her loyalty lies with a man determined to bring about my destruction. But I am not so easily locked in a cage, and now the captive has become the captor.
.
Though her stormy eyes tempt me, there is too much at stake – not merely my life, but the lives of my vampire Brotherhood. And I am not above using Vivian to achieve my goals, even if it means denying my own heart. The battle to end all battles is just beginning, and I must fight … if I could only let my desire be damned.”
.
Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

EXCLUSIVE! We have an excerpt from Kathryn’s Smith’s Night After Night, the final book in the Brotherhood of the Blood series. This one doesn’t come out until February 2009, so get a sneak peek now! I’ll be awarding an ARC of Night After Night to two commenters on any post dated December 17. Read on!

“Centuries ago, this magnificent chalice sealed my fate as a vampire, and now I am its protector. Many have hunted me for it, but only Vivian has accomplished the task. Strong, lovely, haunted . . . I am more attracted to her than I should be, yet her loyalty lies with a man determined to bring about my destruction. But I am not so easily locked in a cage, and now the captive has become the captor.

Though her stormy eyes tempt me, there is too much at stake—not merely my life, but the lives of my vampire Brotherhood. And I am not above using Vivian to achieve my goals, even if it means denying my own heart. The battle to end all battles is just beginning, and I must fight . . . if I could only let my desire be damned.”

Excerpt

Brownie was smiling like a baptized whore seeing the light of God. “Please let me know if you need anything at all, Miss Vivian.”

“I’d like some clothes,” came the quick reply. Temple choked back laughter. He admired her spirit, damn her pretty hide.

His friend didn’t even glance at him. “I believe your belongings are in the laundry. Anything else?”

“We’ll let you know,” Temple replied before Vivian could speak. Brownie was going to make Vivian suspicious with all this bowing and scraping. “Thank-you for breakfast.”

Vivian murmured her thanks as well, and Temple took Brownie by the arm, steering her toward the door so quickly she had to run to keep up.

“Try not to treat her like the second coming,” he growled as he practically shoved her out of the room.

Brownie wasn’t the least bit sorry. “You cannot expect me to treat her like any other person.”

He scowled. “You treat me like any other person.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “You are.”

He bared his fangs, reminding her rather dramatically of just how wrong she was. His reward was seeing her press a hand against her throat as her heart pounded like a scared rabbit’s. Now he had frightened his only ally.

“Please, Brownie,” he said softly, taking her chilled hand in his. “I need you to show some restraint. At least for a little while. I don’t think Vivian knows what she is, and I don’t want to tell her until I know for certain the part she’s to play.”

Brownie sighed. “I understand. Please don’t hiss at me like that again.”

Temple squeezed her fingers. “I won’t.” He released her hand. “I need a favor. Can you send these telegrams for me?” He handed her the small stack of papers sitting on the table beside him. They were messages tovarious acquaintances around Europe – people he knew his friends would go to.

By now Chapel would have discovered his former hideaway in England. He had been taken before he could speak to the other vampire, but there was plenty of evidence left behind. Chapel had to know something bad had happened. He would alert the others. By now at least one of them had to have received the medallions he had sent.

They would come. They wouldn’t walk into whatever trap Villiers set for them in Italy. Together, the five of them would plan and launch their own attack against the Silver Palm. This was going to end. Temple tried not to think about what would happen to Vivian when that final battle came.

To her credit, the little woman didn’t even glance at the letters. “Of course. I need to send out some correspondence myself later on this afternoon.”

Temple thanked her, told her he would talk to her later, and closed the door. When he turned, it was to find Vivian watching him closely as she broke apart a flaky croissant and stuffed the chunks into her mouth. For a moment he was somewhat saddened, knowing this time alone with her would soon end.

“So,” she said, tearing off another piece of pastry. “Are you going to have something to eat?”

He thought of her thigh and how delicious it looked earlier. And then he flashed her a broad grin, full of fang. “Yes,” he replied, slipping the deadbolt into place. “I believe I will.”

copyright 2008, Kathryn Smith

Liviania’s review of Weddings from Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey, and Kathryn Smith
Paranormal romance anthology released by Harper 27 May 08

I enjoy anthologies because they are a good way to get a feel for an author’s work. This made me more excited to read Weddings from Hell because of the four contributors, I had only read Terri Garey’s work previously. I knew nothing about Maggie Shayne, but I have wanted to try both Jeaniene Frost and Kathryn Smith. Together the four created a fairly solid anthology with an even tone.

‘Til Death by Maggie Shayne

When she was seven years old, Kira MacLellan witnessed the strange death of her mother. Now her great aunt Iris has died, leaving her a fortune – if she marries Ian Stewart within the week. Doing so could mean Kira’s death due to the family curse.

‘Til Death works very well as a ghost story. There’s a dark atmosphere, some creepy occurrences, and a conclusion that could be more coherent but still makes sense. As a romance, I didn’t quite buy it. I’m not big on love at first sight, which is pretty much the basis of Kira and Ian’s relationship. They have no time to get to know each other before they are married and breaking curses. I liked both characters and felt they had chemistry, but I didn’t feel their relationship had a solid foundation.

Grade: B-

Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost

I know enough about Frost’s work to know that this novella connects to her main series through the character of Bones. Greta calls upon her former companion Bones to rescue her grandson Frazier and to help her granddaughter Isabella escape her engagement to Robert “Robbery” Bertino, a small-time mob boss. Pretty soon Isabella has fallen in love with Chance, whom Bones sent to take care of the problem.

I’m a sucker for mob stories. Throw in a basically amoral vampire hero and you’ve got me hooked. Isa’s a tough woman who can think on her feet and Chance likes to put down his opponents with extreme prejuidice. They’re likeable characters and the plot is solid and moves quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Isa get out of her predicament with Chance’s help. This story has the most violence of the four, but it is more of an urban fantasy than a paranormal romance.

Grade: B+

Ghouls Night Out by Terri Garey

This novella features Nikki Styx, the heroine of Garey’s main series. Nikki agrees to be a bridesmaid in her cousin Debbie’s wedding, not knowing she’s replacing another girl. However, Michelle is still around – or at least her ghost is. Nikki must set Michelle’s spirit to rest before Michelle will leave her alone.

I was not that fond of Garey’s novel Dead Girls are Easy, and I think her entry was the weakest. It’s supposed to be a bit more light-hearted and comedic, but most of it feels mean-spirited. Nikki makes cruel comments about her family, even though she learns some of her impressions were wrong. The story picks up once Michelle’s revenge is in full swing, but until that point I just felt disgusted by the heroine.

Grade: C-

The Wedding Night by Kathryn Smith

Vampire Payen returns to England to discover his lover Violet is getting married to another man, one who belongs to the Order of the Silver Palm. As the Order opposes both vampires and Templars, it gives Payen a reason to stop the wedding besides his jealousy. Unfortunately, his actions may put Violet in danger.

This story, unlike the others, is a historical. People who know a great deal about the Templar knights might want to avoid it, but I don’t know enough to be bothered by any historical inaccuracies. It’s a fairly simple tale, and I would like it more if I understood what was so desirable about Violet. There is one good scene where she tells off her ex-fiance, but it feels uncharacteristic of a woman of the time. (Of course, Violet is unlike her female peers even physically.) The story worked fairly well, but the characters fell flat.

Grade: C+

Overall grade: B-

Some marriages are made in heaven . . . Some are not.

What happens when “the happiest day of your life” turns into a nightmare? Forget the drunken best man or the bridesmaid dresses from the ’80s . . . none of these wedding day disasters can compare to a cursed bride determined to make it down the aisle, or a vampire who is about to disrupt your wedding.

Join New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Jeaniene Frost, USA Today bestseller Kathryn Smith, as well as Terri Garey in four unforgettable tales of unholy matrimony . . . where the grooms are dark, dangerous, and mostly dead, and to love and cherish till death takes on a whole new meaning.

Lawson’s review of Let the Night Begin (Brotherhood of the Blood, Book 4) by Kathryn Smith
Historical romance released by Avon 24 Jun 08

When I read Taken by the Night, I have to admit that Saint was a wonderful hero, but I didn’t like Ivy too much. What intrigued me, though, was the mention of Reign and is estranged wife and I really wanted to read their story. Reunion stories are something that I like, and the short mention in Taken by the Night was great. Not that I’ve read the first two in the series. . .hmm. . . I do have the first one around here, I’ll have to make time to get to it.

Olivia Gavin returns to her husband, Reign Gavin’s life after a 30 year absence. Someone has found out what she is and has kidnapped her nephew. The ransom is to trade Reign for her nephew, James. Since Olivia is carrying hurt toward Reign, she’s willing to trade his life for her nephew’s. The only problem is convincing Reign to help her without him getting suspicious about her motives for reappearing in his life. Which doesn’t really work, as Reign is smart and doesn’t trust anyone easily, even his wife.

Reign goes along with the plan so that he can keep tabs on Olivia and also so that he can keep close to her. When Olivia reappears Reign is so very happy that he agrees to the scheme just so he can stay in her company. Reign has never stopped loving his wife, even though she ran out on him and has carried the guilt for her desertion. Getting to know each other again and dealing with the secretive nature of James’ kidnappers puts a strain on Olivia. She falls for Reign all over again, and ends up having to make a choice between her two loves.

The first half of the book, Olivia is remarkably childish and carries her bitterness about her wedding night to Reign (when he turned her into a vampire) so close to her that she ends up nearly losing her life. This started off by turns as annoying and understandable. Her one moment of idiotic behavior, though, is acknowledged by her and her honesty with herself about her actions up to that point fully redeem her as a character. The choices she makes after that event, even being a powerful vampire, show someone that can be true to themselves and feel comfortable relying on another person.

Reign is a great hero. He’s upfront about what he wants, is open about his emotions, and is very accepting of Olivia’s faults as well as her redeeming characteristics. He’s also patient in waiting for her to be honest with him about everything, and still manages to throw her off balance more than she does him. Which leads to some very steamy, sexy scenes between the two, both when they banter and when they have their clothes off. It’s more than steam coming off the page, it’s that carryover to the warm tingles that spread throughout the body. Yep, it’s some hot stuff.

Spectacular chemistry, a good plot, believable characters all help this romance, as well as the choices that Olivia makes at the end with shows so much (realistic) growth of her character from the first page to the last page of the story. If she’d dealt with things differently she wouldn’t have been the kick ass, compassionate and caring character she was. By the end, it was so easy to see what Reign loved about her. I’ve got to go read the first two of this series and I’ll be waiting rather impatiently for the last in the Brotherhood of the Blood series, which is Temple’s story.

Grade: A

A Vampire Will Not Rest Until He Satisfies His Hunger…

And what I, Reign, hungered for most of all was Olivia Gavin. I have never met a woman more beautiful, more tantalizing, and so I made her my bride. She promised me her heart and soul . . . in return, I plundered her flesh, and bound her to me for all eternity. Then, terrified of what I’d made her, she fled.

Now she has returned, desperate for my help in saving her beloved nephew. But my assistance comes at a price: She must share my bed once more, for the feel of her soft skin, the heat of her kiss, excite me still. And I know she desires me, even as she resists her own heart.

Yet, as we rediscover the passion that brought us together, an enemy waits to destroy us both…

If you remember, Kathryn Smith is giving away two copies of the ARC of Let the Night Begin, which doesn’t hit stores until June 24, 2008. There were some great comments on the contest and thanks to everyone who wanted to try to get a copy of Let the Night Begin.

A Vampire Will Not Rest Until He Satisfies His Hunger . . .

And what I, Reign, hungered for most of all was Olivia Gavin. I have never met a woman more beautiful, more tantalizing, and so I made her my bride. She promised me her heart and soul . . . in return, I plundered her flesh, and bound her to me for all eternity. Then, terrified of what I’d made her, she fled.

Now she has returned, desperate for my help in saving her beloved nephew. But my assistance comes at a price: She must share my bed once more, for the feel of her soft skin, the heat of her kiss, excite me still. And I know she desires me, even as she resists her own heart.

Yet, as we rediscover the passion that brought us together, an enemy waits to destroy us both . . .

Congratulations go out to the following:

Mandy C

and

Christine

You each get an ARC of Let the Night Begin. Be sure you email Sybil at redwyne @ gmail .com with your physical address so your prize can be mailed to you. Congratulations again and many thanks go to the wonderful Kathryn Smith.

I’ve only read one of Kathryn Smith‘s Brotherhood of the Blood series, but it was very good. And it made me really want to read this book, Let the Night Begin. It’s the story of Reign and his estranged wife and I can tell it promises to be a great read.

Luckily too, Kathryn Smith is a wonderful author for she’s giving away two ARC’s of the book, which is due out June 24, 2008. How do you enter? I’ll tell ya. . .

     A Vampire Will Not Rest Until He Satisfies His Hunger . . .

     And what I, Reign, hungered for most of all was Olivia Gavin. I have never met a woman more beautiful, more tantalizing, and so I made her my bride. She promised me her heart and soul . . . in return, I plundered her flesh, and bound her to me for all eternity. Then, terrified of what I’d made her, she fled.

     Now she has returned, desperate for my help in saving her beloved nephew. But my assistance comes at a price: She must share my bed once more, for the feel of her soft skin, the heat of her kiss, excite me still. And I know she desires me, even as she resists her own heart.

     Yet, as we rediscover the passion that brought us together, an enemy waits to destroy us both . . .

So you wanna read this book now after that great summary? I know I do. And to win and ARC you need to respond to this post by 6 pm CDT Wednesday June 4, 2008 for a two lucky random winners will be chosen from the comments. Please answer one of the following questions:

Has there ever been a time in your love life that you found out something that could make you run away? Or did you stay? Tell us why!

or

Explain which is your favorite scene from any Kathryn Smith book and why.

Go, comment away! Good luck and have fun!

Kathryn Smith – cupid, author, and frequent (and very appreciated) contributor to TGTBTU - shares a Valentine story with us. 

Don’t forget to catch her anthology, Weddings From Hell, releasing 27 May 08.

Okay — I have a Valentine’s story–

The first Valentine’s my husband (then boyfriend) and I shared came about when we were both in our mid-twenties and poor. We didn’t go out to dinner or anything fancy, but we did exchange cards and small gifts. I still have the card Steve gave me. It was pink and white and said, “The only thing better than Chocolate on Valentine’s Day is…” And when you opened it up it said, “Sharing it with THIS guy!”

Originally inside the card there had been a black and white photo of a very buff, shirtless guy wearing nothing but low-slung jeans. However, there was a not-so subtle difference in the card my sweetie gave me. Steve had put a picture of his own face over top of the model’s. What’s worse — in a good way — was that Steve’s pic was color, a few years out of date (I believe he had a slight mullet) and totally goofy. I laughed so hard I thought my bladder was going to explode.

Is it any wonder I kept him? And to this day he can still make me laugh like nobody else.

Kathryn Smith

What about you, readers?  Have any stories of gifts, gifting, and re-gifting that make you laugh to this day?

Lawson’s Review of Taken by the Night by Kathryn Smith
Historical/Paranormal Romance by Avon released on October 30, 2007

This is the third in Smith’s Brotherhood of Blood series about a group of Victorian vampires. The first book in the series is Be Mine Tonight released June 27, 2006 and the second is Night of the Huntress released January 30, 2007. 

Saint has returned to London and the safe house of the Brotherhood at a bad time. Though only intending to stay one night as he travels elsewhere, Saint knows he has to help those of the Maison Rouge. Two of their own have been brutally murdered and Scotland Yard is not getting on the case due to the type of people the two victims were. Maison Rouge is a safe house for the Brotherhood, but it is also an upscale brothel run by Madeline Dearing. Madeline’s daughter Ivy helps her run the house and see to their “special” guests from time to time.

Saint wants to keep moving, but his sense of duty to the house and the safety of its residents keep him in London to solve the crimes. Saint doesn’t count on his attraction to Ivy Dearing, even though she doesn’t trust him or how desperate Ivy is for vengeance to find the killer of her two friends. Using his talents as a vampire Saint searches London by night for clues to the case, but the girls continue to be targeted.

Ivy knows that Saint is the one person that can give her the justice she craves. But she also wants to be part of the investigation and she’s frustrated when Saint doesn’t let her go with him. Even worse is she begins to want Saint for more than his ability to protect those that she cares about. Ivy knows what she wants, and knows how to get it, but as the killer continues his terror Ivy and Saint begin to fall in love and become embroiled in more danger than their love can survive.

This is my first Kathryn Smith (though she signed one of her backlist for me and Syb brought it from RWA) and I have to say that I loved Saint. He was witty, flirtatious, charming, sexy and. . .probably lots of things a hero should be. Though he claims to want to be alone and not lead people, he’s very loyal and has leadership qualities that are needed in the murder investigations.

Ivy is a different story. I didn’t get her for much of the book. She says she’s honest to a fault, but she’s not honest with herself about what she feels for Saint, as well as the other people in her life. She’s a photographer, but she really doesn’t seem to see people. As she begins to trust Saint, she stops trusting herself and doesn’t understand her own feelings. Why Saint sticks around is a bit of a mystery to me because Ivy seemed more a woman of the 1990s rather than the 1890s. Her independent streak was vastly out of historical place.

Even though Ivy wasn’t very likeable (at least to me), she and Saint had some marvelous chemistry. I suppose their personalities complimented each other enough to lead to lots of sparks in the bedroom. There were a couple of times those sparks may have caught Saint on fire, and that would be a bad thing for a vampire. Smith’s dialogue and connection during “the act” for these to characters was spot on.

Smith also uses lots of fun little details to put one in the period very well. I had fun fact checking, (yes, I’m a history nerd and like to fact check and learn new things) and seeing how life progressed in the 1890s with some of the technology we take for granted today. The use of things such as the telephone and photography worked well in the story not only has historical detail, but as plot devices.

One aspect that could have used work was the murder plot line. It was mixed with some of the vague conspiracy theories of Jack the Ripper, which were oversimplified and played up a little too much, though they are interesting historical tidbits. It made some things in the plot a little too convenient. And made the villain easy to spot and overly contemptible because even Saint says something along the lines of “Anyone that agreeable must be up to no good”. Yep, I would have to agree.

The secondary characters, Ivy’s mother, Ezekiel (Saint’s source of information) and some of the Maison Rouge girls gave some good depth and helped give dimension to Saint, and though Ivy is too independent, she’s kept in line by Saint, even if she does a couple of things that are TSTL. I wonder though what the Brotherhood’s real names are, since they go by Bishop, Chapel, Saint, Temple and Reign. . .has that been explained before, or will it be discussed in later books? I suppose some more research is in order and going back and reading the first two books which I have been remiss and not read yet.

Grade: B-