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…