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5.0 out of 5 stars
Another beautiful blend!, May 17, 2009
This review is from: So Still The Night: A Novel of The Shadow Guard (Mass Market Paperback)
So Still the Night is Kim Lenox's new historical paranormal romance set in Victorian London, and I found this second book in the Shadow Guard series to be just as sumptuous as her first, Night Falls Darkly.
As the love child of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, it's not surprising that hero Marcus Helios is beautiful, passionate and larger-than-life. In the pursuit of becoming legendary, at the end of the Night Falls Darkly, Mark sacrifices himself, so that in So Still the Night he is fighting for his existence and trying to prevent his transition into one of the evil souls that the Shadow Guards exterminate.
The key to saving himself rests with information held by the delightful Mina Limpett, whose eccentric father has disappeared with some ancient Akkadian scrolls of supreme supernatural importance. From the moment Mark and Mina meet, the attraction sizzles. She's feisty and smart and the perfect match for a formerly self-involved god-like creature like him.
Lenox does a fabulous job of blending nail-biting dark suspense with evocative description and occasional moments of wonderful wry humor. As the story progresses, Mark is losing time and possibly descending into madness and murder, the body count is rising, and a new and terrifying killer, the Dark Bride of Jack the Ripper, emerges. Despite the danger of getting distracted, Mark can't resist the urge to pursue Mina. Falling for him complicates her life, as she must contend with the jealousy of female rivals for his affection. And later Mina faces the realization that the man she loves is not mortal and will never be hers alone.
Lenox brings the story to a smooth and stunning conclusion with surprising twists that give Mark and Mina's love story a satisfying ending while also leading into the next book in the series. As always, I loved Lenox's storytelling and greatly look forward to the new installment in the Shadow Guard series, Darker Than Night (April 2010 by NAL).
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Fantastic Book in a Promising Series!, March 9, 2010
This review is from: So Still The Night: A Novel of The Shadow Guard (Mass Market Paperback)
I love a good romance novel. Historicals are my absolute favorites. The immortals, brotoi(bad) and Shadow Guard (good) are woven into history so well that they truly feel a part of it. What I love about her books is that she doesn't spend page after page of overexaggerated love making with a smattering of story tossed in. The stories themselves hold their own. Her balance of intimacy and story are perfect, not overdone as in most cases you find in most historical romances. I truly cannot wait for the next book to release. For any fan of historical romance, I think most everyone will enjoy these stories as well as the love between the characters in them.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting Review: So Still The Night, February 27, 2010
This review is from: So Still The Night: A Novel of The Shadow Guard (Mass Market Paperback)
SO STILL THE NIGHT (A Novel of the Shadow Guard)
KIM LENOX
Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4.5 Enchantments
Marcus Helios is not only an immortal, a former member of the elite Shadow Guard and the son of Antony and Cleopatra, but he also in the depths of Transcension, bringing him to the depths of madness. His only hope of salvation lies in two ancient scrolls he believes are in the possession of the beautiful Willowmina, and he'll do whatever it takes to get his hands on them. But with the mysterious Dark Bride hunting him in London and having to deal with his twin sister Seline, who's desperate to become his official assassin, things are complicated enough without falling for the beautiful Mina.
With her father faking his own death, sending her back to London to report the grim news, then to go into deep mourning for her own safety, Mina suddenly finds herself on her own. When strange things begin to happen, such as being the victim of an apparent random attack in the street and having her father's papers shredded in her room, she becomes uncomfortable and slightly scared for her own safety Surprisingly, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Mark, Lord Alexander. When he unexpectedly asks for her hand in marriage, she's thrilled when her uncle agrees to the betrothal. Now she can get out of the house and hopefully start over, completely unaware of her new husband's immortality.
I adored SO STILL THE NIGHT. While not your typical historical romance, Mina and Mark are two strong individuals, both fighting their own battles: Mark's for his sanity and Mina for trying to overcome the loss of her father. The chemistry between the two is some of the strongest I've read and the scenes between them are sizzling hot. I loved how Mark wore down Mina's resistance to him, especially the scene with the hot air balloon at the club. My favorite scene though is after the two are married and Mina learns his secret. While on the search for her father, they visit an old family friend of Mina's, a rather eccentric character who owns a warehouse full of unusual items. It's a fun and a nice respite from the darker tone of a lot of the book, it's one that made me laugh and stayed with me through the rest of the book.
I have to say SO STILL THE NIGHT is a wonderful read that quickly earned a spot on my keeper shelf. Mark is a delicious hero, filled with a dark intensity and a purpose that I haven't read in awhile and quickly fell for. Mina's strong enough on her own, but watching her fall for Mark and accept who he truly is makes this a great read. The only drawback to the story is the ending chapters are rather fast paced, and rush by quicker than the rest of the story.
With a fast paced ending with a few surprising twists and revelations, SO STILL THE NIGHT leaves the reader breathless, going back through the story for clues they may have missed as to the Dark Bride and her cohorts identities. I can't wait to read the next in this series, Darker Than Night, due out in April 2010.
To learn more about this book and the Shadow Guard series, visit Ms. Lenox online at her website: [...]
Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
January 2010
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