Customer Reviews

Taken By the Night

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

TAKEN BY THE NIGHT is the third installment in USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith's Brotherhood of Blood series. It features sexy vampire Saint (who is anything but saintly) and the beautiful Ivy Dearing.

While stopping for what he plans as a brief respite at the London brothel that is a safe refuge for the brothers, Saint encounters Ivy Dearing, the daughter of the infamous Madame, and no stranger to vampires. She asks him to help her in finding the person responsible for brutally murdering two of her friends. While investigating these and more 'Jack the Ripper' type killings, Saint finds it harder and harder to resist the tempting Ivy. She gets under his skin, but will he lose his heart?

Saint and Ivy's story is an utterly compelling and sexy adventure that takes place right at the turn of the century. It puts together a strong, sensual heroine and a dark, confident and incredibly sexy vampire (that Kathryn Smith is a master at writing!). I loved that Saint is no stranger to love and isn't afraid to embrace it again with the right woman. This book is another keeper and has me thoroughly looking forward to the next book in this exciting series!

Kathryn Smith does it again with `Taken by the Night', third in her riveting `Brotherhood of Blood' series. Here we have another entrancing story written in that darkly seductive voice that is Kathryn Smith's alone. The hero,`Saint' (so aptly yet so conversely named) is a hero to die for, a man marked both literally and figuratively by his past, with no real hope of a future worth living. Ivy Dearing is a heroine readers can identify with on so many levels, and because of that, will want root for. The dialogue between them is not to be missed-- sharp and rich and often suprisingly brutal in its honesty.

The scope of the realm created by Ms. Smith for the `Brotherhood of Blood' series-- the world of the Victorian Vampire-- is as alluring as it was with books 1 and 2 of the series (`Be Mine Tonight' and `Night of the Huntress'). Rooted in reality yet skewed by the unreality of the 'rules' governing the members of the 'Brotherhood of Blood', Kathryn Smith deftly makes the unbelievable suddenly much more plausible. With `Taken by the Night', Ms. Smith transports us back to Victorian London-- the mysterious twilight edge of it, where shadows and contradictions abound. Here she creates with gossamer lightness a web of a story that enraptures the reader won't let go until the very end-- and really, not even then...

`Taken by the Night' is book 3 in this mesmeric series, and there is much yet to be resolved for the long-suffering `Brotherhood of Blood'. The stakes are rising for with each book, and I for one can't wait to see where Ms. Smith takes us with book four!

I've been so disappointed in series installments lately that I was almost afraid to read this book. But Kathryn Smith gave me faith once more. Ivy is intelligent, independent and strong willed. Saint is everything you could hope for in a dark dangerous sexy vampire. The serial killer storyline was intriguing. The characters were believable and likeable. And the romance between Saint and Ivy was wonderful. Now...how long before Reign?

Has Jack the Ripper returned?

Saint is used to seeking sanctuary at Maison Rouge, a brothel specifically established by Saint and his vampire friends for this purpose. However, this trip turns out quite differently than he ever expected. Two of the residents have been gruesomely murdered and the Madam's daughter wants justice. Ivy Dearing doesn't believe in love, other than the value of friendship and family. Can Saint break through the shields around her heart? And can the two of them stop the murderer before more are killed?

Kathryn Smith escalates the war between the vampires and the Order with TAKEN BY THE NIGHT. While the book can easily be read as a stand alone, one will want to see how the Order has been attacking the vampires in the prior books. It's interesting to note the different ways the Order is willing to use people in their nefarious quest as perhaps TAKEN BY THE NIGHT shows the most evil and vile side yet of the Order.

The relationship between Ivy and Saint is an odd one. Saint has watched her grow up, as he once rescued her mother from a life on the streets. Some readers may find this a tad unsettling but it does bring up an interesting thought on vampires and relationships since the age differential is usually rather large. Ivy is almost shockingly determined that Saint view her as a woman and at times this makes her appear a bit brusque. However, this is in line with her character and so it works.

TAKEN BY THE NIGHT is another interesting take on Kathryn Smith's vampires. I look forward to seeing what happens as the storyline seems to be building towards a grand finale. Enjoyable story!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This book follows Saint, one of the original 5 soldiers sent by King Phillip to retrieve the Holy Grail. Instead, they find the Blood Grail, filled with the blood of Lilith, the original fallen woman, who was cursed by Samael. She is the mother of the vampires, her blood flows through them. When Saint shows up at the whorehouse one of his brethren set up for them many years ago, he is bombarded with the grief of the girls who work there. Two of their friends were murdered. The murders continue and the owner's daughter, Ivy Dearing, asks Saint for help in catching the killer. What follows is a turbulent and at times timid passion; Saint is tired of ignoring love, yet Ivy doesn't even believe in it. This book is full of heady romance scenes and suspense. I recommend that the first two books in this series, Be Mine Tonight, and Night of the Huntress, be read first.

Kathryn Smith is an excellent historical romance author. In Taken by the Night she has written a sexy and seductive hero in that of Saint, a lonely vampire who roams the world, until he meets Ivy Dearing. He has known Ivy ever since she was a small child. But his feelings for her have changed. Ivy's mother runs a brothel and their employees are being murdered savagely by a Jack the Ripper copy cat. Ivy asks Saint to help her find the murderer, even though at first she acts like she can't stand him. Well, that is until Saint has a habit of kissing her senseless. Ivy quickly changes her opinion of him fast.
The sex scenes between Saint and Ivy are shocking, erotic and oh so good.
But overall this story is a bit grating. We have yet another murder mystery where the spunky heroine must solve the crime and where she may also be a victim of the evil killer. Plus the fact that Ivy snipes at Saint every chance she gets until Saint shows how great he can be with that naughty mouth of his, changes her mind.
Also there is something a bit off putting that Saint has always though of Ivy as a small child, seeing as he watched her grow up and now wants her in the ways a man of his nature can only want a woman like herself.
But if you have enjoyed Smith's other two vampire books in this on-going series, you will probably enjoy Taken by the Night. Overall and okay read and I must say that Saint is one incredible character. Ivy on the other hand is better when she is not harping on Saint, which leads to some nice bedroom love between them both.

Katiebabs

This is the third installment after Be mine Tonight and Night of the Huntress in the Brotherhood of the Blood series. So far I love this series but this book was a little weaker than the other ones IMHO. I would still give it 4 stars though.

This one is about Saint who arrives in London and stays at one of the Brother's safe house, the brothel Maison Rouge. Ivy is the daughter of the Madam and she asks Saint for help because two of the girls working there got killed by a Jack the Ripper kind of killer. It becomes clear soon that the murders are linked to Maison Rouge and Saint does everything to keep Ivy safe.

Saint was once again a great hero but sometimes I didn't really understand him. He has some baggage with a former lover who died, he is also a rogue who can't resist any willing female, than again he still believes in love and wants a HEA for himself. He is also pretty quick with getting Ivy to love him but instead of telling her that he wants her to admit her feelings first. It was just a little bit too confusing for me.

I like the fact that Kathryn Smith heroines all have different personalities and that it's easy to relate to them. No cookie-cutter heroines in that series ;) So Ivy is pretty angry at the world and in the beginning she snaps at Saint constantly. She had a crush on him the last time she saw him as a teenager but he ignored her back then. When he shows up this time she realizes that she is still attracted to him but she is too scared that he will just walk away from her like everybody else in her life. Growing up in a brothel didn't really help making her believe in love either. Because of that she can't even admit her feelings for Saint to herself and feels like she is too vulnerable if she tells him how she feels. She thinks as soon as she lets him see her "weakness" he is going to rip her heart into pieces. It almost got a little ridiculous at some point.

However, the romance between those two was still great, they had a couple really hot sex scenes and I liked the plot line - even though it was a little predictable and I could see the villain from miles away.

I could not put the book down from the time I started to read the story, it had romance and mystery all combined!

Saint is very different than I thought he would be. After reading 'Night of the Huntress' and hearing the whole story about him and Marta, I had high expectations for this book and it didn't quite meet those expectations. I wanted sooo badly for him and Marika to meet, but instead all he received was a letter informing him of her existance. The shaking of his hands as he read the letter made up for some of my disappointment, but not all.
I did enjoy his story though, and I really do like Ivy, she's exactly the kind of girl Saint needed! I can't wait for the rest of the series!
Learning that Reign has a wife, now that made me sit up and pay attention, that and the fact that she ran away from him thirty years ago!
I can't wait for Reign's story!

I'm a fan of Kathryn Smith's other books, both historical and paranormal but this was a disappointment. First, the plot was another re-tread of the Jack the Ripper story, adapted for other characters. Secondly, these characters were not particularly compelling. A vampire named "Saint" should be a fascinating guy, but there was nothing interesting about him. He lives on and off in a brothel, that he also helps to finance. His powers as a vampire seem fairly weak, and he comes of as a simple brothel bouncer instead of a powerful supernatural creature. The situation is matter-of-fact - the brothel is used by him and his fellow vampires as something of a sanctuary. The business isn't explored at all -it might just as well be any other business. The heroine, Ivy, is the photographer daughter of the madame, who's known Saint most of her life. She hasn't seen him in a few years, but now he's back they notice each other. Being brought up in a brothel gives Ivy a rather pragmatic view of sex - which makes their relationship rather dull. Two people having sex in a brothel - how unique and romantic - not!