Night's Kiss
3 Stars

Synopsis:
Roshan DeLongpre is a melancholy vampire who has lost his will to live until he reads about Brenna Flannigan, a witch burned at the stake, and finds himself inextricably drawn to her. He decides to travel to the past and bring her safely to his own time. Little does he know the dangerous threat that exists in the present to both Brenna’s life and his own…

Review:
Stereotypical vampire fare.

Roshan has all the characteristics of an old-school vampire and is also a recluse. So if you are looking for a series similar to the Blackdagger Brotherhood, Midnight Breeds or Dark Hunters this is not for you. That said, he is an endearing character and his romance with Brenna is sweet even though the resolution to the vampire/human relationship did not appeal to me.

The story is virtually non-existent until the wicked warlock subplot and the epilogue feels completely contrived and superfluous. Another aspect of the tale that irritated me was Brenna’s characterization. She is established as a powerful witch but allows Roshan to dominate her and her powers appear to be completely useless when she finds herself in a precarious situation. I kept thinking: “Come on woman! You’re a witch! Use your magic!”

Is there such a thing as too much detail? Absolutely yes! In general, the writing style is ok but there is far too much information on theories of time travel and the fundamentals of witchcraft such as the significance of various colors and herbs.

This is a cute, light read but I am not really interested in continuing with the series. ( )

A standard write-by-numbers paranormal romance with an unoriginal beginning, a tedious middle, and a redeeming ending.

A vampire, tired of centuries of non-life, decides to greet the morning sun and end it all (sound familiar?). Browsing the web for what is probably the last time, he comes across an intriguing painting of a beautiful young witch being burned at the stake. He falls in love with the image and decides to go back in time and rescue her (familiar?)

He succeeds in his mission and brings the witch back to his luxury home, where she oohs and ahs at the wonders of modern living, learns to drive a Ferrari, and enthuses over the magic of a supermarket. All very exciting for her, but for the contemporary reader, a tedious list of everyday articles and products.

She decides she prefers her own 18th century life, decides she wants to be free of the vampire's luxurious accommodation and bottomless pocket, then begins to change her mind.

Being a real witch, and not one of the wretched innocents murdered in 18th century witchunts, her powers attract attention both good and bad, and the tedium of the mid-section of the book begins to dispel, ending with a satisfying up-beat ending.

The first volume of a series which I'll definitely follow up. ( )

Really liked this book! ( )

Enjoyed the whole series of books with this. This should have been the first book I read but ended up being the last book I read. All good! ( )

Roshan DeLongpre is a vampire bored with his existence. He's been alive for almost three hundred years, and seen and done just about everything there is to see and do. He's read hundreds of thousands of books, seen the cities of the world change, watched innumerable moons rise in the night sky. But after all this time, there's no joy left in his life-only that unshakable need to exist, to survive.

All of that changes, when he sees a colorless pen and ink drawing of a woman being burned at the stake. The captions and ensuing story in the book tells him that Brenna Flanagan was suspected of witchcraft and subsequently burned for her sins, her ashes scattered after her death in a mountain lake. Unnerved by Brenna's rare beauty, and the eerie similarity between the mountain lake in the story and that of a painting hanging in his library, Roshan immediately sets out to determine who exactly Brenna Flanagan was. The fact that she looks eerily similar to his lost love, Atiyana, furthers his resolve to solve the mystery of who this woman was.

Feeling almost bewitched himself, as the artist of that small pen and ink drawing was purported to be, Roshan chooses to use his supernatural powers to do the unthinkable-travel back into the past and rescue Brenna before the angry mob can burn her for her sins. It sounds simple enough, and in fact, both Roshan and Brenna survive the trip through time, but now Brenna is thrust into a world where nothing is as she remembers-and the vampire Roshan is in serious danger of losing his heart.

As Brenna becomes more familiar with this strange new world around her, more problems come to light-Brenna loves Roshan more than she ever dreamed possible, but is frightened beyond belief of the vampire way of life. And when they both overcome their personal fears-Brenna of being turned, Roshan of giving his heart to another woman in marriage-both are unprepared for the personal sacrifices that each must make.

NIGHT'S KISS is a great addition to the stories of Amanda Ashley, who manages to blend the power of vampires and their world with that of the modern-day. Brenna and Roshan are a powerful couple, and their tribulations, trials, and sense of survival shine through in this engaging story of love and redemption. ( )