Night Fires

Rating:
Summary: Horrible story
Review: First why write a vampire story when you want the vampire to become human at the end and not only does she become human the explanation is so silly. Then what is the point. The authur puts a vampire in the story to sell it, since vampires are in. There is really no point in Simone been a vampire. I mean her other identity is more interesting. Every time she does something bad she goes to church to confess her sins. Michael really did not need her to complete his mission. Come on he is an accomplished assasin and all of a sudden he needs help to accomplish a mission. After they accomplish the mission SHE BECOMES HUMAN what a waste of time. I wanted to put this book down so many times. I took forever to finish it. Also the description is very misleading. Since I did not like this book at all, if I read the second book Dark Enchatment. I will buy it used for .99cents.

Rating:
Summary: More Like a Flicker Than a Blaze
Review: I completely agree with the reviewer that said there is absolutely no reason to make Simone a vampire. The only purpose it serves is to turn this character into an unpleasant, humorless walking pity party. Night Fires would have worked better as a straigh forward historical for all the impact the vampire gimmick made on the story.
As others have said, this takes place during the choas and terror of the French Revolution. Simone returns to her family estate to find the family that turned their backs on her murdered. She slays the killers, and then runs off to church to beg forgiveness. The priest instructs her to dedicate her life to help other flee from the agents of the revolution. Hence, Simone becomes La Flamme, a Scarlet Pimpernel minus the brains clone, dedicated to rescuing imprisoned aristocrats. At the same time, the English government sends over a spy named ..er... I'm drawing a blank... let me check... (I just finished the book an hour ago) yes... Micheal Corday to seek out and assasinate the one financing a revolutionary movement in England.
As a historical spy romance, the book is also a dud. Simone is again the problem. For someone who risks danger at every turn, she sure is stupid and ineffective as a spy. I can't see why a seasoned expert like Corday is so adament that he must enlist the help of La Flamme when he isn't sure can trust a third party and Simone is more of a help than a hinderance. In fact, if Corday just went to Paris without her, the book would have been finished in a third of the time and we'd all be spared Simone's endless self-flagellation. She's cursed, she's evil, she's wicked, she must suffer, she must wear a hairsuit, and she must give us every detail of her pain and agony because we must suffer along with her.
But honestly, in particularly silly scene Simone is vowing to herself not to sleep with Corday and reveal her true name and other information. Not three pages later, Simone has succomed to his charms and answers every one of his questions, spilling all her secrets as they do it! A few pages later, the government spy keeping an eye on them mentions how inept women are at keeping secrets. I laughed. I sure hope the author meant for the irony to be there. There is also a another part were Corday wants Simone to pretend to be his wife, but she can't because lying is bad and marriage is scacred or some other nonsense. She nearly gives them both away in front of hostile French agents! Simone, even though her life's misson is to decieve and ellude the revolution's agents, isn't even flexiable enough to act outside the Moral Code of Virtuous Romance Historical Womyn That Make Them Pure and Likeable to Ye Puritanical Readers to save her own life!
In the end, they finally make it to Paris and do what they need to and everything is hunky dory even though the plot elements just come together out of Serendipity rather than actual spy work. Corday and Simone live happily ever after. The End.
This book is readable but not much else. A more complex story, lack of vampire gimmick, tigher pacing, and characters not determined to wallow in misery would have improved this spy novel. It's head over heels better than all those idiotic vampire comedies that have been flooding the market in the last few months, but that's a back-handed compliment.

Rating:
Summary: SO MUCH MORE
Review: I know they put reviews by famous authors on the front and inside covers of books to catch your attention and get you to buy books and sometimes it even works. More often than not I end up wondering if those authors have actually read the book. But hold the phone! This one delivers!!! It is so much more than a vampire story. A wonderful love story and, even though it takes place during the horror of the French revolution, a story of hope and redemption. If you're looking for an exciting, funny, sexy, tear jerker with a different twist, give it a shot. You won't be disappointed. This one is going on my keeper shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable!
Review: My comments:
I enjoyed Karen Harbaugh's walk on the dark side with Night Fires. I found her vampire to be a sympathetic character with strong anguish in her soul. The character of Simone De La Fer is one unbending and strong. The romance element grows slowly over the book. The horrors Simone has suffered and seen is part of the curse of her family. This French aristocratic family is doomed it seems to a history of violence and danger.
Read Dark Enchantment for more on the de la Fer's.

Romantic Times Review:
After slaughtering the revolutionaries who murdered her family, vampire Simone de la Fer has vowed never to let bloodlust rule her again. As 'La Flamme,' she rescues aristocrats from death.

Michael Thibaut, aka British agent Corday, arrives in Normandy to hunt down England's enemy and meets Simone. He is intrigued and determined to unmask the stranger who disappears into the night.

Part vampire novel, part adventure, but all romance, Night Fires immediately captures your attention. Though the pace might flag a bit, you'll be enthralled by these memorable characters, their dangerous missions and the overwhelming passion that leaps from the pages. Harbaugh masterfully blends the paranormal and the romantic, luring readers into her story and leaving them thirsting for more. SENSUAL

Rating:
Summary: Not what I was lead to believe by the cover.
Review: The authors who reviewed this book in the inside cover (all of whom I respect) lead me wrong this time! The book's prologue was extremely well written. After that the book slowly grinds to a halt. I am an avid reader. I had to force myself to get thru page 100, waiting for the promises I'd been given by reviewers. Finally I gave up at a major plot point, around page 190. The internals of the book twisted too far from what I'd been lead to believe I was going to read. This writer has lots of promise but seriously needs to work on character motivation and internals... skip this novel and save your money!

Rating:
Summary: Not what I was lead to believe by the cover.
Review: The authors who reviewed this book in the inside cover (all of whom I respect) lead me wrong this time! The book's prologue was extremely well written. After that the book slowly grinds to a halt. I am an avid reader. I had to force myself to get thru page 100, waiting for the promises I'd been given by reviewers. Finally I gave up at a major plot point, around page 190. The internals of the book twisted too far from what I'd been lead to believe I was going to read. This writer has lots of promise but seriously needs to work on character motivation and internals... skip this novel and save your money!

Rating:
Summary: SO MUCH MORE
Review: This was a great book. Usually I don't read books about French Revolutionary times, but I liked Karen Harbaugh's previous Regency romances, and this plot turned out to be engaging and cool. Unlike other vampire books, in this novel, the heroine is the vampire, and vampirism isn't glorified the way it is in other books. Instead, becoming human again is something possible and sought for. If you only want to read about sexy/scary immortal male vampires, then this isn't the book for you. If you want to read about a strong woman who made a mistake when she was young and now uses her vampiric powers to save people from the Revolution and how her good deeds allow her to win back her humanity, find true love, and live happily ever after, then this is the book for you. The heroine is smart, determined and has a nifty disguise. The hero is more than a match for the vampiress and as an assassin, he's very cool under pressure. They had great chemistry. The plot was very realistic, in the way they interacted, travelled, etc., and author's description of that period. What I enjoyed the most was the surprise twist in the ending involving the children. I highly recommend this. I don't read historical romance anymore, but this book is definitely a keeper. I will buy the sequel as soon as it comes out.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was a great book. Usually I don't read books about French Revolutionary times, but I liked Karen Harbaugh's previous Regency romances, and this plot turned out to be engaging and cool. Unlike other vampire books, in this novel, the heroine is the vampire, and vampirism isn't glorified the way it is in other books. Instead, becoming human again is something possible and sought for. If you only want to read about sexy/scary immortal male vampires, then this isn't the book for you. If you want to read about a strong woman who made a mistake when she was young and now uses her vampiric powers to save people from the Revolution and how her good deeds allow her to win back her humanity, find true love, and live happily ever after, then this is the book for you. The heroine is smart, determined and has a nifty disguise. The hero is more than a match for the vampiress and as an assassin, he's very cool under pressure. They had great chemistry. The plot was very realistic, in the way they interacted, travelled, etc., and author's description of that period. What I enjoyed the most was the surprise twist in the ending involving the children. I highly recommend this. I don't read historical romance anymore, but this book is definitely a keeper. I will buy the sequel as soon as it comes out.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible story
Review: When Simone de la Fer reaches her family's Chateau in Normandy in 1793 she discovered that her family was slaughtered by the citizens who hated the aristocrats. Being a vampire she killed them all and then confesses to her priest who gave her an unusual penance. She is to rescue as many people from the Reign of Terror as possible and only kill in self-defense. Her prowess soon earns her the hatred of the board of the committee of public safety who put a price on the head of La Flamme as she is known.

Simone's path crosses that of Michael Corday, a British spy dispatched to Paris to assassinate the person who has killed several British agents and wants to bring the revolution to England. Simone hopes to redeem herself and regain her humanity and sees this opportunity by succeeding in their respective missions. Danger stalks them from Normandy to Paris and it is only due to Simone's powers that they have a chance of carrying out what looks to be mission impossible.

NIGHT FIRES is a very special vampire romance starring a protagonist who believes she can be redeemed through good works, and a hero who accepts her for what she is and falls in love with her. Readers who crave something different and unique will want to read this historical supernatural romance that is filled with intrigue and action.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely teriffic
Review: When Simone de la Fer reaches her family's Chateau in Normandy in 1793 she discovered that her family was slaughtered by the citizens who hated the aristocrats. Being a vampire she killed them all and then confesses to her priest who gave her an unusual penance. She is to rescue as many people from the Reign of Terror as possible and only kill in self-defense. Her prowess soon earns her the hatred of the board of the committee of public safety who put a price on the head of La Flamme as she is known.

Simone's path crosses that of Michael Corday, a British spy dispatched to Paris to assassinate the person who has killed several British agents and wants to bring the revolution to England. Simone hopes to redeem herself and regain her humanity and sees this opportunity by succeeding in their respective missions. Danger stalks them from Normandy to Paris and it is only due to Simone's powers that they have a chance of carrying out what looks to be mission impossible.

NIGHT FIRES is a very special vampire romance starring a protagonist who believes she can be redeemed through good works, and a hero who accepts her for what she is and falls in love with her. Readers who crave something different and unique will want to read this historical supernatural romance that is filled with intrigue and action.