Lords of the Night

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: "Lords of the Night" is an anthology of previously published Regency Vampire Romances. All of the stories were first published in 1997 so if you are a fan of such books look at the titles of the individual stories carefully to make sure that you haven't already read one or all of the stories.

Each of the stories in the anthology has a unique view of Vampirism and are set in Regency era England. Even though none of the stories: 'The Full of the Moon', 'Dark Shadows' or 'The DeVille Inheritance' was riveting to the exclusion of all else, the way that a really good book can sometimes be, it is still a good anthology. What I really liked about all of the stories was that they all had a unique look at what Vampirism is, i.e., what powers Vampires have, and also of how a person becomes a Vampire. I can definitely recommend this book. It would be a great read for the Regency fan who is looking for something 'different' and for the Vampire romance reader who is looking for the same.

Rating:
Summary: Regency Vampires- Not Scary nor overly Sexual
Review: Handsome, compelling and powerfully sensual, they are nobleman who prefer the midnight hour. Their pasts are shrouded in mystery, yet they possess charms no lady can possibly resist.

Lords Of The Night...
Sara Blayne's Dark Shadows brings the headstrong Lady Blythe to the castle door of the charming, yet dangerous Earl of Revelstoke. Once she crosses the threshold, there may be no turning back from love-or damnation.

Janice Bennett's The Full Of The Moon pairs the ton's unworldly Miss Juliana Wittington with a newcomer, the other-worldly Baron Ramsdell, for a courtship that seems to be made in heaven...or is it?

In Monique Ellis's The De Ville Inheritance, Nan Leighton ventures into the London underworld to find her profligate brother-only to be rescued by a captivating stranger who is quite unlike any nobleman she has ever met. Let this trio of hauntingly romantic tales transport you to a Regency England where dashing lords of darkness offer elegant ladies the trill of their incomparable love: seductive, dangerous...and forever.

Rating:
Summary: LOVE THOSE VAMPS!!!
Review: I thought this book was terrific. The stories were sensual and sexy without being graphic. I thought this was just as good as HIS ETERNAL KISS, which I bought and read first.

Rating:
Summary: Romantic Times Review
Review: Romantic Times Review:

Zebra showcases three spectacular authors in an unusual anthology titled LORDS OF THE NIGHT (4). Janice Bennett, Sara Blayne and Monique Ellis deliver elegantly crafted, highly imaginative stories in which three extraordinary women bring surcease and happiness to three gentlemen of the night, AKA vampires, Regency style. Each tale is uniquely conceived with fascinatingly different endings. You don't have to be a vampire fan to relish this collection of the very best in Regency.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Stories
Review: The DeVille Inheritance - Monique Ellis
Overall: 5*
Henry Frye had been following the young Lady Ann Leighton with all intent to quell a hunger that had built itself up to the point where he would have to feed. Instead, as ruffians accosted her he became her rescuer. Playing the part of her knight in shining armor he escorted her to his home where he let her repair her appearance before sending her home in his coach. The Lady Ann was an innocent who had somehow touched a part of him that he knew as a vampire was missing, soul or conscience, whatever it was he became embroiled in her and her younger brother's life as he tried to save them both from an evil and nasty Earl. Without feeding, he would cease to exist and before that moment came he made provisions that would protect Ann and her brother from the people that would harm them. Before he totally ceased to exist though something happened in that he was able to make one noble unselfish act that allowed him to somehow gain a soul and live again. This was a really splendid story that I truly enjoyed.

Dark Shadows - Sara Blayne
Overall: 3*
Lady Blythe was not afraid of scandal - it seemed to have followed her all her life. Meeting the mysterious Earl of Revelstoke, she felt an attraction and an awareness that she'd never felt before. She knew deep in her heart that her life so far had been spent in waiting for the moment he came into her life. What she didn't know was that it could also end it but for the sake of finding a 'soulmate' she could never give him up - no matter what! Great little story - not enough depth - I felt it ended too soon and could have used an epilogue.

The Full of the Moon - Janice Bennett
Overall: 4*
Juliana Wittington left her home on the moors to come and try to show her beloved cousin the error of his ways and save him from being fleeced by a disreputable gamester. Being female, she needed the help of man to guide her through the gaming hells and he turned out to be someone whom might prove more dangerous to herself than she could ever know. She hid a secret herself, but though she tried the attraction she felt for Baron Ramsdell could very well be her undoing. - Very different story with a twisty ending I did not foresee.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Expect Any Hot Scenes
Review: The key word in the previous two reviews is "Regency". You know what that means: no love-making, no sexual tension, maybe a kiss at the end if you're lucky. Unfortunately, this isn't written anywhere on the book so I didn't realize it until I was halfway through reading the stories. (Yes, as a 17-year veteran of romance novels I DID realize it was published by Zebra, but I was desperate and told myself maybe they were branching out).

Had I known it was a regency book I wouldn't have bothered to read it, let alone buy it. For me, vampires are intense, hedonistic creatures and frankly, it never even occured to me that one could write a story completely circumventing that aspect of their personality. Because who'd want to read it then, anyway?????

As far as I'm concerned, this book should have been titled "Tales of Vampire Dullness". The guys in these three tales have none of that dark menacing power that makes vampires so attractive in romance novels. Rather, they were so dandified and benign that I wonder why the authors bothered to label them vampires in the first place.

So, if knowing they're Regencies you still want to give them a try, you'll probably enjoy them. But for those of us who are used to Dracula, Lestat and Mikhail Dubrinsky, this is definitely a wash.

Rating:
Summary: 3 Sexy, romantic vampire tales!
Review: These tales are very, very romantic (sans sexy scenes). They are pure romance at it's very best.

The first one is THE DEVILLE INHERITANCE by Monique Ellis. In this tale of loving one more than you care for your own life, Anne Leighton meets a strange man in the alley while trying to save her brother. A message lures Anne to a dark alley, where someone attempts to kidnap her, but she is rescued by a dark, handsome stranger calling himself Henry Frye. Frye intended to drink Anne's blood - in Ellis vampire world, the vampire does not seek blood often, just at a certain time to sustain his life. Frye becomes so entangled with saving Anne from the clutches of a nobleman, that he neglects to see to the blooding and it cost his life. But love triumphs in the end, in a very surprising tale!! Very original flair to this one!

In DARK SHADOWS by Sara Blayne, we are giving a tale of a woman tired of life's treatment. She was the daughter of a Duke, but upon his dead, the titles of Dukedom goes to her cousin. Since the title came with a lot of debts, Lady Blythe was 'sold' off to a Scottish nobleman, who was not much of a man and certainly not noble. She endured the cruel marriage, but upon his death, she returns to her ancestral home, finding no welcome there. But she has to come to visit the grave of a dead Highland lass. At the grave, she feels something strange is about to happen. Later at a ball, she meet s the handsome Earl of Revelstroke, who issues her the invitation to come to him in the crumbling castle on the next estate. Shocking everyone she does, but finds there is more in closing one circle, you open another and fate has a way of bringing old lovers together again.

In the final tale, The Full of the Moon, Julianna Wittington is about to fall into the trap set by a nasty nobleman. He is luring her brother into gaming hells, hoping to rob him of his inheritance. She enlists Baron Ramsdell in saving her brother, and they do, but can the Baron save Julianna from the secret she holds. The Earl loves her but fears his being a vampire will be her doom, but the daring Julianna has a surprise for him!

All three tales are romance as the best, they are gothically atmospheric, the characters and involving and all well written.

A prefect way to pass a dark, rainy day!!

Rating:
Summary: 3 Sexy, romantic vampire tales!
Review: These tales are very, very romantic (sans sexy scenes). They are pure romance at it's very best.

The first one is THE DEVILLE INHERITANCE by Monique Ellis. In this tale of loving one more than you care for your own life, Anne Leighton meets a strange man in the alley while trying to save her brother. A message lures Anne to a dark alley, where someone attempts to kidnap her, but she is rescued by a dark, handsome stranger calling himself Henry Frye. Frye intended to drink Anne's blood - in Ellis vampire world, the vampire does not seek blood often, just at a certain time to sustain his life. Frye becomes so entangled with saving Anne from the clutches of a nobleman, that he neglects to see to the blooding and it cost his life. But love triumphs in the end, in a very surprising tale!! Very original flair to this one!

In DARK SHADOWS by Sara Blayne, we are giving a tale of a woman tired of life's treatment. She was the daughter of a Duke, but upon his dead, the titles of Dukedom goes to her cousin. Since the title came with a lot of debts, Lady Blythe was 'sold' off to a Scottish nobleman, who was not much of a man and certainly not noble. She endured the cruel marriage, but upon his death, she returns to her ancestral home, finding no welcome there. But she has to come to visit the grave of a dead Highland lass. At the grave, she feels something strange is about to happen. Later at a ball, she meet s the handsome Earl of Revelstroke, who issues her the invitation to come to him in the crumbling castle on the next estate. Shocking everyone she does, but finds there is more in closing one circle, you open another and fate has a way of bringing old lovers together again.

In the final tale, The Full of the Moon, Julianna Wittington is about to fall into the trap set by a nasty nobleman. He is luring her brother into gaming hells, hoping to rob him of his inheritance. She enlists Baron Ramsdell in saving her brother, and they do, but can the Baron save Julianna from the secret she holds. The Earl loves her but fears his being a vampire will be her doom, but the daring Julianna has a surprise for him!

All three tales are romance as the best, they are gothically atmospheric, the characters and involving and all well written.

A prefect way to pass a dark, rainy day!!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Book for Vampire Lovers!
Review: This book was a wonderful collection of stories. Each story giving their own views on Vampirism. I think its great that someone placed vampires in regency times. I love the fashions for the men and women which make the tales more seductive and alluring. Sara Blayne's "Dark Shadows" was my favorite of the stories. This would make a nice addition to any romance or vampire collection!