Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling
Review: After living on the streets for many years, Tony Foster was taken into the home of Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VII and a four hundred and fifty year old vampire. Tony is twenty-four years old now, lives in his own apartment and remains close with his beloved mentor Henry although they are not quite as intimate. Tony works as a production assistant for "Darkest Night" a television show about a vampire detective.Although Tony appreciates the irony of the current situation, he's becoming worried about strange happenings on the set. Shadows seem to be moving independently of people's bodies and some are even lurking in hidden corners. Tony is determined to find out what is happening and he figures the best person to ask is Arra, the special effects person who seems to know more than she is saying. She finally confesses to Tony that she is a wizard from another world who traveled in a portal to Earth because the Shadowlord conquered her world. He is searching for her now and once he destroys her, he intends to conquer Earth using his shadow minions. Henry and Tony intend to stop him if they can and try to convince Arra to join the battle. Readers familiar with Private Detective Vicki Nelson and Henry Fitzroy the vampire books know that Tony is a minor but important character in those tales. They will love his coming out party in SMOKE AND SHADOWS. The hero is all grown up and very mature for his age, eager to save his world although he is scared to death. Henry is still a good friend who takes a back seat to his protégée in this enthralling book. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Darkness Rises
Review: I keep thinking that I should read more of Tanya Huff's other books, but they never appeal to me as much as the original volumes of this series do. I'm referring to the five volumes that tell of Vicki Nelson, a private investigator, and her relationship with Henry Fitzroy, on a prince, and now a vampire romance writer. There Huff demonstrated both finesse as a story-teller and a self-effacing style which kept everything in hand without calling on the hysteria which is often part of vampire fiction.
Well, here it is several years later and we find that Henry, and Tony Foster, who was for several years one of Fitzroy's lovers have shifted to Vancouver, where Tony has begun to find his way as a member of the strange world of broadcast television. His first major job is as production assistant on, of all things, a series about a vampire detective. All seems to be going well until Tony notices that some of the shadows on the set seem to have a will of their own. And then someone dies. And then...
Tony discovers that somehow the studio has been invaded by shadows who are up to no good. These are somehow tied to Arra Pelindrake, the special effects wizard. In fact, Arra is a wizard who does special effects, having fled her own reality as it fell to the Shadowlord. Now the darkness has found her here, and Tony, Arra, and Henry face a hopeless battle to stop this world from falling into darkness as well.
Tony faces several crises, not the least of which is the plight of a gay man trying to establish his independence from a 400 year old vampire. One who has a tendency to see everything as 'his.' While Henry isn't truly overbearing, he has both a possessive streak and a very strong personality. To make matters worse, Tony really does need help saving the world. What makes the novel click is that Huff uses a light but sure touch in working the threads of Tony's sexuality and need for identity into the plot without overwhelming the story.
Although Tony does come over as a bit of a wuss (shadows seem to make him nauseous - very nauseous), he gradually works past his initial wobbliness and develops onto a much stronger character than he was in the previous series. I do think that Huff should have spent more time redeveloping Fitzroy's character. Not every reader will have read the original series and having Henry drop in like a Deus Ex Machina and then step off-stage again doesn't ring true unless you know who Henry Fitzroy actually is.
Even so, Smoke and Shadows turned out to be far better than I initially expected. I would be delighted to read more of Tony's story andI hope that Tony and Henry will star together in a few more volumes before the sun rises again.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, I'll admit it up front.
Review: I love Tanya Huff's urban fantasy books. They're cleverly plotted, humorous, occasionally chilling (that mummy wizard still gives me the creeps), and full of Canadian in-jokes. This latest book is no exception. I've always liked Tony Foster, so I was thrilled when I learned that Huff was branching off from her Blood series to give him a leading role in a new series. And I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although a few of the plot developments were a bit eyeroll inducing. Unlike one of the previous reviewers, I love gay romance, but even I had to groan at the Shadowlord succumbing to Tony's "charms".
Vampire Henry Fitzroy has always fascinated me, and I'm intrigued by the power he still holds over Tony, and the understanding that they've come to about Tony's independence, which is, essentially, that Tony remains independent entirely at Henry's sufferance. I thought that was the most powerful part of the book...Tony's resistance to his deeply-held desire to submit to Henry and subsume himself in the role of being owned, and Henry's often fond, but occasionally reluctant indulgence of Tony's need to break away.
The most amusing part of the book centers around Huff's knowing send-up of the Canadian television industry. "Darkest Night" is obviously a spoof on the campy vampire police detective drama "Forever Knight", the two RCMP detectives are a sly Canadian nod to Special Agents Mulder and Scully, and the character of underrated Canadian actor and total hottie, Lee Nicholas, is a fond and flattering paean to underrated Canadian actor and total hottie, Nicholas Lea, right down to the dark hair, green eyes, and nice ass.
I took this book on vacation, and it was a perfect beach read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary urban fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, But Not Great...
Review: I love the tongue-in-cheek way that Huff writes. The charactors can make fun of themselves and seem to enjoy themselves even when they're in a tough situation. That said, this book followed that pattern but there were a few things that increasingly disturb me... It may not be PC these days to admit this but I don't truely enjoy reading about gay/lesbian love affairs. Actually I don't like reading about ANY love affairs. This is why I don't read romance novels. Usually fantasy and sci-fi are light on romance if they have any at all which is fine by me. I can take a little mushy stuff but not much. Usually Huff's touches of romance are light and easy to stomach but lately she's been getting heavier on the gay/lesbian theme which for me at any rate, takes away from the rest of the story. Case in point -- spoiler ahead! -- the Shadowlord is supposed to be powerful, evil and feared. He took out a whole order of major wizards in his home world. It was never really explained why he felt it was imperative to come himself to our world but he did. (And why WAS he so after Arra, anyway?) Here's this super-powerful shadowlord and he gets defeated by his attraction to Tony?? [Please]!! What a disappointment -- and it would have been just as disappointing if he had an attraction to Arra or Amy. It's just an awful cop-out. Well, anyway, the writing is good and the dialog is, at times, hysterical. As another reviewer said, good but not her best.
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to the back lot
Review: I love this series, though it shouldn't surprise anyone that I'd like to have seen more of Henry Fitzroy in this book. And I learned a little more than I needed to about how the film/TV industry in Canada works.
Nevertheless, this is a great entrant into the series, and I can't wait to see more. I think that Tanya Huff is wisely branching out with other characters rather than concentrating on Vicki and Henry until we get tired of seeing them.
Rating:
Summary: A lot of fun
Review: I really enjoyed this book and I'm hoping she'll do a few more of these with Tony and Henry as the protagonists. I read the "Blood" series and liked Tony as a character there but felt Henry was missing something and I did not connect at all with Vicki. In here, I like the edge Henry has aquired and I adore how Tony interacts with him as well as the on going fluctuations in their relationship. I feel like both characters are still on a journey started in the "Blood" series and it hasn't ended yet so I hope Huff plans to carry us along for a couple more books. I think this will make a very good summer reading on the beach or in a hammock type of book. Good escapism, characters who you want to know more about and see more about, and a plot that while not without flaws, was still a good supporting star to some very worthwhile character development.
Rating:
Summary: A lot of fun
Review: I really enjoyed this book and I'm hoping she'll do a few more of these with Tony and Henry as the protagonists. I read the "Blood" series and liked Tony as a character there but felt Henry was missing something and I did not connect at all with Vicki. In here, I like the edge Henry has aquired and I adore how Tony interacts with him as well as the on going fluctuations in their relationship. I feel like both characters are still on a journey started in the "Blood" series and it hasn't ended yet so I hope Huff plans to carry us along for a couple more books. I think this will make a very good summer reading on the beach or in a hammock type of book. Good escapism, characters who you want to know more about and see more about, and a plot that while not without flaws, was still a good supporting star to some very worthwhile character development.
Rating:
Summary: Tanya Huff, a Vampire, Otherworld Demons, & a Wizard
Review: I was hyped to see that a new Tanya Huff vampire mystery was out, and disappointed to find no Victoria Nelson. The protagonist this time around is Henry Fitzroy's young "ward" Tony. Tony has become a production assistant on a cheaply-made television series about a vampire. He soon notices that the special effects lady is more special than usual, and that strange and sinister deaths are taking place on the set of the show. With a little help from Fitzroy and the special effects "Wizard", Tony sets out to save the world. This book is enjoyable and well-plotted, but lacks the zing of the "Blood" series.
Rating:
Summary: Tanya Huff, a Vampire, Otherworld Demons, & a Wizard
Review: I was hyped to see that a new Tanya Huff vampire mystery was out, and disappointed to find no Victoria Nelson. The protagonist this time around is Henry Fitzroy's young "ward" Tony. Tony has become a production assistant on a cheaply-made television series about a vampire. He soon notices that the special effects lady is more special than usual, and that strange and sinister deaths are taking place on the set of the show. With a little help from Fitzroy and the special effects "Wizard", Tony sets out to save the world. This book is enjoyable and well-plotted, but lacks the zing of the "Blood" series.
Rating:
Summary: no Victoria, but darned good fun regardless
Review: I was reluctant to buy this at first, figuring that without Victoria and Mike, it wouldn't fly. But Tony actually fills the void. No longer a kid, he's holding down a tough job as a production assistant for a second-rate vampire detective TV show. (He tells Henry that those people don't know a thing about vampires, and Henry's response is, "Good.") He has a crush on the star of the show, who is unfortunately straight, while the music producer has a crush on him in turn. And Henry, while trying to be just his friend, still has that whole Prince of Darkness "MINE" attitude toward him when the Shadowlord threatens him. But what are shadows to a kid who's seen vamnpires, demons, and mummies. With the help of Henry by night and his own determination by day, he stands strong against the shadows. The book stands alone, although it will be interesting to see the next book in the planned trilogy.
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