Rating: 
Summary: There's Magic Afoot...
Review: All right, so I came into this as a skeptic in spite of the fact that I love Forever Knight and find Nigel Bennett a very talented actor; he couldn't possibly be a profoundly engaging author too, could he? Nobody's *that* talented.At least, that's what I thought at first. It must have had something to do with previous experiences with actors turned authors; too good to be true? In previous cases yes; however, in this case... I've been persuaded otherwise. Nigel Bennett is a genuine and legitimate author, and something tells me we'll be hearing more from him in the future. Mr. Bennett starts out on the right foot by giving life to characters that are three-dimensional, characters one could care about. The "ethical vampire" angle was one I personally found refreshing. Mind you, Richard D'Orleans AKA Richard Dunn is a stronger more self-assured character than Louis in "Interview With A Vampire"; in spite of the challenges Richard faces, he does not whine. This alone does much toward persuading me to like the character. There is also Richard's intelligence, humor, and compassion to take into consideration... his passion for life, his devotion to the Lady Sabra. I like the fact that there are strong women portrayed in this book; not just "female characters" who all seem to blur together, but three distinct individuals with unique characteristics and clearly defined personalities: Sabra, Sharon, and She-Who-Walks. Each has a distinct "voice" within the plot, as does Neil Rivers. There was also a great deal of research involved, obviously; the subjects ranged from Indigenous American culture to Arthurian legends to Celtic mythology. Mr. Bennett's knowledge of the Toronto area shone though in his use of landmarks. The imagery he presents is striking, like a painting portrayed in subtle hues; light and shadow as well as occasional flashes of vivid color. It's as if one is living out the adventure while reading; every moment, every breath, sensual and startling alike. Shading ones eyes from the bright sunlight one moment, and traveling at enhanced Vampire speed the next. It should be noted here that he's also got a strong command of comedic timing; intentional comedy, not the kind that results from inconsistencies in plot or character. Another very important thing to note here is that his use of comedy -- like his uses of violence or sexuality -- is not for its own sake, but is included to move the plot on toward it's natural conclusion. In the end, I was left wanting to know more... what happened next? I only gave "Keeper of the King" four stars because it was a first effort, not because it failed to keep my attention. I look forward to reading "His Father's Son" and the third book in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as good as Elrod alone
Review: At one point in the book the evil bad guy, Charon, points out the many shortcomings of this book's hero, and all of it is true. Richard is over a thousand years old and was a champion fighter even before he acquired superhuman powers, but a drunken lout can whip his ass with no trouble. He is incompetent, boorish, not especially bright, and unscrupulous; and his vampire "mother" Lady Sabra is even more repellent--for instance she uses a human sacrifice for Richard's first feeding.
The writing is bad, the period flavor of the period bits unconvincing (King Arthur tends to lead to problems of anachronism, but it could have been handled better) and the characters, "good" and bad alike, repulsive. This is far below the excellent standard Elrod achieves on her own.
Rating:
Summary: The Vampire and the Grail
Review: Defeated at tourney, Richard D'Orleans finds himself without resources and unwelcome in his father's house. While deciding what to do he makes the unexpected acquaintance of the beautiful lady Sabra. He is deeply attracted to her, and, when she offers him a position, he accepts. She needs to make one small change in him... In short order he becomes a vampire. Like Sabra herself, he is not simply a vampire, but one in service if the goddess. His first assignment, which is not told in the book, is as Lancelot du Lac in the court of King Arthur. For us, the new action begins in the present, when Richard (now Richard Dun) is a security specialist retained by the Canadian Government to protect the life of the Prime Minister. An assassination threat has been uncovered, believed to be assigned to Charon, a deadly and secretive killer for hire. During his investigations, Richard loses complete control of the beast within him, some thing that has never happened before. Alarmed he returns to Sabra for consultation. There he finds the worst. Sabra too is struggling with her beast, will only be able to hold out for a short time. She believes that there is only one hope for them, the Holy Grail. Richard's quest for the grail is no simple adventure. And it is complicated by the presence of Sharon Geary a sharp, beautiful investigator for whom he feels great affection. Charon also seeks the Grail in addition to the Prime Minister's life. Richard's efforts to be lover, rescuer, and counter-terrorist force him on a breakneck paced journey from Toronto to England and British Columbia. The book has relatively few characters for it's length and is primarily an action novel with the appropriate combination of occult, sexiness, and violence. I'm normally suspicious of 'joint' efforts between an established author and unknown writers. Too often these turn out to be publicity marriages. Too often such arrangements produce weak novels, intended to sell for a short while and then disappear off the map. While this effort may have started out that way, Nigel Bennett turns out to have considerable talent. Pat Elrod's role seems to have had more to do with plot and creative support, while Bennett seems to have focussed on the actual writing and production. The result is far better than I would have expected. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: suspence from cover to cover
Review: Forever Knight is my all time favorite vampire show, and Nigel Bennett my hero. I was delighted when I found out about the book he and Ms. Elrod had written I bought it and read it with gusto! When I read Keeper of the King, the sequence of events flowed smoothly, just the right number of characters as not to be confusing and the best part a wide open ending so more books please..
Rating: 
Summary: captivating
Review: I was absolutely captivated by this novel. I didn't expect to think much of it, but in fact it was amazing. I received it Monday and had it devoured by Wednesday.
The goddess elements and mythology used were very accurate. I enjoyed the descriptive quality and word usage. It flowed very well. I like to describe the book as James Bond meets Anne Rice. An enjoyable fun read!
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: I'm a fan of Nigel Bennett--when he's on TV--and a big fan of P. N. Elrod's--except for this book. The plot elements are so disparate that it's hard to believe that even Elrod could make a good vampire novel out of them; it ranges from Celtic mysticism to Camelot to some wierd tribute to I Heard the Owl Call My Name to modern-day Toronto. The small portions set in Kingcome Inlet are so bad it's embarassing; the rest of the book is so far below Ms. Elrod's usual fine writing that I'm tempted to blame it on Mr. Bennett. But a tight deadline and loose editing are likely the real culprits.
Rating: 
Summary: He's not Jack Fleming
Review: I've enjoyed the Jack Fleming series and Jonathan Barrett stories. I like the way her heros just happen to be vampires. This book she didn't stay true to the way she has written her other vampires, it felt more disjointed. I would have liked more history of the characters of Sabra and her knight. Ms. Elrod's characters usually flow better, I may have liked it better if I wasn't comparing to her other books.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner for begining to end
Review: Move over Anne Rice, here comes Nigel. :-) I just finished reading Keeper of the King and I loved it. You feel as if you are right there taking part in the action. WOW! I have to agree with P.N. Elrod about Nigel's special talent with the love scenes, he's good. I look forward to the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Neat new twist on the Vampire Lore.
Review: My Celtic roots are showing, I loved the "LORE" of where Vampires came from, interesting tack, with the Holy Grail, Lady of the Lake, WONDERFUL. Ms Elrod at a book signing told me that Nigel wrote all the real sexy "stuff". Who ever did what, this is an outstanding pairing of writers...I certainly would read another book they did together! I found it exciting, entertaining, sexy. Great villian, wonderful love story, and interesting birth of a new vampire. I didn't see the end until it was there.
Rating:
Summary: excellent addition to vampire lore
Review: THE KEEPER OF THE KING is an excellent addition to vampire lore, well up to the standards of its two authors. The vampire Richard Dunn is not like P.N. Elrod's previous vampires, nor is he a copy of LaCroix, Nigel Bennett's character on FOREVER KNIGHT. He is a new creation, with new strengths and new weaknesses. Richard's love for the Lady Sabra was touching, and his quest to save her exhilerating. The ending (which I will not reveal here) came as a complete surprise. I loved the blending of Arthurian myth and vampire legend. Why had it never occurred to me before that Lancelot du Lac (Lancelot of the Lake) and the Lady of the Lake might have known each other? I hope to see more about Richard Dunn from this talented pair
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