Hocksley, England – Present Day

As far as Kacie Renault is concerned, the only good vampire is a dead one. After the brutal murder of her family, Kacie learned everything she could to become a Night Slayer with the skill to put any vampire she meets back in the grave. So, of course, learning as a teenager that one of her beloved guardians is, in fact, a vampire was a huge shock, especially since she harbored a crush on him at the time. Now, years have passed and Kacie has returned to her estranged family to announce her plans to move to the United States. She doesn’t expect to set off a feud that could lead to all out war on humans by vampires.

Eric Winslow is devastated at the death of one of his dearest friends. When Eric was turned into a vampire after a Chupacabra attack, his friends Sedrick and Michael, in a bid for solidarity, ventured out each night until they too suffered an attack and were turned. They all agreed that they would back each other up in the coming years and never attack humans. So with Sedrick’s death, Eric agrees wholeheartedly to find the slayer who killed him for Michael. But when the killer turns out to be Kacie, the slayer he trained and promised her father he would protect always, Eric is in a bit of a quandary. Even worse, Kacie has grown up, and Eric is having a hard time seeing her through the eyes of a guardian rather than those of a man.

While an entertaining read and wonderful for the bit of background it gives into how the Winslow family became Night Slayers, LORD OF THE NIGHT is not as enjoyable as previous books in the series, and the lack lies in Kacie. Don’t get me wrong, the story is well written and the characters are well-defined. However, Kacie comes across as a self-righteous know-it-all, making it hard to really like her. After what happened to her as a child, her feelings are understandable, but still she edges on annoying with her black and white view of vampires. Eric is your typical alpha male: gorgeous, attentive, and protective. Why he hasn’t strangled Kacie is a mystery…well, maybe not considering the attraction between the two.

Secondary characters include Eric’s friend Michael, Michael’s younger brother Ty, forever a teenager because he chose the wrong night to follow his brothers into a cemetery, and several vampire progeny -- turned vampires -- who are eager to sample human blood directly from the source now that the Pact has been broken. Sedrick’s death is more that it seems, and everyone has an agenda in this paranormal adventure. Can Kacie and Eric overcome personal prejudices and an army of angry vampires to find their happily ever after? Check out LORD OF THE NIGHT and see.

Kathy Samuels