really disappointed with this one. ( )

Taken by the Night
3 Stars

The 3rd installment of the Brotherhood of Blood series focuses on Saint, a skilled thief and renowned ladies man, as he works together with Ivy Dearing, the daughter of a high-end madam, to investigate a series of Ripper-like murders.

Unfortunately, despite the intriguing premise and original explanation for the Jack the Ripper case, Saint and Ivy's story falls flat. The main reason is the complete lack of chemistry between the romantic leads. This is compounded by the fact that there is something distasteful about an immortal vampire becoming sexually attracted to the woman he has known from birth and whom he has watched mature from childhood into adulthood over the years.

The actual murder investigation is enjoyable overall even though the identity of the killer is obvious from the start and the twists and turns are predictable albeit quite suspenseful.

The ongoing arc revolving around the machinations of the Order of the Silver Palm continues, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out when the various members of the Brotherhood ultimately meet up to face the Order, whose ultimate agenda has yet to be clearly established.

All in all, not the best in the series, but the hints at Reign's story have potential.

( )

I don't know why I continue to read Kathryn Smith's work expecting to like it. This was my fourth attempt at her, third within this series, and I still can't call any of it better than mediocre. The problem is, I keep getting sucked in by the good premise but let down by the execution.

This book, for example, was about a Jack the Ripper type killer preying of prostitutes who service vampires. For that alone I wanted to love this book. Saint is one of the owners of the house of women who cater to the needs of himself and his fellow vampires. Ivy is the daughter of the madame of the house. Though not a prostitute herself, she is no shy virgin. Her main occupation is taking provocative pictures of the ladies as an artform. It comes to her attention that the women being murdered are all ones she has photographed, and she and Saint undertake to stop the killer before more women parish.

As I stated I think this book has an excellent premise. I even like the characters. Saint is your generic romance hero, everything you might want and expect. Attractive and rakeish, yet caring and attentive. Lacking in uniqueness, but likeable nonetheless. Ivy, on the other hand, suprised me with her originality of character. Oweing to the unusual circumstances of her life, she is neither bashful and innocent nor tough and jaded. She's artistic, self-assured, stubborn, and brave. And she almost managed to make the story worth reading for me.

My issues with this book are the same as my issues with all books by this author. I want to stress that if you've been reading this series so far and you've been enjoying it, carry on because it's much the same. If like me you've been holding out for the series to progress or improve, however, don't waste the energy. The problem for me is that Smith has no idea how to build suspence. The outcomes of every plot thread are so predictable. I should not be able to guess from chapter 2 who the villain is. I should not be able to figure things out long before the main characters start to peice things together. There should be twists. And I should care about the people that are dieing but...the author gives me no reason to. So in this book as with the previous two in the series, I was just bored through most of it. I only skimmed to the finish to make sure I didn't miss anything...and I didn't. So I give this book two stars for the attempt, but I'm giving up on Kathryn Smith for the time being. ( )

Look out London. Saint's back in town.

"They may call me Saint, but there is nothing saintly about me."

Saint came to London looking for a little rest, blood, and maybe some feminine company. He never wanted to avenge the murders of two prostitutes, and he certainly never asked for the censure he sees in Ivy Dearing's eyes. Though, the desire he sees there awakens a hunger inside him unlike any he has ever known. He is not the only man taken in by Ivy's considerable charms, but he plans to be the only man in her bed. And when the madman he's hunting turns his attention toward Ivy, Saint will risk everything – even his immortality – to save the woman he loves. ( )

The latest Kathryn Smith historical vampire romance tale is a fabulous paranormal Victorian serial killer whodunit; It takes place in 19th century London; The romance between the heroine and vampire is filled with confict...very good read ( )