Be Mine Tonight (Brotherhood of Blood, 1)

I absolutely loved this book! Kathryn Smith joins the ranks of Sherrilyn Kenyon, J. R. Ward and Christine Feehan. Her "Blood Brothers" series is awesome. There are six (6) brothers and I cannot wait to read each one of their stories. Chapel(Severian De Fonce) is a 600 year old totured Vampire and Prudence(Name does not fit her at all) is a beautiful young woman dying of cancer. Of course Chapel can save her but he absolutely refuses to. This does not sit well with her family. And, amazingly due to a heroic act by Chapel when he saved every one of them, they ACCEPT his vampirism. This book is exciting and full of loving emotions. I cannot wait until February, 2007 when the second installment comes out.

I was rather apprehensive about branching out into other aspects of the romance genre (being a primary Regency romance reader), but after reading much of Kathryn Smith's work, I decided to give this vampire novel a go. After having read it in one sitting, I'd have to really commend Smith's writing abilities, because I have never, EVER cried so much while reading a book. Many a time I found myself pausing just so the tears would go away and I can see the fine print again. I liked the uniqueness of both the hero and heroine. Never have I crossed a pair where they were so completely genuine. Pru, despite the debilitating cancer growing inside her, manages to give Chapel the solace that he needed after so many years of hiding himself away from the world. And Chapel, although he could have been that alpha-male hero of so many other romance novels, goes the opposite direction. Don't get me wrong, he exudes strength and sensuality but his rather obvious vulnerability is what sets him apart. He gives his all to make Pru happy, and it was nice to see that he found a place where he really belonged. The story was rather fast-paced and it didn't irritate us with the drawn-out problems that might have ensued; the central story here is the romance. I don't know what it is but Kathryn Smith has this innate ability to write where the emotions really do hit you, as though you were there experiencing it all. I can't say much for other vampire novels but if they were all like this one I would definitely go out and buy them all. Yet another great book by Ms. Smith, and I can't wait til Bishop's book in February.

There are enough reviews to let you know the story line of this book. Let me tell you what else I enjoyed about this book. This book reminded me about what first brought me to love the Vampire story. The vampire itself, and the inner battle of good vs evil. An immortal creature of the night. No fancy explanations as to why the vampire is this way or how come they have the powers that they do. They just do, and that is part of the mystery & the allure. I love the fact that even tho Chapel has a conflict as to who is responsible for him being a vampire, Satan or God. He knows that he wouldn't want to be human again. The heroine, Pru because of the illness that is slowly draining her our short life away. Understands what a "gift" this is. And it is the person who makes this gift good or bad. And what I really loved about her was she wasn't afraid to ask for it. No doubt No fear. I can't wait to read more in this series.

just got done reading Be Mine Tonight, and.. I really, truly loved it. A wonderful job all the way around - the characterizations were very three dimensional, not to mention that Pru Ryland is one of the best heroines I've ever read. Kathryn Smith's new take on vampire legend was very smart, unique and believable. I loved that Chapel didn't end up as that all-too-familiar vampiric hero stereotype. He was very vital, warm and alive, instead of being darkly brooding and menacing in the way I've come to expect from vampire fiction. As for the story itself, I don't want to give too much away I was asborbed every step of the way as the two main characters, Pru and Chapel, fell in love very convincingly without falling into cliches. I cried so hard through parts of this book that I've blocked my right ear, but it was a fabulous read. I'm usually a picky b*tch and not too many authors make it into my auto-buy list, but this one just did. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series, and hope they'll all be as wonderful as this one.

Pru has cancer, she is dying. Her one hope is finding the legendary holy grail to be cured. A dig on her father's property may turn up the holy relic. The church sends a priest to monitor the dig, along with a companion, called Chapel. Although Chapel works for the church, he is a vampire, turned by drinking from the blood grail, which he mistook for the holy grail on a quest centuries ago. Chapel seeks the holy grail for himself, and longs for salvation. He and Pru fall in love, and she learns what he is. She also knows that he could save her life by turning her. He refuses to make her a monster like himself, even though it means her death. You can't help but love both of these people, and feel for them. One part was so touching, I was actually sobbing. Excellent story. Can there be a happy ending? You bet!