Captives of the Night

The prequel to this, 'Lions Daughter", left me cold. While this is not my favorite book by this author, I am impressed by her astonishing growth as an author. Whilst a little convoluted, with too many secondary characters, this plot is entertaining and the main characters are appealing and well developed. What it misses is humor - a most elusive element that Ms Chase HAS succeeded in capturing in subsequent books, to this reader's delight and gratitude. I should note that this book is really the final chapter in this series, not the second.

Loretta Chase is an incredible writer and with Captives of the Night, she writes a near perfect book. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance with mystery, suspense and passion from a hero for a woman who becomes his soul, or so he believes- this book is for you. Captives is the sequel to The Lion's Daughter where Comte d' Esmond (Ismal is his real name) was the villain of that story and now he is the hero and after ten years he is back with a vengeance but on the right side of the law. He is undercover trying to stop a man who was even more devious than he was. Francis Beaumont is the true villain of the piece but soon is murdered. He leaves behind a widow- Leila who is an artist and becomes the new obsession of Esmond. Leila is an interesting woman and one that has been though so much heartache. Her husband treated her horribly, even though he saved her after the murder of her own father and allowed her talents to shown through. But Francis had demons and horrible secrets that Leila comes to find out with the help of Esmond who may have been responsible for her father's death over 10 years ago. They become partners and investigate nasty dead hubby's murder and soon their passions for each other collide. Leila and Esmond were written in such a way that was mind boggling. Chase's creative skills are top notch here and when they these two characters finally come together to show their love for each other, well it is everything any romance fan would want between their hero and heroine. This honestly is one of Chase's best works and her hero Esmond is so unique and overall seductive in his talk and actions that Leila had no chance. When she finally surrenders, she does so willingly and those scenes are beyond hot! A definite winner and a keeper for anyone's bookshelf. Katiebabs The Lion's Daughter (Berkley Sensation) (Berkley Sensation)

First comment about this book - the cover art seemed a bit odd. We have a man with a very modern haircut peeping through some bed hangings; he's got a definite five o'clock shadow but completely hairless arms and he looks like one of my friends who's a vicar in Swindon. He certainly doesn't look like an Albanian man masquerading as a French Count in 1829 - who is described as having blonde hair which is slightly overlong and amazingly blue eyes. Once again, the cover art of a Regency Mass-market Paperback lets us down - badly. But on to the book, if you've managed to get past the awkward cover and actually purchased the thing. It's the story of the Comte D'Esmond, French nobleman, who appears to be trying to seduce Mrs Leila Beaumont, wife of Francis Beaumont. All of these characters appeared briefly in "Lord of Scoundrels" - Francis Beaumont being a very unpleasant man who spends his time in dissolute living; his wife, on the other hand, is an amazing artist and the sole of fidelity. Until Francis is murdered and she is the chief suspect. Fortunately she is acquitted of the murder, with the help of the Comte D'Esmond, but then it becomes clear to her that she must try to find out who actually did kill her husband, in case that person tries to murder someone else. So she goes to a figure in authority - who puts the Comte D'Esmond on the case. But is he quite who he seems? The characters in this book are many layered. The Comte is decidedly not as he appears on the surface but he guards his secrets incredibly well. Leila Beaumont has been emotionally damaged by her husband and can't trust men at all - when she realises how many secrets the Comte is keeping she knows she can't trust him either. And yet they have to work together and she slowly begins to unpick his story and find out more about him, much against his will. There's not a great deal of action in this book apart from small movements as the Comte and Leila move around her artists studio, picking up paintbrushes, sitting down on a chair, that kind of thing. No long carriage journeys or gunfights, it's like a still-life painting where the subjects provide all the visual interest by just being themselves. It's well written, particularly in the Comte's way of speaking English with a foreign flavour, but I did find my attention straying sometimes because of the lack of action and because there was always something more being unveiled - what you thought was true seemed to change on a very regular basis as Leila finds out more. The book definitely picked up in interest towards the end although I was very fearful about the Big Misunderstanding that was trailed from about a third of the way through - fortunately the author did something rather better with this than you would usually expect in this kind of novel. Overall her characters were different and interesting and I did enjoy the book, if sometimes getting a little confused by all the different characters and finding their focus on the m

This is my favorite Loretta Chase book yet. And I love them all. It is a sequel to "The Lion's Daughter", set ten years later. Those who remember "Ismal" from that book will be startled at first by this story of him and how he falls in love. You do not have to have read "Lion's Daughter" to read this, (I read this one first) but it helps. Superbly written, this story is at once a romance and a mystery and is completely spell binding. I could not put it down, and I have worn out my one copy and need to buy another! Loretta Chase continues to amaze me with her intense but marvelously drawn characters, her unique "voices" and "faces" for each of them from book to book, and her depth of knowledge of the worlds she visits. This book was originally published by Avon is 1994. Her newest books are not as "deep" in characters and setting, and yet are enjoyable. But my favorite of all of her books so far is this one, and because it is deeply written. Neither as wryly funny as "The Last Hellion" nor as seriously scary as "The Lion's Daughter", 'Captives of the Night" certainly captivated ME!

I started this book one night right before my bedtime, figuring it at least would give me something to do, and wound up reading until four in morning! I found CAPTIVES to be completely engrossing--really one of the best romances I've ever read.The Comte d'Esmond is one of those dark, dangerous, and romantic types (think Heathcliffe or Rochester from the Bronte novels), looking for redemption for past sins. The heroine is Leila Beaumont, another very fascinating character who is strong, tough, and intelligent--but also very passionate and kind--and Chase does an excellent job of showing us the different facets of her personality.The plot is also excellent: Leila and Esmond are trying to discover who killed her husband, and since he was a reeeally nasty character, the list of suspects includes just about everyone they know. It's a mystery that is more well-written than those in most mystery novels I've read, and I kept guessing until the end who the killer was, just as Leila and Esmond were.CAPTIVES OF THE NIGHT is not like LORD OF SCOUNDRELS, with a lot of "cute" scenes--it's not a book that tells its story scene by scene; rather, it unravels, revealing the secrets of the characters line by line, pulling you into their world. By the end of this novel, I felt like I knew Leila and Esmond personally, and I was EXTREMELY happy that I had bought this book. I would even consider buying it in hardcover, it was that good. CAPTIVES OF THE NIGHT is, well... captivating.

The scalding HOT sexual tension virtually burned a hole thru' the pages. The murder web is relentlessly spun with unexpected twists & turns that at times it felt like reading an Agatha Christie - the longer, romantic version. Unless you're an antecedent of the likes of Poirot & Holmes, you'll be left awestruck by the stunning ending. I confess that of 7 Chase novels that I've devoured so far, this one is the most remarkable. No, my sides didn't hurt quite like when I read her other hysterically funny efforts. The only humor you'll find here is when the mighty Dowager (from THE LION'S DAUGHTER) shows up to wreak havoc on those happen to be in the vicinity. After I read the prequel, I understood more how the dashing, cool Esmond became the man that He was. He's my 1st golden-haired perfection that I fell in love with (dark-haired rogues were more attractive before he came along). I truly wish Ms Chase would be so kind as to write another book that'll give me a glimpse of Esmond & Leila. How beautiful their children must be, having a fiery temptress as a mother & an electrifying knock-out as a father. But then again, I need to get a life =P ; )