Debut Showcase: Night Falls Darkly by Kim Lenox

Night Falls Darkly (Amazon: US Canada UK)
by Kim Lenox (Website, Blog, MySpace)
Paperback: 336 Pages
Publisher: Signet Eclipse an imprint of Penguin Group
Prologue and First Chapter

Publisher's Blurb:

A cunning immortal who’s been called upon to reclaim a marked soul...

Ever since an accident took away her memory, Miss Elena Whitney can’t recall the secrets of her own past. All she knows is that with her mysterious benefactor Archer, Lord Black, returning to London at the behest of Queen Victoria, she should seize the chance to get some answers.

A member of the immortal Shadow Guard, Archer has been summoned to London to eliminate the soul of an evil demon—Jack the Ripper. Archer feels not only bound to protect the women of the night, but also his beautiful young ward, Elena, whom he spared from death two years before. But with a wave of panic spreading across London, Archer fears that Elena is his weakness—a distraction he can’t afford, especially since she’s likely to become the Ripper’s next target...

Mulluane's Take:
This is an historical paranormal romance set in White Chapel, England in 1888. No vampires, or werewolves and set in Victorian times? Oh yeah, I could get into this one easily enough. I can not think of a better period in history to set a dark, paranormal story. This book is the first installment of the Shadow Guard series with the sequel, "So Still the Night", due out in May, 2009. For more information Ana over at The Book Smugglers gives it a great review.

Tia's Take:
I don't think I've had a six-pack ab cover on this blog in quite some time--if ever. I'm seeing a lot of amnesia in my reviews and showcases lately. It's a plot device that never goes out of style. I'm always happy to see a novel with a protagonist who is squarely against the demons--although I might be tempted to argue about whether demons have souls or not. I'm also intrigued about how the Shadow Guard became immortal. It looks like an entertaining, deliciously creepy read.