"Night Falls Darkly," by Kim Lenox

From Amazon.com:  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...

***

This was a very interesting novel; well-written, interesting characters, and more over, a very good plot. I liked both Archer and Elena very much, in that each had a compelling history, and each had reasons for their decisions as they moved through the story. The secondary characters, Leeson, Mark, and Selene, were also unique and compelling.

Having said all of that, at the end of the book, I wasn't sure I had read a romance novel or a very good paranormal mystery. (I love paranormal mysteries, for I'm a big fan of the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse books.) I think that Ms. Lenox could easily allow Archer and Elena to star in their own series of books, and I would look forward to each  new adventure. She has built enough "story stuff" into her world that she could easily do this, and with her writing skill, I am certain that each new installment would be equally compelling.

The romance in this story, while a vital part of the tale, was not as large a part as found in other romance books. This wasn't bad, not at all, as the attraction between the two protagonists was very convincing. Yet, I found that I wanted to follow their tale after the end of the book; I wanted to see Archer and Elena actually get to "romance" each other a little more, rather than just long for each other. If Elena and Archer play sizable roles in the next book in this series, then I will be satisfied. I suspect they do not, however, relegated to more minor roles.

I will certainly read Ms. Lenox's next book, for she is a wonderful writer. I do hope we see more tales of Archer and Elena in the future. If not, then I'll have to imagine my own.

Rating: 5 stars