Reviewed by Gannon Carr
Publisher Penguin
4.5 stars

Marcus Helios, known as Lord Alexander to London society, was a member of the elite Shadow Guard until a rash decision took it all away.  Now he is fighting an insidious madness that will be his downfall.  His only hope is hidden in two ancient scrolls, which Mark believes to be in the hands of Mina Limpett.  Mina’s father is a scholar who has been searching for the proof of immortals—such as Mark and the other Shadow Guards—but his academic colleagues have lost respect for him.  Mina and her father end up in the remote mountains of Bengal continuing his quest, but he panics because he thinks that someone has found them and is after the scrolls.  Professor Limpett sends Mina back to London, and tells her to forget about him and tell everyone that he is dead.  Confused and distraught, Mina does as her father asks and goes to London to live with her uncle and his family.  But she doesn’t know that danger stalks her….and so does Mark.

Time is running out for Mark; before the madness consumes him and he is assassinated by one of his fellow Shadow Guards, he must find the key to his salvation.  So Mark sets out to seduce Mina and convince her to give him the information he needs from the scrolls.  Although Mina is intrigued by Mark and most assuredly attracted to him, she doesn’t quite trust him.  But Mark will not be so easily discouraged; he asks Mina’s uncle, Lord Trafford, for her hand in marriage.  Never concerned with scandal, Mark obtains a special license and he and Mina are married quickly and quietly.  And Mina soon sees first hand the madness that Mark is dealing with.  He’s not the only one who wants the scrolls; the Dark Bride, Jack the Ripper’s jilted lover wants them too.  And her evil plans threaten not only Mark and Mina, but all that they hold dear.

In her first book, Night Falls Darkly, Kim Lenox created a captivating and new mythos with her Shadow Guard series.  She continues to expand and explore this world in her newest Victorian set paranormal.  When Mark appeared on the pages of the first book, he was compelling, but incredibly arrogant.  In So Still the Night he hasn’t lost that “bad boy” charm and arrogance, but with his demise breathing down his neck, he is vulnerable.  And who doesn’t love an alpha male who shows his vulnerability with his heroine?  Mina is a spunky heroine who most definitely brings Mark to his knees when he deserves it, and does he ever!  While he lusts after Mina in the beginning, and vice versa, he truly grows to love her and is ready to sacrifice everything for her.

So Still the Night is brimming with passion, suspense and a spooky gothic element.  I’m looking forward to the next book in this engaging series.  If you’re in the mood for an historical with a liberal helping of paranormal, then this is a book you won’t want to miss.