Korvel's assignment is to retrieve an ancient Templar scroll, but the woman he reluctantly took as his traveling companion after he rescued her and she helped him, Simone, has a darker mission: to take the scroll and kill Korvel. She is a high ranking member of a family sworn to help the Darkyn, trained for this very purpose by an ancient and deadly master, but she also has allegiances to humans that the knowledge contained within the scroll might harm. As she falls more under Korvel's seductive spell, her dual allegiances battle each other aggressively. Meanwhile, a killer traveling under an assumed name wishes her dead because of long ago shame, and two of Korvel's companions, though ordered to locate the scroll, are more concerned about locating Korvel and securing his safety. In a dangerous world where friends and foes combine, knowing whom to trust is difficult, and knowing whom to love is more so.

Fast-paced, action-packed, and interesting, Lynn Viehl makes quick and detailed work with her world-building. Her characters all have difficult pasts with which they must battle daily. In addition, Simone is a fascinating combination of innocence and preparedness. NIGHTBORN is a fantastic book.