NIGHT'S SURRENDER is Book 7 in Amanda Ashley's Children of the Night series. I think readers new to the series should at least read NIGHT'S PLEASURE first, since that book is about the vampire "parents" of the heroine in NIGHT'S SURRENDER. As a fan of this series, as well as other vampire books by Amanda Ashley, I enjoyed seeing characters from previous books pop up in NIGHT'S SURRENDER. These other familiar characters never detracted from the romance between Abbey and Nick.
Many of the books in the Children of the Night series involve a human woman meeting and falling in love with a vampire man. However, I like the interesting twist Amanda Ashley gives this story. In NIGHT'S SURRENDER, Abbey is a human woman who was raised by, and around, vampires. In addition to the love story between Abbey and Nick, NIGHT'S SURRENDER revisits two other couples from previous books -- Savannah and Rane, and Mara and Logan. I like how Amanda Ashley tells the story of a new couple finding their way together, while comparing it to other mature relationships and the choices that those vampire couples have made. These other romances don't distract from the primary romance, but help define it and give context for the world Abbey and Nick live in.
The danger provided by vampire hunters adds another layer of excitement to NIGHT'S SURRENDER, and help unify the good guys. In spite of being an ancient vampire, I like the sensitivity Nick shows and his willingness to sacrifice for Abbey. His caring and consideration of Abbey's needs make Nick one of my favorite of Amanda Ashley's vampire heroes. There is eroticism and steaminess in NIGHT'S SURRENDER, but it's tempered by an old world sense of tradition. This contemporary gothic element separates an Amanda Ashley vampire romance from a lot of other paranormal romances currently available.
NIGHT'S SURRENDER is a tale of vampire devotion and love at first sight. Characters and storylines from previous books are brought full circle in NIGHT'S SURRENDER. I love the teamwork and chemistry between Nick and Abbey. The action and subplots never take away from the romance. I look forward to the next book by Amanda Ashley.
RT BOOK REVIEWS Career Achievement winner in Paranormal
Romance!
Aspiring actress Abbey Marie Cordova knows more than most people do
about vampiresβshe was born among them, the only human child in a
centuries-old family of the undead, and determined to stay that way.
But a chance encounter with dark, mysterious Niccola Desanto rocks her
to the core. Nick is a vampire, and heβs the only man who has ever
made her feel so beautiful, so cherished, and so passionately desired
β¦
Nick has spent hundreds of years on his own, and the decadent
pleasures of the world have lost their appeal. Rumor has it the
vampire who made him has regained her humanityβthe temptation to find
her and demand to know the secret is overwhelming. But one glance at
innocently alluring Abbey changes everything. Drawn to her with
dangerous, consuming passion, Nick will need more than a lifetime to
love herβ¦
EXCERPT
He had been a vampire for over two thousand years. As
such, he was one of the oldest of his kind. Only Mara,
the so-called Queen of the Vampires, had survived longer.
For centuries, he had searched for her, but to no avail.
He had to admire her skill at eluding detection, whether
by hunters or those of her own kind.
She was a legend among the Nosferatu β fearless,
stronger, more powerful and more cunning than any of
them. It was rumored that she had regained her humanity,
that she had given birth to a child, but he had dismissed
both possibilities out of hand. Such things were
impossible, even for the Queen of the Vampires. No doubt
she had spread the rumors herself, knowing it would only
add to her mystique.
But he couldnβt ignore the niggling voice in the back of
his mind that wondered if it could be true.
He stared at the goblet in his hand, at the thick red
liquid it held. What would it be like to be able to
consume something besides blood after so many centuries?
To sample the various foods and drinks he saw advertised
on TV and in magazines? To eat something that required
chewing? He often sat in restaurants, sipping a glass of
wine, watching men and women as they ate, envious of the
culinary pleasure he read on their faces. Just once, he
thought, just once he would like to bite into a thick,
juicy steak.
Mara was the answer. If she had truly found a way to
regain her humanity β no matter how briefly β he wanted
to know how she had accomplished it.
And if it was impossible, what then?
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He had
lived as a vampire long enough. He was ready to die, but
as one of the Nosferatu, his options were not pretty. He
could let a hunter stake him or take his head. Or he
could walk out into the light of a new day. As old as he
was, he wasnβt sure it would even be fatal. He could
always set himself on fireβ¦Grimacing, he quickly
discarded that alternative.
Better to become human again if at all possible, and
spend his final years as a mortal before he breathed his
last.
He sipped his drink. It all came back to Mara. She was
the answer. If she couldnβt restore his humanity, then
she could grant him a quick, painless death.
She owed him that much.
And a helluva lot more.
© 2003-2026