Book Review: Come the Night by Susan Krinard

Come the Night
Author: Susan Krinard
Publication: HQN; Original edition (September 30, 2008)

Description: The Great War has ended

And Gillian Maitland is to marry a werewolf of her father's choosing--ensuring the purity of their noble bloodline. Still, she can't forget Ross Kavanaugh, the American whose forbidden touch unleashed a passion she'd never known. And when Ross returns unexpectedly to England, he's no longer the man she remembers, but a hard-boiled ex-cop who harbors a dark secret.

The discovery that they have a son makes Ross even more determined to prove his worth to Gillian, despite being merely a quarter werewolf. Then a mysterious spate of murders casts him under a pall of suspicion, and torn between duty and desire, Gillian knows she must drive Ross away. Even as their hunger for each other grows by the hour...

My Thoughts: This urban fantasy from 2009 hits a lot of the major romance tropes. First of all, it is a secret baby story. Gillian Maitland met Ross Kavanaugh while nursing during World War I. They had a brief affair, but she broke it off when she learned that he was only one-quarter werewolf and unable to shift. Gillian had been brainwashed by her father that only a full werewolf was an acceptable mate in order to keep the bloodlines pure.

The second trope is that this is a paranormal romance. Werewolves are the creatures featured. Gillian's father Sir Avery is planning to hold a Convocation of European werewolves. He wants to find an acceptable, purebred mate for Gillian. However, Gillian's son wants to find his father and hops an ocean liner to New York to meet him. Ross didn't know about Toby and Toby found him by snooping in his mother's diary.

Toby and Gillian's brother trick Ross into returning to England with them hoping that he can save Gillian from following the path her father has dictated for her life. 

Of course, the third trope is the Big Misunderstanding which causes Gillian and Ross not to trust each other. The villain of the piece does all he can to continue the confusion since he wants Gillian for himself and Ross out of the picture or dead. 

This was an interesting title that went on a bit longer than it would have needed to, in my opinion. I could have done with less of the werewolf politics though I didn't like the reference to Hitlet that made its way into the story. I also thought that the misunderstanding went on too long with Gillian waffling between following her heart or following her father's dictates. 

Fans of werewolf paranormal romance or urban fantasy would enjoy this one. 

Favorite Quote:

To reach out, to touch her, to hold her again... God, he would have given his life to make things the way they'd been in London.

I bought this one January 28, 2009. You can buy your copy here.