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Review: Nightborn by Lynn Viehl (Lords of the Darkyn #1)

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Nightborn by Lynn ViehlNightborn (Lords of the Darkyn #1)
Lynn Viehl
Published: March 6, 2012 (Signet)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon

Review by: Candace

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Lynn Viehl has got to be one of the most underrated paranormal romance authors out there. There, I said it. The name is not one of the first ones you read about on discussion boards. That has got to change.

Nightborn is a return to the Darkyn world for Viehl’s readers. We began the journey with Michael Cyprien and Alexandra Keller in If Angels Burn and finished it with Master of Shadows, which told the tale of Will Scarlet (yes, that Will Scarlet) and Reese Carmichael. I was sad to see no foreseeable continuation of the Darkyn series because I had questions.

Viehl has given us four great stories that tie into the Darkyn world with her phenomenal Kyndred spinoffs, but I, along with countless other fans, wanted more Darkyn.

Enter Korvel. He has served the high lord Richard Tremayne for centuries. Tremayne sends his trusted warrior on a mission to retrieve a scroll that can make a lot of trouble for Darkyn. Korvel, as we learned in prior books, not only has fangs and inhuman strength on his side, but his Kyn power is that no woman has been able to resist him. His sex appeal is the stuff of legends. So, getting past scroll guardian Simone Derien should not be a problem, right?

Derien has spent her entire life being trained as a warrior in her own right. Put up against bigger, larger males since childhood, Simone took them down without batting an eye. It was her nature. It was her calling. Her next assignment? Kill Korvel.

What sets this world apart is the close link to humanity the Kyn have. They are vulnerable. The Kyn can use their sense of smell to glamour humans. They are strong. They have fangs. But other than that, these guys can be felled by copper and their enemies have it in spades. There is no instant recovery for these vamps.

But this is a dark world. More often than not, the true monsters are human. For example, there is a scene where you realize that the children that Simone trained alongside were physically abused in an effort to create these warriors. The most sickening part of it all was that the abuser was none other than Simone’s father. There is snark in the Kyn world (Nicola wielded it like a sword in Nightborn), but for the most part, it’s a dark series. There are lots of questions, tons of historical references and many reasons to want to continue.

I wanted more of the characters from the earlier books. We read so much about Alex, but what about Michael? The Alex references were necessary, Korvel needed to close a door to his past and that was facilitated by his memories of Dr. Keller.

And Richard. Oh, I have so many opinions on that one. I personally think that the high lord of the Darkyn may not be as upstanding as the Kyn serving him would have us believe. Richard has back story. I, personally, would love to read more about it.

To the Darkyn, I say welcome back to the spotlight. To Lynn Viehl, I say thank you.

Sexual content: Graphic sex

10 Responses to “Review: Nightborn by Lynn Viehl (Lords of the Darkyn #1)”

  1. Jo says:

    I’ve had the first 7 Darkyn books sitting on my TBR pile for what seems like forever! I really need to get round to them, heard only good things!

    • Candace says:

      They’re pretty dark. I like that. Really, the only complaint I have about the whole thing is that Viehl makes you invest in these characters quickly. For me, Michael (the hero of book one) was a big sell and you don’t get very much of him in the later books. I would love to know what you think when you’re done. Pamela agreed with me below in that we both want a Richard book. He’s a big bag of curiosity.

  2. Mrs. Petrie says:

    I love her books. I think the Darkyn books describe an amazing vampire universe. And the books are SO HOT!!

  3. I just devoured the entire Darkyn series in March/April! At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one, it started off a little shakey for me, but ended up loving it!! I have to say though that I am SUUUUPER excited for the NEXT book In this series, also, I’m with you, I want a RICHARD book 🙂

    • Candace says:

      Seriously. I need Richard’s story. I don’t know whether to like him or not. His backstory has got to be packing some serious oh snap moments.

  4. Ginna S says:

    Best Darkyn books : Evermore & Dark Need

  5. terri dion says:

    I LOVE LYNN VIEHL!!! I have read all of the Darkyn and Kyndred(the spin off series) books and I agree she is so underrated any time someone is looking for a new series these books are my suggestion.

    • Candace says:

      One of the Kyndred books really shocked me (the reveal of the hero – you probably know which one I’m talking about). I love how she winds her worlds together.

  6. Sandy Lion says:

    I love this author and I love this series. I was so excited to hear that she was going to not leave her fans in mourning with the end if the Darkyn series and it sounds like she has not dissappointed us with picking up the intensity we have been missing.

  7. martha says:

    I also love the Darkyn series. Lynn Viehl, J R Ward, and Carolyn Jewel never fail to please in this field.

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