Customer Rating: 
Summary: Dare You Discover the Dark Side of Damian?
Comment: GENTLE FROM THE NIGHT kept me up until 2 am reading. I'm embarrassed to say I was pretty dang spooked, too, and didn't even want to turn off the lights. I can't believe a romance novel scared me!
GENTLE FROM THE NIGHT is my first gothic romance, and I rather enjoyed it. I'll definitely be re-reading it. The author's writing style is clean and creative, and I found her characters to be compelling, especially the dastardly hero, Damian. He was definitely drawn to the "dark side" of life - and I have to admit, I liked him all the more for it.
This dark story revolves around Alexandra, a Jewess who is hired to care for Damian's idiot brother, Samuel, in attempt to make Samuel speak. You see, Samuel has been struck silent by fear - fear of a woman whose evil still haunts both Samuel and his cold-hearted brother Damian.
What I liked most about this book was its suspense. As in: Is Ursula a ghost? Is Damian crazy? Who is trying to hurt Alexandra? And when will Damian and Alexandra finally hook up?
What I liked least was the good vs. evil speeches scattered throughout the book and Alexandra's overblown reactions to Damian toward the end. I still can't believe, after having spent the entire night with him doing the nasty, she wakes up and strikes him with a brush for - of all things - trying to kiss her. Then SHE goes on to lecture HIM for being depraved and cruel!!!
Anyway, I highly recommend GENTLE FROM THE NIGHT as one of the more entertaining reads I've encountered. It has horror, suspense, romance, and both a fascinating hero and heroine. I think I like it mostly for Damian. He's one of the most intriguing guys I've read about in a while.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Comment: I found this book to be refreshing. I love ghost stories, mysteries and romances. Ms. McKinney combines all three into a novel that I could not put down.
Customer Rating:
Summary: There's nothing gentle about its grip on your imagination!
Comment: Phenomenal, my very first and favorite McKinney books of all time! Original and realistic-in some respects...loved the take on a Jewish heroine!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pretty Ordinary
Comment: I was interested in this book for the gothic plot, and while it was gothic, it was also a bit on the boring side.I didn't find Damien all that interesting a hero.
I did like that Alexandra was suffering prejudice for her Jewish heritage, which is a nice and interesting quality for a romance heroine.
Not very sexy or exciting though.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not my cup of tea.
Comment: The story is probably excellent for its genre, but I'm prejudiced against Gothic Romances (I usually prefer a touch of comedy). Unfortunately, I didn't read the reviews online before buying it. To be fair, the story is really dark, scary & spooky--if you love that kind of stuff. The suspense will just kill you--it's too much.
