Book Review: One Silent Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

One Silent Night is one of the best stories in the Dark Hunter series. It was a fast-paced, page turner, where Sherrilyn Kenyon turned the all-time villain into the hero of his HEA romance novel.

Summary:

Stryker, the all-time villain of the Dark-Hunter series, the Daimon who's ultimate goal is to destroy Acheron and mankind, was once in love eleven thousand years ago. Forced to divorce his ex-wife only after a year of marriage by his father Apollo, he thought that she was long dead when his father cursed his whole race to die at the age of twenty-seven. After loosing his sister to his eternal enemies Acheron and Nick, he unleashed the uncontrollable War to make his revenge, only to find his ex-wife sent to kill him by Artemis.

Zephyra was surprised when Artemis sent her to kill Stryker, her ex-husband, and she was more than willing to do the goddess' bidding. It wasn't only because Artemis had saved her life so long ago and that she was forever in the goddess' debt, but also because she can finally take her revenge against the one person she had once loved. Eleven thousand years ago, she was young, and she had fallen in love with Stryker and believed in him, only to be divorced by him a year after so that he could go marry another women. But even after so many years and all those hatred towards him, she could still feel their attraction deep inside her.

What I liked:

I think it's very difficult to write a romance story about a villain. It must be sympathetic to a degree, and yet, the characters cannot have a sudden personality change. And I really think that Sherrilyn Kenyon did a great job in this book on those aspects. I did not all of a sudden fall in love with Stryker, but the story that was told about his past and his point of view of things did make me sympathize with him to a degree that I accepted him being able to love another. And I'm also very glad that he remained a villain throughout the story, and not all of a sudden wanted love and peace (ok, love yes, peace, no).

What I didn't like:

The story was way too short. It was a much thinner book, with huge fonts. In a way, I felt somewhat cheated when I first started reading. Did Sherrilyn Kenyon put too many words in her book Acheron that she's sacrificing word count on this book? Luckily, the story made it up for me, so that by the end of the book, it didn't bother me anymore.

Conclusion:

Although there are mixed reaction to One Silent Night, the 13th installment of the Dark Hunter series, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, I thoroughly enjoyed it very much. Although the story was short, I was able to see things on Stryker's side for once, and thought him worthy of his HEA story. I'm very glad that he remained as a villain though, so I do suggest those who are contemplating on whether to read this book or not to keep an open mind, and I believe you will appreciate the HEA of a villain all the more.

All reviews for the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Review - Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter Series)

Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the eleventh installment of the Dark Hunter paranormal romance series, excluding all anthologies and books from the Dream-Hunter series. This is a solid 4.5 Pink Hearts engaging read that answers many questions the readers were dying to know about all throughout the series.

Summary:

Sin was an ex-Sumerian god, who had his godhood stolen from him three thousand years ago by Artemis. Although, listed as one of the Dark Hunters, he didn't hunt daimons, instead his job was to keep the gallu demons, which were created by his pantheon eons ago, in line. Having been betrayed all his life, Sin didn't trust anyone, until this one person came crashing into his life fighting by his side and offering her heart.

Katra was a well hidden daughter of Artemis'. When her mother came to her asking her to kill Sin because he was evil, Katra knew there was more to the story. And the more time she spent with the ex-god, the more she knew she was right. As the gallu demons tried to free the Dimme to destroy the world, she must earn his trust, despise that she was the daughter of his most hated enemy, in time to save mankind.

What I liked:

Devil May Cry was a very pleasant read. The conversations between Katra and Sin was great fun to read, as they were filled with sarcasm. I couldn't help myself laughing out loud many times throughout the story at their dialog. For the people following the Dark Hunter series, this book will answer many many questions unanswered by previous books, which was great. I guess after 11 books, the conspiracy was getting a little too much, so having Sherrilyn Kenyon answering some of the mysteries hinted in previous stories was great and really kept me wanting to read more.

What I didn't like:

Although the storyline was great, Acheron kind of stole the show a bit in this novel. Not that I object him showing up all the time, but I would have liked it a bit more if the focus was more on Sin, the hero of the story. But, by talking about Ash's past, there was a shift of focus in the book. So instead of wanting to read more about Sin, I find myself wanting more of Ash when I was reading. But since this was a love story of Sin and Katra, it would have been better if I find myself thinking more about Sin than Ash throughout the story.

Conclusion:

Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon is a great read that I would recommend to all those who have been following the series. You will definitely have many of your questions answered, and left asking for more. However, for those who have not been reading the series, this book can be a little difficult to follow... in fact, I think many of the Dark Hunter series books aren't that great when read as a stand alone.

All reviews for the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Review - Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter Series)

Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the second installment of her Dark-Hunter series. This fast paced, action packed paranormal romance novel is a wonderful 4 Pink Hearts read for all those who are attracted to hot fanged immortals.

Summary:

Amanda Devereaux was an accountant, conservative and uptight, she actually came from a family obsessed with the supernaturals. Her own twin sister thought herself as a vampire slayer, and even went on patrols every night. Amanda didn't believe any of this and thought that she was the only sane member of the family, until, mistaken for being her twin, she was knocked out cold, kidnapped, and handcuffed to a complete stranger who happened to have a pair of fangs of his own.

Kyrian of Thrace was a Macedonian general from centuries ago betrayed by his beloved wife only to be tortured and crucified by his Roman enemy. Burning for revenge, he sold his soul to Artemis and became a Dark-Hunter, a member of the immortal army she created to defend humans against Daimons, a vampire-like being. When he woke up one night handcuffed to Amanda, the solitary life he enjoyed was about to change.

He was intrigued by her. She was smart, by no means afraid of him, and he wants her for his own. But Dark-Hunter codes states clearly that he cannot have a significant other. The secrecy of their existence and the danger he was constantly emerged in just wouldn't allow it. And now, they were in grave danger. Something out there knew Kyrian's weakness, and worse, it was stalking Amanda.

What I liked:

Night Pleasures is a very entertaining paranormal romance novel. I really liked the world Sherrilyn Kenyon created, and this story is action packed. Her characters were also a great load of fun to read, especially the dialog between Kyrian and Amanda. It was also great to see Julian and Grace and some other characters from the first book Fantasy Lover making guest appearances in this book.

What I didn't like:

Like Fantasy Lover, there were too much "telling", too little "showing" when it comes to explaining Kyrian's past. As much as the rest of the book was fast paced, the part where Kyrian spoke about his betrayal to Amanda slowed down the story by quite a bit. Luckily, his story wasn't as long as Julian's, and the pace picked right back up after that particular section of the book.

There was also this one part of the story where I thought Amanda was a little OOC (Out of Character). She was described as conservative and a bit shy when it comes to dealing with men, but when she tried to help him overcome his worse nightmare, it seemed all her original personalities were gone - like poof. Don't get me wrong, I liked that part of the story, but if she didn't have a personality change all of a sudden, it would have been so much better.

Conclusion:

I really recommend Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon. For those who enjoys action packed paranormal romance novels, this book will open up a whole series of sizzling novels for you in the Dark-Hunter world. Although some books in the series I didn't quite like, which I will be discussing in later posts, most of the stories so far were above average. They could all be read as standalone novels, but reading according to the sequence is highly recommended.

Read Reviews of Other Novels in the Dark-Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Review - Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter Series)

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon is an imaginative and original paranormal romance novel that is bound to make you want more. Listed as the first installment of the popular Dark Hunters series, it is more like a prequel as the elements of the Dark Hunters world was not mentioned in the book at all, it is definitely a fascinating read that is well worth 4 Pink Hearts.

Julian of Macedon was a ancient Spartan general cursed into the pages of a book, only to be released for a month at a time when summoned - as a sex slave. During his time, he was a demi-god, powerful in the human world, and which such good looks that almost any women will fall at his feet. Summoned by Grace Alexander, he arrived naked in her living room ready to pleasure her, but was soon surprised by both her refusal and her caring for him that he never had by any other women from before.

Grace Alexander was a sex therapist living in modern day New Orleans, who has been celibate for the past four years... until her eccentric best friend, Selena, brought a mysterious book to her, and she was drunk enough to go through with a spell per Selena's, persistent, request. When Julian actually appeared in her living room, she was beyond shocked. Although he was what every women dreams for, she wasn't about to use him as a sex slave, partly due to her previous experience with her self-centered jerk ex-lover. Suggesting that he should find a way to break the curse, they quickly found out, from Julian's half brother, Eros, the Greek god, that Grace was the key. But helping Julian would mean that she, herself, would have to overcome one of her own demons.

Fantasy Lover is a great read with a lot of sexy materials in it. Sherrilyn Kenyon did a great job of creating a whole new world with funny Greek gods and ancient characters. Although the whole concept was a little far fetched, the author made it believable and it was easy to be absorbed in her world. Julian was sexy and lovable throughout the novel, but what made me really fall in love with his character was the sacrifice he was willing to make, and have made, for Grace in order to spare her from facing her biggest fear. Grace's character was a little more average, down to earth, but her gentle and caring personality had made it very believable when Julian fell in love with her.

Two of the reasons why I've rated Fantasy Lover as a 4 Pink Hearts instead of 5 was the delivery of Julian's history and the time allocation of the story. There are many ways that Sherrilyn Kenyon could have talked about Julian's past, but she chose to have a dialog between the two protagonists. In some cases, this choice could have not been a problem at all. However, in this case, it didn't work well at all. Julian had a very tormenting past, and it ran right from his birth all the way to the point when he was cursed to being a sex slave, and from then to his multiple summons from the past. And to deliver all that in dialog format, it was just a little too much. Half way through, it just became him ranting on and on. Should his past be "shown" to readers by flashbacks or other methods, the quality of this book will definitely increase dramatically.

The time allocation of the story was also a little out of proportion. The time frame of the whole story was about 30 days, yet from the time Julian was summoned until the end of the day after, when they found out the way to break his curse, Sherrilyn Kenyon had written so much that it lasted for half of the book. Therefore, we ended up with half a book talking about the first 1.5 days, and then the other half covering the rest of the 28.5 days. Although this allowed the thorough development of the Sherrilyn Kenyon's world, it limited the interaction and the action of "falling in love." If she had spent a little more time to describe how the two fell so deeply in love with each other, it would definitely earned a better rating too.

Fantasy Lover is a great read that I would definitely recommend. Just be aware that this is one of Sherrilyn Kenyon's earlier books, so her writing was not as fluid as her newer novels. But if you are interested for a imaginative paranormal romance novel that is a little different from the others, this story of Julian of Macedon and Grace Alexander is definitely worth a try.

All reviews of the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon