KISS OF THE NIGHT

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon ISBN: 0312992416 4/2004 Contemp/Fantasy Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Dear Reader, What do you get when you take one immortal Viking warrior no one can remember five minutes after he leaves their presence, an Apollite heiress on the run for her life, and one seriously pissed off demigod? Basically, you get my life. It started out simple enough. I went to save a woman one night in a club. The next thing I knew, the doorway to hell had opened and out stepped Daimons the likes of which I'd never seen before. Led by the son of Apollo, they are out to end the curse that has banished them all to darkness. The only problem with that is they have to kill Cassandra Peters to do it and if she dies, so dies the sun, the earth and all who dwell here. Life's just a bowl full of cherries, ain't it? Brought together by fate, it's now my job to protect a daughter of the very race I have been hunting for centuries. Neither of us dares to trust the other. But she is the only one who remembers me... More than that, with her courage and strength, she is the only one who has ever touched a heart that I thought died centuries ago. The only way for a Dark-Hunter to regain his soul is through the love of a woman. But what happens when that woman isn't exactly human? Wulf Tryggvasen

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Think about all those "saga" type books you have read: Some novels keep revisiting the previous heroes and heroines of the earlier books, like you are too dumb to remember them, or perhaps because the author cannot come up with another story to fit into the series. Then there are the great sagas: Ones that you love and can't wait for the next one in the series to be released. Now think about the last sentence and magnify it ten times. That is just how good Sherrilyn Kenyon's newest Dark Hunter novel, KISS OF THE NIGHT is. No joking! It's really that good. Run—don't walk—to the bookstore.

If you have read a Dark Hunter book, then you know what these hot men are all about. If you haven't, this is a good way to find out! A lot is explained about the Dark Hunter's enemies in this one, but by no means will you be lost if you are a Dark Hunter novel virgin. There are so many twists and turns, not to mention surprises (some good, some not so good), that I cannot begin to tell you the plot. There are just too many! I cannot forget to talk about the humor either. There are parts that are laugh-out-loud funny and scary at the same time. And the sex. Well, if you have read any of my reviews you know I like hot books. This one does not disappoint. Suffice it to say that you will not be bored, but so intrigued, that you can't put it down.

The limelight belongs to Wulf Tryggvasen, a Viking Dark Hunter, and his mate Cassandra Peters. Nothing is ever simple in these books, so naturally Cassandra and Wulf each have a lot going on without being thrown together. When I say it's rough going, believe me, it is. Though you will visit a few characters of past books (Zarek is soooo yummy and my favorite of all Dark Hunter's, hands down) they are not the focus here at all. Rather, the stories of these hunters are all intertwined and happening around the same time, which makes reading them all the more thrilling.

On a personal note (sorry Sherrilyn), but since nothing is perfect, though you come close here, I do have two complaints. First, and this will no doubt be any faithful follower of these books complaint, where is Acheron's story?! I am dying for it, and I know it will be a wild ride. Second, I love your imagination, but do you think you could speed it up a bit? I need these cranked out a little faster!

Oh, and thanks for keeping them original. The Dark Hunters may all want the same thing, but they all achieve it in their own way.

Shannon Johnson