Rating:  Summary: Talon's Time to Tell His Tale-And it's great! Review: Talon imo, was a very hot hero. In some books the hero comes across to me like a manequin-very handsome on the surface but without any depth or any chemistry appeal. The sparks flying off Talon and warm hearted Sunshine,the heroine, were very heated and the idea of the soulmate thing I thought was neat.I also liked the idea of sexy muscley vampire slayers roaming the night wearing ray bans and protecting the innocent as they zoom around in flashy foreign cars (In Kyrian's case) or on motorcycles (As Ash does). Plus, I like that Ms. Kenyon made her hero blond. There's enough dark haired heroes in romance to sink a ship. And there's just something sinfully delicious about a dark eyed man with golden hair, especially in the way that Ms. Kenyon creates them. I also suggest Karen Marie Moning as an author to read. Her heroes also have brawn with brains and a special kind of chemistry with their mates that make for a fun read.
Rating:  Summary: Claiming Acheron! Review: Night Embrace is a fast paced, action filled, roller-coaster of a ride. This novel has it all. Thrills, chills and romance abound! Not to mention, that some of the dialogue had me laughing out loud.Talon of Morrigantes had been orphaned at a young age. Having to care for his little sister, he returns to the clan that had banished both of his parents. Grudgingly, his Uncle takes him in and as he grows to manhood, he proves that he is a force to be reckoned with. His temper and skill with a sword earn the clan's respect. His world changes when an enemy ambush catches his clan unaware. His Uncle, Aunt, wife and son are killed. Despite his overwhelming grief, he continues to lead the clan. Turning on him, the clan kills his beloved sister before his very eyes and then him as well. Talon's terrible vengeance transcends time itself. The Goddess Artemis offers him immortality and power for his service. He readily agrees seeking vengeance against those who have wronged him. He is now one of Artemis' Dark-Hunters. And what a Dark-Hunter he is . . . . Tall, blond, dark-eyed and so very powerful. He is clearly not one to mess with. Sunshine Runningwolf enters his life quite unexpectedly. He saves her from a Daimon attack and is injured by a runaway float. (You won't believe where this float came from. ) She takes him to her place and that is where the fun begins. With his powerful physique and jet-black eyes, Talon sets fire to her blood. There is something about Sunshine that reminds him of his deceased wife. He finds her fascinating and very desirable. Their attraction to each other is hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July!. Yet, Talon & Sunshine have no idea that their meeting had been arranged. Dark forces are at work here.Dionysus & Camulus seek to kill Acheron in order to reclaim their god status. They are planning to release the Atlantean Destroyer and for this, they need Acheron's blood. Sherrilyn's characters are larger than life. Not only are they powerful, they also possess a vulnerability that draws the reader into their world. This quality makes them more identifiable and likeable. Zarek was so in need of comfort. He had never known any kind of love. His constant snarling & bad-butt behavior hid a lonely, aching heart. I can hardly wait for his story. My favorite, though, is Acherone. He walks through life utterly alone seeking kindness in others but always finding cruelty. He holds tremendous power (he is a god-killer) yet he is so very noble. Even when confronted with is worst enemy, his brother, Styxx, he retains that nobility. I fell sooooooo hard for him. Sorry ladies ~ I claim Acheron for my very own. :)
Rating:  Summary: That's it! I'm moving to New Orleans!! Review: There's not enough I can say about Sherrilyn Kenyon's new Hunters series. These guys are incredibly sexy and dangerous, but at the same time they are also tender and lovable! There's something about that conflicted, "tortured soul" attitude that makes you want to squeeze these guys for dear life! I'm an avid romance reader, and I haven't run across anything this fresh and creative in a long time! This book delved deeper into the whole mythology of the Dark Hunters, introduced new characters, and gave us the chance to catch up with previous favorites. I especially loved seeing Kyrian and Julian together again! Talon was a perfect hero for Sunshine, and I especially loved the way Ms. Kenyon brought them together (I won't say anything for fear of spoiling it, but believe me, it was great!) I also liked the fact that Acheron was depicted more in this novel than the first. He's probably my fave so far, and I'm dying in suspense to read his story! Artemis, as expected, is her selfish self throughout, but you even get a glimpse of her "caring side" for a scene or two. All in all, I think this was a fabulous addition to the series, and I am anxiously awaiting Zarek's story in December! This was definately worth the five stars!!!
Rating:  Summary: Great follow-up for a potentially great series! Review: I have read the author's other books, which were prequel's to this one (Fantasy Lover and Night Pleasures) and I think she wrote a great follow-up story with Night Embrace. This story centers around Talon, who we meet in Night Pleasures. His heroine, Sunshine, was actually introduced in Fantasy Lover, and the two of them together were fantastic. Talon was everything a hero should be, and Sunshine with her idiosyncrasies, was the perfect match for him. I found her to be a refreshing change of pace from the usual storybook heroines. She was a woman who was not afraid to speak her mind or to fight for what she wanted. And unlike many others who thought their relationship was purely sexual, I found that not to be the case at all. I saw Talon and Sunshine as two grown adults in a mutual give and take relationship with no miscommunications as is the case with many other romance novels; both were upfront about their expectations. I thought there was alot of growth between the two characters, and the dialogue between them was funny and realistic. This book was also richer in detail and added to the complex world Sherrilyn Kenyon has created. The author introduces several new characters, but I did not feel it distracted from the book at all. They were incorporated smoothly into the storyline and only added more to the story. The action, humor and dialogue kept the story fast-paced, and many interesting tidbits were thrown in all throughout, making it hard to put the book down. All in all, the book was great. Ms. Kenyon did Talon and Sunshine justice, and the way she delves into the other characters, such as Acheron, Zarek, Valerius and Vane, will have you clamoring for their stories as well (which I am told she has in the works.) Night Embrace is a great read and hopefully this will be one of several new books in this series in times to come. ***And on a side-note, potential readers should check out her website at www.dark-hunter.com, which will add to the reading experience and gives more background info on all these great characters.***
Rating:  Summary: Another great DH story Review: I couldn't wait to read Talon's story after reading Night Pleasures, bacuase Talon seemed like a very promisisng character, and he definitely was. His story, as well as the other previous stories of Julian and Kyrian, is very sad indeed. He was a chief of his clan (The Morrigantes, which are Celts) and he was a warrior you wouldn't want to mess with. But ultimately he was punished for his mother's deeds, (she was the queen of Talon's tribe and eloped with someone much beneath her). And when Talon is punished, he is punished well by his clan. To top it all off, and mostly the reason why Talon was killed by his clan was that he messed with Camulus (the celt god of war) and he cursed Talon for eternity. Talon then becomes a Dark Hunter and part of his deal with Acheron (DH leader) was for Acheron to make Talon learn how to push all his pain away so he could go on living without feeling. All is good and great for 1500 years until Talon meets Sunshine, an artist that helps him after he saved her life from Daimons. Soon they find themselves drawn to each other and they begin a relationship that they have no clue wether it will last or not. But shortly after that Talon finds out who Sunshine really is, and that will explain their intense relationship, and is shaken to his core, but mostly now he knows he must let her go for her own safety. The story is very good, but for me it was nto as good as the 1st DH story (Night Pleasures). But it held its own. The story is longer because there is more information on this one and you have to pay careful attention because many characters are introduced to us, and a little bit of their history is given. Zarek was one of my favorite new character, and we can tell the kid is really damaged on the inside (cant wait to read his story). But we also learn of the lives of soem shape shifters (Were Hunters) and I seriously fell in love with Vane and cant wait until his story is out!! The book I highly recomed, but as I said before it holds much required information for future books, so pay attention when u read it, although I find that paying attention won't be much of a problem.
Rating:  Summary: More Fun in the Dark Hunter Universe! Review: Wow! A funky paranormal series that feels like it was made just for me! This is the second book that is really set in the Dark Hunters-verse (following the loosely connected prelude "Fantasy Lover"). In some ways it is much better than Night Pleasures, but in some areas the quality drops, but I'll come back to that later. Talon is a Dark-Hunter, an immortal night-dwelling warrior who slays the evil vampires or daimons. One night he rescues a rather absent minded artist named Sunshine Runningwolf, but during the course of the fight with a gang of daimons he is terribly injured. Sunshine takes him back to her apartment and they spend the day together. However, Talon cannot put her out of his mind and realizes that he loves her for she is the reincarnation of his beloved wife. To be with her, Talon will break one of the fundamental laws that govern Dark-Hunter behavior. However, Talon, Sunshine, and the Dark Hunters' leader, Acheron are all being drawn into the devious plot of two angry, disenfranchised gods which threatens the continued exsistance of humanity. The great news is that in terms of style, this book is leaps and bounds above Night Pleasures. Gone is the awkward, clunky chunks of narration and dialogue. Everything flows along very smoothly. The world of the Dark-Hunters is better established so their aren't as many strangly introduced explainations. When they are nessecary, they are slipped in more naturally. The really bad news is that Talon's romance with Sunshine doesn't feel... as right and sincere as it could be. While Sunshine shows that she has a lot of indearing qualities, most the relationship hinges on the element of "pre-ordained love" in that she is the reincarnation of Talon's wife. And time that should have been spent having Talon and Sunshine bonding in this life, they spend in bed. In fact they started sleeping together way way WAY to early! I can see why they could potentially love each other just based on this life, but they don't have the chemistry of Amanda and Kyrian's verbal sparring. So the main relationship may not be up to par but it is off-set by Kenyon's upbeat sense of humor. The inter-actions between the Dark-Hunters is often quite funny. The daimon plot this time around is also darker, and more of an element of suspense to it. Add to the intriguing characterization of the other Dark-Hunters, and several truly poignant moments. While in terms of being a humorous, sexy joyride, Night Embrace is more serious and less boisterous than the first book, but if we can expect more of Night Embrace in terms of writing style and plot and character developement, I will be one very happy camper. Oh yes. The final revalation about Sunshine... can we say "duex ex machina". No more of that please, Miss Kenyon. It was the only really BLARING, GLARING error in an otherwise fine story.
Rating:  Summary: Lust at First Bite...Again Review: My only problem with this book is that I don't picture Talon with blonde hair. I see him as a hulky redhead in leather and tattoos. Other than that, this book only proves that Ms. Kenyon has created a world that will leave you breathless and wanting to spend a lot of time in New Orleans. I am definitely going to find Sanctuary (if you don't know what I'm talking about, read the books). I liked the character of Sunshine Runningwolf. Like many creative people (myself included), she's got one foot here and another in her craft. The fact that she's not a standard romance heroine (i.e. a perfect size 6 and obsessing about her weight, wanting to get married before the age of 30), is actually refreshing. In fact, Sunshine doesn't want to get married to Talon, just wants a mutually repectful relationship with him. I also love the fact that like many of Ms. Kenyon's female leads, they are sexually liberated women. they have no problems oogling and lusting over a good-looking man. Now, on to Talon of the Morrigantes. This is yet another one I wouldn't kick out of my bed for eating crackers (and he does). Just the descriptions of him dressed in his trademark leathers was enough for me to grab a fan. I don't even mind that he keeps two crocodiles as pets and prefers living in the swamp. The man rides a Harley, so anything can be forgiven. His story, like most of th Dark-Hunters is one of vengeance and redemption, but in the hands of a skilled writer like Ms. Kenyon, doesn't turn into a hackneyed plot device. Talon has to find his own way to freedom, and it's enough to tear my heartstrings. Of course, I've fallen madly in love with the just borderline psychotic Zarek. The exchanges between him and Nick are priceless. Perfect choice of music for Zarek to listen to, 'Hair of the Dog' by Nazereth. If you know the song, you'll get the joke. It was nice to revisit old friends like Kyrian and Julian again. Acheron even comes off as a bit more human (the nose ring was a great touch), and I can't wait to read his story. I'm doing my best not to give away anything. If you haven't read this series, you don't know what you're missing. The future of paranormal romances lies in the talents of Sherrilyn Kenyon and her incredibly detailed world of the Dark-Hunters.
Rating:  Summary: sadly disappointed Review: I really enjoyed the author's other 2 books (Fantasy Lover and Night Pleasures); however I can't say that about this book. I found it hard to follow... too many other characters introduced! The quirky humor was a bit much. I will give her next book about Zarek a chance and hope that she writes another one as Kinley MacGregor
Rating:  Summary: A winner! Review: In 558 Glionnen, Talon of Morrigantes watches in horror as he fails to keep the promise he gave to his dying uncle of protecting the female members of their family. First his aunt is raped and murdered. Then his clan murders his wife and sister. As they kill him, he vows vengeance and Artemis provides the mechanism. She sends Archeon to train her new recruit on killing the bloodsucking Daimons. In 2003 New Orleans, Dionysius and Camulus see an opportunity to regain lost power and for the latter revenge the death of his son at the hands of Talon. They arrange for Talon to meet Sunshine Runningwolf. As Talon and Sunshine fall in love, they must find a way to prevent her death, as he knows his curse is to watch anyone he cherishes die. Though this romantic fantasy feels somewhat like the first tale in the series (see NIGHT PLEASURES), readers will embrace this pleasant novel due to the delightful story line. The plot makes the Greek Gods seem real due to a strong cast especially the lead couple, their foes, and his mentor. Sub-genre fans and fantasy purists will gladly give up much of the night to read Sherrilyn Kenyon's latest story. Harriet Klausner
Rating:  Summary: Great Fun Read Review: Night Embrace was a great fun read. I wouldn't say that it was believable; there's definitely some plot loopholes. Still, it had me laughing while reading. Sherrilyn Kenyon has a great talent for making macho men picked on by their "poor sweet innocent affectionate" love that makes me laugh so hard my stomach hurts. It's always fun to pit a woman who knows her own mind against a supernatural hero. Having said that, I'm keeping my copy. Go buy your own.
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