Night Embrace
Dark-Hunter, Book #2
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
ISBN# 9780312984823
Author’s Website: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Ancient Celtic Chieftain, Talon, lost everything that meant anything to him, and when his death arrived, he sold his soul to Artemis to get vengeance on his clan, sealing his fate as a Dark-Hunter.
Fifteen hundred years later all the emotions Acheron has taught Talon to bury have come roaring back to life, when an unlikely savior and artist, Sunshine, takes him home with her after he’s knocked unconscious by a runaway Mardi Gras float.
But everything changes once Talon realizes Sunshine is the wife he lost reincarnated! He’d do anything to be with Sunshine, but he’s cursed, everybody that loves him dies. The only way to save her, is to let her go. But what’s worse, watching her die again, or letting her go without a fight?
I was hoping that I’d like this book more than I did. It took me a long time to get into it. I didn’t care for Sunshine at all. I found her to be immature and obnoxious. She gets better as the book progresses, but I never liked her. I also found their insta-love connection unbelievable. We later find out why with Sunshine possessing his wife’s soul, but I still think it would have been better to have had some kind of build-up to their relationship. Plus who takes an unconscious stranger home with them and immediately strips them of their clothes? Don’t you think they may take offense to that when they wake up?
The turning point for me in this book was when we saw Talon’s past. The way he lost his son and wife was heart-wrenching. From that point on, I was fully invested in this book. But it wasn’t enough to completely pull it out of the abyss though.
And, the more we learn about Acheron, the more interested in him I become! Him prostituting himself out to Artemis really should bother me more than it does. I know I should be scandalized by it, but I find I’m not. It’s just another layer of him. Another one of the sadder moments of this book was seeing a glimpse of his childhood, how even as a baby nobody wanted him.
“The wisewoman looked down at the infant in her hands and uttered the simple truth that would haunt the boy for the rest of his existence. “May the gods have mercy on you, little one. No one else ever will.“
Not much could be sadder than that, and I for one can’t wait until he gets his happiness even though I know it will be a long time coming. It does make me respect Ash more and appreciate the struggles he’s endured.
Another bright spot in this book for me were the Were-Hunters, Vane and Fang. They breathed some life into this world along with some much needed humor. I can’t wait to see more of them!
“He’s not real friendly,” Sunshine explained as she set up her stand. “I think he has rabies or something.”
This book definitely had its ups and downs, but hopefully the series will continue to build on the foundation being laid now, and will just keep getting better.
