Night Play
Dark-Hunter, Book #5
Were-Hunter, Book #1
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
ISBN# 9780312992422
Author’s Website: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Bride McTierney was just dumped by her snake of a boyfriend, Taylor, after he used her and her connections to get his dream job. Now that he’s on TV and is well-known, the last five years together doesn’t matter, he can’t be seen with Bride as she’s overweight. He even kicked her out with no notice, forcing her to live in a tiny shed behind the boutique she owns. And he seems to go out of his way to hurt her as much as possible.
Bride is trying to pick up the pieces of her life after having her heart crushed, when the most handsome man she’s ever met walks into her store. He wanted her to help him pick out a gift for someone. He ends up picking out the $600 choker necklace she’s in love with. Only he doesn’t take it with him, insisting that she is who the necklace is intended for. She tries to refuse the expensive gift, but Vane won’t have any of that!
And, with a most unexpected turn of events the two end up having sex! Vane because he can’t resist her allure and Bride because she wants to do something out of the ordinary, even if it’s only a one-time thing. But soon Vane realizes that it’s more than either of them had expected, when the mating mark appears on his palm, and Bride now has a matching mark, meaning they are mates. Vane has three weeks to convince her to accept the mating, or he won’t be able to touch another female until Bride dies and it will dilute his powers as well. But how do you convince someone to be with you forever, if they don’t even know *what* you are? Not to mention, he has so many people trying to kill him that she’s in more danger than she even realizes because as long as she bears his mark, his scent will be all over her for any of his enemies to pick up on …
I really should not have been surprised that I loved the first Were-Hunter book, something about shifters gets me. Every. Single. Time.
I felt so bad for Bride and the way her lousy ex treated her. It’s hard to believe that she would allow him to belittle her so much while in the relationship. But sadly, I think it happens more than any of us would like to think when someone has self-image and self-esteem issues. I absolutely loved how Vane took matters in his own hands to make Taylor pay at every possible turn!
“Vane pulled out his wallet and handed several hundred dollar bills to Henri. “Do me a favor. That guy downstairs Taylor. Give him the worst table in the house.”
Henri’s eyes danced with amusement. “For you, Mr. Kattalakis, anything.” Vane took his seat as Henri walked off.
“That was so bad of you,” she said with a coy smile.
“Do you want me to take it back?”
“Hardly. I was merely pointing out that it was bad.”
“What can I say? I’m just a big bad wolf.”
Take that you douche-canoe!!!
And, no shifter story would be complete without our sexy shifter! And boy was Vane ever heart-thumping sexy? I absolutely loved him! He was so darn sweet, I loved how he liked that Bride had a more curvaceous body.
“I don’t want you skinny, Bride. I like you as you are.” His breath tickled her neck as he spoke and sent heat all over her.
“My people have a saying. Meat is for the man, the bone is for the dog.”
“Yeah, but you’re both.”
“And when given a choice between ribs and steak, I go for top choice every time.”
Having always been a chunky girl myself, I liked reading a book where the lead female struggled with the same problems I’ve had in my life. But more importantly I loved how Vane made her feel, she learned not to be so self-conscious but to enjoy what she had. And, of course Vane had that irresistible to me cocky attitude that I just can’t seem to get enough of in my fictional heartthrobs! And that last scene at Sanctuary with Vane on stage and what he does for Bride? Hot and sweet! He definitely earned himself some brownie points and no doubt got some *wink wink*.
Vane didn’t have an easy life. His parents were a piece of work, to put it mildly.
“So what do your parents do?”
“Think up creative ways to kill each other.” Vane cringed as that flew out of his mouth. He was so used to saying it that he didn’t think about it until he’d heard himself say it.
“No, really.”
Vane looked away uncomfortably. Bride’s jaw went slack as she realized he wasn’t kidding. “Why would they do that?”
Vane actually squirmed a bit before he answered. “It’s a long story. My mother ran off not long after I was born and my father wants me dead, so here I am with you.”
She didn’t know what to think of that. “This um this family insanity, it’s not hereditary, is it?”
“It doesn’t appear to be,” he said seriously. “But if it creeps up on me, feel free to shoot me.”
So, he had to grow up on his own because he sure didn’t have them to take care of him! It broke my heart what he and his brothers had been through.
The secondary characters were great in this book, as well. From Vane’s brothers and other shifter allies to Bride’s family, and of course some of the characters we’ve met so far in the Dark-Hunter series, including my beloved Kyrian and Ash!
“I need dating advice. Fast…Julian, how did you meet your wife?”
Julian shrugged. “My brother the sex god cursed me into a book for two thousand years. Grace got drunk on her birthday and summoned me out of it.”
Vane rolled his eyes. “That’s useless. Kyrian? What about you?”
“I woke up handcuffed to Amanda.”
Vane could work with that. “So I need to get a set of handcuffs?”
This was a great read, and I can’t wait to read the next Were-Hunter book in the series!
“No one has ever touched me like you do. You’re like a whisper. Gentle, soft. Soothing. In my world, the people only shout and scream. But you… you’re my haven.”
And, because this song kept going through my head while I was reading the book …. I’ll leave you with the video for Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran
