Review: Night Play

Sherrilyn Kenyon

362 pages

PNR

Dark Hunter #5

St. Martin's Press

Synopsis:

Bride McTierney has had it with men. They're cheap, self-centered, and never love her for who she is. But though she prides herself on being independent, deep down she still yearns for a knight in shining armor.

She just never expected her knight in shining armor to have a shiny coat of fur...

Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis isn't what he seems. Most women lament that their boyfriends are dogs. In Bride's case, hers is a wolf. A Were-Hunter wolf. Wanted dead by his enemies, Vane isn't looking for a mate. But the Fates have marked Bride as his. Now he has three weeks to either convince Bride that the supernatural is real or he will spend the rest of his life neutered--something no self-respecting wolf can accept...

But how does a wolf convince a human to trust him with her life when his enemies are out to end his? In the world of the Were-Hunters, it really is dog-eat-dog. And only one alpha male can win.

Review:

Remember when Vane was protecting Sunshine back in Night Embrace, and her friend Bride shows up for some reason and Vane made some comments and asked a couple questions about her, but that was it?  Well this is Vane and Bride’s story, and I dug it.  This book returns to the Dark Hunter world, but with a Were-Hunter hero.  Vane is such an easy hero to like, right from the very beginning.  He always says exactly what you, I mean Bride, wants to hear.  He always does the right thing, and there isn’t any annoying "I'm gonna do one thing and mean another" action with him.  He's had a rough year since the attack against his family, and his brother Fang is still comatose because of it. In fact, we get enough story with Fang to make me bug my DH expert Nina, asking when Fang's story is.... sadly, it's Book #18 *sobs quietly* 

Bride was so-so for me.  She's a fine character but without a lot of spark. I know that probably has a lot to do with her self esteem issue (she's full figure and keeps telling herself that she doesn't deserve someone like Vane).  She does grow into a slightly more strong-willed character, but not until almost the very end.  All in all she's fine to read and want good things for, just not someone I'll remember often.

The storyline was an exciting return to the Dark Hunter world.  We get facetime with some of the characters from the other books and a little with Acheron, including Ash with a baby.... so cute.  This book is putting the series back on the right track, in my opinion.  I hope it stays that way.  We get a healthy glimpse inside the Were-Hunter world, but not so much that is feels like you're reading a different series.  This book made me want to continue reading the rest of the series right away.

4 stars