Night Pleasures-Sherrilyn Kenyon

One Immortal Greek General Plus One Conservative Accountant Equals Mojo & Magic In The Big Easy.....
Ancient Greek Legend, Kyrian of Thrace cries out for vengeance against his betrayer while dying a horrific death, and his request is heard by Artemis, goddess of the hunt. In exchange for his soul, Kyrian is inducted into her army of Dark-Hunters, immortals who roam the earth exacting revenge on vampires and daimons, protecting an unknowing human race from the evil that preys upon them. Both a blessing and a curse, Kyrian's powers enable him to battle dark forces skillfully, but prevent him from gaining his heart's desire, real love.

Amanda Devereaux, one of nine sisters in a family of paranormal junkies wants nothing more than to be normal. Denying the supernatural gifts she possess, Amanda works as an accountant, loving her quiet life and hoping to meet Mr. Right, settle down, and have a family.

Irreconcilable as light is to dark when they meet, the pair, under the veneer of difference, long to possess the realm of the other. As Amanda and Kyrian resist opening themselves to the other, she out of reluctance to embrace the mystical, he out of fear to trust his heart to another, forces unite to destroy the Dark-Hunters and the human race. A shrouded prophecy of the Dark-Hunter with a soul vanquishing Desiderius, a powerful daimon, and restoring the hope of peace is the only inkling of possible success. Kyrian and Amanda must find a way to relinquish their fears in order to fulfill the promise and realize their heart's desires.

Kenyon writes a wonderful backstory for her Greek general. It's interesting and dramatic in all the right ways. Amanda is also well done as a straight-laced regular girl wanting her prince charming, and introducing Kyrian as just that makes terrific conflict; but Kenyon fails in her attempt at blending Amanda into her eccentric family in a believable way. The gaping chasm between their perceptions of reality didn't match the obvious otherworldly happenings in and among the New Orleans Devereaux clan. Apart from this problem and some awkward dialogue, including wisecracks amid what should be terrifying situations, Kenyon's story is still an enjoyable read (This broad is a bit of a sucker for tales involving mythology.). Night Pleasures, is one novel in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series, and I may read another for comparison, or check out one of the author's many other novels.

Recommendation:




~Moira


At Least It's Not Prince Of Ice...
There are many times in my life when I don't like something and have the comfort of knowing that if I look around me, there are others that feel the same way. As I was reading Night Pleasures I realized that this is not one of those times. If you walk through the romance section at any major bookstore, you'll see that Sherrilyn Kenyon has her own bookcase among all the other writers. She's that popular. Based on this book, I honestly can say I don't know why.

As a romance novel reader and reviewer, I'm used to reading stories that play fast and loose with plot. Sometimes the rest of the story (i.e. sex) works well enough that the plot devices don't bother me too much. Dialogue is often difficult in romance novels because it rarely seems like characters should be saying what writers have them say. Kenyon's story suffers both in plot and dialogue, often badly enough that I had to put the book down.

Her family is just unbelievable and not in the way that you'd say something incredible is just unbelievable. No, it simply isn't believable that Amanda, the straight-laced business type would have any contact with people who hunt vampires and tell fortunes for a living. That a man who looks and acts like an ancient Greek god would want her is even less plausible. At least her family would have a reason for being around her. Kyrian has none.

But the biggest problem in this book is the dialogue. It's worse than J.R. Ward cringeworthy. It's put the book down worthy. Sentences like "Okay, now she was majorly impressed" made me question if I was reading a high school girl's journal. And the way Kenyon has Amanda interact with Kyrian reinforces my idea that he wouldn't have anything to do with her. "Hey yummy leather guy" and "macho babe boy" are just two ways Amanda refers to him in their conversations. Really?

Night Pleasures is not my cup of tea, but millions of Sherrilyn Kenyon fans can't be wrong. I accept that I may not run with the pack, but this book is one I barely was able to finish, and only did so because this is a review Moira and I were scheduled to do together.

But keep in mind, I like this, so I'm used to tilting at windmills (or whatever the case may be).

Rating:




-Alexandria