Book Review: Acheron - by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Acheron is the 22nd installment in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters series of romances. It tells the story of Acheron Parthenopaeus, the leader of the Dark-Hunters, and how he came to be who and what he is. Since this was such a highly-anticipated book, I don't want to spoil anything about it, so I'm not going to give away any real details and just stick to my opinions about the book.

Though it is much longer than any of the other novels in this series, the length of the book didn't really bother me. What I had a problem with was that more than half of the book focused on Ash's backstory, leaving less than half for the actual romance. The backstory was important and I wanted to finally find out exactly what all had happened to the poor guy in the past, but after a few hundred pages I got the point and was ready to move on to his love story. As a result, I don't think that there was enough time to develop the whys and wherefores of the romance itself.

The heroine was a character that I had really liked from a previous novel in the series and I was tickled to see that that's who he ended up with - BUT she wasn't as charming and likeable in this book as she had been previously. She's ok; I just didn't buy why he felt so drawn to her when I couldn't see the supposed chemistry. I guess it kind of bugs me when an author tells you something about a character and expects you to take that as fact without actually demonstrating it to you. Like, the hero finds the heroine spunky and entertaining when all you've seen so far is that she got mad at him and threw a hammer at him. Later on, after their relationship is already established, she does become a very likeable character and she really is good for him and does all the right things... I guess I just wanted a little more effort made on the heroine's part to win Ash's affections.

I had expected this to be a five star book, but I can only give it 4 stars.

Book Review: Dream Chaser - by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Synopsis: Dream Chaser is #21 in the Dark-Hunters series of romances by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Xypher is a twice-damned Dream-Hunter with a checkered past (aren't they all?). In exchange for recently helping the good guys save the world (see Devil May Cry), the lord of the underworld has agreed to allow Xypher to spend one month in the mortal realm as a human. If, at the end of that month he has committed a good deed then he will be free from the underworld to live out the rest of his days on earth as a free man. A normal person wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and would seize the opportunity to be a better person and save themselves from eternal damnation. But no, Xypher is a bitter and reckless sort who prefers to spend his time seeking revenge against those who wronged him all those eons ago. Meanwhile, across town, medical examiner Simone Dubois is investigating a grisly murder involving a corpse that actually got up and walked out of the examining room. The cops and the county coroner are stumped, but Simone has a special gift that might help to shed light on the case: she sees dead people. Having witnessed the murder of her mother and younger brother as a child, she has been able to see and speak with ghosts ever since. When she runs into some really nasty soul-sucking Daimons in a dark alley, Xypher arrives on the scene just in the nick of time. He fends off the Daimons, but not before they have time to slap a really nasty curse on our hero and heroine. Unable to move more than 20 feet away from one another, the two must work together to fight off the bad guys and (of course) save the world.

I really liked this book. After meeting Xypher in Devil May Cry, I was looking forward to seeing more of him. He's mean, badass, and snappish - but basically a sweet guy underneath (like any good romance hero). He even does some really kind things for the heroine without intending for her to even find out it was him. Simone is a good Kenyon heroine: she's super-smart, courageous, and has just the right amount of vulnerability to make her likeable. You can tell she really treasures the people she loves. Even though the romance develops pretty rapidly, I think it works in this one. And her ghost sidekick is a pretty adorable character. Story-wise, you get lots more info on the different races of demons that are cropping up left and right in the series lately - and we meet some new characters who will probably become major players in upcoming books.

This one is a 4 star book for me.

Book Review: Upon the Midnight Clear - by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Synopsis: The novella Upon the Midnight Clear is part 20 in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter saga of romances. Our hero is a human for a change this time. Aidan O'Conner is an extremely jaded world-famous movie star who has been betrayed by everyone he ever loved, even his family. Fed up with being stabbed in the back by his friends and family, he retires to the snowy backwoods of Tennessee to live out the rest of his days in isolation where no one can hurt him. His evil brother Donnie, however, can't let it go. He hates his famous little brother so much that he summons an ancient god (Dolor) to kill Aidan. Leta is a Dream-Hunter who has spent most of her life fighting Dolor. She seeks out his next victim, Aidan, to try to save him from the evil god. She has her work cut out for her, though, because Aidan isn't interested in seeing, talking to, or being saved by anyone - much less a strange woman who shows up at his door in the middle of a snowstorm claiming to be a dream goddess out to protect him from the mythological god of pain.

I liked the hero and heroine in this book all right, but felt that their romance developed much too abruptly. It is not quite a full-length novel, so there is a limitation on time, but I still felt that the two characters decided they loved one another and were willing to sacrifice everything for one another WAY too quickly after meeting for the first time. Aidan is a pretty vulnerable guy who has erected a lot of barriers to protect himself from being hurt again. Leta works pretty hard to show him that he can trust her, but she's still somewhat underdeveloped as a character. The story was interesting though and you learn a bit more about the different players in the Dream-Hunter world.

*Note: This book contains a short story (more of a series of short vignettes) at the end entitled "Holiday Gatherings" where you get to see little snippets of all the different characters from the previous books in the series and how they were celebrating the holidays. Interestingly, this was my favorite part of this entire book.

I rated this one 3 stars in my LibraryThing catalog.

Book Review: Devil May Cry - by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Synopsis: Devil May Cry is the 19th story in the Dark-Hunters series of romances by Sherrilyn Kenyon. In this novel, we meet Sin, an ex-god from the Sumerian pantheon who works as a special kind of Dark-Hunter. He spends his time hunting and killing a particularly nasty kind of demons called the gallu, who not only can kill humans by the boatload, but also convert them into vicious zombie-like creatures. Unfortunately, Sin's unorthodox methods and lifestyle have made him something of a pariah among his Dark-Hunter brethren. And of course, like any good Kenyon hero, he is also out for revenge against the one who did him wrong way back when. This time it's the Greek goddess Artemis; she's the one who betrayed him thousands of years ago and stole his godhood from him. The heroine Katra, on the other hand, is a familiar face from previous stories (most significantly, Kiss of the Night and The Dream-Hunter). One of Artemis' loyal handmaidens, Kat has been sent by the goddess to the human realm to take Sin out for his supposed transgressions. Of course, Artemis also wants him dead before he has a chance to have his revenge on her. And it doesn't help matters that when Sin first meets Kat, he takes one look at her and mistakes her for Artemis.

What an informative book! Up until now, who and what Katra actually is have been something of a mystery. Is she Greek? Is she Atlantean? Is she a goddess or just a mere servant to the gods? Devil May Cry answers all of these questions and then some. Up until this point in the series, I sort of expected Kat to be Acheron's eventual love interest; however, this book explains her relationship to Acheron and the other gods while introducing lots of new characters and a whole new pantheon of gods and beasties.

I really liked Kat when she appeared earlier in the series. She's tough, courageous, and loyal to her friends. And she's a good person - she refuses to pass judgment on Sin until she sees proof of his alleged crimes with her own eyes. And even then, she is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. For his part, Sin could care less what Kat thinks of him. He's only got two things on his mind: revenge against Artemis and stopping the gallu demons from unleashing hell on earth. Of course, Kat manages to distract him with her sense of humor and honesty; he can't help but fall in love with her. She really is another great Sherrilyn Kenyon heroine, with just the right mix of strength and vulnerability to make her loveable without being abrasive. Sin sort of came across to me as a sort of generic tortured hero, but he's still a likeable guy and you want Kat to get her man in the end.

My Favorite Scene: The one when Kat and Ash meet for the first time in Artemis' temple (I don't want to spoiler, so I won't say anymore...)

This was a solid 4 star book.