Night Pleasures
Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the first official book in her
Dark-Hunter series.
Those who have read Fantasy Lover will no doubt recall the hints that were dropped in that novel that Kyrian of Thrace had survived the centuries. Night Pleaures is his story and the powerful opener to the Dark-Hunter series.
Kyrian of Thrace is a Dark-Hunter. After the events which took place to trap his friend Julian in a book for eternity Kyrian had found his own life taking a very unexpected turn.
Suffering a dreadful betrayal he found himself offered an act of vengeance in return for his soul. Taking the offer made by Artemis he became one of the immortal Dark-Hunters.
The Dark-Hunters are described as all that stands between the Daimons and the humans. Living in secret and isolation they are warriors with fantastic powers and a whole culture and history for the reader to learn about.
The best place to read the entire complex history is at Sherrilyn's website (link below) but basically Daimons are a type of vampire that prey on humans and steal their souls in order to prolong their own lives. The Daimons were originally Apollites, a race cursed to die on their 27th birthday. The only way to continue to live is by taking the souls of others. The Dark-Hunters are there to stop them. They give up their souls, are banished from the sunlight and have a variety of powers (unique to each individual) in order to better do their job. And it is a job for which they are very well paid and which they enjoy.
Anyone who visits Sherrilyn's site will see the perfect description of them....Mad, Bad and Immortal.
Despite the fact that each Dark-Hunter has suffered some form of betrayal they are vital and exciting and a far cry from the brooding vampires that have dominated fiction since the advent of Dracula.
But back to this particular story, Kyrian is now living in modern New Orleans and his life is about to take an unexpected turn. Captured and handcuffed to a human woman named Amanda Devereaux. And it is not long before he has to reveal his secret to her as both their lives are in serious danger.
Amanda is a psychic who has suppressed her powers over the years. She tries to distance herself from the supernatural despite her identical twin being a vampire hunter and various other members of the family dabbling in the occult. It is because she has been mistaken for her twin that she now finds herself handcuffed to the gorgeous Kyrian.
With the cuffs forged by Hephaestus Amanda takes Kyrian to Julian's house hoping the Ancient Greek can help them. Touching reunion obviously forthcoming at this point.
But even once they are separated things are far from over as the Daimon who cuffed them together steps up his attacks and nothing seems to stop him.
The other Dark-Hunters can't help as their powers drain when they are in close proximity to each other, and only riddles are offered by the Oracles.
Somehow Kyrian and Amanda must find a way to stop Desiderius, a daimon more powerful than any other.
Drawn together Kyrian and Amanda find themselves falling in love, but how can Kyrian be freed from Artemis and can he bring himself to trust Amanda to pass the test and return his soul to him?
A complex mystery, a wonderful romance and a wealth of other Dark-Hunters each with their own potential story to come make this book the start of a series that will certainly change the way vampires are immortalised in fiction.
RATING : 
(if you need an explanation of the hearts ratings see
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Also by Sherrilyn Kenyon: Link to the Complete Dark-Hunter series List. (at least to date)
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