Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Night Play
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Dark Hunters (book #5)
Previous in series: Kiss of the Night
Next in series: Seize the Night

My rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis: Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis is a Were-Hunter with the ability to transform into a wolf. Pursued by his enemies, Vane is not looking for love and is staggered to learn that the Fates have marked Bride McTierney, a human woman, as his mate. Bride has been hurt in the past and Vane must work his way past her insecurities to convince her that she can trust him not only with her life but with her heart as well.

**Note**: This is book six in the Dark Hunter series but the first book to explore the world of the Were-Hunters and is this respect it provides many new and interesting details, especially regarding the distinction between the Arcadians and Katagaria.

Review: Vane and Bride are a sweet and likeable couple, and their romance is engaging. Nevertheless, Bride’s preoccupation with her physical size, while understandable, becomes tiresome after a while, especially considering the fact that Vane could not care less and sees her as sexy and voluptuous. Vane is gorgeous both inside and out, and he is among my favorite characters in the series.

While the plot is predictable and clichéd, the book has some great laugh-out-loud dialogue and exceptional secondary characters (gotta love Ash and Simi, Valerius and Otto) that more than make up for it. The contrast between Vane and Fury’s characterization is another highlight of the story.

Backstory and world building are Kenyon's strong suit and Night Play is no exception. The writing flows and the descriptions are detailed and intriguing even if her characters are a little too good to be true.

I am slowly working my way through this series and enjoying every minute. I do suggest that the books be read in order so as not to miss out on any of the interesting tidbits.