“Harm no human…”

Hello Everyone,

Happy Tuesday!  This book is part of a series that can be dark. It can be light and fun. The feels are real. I’m speaking of the Dark-Hunter series. If you are not familiar with the Dark-Hunters, what have you been doing with your life? Really!

It is 117 degrees Fahrenheit today in Arizona; the perfect day to write about a hot book while sitting in air conditioning. Sherrilyn Kenyon is my favorite author. I didn’t think I would have one because I have read so many books by some of the most talented authors ever (Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, Johanna Lindsey, just to name a few), so trying to pick just one was almost impossible. I say almost because I then discovered Sherrilyn Kenyon, quite by accident. I was in the Chicago Public Library when I happened to chance upon a book on the floor. I picked it up with every intention of returning it to the shelf. That book happened to be Fantasy Lover, the first book in the Dark-Hunter series. Needless to say, I didn’t put it away. Retribution is the 15th book in the series.

“…you have 24 hours to kill your betrayer any way you see fit and to take your revenge. You can’t let daylight touch you. If you do…well, you don’t want to die without your soul. Welcome to the madness.”-Artemis

Sherrilyn’s Dark-Hunter series tells of ancient warriors who have sworn to protect mankind from a race created and cursed by the Greek god Apollo. His twin sister, the Greek goddess Artemis, recruits those betrayed and killed, whose souls cry out for vengeance.  Retribution tells the story of one of those souls.

Meet William Jessup “Sundown” Brady, a hired gunslinger in 1873 at the time of his death. He was betrayed just as he found a reason to give up being an outlaw. He gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he would spend the rest of his immortal life protecting the lives he once took. 138 years later, Jess is searching for the person killing Dark-Hunters, when he comes across Abigail Yager, a woman with an ax to grind…in his back. Abigail’s parents were killed when she was a child by their good friend Jess, or so she was led to believe. Raised with the belief that Dark-Hunters are evil and they prey on humans, she makes it her mission to eradicate them, while waiting for the day when she will meet and kill Jess Brady. But her hunting causes her to start an apocalypse and the only one who can save her and the world is, yup, you guessed it, Jess with the help of other Dark-Hunters. Although Abigail refuses to believe the truth, she comes to depend on and know Jess. In a race against time, the two fall in love.

I absolutely love Jess. He is intelligent and funny. Loyal and stubborn. Protective, with a big heart. He is strong and powerful. And sexy as hell. Abigail is beautiful but hard-headed; sweet but incredibly stubborn. Usually a heroine who refuses to see what’s right in front of her works my last good nerve. In the Dark-Hunter world, where loyalty is a big deal, I understand why Abigail was so hard-headed. She lost everything and she still saw things through the eyes of a traumatized child. But she could not overcome the heart her mother gifted her. The love her mother raised her with overshadowed the lies she had been told throughout her childhood and let her see past the hatred to the truth. Whereas Jess has had a lifetime to let go of the bitterness and hatred of his past. Together, these two are a formidable pair, which makes for a fantabulous read. “That was one of the things she loved most about him. He never pushed his will onto hers. The decisions they made, they made as a team. Together.”

So if you are escaping the summer heat, pick up Retribution. The enthralling story-telling, with non-stop action, witty dialogue and No Mistakes, (guaranteed by Sherrilyn in all of her books) is why Sherrilyn is my favorite author and this is a definite must read. Better still, if you haven’t already, start with the first book and keep going. Believe me, you will not be disappointed. I challenge everyone to read the first 3 books in the series and tell me you can stop there. Go on, I dare you!

Happy Reading,

The Book Diva

P.S. Each book in the Dark-Hunter series is a stand-alone. So you can read Retribution without reading the other books in the series, but it makes for a better read if you have read the other books since characters from the other books make appearances.