Book Review – Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Kiss of the Night
Book five focuses on the Dark-Hunter, Wulf Tryggvasen. While he has been mentioned, and somewhat included, in past installments, (he is Talon’s best friend), we have not had much exposure to him until now. Gorgeous, and charismatic, Wulf has one tiny catch! He has been cursed in that no unrelated human will remember him five minutes after they meet him. It doesn’t matter how many times they meet him, or that they might even work for him…even an unforgettable night with him, he will simply be forgotten five minutes after he walks away.

Cassandra Peters born to a human father and an Apollite mother, is the last in her very special line tied to the god who created them, Apollo. Her sisters and mother have all succumbed to their eventual death, and Cassandra is being hunted by special Daimons and god’s alike (as they believe they will be “freed” from Apollo’s curse if Apollo’s last heir dies).

With those binding word, and in one fit of anger, Apollo had damned himself to extinction. For once his son’s bloodline died, so then would Apollo and with him the sun itself.

You see, Apollo isn’t just a god. He is the essence of the sun and holds in his hands the balance of the universe.

On the day Apollo dies, so does the earth and all who dwell here.

She is approaching her 27th birthday (the die or “turn Daimon” situation), and since she seems to take more after her human side then her Apollite side (as her sisters did), she wonders if she might be able to survive past her looming curse.

After yet another attack on her life, during a night out with the girls, she is rescued by Wulf. He doesn’t realize that she is half-apollite (in which case, he might eventually have to rid the world of her, too). They have an immediate gravitation to one another, and after sharing a passionate kiss, he walks away from her, knowing she will never remember him.

Her body would soothe his for a few minutes.

It would do nothing to ease the loneliness in his heart that yearned for someone to remember him.

“Good-bye, my sweet,” he whispered, touching her lightly on the cheek before he turned around.

He would remember their kiss forever.

She wouldn’t recall him at all…

She watches him leave, and as she joins her friends again, she quickly forgets Wulf, but not the strange feeling he has left inside her.

Over the next few nights, as they dream, they share intimately passionate moments together. Each encounter leaves each of them feeling even more deeply connected, but not understanding why the dreams feel so real. Each dream progresses their relationship further, while they share an emotional connection, entwining their hearts deeper together.

One she knew nothing about except that he made her mother’s people tremble in terror.

And he had saved her life.

It must be her repressed sexuality that had summoned him into her dreams. Her need to make contact with someone before she died.

That was her biggest regret. Due to the course of her mother’s family, she had been fearful of approaching other Apollites. Like her mother before her, she had been forced to live in the human world as one of them.

But she had never been one of them. Not really.

All she had ever wanted was to be accepted. To find someone who could understand her past and not think her mental when she told tales of a cursed lineage.

And monster who stalked the night.

Now she had a Dark-Hunter for her own.

At least for tonight.

A chance encounter has them meeting up in person again, and she immediately runs to him in recognition.

It was him!

She biblically knew every inch of that solid, gorgeous male body.

“Wulf?”

Wulf was stunned beyond comprehension as he heard his name on her lips. “You know me?”

A becoming blush stained her face and it was then he knew…

Those hadn’t been dreams.

Astonished that she remembers him, his happiness is quickly extinguished when he realizes exactly what she is.

“How can you remember me?”

But the answer was so obvious that he already knew. “You’re Apollite, aren’t you?” She damn sure wasn’t a Were-Hunter. They  had an unmistakable aura to them.

Cassandra dropped her gaze to the floor as she whispered, “Half.”

He cursed. It figured. “So you’re the Apollite heiress they have to kill to lift their curse?”

“Yes.”

What was interesting about this novel, was that it did not focus on the hero’s horrible past, (which usually creates the much needed angst in the hunter’s life), but instead threw him headfirst into a doomed relationship with a half-Apollite (a species that his kind was at war with) cursed to die in a few months. It was a nice little catch and plenty angst-worthy all its own. You’ll love Wulf as you realize how he became a Dark-Hunter, why he is cursed, and how important the continuation of his own blood line is to him (and you’ll find yourself laughing out loud with his own relationship to his live-in nephew, of sorts, Chris).

Chris dropped his voice and imitated Wulf’s lilting Norse accent. “Don’t move, you might get bruised. Oops, a sneeze, better call in specialists from Belgium. Headache? Odin, forbid, it might be a tumor. Quick, rush him for a CAT scan.

Wulf shoved his shoulder playfully. “And yet you live.”

“Ever the better to procreate for you.” Chris met Cassandra’s gaze. “It’s a hell of a life.” Then Chris dropped his gaze as if he were thinking about that for a minute. “But there are worse one’s out there.”

As Wulf gets to know Cassandra and her people, he realizes that the Apollites, have many facets about them that are not taught to the Dark-Hunter. He begins to question who the real monster is, in his Dark-Hunter world.

There are many delightful surprises, introducing us to more characters that lead us even deeper into this complex and rich world. You will meet some new villains, and a few unexpected heroes, and enjoy a look into another god’s world (Apollymi), who has a plot of her own in her quest to rule the world. I really connect with the characters in this series. Each new character and situation is afforded a “real-life” feel (despite the extreme paranormal theme), and I always find I can relate to them in some way.  This one, I really could NOT put down. Exciting to the very end!

4 stars