The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
jscarpa14's review against another edition
5.0
This ones going to be quick because I'm reading my way back through this series and I know the next book is my FAVORITE Dark Hunter couple, because lets face your first is almost always your favorite.
The secondary characters in the book as always are wonderful and in my opinion worth mentioning. This is the first book where you really get a look at Valerius and Tabitha in positive lights. We've met them and heard about them so many times throughout the course of the series but Tabitha, by most characters is interpreted as crazy and Valerius is blamed for things he didn't even do and viewed as a sort of stuck up tight ass. Bride is the first character in the series to really see the positive sides of both of them and I can't help but love her for it since they're my favorites. The story also features the Santuary crew, Kyrian, Julian and the rest of the New Orleans cast minus Talon and Sunshine who are only mentioned rather than featured. So of course there are some great supporting return characters but beside Valerius and Tabitha I think Fury is probably the most compelling supporting character. I'm not sure if I've read his story or not but I'm sure I want to.
Vane and Bride have this wonderful love story but this book also really brings you inside the werehunter war between the Arcadians and Kattegaria.(which I probably spelled wrong because the book is across the room) It's really rich in Kenyon's story mythology and even if you weren't interested in a love story would be worth reading just for that. Additionally we have the wounded hero with the tragic family past though his is extremely different from any of the Dark Hunters it's equally cruel and heart breaking because the people who treated Vane the worst were the ones who were supposed to love him no matter what. His brother is in a coma after a Daimon attack and his sister is dead so we've got a character who's feeling pretty alone in this world and really compelling because of his history and his pain. Then we have Bride who is AWESOME. She's not some twiggy heroine who gives readers the impression that you have to look like a model in romance in order to find true love. She is a solid size 18 and Vane loves every inch of her voluptuous figure. She's sweet and kindhearted and has suffered her own sort of pain and abuse from the way so much of society treat women who don't fit the magazine cover ideal. And despite all this or maybe even because of it she still has this wonderful faith and trust in humanity. I love how the characters compliment each other and help each other to feel confident and worthy again. I loved their insecurities and fault as much as their strengths. They are just amazing characters and this is one story that's not to be missed.
The secondary characters in the book as always are wonderful and in my opinion worth mentioning. This is the first book where you really get a look at Valerius and Tabitha in positive lights. We've met them and heard about them so many times throughout the course of the series but Tabitha, by most characters is interpreted as crazy and Valerius is blamed for things he didn't even do and viewed as a sort of stuck up tight ass. Bride is the first character in the series to really see the positive sides of both of them and I can't help but love her for it since they're my favorites. The story also features the Santuary crew, Kyrian, Julian and the rest of the New Orleans cast minus Talon and Sunshine who are only mentioned rather than featured. So of course there are some great supporting return characters but beside Valerius and Tabitha I think Fury is probably the most compelling supporting character. I'm not sure if I've read his story or not but I'm sure I want to.
Vane and Bride have this wonderful love story but this book also really brings you inside the werehunter war between the Arcadians and Kattegaria.(which I probably spelled wrong because the book is across the room) It's really rich in Kenyon's story mythology and even if you weren't interested in a love story would be worth reading just for that. Additionally we have the wounded hero with the tragic family past though his is extremely different from any of the Dark Hunters it's equally cruel and heart breaking because the people who treated Vane the worst were the ones who were supposed to love him no matter what. His brother is in a coma after a Daimon attack and his sister is dead so we've got a character who's feeling pretty alone in this world and really compelling because of his history and his pain. Then we have Bride who is AWESOME. She's not some twiggy heroine who gives readers the impression that you have to look like a model in romance in order to find true love. She is a solid size 18 and Vane loves every inch of her voluptuous figure. She's sweet and kindhearted and has suffered her own sort of pain and abuse from the way so much of society treat women who don't fit the magazine cover ideal. And despite all this or maybe even because of it she still has this wonderful faith and trust in humanity. I love how the characters compliment each other and help each other to feel confident and worthy again. I loved their insecurities and fault as much as their strengths. They are just amazing characters and this is one story that's not to be missed.
cnewby927's review against another edition
4.0
This book has it all. There were times that I was laughing so hard I had to put the book down and breathe. I enjoyed the romance between Bride and Vane a lot. Watching Vane get dating advise from dark hunters was the best. Definitely a worthy entry in the dark hunter series.
mooncricketjp's review against another edition
4.0
Vane and Bride.
This is a reread for me but it’s been so long, it is all like new. I loved Vane and Bride.
This is a reread for me but it’s been so long, it is all like new. I loved Vane and Bride.
lilianap's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
4.0
I'm totally hooked on this series! I need to take a little break now, though, I have to work and not play...
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
Night Play
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.
Review:
**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.
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.
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.
Review:
**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.
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.
angie_stl's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this one, though it seemed shorter than the rest of the novels.
geo_ix's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I didn't quite like it as much as some others, maybe it wasn't the right time for me to read it and fully appreciate it or maybe it just wasn't quite as angsty as past books, because I love me some angst and the more tortured the hero the better.
Anyway, I enjoyed it, and I loved the bits with Simi like I usually do, but I also think I expected more things to happen. I expected both parents to attack Vane personally, but his mother was the only one to personally do that, really the father sent people after them and didn't care much about the outcome which I didn't expect when there was his POV and he seemed super malevolent and eager for them to be gone because duh, he's less powerful than Vane. So in that reguard I was left wanting, mainly in those action type ways, in all honesty this was way more in the romance side and how he needed to mate her.
I was honestly thinking she was going to leave it too late and then decide but that's not how it played out, and from then on I felt it was a little bit of a fluffy sappy mess (in a goodish way) and I think that's what made it feel so different to the others to me. Maybe it's because it's been so long since I read one? But even compared to Alphaness he's different to the others. Sure he's dominant, but with Bride he gives her choices constantly because he doesn't want to do what his father did to his mother and take her choices away and make her bitter and evil. I liked that, and I loved the whole concept of the Were creatures and that they're not all just wolves or bears etc, there was mentions of a hawk and a dragon and I'm super glad its a big mix.
I'm SUPER eager for Tabby's story, I have been since she was introduced, and after this, I'm super eager for Valerius too because he was actually one of my favourite parts of this story!
Anyway, I enjoyed it, and I loved the bits with Simi like I usually do, but I also think I expected more things to happen. I expected both parents to attack Vane personally, but his mother was the only one to personally do that, really the father sent people after them and didn't care much about the outcome which I didn't expect when there was his POV and he seemed super malevolent and eager for them to be gone because duh, he's less powerful than Vane. So in that reguard I was left wanting, mainly in those action type ways, in all honesty this was way more in the romance side and how he needed to mate her.
I was honestly thinking she was going to leave it too late and then decide but that's not how it played out, and from then on I felt it was a little bit of a fluffy sappy mess (in a goodish way) and I think that's what made it feel so different to the others to me. Maybe it's because it's been so long since I read one? But even compared to Alphaness he's different to the others. Sure he's dominant, but with Bride he gives her choices constantly because he doesn't want to do what his father did to his mother and take her choices away and make her bitter and evil. I liked that, and I loved the whole concept of the Were creatures and that they're not all just wolves or bears etc, there was mentions of a hawk and a dragon and I'm super glad its a big mix.
I'm SUPER eager for Tabby's story, I have been since she was introduced, and after this, I'm super eager for Valerius too because he was actually one of my favourite parts of this story!
zookeepermel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0