"One of the best tales this terrific series has to offer"

Valerius Magnus was the son of an Ancient Roman Senator and a successful General until he traded his soul to become a Dark-Hunter. Centuries later he still hunts vampires, but remains alone as his peers are Greeks who hold a bias that has led to an unfriendly rivalry just because he is a Roman.

In New Orleans, mortal Tabitha Devereaux represents a new breed of vampire hunter who has proven her worth without bartering her soul. Val meets her while she battles the undead. She stabs him during the melee so afterward she takes him home. Tabitha realizes that his haughty aloofness is a front to hide his hurt and fear of rejection; she plans to peel away his armor. However, as she sets in motion her plan a dangerous vampire surfaces with a powerful grudge from his previous life; his objective is to destroy Tabitha's extended family, which forces two Dark Hunters to either end their feud or watch their loved ones die.

The latest Dark Hunter tale is one of the best tales this terrific series has to offer as the exciting story line contains plenty of action, deep characterizations (including the return of the stars of NIGHT PLEASURES) that provide additional light on the origins of the good guys, and a strong romance. Val is an interesting protagonist because though almost two thousand years have passed since his change over he remains an aristocrat deep into his soul, which makes the earthly Tabitha his total opposite except when it comes to hunting vampires. Readers will embrace the darkness of the Kenyon night seeking other works in this pleasurable series.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted December 28, 2004

Summary

Valerius isn't a popular Dark-Hunter-he's a Roman, which means that the largely Greek Hunters have a major grudge against him and his civilization for superceding them. To make things worse, he's very conscious of his aristocratic background and breeding. So it serves him right when he runs into Tabitha Devereaux. She's sassy, sexy, and completely unwilling to take him seriously. (Not to mention that she's the twin sister of the wife of former Dark-Hunter Kyrian-Val's mortal enemy.) What Tabitha does take seriously is hunting and killing vampires-and soon she and Val have to grapple with the deadliest of all Daimons-one who's managed to come back from the dead, and one who holds a serious grudge against both of them. To win against evil, Val will have to loosen up, learn to trust, and put everything on the line to protect a man he hates and a woman who drives him nuts.