One Silent Night

The last full-length, Christmas-themed book in the Dark-Hunter series was just OK for me, and perhaps for that reason, I went into reading One Silent Night with low expectations. The fact that Stryker had been an antagonist in several past Dark-Hunter books and my uncertainty about him being the hero of his own story only added to my lack of anticipation. Well, maybe that was a good thing, because I ended up finding this book to be pretty entertaining. Admittedly, the mythology was rather muddled and overly complex, and often events occur for the sake of the plot, two things that are typical for Sherrilyn Kenyon's books. I often find both annoying, but in this case, I mostly ignored them and just tried to go with the flow. Part of what show more made it so enjoyable, though, were the inclusion of several other characters we already know and the introduction of a couple of new characters, all of whom I liked very much. Usually having the action and POV straying away from the main couple this much dilutes the romance for me, but this time, I found it to be a plus. So, overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this story.

As I mentioned, Stryker has been the villain in several previous Dark-Hunter books, so I wasn't sure how I would like him as a “hero.” Oddly enough, he still isn't quite what I would call heroic even in his own book. I guess I would have to say I'm ambivalent about him even after reading his story. He starts out by unleashing a creature who is more evil than he is, all for the purpose of killing Acheron and Nick, the two people whom he hates the most. By the end, he has realized the error of his ways, and must strike up a temporary truce with his mortal enemies in order to defeat this evil creature and save the life of someone he loves. There's a part of me which understands that many of the things Stryker does are to protect his Daimons from his father's terrible curse, but another part of me feels like he's done some pretty reprehensible things for which he needs to pay penance. Unfortunately, that didn't happen here, and I can't say that I'm entirely surprised. Based on the way things ended, I'm sure he's going to be back to antagonize Acheron and his Dark-Hunters some more in future books. This was somewhat disappointing, because if a bad guy is going to be redeemed into a hero, I like to see him get his comeuppance and know that he's going to be a good guy in the future. As a romantic hero, he was perhaps a little better. His teenage marriage to Zephyra ended with him walking out on her, but we get to see how much that tore him up inside and that he only did it to protect her from his father's wrath. When it comes to Zephyra he has a definite soft spot and would do anything to win her back, even promising to allow her to execute him without a fight if she isn't convinced of his love for her within two weeks time. She's the only woman he's ever truly loved, and he always treats her with the utmost gentleness and respect. I also liked that he was even off-put by some of the seemingly bad things that she did, which I thought showed him to have some honor and scruples, even if only in small measure. For these reasons and because he showed a few other vulnerabilities, I couldn't help liking him... somewhat. However, I can't go so far as to say that I fell for him in the way I like to fall for romance heroes, because I simply couldn't forget all the bad things he's done to characters I do love.

Zephyra is a definite alpha female who I felt was a good match for Stryker, but maybe that's because she can be just as ruthless as he is if not more so. Although she's loathe to admit it, she was hurt deeply by Stryker's abandonment of her centuries ago and is still holding a major grudge for it. Throughout that time, Zephyra has done what she had to do to survive, some of which hasn't been all that pretty. From the moment she sees Stryker again, she's ready to kill him on the spot. It's only her daughter's voice of reason and her belief that perhaps they can work together toward a common goal, that stays her hand... temporarily. Stryker also offers her his tempting bargain to allow him to win her back, which initially, she thinks will be a piece of cake. She just didn't count on Stryker getting under her skin again. I admired Zephyra for being so protective of her daughter, but she's such a tough girl, I had a hard time relating to her on a more personal level. There have been some kick-butt heroines in this series, but for the most part they've always had a softer side, which is something I never really saw much of in Zephyra. Like Stryker, I too was put off by her torture and enslavement of someone who didn't entirely seem to deserve it. I'm willing to admit though, that maybe I don't know enough about this character yet to understand why Zephyra mistreats him, but I really liked him and wanted it to stop. Because of this, I would have to say that Zephyra is the most hard-ass heroine I've read so far in this series. At the same time though, I'm also willing to admit that perhaps this was pure genius, because it made me feel that Styker wasn't quite so bad after all and that they deserved each other... err... were well matched.:-)

Since neither Stryker nor Zephyra quite made it onto my favorite heroes and heroines list, it was really the secondary characters who made this book so entertaining for me. I was worried that after Ash found his HEA in his own book we might not see much of him anymore, but he plays a prominent role in this story. Nick is a key player too. He's still finding his way after all the recent events in his life, and even more changes occur for him here. He's still holding a huge grudge against Ash and is on a vendetta to kill him, which I can't help feeling is a little unreasonable on his part. Both Nick and Ash screwed up, but considering that Ash has apologized for his part in the death of Nick's mom and never intentionally intended to hurt her, I feel like Nick should just get over it. His old mentor, Menyara, tells him as much, and it looks like the changes Nick experiences in this book may be putting him on that path. I certainly hope so at least. Tory and Simi are also there beside Ash, and Savitar shows up a few times to lend his support as well. So do Alexion and Danger (Sins of the Night), and Sin and Katra (Devil May Cry). Stryker's son, Urian, is in a couple of scenes, but there's no happy father/son reunion, as Urian understandably hasn't forgiven his father for killing his wife (or him for that matter). We're also introduced to a new character, Jared, who I have a feeling is going to play a big role in upcoming books of the series. I fell for him almost instantly. He also has a little demon companion named Nim (much like Simi is to Ash), who is just too cute for words. I can't wait to see more of this pair, and hope that there might be a book for Jared at some point in the future.

The other thing that made this book enjoyable and one that Dark-Hunter fans shouldn't miss is the advancement of the overall story arc. As I mentioned there were major changes for Nick, which I'm sure will affect future books. There are also some big changes afoot for Stryker and the Daimon army he leads. With Zephyra's help they realize it's possible to do something they'd never before considered, because they thought it would mean death and/or enslavement. I'm certain this will make things much more difficult for the Dark-Hunters from here on out. Stryker, Ash, and Nick may have taken the saying, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” to a whole new level in this book, but it's most likely going to be business as usual by the next one with a new twist added. The one small downside to the story was that the Christmas theme was more of an afterthought rather than a integral part of the narrative. The only nods to the holiday season were Ash and Tory decorating a Christmas tree and a couple of mentions of Stryker's scheme bringing the world to an end for the humans on Christmas Day. In the grand scheme of things that was a pretty small complaint though. Even if I couldn't entirely get on board with Stryker and Zephyra being “heroic” characters, they exhibited just enough vulnerability and sympathy factor to make me like them well enough. All the other tidbits added to the series story arc also made One Silent Night a nice addition to the Dark-Hunter series. After reading Acheron, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with the series, but this book has piqued my interest sufficiently to make me stick with it for a while longer. show less

As the villain in the previous books of the series, we the readers finally get an insight into the mind of Daemon leader. As a young child he idolized his father-the god Apollo. He meant and fell in love with a peasant woman and despite his harsh and arrogant personality he was devoted to her. They always had a love/hate relationship, fucking and fighting and all that good stuff but at the heart of him she was everything decent in him. Then his father came between them and the God forbid them to be together-threatening to rape and kill her if the hero didn’t divorce her and marry a woman more suited to his rank. In fear for her life, he did as demanded and even though it broke his heart and devastated the heroine, he remarried and had show more children with another woman. Then Apollo cursed ass daemons to be the soul suckers they have become and severed any love the hero may have had for his father. In the thousands of years the hero has lived, he’s lost all of his children, grieved for every single one of them-even the son he himself killed and over time he’s become the villain- seeking to kill Ash and caring for nothing or anybody. Now he’s unleashed War, an ancient god who he bargains with to end his enemies. In retaliation, the gods send his ex wife to kill him. Surprised and overjoyed to realize she’s alive, he’s stunned by the knowledge that they have a daughter together. But their reunion isn’t happiness and sunshine. The heroine still holds a bitter thirst for revenge against him even after all these years and when given the chance she actively seeks to murder him for his betrayal. But they enter into a bargain, to see their enemies killed before they battle each other. The heroine may act like a cold heart bitch- and in reality she very much lives up to that title-but when it comes to the hero, she’s vulnerable. Despite her vows to never trust him again, to hate him for all eternity, she just can’t stop herself from feeling that bond with the only man she’s ever loved. Especially when it comes to light why he left her and how his love and craving for her still burned bright inside and his grief burning even hotter. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a ‘villain’ and a hero before. Up till this point, this character has been made to embody everything not good and the fact that he’s now the ‘hero’ was an interesting twist that I quite enjoyed. Granted, I never was entirely convinced that he was a truly guy. He has his reasons and justification for hating all those who wronged him and his. And when it comes to his children and his people he shows a softer side. You can’t really judge him for being so ruthless when he’s a demigod around beings who live their lives surrounded by betrayal, mayhem and ruthlessness. In fact, if anyone was the ‘bad guy’ in this book it would have been the heroine. She was cold hearted when it came to killing her enemies. She tortured men even when the hero made his stand against such things. Together, I loved their violent love affair. It was like Natural born killers with their devotion to each other and screw anyone else. Course they fought one another just as much and the hero had his work cut out with trying to break through the ice around her heart. But what was up with the length of this book. Only 300 pages and extra large font? This hero was just as interesting if not more interesting than Ash and yet Ash gets a freaking Bible length story while this was so short. This hero deserved more and that’s the only thing from stopped me from rating it 5 star-the fact that this book could have been perfect if the author allowed for a more in depth exploration of such a complex character. But regardless I was hooked on this book and absolutely loved it. show less

I almost skipped this book. I didn't want to like Stryker, but most of all I didn't want to see him turned into a pseudo good guy. Don't get me wrong, I love that Kenyon's characters are not all black & white. I appreciate all the various shades of grey. I do. But I really didn't want to see Stryker cast in a positive light.

I shouldn't have worried. Yes, I ended up liking Stryker. Hard not to, honestly. But he's still the same old Stryker I loved to hate. I enjoyed getting to know him a little bit better. And though I didn't particularly care for his lady love, I got where she was coming from and I thought her a fitting match from him.

I enjoyed the development of some of the other characters, although a certain revelation about Ash had show more me scratching my head. And I was relieved that Nick finally got his head screwed on straight. I just hope it lasts. show less

Back on track with the reread for the series and we come to Strykers story. Now, I know Stryker has been the villian for most of the series. We do know he has a warriors code no matter how screwy at times. This story gives us a glimpse into the heart of daimon by reuniting him with his long lost first wife and daughter he did not realize he had. It is a decent story with plenty of twists. This is the story that gives us Jared and the one where Nicks powers become unlocked. Plenty of plot twists and storytelling mischief on Ms. Kenyons part. And Stryker is almost loveable, but she never gives over to complete mush. He is, after all trying to save his people, (even if he's technically against humanity) he is a leader and a warrior.

Each entry in the Dark-Hunter series told of a hunter (were, dark, dream) finding true love and redemption. So, I was thrown for a loop when one of the series mainstay villains found his true love - Stryker. When he releases the primal entity known as War to kill Nick and Ash, he discovers she is still alive and that he still loves her.

More than anything, the purpose of this story seemed to be to introduce a new arc in the overall mythology (rather than a romance), including a new "pantheon" and also to make Nick into a more pivotal player. Nick's not really human; he's the last of the Malachai - uberpowerful immortals created to fight other uberpowerful immortals, the Sephirii, of whom the last is Jared. The groups were soldiers for show more higher-lever gods who want to rule the world. Blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I think the mythology is getting unnecessarily convoluted, and I'm just not a fan of Nick. Making him half of an innately evil demon race to somehow explain his unreasoning hatred and desire to kill Ash seems like a cop-out. And, it's gotten to the point where the series is no longer about the Dark-Hunters, it's about the ever increasing number of gods. And the "romance" was not romantic, it was strange, to say the least. Stryker wants to kill mankind, and at the end of this story he still does. Only now he has his true love to help him in his war. And for her part, she's a bloodthirsty woman who cruelly tortures Jared when she's not lusting after Stryker. It's difficult to identify with and root for the loving couple who wants to destroy the world.

The mythology has the potential to be interesting, but I'm afraid it's going to take over the series. Overall, this was a weak entry that was already fighting an uphill battle as the book that followed "Acheron," and got lost in the technobabble. It kept me interested and turning the pages, but didn't leave me satisfied. I still recommend the series, but really hope the next book brings the magic back. show less

Reading this book reminded me of just how much I love reading anything Sherrilyn writes, especially about her Dark Hunters!

I enjoyed seeing a different side to Stryker and gave me insight into the things he's been through. While I don't like that he and his brethren feast on humans, reading his story helped me to see that he's not fully evil.

Stryker unleashes a god that eventually comes back to bite him in more ways than he'd planned on. When someone from his past appears suddenly, it throws him for a loop and he's faced with a dilemma.

He soon is reunited with his first wife and child that he'd assumed were dead these many years.

Will he choose to make amends and become temporary allies with the very people he set out to kill or will show more he turn his back and risk losing all he holds dear?

You'll have to read to find out.

Full of suspense, lost love, myth and a shot a redemption, I'd give this book more than 5 stars if I could! show less

One Silent Night
2 Stars

Determined to end Acheron and Nick once and for all, Stryker awakens a monster from the depths of Hades only to learn the fatal truth - all creations turn on their creators. Then, just when he thought things couldn't get worse, his ex-wife arrives and she wants nothing more than to remove his head - unless he can convince her that their love is still alive and kicking.

Unfortunately, this installment in Kenyon's series is a dud. The only thing that makes it somewhat of a worthwhile read is the development in the ongoing storylines involving Acheron, Nick and Savitar as well as the introduction of Jared who is very intriguing.

Stryker and Zephyra's romance is ridiculous in the extreme. Stryker is one of the main show more villains of the series who has committed some pretty heinous crimes against innocents, and Zephyra, a completely new character, is downright evil. Consequently, it is impossible to care one way or the other about their relationship.

The series started out so well, but has been going down hill for a while and not even Acheron's book could redeem it. I'm willing to continue until the new story arc, however, if things don't improve, the Dark Hunters and I will be calling it quits. show less