Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

• Title: Retribution
• Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Copyright 2011 by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Sherrilyn Kenyon's Website

Synopsis:

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.

I had never read any of the Dark-Hunter Novels until I won Retribution in a contest. Now I am completely hooked. This book is a dynamic mixture of mythology and seduction. Ms. Kenyon's narration is strong and brings you into her fascinating world. And her characters...wow!

• Jess "Sundown" Brady - fierce, funny, dangerous, and sexy. He is like my ultimate Bad Boy crush right now. Not only is he a kick-ass Dark-Hunter but he has a devotion to Abigail that is heated and steadfast. He would literally die for her.
• Abigail Yager - is on a hunt for her arch nemesis, the man who killed her parents. And this man would be the infamous "Sundown" Brady. When she finds him, the only thing she plans on doing is killing him; if only it were that simple.
• Choo Co La Tah - while being the Guardian of the North, he will guide Jess and Abigail on their journey to saving the world...hopefully.
• Ren Waya - is the best friend of Choo Co La Tah and has a tormented past. He is snarky and moody and sometimes, just plain mean. But I loved him.
• Sasha - is the last remaining Were-Hunter, that we know of. His powers of sniffing out the truth prove to be a great asset to Jess and Abigail in their time of need. Plus he is funnier that crap.
• Coyote - is the Guardian of the East and now since the balance has been thrown off, he will release terrors on the world of horrific proportions. He may finally have Ren right where he wants him.
• Talon - a Dark-Hunter who has powers to manipulate the weather.
• Andy - is Jess's high maintenance Squire.  An invaluable resource to any Dark Hunter.

Abigail has always wanted revenge on the man who killed her parents and now she has the power. As she sets out on a path of destruction, she sets things in motion that can't be undone. As she plows her way toward Jess Brady, she kills any Dark-Hunter that she can find. However, when she kills someone that holds extreme power over the safety of the world, her life becomes forfeit. Oddly enough, it will be the man she seeks Retribution from that sets her free.

The romance between Jess and Abigail is endearing, hot and believable. I've always wanted a man like Jess. He manages to protect Abigail and let her have her freedom at the same time, even though it goes against his ingrained chivalry.  


Not only do I adore Ms. Kenyon's mythology but I love everything and all things philosophical. She peppers her story with quotes from Nietzsche and Plato. That being said, here are two of my favorite scenes -

He enjoyed watching her love him, watch the light in her eyes that touched a part of him he liked to pretend didn't exist. It made him remember long forgotten things that he'd buried deep inside..

"Are you out of your effing mind? Hello? where have you been for the last two days? I want whatever screwed-up glasses you're looking through. 'Cause from where I've bben standing, we've been getting our asses seriously kicked around the block. Up a few stairs and down again." - Sasha