Gwen’s review of Dream Chaser (Dream-Hunters, Book 3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Paranormal romance released 5 Feb 08 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks

All hail the return of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Mojo!

Dream Chaser is the first book of hers in a while that I have enjoyed (notwithstanding the tortured syntax in this sentence).  The hero and heroine were engaging.  I didn’t even want to slap them! Nor did I want to throw the book at the wall!  And that’s progress for me with one of SK’s latest!

It’s normal, I suppose, for an author to burn out on a character, topic, or a world.  I mean, how many different ways can you write basically the same story and keep it fresh?!  I wouldn’t want to try.  I have a enough trouble figuring out different ways to prepare vegetables (how many different ways are there to prepare broccoli anyhow).  So, I’m not critical of Kenyon, per se.  I’m more critical of the marketplace demanding more and more of something until it reaches the point it becomes birdcage liner.  But this book isn’t liner!  Hallelujah!

Dream Chaser continues with Kenyon’s recent “demonkyn” worlds – demons, clans of demons, types of demons, demons tied to one pantheon but not the other.  It’s all rather confusing, to be honest, so I hope she puts a cheat sheet up on her site.  Suffice to say, it’s a new and interesting world with a whole new set of pressures and rivalries.  It all makes for some very fun tension and bad guys/gals.

What I REALLY liked about Dream Chaser was how much I liked the heroine, Simone.  She is an accomplished professional, a self-confident, well-rounded woman.  She has had a tough life, but doesn’t wallow in it or close herself off from the world.  Sure, she’s lonely for male companionship, but she hasn’t become bitter.  Simone is someone I would love to have coffee or drinks with.  This was a nice change for me. I have never felt like that toward one of Kenyon’s heroines, that I can remember, and have seldom felt like that about any paranormal romance heroine beyond just Kenyon’s.

I enjoyed the hero, Xypher, even if I have a tough time figuring out how to pronounce his name – he was a mean SOB for the first part of the book.  His rather abrupt change mid-way thru was a little sudden – I would have liked to see him continue to be more of an SOB to other characters, even after he realized he was feeling tenderness for the heroine.  Instead, he was a bit too reformed for my suspension of disbelief.  Regardless, he was a yummy hero even if he waited too long to get his freak on with Simone.

The secondary characters that are closest to the H/H were well developed.  There are visits from several of the previous books’ characters – Ash, Katra, Julian, and a couple of others.  There were some very intriguing new characters introduced – Jaden is one that I hope to see soon.  (See?  There I go – perpetuating the “problem” and asking for more books – sigh – it’s a sickness I tell ya.)

The love story is very believable between Simone and Xypher.  This new cast of baddies is interesting, if complex.  All in all, this made for a very interesting new entry in SK’s paranormal world.  You also find out something VERY interesting about how Dream Hunters lost their emotions – it’s a surprise that I won’t ruin for you, but I went “Ah HA!”  Actually, I went “Ah HA!” a couple of times in the book, but I won’t mess that up for you either.

I can recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Kenyon’s Hunter novels.  I don’t recommend reading this if you’re new to the world.  You should read a couple of the Dark-Hunter books and at least the 11th Dark-Hunter book, Devil May Cry, before you venture into Dream Chaser.

Grade: B-

From the back cover:

     Hades doesn’t often give second chances…Xypher has one month on Earth to redeem himself through one good deed or be condemned to eternal torture in Tarturus. But redemption means little to a demigod who only wants vengeance on the one who caused his downfall.Until one day in a cemetery…Simone Dubois is a medical examiner with a real knack for the job. Those who are wrongfully killed appear to her and help her find the evidence the police need to convict their killers. But when a man appears and tells her that she’s more than just a psychic, she’s convinced he’s insane.Now the fate of the world hangs in her hands…It was bad enough when just the dead relied on her. Now’s there’s the seductive Dream-Hunter Xypher who needs Simone’s help in opening a portal to the Atlantean hell realm to fight insatiable demons. The future of mankind is at stake-and so is her life. The only question now is: Who is the bigger threat: the demons out to kill her, or the man who has left her forever changed?

     Read an excerpt.

P.S. Don’t forget Ash’s story comes out 5 Aug 08!  There’s an excerpt at the end of this book that is quite tantalizing.