Retribution (Dark-Hunter Novels, 15) Mass Market Paperback – March 27, 2012

Sundown was just about to get married to the woman he loved when he was shot in the back by his so called friend. He is so incensed and wanted revenge in the baddest way and when he died he vowed to get it. Artemis heard his cries for revenge and she talked him into selling his soul to get that revenge and becoming a dark hunter.Abigail has wanted revenge on the man who killed her parents and her adoptive family has lied to her since she met them because they want something from her. She is out to kill and get revenge on the man who she thinks killed her family, Jessup brady and now after killing other dark Hunters she is about to learn the truth, but can she handle it?I just finished this one 2 days ago and while I really enjoyed reading about Sundown and getting to really know him, this story didn't do for me what some of the others have. I can't quite put my finger on what it was about this story that just didn't have me hanging on for dear life wanting to read each page, not able to put the book down.There was so much information about how Sundown became the Dark Hunter he is now that is kind of took away from the flow of the story for me. I'm all for information and getting to know the characters but it seemed like the whole book was filled with more info than we really needed to know. Between that and the fact that Abigail was so hell bent on revenge, had grown up with a family who brain washed her into thinking killing the dark hunters was a good thing and getting revenge for her parents killings was the right thing to do and then to have her do a 180 spin in the other direction so easily when she thinks she saw Jessup kill her parents really made it hard for me to like this book as much as I liked the other ones in this series..The fact that she so easily jumped his bones and fell in love with him, it seemed so anti-climactic in the end. I will say that I love the Native American story line and in my opinion the best part of the book is at the end when Ash comes into the story.I will continue to read the books but I do hope that the next few books get back to the characters that we know and love.

I agree with some of the reviewers who say this book isn't up to Ms Kenyon's usual efforts but, I enjoyed it. Jess and Abigail are definitely not the usual match of Dark-Hunter to Human or part goddess. Abigail has lived with friends of her family since her parents were murdered by their friend Jess - Abby saw his face in the mirror when he was looking for her. The friends were Apollites and they told Abby that Dark-Hunters were evil and killed Apollites because they knew the Dark-Hunters killed humans. Abby became a vigilante whose mission was to destroy all Dark-Hunters. Bear in mind that Jess and Abby were fated to be together, in some future.Given her belief that Jess had killed her family, I can understand why Abby felt the way she did. The interaction between Abby and Jess was great and I enjoyed the resolution of their problems. I thought the characters were great and there were a lot of snappy one-liners.This was a very fast read, all the action happened within 48 hours and the action never stopped. I do think the car-wash was funny given the timing but Jess did explain that he was holding the door shut (I have never been in a car wash that had doors - go figure).With all that said, this was an enjoyable read and I loved it. The bonus section was great too, since we didn't see Ash during this book and the mention of his wife having the baby, I really wanted to know what was happening.To the comment, from one of the reviewers that Artemis never did anything good, I offer this comment. Even the worse person who ever lived can have a good day. They just come back even worst.

I have been a fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter Series for some time. Retribution takes the Dark Hunter stories off in a different direction that may not sit well with some people but that I found to be enjoyable. Sherrilyn introduces a pantheon and a plethora of new characters and new powers while still keeping the Dark Hunters true to who they are and maintaining the mythological roots that have been laid down in previous novels. Even though there is new Native American lore lacing through this Dark-Hunter novel there is still much of what we've come to expect. Daimons, Gallu Demons, defending humans, and tough, scarred heroes who reach their own redemption.While for some reason I didn't originally think I'd like Sundown's character much, I ended up quite enjoying him. He was funny and witty and had me smiling with some of the lighthearted jokes that he came out with. Abby was a good companion for him. They had a history together and he helped her learn, accept and uncover more about herself and her history. Secondary characters such as Sundown's squire Andy, were great additions. Since Nick's big change, I kind of missed the squires an their relationships to the Dark Hunters. Andy reminded me of when I first encountered Nick and his flashy car and the coffin coffee table he had at Kyrian's house. And of course there were pop-ups of familiar faces such as Talon, Zarek, Sin, Sasha and even Nick had a Cameo. Notably absent in the this story (until the Bonus scene at the very end) was Ash. Not even a phone call, more like an honorable mention.The one thing I do hope is that Sherrilyn doesn't end up putting too much on her plate. While the addition of Native American lore worked in this book, I fear she could end up losing or forgetting about other characters and other plot lines that were hinted at in previous books. When she first introduced Savitar, I was really eager to hear his story, uncover who he was and see what was in store for him. He quickly became a favorite of mine and I'd hate to have his story or plot line dropped because something else like this new Native American plot pushes it aside. Or I hate to see a struggle to combine the different plots and then the underlining story becomes overwhelming and confusing It's a fine line to walk, but I do need to know more about Savitar, Jaden and Jared. They all were very important and in this book they were non-existent. Not even mentioned.With all that said, I did enjoy Retribution. It had the fun, wit, thrills and action I've come to expect from Kenyon. Yes, there is so much more to learn and uncover but isn't that the point? Every book leaves you wanting to know more about a new character, wanting to uncover more of their stories and see how their lives will be changed in the future. Every book is an addition to the whole and I still want to see where these stories are going.