Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 533

From the Cover: In the Ichidian Universe, The League and their ruthless assassins rule all.

Expertly trained and highly valued, the League Assassins are the backbone of the government. But not even the League is immune to corruption . . . Command Assassin Nykyrian Quikiades once turned his back on the League—and has been hunted by them ever since. Though many have tried, none can kill him or stop him from completing his current mission: to protect Kiara Zamir, a woman whose father’s political alliance has made her a target.

As her world becomes even deadlier, Kiara must entrust her life to the same kind of beast who once killed her mother and left her for dead. Old enemies and new threaten them both and the only way they can survive is to overcome their suspicions and learn to trust in the very ones who threaten them the most: each other.

Nykyrain will not be the pawn of The League, assassin to the assassins, one of the deadliest creatures that has roamed the galaxies. He will not slaughter the innocent for political gain, not now, not ever, even if it costs him his life. He turns his back on his life, his one-time friends, and his fellow assassins. And becomes the scrounge of the universe, the pirate known as Nemesis.

Kiara, though the daughter of one of the most powerful leaders in the universe, has had a hard life. She watched her mother being slaughtered before her eyes, then beaten and stabbed, left for dead, and now, she's been kidnapped and marked for murder. Can her life get any worse? As one of the renown dancers throughout the universe, she's been praised for her talent and now she's going to be killed to weaken her politically powerful father. Nothing can save her.

When Nemesis boards the enemy freighter and discovers Kiara on board, his heart goes out to her. He must save her and keep her safe, even if it means that she is to discover his true identity that he has kept hidden all these years. Even if it means his life when her father sets the rest of the league assassins on his tail. Because, he realizes, he has to have her, can't live without her, the only woman who has seen past the scars and into his soul.

With assassins after Nemesis and murderers and thugs after Kiara, will either survive? Will Nemesis learn to truly trust the one person who might complete his life? Will Kiara get to keep the wondrous creature she has come to love?

Born of Night, Book One of The League Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon is a great fantasy read. It takes place of a future galaxy that screams to be explored and I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series, Born of Fire and Born of Ice. Nykyrain (alter ego Nemesis) is a half breed, part human and part Ritadarion (one of the deathliest and strongest species in the known galaxies), but he was been turned out of his mother's family for his humanity, dumped in an orphanage, a stain upon the royal lineage. He's then tortured by his would be foster father and foster brothers. He's beaten, burned, mutilated, and told he's unworthy of love. His humanity is beaten away, and left in it's place is a creature of vengeance. But, children are his weakness, he will not tolerate bringing a child pain, and Kiara has had one of the worst childhoods, besides his, that he's ever seen. Kiara is an insecure young woman who has shut herself off from all but a few close friends. She never knows who will betray her, selling her secrets or even her very life to the highest bidder. She's marked for death not for who she is or what she has done, but because of who her father is. It's the same reason that her childhood was traumatized beyond repair, something she may never recover from and that taunts her, keeps her awake at night and invades her nightmares. But when she in Nykyrain's care, the monsters go away. His strength and powerful presences keeps her safe from the beasts that she alone cannot out run.

Born of Night is an excellent read that will certainly entice the fantasy reader. It has action, adventure, and a sweet romance that bring hero and heroine together with more than mere sparks. I fell in love with Nemesis/Nykyrain, the young boy that endured the horrors of life to become the man who still has the ability to show compassion, love, and wonder. Kiara is an innocent at life who has to learn to trust her better instincts and grow to be the woman worthy of Nykyrain's love. Though Kiara suffered greatly as a child, she has been sheltered and protected since and then put on a pedestal of one of the greatest dancers in the universe. What she has missed is the ability to grow, mature, and to learn to actually live, until she meets Nykyrain who opens her eyes and keeps her safe. When Nykyrain loves, it's for all time. I highly recommend this book for lovers of fantasy and romance. You won't want to miss it.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press. The opinions I've expressed are my own.