Night Embrace is far from perfect. In the words of Mozart’s imperial patron in Amadeus, “Too many notes.” But given my heretofore unknown weakness for black-leather-clad himbo-warriors who are dedicated to protecting defenseless humans while dealing with the ceaseless power games and selfish whims of mythological gods, I did find a good bit to enjoy here.

Talon is a Dark-Hunter – a breed of non-human, soulless vampire slayers – with an arsenal of psychic powers to supplement his inhuman strength. After a relentlessly tragic human history, he sold his soul upon dying to the goddess Artemis for the chance to avenge the many betrayals perpetrated against him and his loved ones. Over the millenia leading up to the modern-day New Orleans that is now Talon’s stomping grounds, he honed his hunting skills as finely as he perfected his ability to suppress all emotion. But when Sunshine Runningwolf is attacked late at night by a group of Daimons (ie, vampires), he comes to her aid. What he doesn’t realize is that Sunshine was deliberately placed in his path to keep him distracted and occupied – all Hell is set to break loose in New Orleans on Mardi Gras (and you thought drunken mobs were all you had to worry about!).

And distraction Sunshine is, not only because she is so aptly named and fills a lack in his existence, but because she draws him to her as only one other woman in his endless “life” ever had. But enough about that. While he’d like to leave her alone, honor demands that he not abandon her to the mercies of the evildoers. And while battling the re-emergence of feelings long ago buried – not to mention flexing his testosterone to the point of giving Sunshine a perpetual case of afterglow – Talon plots strategies with his leader, Acheron, and the seemingly endless supply of Dark-Hunters, squires, gods, goddesses, were-wolves and were-bears (huh?) living in and descending upon this wild and wicked town.

The premise is interesting, if not well enough thought through. The idea of numerous and varied shadowy forces at work in the world is fine, as is the overall mythological bent, but there’s simply too much information here – too many characters (both in number and type), with too many histories, and too many agendas and sub-plots. Although one should expect a certain amount of “chaos” when it comes to dealing with mythological and other-worldly creatures, there have to be some compelling, unifying themes; otherwise, you end up with a hodgepodge of inexplicable, seemingly capricious events, rather than the tightly woven tapestry of believable motivations and universal truths that are necessary to make the myth so timeless and unchanging.

Talon is extremely likable, though his utter selflessness and constant self-castigation made him a bit annoying and too unreal (well, okay, buffed and immortal vampire slayers aren’t exactly common sights at my office water cooler). Sunshine was the most fun when she was being the free-spirited artist or, even better, moved into vixen mode, like when she was chatting up his….assets…with a friend. True enough, she occasionally veered into ditz territory, not exactly my favorite terrain. But you just have to laugh at a heroine who, upon learning more about the mysterious Talon, exclaims with more chagrin than shock or disbelief, “He’s a vampire, isn’t he? I knew it!” and “Jeez, I can really pick them. Talk about a go-nowhere, hopeless relationship”. Interchanges like this one – and those where the various gods and “creatures” give new meaning to snarkiness – lend an appealing, campy, tongue-in-cheek flavor to the book. This is definitely the kind of tale that needs to not take itself too seriously.

As reviewers of the previous books in this series have noted, there’s way too much lust-think and too many circular inner monologues that belabor points already clearly made. It detracts from the enjoyment of the read, sometimes lending a distinct purplish tint to what otherwise could have been quite erotic or laying on a bit too much cheese in the romance department (I’d swear I heard violins weeping in the background a couple of times). But what is mainly needed is some serious pruning – better to have a compactly robust rose bush with a couple of promising new shoots than an overabundance of spindly new growth erupting from a core that is equally lacking in substance.

Tangents that might have been used more effectively to add bulk and cohesion to the original storyline instead trailed off into completely new paths and possibilities. One missed opportunity was the nominal attention given to Sunshine’s Native American shaman father, who appeared only long enough to warn her about Talon’s lack of a soul. It would have been fascinating to hear his thoughts on all the goings-on, how the mythological underpinnings of Roman, Greek and Celtic cultures might be viewed through the lens of his own traditions and beliefs.

Still, in the end, I have to admit that I enjoyed my trip into the world of Dark-Hunters and voracious goddesses and tortured souls who retain a glimmer of humanity. Enough that I’m going to find the two previous stories, Fantasy Lover and Night Pleasures, and keep eyes open for new developments in this interesting series. Whether I stick with it over the long haul will most likely depend on how well Ms. Kenyon infuses it with greater substance and cohesion. I’m not looking for excessively complex characterizations here; this is simply not that kind of story. But some judicious fine-tuning, pulling the loose threads together to give more definite shape to the intricate patterns, would go a long way toward moving this series from merely entertaining to uniquely memorable.