Born of Fury: The League: Nemesis Rising Hardcover – July 1, 2014

I bought Born of Fury on release day and it has been sitting on my TBR pile since then. I am a huge fan of The League series but was reluctant to start this one for 2 reasons. Firstly, this is a long book and I didn't know if I could tackle a long book (almost 700 words) since I have been reading short easy reads lately. Secondly, Kenyon likes her H's tortured with an extra helping of torture. Luckily for me, the pages quickly flew by and I was finished before I knew it and Hauk was tortured but it didn't stop me from reading (I admit that I had to put Acheron down a few times and read something lighter)I liked Hauk and Sumi, I thought they complemented each other nicely. Sumi was too good to be true at some points, but she certainly isn't the first h in Kenyon's world to verge into sickly sweet territory. One of my biggest issues with Kenyon is her tendency to 'tell' and not 'show'. We hear that Sumi is a trained assassin and see glimpses of this, but most of what we know about Sumi comes from long conversations with Hauk and other members of the Sentella. And there were many long conversations in this book, for a group of assassins, they tend to talk a lot.Speaking of the Sentella, it was great that the whole gang were present, although, I did think there were too many babies! Also, I regret not rereading at least a couple of previous books as I struggled, at times, to remember the complicated back stories of each character. I appreciate the detail that Kenyon puts in to her characters. They are fully developed and not cardboard cut-outs like some other series. One good thing about Sumi being a new member of the 'gang' is that characters were reintroduced, but not their entire backstory. I would hate to have read this without reading any of the other League stories otherwise I would have been lost many times.I have stopped reading the dark Hunter series but will continue with the League, I just hope that we don't have to wait as long for the next instalment.

As stated in my profile, I'm a HUGE fan of the Dark Hunter and League Series' by Sherrilyn Kenyon. As a Black woman, some may consider it a little strange that I have such attachment to this series and all of the people, demons, and pantheons she has so brilliantly created, but a good story is a good story regardless of the race, creed, color or religion of the author/characters. That being said, I wish upon an Andarion! Hauk is AWESOME!!! I've always loved him because he is such a kick-ass dude who makes me drool a little bit. The description of him is just so sexy. His swagger (both physically and metaphorically) is the stuff of dreams. With the exception of his height, he always reminds me of my husband with his acerbic humor, confidence and ability to put anyone who threatens him or his down for the count.As a fan, I love the fact that I can go to the SherrilynKenyon.com website to see pictures and read profiles of the characters which is the basis of my first criticism. The picture of Hauk had been relatively consistent until the release date of this book began to creep closer. The one picture of Hauk with the bluish/silver war paint on his cheek is the only remaining picture of the original Hauk. Hands down, he's sexier than hot sex on stick. He makes you believe that Andarion's value beauty. Also, he actually looked like the physical depiction of Darice, his nephew in the book. Then, the pictures had been changed and Hauk looked completely different. It was some dude peeking at me over his arm, looking crazy. Since the book release, there is now a promotional video on YouTube and Mrs. Kenyon's site where neither Hauk nor Sumi look ANYTHING like the original character profile pictures provided since the creation of this series. Though attractive, they are NOT the Hauk and Sumi that I have come to accept.Now, back to the book. Born of Fury picks up right where Cloak of Silence left off. You see what has happened with the Sentella but the focus is Hauk. We see what has shaped him as an Andarion male and as a member the Sentella. We find out why he has an explosives phobia, the issues shaping his relationship with Fain (his brother), and why we never "see" or hear about him with a woman. We also discover the origin of his unbreakable bond with Nykirian and the rest of his Sentella brethren. BOF also catalogs the internal pain that has crafted Hauk's ferocity in battle, and though Hauk definitely has some of the traumatic demons that Ms. Kenyon's characters are famous for, thankfully it's not so bad that you have to skip pages just to make it through the book. Gratefully, there is also no sexual violence which made me breathe a huge sigh of relief. However, the events of his past that have shaped Hauk's voracious appetite for putting boots to ass also influence his code of honor leading to my second criticism.Sarcasticly witty and funny, Hauk is absolutely fierce in battle. He is SO masculine and the epitome of a warrior. He is also loyal and honorable to a fault. Thus, the quickness of his decision to trust, protect and love Sumi bothered me. League fans know that the Sentella members are so loyal to one another is because they have all been hurt, stabbed in the back, and in many cases almost killed, by those they should have loved and protected them. So, Hauk immediately falling under the spell of the beautiful Sumi, a League assassin sent after him as her target, was a bit disappointing. I must admit that I was thankful that the reason she was sent after him didn't remain a mystery throughout the majority of the book, allowing their relationship to progress more authentically absent all of the usual b.s. It just happened way too quickly, which seemed out of character for the Hauk we've come to know.My last criticism of the book is the lack of action in some areas. Yes, there were hand-to-hand fights, battles and anxious moments that allowed both Hauk and Sumi to be badass but not to the extent of Nykirian, Syn and Shahara, or Caillen and Desideria. Sumi is a top League assassin so I was expecting her to really take it to the bad guys but I was left wanting. This is especially true during the climactic battle scene for Sumi. It was very disappointing. It's obvious that there is going to be a final showdown between the Sentella and Kyr, leader of the League. Though not their story, I hope Sumi is able to finally showcase her abilities when it happens.As I said earlier, this was a very enjoyable book but the ease of Hauk's affinity for his enemy (Sumi) and the toning down of Hauk's intense masculinity was very frustrating. It's hard not love these books and these characters. There's humor, love and action. All the ingredients for a good read. I know that the League Series is supposed to be a t.v. series or film and I really hope that Mrs. Kenyon doesn't sell out and change Hauk's character. Hauk is a beautiful, strong, and loyal caramel-skinned Black man and that is how he should stay!

Book came when it was suppose to and in excellent condition.

We finally get Hauk’s full story and it is just as amazing as the rest of this series. Poor Hauk has the worst parents, and woman he is supposed to marry if she will have him. Turns out, she’s a major bitch and the only reason Hauk is supposed to marry her is because she was married to his brother. There is a lot of back-story here that has direct impact on the explosive ending, so I won’t go into details. Hauk has been treated horribly by his family and most of the Andarion people. We learn a lot about the Andarions & Phrixians cultures and rules and that knowledge really flushes out the world building from previous books in the series. But as with all League books, he has his adopted Sentella family which seems to grow with each book. There are some hilarious scenes here related to raising children which most of the Sentella members have now, some in abundance. Sumi is a typical take-no-prisoners League heroine. She has also had a rough life, the primary problem being that her daughter was taken from her at birth to be raised by the League and never know her mom. That fact haunts her and is a major plot line of the story. We are introduced to several new characters also, my favorite being Hauk’s grandmother. I don’t want to get into any spoilers, so I’ll just say, read this book. It is amazing! The audible version by Fred Berman is telemetry well done. I love WhisperSync!

Dancer hauk has received nothing but pain from his blood family but longs for his nephew to accept him so when he has to take darice on his endurance trip to become an adult he takes it on. During their bonding trip he finds a woman unconscious and injured so he takes her to their camp to help her and also to find out who she is and why she is out here alone, dancer doesn't trust her but he can't leave her to die so they travel together. Soon she is helping him defeat bounty hunters who have come to kill him for a reward, sumi has something to hide and dancer would kill her if he found out, she finds herself highly attracted to him but dancer is pledged to another and to even kiss someone else would be a death sentence for him.What follows is a non stop emotional roller coaster of a ride that has non stop action and romance, I was on the edge of my seat reading it and at times I cried for dancer and sumi, they suited each other very well and we're great characters to read about, it was Darice's endurance test they were all on and i enjoyed reading about him growing from a spoiled selfish child to a strong adult, it was also good to read about all the previous past characters from this series and how they all have become one big giant family.This book has to be one of the best in the series or at least up there with the first two books which I absolutely loved, I couldn't stop reading this with all the twists and turns the author put in and i wanted it to go on and on.

If you loved the league series and feel weary about whether Sherrilyn Kenyon can pull off another great story about the same or the next assassin in the group well don't fear this as I did. I bought it ahead and put off reading it for a week before I gave in. And I am glad I did, their is a progression from each book. And I seriously cannot wait to the next. Kenyon has the great ability of giving small insights into each character and then developing each and everyone in books is remarkable I love it!!!!

Another wonderful read. Full of adventure and suspense as Dancer takes his nephew on endurance. Sumi is sent by Kyr to find evidence against Dancer, but once she gets to know him she is torn. How can she share information that will hurt him? But if she doesn’t she will never get her daughter back.A must read for League fans

Love for Sherry K!The league series has been one great book followed by another and this is no different.It follows the story of Hauk, who (if you have read the other books in the series) you have been dying to get to know better. We learn a lot more about Andarian culture and about Hauk's and his brother Fain's life in particular.Sherry is doing a great job at keeping us on our toes about the battle that's brooding between the Sentella and the League. This book is set when Adron (Nyks eldest son) is around 6/8 and Kyr is still in charge of the League. We know a battle is immanent,but what we don't know is who's going to lead this battle.This story see's betrayal, old bonds reforming, and the passion Sherry K's books are famous for. Thrown in with the mischievious and heart-warming plot that just screams Hauk and his beautiful Sumi!

This is the tale of two people who think that they are all alone in their universe. What happens along the way teaches them both that there are still decent people out there & that if they have just a little more faith instead of giving up, then they would be greatly rewarded