Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Vane Kattalakis is a Katagaria Were-Hunter, a human with the heart of an animal- in this case, a wolf. Since he and his pack arrived in New Orleans, he's acted as a guardian for Talon's now-wife Sunshine, and he met Bride McTierney, a woman who owns a shop selling upscale clothing and jewelry for women.

Now, Bride has just been left by her scummy boyfriend, a newscaster who dumped her because of her size. She's not fat, but she is very curvy, and her former boyfriend killed her confidence by constantly making her weight and size an object of contention between them. Now he's finally left her, and even though she suspected it was coming, she still is emotionally ripped apart over it.

Vane is being hunted by Arcadian Were-Hunters, but when he sees Bride crying in her shop, he can't stop himself from stopping in and buying her a beautiful necklace that she really loved from her own shop. Although she protests that she couldn't possibly take the necklace from him, Vane makes her keep it, and when she finds herself crying again, he carries her upstairs to her apartment and listens to the reason for her heartbreak.

When he hears, he's enraged at her boyfriend and makes it clear that he desires her, that she is a beautiful, desireable woman, and ends up making love to her after she closes the shop. She can't believe that such a handsome, sexy man would find her attractive, but Vane drives it home to her in a way she can't argue with, by loving her until all she can feel is pleasure. He's wanted her ever since the first time he saw her, and now, he has no intention of letting her go- especially when he realizes that Bride is his destined mate- soon after they make love, mating marks appear on both their hands.

But he has only a month to win her for his own, and Bride's own insecurities still make her think that she could never attract such a man for her own for good. Vane must also deal with her ex-boyfriend, who seems determined to tear her heart from her chest and stomp on it several times, and is angered when Vane is more than rich enough, and powerful enough, to cut him down every time he hurts- or tries to hurt, Bride.

He's also upset to learn that Bride's father is the largest "Spay or Neuter 'em if you love 'em" Vet in Louisiana. This makes him wince, since he is really a wolf at heart, but has a man's appreciation for what those parts of him are necessary for. But even if Arcadian Hunters weren't after him, and his brother wasn't in a coma after an attack by Daimons, there's other problems just waiting in the undergrowth to make his life hell.

For one thing, he's goaded into an attack on an Arcadian Were-Hunter while in Sanctuary and as a result is banned from the place for his transgression by the family that runs the place, the Peltiers. Though he can visit his brother, he can no longer stay there. And then someone finds out about Bride, putting her life in danger while Vane has to keep away from her to protect her. And then there's that whole "mate" thing-if he can't convince Bride to mate him within a month, he'll be forced to be celibate and alone for the rest of his life. But how can he tell her that he's just a man with an animal heart?

Not that Bride's life is all that smooth sailing, either. Wherever she goes, she seems to run into her old flame, Taylor, and his new chippy, though when she's with Vane, she can forget all about Taylor. But the worst is her sister, who is absolutely convinced that Vane can only want one thing from her sister, and that Bride is stupid for giving up Taylor and not losing weight for him.

Soon enough Bride learns his secret, and now she must decide if she is willing to stay with a man who really is a dog... er, wolf. Will her children be human, or puppies? Will she bear a single child, or a whole litter at once? Bride doesn't know- all she can do is to follow her heart. Where will it lead?

I loved Bride, but I really loved Vane. Bride isn't the typical waifish heroine, so skinny that you could use her to toast marshmallows, or one who practically disappears if she turns sideways. No Bride is, well, Sherrilyn Kenyon never says exactly how big Bride is, but let's say full-figured at the very least. And Vane doesn't care! And Vane is smokingly hot. Make you sweat like summer in the tropics hot. Set your eyebrows afire hot. Did I mention HOT?

While some of the characters get the impression, because Vane is so fine, that he couldn't possibly be attracted to Bride (hotness calls to hotness, after all). But Vane doesn't care how big or small Bride is- he loves her for her huge, loving heart, not because she's some perfectly small size. And let's face it- all women know that they are judged by their size, but all of us would rather be judged by what's inside us rather than our outsides, which usually aren't anywhere near perfect.

And that's why I love Vane. His ability to see beyond the shallow, external things will immediately make him near and dear to your heart, too. There is nothing like being loved for yourself, and Bride has to learn that. Even if it comes from a man who really is a dog (and let me be frank, there are an abundance of dog-related jokes and humor in the book), well, then, that's who it will be.

But Vane also has things to hide. While he was raised Katagaria, he isn't one. He's actually an Arcadian Hunter, a Sentinel and a Noble, one of the rarest kind of Arcadians, who can keep his human form during the day and wields some extremely powerful magic, but he also fights for what's his- his pack, his brother, his family, and that includes Bride, his mate.

I can't even begin to tell you how awesome he is, but this book is wonderful, and I couldn't put it down once I'd started reading. I highly recommend it, and the entire Dark-Hunter series. You won't be able to put it down either.