On the whole, I liked this story about a half-star better than the first in the Dark Hunter series. (3.5 stars, if goodreads allowed.) It had the feel of an immediate continuation, taking place perhaps a year after Kyrian of Thrance's tale comes to a close. 
 Something end-of-the-world awful is about to be unleashed during Mardi gras. Acheron, the Artemis-appointed leader of the Dark-Hunters, calls in a handful of his troops to the crescent city with the intent of backing up the lone Hunter he already had stationed there. Talon is one of the most level-headed of Acheron's Hunters. Unfortunately, the playboy techie Celt is more than a little preoccupied with one particular woman who he can't seem to get out of his head...or his bed. Even more unfortunate, Talon happens to be carrying a 1,500 year old curse that spells death for whomever he dares to love. 
 Flavorful descriptions and rich prose bring this densely constructed urban fantasy world to life once again on the streets of New Orleans, and even into the Bayou. Characterization was solid and well constructed. We are given a delightfully erratic and eccentric heroine, with the self-confessed attention span of a 'sick flea.' (I very quickly came to picture her as a Native-American, and very adult, version of Luna Lovegood (ala Harry Potter.)) 
 On the flip side, the dialogue seems to get a little weak amid the actions scenes. Sex was brought in with casual context and early on, cropping back up with an almost numbing frequency. And it's probably just me, but by the end, I began to loathe the word 'patchouli.' 
 While Acheron plays a much stronger and more endearing role in this book, I was repeatedly tempted to take issue with some of his logistical/strategic errors. (I guess had high expectations from an 11 thousand year old demi-god.) 2/3rds of the way in, readers can expect some dragginess and confusion given the parade of secondary characters coming and going. Though, the author did manage to pique my interest in a few of their backstories: Vane and Zarek in particular. 
 Iconic favorite quote: 
 "Oh please, let me give you the job description. Me, Dark-Hunter. You, Daimon. I hit, you bleed. I kill, you die." - Zarek