Rating: 
Summary: Love Those Dark Hunters!
Review: After reading Kyrian's story in Night Pleasures, which I could barely put down...a very engrossing read, I was hooked on the Dark Hunter series. I quickly picked up Night Embrace (don't judge the book by it's less than ideal cover) and was surprised that I found myself liking the second book a little better than the first one which I had completely devoured. They're both excellent, fast paced, engaging reads, and with each book in the series you learn a little bit more about the head Dark Hunter, Acheron, usually referred to as Ash by his Dark Hunter friends.
Kenyon's third book of this series, Dance with the Devil, is Zarek's story, who is introduced in the previous book, and instead of taking place in warm, sunny New Orleans, with the the usual bits of humor scattered here and there--and yes, there are some pretty funny moments in both of the earlier books-- we get a darker story set in a the cold of Alaska. I found myself really sympathizing for Zarek. Here's a guy who as a mortal was seriously abused and unloved. Centuries later he still has nightmares of his youth and carries the scars of a tortured past. Can anyone blame him for being less than a social-butterfly? Nine hundred years of isolation in Alaska's frigid wilderness is more punishment than anyone deserves and the irony of it all is that he really never did much of anything to deserve this punishment. Artemis, you ought to be seriously punished yourself for all of the unfair things you do and get away with, all in the name of being a "god".All in all, this book is well worth reading. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two Dark Hunter novels, but you will also learn more about Acheron (and Simi) in this book. Of course we are all waiting for Ash's story. Now that is THE Dark Hunter novel that I can't wait to get my hands on. I also recommend that you read Kenyon's novela, Dragonswan in the book Tapestry, and V'Aidan's story in the novela, Phantom Lover from the book Midnight Pleasures. I also enjoyed the novela Darkfest by Amanda Ashley of the same book. Guess I'll sit back and try to be patient while waiting for Wulf's story to come out in the spring 04. Can't get enough of those Dark Hunters!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The Best So Far!!!!
Review: This is by far one of the best series I've ever read! Ms. Kenyon is the first author that completely hooked me on this sub-genre of paranormal romance! This is Zarek's story and I think by far the best! I was concerned that I would not care for his story since he was less then totally likeable in the past stories that he was in. I feared in vain! Ms. Kenyon managed to write this story and make me totally fall in love with Zarek! Zarek is a former slave. During his mortal life he knew nothing but pain. He was the whipping boy, and gentle goodness was totally absent from his life. Life as a Dark-Hunter is no better. He has been banished to the wilds of Alaska for the past 900 years for a crime he can't remember. What he does not know is that Ash has made a deal with the devil (ok not the devil, Artemis the she-devil of the Gods) Zarek is going to be judged by the one women who has never judged a man and found him innocent! Astrid has been selected to judge Zarek. Ash knows that Astrid will see the good in Zarek and so he puts all his faith in Astrid! Astrid is sent to Zarek and is blind so she is unable to see the person that she is to judge. She feels that she does not have what it takes to give an fair verdict since the last man she judged she had the bad luck of falling for him. Problem was he ended up trying to kill her. Still she takes her assignment and finds herself with a grumpy, dark-hunter who does not care one way or another if he lives or dies! Zarek can't believe that the time he is spending with Astrid is starting to thaw his long ago frozen heart. She makes him want things that he feels that he should'nt have, and that's Astrid. Her heart, and her soul. He is not worthy in his opinion since he is a former slave and she is a star far out of his reach. Astrid finds herself falling in love with Zarek, knowing that he is a good man. She knows him better then anyone, and is willing to break her promise not to get personally involved with her charge by allowing him into her heart! Together they fight off the bad guys and find each other! This was a very touching story and a few times I found myself crying! This book introduces us to some new dark-hunters as well as squires, as well as explain some of the mystery surrounding Zarek. This book was a very fast read and I can't wait until the next book in this series is released!! In the mean time I guess I will have to re-read the ones that I already have! For a fun read you can't go wrong with this author!
Rating:
Summary: Zarek - Dance With The Devil
Review: My favorite of the Dark Hunter series to date. Sherrilyn made me feel what was happening throughout the book. A combination of laughter and tears with a welcome twist at the end. And as a bonus, for those who have a thing for Acheron, we find a more indept characterization as well. Extremely Good Reading.
Rating:
Summary: Best of Dark Hunter series so far...
Review: Why do I give Dance With the Devil 5 stars? The answer is simple: ZAREK. Zarek could arguably win the award for the most tortured hero in the history of romance novels (literally and figuratively). We first meet Zarek in Night Embrace. The guy has a mega chip on his shoulder. He doesn't take crap from anyone, and he doesn't play by anyone's rules. Zarek seemed completely unlikable, and I, personally, kept hoping that a daimon would zap him.
However, now that I've read DWTD, I want to marry the guy and love him with every fiber of my being. Sherrilyn Kenyon does an amazing job of character development with Zarek. After reading this book, I know why Zarek was mad at the world and why he really, really needed someone to rescue him and love him. In DWTD, Zarek must face his day of reckoning for betraying the Dark Hunter code and the goddess Artemis. In order to avoid execution, he must be judged. His judge has to find redeeming qualities in Zarek that prove his ability to love. Unbeknownst to Zarek, the nymph Astrid (his judge) disguises herself as someone who appears to have all of the qualities Zarek hates most. Astrid's job gets tougher when she gets a peek into Zarek's psyche and makes some amazing discoveries. Zarek, meanwhile,is having a tough time maintaining his aloof facade as he finds himself drawn to Astrid. This story is action-packed and sensual, with plenty of paranormal thrown in for good measure. The imagination and creativity of Sherrilyn Kenyon knows no boundaries. Her world of Dark Hunters,Were Hunters, and others come alive to even the most practical person. I reccomend ALL of the Dark Hunters series, but Dance With the Devil is my personal favorite thus far. This is the only paranormal book I think I've ever read that made me cry, which is an amazing accomplishment.
Rating:
Summary: Deep novel that a romantic FANTASY LOVER will cherish
Review: Zarek the Dark Hunter was banished to Alaska as punishment for his failure to protect humans under his shield from those who want mankind eradicated, but instead his charges were murdered. He expected Artemis to eventually kill him for this fiasco, but his immediate supervisor Acheron pleaded for his life. Thus Artemis, showing rare compassion has kept Zarek in frozen isolation for centuries until now. Judgment time has arrived for Zarek. Artemis feels he must die, but Acheron disagrees and suggests an unbiased person rule on Zarek. They choose Astrid, the nymph of Justice and the youngest of the Fates, who is sent to determine whether Zarek is truly innocent of what happened. Meanwhile the immortal Thanatos is coming for Zarek, who he blames for the death of his wife nine hundred years ago. Using figures from mythology, Sherrilyn Kenyon provides a deep novel that a romantic FANTASY LOVER will cherish. DANCE WITH THE DEVIL is a powerful story that makes believers of skeptics that Ancient Gods and Goddesses, Dark Hunters, Dayslayers, and other mythological characters walk among us. The romance between Zarek and Astrid is brilliantly handled as both start as adversaries with her judging his merit, but soon want an eternity together. This is another fine myth from a superb storyteller climbing to the top of the sub-genre by providing reading pleasure that sub-genre fans will embrace. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Five stars for Zarek and Astrid, 3 for the whole book
Review: I adored Zarek and Astrid, two people who have had a tough time for different reasons. Zarek in particular is the tortured hero, a slave, who becomes a toy to Artemis for reasons which are unclear until the end of the book.
No spoilers!
Her reasons for treating him like this are terrible. And the people he thinks are friends have betrayed him. Astrid is supposed to judge him but she can see with the heart if not with his eyes. Zarek is a brilliant hero, an angry child acting out wanting love and affirmation and not getting it because he does not think he is worth it until he meets Astrid. The emotional intensity between the couple is first rate and well worth reading the book for. The rest of the stuff about Gods, goddesses, heroes with various types of powers, well, I have to admit it was a-confusing, and b- I could not have cared less. It took SO long for Astrid and Zarek to get together that the author really could have started with the attempt to kill him and Astrid saving him, and lost the first 80 pages in the process. we could have been told the background story in only a few pages of internal recollection, or her walking through his dreams. The dysfunctional and amatory relationship between Acheron and Artemis also fell flat. As did the fact that every single male hero in the book was supposed to be more goregous than the next. Hey, Zarek is the hero-he needs no competition. The silly Simi the child demon also put a real damper on things, though I can see why she is in the book as the final way that Zarek is able to redeem himself. Really, if the book were a lot less cluttered, it would be a heck of a lot shorter but more powerful. I really didn't care for a single one of the other characters, and they looked like window dressing only for the author to set up the rest of the Dark hunter series and milk it for all it was worth. If you want an sexy read with a larger than life hero with a sarky attitude (think a black haired Spike in Buffy and Angel) then read this book. But don't expect the rest of it to make sense or care if it does. Just cheer when the Happily and sensually ever after comes for Zarek at last. He sure deserves it.
Rating:
Summary: The best I have read in a looooooooooong time ........
Review: Man oh man, what a story! Zarek I simply loooooooove you! SK manages to infuse into her books 'main men' who are real ... they may be sexy "beasts" but SK's message (if you ask me) is that you always need to look under the exterior: don't judge a book by it's cover! Just because these guys are a little rough around the edges doesn't mean they don't have their own stories to tell or that they can't make absolutely awesome 'heros' in a romance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Zarek's character is deep and dark .... but there is a heck of alot more underneath .... which I will leave you to discover; Astrid and Zareks's story is simply beautiful. This was the first dark-hunter story that I have read and it was one of the best books I have read lately ..... SK also writes as Kinley MacGregor and 'Born in Sin' is another book she has written lately that has simply hit me somewhere in the region of the heart (and is a story that I will never forget ... which is exactly the same as I feel about 'Dance with the devil') ..... these 'leading men' are different from the norm and are heart-wrenchingly superb!!!!!!!! I suggest that you borrow, buy, or rent this baby, cause it will be the best book you lay your hands on ....... but hey, make sure you like something with a twist of sci-fi or supernatural type stuff in it (cause I don't want to encourage someone who may put a nasty review on this site or anyother cause it wasn't their cup of tea!) SK please keep this wonderful series coming ... I can't wait to read more and more of your work!! Good reading, Kristina PS I should also mention that the sex scenes in this novel are simply sublime too ..... this book is a total package!
Rating:
Summary: dance with the devil
Review: It was the best of the series I loved Z's story please do one on Ash's life. I was not so moved by the other dark hunter stories as by this book I could not put it down.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Dark-Hunter story so far...
Review: I almost didn't read this book. I had read the other stories about Kirian & Talon and had caught glimpses of Zarek's character. I just didn't think he was something to read about. I also wasn't sure about the setting being in Alaska instead of New Orleans. Alaska...romantic?
I am SO glad I read this! Of course Zarek is an a-hole...his past is horendous. The book will definitely pull at your heart strings with the emotion that is portrayed in Zarek.
It was snowing and miserably cold in Alaska but it was warm and inviting in Zarek & Astrids cozy 'home'.
The humorous touch of this story just added to the enchantment and I could not put this story down for wanting to know where the next paragraph was going to take me.
This book is a keeper for me!
Rating:
Summary: Ouch..that was hot....
Review: First, I would like to say that I am a fairly new fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon's writings. I picked up Night Pleasures on a whim. I loved it. I then went to her web site and found that there were several other books in the 'dark' series. I found out that basically Fantasy Lover was number one, telling Julian's story but since I really got to know Julian in Night Pleasures I just went ahead and started going down the line with the next one being Night Embrace then Dance with the Devil and then Kiss of the Night. I actually skipped over Dance with the Devil at first because in the previous book I got a glimpse of Zarek (the dark hunter in dwtd) and didn't care for him at all. But, my curiosity won out and I am SO glad. DWTD was THE best of the 4 books I have read. It was so in depth. I am truly amazed at how well SK writes. She can create a character so well that you feel you know them. Zarek the tortured hero, Sasha the were-hunter companion of Astrid who has to either condemn Zarek to 'death' or save him and of course Simi. Who can leave out that adorable barbeque eating demon. I laughed so hard at times and then at other times I wanted to cry. Now for the sex scenes...OUCH. Some of the best I have seen written. If I could give this book 10 stars I would. I am anxiously awaiting Night Play that comes out in August. In the mean time, I think I will go back and read Julian's story in Fantasy Lover. Don't hesitate on this book if your a romance fan. Even if Vampires don't appeal to you..Darkhunters will!!!
| 
