Review – Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Description:
Zarek’s Point of View:

Dark-Hunter: A soulless guardian who stands between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. Yeah, right. The only part of that Code of Honor I got was eternity and solitude.

Insanity: A condition many say I suffer from after being alone for so long. But I don’t suffer from my insanity-I enjoy every minute of it.

Trust: I can’t trust anyone…not even myself. The only thing I trust in is my ability to do the wrong thing in any situation and to hurt anyone who gets in my way.

Truth: I endured a lifetime as a Roman slave, and 900 years as an exiled Dark-Hunter. Now I’m tired of enduring. I want the truth about what happened the night I was exiled-I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Astrid (Greek, meaning star): An exceptional woman who can see straight to the truth. Brave and strong, she is a point of light in the darkness. She touches me and I tremble. She smiles and my cold heart shatters.

Zarek: They say even the most damned man can be forgiven. I never believed that until the night Astrid opened her door to me and made this feral beast want to be human again. Made me want to love and be loved. But how can an ex-slave whose soul is owned by a Greek goddess ever dream of touching, let alone holding, a fiery star?

Dance with the Devil is a Collector’s Edition re-release and is the 4^th book in the Dark-Hunter’s series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I felt it only fitting to do a re-read and I’m so glad I did.  After just reading Time Untime, the latest Dark- Hunter release, I didn’t realize how many characters were tied to this book.  The author has a way of keeping us on our toes with her intricate world building but it fascinates me how all the worlds are tied to each other. In this story we bounce back and forth between the Greek pantheons and modern day Alaska.

This story reminded me of several things.  One, Sherrilyn Kenyon is brilliant at writing paranormal.  Two, her heroes are the most tortured men on the planet.  Three, her heroines all have strong personalities and are very likable.  Four, she’s skilled at writing heart and panty melting love scenes.  Five, there’s never a secondary character that you don’t want to know more about.  Six, as good as the recent books are, nothing compares to the ones from the beginning of the series.  Seven, there were characters who recently got their story told that I didn’t remember even being in this book.  Eight, though I’ve come to terms that the romance now takes a back seat to the story, I definitely miss it because it’s so beautifully written.   Nine, and lastly, I was reminded why this is one of my favorite books in the entire series.

The hero of our book, Zarek, is agonizingly scarred, physically and emotionally. He was so abused as a child he feels completely worthless.   Fast forward 11,000 years, he’s now one of Artemis’s Dark-Hunters but he’s so incredibly miserable he pushes everyone away, has no friends, and is utterly misunderstood, but that’s his fault. Years ago he was exiled to Alaska instead of being killed for his infractions, but Acheron (leader of the Dark-Hunters) brings him to New Orleans whenever they need help to fight the Daimons.  Zarek makes a mistake in the previous book trying to help a fellow Dark-Hunter and is exposed to the New Orleans police.  Ash has the powers to scrub their minds, but it’s sort of the last straw for Zarek, and Artemis wants him put down once and for all and orders his death.  Ash pleads his case with Artemis to have him Judged and if the Judge finds him guilty, he will go along with the decision.

Astrid lives on Olympus, the daughter of the Greek goddess of justice Themis, and her sisters are the Three Fates.  In all of her years as a judge, she’s never found anyone innocent and has lost hope that anything good exists.  She was sort of numb to everything and longed to find her compassion again.  Once she arrives in a secluded ranch house in Alaska and Zarek crosses her path, everything changes.  Feelings are brought back to life.  Since she is there to judge him, she must find a way to see his true heart, not the one he wants everyone else to see.  At first, she has to figure out how to touch a man who doesn’t want to be touched.  She carefully begins to penetrate all the walls he’s put up and their love affair begins.  They are a beautiful couple who needed each other to realize what happiness and love truly mean.

Favorite Line:  Astrid:  “Tell me of a happy memory, Zarek.  One thing in your life that was good.”   He hesitated for so long that she didn’t think he would answer.  When he spoke, his voice was so soft that it made her ache. “You”

The things he says to her melts my heart.  Oh, this man’s entire 11,000 years of life has been nothing but shunned, abused, unwanted, and rejected.  So, once Astrid comes into his life with kindness he finally realizes that with her love he can be a whole person who deserves to be…..cared for and treasured.

Dance with the Devil is a fan favorite and it’s no wonder or surprise.  If you are a fan of paranormal romance, this series is a must read and I highly recommend it.  If you are already a fan and it’s been a while since you read some of the earlier books, you’ll enjoy revisiting this one.  It was fun to see some of the characters knowing their stories are already written.

The Dark-Hunter books are keepers.  In my golden years, I’ll be sitting around still reading these….

Enjoy everyone!