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The first installment of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series, Night Pleasures. The Dark-Hunters are ancient warriors who have sworn to protect mankind and the fate of the world is in their hands. . . He is solitude. He is darkness. He is the ruler of the night. Yet Kyrian of Thrace has just woken up handcuffed to his worst nightmare: An accountant. Worse, she's being hunted by one of the most lethal vampires out there. And if Amanda Devereaux goes down, then he does too. But it's not just show more their lives that are hanging in the balance. Kyrian and Amanda are all that stands between humanity and oblivion. Let's hope they win. show lessTags
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by al.vick
Member Reviews
Oh wow this book was so terrible! Absolutely nothing mattered at all unless it was related to the hero and heroine's pantsfeelings for each other. Character consistency? Psychological realism? Worldbuilding? Anybody's beliefs or motivations about anything? All up for grabs to create pantsfeelingsy moments.
My favorite was probably when the heroine psychically dropped into the hero's dreams and, in his body, experienced firsthand his memories of having sex with his previous wife (wtf!) and then a month of agonizing torture. This torture is an experience that has, quite reasonably, traumatized him so deeply that just being tied down makes him dissolve into total freakout. Our heroine's reaction to having a first-hand experience of intense show more PTSD-inducing torture is to... feel super sad for him and want to bone him. And that's all. No residual trauma (or icky feelings from experiencing him boning somebody else) at all.
Also she cures his PTSD by tying him down with scarves and blowing him. No lie. show less
My favorite was probably when the heroine psychically dropped into the hero's dreams and, in his body, experienced firsthand his memories of having sex with his previous wife (wtf!) and then a month of agonizing torture. This torture is an experience that has, quite reasonably, traumatized him so deeply that just being tied down makes him dissolve into total freakout. Our heroine's reaction to having a first-hand experience of intense show more PTSD-inducing torture is to... feel super sad for him and want to bone him. And that's all. No residual trauma (or icky feelings from experiencing him boning somebody else) at all.
Also she cures his PTSD by tying him down with scarves and blowing him. No lie. show less
Being a fan of some paranormal fiction, especially those concerning vampires, I prefer my paranormal with more of a bite of horror than romance. Unfortunately this one didn’t explore the horror aspect that greatly, but still worked out to be a satisfying read that, while not satisfying my blood-lust, sated my lust for hot and heavy vampire fiction.
The plot is involving enough, about a vampire hunter, Kyrian of Thrace, who gets tied to a woman, Amanda, who has a strong dislike for supernatural creatures. It doesn’t help that her sister is a Buffy slayer wanna be, driven by her own personal ignorance of the things that go bump in the night. Whether the sister would like to admit it or not, both her group and the vampire hunters are show more after the same person. Amanda and Kyrian feel that convenient and familiar tug toward each other, ending up together, but of course this is all peppered with the traditional reluctance of the once bitten, twice shy man.
Kyrian, of course, has had a bad past with women. As is usual in many novels, the betrayal has to be harsh – and harsh it certainly was. This convenient predictability is something I frown at in romance novels, but of course this formula is prevalent in nearly every love genre book out there. I can ignore the traits between novels if the story itself stands on its own two feet, with characters that offer something unique, and, naturally, steamy bedroom play. ;)
The pace keeps up – the wheels of events keep turning in motion, the romantic relationship and trust keep growing between Amanda and Kyrian, but not in the usual way. Instead of them not trusting each other after the initial night meeting, they always respect and admire each other. Usually there’s some sort of frustration toward something about the other person; I missed that not being included here. No one’s romance is this perfect; a bit of feist, with healthy exchanges of heated arguments, ultimately creates a relationship with more steam.
Issues aside, characters are convincing. Amanda has a cute sense of humor, Kyrian is blessed with sex appeal and strong morals, his friends are seductive and appealing as well, and Amanda’s quirky family brought a smile to my lips on more than one occasion. Poor gal! The ending exchange between two key characters hinted at something darker I never saw in the book – if that had been more explored, or will be later, I’ll be an even happier reader.
Kenyon’s writing style is cleverly easy on the brain – one word holds chemistry with the next. Her use of dialogue shines through, pulling the story through a lot of sticky situations.
Overall, this is a good, light read, but there’s not enough internal conflict between for the characters for my tastes. There are plenty of issues on the outside they have to overcome to end up together, but some more fire between the characters themselves would have added just enough to bring the story up to a four, possibly even a five. Also, I would have liked a bit more bite for my buck – more horror and darker sides from the players. Instead I something that stayed more in the vein of romance with some supernatural elements present – I prefer it the other way around for my tastes. This isn’t a fault of the book, though, so I don’t hold it against it – just personal preference.
If you’re a fan of p. romance, especially in the form of series, try this one on for size – it just may end up being another series that will demand your time, devotion, and $$$. show less
The plot is involving enough, about a vampire hunter, Kyrian of Thrace, who gets tied to a woman, Amanda, who has a strong dislike for supernatural creatures. It doesn’t help that her sister is a Buffy slayer wanna be, driven by her own personal ignorance of the things that go bump in the night. Whether the sister would like to admit it or not, both her group and the vampire hunters are show more after the same person. Amanda and Kyrian feel that convenient and familiar tug toward each other, ending up together, but of course this is all peppered with the traditional reluctance of the once bitten, twice shy man.
Kyrian, of course, has had a bad past with women. As is usual in many novels, the betrayal has to be harsh – and harsh it certainly was. This convenient predictability is something I frown at in romance novels, but of course this formula is prevalent in nearly every love genre book out there. I can ignore the traits between novels if the story itself stands on its own two feet, with characters that offer something unique, and, naturally, steamy bedroom play. ;)
The pace keeps up – the wheels of events keep turning in motion, the romantic relationship and trust keep growing between Amanda and Kyrian, but not in the usual way. Instead of them not trusting each other after the initial night meeting, they always respect and admire each other. Usually there’s some sort of frustration toward something about the other person; I missed that not being included here. No one’s romance is this perfect; a bit of feist, with healthy exchanges of heated arguments, ultimately creates a relationship with more steam.
Issues aside, characters are convincing. Amanda has a cute sense of humor, Kyrian is blessed with sex appeal and strong morals, his friends are seductive and appealing as well, and Amanda’s quirky family brought a smile to my lips on more than one occasion. Poor gal! The ending exchange between two key characters hinted at something darker I never saw in the book – if that had been more explored, or will be later, I’ll be an even happier reader.
Kenyon’s writing style is cleverly easy on the brain – one word holds chemistry with the next. Her use of dialogue shines through, pulling the story through a lot of sticky situations.
Overall, this is a good, light read, but there’s not enough internal conflict between for the characters for my tastes. There are plenty of issues on the outside they have to overcome to end up together, but some more fire between the characters themselves would have added just enough to bring the story up to a four, possibly even a five. Also, I would have liked a bit more bite for my buck – more horror and darker sides from the players. Instead I something that stayed more in the vein of romance with some supernatural elements present – I prefer it the other way around for my tastes. This isn’t a fault of the book, though, so I don’t hold it against it – just personal preference.
If you’re a fan of p. romance, especially in the form of series, try this one on for size – it just may end up being another series that will demand your time, devotion, and $$$. show less
Stupefacente!
Finalmente ho trovato un'altra scrittrice in grado di affiancare una trama avvincente alla storia d'amore!
E' innegabile il carattere romance (paranormal, precisiamo!) del romanzo ma le avvincenti peripezie di questi eroi della notte sono abbastanza spericolate per soddisfare anche le amanti di romanzi pregni di intrighi e misteri. Insomma, di certo non ci si annoia!
L'incredibile novità , in questo periodo fatto di vampiri e licantropi, sta nell'affiancare in modo così elegante e perfetto le figure divine ed epiche dell'antica Grecia al fantastico mondo nordico.
Afrodite, Ade, Apollo, Zeus ed altri Dei e Semidei si amalgamano perfettamente con le creature della notte creando intrighi di violenza, vendetta, dolore e show more piancere.
Perfettamente in linea con il carattere capriccioso e violento di questi esseri immortali che da sempre si divertono a giocare con le vite gli uomini.
Ma, nonostante ciò, in questo libro ci ritroviamo Afrondite, seduta in casa del figlio, semidio, a cullare e giocare i nipotini. Non è questa una fantastica contraddizione che esalta maggiormente queste figure eteree?
La Kenyon è brava, incredibilmente! Le storie d'amore (almeno fino a questo momento) sono tutte uniche ed avvincenti. Mai troppo sdolcinate, nè troppo innaturali ma anzi sensuali ed ironiche!
Nessun colpo di fulmine improvviso che stordisce le sue vittime fino a renderli dei pagliacci che rasentano il ridicolo!
Credo che questa autrice, insieme a J.R.Ward e poche altre siano, per il momento, la massima espressione del paranormal romance (parlo sempre riferito a ciò che è arrivato in Italia, chissà , magari all'estero c'è anche di meglio...).
C'è amore, sentimento, inventiva, sensualità (mai volgarità !), azione, trama e passione.
Mi piace, lo dico e lo ripeto.
Kyrian di Tracia in tutto il libro è assolutamente fantastico! Strafottente, ironico e testardo come un mulo ma, nonostante ciò, lo vediamo combattere con il proprio passato e le proprie debolezze perchè, nonostante sia un Cacciatore della notte, anche lui ha delle debolezze e ne è maledettamente consapevole.
La figura di Amanda mi piace.
Con la sua lingua tagliente e, anche se alla fine la scrittrice ha sforato un po' con tutti quei poteri (non esageriamo, dai!), devo dire che mi ha affascinata molto con quel suo mix di testardaggine, forza e debolezza.
Un'altro particolare che ho apprezzato molto è stata la capacità della Kenyon di riprnedere e coinvolgere anche i vecchi protagonisti del precedente libro. Questo particolare è, per me che amo sempre tutti i personaggi che incontro, molto importante e che le fa guadagnare un sacco di punti.
Non si limita a dirmi che stanno bene e sono felici (come fa Lara Adrian) ma, affianca minimamente i vecchi personaggi ai nuovi e me lo mostra direttamente, magari con il nuovo bel pancione di Grace Alexander. Bravissima! show less
Finalmente ho trovato un'altra scrittrice in grado di affiancare una trama avvincente alla storia d'amore!
E' innegabile il carattere romance (paranormal, precisiamo!) del romanzo ma le avvincenti peripezie di questi eroi della notte sono abbastanza spericolate per soddisfare anche le amanti di romanzi pregni di intrighi e misteri. Insomma, di certo non ci si annoia!
L'incredibile novità , in questo periodo fatto di vampiri e licantropi, sta nell'affiancare in modo così elegante e perfetto le figure divine ed epiche dell'antica Grecia al fantastico mondo nordico.
Afrodite, Ade, Apollo, Zeus ed altri Dei e Semidei si amalgamano perfettamente con le creature della notte creando intrighi di violenza, vendetta, dolore e show more piancere.
Perfettamente in linea con il carattere capriccioso e violento di questi esseri immortali che da sempre si divertono a giocare con le vite gli uomini.
Ma, nonostante ciò, in questo libro ci ritroviamo Afrondite, seduta in casa del figlio, semidio, a cullare e giocare i nipotini. Non è questa una fantastica contraddizione che esalta maggiormente queste figure eteree?
La Kenyon è brava, incredibilmente! Le storie d'amore (almeno fino a questo momento) sono tutte uniche ed avvincenti. Mai troppo sdolcinate, nè troppo innaturali ma anzi sensuali ed ironiche!
Nessun colpo di fulmine improvviso che stordisce le sue vittime fino a renderli dei pagliacci che rasentano il ridicolo!
Credo che questa autrice, insieme a J.R.Ward e poche altre siano, per il momento, la massima espressione del paranormal romance (parlo sempre riferito a ciò che è arrivato in Italia, chissà , magari all'estero c'è anche di meglio...).
C'è amore, sentimento, inventiva, sensualità (mai volgarità !), azione, trama e passione.
Mi piace, lo dico e lo ripeto.
Kyrian di Tracia in tutto il libro è assolutamente fantastico! Strafottente, ironico e testardo come un mulo ma, nonostante ciò, lo vediamo combattere con il proprio passato e le proprie debolezze perchè, nonostante sia un Cacciatore della notte, anche lui ha delle debolezze e ne è maledettamente consapevole.
La figura di Amanda mi piace.
Con la sua lingua tagliente e, anche se alla fine la scrittrice ha sforato un po' con tutti quei poteri (non esageriamo, dai!), devo dire che mi ha affascinata molto con quel suo mix di testardaggine, forza e debolezza.
Un'altro particolare che ho apprezzato molto è stata la capacità della Kenyon di riprnedere e coinvolgere anche i vecchi protagonisti del precedente libro. Questo particolare è, per me che amo sempre tutti i personaggi che incontro, molto importante e che le fa guadagnare un sacco di punti.
Non si limita a dirmi che stanno bene e sono felici (come fa Lara Adrian) ma, affianca minimamente i vecchi personaggi ai nuovi e me lo mostra direttamente, magari con il nuovo bel pancione di Grace Alexander. Bravissima! show less
I'm glad I read Ash's book prior this one. It probably changed my reaction to his appearances and the whole origins of the Dark Hunters thing. More depth, maybe; not that this series or book is more deep than the usual PNR books.
Which isn't a criticism. Just that it is fairly typical of the genre that each book centers on a couple, pretty much if not completely outright fated mates. In this one, it was immortal-centuries-old-Kyrian-Greek-Prince-during-Roman-invasions-turned-DarkHunter and
somewhat-innocent-new-to-powers-sorceress-Amanda-modern-accountant.
I liked Kyrian and Amanda. So, liked their story. Neither was an asshat or TSTL. Fairly explicit (maybe even skim-worthy explicit sex), but no dubious consent or some supernatural show more whatsit compulsion factor. Without being too spoiler-y, I really liked that the conclusion didn't require one of them to act totally out of character. Not really an in-line-with-internal-logic of the series explanation of the villain, though.
As much as I enjoyed this one, the preview of Talon's story at back of the ebook I read makes the next book sound way more interesting. show less
Which isn't a criticism. Just that it is fairly typical of the genre that each book centers on a couple, pretty much if not completely outright fated mates. In this one, it was immortal-centuries-old-Kyrian-Greek-Prince-during-Roman-invasions-turned-DarkHunter and
somewhat-innocent-new-to-powers-sorceress-Amanda-modern-accountant.
I liked Kyrian and Amanda. So, liked their story. Neither was an asshat or TSTL. Fairly explicit (maybe even skim-worthy explicit sex), but no dubious consent or some supernatural show more whatsit compulsion factor. Without being too spoiler-y, I really liked that the conclusion didn't require one of them to act totally out of character. Not really an in-line-with-internal-logic of the series explanation of the villain, though.
As much as I enjoyed this one, the preview of Talon's story at back of the ebook I read makes the next book sound way more interesting. show less
The "quality" of the Kindle version is extremely poor, and certainly not worth the $8 they charge. Punctuation and words are missing, lines are printed at irregular intervals, and sometimes they're so smashed together you can't make out what belongs on what line. I am really disappointed, and I hope these errors are related to this series and not others.
While still entertaining, I didn't find Night Pleasures to be nearly as engaging as the first Dark-Hunter book. The characters are more 2-dimensional, the plot is a bit static and underdeveloped, and there is just a feeling of "less" all around.
I find the reviews calling this a vampire novel rather amusing. While Kenyon calls a certain group of characters vampires, that is where the show more genre ends. It is an inconsequential detail in the novel, and you could replace the word "vampire" with any other supernatural class and it would not change the plot at all. So for readers looking for an actual vampire novel, I would recommend looking elsewhere. show less
While still entertaining, I didn't find Night Pleasures to be nearly as engaging as the first Dark-Hunter book. The characters are more 2-dimensional, the plot is a bit static and underdeveloped, and there is just a feeling of "less" all around.
I find the reviews calling this a vampire novel rather amusing. While Kenyon calls a certain group of characters vampires, that is where the show more genre ends. It is an inconsequential detail in the novel, and you could replace the word "vampire" with any other supernatural class and it would not change the plot at all. So for readers looking for an actual vampire novel, I would recommend looking elsewhere. show less
This is the second book in the Dark Hunter series (the first, technically, if you don't count Fantasy Lover, which I do, since it first introduced the pantheon, and those characters continued in later books). I should mentioned that I started out reading the series out of order, but am now trying to read them in order.
From the book:
"Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be immortal? To journey through the night stalking the evil that preys on humans? To have unlimited wealth, unlimited power? That is my existence, and it is dark and dangerous. I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minute of it.
Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: a conservative woman in a show more button-down shirt."
Of all the Dark Hunter books I've read so far, I do believe this is my favorite. Kyrian is a fantastic, believable character. And I really liked that conservative accountant Amanda isn't the usual occult-jaded character I'm used to reading. We also get to visit Julian and Grace (Fantasy Lover) again.
On top of great characters, the plot is (mostly) solid. The big bad's master plan (revealed at the end) is convoluted and obviously used for the sake of convenience. But I can forgive it.
One bit that I enjoyed was learning how the Dark Hunters get payed. It's a funny moment in the story that stuck with me, and I'll certainly think about it every time a DH's wealth is mentioned.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romance. show less
From the book:
"Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be immortal? To journey through the night stalking the evil that preys on humans? To have unlimited wealth, unlimited power? That is my existence, and it is dark and dangerous. I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minute of it.
Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: a conservative woman in a show more button-down shirt."
Of all the Dark Hunter books I've read so far, I do believe this is my favorite. Kyrian is a fantastic, believable character. And I really liked that conservative accountant Amanda isn't the usual occult-jaded character I'm used to reading. We also get to visit Julian and Grace (Fantasy Lover) again.
On top of great characters, the plot is (mostly) solid. The big bad's master plan (revealed at the end) is convoluted and obviously used for the sake of convenience. But I can forgive it.
One bit that I enjoyed was learning how the Dark Hunters get payed. It's a funny moment in the story that stuck with me, and I'll certainly think about it every time a DH's wealth is mentioned.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romance. show less
I spent the last four weekends re-reading this story while at my parents for my Saturday Lunch and Laundry days. There really is just something about this story that I absolutely love. No other paranormal romance has really "done it" for me like these early Dark Hunter stories. Kyrian and Amanda are a great couple, they have great chemistry and they're also very sympathtic individually. I also have always adored Nick and I think this story has a lot to do with why.
Even though the more current stories of this series haven't thrilled me anywhere near as much as this particular tale, the series as a whole will always remain one of my faves as a result of this and some of the other first books from this universe.
Even though the more current stories of this series haven't thrilled me anywhere near as much as this particular tale, the series as a whole will always remain one of my faves as a result of this and some of the other first books from this universe.
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Author Information
261+ Works 96,944 Members
Sherrilyn Kenyon was born in Columbus, Georgia in 1965. She attended the University of Georgia. She has written novels and nonfiction works using both her real name and the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor. The name was created when she started writing historical romances. She writes several series including The Dark-Hunters, The League, Lords of show more Avalon, BAD Agency and the Chronicles of Nick. In 2018 her title, Death Doesn't Bargain, made the bestseller list. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
Series
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Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Night Pleasures
- Original title
- Night Pleasures
- Original publication date
- 2002-10-13
- People/Characters
- Kyrian Hunter (Kyrian of Thrace); Kyrain of Thrace; Amanda Devereaux; Tabitha Devereaux; Julian Alexander (Julian of Macedon); Grace Alexander (show all 12); Acheron "Ash" Parthenopaeus; Artemis; Nicholas "Nick" Ambrosius Gautier; Talon; Desiderius; Selena
- Important places
- New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Dedication
- For Kim Cardascia, who gives me the freedom to push past
the boundaries of my imagination, and Nancy Yost, who
keeps me sane while I do it.
To the Ladies of Sanctuary and the RBL Romanticans for all
the lau... (show all)ghs and support you guys have given me and the
Dark-Hunter series. I lub all of you. Thanks for just being
you and for loving romance novels as much as i do!
For my friends without whom I would be eternally lost:
Rickey, Lo, Janet, Cathy-Max, Deb, Rebecca and Kim
Williamson.
To my husband and sons for your patience, your love, and
all the incredible happiness the four of you have added to
my life. And last but never least, for my family for being an
incredible source of support. - First words
- Born to extreme wealth, Kyrian of Thrace wielded charm and charisma as powerfully as he wielded his sword.
- Quotations
- " Are you going to suck my blood?" "Do i look like a lawyer to you?" Kyrian
"oh god I just kissed a vampire!" - Amanda. "oh Gods, I just kissed a human" - Kyrian
"you look good for an old man. I wouldn't have p... (show all)ut you a day over three hundred" - Amanda
"By the way touch the woman - or the lamborghini -
and you're a dead man" -Kyrian
"i really hate oracles. If i wanted to play mind games I'd buy a rubiks cube" Acheron.
"i'll be damned, you got laid" - Nick to kyrian
" I faced down an entire Roman legion with only a sword to protect me. Now, why would I be afraid of some two-bit, half- god daimon with and inferiority complex?" Kyrian. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Even if it did mean marrying a vampire.
- Original language*
- Englisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- Reviews
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- Rating
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- ISBNs
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- ASINs
- 13