Book 7), Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter

I LOVE the Dark Hunter series. Yes, this book was a little more breezy than the first ones. Yes, there did seem to be a little rush to the action and the romance. But, I think that Dev was worth the wait. I started reading this with a little trepidition. I wasn't entirely excited about a story for Dev, but after reading it I loved it. The humor is great. Dev really steps up in my estimation after this book. COuld I have done with a little more depth, sure. But it is still worth the read and a good addition to the series. I will continue to read the series. Plus, I just enjoy Mrs Kenyons writing. She is one of only two authors who has taken a character that I dislike and make me understand them and like them. Cannot wait for more!!!!!!! Keep'em coming and I'll keep reading them!

When your out there fighting the devil himself, why not love someone that is forbidden not just by the Gods, but by your family as well?!
Tabitha Devereaux is well known in New Orleans for her insane life for fighting vampires during the night and having a risque shop, and a sassy, spitfire that would rather run you over with her car, then accept your apology. But not charming. But when handsome "forbidden to touch" Dark-Hunter Valerius Magnus walks into her life, she's going to need all that sass and fire the Devereaux's were born with to keep him safe from a dangerous supposed-to-be dead and her family!!

The assault on Sanctuary left many dead and severely injured while the once safe zone is rightfully no longer considered as such. Shapeshifter Dev Peltier and his family guarded Sanctuary for centuries, but with their parents dead, he and his siblings must regroup, but mentally struggle with grief and concern that the enemy has grown stronger than them. They know they survived the battle of New Orleans because the Dark-Hunters allied with his were-hunters to fight the wolves.

Former the store warrior turned Dark-Hunter Samia Savage, who was at Troy and the Sanctuary battles, returns to the Big Easy to keep Nick Gautier safe. However, Stryker apparently wants her most likely because of her and her gift for psychometric skills. Dev also wants her because he is attracted to her. Sam desires Dev too although both understands that is taboo.

Although the romantic premise is somewhat similar to Bad Moon Rising, this is a terrific entry made fresh by the aftermath of the Sanctuary assault and the female Dark Hunter (Huntress perhaps more descriptive). The story line is fast-paced and filled with non-stop action from the moment Sam arrives riding her bike and informs Dev she is as passionately furious in the sack as she is on the battlefield. Fans of the ever expanding urban fantasy saga will appreciate Sherrilyn Kenyon's super entry as even allies make strange bedfellows.

Harriet Klausner

I loved the book. I know it is kind of dark, but then most of her books are and of course her heroes are all extremely tortured. I've learned to live with this. However, this book did have a particularly large number of characters die. I just love HEA's for all my characters as well. No dying, dying is bad!

Her newest Dark Hunter, Valerius (Val), is so misunderstood. He's really a great man with lots of compassion for others, but he just gets so abused by his own relatives who are such evil people and get wrongly judged by his family's actions. Of course his brothers does the ultimate betrayal oneday, rapes & kills the woman he loves and then eventually tortures & kills him. Good thing, Tabby the vampire slayer meets up with him oneday and becomes the love of his life. They are really one hot couple and the author's love scenes are getting better & better with each new Dark Hunter book.

What made this book really good for me was what Arch did for Kyrian. It always bothered me every Dark Hunter got a big bonus except for Kyrian and the bonus being immortal. I hope Sherrilyn makes every hero/heroine immortal from now on! And what a surprise Arch turned out to be huh! A god! I guess I should have known, since he zips up & down from the heavens so much whenever he wants.

His brother Zarak is such a bad boy? He's even worst now that he is a god. But I thought is was great what he did for Val at the end during the wedding banquet (gave him immortality as a wedding present). What a great ending!

This is only the second Dark Hunter book I've read and the first one was awhile back. I am so glad I read this one as I loved it!

The Characters:

Dev and Samia are both great characters. Dev was such a funny guy and always managed to see the humor in just about any situation. Samia was a former the storeian queen so of course she was totally kick butt and still had a softer side.

The romance:

Dev and Sam's romance was sizzling and you could feel the raging hormones flying around. Yet, you could also feel the love growing between the two.

The storyline:

The story line was preparing the reader for a larger story that I imagine is going to arc several books as Stryker has a plan to bring his Daimons into the sunlight and wipe out the Dark Hunters. There is a lot going on and a lot of background I think I was missing by not having read the previous Dark Hunter books but if anything this just whetted my appetite to want to go back and read the previous books. I cannot wait to see how that works out!

I also like how the Greek gods are woven through the story and you get glimpses of what Artemis and Apollo were like. I've always found the Greek gods fascinating and love seeing how various books portray the gods and their personalities.

No Mercy is paranormal romance, and part of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. The main characters are shape shifters and an the store warrior/queen who was betrayed by her overly jealous sister thousands of years before. Now, the the store is a Dark Hunter, with special powers and immortality. She's also falling for one of the shape shifters, a bear who has the ability to assume the appearance of being human.

Lately, I've been straying from my normal reading genres, which mostly include science fiction and fantasy, but also lots of historical fiction, which often has some romance included. I also seem to have acquired an affinity for series books, jumping into the middle of a series without knowing it IS a series until later. In the case of No Mercy, it's not yet a mid-series book, but closer to the recent end of a very long (20+ volume) series. Coming into the series at this point puts the reader at something of a disadvantage, in that references to events that occurred earlier in the series are made in No Mercy, but having not read the earlier books, I had no idea what the characters were talking about.

Series connectivity aside, I have to say I did enjoy this book, despite the fact that paranormal romance generally isn't my thing. Sherrilyn Kenyon is a new-to-me author, whom I am glad I ventured to try. For those with at least some familiarity with the Dark Hunter series, No Mercy would stand alone well enough that it would not matter if a few books from the series were skipped. For those completely unfamiliar with the series, as I was, starting with No Mercy probably isn't the greatest idea. Knowing what came before may be helpful.

Recommended to fans of the Dark Hunter series.

A finished hardcover copy of No Mercy was provided to me free by the publisher in exchange for this review. This review appears on Dragon Views, Library Thing, the store.com and wherever else deemed appropriate by this reviewer.

Awesome plot and storyline. I'm so glad I ignored the negative comments. Valerius and Tabethia love developed into something so strong that she went against all odds to stay with him. He changed his ways and was willing to give everything once he discovered someone could love him and not hold him accoountable for something his grandfather did. Not to mention at the time he was only five years of age. The ending is just so beatufully. There so much going on in this book but the shocker is Nick.

I gave this book a 2 because I didn't see the point of this book. The other books in the series were part of a bigger series plot. I didn't see it with this one. The only things that I learned was that Apollo does indeed love Stryker and there is a hunter with a power that may be useful down the road. We were also introduced to other hunters that I am sure will come to play in other stories.

I did not like Samia. She was not a well written and relatable character. She was very wishy-washy. Her angst seemed superficial, even though it shouldn't have been.

Dev was okay. There was more of a connection to him because of previous books, but with the exception of the memory of his brothers getting killed, there wasn't much more character development than what had been done in previous books.

I am late in writing a review of this novel in the Dark Hunter Series. However, I purchased this book when it was first published and read it in one setting. This book is definitely one of the best in the series of the hunter novels. It tells the story and picks up on the story of Valerius Magnus. Stunning and awe inspiring are the best words to describe my feelings for this story. I have re-read this book at least three times, and it still has an effect that brings out the sensitivity and sympathy in me for the main character. The writer has projected this characters' personality so intensely that you will feel each hurtful, hateful, and downwrite nasty thing ever done to him. Val's stoic baring is what is so outstanding in this novel. He never gives the impression that what people think, or do, or say, can break his spirit. He still refuses to bend, he goes on. If anything, he draws strength from their abuses (no he is not into s and m) he has developed a thick skin or shell that is his armour against what will be thown at him. This armour begins to crack once he meets Tabitha. As an empath (Tabitha) is able to see beyond the stoicism. She knows he is and has been hurt by what has been done to him (he keeps things inside). She is drawn to him and he to her; which will cause problems all around for her family relations and friends. This continuing story is one of unbelievable strength and fortitude. No matter what, you will gain some sense of man's ability to overcome animosity, prejudice, and hatred. Everyone walks a different path, but how many know, really know, what one has endured to reach where they are on that path. This is the lasting effect I get from this story. and I would and have recommended the series to anyone with a love of reading. Enjoy this series, I will.

Fantastic! Kenyon is the only author I know of that can keep a series going this long and still make it interesting and new. Most others get boring after a few books and have to force themselves to keep the series going, even though they no longer have a plot. But not Kenyon, No Mercy was an amazing read, just like the first books in the series. She keeps getting better.

Pros:
- Hilarious! I was laughing like crazy.
- Fast paced and action-packed.
- Innovative and excellent plot!
- Fun new characters.
- We get a closer look at some of the more mysterious characters (YAY!).

And I could go on and on.

Cons:
- I didn't care much for Sam, no idea why but I didn't like her much.
- Had a hard time believing Sam and Dev as a couple.

That's all.

Yeah, if this book only had Dev and Sam romance going on I wouldn't have like it. But with all the other things revealed and the other stories and such taking place I loved it. I can't wait to see what happens with Stryker now, oh and I love Thorn.

Used to be, every book with Sherrilyn Kenyon's name on it could be counted on to be riveting, exciting and have a healthy dose of romance in it. Characters were well-rounded, interesting & interacted in believable ways, albeit in a crazy universe with Greek gods and hunters, and such. Acheron was not the best book I ever read, but I stuck with the series because of the hours and hours of enjoyable reading I had had from Ms. Kenyon's books. Unfortunately, each book is less and less fun to read and more and more of a chore to get through. The most current book in the series is downright disappointing.

Not much is good about this book. It's fast-paced and well-written, like all of Ms. Kenyon's books, but it is massively confusing with all the various types of demons, gods, demi-gods, were-hunters, were-animals, animal-weres, dark hunters, daimons, and too many various gods & goddesses to keep track of. I have read all of her other books numerous times and still had a very hard time remembering some of the characters or what some of the creatures characteristics were. I'm totally sick of Nick with his constant angst about his situation in life. Acheron is supposed to be a god, but he doesn't have a clue as to what is going on half the time--very confusing. The main characters, Samia and Dev, would be good by themselves without all the confusing plot twists, nine million secondary characters, and all sorts of strange opposites--for example, Samia is supposed to be this unbelievable the store warrior, but she's being kidnaped, attacked, hurt, and never seems able to defend herself at all. Dev's love for her is just THERE all of a sudden--there is no appreciation of her personality, time spent getting to know each other, or any interaction beside head-banging sex followed by "Must save Samia! She has been attacked/kidnaped/threatened/etc!"

So what is my final call on this? Well, if you've been following the series as long as I have, you will be still want to read it because you don't want to admit that this series is just running on fumes. I sure didn't want to admit it! I knew times were a-changing when I would put this book down for ANY reason, which never happened with earlier books in the series. I keep hoping that the series will start focusing on its major strength--the relationships between the main characters and a SMALL group of secondary characters. Luckily, there are many other books in this genre and also in the urban fantasy genre that I can turn to. If the next book is as bad as this one, or worse (which I predict will be the case), I will totally be done with this author. Burnout happens. I just wish it hadn't happened to such a great series!

I enjoyed No Mercy just as much as the others in the series. I love Dev, the bear shapeshifter, and his sarcastic sense of humor. Some of his lines had me laughing out loud. Sam, the tough the store Dark-Hunter is a good match for him. As always, Kenyon doesn't make it easy for the main characters, but they inevitably find their Happily Ever After. I think that's what I like so much about the series. There is also more going on than just the love story. Characters and story lines from other books interconnect. I skipped a few books and was a little confused, but enough is explained that you can follow fairly easily.

Review by Jen: Well, anyone who has been a fan of the blog since we started it, knows that I've read most of what Sherrilyn Kenyon has written and absolutely love her Dark-Hunter series. In fact, I've hooked many a friend into reading them. If you want to see some of my past reviews of her books, go here. And now on to my review...

Unfortunately, this book is forgettable. It felt like Ms Kenyon was just using the romance between Dev and Samia as a backdrop in advancing the war between the Hunters and Daimons. Now normally, I wouldn't mind this fact, but the romance and the characters just weren't developed enough for my tastes. While I don't mind having a continuing story line build throughout a series, I think it should always take a back seat to the romance that the current book is supposed to be about.

Maybe the length of time between reading and reviewing is coloring my review. But I'm finding it hard to remember anything really positive about the book. Fans of the series will want to read this book in anticipation of future Dark-Hunter novels. However, if you're new to Ms Kenyon's writing, I suggest you start at the beginning of her series with Fantasy Lover.

I'm late when it comes to the Dark Hunter world just started the series 3 weeks ago LOVE the series. This is my FAVORITE book of the series thus far Waiting to get to Acheron's book (not patiently) its driving me nuts to read in the EXACT order, but i don't want to miss out on anything important. Now I thought I loved Vane and Bride book (Night Play) and I wouldn't really care for Val because Kyrian was my fave DH previous to this and Kyrian hated Valerius's exsistence, but Boy was I wrong. Tabby is AWESOME the best Heroine and Valerius makes you fall in love with him over and over (or maybe just me). My emotions I felt while reading this book were all over the place... I laughed, I cried, I was angry, hurt, Happy but most of all sad cause I did not want it to end. I don't know what else to say except I will be re-reading this book many times over in the future.

This book blew me away. This may have been the one I read the fastest. I am always surprised by how much back story you read in the Dark-Hunter novels. Zarek's held a lot, as well as Talon's but this one, Seize the Night held so much back story on so many character's, any more and I wouldn't have been able to keep it all straight. I love it when Kenyon does this. Her ability to write an exciting and twisting plot really shines through in this installment of the Dark-Hunter novels.

The love between Valerius and Tabitha grew, and it grew before your eyes. I really enjoyed that, and the real tension between Valerius and Kenyon was well written. There is one scene with Tabitha and Amanda that brought tears to my eyes, actually there were many scenes in this book that brought tears to my eyes. Kenyon's writing is effectively drawing me further and further in to this world, when I thought that I was already fully engulfed.

Two things that bothered me: There were some editing mishaps in the beginning, but they smoothed out towards the end. Also, the epilogue was seriously disappointing and flippant after the seriousness of the book. I was...let down by it, truly. The epilogue, only two pages of the entire story, was really what brought the rating from an A+ to an A for me.

Other than two problems, this book was wonderful and I have the next one ready right beside me. I'm ready.

As seems to be a trend w/ Sherrilyn Kenyon, this was once again a book that wasn't bad - but sure as heck not worth a hardcover price. The font was large (about 12pt), wellspaced, etc - but 343 pages of this??

Like her books since Acheron, I am not buying these anymore. I enjoy the universe, but until it stops feeling like novellas being popped out in large-font PBs, or a fair-sized PB being bumped up for HB prices, she's not getting anymore of my money. I'll continue to go to the library to get my DH fix.

But on a more positive note, I am liking the Nick-angst, as well as the development of the side-chracters. Though I can't help but wonder what the Peltiers are gonna do now (trying to avoid spoilers) - their secret is unlikely to continue to be kept, given the intermingling of the various types of Hunters, on the way to Ragnarok/major Stryker&Apollymi showdown that the series is building towards.

solid 3/5 stars - enjoyable read, will return to the -verse - but glad I didn't spend the $ on the book!

I don't know how she does it. She uses the same story line and can make each book better than the last. I too thought it would be hard for her to beat the wonderful story of Zarek, but she did very well in writing and keeping up the suspense in this story of Valerius.

Valerius is hated by just about everyone for something that his ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Talk about holding a grudge! Tabitha Devereaux, whom we met earlier in previous books sees Valerius for the sensitive being he is and helps him come out of his shell, all the while helping other people forgive the past.

If you haven't read any of the Dark Hunter series then your missing out. I suggest you get started ;-)

I have read all the Dark Hunter series to date and always anxiously await the next book. However, with the last few - not so much. It's like as soon as the cover design change occurred from human models to symbols, so did my feelings and the plot.
I enjoy Thorn, the hellchasers, Jaden and Savitar immensely. However, it seems she is trying to put too much information into one story. It seems rushed and choppy.
She can almost do an entire separate series based on the hellchasers, Thorn, the Dogs of War, etc. Please, bring back more of Simi, Appollomi, Acheron, Savitar and Artemis with each new story coupling. I mean we haven't really seen/felt/heard Artemis' scorn with Acheron's marriage - at least not what we know Artemis is capable of. And can we get a clearer picture of the Nick situation? It seems to get more confusing (not in a good way) each book and I am afraid I will be completely 'done' with the series before we get there.
It goes without saying I no longer spend money on her books - library only.

A serious let down from a once great author. It's hard to give up a great series, and I have been a DH fan from the beginning. The characters are thin, shallow and the plot line non-existent and full of contradictions. I feel these books are now sold for the idiots in Hollywood to make a "bad movie" from them. Kenyon has sold out her book rights to movie options first and the true brilliance of her work has been subverted to quick cash now. Go back and read the old ones. Kenyon has officially jumped the shark.

I have been following the Dark-Hunter series for years. But I think this is the book that has convinced me to stop. Here we have the story of Dev, one of the Wise cracking, trash talking Peltier Bears and the store Dark-Hunter Sam Savage. Sam has the ability of pyschometry so anytime she touches something or someone, she sees their memories and feels their emotions. For this reason, she has not been intimate with anyone in years. But surprise, surprise. Somehow Dev seems to be immune to her and can also "cleanse" certain objects so that they don't affect her.

Now, Stryker wants to use her ability to help his cause. Demons want her dead (pretty thin plot). And the Hellchasers have imprisoned her for her own good???
And why is that?

Okay, I realize that this is fiction but the Dark-Hunter books USED to atleast have a believable plot and finale. This thing was just crazy...and not in a good way.

**Possible spoiler**

Is Sherrilyn Kenyon really writing these books now or has a Ghost Writer taken over?
Since when do you have a Dark-Hunter book with ONE little 5 second scene with Simi?
What was so special about Dev that he was immune to her powers? Sam wasn't the mate the Fates had made for Dev until later in the story and it was only done then as some sort of punishment. The actual mating was only mentioned as an after thought. And what was the purpose of getting the Girdle? It was never mentioned again after it was retrieved! It didn't help her any during the fight scene when the Demons attacked. And FLYING FIRE BREATHING MONKEYS???? Give me a break!!! This series has definitely Jumped the Shark. I'm getting out NOW. I may peek back in if Simi ever gets her book. Other than that, good-bye Dark-Hunter series.

Review by Jen: Well, anyone who has been a fan of the blog since we started it, knows that I've read most of what Sherrilyn Kenyon has written and absolutely love her Dark-Hunter series. In fact, I've hooked many a friend into reading them. If you want to see some of my past reviews of her books, go here. And now on to my review...

Unfortunately, this book is forgettable. It felt like Ms Kenyon was just using the romance between Dev and Samia as a backdrop in advancing the war between the Hunters and Daimons. Now normally, I wouldn't mind this fact, but the romance and the characters just weren't developed enough for my tastes. While I don't mind having a continuing story line build throughout a series, I think it should always take a back seat to the romance that the current book is supposed to be about.

Maybe the length of time between reading and reviewing is coloring my review. But I'm finding it hard to remember anything really positive about the book. Fans of the series will want to read this book in anticipation of future Dark-Hunter novels. However, if you're new to Ms Kenyon's writing, I suggest you start at the beginning of her series with Fantasy Lover.

I'm late when it comes to the Dark Hunter world just started the series 3 weeks ago LOVE the series. This is my FAVORITE book of the series thus far Waiting to get to Acheron's book (not patiently) its driving me nuts to read in the EXACT order, but i don't want to miss out on anything important. Now I thought I loved Vane and Bride book (Night Play) and I wouldn't really care for Val because Kyrian was my fave DH previous to this and Kyrian hated Valerius's exsistence, but Boy was I wrong. Tabby is AWESOME the best Heroine and Valerius makes you fall in love with him over and over (or maybe just me). My emotions I felt while reading this book were all over the place... I laughed, I cried, I was angry, hurt, Happy but most of all sad cause I did not want it to end. I don't know what else to say except I will be re-reading this book many times over in the future.

This book blew me away. This may have been the one I read the fastest. I am always surprised by how much back story you read in the Dark-Hunter novels. Zarek's held a lot, as well as Talon's but this one, Seize the Night held so much back story on so many character's, any more and I wouldn't have been able to keep it all straight. I love it when Kenyon does this. Her ability to write an exciting and twisting plot really shines through in this installment of the Dark-Hunter novels.

The love between Valerius and Tabitha grew, and it grew before your eyes. I really enjoyed that, and the real tension between Valerius and Kenyon was well written. There is one scene with Tabitha and Amanda that brought tears to my eyes, actually there were many scenes in this book that brought tears to my eyes. Kenyon's writing is effectively drawing me further and further in to this world, when I thought that I was already fully engulfed.

Two things that bothered me: There were some editing mishaps in the beginning, but they smoothed out towards the end. Also, the epilogue was seriously disappointing and flippant after the seriousness of the book. I was...let down by it, truly. The epilogue, only two pages of the entire story, was really what brought the rating from an A+ to an A for me.

Other than two problems, this book was wonderful and I have the next one ready right beside me. I'm ready.

As seems to be a trend w/ Sherrilyn Kenyon, this was once again a book that wasn't bad - but sure as heck not worth a hardcover price. The font was large (about 12pt), wellspaced, etc - but 343 pages of this??

Like her books since Acheron, I am not buying these anymore. I enjoy the universe, but until it stops feeling like novellas being popped out in large-font PBs, or a fair-sized PB being bumped up for HB prices, she's not getting anymore of my money. I'll continue to go to the library to get my DH fix.

But on a more positive note, I am liking the Nick-angst, as well as the development of the side-chracters. Though I can't help but wonder what the Peltiers are gonna do now (trying to avoid spoilers) - their secret is unlikely to continue to be kept, given the intermingling of the various types of Hunters, on the way to Ragnarok/major Stryker&Apollymi showdown that the series is building towards.

solid 3/5 stars - enjoyable read, will return to the -verse - but glad I didn't spend the $ on the book!

I don't know how she does it. She uses the same story line and can make each book better than the last. I too thought it would be hard for her to beat the wonderful story of Zarek, but she did very well in writing and keeping up the suspense in this story of Valerius.

Valerius is hated by just about everyone for something that his ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Talk about holding a grudge! Tabitha Devereaux, whom we met earlier in previous books sees Valerius for the sensitive being he is and helps him come out of his shell, all the while helping other people forgive the past.

If you haven't read any of the Dark Hunter series then your missing out. I suggest you get started ;-)

I have read all the Dark Hunter series to date and always anxiously await the next book. However, with the last few - not so much. It's like as soon as the cover design change occurred from human models to symbols, so did my feelings and the plot.
I enjoy Thorn, the hellchasers, Jaden and Savitar immensely. However, it seems she is trying to put too much information into one story. It seems rushed and choppy.
She can almost do an entire separate series based on the hellchasers, Thorn, the Dogs of War, etc. Please, bring back more of Simi, Appollomi, Acheron, Savitar and Artemis with each new story coupling. I mean we haven't really seen/felt/heard Artemis' scorn with Acheron's marriage - at least not what we know Artemis is capable of. And can we get a clearer picture of the Nick situation? It seems to get more confusing (not in a good way) each book and I am afraid I will be completely 'done' with the series before we get there.
It goes without saying I no longer spend money on her books - library only.

A serious let down from a once great author. It's hard to give up a great series, and I have been a DH fan from the beginning. The characters are thin, shallow and the plot line non-existent and full of contradictions. I feel these books are now sold for the idiots in Hollywood to make a "bad movie" from them. Kenyon has sold out her book rights to movie options first and the true brilliance of her work has been subverted to quick cash now. Go back and read the old ones. Kenyon has officially jumped the shark.

I have been following the Dark-Hunter series for years. But I think this is the book that has convinced me to stop. Here we have the story of Dev, one of the Wise cracking, trash talking Peltier Bears and the store Dark-Hunter Sam Savage. Sam has the ability of pyschometry so anytime she touches something or someone, she sees their memories and feels their emotions. For this reason, she has not been intimate with anyone in years. But surprise, surprise. Somehow Dev seems to be immune to her and can also "cleanse" certain objects so that they don't affect her.

Now, Stryker wants to use her ability to help his cause. Demons want her dead (pretty thin plot). And the Hellchasers have imprisoned her for her own good???
And why is that?

Okay, I realize that this is fiction but the Dark-Hunter books USED to atleast have a believable plot and finale. This thing was just crazy...and not in a good way.

**Possible spoiler**

Is Sherrilyn Kenyon really writing these books now or has a Ghost Writer taken over?
Since when do you have a Dark-Hunter book with ONE little 5 second scene with Simi?
What was so special about Dev that he was immune to her powers? Sam wasn't the mate the Fates had made for Dev until later in the story and it was only done then as some sort of punishment. The actual mating was only mentioned as an after thought. And what was the purpose of getting the Girdle? It was never mentioned again after it was retrieved! It didn't help her any during the fight scene when the Demons attacked. And FLYING FIRE BREATHING MONKEYS???? Give me a break!!! This series has definitely Jumped the Shark. I'm getting out NOW. I may peek back in if Simi ever gets her book. Other than that, good-bye Dark-Hunter series.

I really thought it would be hard for Ms Kenyon to write a better DH novel than DANCE WITH THE DEVIL, however I was wrong. This is a delight to read. Still a Dark Hunter novel it also has a great story of humanity and compassion.

Tabitha Devereaux is the twin sister of Amanda, who saved and married Kyrian, in the book PLEASURES OF THE NIGHT. Tabitha is an empath, her psychic abilities attract the daimons. She was attacked at the age of 13, when Talon saved her she found out about the Dark Hunters and has become friends with many of them including Ash and Simi.

Valerius Magnus is the brother of Zarak from DANCE WITH THE DEVIL he is hated not only by Zarak but all of the other Dark Hunters and squires. Because of the brutality of the Romans none of them are liked. The Greeks esspecially hate them.

While Valerius has held to his cold harsh facade for the last 2000 years, he can't fool Tabitha. She can feel his emotions and the lonely emptyness he carries within him. Rather than being cold and unfeeling he is sensitive and caring. However, nobody else seems to care about him. And now Desiderious is searching for a body for his spirit to occupy. He will not be happy until he has his revenge on Kyrian and his whole family which now includes Tabitha's family.

Kyrian has always hated that the grandson of the man who crucified him was also a DH. Tabitha encounters Valerius Magnus while on her hunt for daimons. Unfortunately she stabs him thinking he is a daimon during a heated battle in a dark alley. Helping Valerius leads Tabitha into deep waters with her family. And falling in love with him is the very last thing she needs to do, now that the bloody battle has begun. Sometimes forgiveness is the only way to go, when daimons call hopefully Dark Hunters will answer.

Overall, I enjoy SK's series though it starts getting old hearing some of the same phrases used over and over but by different characters. Everyone always does something and then "FREEZES". And the "you have no idea" is ran into the ground. And does everyone just meet someone and becomes "instantly aroused" (that is not the word she uses but if you have read enough of her books you know the word that is repeatedly used) There are a few others but I think I have made my point. The stories seemed to be shorter and rushed. I agree with another person asking where is Simi. I love her myself. I would like a story with Ethan.

I love these books! I have them in HB, PB and EB and re-read them all the time. However, this one left me a disappointed. I finished it in 3 hours. For me, thats an indicator that the writing was too simple. One thing I really enjoy about SK's books is their complexity. When I was finished, my husband asked if I had enjoyed it. My first thought was "filler book". I feel as if this was written to tie up some plts, add new twists to others, and start new threads. Glossed over it all like a thin layer of frosting on a cake was the story of Samia and Dev.

Samia is supposed to be a bad-ass the store who lives for fighting and bloodshed. For someone so bad she shows her soft underbelly pretty quick. Her fighting skills are somewhat sub-par as well. How has she survived 5000 years? I liked Dev, the wise cracks, and the reason behind his pain, but he needed more fleshing out.

The quest for Hippolyta's belt came off as contrived, just to make the book longer. Same with Samia's kidnapping. For something that Thorn masterminded, it was over and done with pretty easily. Also, it was Dev's quest and Samia is the one that did it. I agree with another commentor, SK had a great shot to really pull out some heart wrenching emotion between Samia and Nick when they were looking at the photos in his house, and she flubbed it, giving us superficiality instead. Also, as one person pointed out, this is pretty PG-13. Not that SK needs 10+ page sex scenes like Christine Feehan has been writing lately, but a bit more would be nice.

All in all, I feel that SK threw us some scraps instead of giving us real meat. They story is ok. I'll keep it as part of the set, but it's not likely to get re-read. It's just filler.

No Mercy is one of the Dark-Hunter series books written by Sherrilyn Kenyon and is the story of Samia and Dev. Samia is one of the special Dark-Hunters the "Dogs of War" and an the store Queen. She is also for the most part COMPLETELY unrelatable as a character and goes from being a helpless damsel in distress to a Wonder Woman clone in under a paragraph, multiple times. Dev is one of the goofy were-hunters (a were-bear) and part of the Peltier Bear clan. Dev is fairly well known from other books, but is apparently harboring a dark-brooding personality beneath his class clown exterior. This is unfortunate because if he had been more light-hearted, like in the other books, this might not have seemed like it was a carbon-copy of EVERY OTHER DARK-HUNTER NOVEL. The plot has holes in it, the writing is lazy, and like all other reviewers have mentioned it is incredibly short with very little character development. This could have been a good short story in some anthology, but it makes a very poorly done book. It seems that Kenyon has lost her passion for the Dark-Hunters since writing Archeron.

The redeeming part of the this book should be getting to see how the Peltier clan is doing from the fall out of Bad Moon. However there is so little about the Peltier clan regrouping and rebuilding themselves that it would be a real waste to spend money on this book just for that. If you are interested I suggest getting it from the library, do not waste you money on this book.

I just love The Dark-Hunter books but if you have not read any of the other books you are so lost. A few of the characters I had to go back and figure out who they were because I had forgotten them. There are so many subplots in this series that it is too "soap opera" now. I will still keep reading but I do not enjoy them as much as when they were uncomplicated. Side note: I wish Nick would just pull up his big boy pants and grow up, his spoiled little boy attitude is annoying. :)

This is my first review for a Kenyon book. This story is nothing spectacular, nothing out of the ordinary, just ok. It is just like Kenyon's last several books. I would normally give this a 3, but am deducting 1 star because it is another in a growing line of mediocre books by Kenyon. I don't know whether its my growing disappointment with each successive book or that Kenyon is really getting that bad, but I have noticed some problems for me.

********MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS BELOW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK********

If you are a first time reader you WILL be completely lost. My main problem is that Kenyon's books have become too complicated and confusing. I consider myself a fan of Kenyon's DH books. I've read all of them and my favorites multiple times. However, I now believe you have to be Kenyon's #1 fan or have read each book back to back 10+ times in order to even try to keep things straight any more. We started with just dark hunters, daimons, were hunters, gods, and sorceresses. Now we have 6? dimensions, 3? pantheons, 5+? races of demons, hellchasers, malachai, and sephiroth, etc and if that is not bad enough Kenyon has even started mixing them. For instance we have a were hunter hellchaser(Fang), a dark hunter were hunter(Ravyn Kontis), a dark hunter malachai(Nick), and daimons with demon blood(Stryker and army) etc. If your like me you read multiple series, multiple authors and when we have to wait a year between each book you sometimes forget things. A good example of that for me was Cael. I thought to myself well the reason I don't remember much about him was his story must be in one of the early books, but then I remember his story was told in Ravyn's book Dark Side of the Moon which was only 4/8(depending on if you count the dream hunter books) books ago.

I loved Dev and Samia as the hero and heroine. However, as another reviewer mentioned their back story is severely lacking. We only gets snippets here and there within the story. Dev was as he's been portrayed throughout the series-jovial, family committed, strong, tough, kick butt were bear. Samia is a strong, independent, expert fighter, womanly the store. Unfortunately I have a slight problem here too. As another reviewer mentioned I don't know how Sam could've stayed alive for 5,000 years since in this book she was always captured or losing her powers. Everyone kept remarking on her amazing fighting abilities, but I just didn't feel it. And is it me or are all the characters that were introduced as the biggest and most powerful constantly falling down the food chain so that they seem more like guppies than sharks? That leads me to Acheron...

What happened to Acheron's powers? In the first books he knew everything that was going on and in NM everyone was telling HIM what was happening. He only helped with waking Nick up, telling them where to look, and in the final battle. It seems like when he married Tory that he became oblivious to everything else. I noticed this too in BMR. All he did in BMR is say he'd look into the situation. Don't get me wrong I'm glad he finally got his HEA however in the midst of a war you can't just stop being the leader, the informer. Plus why was Ash mind wiping/withholding information from people. I would understand if it was about him or his relations, but to not tell the dark hunters about Spathi and now about them walking in daylight? Urian?

I think Kenyon messed up on Sam's psychometry. By the definition in NM Sam gets the history of an object if it is in direct contact with her skin or emotions and memories when standing by someone. So wouldn't Sam have gotten how the picture frame was made, when, why, what its made of, and who handled it(Cherise) instead of the scene the picture was about(Nick and Dev playing pool)? Why was Dev's phone toxic, but not Sam's house? All it said was that the squires approved it for no ghosts. Or if Ash actually cleansed her house, what about Dev's room? The things Dev poofed yes, but the floor boards, the bed, etc. Or was Sam's psychometry working with her empathy? Cause unless the orb was actually in Apollo's presence both times it shouldn't of been able to give her those details.

I must also comment on how all the characters seem to sound the same now. They all have to make sarcastic comments, have snaky comebacks, be irreverent, etc. Nobody seems to be unique. Even the newly introduced Scorpio and Ethon Stark.

There are only 2 love scenes and those weren't really engaging. They just don't seem to evoke the emotion/passion like Kenyon's earlier books. Dev kept thinking how beautiful she was and Sam kept thinking how nice it was not to feel any memories/emotions from him and that he was hot. I never really got the sense that they were in love, just in lust.

This book did not move the overall storyline very far at all, maybe a centimeter. This whole story was spent trying to keep Sam out of the daimons clutches. We didn't learn anything new about Nick, Thorn, Ash, Savitar, the upcoming war, etc. That would normally make me happy, but it wasn't filled with Dev or Samia either.

I would also like to know why Bastien and Gilbert were Nicolette's favorites. Bastien was Arcadian and Gilbert was Kattagarian. Also, how many are which out of her cubs. Dev is Arcadian so would that make the other 3 quads Arcadian too?
********END SPOILERS********
Overall it wasn't a bad way to spend some hours of my time. I am looking forward to next years DH book-Redemption featuring Sundown, even though I am positive it won't go how I think it would. I think Kenyon is spreading herself too thin. She needs to cut back on either the number of series she writes or the number of books she puts out a year.

No Mercy certainly moved the series along. We learn about changes in the Daimen world and progress a little in the whole Nick story. I really like both of the main characters -- Sam and Dev -- but I would have liked a little more development of the relationship not only with each other, but with others in Dev's family. There were some things revealed about people in the Peltier family that helps explain why Remi is such a cranky person. My first thought when I picked up the book was that it was short. After reading Bad Moon Rising, which was long, I was dissapointed before I ever started knowing that I would get summations rather than explorations. Aimee and Fang are here, but Aimee only tangentially. Again, no development. I will continue reading the series. I enjoy the arc of the story, but given the importance of these characters I would have expected Ms. Kenyon to have devoted more time to telling who they are. I hope that she is not spending too much time on other series and just cranking out one a year for this series to keep people interested. If she has to take longer to get out a book that really moves the overarching story line as well as does justice to the love, passion and romance of the main characters, I say move more slowly.

Was the book a bit easy and fast to read? Yes, but it was filled with the fun action pace that I love of her Dark Hunter Series. To me, the worst book so far was Dream Warrior (although I loved learning more about the Source from that book) because it was so slow, the action just wasn't there. This book was full of action. I don't understand why everyone is upset about the lack of Acheron in this book and in Bad Moon Rising, he is the leader of the Dark Hunters and these last two books focused on Were-Hunters (so Savitar would be more prominent). Yes this book had a DH in it but I still felt it was more Dev's story than anything. I don't expect to see/read a lot of Acheron in WH novels because he's not directly involved with those characters. I love reading more about Savitar when Ms. Kenyon puts out a WH book.
I also hope over the next few books Ms. Kenyon has some growth in Nick. The ending of this book makes me wonder if will now understand what Acheron went through with Artemis a little bit better.
I actually enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to the next. I understand that characters need to be introduced and changed up a bit in order to keep a series going. Some books are always going to be better than others but if I like the author and the series I will keep reading the books.

I must preface by saying that this is the firs of Ms. Kenyon's works I've read; I picked up a free copy at a convention for kicks, and it turned out to be just about what I expected: the literary equivalent of a Twinkie with sprinkles; good fun, but not much quality.

The characters and plot are predictable, even for someone who's not read any of her other works--will the fiery redhead manage to melt the icy, wounded heart of the uptight nobleman and introduce him to his wild side (or at least hers)? Will he struggle with great confustion over his attraction to her? Will her family hating him cause friction, but eventually be resolved so they can be together? Anyone familiar with books and stock plots in general and a high school education could have written this. The style gave me a headache; I believe it has been described elsewhere as "choppy," and that's accurate. The characters just seem to jump around from one action and thought to another without much apparent prompting, leaving "meaningful" moments feeling flat. It seemed, to me, like the kind of thing you might get from a high-schooler writing vampire fanfiction.

However, this was clearly not intended to be a great work of literature; it was intended to be a fun-filled, action-packed romp through an erotic fantasy world, with more throbbing cocks than a chicken coop sitting on a subwoofer. And that it is. It's a light, quick read that does entertain. In short, even though the crafting made me cringe, I did enjoy it. And while I won't be rushing out to buy the next one, I'd consider picking it up second-hand, or borrowing it.

There are few things more exciting than a Dark-Hunter novel. I figured Kenyon owes me big for the complete disaster that was Night Play, which many fans loved for having an overweight heroine (completely ignoring the fact that the only thing that keeps Bride from conforming completely to the ugly stereotype of overwight people as unhappy, socially inept losers is her lack of intreset in Star Trek). I will admit that when the couple from Night Play made a cameo I blanched, but fortunately Tabitha is a complete 180 from Bride and a very fun and refreshing character.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Tabitha Deveraux, the vampire hunting twin sister of Amanda, and Dark-Hunter Valerius Magnus. I think the evolution of the relationship is probably the most skillfully done one that has appeared in this series. There is actually that getting-to-know-you thing going on before they start lusting after each other like there is no tomorrow. Tabitha was a real surprise. She maybe a bit flighty and eccentric, but she is very loyal and surprisingly well-read. The thing I like best about her is that even though she has a scar on her face from a past scurmish with a daimon, she doesn't spend the entire novel obsessing over it. Valerius is equally entertaing. A bit stuffy and snobbish, Valerius is Tabitha's exact opposite and its very fun to watch how their personalities play off one another.

While I absolutely loved the main romance, I found the plot a bit of a mess. Apparently, Desiderius, the evil super-daimon from the first novel, is kinda back from the dead and looking for a body. The Spathi Daimons want to kidnap Kyrian and Amanda's psychic uber-baby, and Apollymi the Destroyer wants out of her prison. Somehow it all ties in together, but I just could not follow it. Not to mention I thought bringing back an old Big Nasty back from the dead was rather cheap as well as deus ex machina-ing immortality on all the main characters past and present in the story. However, Kenyon really shows that the war against the daimons is escalating into something big as bad things (including death) are allowed to happen to some of the characters we've gotten to know. I also thought that Zerek acted really out of character at the end of this novel. When he last appeared in Kiss of the Night and in earlier parts of this book, love hadn't mellowed Zerek out that much as he was still bad-tempered and surly. I can't believe that he would just give up his grudge against Valerius so easily and suddenly start acting like everything was hugs and kisses.

I also wish that Kenyon hadn't made everyone so over-the-top nasty to Valerius. I guess I can understand why the Greek Dark-Hunters and their friends and family would have such a deep prejudice towards him and Romans in general, but I find it hard to believe that they could make all the others, many of whom were born a long time after Rome callapsed, hate him too. The way Kyrian (who isn't presented in a flattering light in this book) talks you'd think that Valerius was a cruel butcher, completely ignoring the fact he himself was a conqueror and is most certainly not innocent of the very same things he accuses Valerius of. Kenyon also needs to learn how to make her characters deliver barbs and insults better, because (and this is something I noticed in all of her novels) the person making the insult always sounds really immature, like a elementary schooler on the playground.

It might seem like I've picked apart of the flaws of this novel, but even though I think they are some really big ones, the good points are strong enough to make this an exceptional read. As this book seems almost like a prelude to bigger things, I'm sure the plot will settle down and be fleshed out better in later novels. Seize the Night fully redeems Sherrilyn Kenyon in my eyes from the awful Night Play and has restored my excitement and hope of the rest of this series.

I love this series - and while some of the books (like this one) may leave me feeling short - or as if Kenyon wrote this quickly in a cookie-cutter fashion, I urge you to read all the books in the series. Read them because they build upon one another and to miss one of these books is akin to missing a chapter or season of your favorite show - trust me it is worth catching all the episodes...or books that she writes.

Wow this was a disappointment. I loved the Dark Hunter books. I absolutely loved them. At times, I found myself sighing at her rush to write short/useless books that could've been integrated into the rest of her novels. I accepted books like "Sins of the Night," and "Dead after Dark." (Dead after Dark was especially bad/rushed). But I'm absolutely stunned at this particular story. SK displays her need to turn everything into a fully-fledged book, rather than a short story. It was about 100 pages too long and lacked a chemistry between the two main characters. The only interesting parts involved Acheron, Stryker, Fang, and one or two other minor characters. I don't understand Ms. Kenyon's need to write an in-depth novel for each. and. every. CHARACTER! Why? Just...why? If Sherrilyn doesn't, at least, try to appeal to her fanbase, she's going to lose them. If you like, I can save you the time and make a short summary of the book so you don't have to waste your time with this monstrocity.

Everyone, please don't take offense to this review. It's a personal opinion and I really don't want to start a disagreement with people who adore "No Mercy." I'll totally respect your opnion, if you respect mine. Thank you for taking the time to read this :)

This was a great story, delving into the history of Valerius, enemy to Kyrian of Thrace and Zarek the slave. What a sincere expression of how someone can be so hated by so many people and loved by the most unlikely hero in the form of a woman. Tabitha, the vampire slayer, the great personality, the confident, and the comic relief meets her match in a man she should hate but falls hopelessly in love with. There's nothing mooshy about it. She's still a butt kicking, vampire smacking, tough chick. Some of the scenes in here had me rolling because she is so "real" in her personality, truly an engaging character and the only match to save Valerius from himself.

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Paranormal Romance -Sept 7th, 2010
4 stars

No Mercy is the newest novel by paranormal author, Sherrilyn Kenyon. Once again, Kenyon allows us into the world of the Dark Hunters, powerful warriors from the past who died horrific deaths, only to be brought back to life for revenge and the chance to rid the world of evil forever. This book focuses on Dev, a human who can shift into a bear and do some serious damage to his enemies. Sam, one of the few female Dark Hunters we hear about, is a fierce warrior who revels in battle. After meeting at the bar Dev's family owns, the two of them fall into an intense relationship that may or may not allow them to survive.

This book brings a ton of action, history, and bad-assness, all tied in with passion and love. The Demons and Daimons are back again, and Dev and Sam are some of their newest targets. The interesting part is finding out what powers Sam has and what torture she went through to receive them. And I'm glad that one of the brothers of the bear clan finally gets a book.

No Mercy is far along in the series, but you shouldn't have any problems understanding what's going on. Personally, I don't think you would enjoy it as much as if you had the full knowledge and appreciation of the characters from previous novels, but Sam's character is new, and everything is explained.

If you love Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, then you will not be disappointed. It has all the makings of a Dark Hunter novel, complete with lame jokes and brooding, hot men with long hair. I have read all her Dark Hunter novels, and I always love hearing about what the rest of the characters are up to. And although Kenyon's male characters are all very similar, it doesn't make them any less sexy or likeable. No Mercy is another great read from the author and once again, leaves me anxious to find out that gets the next story,

Reviewed by Ashley from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

To all those fallowing the Dark Hunter series, I would have to say that this is by far one of the most rivoting books yet. I sat up until three in the morning to finish this one book and could hardly hold back the tears as I finished it. Once again Ms. Kenyon does her books justic. "Sieze the Night" dulves even deeper into the lives of not only her Dark Hunter characters but also shares more about Acheron, Artemis and a few others.

Taken from the views of Tabitha and Valerius, this book shows just how important families and friendship really are. And while Ms. Kenyon dazzels us with more sexy DH scense, she also shows a man who, through time tried to help those in need and could never quite succeed. Valerius is a strong character, and while at first my dislike of his character in the other books made me cautious about this one, Kenyon shows just how any one person can really be good. Ms. Kenyon is truely a spectacular writer as she shows just how everyone can be blinded by the truth of events. Acheron, whos knowledge and wisdom knows no bonds proclaims in her novel, "There are always three sides to every memory __. Yours, theirs and the truth which is somewhere in between the two." I believe that that one statement will stay with me throughout the rest of my life.

This was one of my favorites in the series, Dev and Sam go through many obstacles before Sam is safe from Styker and the demons, but Styker does get his hands on Sam so he can use her powers to fine a way to brake the curse of his people and to kill his father Apollo, but what he learns pisses him off more then ever.

I felt lost... I have read every book in the dark hunter series and there was no mention of the dogs of war. there wasn't enough back ground on Samria and dev could have been wrote better too there wasn't much of a story to make me feel connected to to the story at all and Dev was and is one of my favorite charitors in her books but in this one.... :(

I think she must have been in a hurry to finsih it because it wasn't polished and outstanding as her others but everyones
to a flop once in a while.!

I love the Dark Hunter series. Sherrilyn Kenyon is a great writer. I like how she has written the characters from the old mythical gods, very interesting twist. I don't know how the woman does it, she has books coming out all the time. Most writers have one or two books a year. This woman has more than 5 series going, and I haven't read anything I didn't like.

This book was a very short, but a delicious Dark Hunter book. Val is uptight and doesn't know how to relax and Tabitha can't wait to get him out of his element. And does she! With that aspect only being part of the story, the other part is her family dealing with Val, this is truly one of the better Dark Hunter stories. Oh, and a very dark turn for Squire Nick in this book, I can't believe it! One book closer to Acheron.

This was a great book. Why? Because at the start of Chapter 1. You want Valerius to get his. After the first half of the book, you want everyone that ever caused him any grief to get their's instead. I also had a much better love for Tabitha. These were the characters you most loved to hate, and you end up loving them above the previous DH characters. Good plot twist. Lots of new pieces of Acheron, wow, wow, wow!!!

I can't begin to tell you just how much I enjoyed this book. I know it's pretty much a given seeing how addicted to the Dark Hunters I am but I really do believe that no matter how many books there are to the series, each one holds my attention and gives me the ride of my life. No Mercy comes straight into the story at such an interesting and crucial stage where it seems like everything is just hanging in the balance. There's war coming and I love that although the battle is beginning to rage and all the pieces are falling into place, love can still be found between two people who really shouldn't be together but the attraction and pull just becomes too hard to resist. No Mercy is the story of Samia and Dev and the fight to not only stop the threat to mankind but also the threat that tries to keep them apart.

There's alot of things happening in the storyline of the series and the big bad is ready to finally make its big move. I guess I could try to help play catch up but really, where would I start? I think it's enough to say that the advantage the Dark Hunters had over the Daimons is about to be pulled out from under them and will now make the Hunters incredibly vulnerable *makes my heart skip a beat to think that my beloved Hunters could be in trouble* To help keep what control they can have over the situation, Acheron (oh good gosh I love that man ) sends in his Dogs of War and this is where the story begins and it seriously had me glued to the book to the very end. There were twists in it that I didn't see coming and moments where I sat back thinking "Ok what the heck just happened". I have to tell you that I LOVED the last part of the book where all the crap that had been building through the book explodes and what an impressive explode it was.

One thing that really stood out in this book and I think more so than the others, is the incredible humor the author included. I'm not kidding when I say I was laughing every other sentence. Granted some of the lines tossed back and forth between the characters were kinda cheesy but they still had me SOL (snorting out loud) I think that's part of why the story was so enjoyable for me because it almost felt like a brief respite. The storyline is such that things will be getting incredibly serious (well alot more serious than they are) and there's going to be alot of ass kicking to be done. It was nice to see a very playful attitude amongst the Dark Hunters / Were Hunters, which made them more well rounded and showed me there was more to them than bad boy sex appeal.

I really LOVED the characters in the book, both new and beloved favorites. Most books feature male Dark Hunters and this was one of the few that the lead Hunter was female. Samia was this real tough and feisty warrior who lived for the kill because at the very beginning she had lost everything. Centuries had passed that had forged her into a Dog of War (kind of like the elite of the elite) so meeting Dev and falling for him really threw her for a loop. I loved their first meeting where she screeches to a halt in front of the Sanctuary, all decked out in leather and proceeds to have this cocky flirt back and forth with Dev. As the story goes on you get a deeper look into her past and how it has molded how she thinks and feels. I will tell you this, Samia in full warrior mode is truly something to behold. I loved reading about her and am really grateful that the author maintained Samia's strength and power regardless of what vulnerability she was experiencing (sorry but it really irks me when an author takes a strong heroine and reduces her to a snivelling weak shell)

Dev. Where to begin with this incredibly sexy Were Hunter (they're like Dark Hunters but they are able to shift into different animals). Straight away I knew he was this cocky self assured man with his own battle scars to deal with. As a bear shifter, Dev has seen it all in the centuries he's lived and is trying to come to grips with the death of his parents in an early book. You can't help love the man and he was given some of the funniest lines in the book. As I sit here trying to describe him, two images come to mind that sealed the deal for me and left me sighing. It didn't take long for him to realize that there was something about Samia that called to him and almost immediately he felt this powerful need to protect her. Samia had certain powers that made living almost impossible if not for Acheron and it was soon discovered that Dev was also able to provide her respite. In one scene, Samia thrown into painful overload, without even thinking Dev reaches out and scoops her into his arms and holds her. Can you see the image of this powerfully built man, seasoned by years of battle and experience, tenderly holding the woman he is growing to love *sigh* (if you can't, imagine harder :P) I love seeing even the hardest of men soften and be gentle. The second was that Dev was literally willing to go to Hell for Samia, to do whatever it took to keep her safe and bring her home to him. He didn't care what dangers he faced, how many times his life was threatened, all that matter to him was her. Doesn't that kind of devotion just make you melt? Dev really impressed me and even now makes my heart race a little.

I can't possibly write a review for this book without including a little homage for my beloved Dark Hunters that made cameo appearances. Although not a Dark Hunter, Fang was part of some important scenes and he was so entertaining I pulled out his book Bad Moon Rising to read again. I loved how he was willing to do anything for family (he married Dev's sister Aimee) Nick also appeared in the book and my gosh, I can't wait for the upcoming books where whatever the heck is going on with him is revealed more. He is just so angry and somethings lurking inside him that tells me that where ever he is, things are going to go crazy in a BIG WAY. My heart aches for him. Ethon is a newly introduced Dark Hunter who I've got EVERYTHING crossed that I'll see more of. There's a great story hidden there with him and the man has a serious funny sense of humor. Of course, being a Dark Hunter also makes him sexy as hell. Finally, my beloved Ash (Acheron) was seen throughout the book. My gosh, he'd make a 2000 page book worth it, even if he's only mentioned in one sentence. There's just something about him that just pulls me in and for me he's a highlight of the story. Sexy, sexy, SEXY man.

If you haven't guess already by the long rant I've just given that I love this book, I do need to add though that I feel a little disappointed and this REALLY bothers me. I remember when I read Fantasy Lover (the first in the series) and hit that first sex scene, if you looked closely you would have seen the scorch marks on my finger tips. Incredibly steamy and unbelievably sexy. Just know that you haven't experienced a truly HOT sex scene until you've read it with a Dark Hunter. I was still in my "uncomfortable stage" with reading adult romance and so I skimmed alot at the beginning. As I moved through the series, I began reading more and skimming less so when I started reading No Mercy, I expected to be dazzled and my clothing to melt off. Instead what I got was fizzle. I'm not sure what happened but the Dark Hunters I'm addicted to, the raw sexuality that oozes from the pages wasn't there and the VERY few scenes that were there were mere BLIPS. I wanted that intensity and passion that ignites off the page and the book read more like a YA novel than an adult. I'm left now with the book finished, feeling unfulfilled and my passion needs unmet. Maybe it's a good thing because it gives me a great reason to begin the series from the beginning. (YAY)

You know how I feel and without a doubt I highly recommend everyone and anyone to read No Mercy. Read the entire series and join the Dark Hunter Lust Club. We meet every Thursday at 7.30pm and visitors are always welcome. Enjoy!

This is one of the best books in the series because so many things happen. Amanda's twin sister, Tabitha, is the heroine in this story and a sassy character she is! She meets Dark-hunter, Valerius while out fighting Daimons and from that point forward they are nearly inseparable. The hero and heroine truly show that opposites attract. There is a good romance, but the action and suspense parts of this book are even better. There is a lot of new information about Ash and some resolution of past conflict. I enjoyed it!

Sherrilyn Kenyon did it again. She writes these amazing DH novels and you think you have read them all but i found this one i hadn't read yet. Well it got me right back into the DH and Deimon world. This one has a cool twist in the last part. Read on DH fans!!

I am just a little embarrassed to like the Dark-Hunter series. It's incredibly derivative (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Anne Rice). Some of the "breezy" dialogue is awkward and unconvincing. And the story lines are fairly similar in each one: you have a gorgeous tormented hero with a tormented past (and I mean *really* tormented...crucifixions, starvation, pretty much any horrible thing imaginable)and the heroine who saves him. Not to mention fairly arbitrary, "deus ex machina" plot twists.

But, I love the books. I like the magical elements, the sex scenes are plentiful and couldn't be better, but most of all, you know, I just really FEEL for those heroes.

Valerius is as tormented as they get. Even the other tormented heroes of books past don't like him! Luckily, he meets up with Tabitha, who may be Kenyon's best heroine to date. She's unconventional, kind, brave, sometimes blundering, tacky, and unabashedly sexy. For Valerius, who is a former Roman general with a rigid and formal exterior, she's absolutely perfect.

**MILD SPOILER**

The plot twist with Nick was kind of a shocker, but I thought it was satisfyingly dramatic. Some elements of the ending were verrrry sloppy, but hey. Seize the Night, like all the Dark-Hunter novels, was a lot of fun.

I wish I'd been smart enough to read the reviews BEFORE I ordered this book. It's paperback so I didn't lose a bundle on a confusing mess of a read.
I realize I essentially came in after the intermission and didn't know the back story, but there were so many characters I needed a score card.
I thought I would be reading a fun book. I wound up reading a bodice buster. Will she or won't she? Does he or doesn't he?
Tortured characters make we want to reach through the pages and shake some sense into their over wrought heads.
AND I had to finish the stupid book because I was where I couldn't lay hands on another read more to my taste.
If you love palpitating hearts of ancient warrior women this book is for you.
It wasn't for me.

This might be my last Dark-Hunter novel. I loved the beginning books of the series, but I pretty much lost interest when Ash became domesticated. Yes, I know, people are going to yell that he has a right to be happy, but I like my "gods" or "heros" to have some mystery to them. I feel the series has gone downhill. I'm actually not sure what Kenyon could do to "perk" the series up, but it's kind of lost it's appeal for me. This book could have been put out in paperback. Every time a new chapter starts, there are only nine lines of print on the page and maybe 10 words to each line. What a waste of space and buyers money. No Mercy was an ok story, I did finish the book, it was interesting enough for me to get throug it.

I have enjoyed the other books in this series so much that I bought this book the day it came out and then stayed up all night reading it. I loved it! Val and Tabitha are excellent characters and the themes running through their developing relationship are universal and well developed. I also applaud Ms. Kenyon's development of Ash. With every book he becomes more three dimensional and we better understand the staggering burden he carries. How bold of the author to show that actions have consequences that not even a "god" can undo and that things said/done in anger can not be taken back.

The author is getting better and better with each book in the series. She takes real chances with her characters, resists the urge to vear into "preciousness" with the dialoge and with every book deepens the Dark-Hunter world and the rules governing it.

but others hide deep within. Tabitha Devereaux discovers that though Valerius Magnus seems cold and distant, underneath is a vulnerable man who hurts for sins that weren't of his making.

Val's confused by Tabitha's openness. She's the first person to truly see who he is. More than see, she loves who he is. But all hell is literally breaking loose. And though Val knows not one of them would lift a finger to save him, he'll die trying to save those Tabitha loves...because he loves her, even though he knows he shouldn't.

Kenyon's Dark-Hunter novels only get better and better!

My goodness, I can't even keep track of the characters in this book. It seems that every 2 pages there is another character. Is she doing this to insure the longevity of the DH series? If so, I suggest that she cut down the characters and focus on the story. This book left me wanting so much more instead of what I got. I felt no connection with the characters, and in some parts, several times, I felt as if I skipped pages or missed something. Too much jumping around and not enough focus on the plot or character development.

At a glance:
The latest book in the Dark Hunter Series. Currently it is spending some time on the NYT best seller list which is no surprise. This particular book focuses on Dev a were-bear that has been a secondary character in the series for some time now. His leading lady is Sam, and ancient the store warrior with a very annoying power.
Several of the old Dark Hunter characters come in and out of the book.
Acheron makes his usual appearance, but he seems a little watered down these days.
Urian is back again with a little larger support role. Can this be the workings of a book for him in the future? I sure hope so.

The book is a good addition to the rest of the series, and is a little more on par with some of the older works. Its a good read, no doubt.

Read Quality:
As with all Sherrilyn Kenyon books the reading style is easy and offers plenty of humor.

Strong point:
Dev has a weird personality that is displayed great. He will keep you laughing, and of course you can love his character to pieces.

Weak point:
Lack of originality. The main story seems to be spinning out of control at this point. Also Sam's powers seem to be an altered knock off of another well-known vampire series. The connection she and Dev share is also an altered version of another vampire couple.

Audience it will appeal to:
Paranormal Romance all the way.

Buy it or borrow it:
Either, if you are a collector go ahead and slap it on your shelf. If you are just a reader of the series, borrow it and keep moving or pull out the Kindle and download away.

Happy Reading,

Ty-

This book has so many "twists and turns," I couldn't put it down. I literally read it overnight. I don't want to give too much away, but trust me Dark Hunter fans, it is well worth the wait.

The only problem that I had with this book, was that there was so much going on, Valerius and Tabitha, the main characters, were like a foot note. Still, it was a great read!!!

This story is the ultimate example in 'accidentally' falling in love. It hits you when you least expect it. And with Tabitha, love is SO not in the cards. She's entirely too busy kicking Daemon butt. Nevertheless, when she manages to stab a dark-hunter instead of a soul-sucker she's left with the challenge of nursing him back to health. Unfortunately, the unconscious DH happens to be her brother-in-law's biggest enemy and as handsome as they come.

Valerius is a regal and proud Roman General and completely unprepared for a woman like Tabby. She is ill-mannered, improper, and human--therefore totally off limits. But her stunningly sexy and courageous defiance makes his blood heat and his body stand at attention.

It's true that when opposites attract things can get wickedly hot!

And Valarius is the small woodland creature she bowls over. Ugghh! The story started out with promise, but I really didn't like the way Val kept caving in to Tabby's psycho whims. I hated what the author did to Kyrian in this book! He was cold and harsh where Val is the compassionate Dark-Hunter. Not if you read Night Pleasures! The author also changes the rules a bit. Artimis grants each Dark-Hunter one single act of vengance in return for his/her soul, but lo and behold, Kyrian apparantly recieved two! SK- please don't change the game on us part way through!

The best part was the advancment of Ash's story.

I believe this book is one of Sherrilyn Kenyon's best of the Dark Hunter series. I love the strong female (Tabitha) character and she can fight together with the rest of the Dark Hunters, in spite of her being human and mortal. And off course, I love the hero Valerius, the Roman General turned Dark Hunter. Very enjoyable good reading.

In truth I love all the Dark hunter novels. I also believe Ms. Kenyon to be a wonderful author. I'm just really suprised that I enjoyed this novel that much!! Throughout the other novels you develop a natural dislike for "Val". It's not something you can really help since you're existing in the perspective of the other characters. Since they hate him, it rubs off on you. That's why i wasn't too thrilled about reading his story. But as soon as I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I love "Val"! He's nothing that I expected him to be. Ms. Kenyon is a genius. It takes a skilled writer to affect peoples consiousness and she's done it. This and her other novels are definitely worth the read. Keep'em coming!

... if I could leave a review without leaving a star of any kind, I would.

This book fails utterly on many levels. First of all, I am very, VERY glad that I did not pay money for it. As it is, I may use the copy I have for kindling some cold winter day if I do not foist it off on someone else first. It is, by far, the worst piece of published fiction I have ever read and holds number two spot on my "worst stories ever" list.

I had all the charcters figured out within 10 pages of their appearance, so cilche they were. The female lead has a thoroughly rampant case of Mary-Sue-itis, so rampant that I doubt any recovery would have been possible with the aid of a competent editor. The words "characterization black hole" seem somehow inadequate to describe the soul sucking vortex that she left in her wake among the other characters.

As soon as it became apparent that some characters couldn't die, all possible sense of danger and worry evaporated and left me with the mary-sue and her boy toy. Why authors think that immortality is great, I'll never know. It only robs the reader of any sort of tension and worry for the characters' continued existence (not there was any to begin with, but I would have liked to look forwards to some ugly splatter deaths for most of the characters).

And then there's the villain who can't seem to find his butt with both hands. I thought I was reading some demonic version of a Power Rangers bad guy, so inept he and his cronies were.

I suppose this is a book for fans only, because it certainly did not intrigue me to want to read any more of Kenyon's work in any genre whatsoever.

I almost didn't read this book because of some of the reviews I picked it up at my library. Now I wish I would have spent the money and bought it I thought it a great read more like the first Dark Hunter books with a little humor and a lot of fighting very exciting and I didn't want to put it down for those of you still on the fence I say read it kudos to the author for giving us a kick ass book!

I loved this book. It was a brilliant story and excellent writing. The characters were well-developed and interesting. I loved the back story. The author has an easy-to-read writing style. Overall, an excellent book.

Hello,

I personally love Sherrilyn Kenyon and will read most anything with her name on it. However, this novel gets bogged down with setups for future novels and loses focus (or me) in the last fourth of the book. I like that Tabitha was more of a "real" person instead of the caricature she was in Night Pleasures. At first I didn't want to read Valerius' novel due to the animosity the other characters felt with him. Good read. Couldn't put it down. Still love Night Pleasures and Fantasy Lover the best of all.

I was so suprised to find this book better then I expected it to be. I could not put it down, it made cry, laugh, and it was filled with tons of passion that you wouldn't believe. Sherrilyn Kenyon does a wonderful job of developing her character and setting the mood. I never imagined myself reading these types of books, but thanks to Kenyon I have now read all her Dark-Hunter Novels. I suggest you read one of her books, you might be suprised how hard it will be to put down!

this is the first book of kenyon's that i have read. i don't think i will be reading any more. There is a lot of sex in this one and not enough of the story line to keep me interested. i love shapeshifter books so i thought i would like this one too. They only change forms twice in the whole book. Whats the point of writing a shape shifter book if the characters don't change their shape often. My aunt had told me about the bear sanuctary and i thought it seemed interesting. Maybe her other books were better but if you want more storyline and a lot less sex i would go for any thing by Patricia Briggs or Mary Janice Davidson. There is a little bit of romance but nowhere close to being pornography.

I could not put this book down once I stared and I finished it in one sitting. It was a great read from beginning to end with twists and turns that surprise even the most devoted dark-hunter readers. More about Ash and a new dark-hunter that you would never guess. I am still trying to put it all together and I can't wait for the next in this series. Keep them coming Ms. Kenyon. They get better and better.

So far I have read 5 of Kenyon's DH series, but this one has been the best so far. It was very exciting and I could hardly put it down. What I liked best is you found out information on characters who haven't had "their" book yet. The more I read about Ash (& there was alot in this book) the more I want his story. I hope it will be coming soon. The main characters Valerius and Tabitha were great. The Daimons in this book were very strong and difficult to beat. There were some very unexpected deaths. I won't say more. Just read it, you'll enjoy it.

I have read all of the Dark Hunter books, but I have to say I started getting "antsy" about four to six books back.

- Characters are beginning to sound the same. It's becoming, "Read one SK hero, read 'em all". How many times is the hero going to use the dirty underwear line?

- The plot is just not there. The develoment between hero/heroine relationship has become very simple and basic. Almost high-schoolish, while the remaining book itself becomes more confusing with the overwhelming amount of new characters introduced in each new book. I can't keep up anymore which means readers lose interest.

I started some other ladies on the DH series and they have decided after Bad Moon Rising they would not be buying anymore of her books. I caved and bought No Mercy. Wishing I hadn't and glad that I have a NOOK so I got it cheaper than others. I couldn't finish the book. It was slow, the characters had no depth. The detail isn't there. I started reading another book and am enjoying it immensley.

I really believe the problem is SK trying to put too many books out at once. When you go to SK website there are several errors. A lot for a professional site. With the amount of books she's putting out...I don't see how you can write that many and keep the quality there. It isn't going to happen. I think it's become more about the sale than about the quality. Sadly, that will not continue. In the long run sales will go down and pulishers are loyal to numbers.

I will not be buying anymore Kenyon books.

I've been reading S. Kenyon for months. However, the storyline is getting trite, predictable, and in cases difficult to follow with so many creatures, monsters, and over characters. The first books are the best. This book took me over a week to complete (unusual), simply because it did not hold my interest often. But, since I paid for it I felt compelled to finish it. May be my last S. Kenyon for a while.

This is my third letdown from Kenyon. I will not buy another hardcover of any of her books. It seems she is cranking out books to make a buck without any regard to her loyal readers. Large print, double spaced, and rushed story line are three flaws of The Chronicles of Nick, Bad Moon Rising and now No Mercy. I have loved the Dark Hunter series but the characters in these last three books are not well developed and the plots are just too rushed. I want to keep up with the series. I have so many unanswered questions. I just wont buy another hardback. I hope she will take more time writing the next books and give the readers what they want again.

The ending did seem somewhat thrown together (SPOILER HERE) what with Acheron deciding to grant immortal status to a couple of his friends (what he never had friends in the last 11,000 years?) which was mighty convenient, and then the whole thing with the "new" Dark Hunter and Acheron not realizing that even with his god status, he had cursed him. That said I liked the twist with Valerius and Tabby's empathic ability to see his pain. It's also always nice to see familiar faces too. I'm really hoping that the series can continue to be fun, without resorting to the pointless sex (as opposed to really great, plot driven sex) and lack of tension (sudden abilities to overcome anything by last minute "I didn't know I could do that!" powers) that is occurring with other formerly great series.

I'm a huge fan of Sherilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series, and while this book was better than the last three I picked up, it's nowhere near as good as Night Pleasures or Night Embrace. This book seems less rushed than the last few stories, though it still feels like the writer is just mailing it in. Perhaps she's simply created too complex a universe, with too many characters to fully explain or do justice to. I'm not sure exactly what the problem is, but I wholeheartedly agree with the other reviewers who mention that these books feel hurried. Please Ms Kenyon, S L O W down with this series. I'd love to read everything in this series (especially Acheron's story) but not if it feels this half-hearted. I'd love to see the same quality of writing that I enjoyed in Night Pleasures. Not the same stereotypes, predictability and repetition rehashed over and over.

This is a book which really changes alot of what you precieve you knew what the DH world really is...

I've just started reading this series 2 months ago... and I can't wait for 2007 for Ash's book... :P

The characters are people you can related too... someone you know maybe? :D The difference how you see 'paranormal' romances...

Highly recomend to any1 who 8 yrs ago reading Night World series... it's of somewhat a similar concepts... if you're into romance books full of fun, laughter, and a really really good thought out background storyline... this is a series for you to try :)

I love the Dark Hunter series and Kenyon's writing style. I loved Dev and Sam but there just wasn't enough of them. Ash and Nick made appearances which Dark Hunter fans expect and should be rewarded with, however their parts were way too small. Your fan base loves Ash -- Why do you give us so little? This book was not worth the hard-cover or e-book premium price. There was not enough there. Will the Dark Hunter fans continue to suffer as she adds even more series to her inventory? How could anyone put out that many QUALITY books in one year? What was there was good, it appears that it was rushed to meet a deadline.

Valerius gotta love him... I just really like this book. I really like the storyline, I like the background information we got on Ash and Co.

Good reading and love the mythos of this series.

Yippy!

So far I have read 5 of Kenyon's DH series, but this one has been the best so far. It was very exciting and I could hardly put it down. What I liked best is you found out information on characters who haven't had "their" book yet. The more I read about Ash (& there was alot in this book) the more I want his story. I hope it will be coming soon. The main characters Valerius and Tabitha were great. The Daimons in this book were very strong and difficult to beat. There were some very unexpected deaths. I won't say more. Just read it, you'll enjoy it.

I have read all of the Dark Hunter books, but I have to say I started getting "antsy" about four to six books back.

- Characters are beginning to sound the same. It's becoming, "Read one SK hero, read 'em all". How many times is the hero going to use the dirty underwear line?

- The plot is just not there. The develoment between hero/heroine relationship has become very simple and basic. Almost high-schoolish, while the remaining book itself becomes more confusing with the overwhelming amount of new characters introduced in each new book. I can't keep up anymore which means readers lose interest.

I started some other ladies on the DH series and they have decided after Bad Moon Rising they would not be buying anymore of her books. I caved and bought No Mercy. Wishing I hadn't and glad that I have a NOOK so I got it cheaper than others. I couldn't finish the book. It was slow, the characters had no depth. The detail isn't there. I started reading another book and am enjoying it immensley.

I really believe the problem is SK trying to put too many books out at once. When you go to SK website there are several errors. A lot for a professional site. With the amount of books she's putting out...I don't see how you can write that many and keep the quality there. It isn't going to happen. I think it's become more about the sale than about the quality. Sadly, that will not continue. In the long run sales will go down and pulishers are loyal to numbers.

I will not be buying anymore Kenyon books.

I've been reading S. Kenyon for months. However, the storyline is getting trite, predictable, and in cases difficult to follow with so many creatures, monsters, and over characters. The first books are the best. This book took me over a week to complete (unusual), simply because it did not hold my interest often. But, since I paid for it I felt compelled to finish it. May be my last S. Kenyon for a while.

This is my third letdown from Kenyon. I will not buy another hardcover of any of her books. It seems she is cranking out books to make a buck without any regard to her loyal readers. Large print, double spaced, and rushed story line are three flaws of The Chronicles of Nick, Bad Moon Rising and now No Mercy. I have loved the Dark Hunter series but the characters in these last three books are not well developed and the plots are just too rushed. I want to keep up with the series. I have so many unanswered questions. I just wont buy another hardback. I hope she will take more time writing the next books and give the readers what they want again.

The ending did seem somewhat thrown together (SPOILER HERE) what with Acheron deciding to grant immortal status to a couple of his friends (what he never had friends in the last 11,000 years?) which was mighty convenient, and then the whole thing with the "new" Dark Hunter and Acheron not realizing that even with his god status, he had cursed him. That said I liked the twist with Valerius and Tabby's empathic ability to see his pain. It's also always nice to see familiar faces too. I'm really hoping that the series can continue to be fun, without resorting to the pointless sex (as opposed to really great, plot driven sex) and lack of tension (sudden abilities to overcome anything by last minute "I didn't know I could do that!" powers) that is occurring with other formerly great series.

I'm a huge fan of Sherilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series, and while this book was better than the last three I picked up, it's nowhere near as good as Night Pleasures or Night Embrace. This book seems less rushed than the last few stories, though it still feels like the writer is just mailing it in. Perhaps she's simply created too complex a universe, with too many characters to fully explain or do justice to. I'm not sure exactly what the problem is, but I wholeheartedly agree with the other reviewers who mention that these books feel hurried. Please Ms Kenyon, S L O W down with this series. I'd love to read everything in this series (especially Acheron's story) but not if it feels this half-hearted. I'd love to see the same quality of writing that I enjoyed in Night Pleasures. Not the same stereotypes, predictability and repetition rehashed over and over.

This is a book which really changes alot of what you precieve you knew what the DH world really is...

I've just started reading this series 2 months ago... and I can't wait for 2007 for Ash's book... :P

The characters are people you can related too... someone you know maybe? :D The difference how you see 'paranormal' romances...

Highly recomend to any1 who 8 yrs ago reading Night World series... it's of somewhat a similar concepts... if you're into romance books full of fun, laughter, and a really really good thought out background storyline... this is a series for you to try :)

I love the Dark Hunter series and Kenyon's writing style. I loved Dev and Sam but there just wasn't enough of them. Ash and Nick made appearances which Dark Hunter fans expect and should be rewarded with, however their parts were way too small. Your fan base loves Ash -- Why do you give us so little? This book was not worth the hard-cover or e-book premium price. There was not enough there. Will the Dark Hunter fans continue to suffer as she adds even more series to her inventory? How could anyone put out that many QUALITY books in one year? What was there was good, it appears that it was rushed to meet a deadline.

Valerius gotta love him... I just really like this book. I really like the storyline, I like the background information we got on Ash and Co.

Good reading and love the mythos of this series.

Yippy!

Tumultous and tempting, this book is an adventure in action and passion. Our beloved characters are forced into one of the most dangerous encounters in this series. Some hard decisions are made and the overall plot of the series is well developed. This is also a wonderful stand-alone book. Tabitha and Valerius are complex, well-developed characters that draw you into their lives and the story. From laughter to tears this is an excellent book for exciting reading.

I liked this book but it's not my fav in the series. Sherrilyn Kenyon tends to entertwine storylines in her books. She did with this one as well but not as much as Bad Moon Rising.I loved the roles Nick & Ash played in the story.I can't wait for her next book!

Once again Sherrilyn Kenyon has forced me to read all night long. I couldn't put this book down. My heart went out to Valerius so strong so upright, till Tabitha enters his domain, and shakes it up a bit. You can feel the sparks immediately from these too. This book as well as all other Dark Hunter books just grabs you and keeps you reading till the very last page, which is hard to come too cause you want it to go on and on.

These books would be better if the author actually remembered what she had previously written and therefore did not contradict herself.

For example: on page 339 of "Dance with the Devil" she described Archeron thus: "His long blonde hair flowed around his shoulders".

On page 8 of "Seize the Night" however she says that Archeron "......wore his long black hair loose and flowing around his shoulders".

On page 242 of "Dance with the Devil" the author says "Zarek stripped his own clothes off" and yet just one page later on 243 she says: "Zarek moved away from her only long enough to remove his clothes".

This kind of sloppy writing detracts and distracts from some rather unusual ideas that deserve either a) a writer of more discipline or b) proof-readers who knows what they are doing.

The other thing that detracts from what would be interesting stories is the insistance that all her primary male and female characters seem to suffer from a severe sex addiction and the inability to control it to the point where it interferes with the flow of the story.

On top of that the sex scenes are so repetitve that having read a couple of them, the reader is free skip forward a couple of pages in any and all of the books to pass over the "seeing stars" and "hissing" with passion bits.

It's a shame because the basic themes are interesting....the above instances are distractions from what should be good stories.

What do you get when a Dog of War and an Arcadian Bear mate?

This book picks up right after Bad Moon Rising with Sanctuary getting back on its feet. This is one of those tie it together/stage for a big revelation books. The core of the story is about Samia and Dev and how do two people who are afraid of relationships and letting others become important manage to trust enough to fall in love. The course of the book ties up a few loose ends like what happened to Amaranda and Cael, as well as letting us get to know the Dogs of War. Thorne makes an appearance as the manipulative bastard we all love and hate. Stryker of course shows up and is an honorable villain. One annoying factor is knowing who and what Nick is while the characters in the story do not but all will be revealed in the end I imagine.

All in all its a fast paced story with lots of action, questions are answered while others are posed. There's the normal sarcastic wit we love in the hunters (Dark and Were alike) as well as the vulnerability they all carry and struggle with. It's a great story that seems to be helping to set up another amazing one like Acherons.

When I first picked up Sherrilyn Kenyon's books, I was really engaged.
She provided backgrounds that painted her characters richly and had me waiting for the next novel.
The last few books have seemed much more shallow and disjointed. I was hoping this story about Dev would rekindle my interest. Unfortunately, there is very little time spent on the characters of Dev and Samia, what the reader does get seems to just be thrown in to fill in mandatory spaces.
Humor and bantering in the first books seemed to fit right in, but I was starting to feel like I was reading/watching a "Ninja Turtles" movie after awhile with "No Mercy". Feels much more forced and adolescent.
Same goes with the sexual/intimate scenarios. More crude, less thoughtful.

This book is what happens when high and mighty meets total irreverence. Dark tormented vampire hunter mistakenly stabbed by bubbly infectious human and subsequently falls head over heals in love amid danger, hatred, and lots of laugh out loud moments!!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Dark Hunter series and am a huge Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley MacGregor fan but this novel did not quite live up to my expectations. The beginning was very good but by the time i had read about 2/3 of the way through the book, I began to feel like Ms. Kenyon had not quite figured out how to resolve the story but was being urged to finish the book by her publisher. Relationships were not resolved with her usual thoroughness, parts were left unexplained and the whole "birth of a new Dark Hunter" part was so rushed that it seemed a bit ridiculous. I expected the same quality as I have read in her previous books and this one did not deliver. I know that Ms. Kenyon was setting us up for things to come in this series but too many new concepts were introduced and not explained. Sorry to say because I do indeed love this series. Here's hoping the next one is better!

This story was excellent, not so much because of the story between Valerius and Tabitha, (and it was a good story), but because of so many other things that happen, and revelations that come out. I read this book in one night. It was funny, thrilling, shocking, sad,...you name it, this story has it! Sherilyn Kenyon strikes again!

Usually when I buy a book from Ms. Kenyon, I devour the entire book in one night. This one left me kind of bored. The characters are ok I guess, but for me, they weren't as developed as some of the others in the past. I felt like the story was written in a hurry and details that are essential- Dark-Hunters lose their powers when they are around each other too long, why did Sam become human in certain parts etc. left me confused. When did the rules change? it was an eh story- but I think it's just one of those that is a filler for the next book.

Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the best... Love her Dark-Hunter books. I really like that the characters keep coming back so you see how their relationships progress past their story. In this one Tabitha and Valerius are just great together. The interaction with Amanda, Kyrian and Julian and how their relationships with Valerius evolve. And the way Zarek keeps getting back at Valerius is funny, and the way Ash fixes is is just as great... The one big shocker is Nick (and I'm not spoiling that, you have to read the book).

I'm a little disappointed. The book lacked a developed story and it seemed hastily written. Kenyon has so many different projects going on that it appears she has bitten off more than she can chew. I have enjoyed majority of the DH series and my all time favorite is book 12, Acheron. It was simply delicious. However, this book fell short of my expectations. Characters seem to be thrown together in this book just to make an appearance, there was too much corny bantering between the characters, and I did not enjoy the change in universe. **Spoiler** I did enjoy the reference to Nick and the visions he was having. It fell in step to the first Nick book.

I hope Kenyon is not losing heart in this series because there is too much left unsaid. I really don't want her to through something together, so she can say she has completed the series. I have not given up on her and this series; I just hope it gets better.

I am glad to say that this book had the flavor of the previous dark hunter novels. It was fun to read and I will be happy to read it again. I loved Dev's humor and Sams attitude. I am happy that the book was not a big fight between the two. It moved the series along well and introduced Nick in a different way. Wish it had been a bit longer...seems like the books get shorter each time (Acheron's present-time book was WAY to short). I would recommend this as a good addition to the series.

Ms. Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series is just amazing! Every time I think she's done all she can, she pulls a new story out of seemingly nowhere...and ALWAYS well thought out and written! Blessed Be, Ms. Kenyon!

Although I have to say that this book was not one of Sherrilyn Kenyon's best in her Dark-Hunter series, it still shines. In her previous books, one learns to dislike Valerius because of how other people perceive him. But this time we get to see inside the man and see how he ticks. The book ends on a rather convenient note; it just seems to easy for these characters. I'm all for the happy endings, but this time it seemed like the characters didn't work all that hard to obtain them. Still, wonderfully written, as usual.

I admit to being partial to 'Fantasy Lover' and 'Night Pleasures'. It just went downhill from there.

I was hoping with all my heart 'Seize the Night' will have the bite back, and it looked promissing... for the first few chapters.

Afterwards... it lost the charm, the frivolty, the romance, and the action. It made me wanna cry with frustration.

MILD SPOILER:

What was that Acheron thing, anyway? Hello? Twilight Zone to the max!

And passing around immortality like candy. Just plain nasty!

No, ms. Kenyon has definitelly lost what she had at the beginning of this series. I suggest she finds it and pronto!

I like Kenyon's earlier works, they're witty, steamy and fun. But what happend to Kenyon's newest book 'Seize the Night'? Akward syntactics stopped the flow of the novel, and the story line also has akward connectiions between the characters. This book gives me the feeling that it is someone else's work and not Kenyon's. I gave 'Seize the Night' only 2 stars because it just does not have the same quality that is found in the earlier Dark Hunter novels. I hope this is not this is not a trend.

It was an okay read, nothing spectacular. After reading Kresley Cole's Immortal series, I guess am a little spoiled. I may read one or two more of the Dark Hunter series, eventually. It wasn't a bad book, but it was not the same caliber of Ms. Cole's novels.

I stopped purchasing this series several books ago. They just weren't worth it. I only read the newer ones to keep up with the story line incase she starts writting again.
Definately wait until you can get it from the library, not worth shipping costs.

I have been a Kenyon fan since I first read the Dark-Hunter Companion! I thought that this book did a wonderful job of showing us the inside view of the Were world, much like Bad Moon Rising.

Another perfect book cher! Keep up the awesome work!,

I JUST LOVED THIS BOOK !!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS ISSUE .... I CRIED FOR VAL AND NICK ITS WAS THE SADDEST DARK-HUNTER BOOK SO FAR ... ARTIE DIDN'T ACT LIKE A BITCH FOR ONCE !!! AND ZAREK SUPRISED US ALL IN THE END .....AS FOR ASH I'M I'LL LEAVE THAT ONE UP TOO YOU TO FIND OUT >>> I KNOW THIS IS A SHORT VERSION OFF ALL THE OTHER REVIEWS .... BUT IT WAS JUST GREAT ...A MUST READ...........

Ever since Nick got killed he sounds like a whiney teenager and it has seriously turned me off of this series. Her characters lack well character for the lack of a better word. Ash sounds like a beat down wuss. Stryker is also really whiney. It has gone from a smart witty series to a series about ppl whining over theri won damn choices. I strongly suggest finding a new author to read like Kresley Cole, Jeanine Frost or Gena Showalter. At least their characters dont whine.

Kenyon is the only author I know of that can keep a series going this long and still make it interesting and new. I loved Dev and Sam. Dev was witty, super hot and a highly entertaining hero. Sam was the kick-ass heroin. They had an amazing chemistry.

tis is the best book in the series...

their love story is dark yet so sweet

tis is one ball kicking heroine

iwas surprisingly hooked onto it from start to finish

i read the whole book in jus 6 hrs

pls read tis book...its definirely worth yr money

I read this in one sitting. I was grateful I got it on a day off. The story is amazing and well fleshed out, but the ending was what really floored me. I don't want to spoil it, just get this book, and prepare to be enthralled.

I have eagerly been awaiting the next installment in the Dark Hunter series and I have to say I really did enjoy No Mercy. This book centers around Were Hunter Dev and Dark Hunter Samia, and interesting pair that technically shouldn't be. But that just leads to a more intriguing storyline doesn't it? Samia is a strong and tough Dark-Hunter more than capable of standing her ground and kicking major ass and as with all Dark Hunters, she has a tortured past she has to come to terms with. Dev is shape shifting bear who also comes with his handful baggage and is dealing with the tragic events that unfolded in Bad Moon Rising. The books picks up where Bad Moon Rising left off, and the cloud that surrounds Sanctuary and all its inhabitants is like a character all of its own, and rightfully so considering the events that did unfold there. I hate giving away too much of a plot so I'll try to be as vague as possible.

I have to say while I found Sam and Dev to be good characters and I did want to see their story unfold, I found myself even more intrigued by secondary characters in the book. Of course everyone wants to see more of Ash, what would a Dark-Hunter book be without him but I was equally drawn into Savitar's little appearances (again I'm biased since he's easily one of my favs) as well as some new Dark Hunters, Ethon (I really want to see his story), Scorpio, and Chi. For the first time in the series, I started to feel that Stryker was beginning to become a fully rounded villain even though he already had his own book. For some reason he just felt more present in this one. Not to mention the notorious Nick. Anybody following the series knew Nick from the very beginning but the changes in his character and his story had me so engrossed. We all know he's troubled, in trouble, and now powerful as hell, but there is some of the old Nick there and that just makes his character even more appealing. He's no longer the comical character we first met, he is an entity all on his own, one who could rival even Acheron.

And as for the characters, some might think too many sarcastic characters is one book would be overkill but for me it just worked. I loved to see these characters face off against each other in their battles of wits. It kept momentum going and constantly had me smiling throughout the book. Seeing Fang, Dev, Ethon, Ash, Nick and even Scorpio face off with their sarcasm was really enjoyable.

The story itself, Dev is a very likable character. His wit is funny and lightens just about any situation. His connection to his family and characters we already know like Fang and Aimee add to his appeal. And the fact that he is one of a set of quadruplets is an interesting trait. Sam is a hardened warrior, tough, brazen, secure and her powers both help and weaken her. Dev and Sam are a great pair. Dev isn't intimidated by Sam's personality or power. The story unfolds like any Dark-Hunter book but this time with the knowledge the reader knows a lot more backstory. I like the fact that Ash is no longer prisoner on Mt Olympus conveniently missing parts of fights and that his cell phone really didn't go to voicemail. He was present in this book, the way a leader should be. I loved the maze element toward the end with the riddle and clues.

No Mercy is definitely an addition to the Dark Hunter Series. More questions are answered, more characters are developed. By this time the reader is in and a part of a world we are already familiar with and Kenyon keeps it that way. She doesn't drift from characters we know, locations we know, or plots we've already followed. No Mercy adds depth to the series while sticking to elements we love: Action, Fantasy and Romance.

This book will make your mouth drop!! The rules will be changed that will leave you in shock. The romance between Valerius and Tabitha was fantastic. She opens up a whole new world for him and he treats her like a queen. DEFINITELY get this book.

This book has so many "twists and turns," I couldn't put it down. I literally read it overnight. I don't want to give too much away, but trust me Dark Hunter fans, it is well worth the wait.

The only problem that I had with this book, was that there was so much going on, Valerius and Tabitha, the main characters, were like a foot note. Still, it was a great read!!!

Sherrilyn Kenyon books are the very best!!! Her Dark Hunter series is great, no one can top it. She is the best!!! I can't wait for the next one to come out. I wish she would do some book signings in upstate NY.

She almost pulls it together. I was glad to see Valerius and TAbitha hook up, but he was just another wounded soldier. I really dislike Otto and how could she do that to Nick?I think it was just thrown together. Am I happy at the end of the book- not really. I just want Ash's story (I'm going to skip everyone else until then)

This book has so many "twists and turns," I couldn't put it down. I literally read it overnight. I don't want to give too much away, but trust me Dark Hunter fans, it is well worth the wait.

The only problem that I had with this book, was that there was so much going on, Valerius and Tabitha, the main characters, were like a foot note. Still, it was a great read!!!

Sherrilyn Kenyon books are the very best!!! Her Dark Hunter series is great, no one can top it. She is the best!!! I can't wait for the next one to come out. I wish she would do some book signings in upstate NY.

She almost pulls it together. I was glad to see Valerius and TAbitha hook up, but he was just another wounded soldier. I really dislike Otto and how could she do that to Nick?I think it was just thrown together. Am I happy at the end of the book- not really. I just want Ash's story (I'm going to skip everyone else until then)