Night Play (Dark-Hunter, Book 6) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sherrilyn Kenyon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2004

Bride McTierney has had it with men. They're cheap, self-centered, and never love her for who she is. But though she prides herself on being independent, deep down she still yearns for a knight in shining armor.

She just never expected her knight in shining armor to have a shiny coat of fur...

Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis isn't what he seems. Most women lament that their boyfriends are dogs. In Bride's case, hers is a wolf. A Were-Hunter wolf. Wanted dead by his enemies, Vane isn't looking for a mate. But the Fates have marked Bride as his. Now he has three weeks to either convince Bride that the supernatural is real or he will spend the rest of his life neutered--something no self-respecting wolf can accept...

But how does a wolf convince a human to trust him with her life when his enemies are out to end his? In the world of the Were-Hunters, it really is dog-eat-dog. And only one alpha male can win.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Can a gorgeous werewolf with magical powers and an overweight boutique owner with a broken heart have a future together? They can in Kenyon's fantastical world, which imagines a contemporary New Orleans teeming with vampiric Daimons, immortal Dark-Hunters and various were-bears, leopards and wolves. Vane Kattalakis is a lone wolf in every sense. His brother, Fang, is in a coma; his werewolf father wants to kill him; and his mostly human mother, who was taken by force by Vane's father, would happily see them all dead. But after Vane shares a sizzling sexual encounter with Bride McTierney, he realizes his life is about to change. Bride is Vane's "predestined mate," which means that he has three weeks to convince her to be his partner or he'll spend the next several decades impotent and alone. Vane's gentle, protective manner and "ripped" body appeal to Bride, but she can't help wondering: if they were to get together, would they have puppies or babies? Kenyon's tale, while amusing at times, borders on the ridiculous. The rules of her world change constantly, and her male characters are all formed from the same tall, dark and dangerous mold. Bride, meanwhile, is a mere cipher, and though the sex scenes between her and Vane are titillating, their romance is nearly nonexistent.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Bride McTierney has just been dumped via FedEx. There's not much that could ease such a broken heart until Vane Kattalakis wanders into her shop and her life. Their whirlwind affair feels too good to be true. After all, her ex-beau proved men are dogs, which turns out to be a more appropriate figure of speech than Bride could ever imagine. More character driven than her previous Dark-Hunter novels, Kenyon's latest is a nice change of pace yet still chock-full of the quirky humor, complex fantasy, and searing passion that her readers love. This book's success, however, appropriately lies with Bride and Vane. It's been said of Kenyon that she knows men, but she really knows women and all our secret fears and hidden desires. She has distilled those into Bride, who is both our sister and ourselves. Then she made a man who understands and loves her, insecurities and all. Every woman should have a Vane Kattalakis in her life. Thanks to Kenyon, every woman can. Nina Davis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312992424
• ISBN-13: 978-0312992422
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost

More About the Author

In the past two years, New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon has claimed the #1 spot twelve times. This extraordinary bestseller continues to top every genre she writes. With more than 23 million copies of her books in print in over 30 countries, her current series include: The Dark-Hunters, The League, Lords of Avalon, BAD Agency and the Chronicles of Nick. Since 2004, she has placed over 50 novels on the New York Times list. The preeminent voice in paranormal fiction, with more than twenty years of publishing credits, Kenyon not only helped to pioneer, but define the current paranormal trend that has captivated the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

117 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Regarding reviewers' prejudice of Bride being a size 18, October 14, 2004

By 

Pam from Texas - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Night Play (Dark-Hunter, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I had no intention of reading any of the Dark Hunter books because I thought they would be too mushy and full of sex for my tastes. I happened to read the reviews and was livid over some of the remarks. These reviewers didn't like Bride being a size 18 because that's . . .uh . . .obese. I bought the book and expected to read about a huge woman waddling across the room crying over her weight all through the book. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Vane, a were-hunter, had just lost his sister. His brother retreated into a coma in wolf form after he and Vane escaped death at their father's command. Vane's mother hated him and also tried to kill him. Having never known parental love nor acceptance from anybody but his sister and brother, Vane was feeling pretty low and hopeless when he saw Bride. He was attracted to her and found himself in her store. Bride was flabbergasted at the attention he was giving her because he was the best looking man she had ever seen. Of course she was going to worry about her size, but she did NOT moan and groan about it any more than was normal. Of course she wanted to be smaller and felt inferior. The reviewer who would like to lose ten pounds has no idea how a size 18 feels. Bride knew there were a lot of people out there like a couple of the reviewers and she couldn't believe he would love her for herself. Gasp! Perish the thought!

Though I thought the first sex scene happened too fast, I enjoyed the book and plan to get the rest of the books in the series. I don't like sex overkill (think the last 3 Anita Blake books ) but I did like this book. Too bad there aren't more Vanes walking around. Maybe there wouldn't be so many people with body image hang-ups.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Wish She Would Write FASTER!!!!, August 26, 2004

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night Play (Dark-Hunter, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ms. Kenyon is an amazing talent in the genre of paranormal romance! I wish she could turn these dark-hunter stories out faster! Night Play is a Were-Hunter story and is amazing as any of the previous stories in this series! Normally I tend to get bored with a series if it drags on to much...this is SO not the case with Ms. Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series.

This book has it all! Yummy dark hero, Vane who we met in Talon's story (who just so happens to be a wolf, Vane not Talon) yummy dark secondary characters (Fang, Fury...), a great heroine named Bride (who is not a perfect size 2 but instead a woman that is more average then we really want to admit too), and a storyline that is action-packed as well as the added historical detail to the myth of the Were-Hunter! Vane and Bride have incredible chemistry, and their romance not only made me laugh out loud a few times, it also made me sigh! *AH, ROMANCE*

If you have been a die hard loyal reader of Ms. Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series this is a must read that you need to pick up. If you are new to the very talented author, and her great series, then get ready to order her older stories. Old friends, and favorite characters are included in this story, and we are even introduced to new characters. Plenty of potential for new stories for this series! I'm so excited!!!

This was a very fast read, and one that I was loathed to put down until the last page. This is one author, and one series that I highly recommend without any reservations to the romance reading fan!

Official reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I could give it 6 stars I would!!!!!!!!, August 3, 2004

By 

The Walkie Talkie (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Play (Dark-Hunter, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

Like many that have been waiting most impatitently for Vane's book I didn't put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. A fantastic book!!!!

Night Play continues on the legend that is the Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters, Dream-Hunters and the gods and fates that still love to meddle in the lifes of us mere mortals. The main story between that of Vane and his heroine Bride is one many can relate to. Bride isn't a "perfect" model thin heroine with superficial woes and complaints, she is a real woman, with real issues, a realistic weight and a heart of gold. You find yourself understanding and empathising with her from the first moment you meet her.

Adding to the great story of Vane and Bride is the reaccurance of some familiar characters that add to the story and also to the whole series. Kyrian, Amanada and Tabitha return to help Bride with some tough decisions, Val and Otto make an appearance to not only progress the story but prepare us for Val's up and coming book, Acheron is back with more great fortune cookie pearls of wisedom and a bit more of his background comes out and Nick, the wise cracking, hawaiian shirt wearing, charming cajun squire (can you tell he's my fav character??) is back with dating advice that would make you cringe if you weren't doubled over in hysterical laughter.

All in all an amazing read! Good on it's own but if you want to fully appreciate it and get a full understanding of the Dark-Hunters and Were-Hunters so far I would suggest locking yourself away for the weekend and enjoying all the books in the series so far.

6 stars, 2 thumbs up...A great book from the Paranormal Romance master of them all! Way to go Sherrilyn.