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Night's Edge (Sookie Stackhouse #4.2)

by Charlaine Harris, Barbara Hambly (Goodreads Author), Maggie Shayne (Goodreads Author)

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 1,837 ratings · 160 reviews

DANCERS IN THE DARK by Charlaine Harris

Dancer Layla Rue Le May's childhood prepared her to handle just about anything, including her aloof partner, Sean McClendon, a three-hundred-year-old vampire. But when she acquires a stalker, Layla Rue is surprised to find that Sean is the only one she can trust.

HER BEST ENEMY by Maggie Shayne

Kiley Brigham refuses to believe there's a...more

ebook, 384 pages

Published August 1st 2009 by Harlequin Books (first published October 1st 2004)

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Mar 29, 2009 Jenny Robinson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is probably the BEST Sookieverse book. The short story of the 2 vampire dancers in Sookie Book 7. The story is so sad, but Sean the vampire...I am in love with. These two characters are so well written. I fell in love with both of them. It is simply one of the best stories I have read in a REALLY long time. Sad, uplifting, romantic, all the good stuff. Layla and Sean. Absolutely awesome.

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Jan 07, 2010 BarkLessWagMore rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Maggie Shayne use to be my favorite paranormal romance author way back when she was writing for Silhouette Shadows but she lost me when she started writing the books with the witchy heroines who annoyed the heck out of me. Her story here is a haunted house tale but the hot dog swilling heroine (Kiley, is it?) is a bit abrasive. Who blows smoke in a guy's face when he was nice enough to hand over a light for her cig? What's up with that? Though I did enjoy this haunted house bits of the story it...more Maggie Shayne use to be my favorite paranormal romance author way back when she was writing for Silhouette Shadows but she lost me when she started writing the books with the witchy heroines who annoyed the heck out of me. Her story here is a haunted house tale but the hot dog swilling heroine (Kiley, is it?) is a bit abrasive. Who blows smoke in a guy's face when he was nice enough to hand over a light for her cig? What's up with that? Though I did enjoy this haunted house bits of the story it took quite a while before the irritating heroine chilled a bit and grew on me. The plot was just creepy enough to hold my attention and have me anxiously turning the pages but, alas, the romance was a bit of a flop for me. The pair went from complete dislike, to overwhelming lust, to deep forever love in a blink. I can't see them shacking up together for any longer than a month before boredom sets in, tempers begin to flare and Kylie storms out in a huff. Hmmm, this all sounds mighty negative but, really, I did enjoy the story and never found myself bored so there's that . . .

The Barbara Hambly story was rough going. There was far too much navel gazing going on and the story just didn't seem to move. Maddie has way too much internal dialogue going on and over analyzes everything and everyone near to her. One night Maddie goes out in search of her roomie Tessa, who spends long nights alone practicing ballet in a creepy studio. While searching for Tessa a smelly man lurking in the shadows whispers something along the lines of "little sluts are alike" before disappearing. Maddie is justifiably creeped out and when Tessa introduces her to Phil, a temporarily homeless man living at the studio, she fears he was the one whispering those not-so-sweet-nothings in her ear. But she's confused because Phil isn't stinky and the erotic dreams she has about Phil after the fact have her hoping he isn't the foul-mouthed, foul-smelling psychopath hanging out in the shadows.

She goes over and over (and over)all of this in her head, does a tarot reading filled with danger signs that adds fuel to the fire, then worries some more about her roomie, her past, her mother and well you can see the pattern here. If I wanted to hear a worry wart yammer on I could any number of people. I'm just not patient enough for a character like this.

This story was unfocused and meandering and though it got a little better it just wasn't my thing. All in all this was an okay ghost story and a so/so romance but not a story I'd ever read again.

The Charlaine Harris story turned out to be the best of the three. Rue is a dancer, haunted by a tragic past that is only revealed in bits and pieces. She needs money and agrees to sign on with a copy of dubious origins called "Blue Moon" where she is paired up with a sexily accented, very secretive centuries old vampire named Sean. The pair hit it off as only two kindred and very damaged souls can but trouble surfaces when a nut from Rue's past comes back to haunt her. This story was tender and suspenseful and never made me think "awww, stop feeling sorry for yourselves and get over it already" as so many angst-filled vampire tales have a tendency to do. I liked both of these characters and their chemistry was a very powerful thing.

Two stories get 2 stars, the other a 4.(less)

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Apr 06, 2008 Cherie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started reading this book over the weekend and I really enjoyed the first story, Her Best Enemy by Maggie Shayne. I'd always thought of Ms. Shayne as somewhat of a fluffy-bunny, happily-ever-after type of romance writer, especially after the first story I read by her from the Out of this World anthology. Not in a bad way per se, just more in the way that romance novels bore me. In any case, Her Best Enemy was a wonderful haunted house story, and though parts of the story were fairly predictabl...more I started reading this book over the weekend and I really enjoyed the first story, Her Best Enemy by Maggie Shayne. I'd always thought of Ms. Shayne as somewhat of a fluffy-bunny, happily-ever-after type of romance writer, especially after the first story I read by her from the Out of this World anthology. Not in a bad way per se, just more in the way that romance novels bore me. In any case, Her Best Enemy was a wonderful haunted house story, and though parts of the story were fairly predictable (the gal and the guy DID hook up of course), the rest of the story was intriguing right up until the very end. Bravo! I wanted to write this while the story was still fresh in my mind, but I'm going to hold off on giving a rating for the book itself until I've read the other two stories. However, if I were to rate the book on this story alone, I'd probably give it a 9. :)

The last story in this book, Dancers in the Dark by Charlaine Harris, was probably the best in this anthology, but then again, I have loved all four of Charlaine's Southern Vampire books (the Sookie Stackhouse ones) so it's not surprising that I'd really enjoy her contribution to this anthology as well.

Anyway, Dancers in the Dark, while it would probably be considered a romance, had enough intrigue and danger in the story to make it far from the usual *yawn* boring romance. Though it has different characters, it takes place in the same world as the Sookie Vampire books. If you've read those books, you'll recognize the symmetry in the handling of vampires in this story. Of the three books in this anthology, this was the only one of the three that had anything to do with vampires, though that wasn't probably the primary reason I liked it best. I believe it was more because I have really come to like Charlaine Harris' writing.

The mystery is compounded by the fact that Charlaine doesn't give everything away right up front. For instance, she starts by only hinting at some of the horrors in Layla's past instead of spelling things out in the first chapter, which tends to pique the reader's interest. Same goes for Sean, the lead Vampire. Of course, you know things are going to work out in the end, for they nearly always do in anthology stories, but I certainly couldn't have predicted everything that happened in the story.

I should probably mention something about the second story, Someone Else's Shadow by Barbara Hambly, too, since that was also fairly good. Not as good as numbers 1 and 3, but interesting enough, probably a 6. This was the first story I've read by Barbara Hambly, and using this story as a basis, I'd say that I'd definitely read something else by her in the future. This story was also a romance, but contained the supernatural element of ghosts like the Her Best Enemy, the first story. It was a bit more predictable than the others, though the story was interesting enough to keep me reading. :)(less)

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Aug 31, 2009 Shannon (Savhage Temptrest) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "Dancers in the Dark" by Charlaine Harris starts this anthology with the novella about dancers Layla and Sean. These dancers actually made an earlier appearance in "All Together Dead" by Ms. Harris where they performed at the vampire summit in Rhodes. This story focuses on how the two met and fell in love while dancing together for the Blue Moon Entertainment Agency that specializes in human dancers performing with vampire dancers. Layla and Sean connect because both are trying to forget their p...more "Dancers in the Dark" by Charlaine Harris starts this anthology with the novella about dancers Layla and Sean. These dancers actually made an earlier appearance in "All Together Dead" by Ms. Harris where they performed at the vampire summit in Rhodes. This story focuses on how the two met and fell in love while dancing together for the Blue Moon Entertainment Agency that specializes in human dancers performing with vampire dancers. Layla and Sean connect because both are trying to forget their pasts, and live in the present through dancing. They both hold the key to a bright future as dance partners and possibly more, but only if Layla's past doesn't destroy what they are trying build. An entertaining story, Ms. Harris never ceases to amaze me with her short stories and books in the Southern Vampire Series. Any fans of Sookie Stackhouse will enjoy this story!

"Her Best Enemy" by Maggie Shayne was a very funny and suspenseful addition to this anthology. Kiley is a reporter who's column discredit local psychics in Burnt Hills, NY. She doesn't believe in the supernatural, and thinks all psychics are liars and thieves out to swindle people out of their hard-earned money. However, when she experiences some supernatural "incidents" in her new home, she is forced to enlist the help of a local psychic she has been trying to discredit for months to no avail. Although Kiley and Jack are "enemies" because of their professions and beliefs in the supernatural, the attraction and chemistry between the two just can't be denied while they try to discover the mystery surrounding the haunting of Kiley's house. Ms. Shayne mixed this short with wonderful blend of humor, sexual tension, and mystery surrounded by suspense. This was a very entertaining story for all Maggie Shayne fans, or even people who have never read anything from this author before! A definite must read!

"Someone Else's Shadow" by Barbara Hambly-I have to say I didn't really like this story for this anthology. The story focused on Maddie, a dancer and tarot card reader with a shaded past, whose trying help her roommate Tessa overcome the nightmares and sleepwalking she is succumbing to on a nightly basis. Maddie knows it has something to do with the Glendower building where Tessa dances, and Phil Cooper, the guy who rents a studio in the building and resides there. The story just did not mesh. It went in several directions, and I almost didn't finish it, hence the reason I didn't devour it the first day as I would most new books I buy. The love aspec between Maddie and Phil was way too fast, and it just kinda got stuck at the end of the story and just wasn't plausible.

Overall, I enjoyed the book for the paranormal stories, and I really enjoyed the first two stories. I would recommend this to all die-hard Charlaine Harris and Maggie Shayne fans because you just have to read these two stories!(less)

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Apr 01, 2008 faeriemyst rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: paranormal romance lovers and fans of these authors

Shelves: romance-paranormal, vampires

I just finished Maggie Shayne's short story, Her Best Enemy, and enjoyed it a lot. Yes, the plot is rushed and I didn't believe they could love each other that soon at the end, but it was a really fun story! I would have liked it better if Ms. Shayne had left them just starting out in their promising relationship and not dropping the L-bomb at the end - it felt too forced and cheesy. But as I said before, it was very fun, and an easy and fast read too! :)
4/5 stars

Someone Else's Shadow was anothe...more

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Dec 29, 2007 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007, anthology, romance, paranormal

Three paranormal romances with some suspense. Some do it better than others.
"Her Best Enemy" by Maggie Shayne
Kiley doesn't believe in anything she can't see, but it seems there is a ghost in her new house. Of course, her only hope lies with the psychic she's been trying to prove a fraud.
"Someone Else's Shadow" by Barbara Hambly
Maddie senses something evil in the building where she teaches belly dancing, but a girl has to pay the rent. Is Phil helping her or is he the malevolent force she feels?...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Brianna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural

While the only author I had read in this book before was Charlaine Harris, I was fairly impressed by each of the stories. All three writers know how to write a compelling short story, and I think that the stories were the perfect length to keep me interested, and I'm intrigued enough to look up any other stories the three authors have written.

The first story, Dancers in the Dark, is a background story for two characters briefly seen in Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. I enjoyed it because it ga...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoyed Layla's story. It was so captivating and I wanted more of it. Not that the author did a sub par job I just enjoyed it immensely and really didn't want the story to end. The other two stories in this book I have to say I didn't have any interest in reading at the beginning. However, I am one of those people who can't just read half a book and put it down I have to read the whole thing so I chugged along.

The 2nd and 3rd stories were remarkably good. I get them mixed up in wha...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Kevin Richey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm currently reading through all the Southern Vampire Mysteries, and I'm trying to read all the short stories in between the books in their chronological story order. So this has brought me to "Dancers in the Dark," which was the only story of this collection that I read (for now, anyway). It is the first story by Charlaine Harris that I've read that wasn't narrated by Sookie, and it was much different in tone than the Sookie books.

"Dancers in the Dark" centers on Rue a.k.a. Layla, a young woma...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Jody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked this book. Two good ghost stories and a vamp story by Harris that was not all Sookie this and Sookie that.
1) Her Best Enemy by Maggie Shayne - Story of a report or journalist (whichever you want to call her) who goes about debunking supernatural specialist (ghostbusters, mediums, witches etc) and writing about it in her column. There is this one guy who she can not catch faking it. Anyway she has just bought this new house and guess what she is not the only one there. So she turns...more

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May 28, 2012 Meg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: women-supernatural, short-stories

I picked up this collection of novellas for the paranormal elements and those were great!

The romance elements were, eh, not my thing. Solidly written, but typical with a sexist edge at points.

Dancers in the Dark has a typical overly protective and at points invasive male lead. This is in character for the male lead, since he is an ancient vampire with some out of date views which are tempered by modern learning, but still present and color his reaction. I think what I had the most problem with...more I picked up this collection of novellas for the paranormal elements and those were great!

The romance elements were, eh, not my thing. Solidly written, but typical with a sexist edge at points.

Dancers in the Dark has a typical overly protective and at points invasive male lead. This is in character for the male lead, since he is an ancient vampire with some out of date views which are tempered by modern learning, but still present and color his reaction. I think what I had the most problem with was the female lead's reaction to some of his behaviors. I felt her reaction was way too mild when she found out, or at least suspected, that he was following her home every night. Given the character's history, this should be a big no no. She should not let it slide. The fact that he then goes behind her back to find out her past, when several other characters could have given him this information, just drives home the boundaries he's pushing. Worse, he doesn't pay for his transgressions. The female lead is only mildly grumpy, but ultimately finds this flattering or comforting. Comforting! Because it's comforting when men follow you home every night, right? Especially if you have a history of abuse, apparently! In all seriousness, the issue isn't handled abysmally, but it's not handled well either. I'm going to blame genre for this one on genre, but it doesn't excuse what's been done here.

Her Best Enemy has a fun, antagonistic romance, but there are some dubious consent issues in the first time the pair gets together that personally made me uncomfortable. It's over quickly and it's not at all an issue for the characters, so it's pretty minor in the scope of things, but it still made me uncomfortable. Otherwise, this is probably my favorite in the collection. The haunting is fantastic, the wrap is great, and I enjoyed the character banter thoroughly.

Someone Else's Shadow was the least offensive for the romance, minus the whole 'we barely know each other but are definitely madly in love' aspect. Overall, the romance just didn't interest me at all. Excellent work on the haunted building, the atmosphere was well built and the handling of the ghosts was interesting. In my opinion, weakest of the three.

Looking at the publisher for this collection, I'm not the intended audience. Still, if the romance doesn't bother you, these are decent paranormal reads.(less)

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Aug 03, 2012 Xulieta NeveraDeLibros rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, vampires, paranormal, anthologies

A estas alturas es evidente que Charlaine Harris es una gran escritora y es muy conocida gracias a su saga de la querida camarera y telépata Sookie Stackhouse que en menos de un año verá su final con su último libro.

Yo me considero una gran fan y como tal no he podido evitar zambullirme en esta novela publicada por Harlequin Ibérica y que forma parte de la saga de Sookie Stackhouse aunque se puede leer sin ningún problema sin haber leído ninguno de los otros libros.

Rue May necesita un trabajo pa...more A estas alturas es evidente que Charlaine Harris es una gran escritora y es muy conocida gracias a su saga de la querida camarera y telépata Sookie Stackhouse que en menos de un año verá su final con su último libro.

Yo me considero una gran fan y como tal no he podido evitar zambullirme en esta novela publicada por Harlequin Ibérica y que forma parte de la saga de Sookie Stackhouse aunque se puede leer sin ningún problema sin haber leído ninguno de los otros libros.

Rue May necesita un trabajo para poder seguir estudiando en la universidad por lo que acude a una prueba como bailarina en donde Sylvia Dayton, propietaria de Blue Moon Entertainment y de Black Moon Productions la acepta como pareja del enigmático y frío Sean O'Rourke que para más señas es vampiro.

A partir de ese momento la vida de Rue comienza a cambiar a marchas forzadas y se dará cuenta que no estaba tan solo como creía.

Charlaine Harris nos trae una historia pequeña llena de misteriosos pasados y amores presentes que disfrutarás de principio a fin. Con un uso mágico de su pluma, la escritora crea una nueva trama en la que los vampiros salpicarán las hojas con las gotas de sangre que dejan a su paso mientras tu te recuestas en el sofá entretenida con unos personajes que encajan totalmente en su papel y que no desentonan.

La novela está narrada en tercera persona y se sitúa en Rhodes que es donde vive la protagonista. La soltura de Charlaine al escribir es tal que la lectura del libro es super amena y llevadera que incluso te engancha. La única pega es que se acaba en un abrir y cerrar de ojos y me hubiese gustado disfrutar mucho más de estos personajes.

Como nota curiosa añado que se hace mención de la empresa E(E)E que es el único nexo que veo con los libros de Sookie Stackhouse ya que está era la empresa en la que trabaja Quinn, el hombre tigre.

En resumen, con un ritmo constante Charlaine hace aparición de nuevo en el panorama editorial para mostrar una historia que disfrutarás desde la primera página pero que se te hará super corta.
Amor y secretos formarán un dúo sin igual que te dejarán un regusto muy dulzón en la boca tras leer la novela y que harán que quieras leer más novelas de esta escritora.
¿A quién se la recomiendo? A todos aquellos que busquen algo entretenido y ameno. También a aquellos que le disfruten del género paranormal y sobre todo a los fans, como yo, de Charlaine Harris.
Lo mejor: la trama y los personajes.
Lo peor: que sea tan corto. Se podría haber estirado la historia.
(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Caro rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: harris-charlaine, shayne-maggie

Dancers in the Dark was really good. I liked it and would read it again. It was a great short read. I liked the emotions and feelings and how Rue really did have friends, she just had to look. Great job. Her Best Enemy was really good too. I liked the whole fraud who's not a fraud thinking he's a fraud thing. That was a pretty good story line. I would definitely read this again. It was a great short read and I liked all the characters and it had some good 'what's going to happen next' scenes. Ya...more

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Apr 09, 2010 Hope rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Hope by: Cynthia

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 24, 2013 Janet added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

This anthology started off great with Maggie Shayne's story "Her Best Enemy". I would give that a 4 rating. The back cover blurb actually gives a fairly good description of all these stories (except for the very sloppy fact that the second story had the Hero's last name wrong). When I read "Someone Else's Shadow" by Barbara Hambly which felt like a 2 for me I started to get discouraged about the whole book. But of course Charlaine Harris (and "Dancers in the Dark") was next and I was pretty darn...more

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Apr 02, 2010 E. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

Charlaine Harris' Dancers in the Dark follows a woman trying to put her life together after a horrendous history with an abuser. A job dancing with a vampire partner changes her life forever. Her Best Enemy by Maggie Shayne centers on a reporter who specializes in debunking myths and fake psychics only to discover that the ghost in her house necessitates her finding a genuine ghost-hunter who she hasn't completely antagonized. Someone Else's Shadow is the creepy entry from Barbara Hambly in whic...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Vickiek rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Awesome book!! It contains three stories, two about ghosts and one about a vampire, and all three are great! I finshed this book in two days and couldn't have been happier. It isn't like other compilations in that all the stories are well over a hundred pages, which allows you to get into them more then a short story.

I had bought this book because of Charlaine Harris, but was pleasantly surprised by the other stories as well. The story written by Charlaine takes place in the true blood world but...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Rachel Swords rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While all three stories in this collection are great, my favorite would have to be Charlaine Harris's story. Sookie Stackhouse and general vampire fans alike should seek this tale out as it's highly entertaining and presents a believable look at a human/vampire relationship. I will say I was a bit disappointed in the Barbara Hambly story because the last section just seemed to be a jumbled mess. My favorite part of the Maggie Shayne was the revelation behind the haunting and the resolution to it...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, anthology, paranormal-romance

Dancers in the Dark by Charlaine Harris
3/6/10- This short by Harris takes place in the same universe as the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Vampires are "out" because of synthetic bottled blood. Rue May is a traumatized human hiding from her past. To make money she gets a job as a dancer with an entertainment company. The company pairs a human partner with a vampire one. At her audition she she is drawn to Sean because he is professional and not trying to cop a feel while performing. Over the course o...more Dancers in the Dark by Charlaine Harris
3/6/10- This short by Harris takes place in the same universe as the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Vampires are "out" because of synthetic bottled blood. Rue May is a traumatized human hiding from her past. To make money she gets a job as a dancer with an entertainment company. The company pairs a human partner with a vampire one. At her audition she she is drawn to Sean because he is professional and not trying to cop a feel while performing. Over the course of many months the friendship progresses. She starts to trust Sean and he is already devoted to her. The fact that at the end of every dance he has to bite her as part of the act helps bring them closer as well. When her past finally catches up to her, Sean is there to save the day and her. A sweet story and I really did enjoy hat even though it was short, the relationship built over time.. It was a nice change of pace. 3.5 stars

Her Best Enemy by Maggie Shayne
3/7/10- This was a longer Maggie Shayne story than I read in the previous book. It felt like it was just the right length, although the falling in love part did happen rather quickly. Especially compare to the Charlaine Harris Story. Kiley Brigham is a reporter that uses her column to debunk everything she thinks is a fraud. Her focus is is psychics, witches, shamans and things of that nature. When Kiley discovers her house may be haunted she turns to the only psychic she hasn't been able to discredit. Jack McCain is a psychic and she's sure he must be a fraud. However, since she hasn't proven it, she turns to him for help. Now he has to help her or she'll find out he really is a fraud. Oh and along the way, they fall in love. the mystery/ghost part of the story was good. The way their romance unfolds is a little dubious. I mean she hates him and she asks him to stay in the house with him, that I can buy. But when she grabs a see-thru nightie and suggests that share a bed...? C'mon. Give me a break. 3 stars

Someone Else's Shadow by Barbara Hambly
3/7/10- This story was kind of slow and kind of dry and a little boring. Maddie Laveau is a dancer in NYC struggling to make ends meet. Her roommate a young girl named Tessa is wearing herself out trying to prepare for the ABA auditions. One night Maddie goes to the rehearsal studio to check on Tessa and can't find her. While searching for her in the building she hears a voice and thinks she sees a man. Phil Cooper (although on the back of the book it's Phil Anderson) is a piano player. he plays for the dancers and teaches out of his studio on one of the building's floors, he is also temporarily living there. After that night Tessa seems to be acting strange and she keeps sleepwalking back to the building. Maddie distrusts Phil and thinks he may have something to do with it.

Here's the thing, if this story was just a mystery it would have been fine, but because it was also trying to be a romance it got weird. Like all of a sudden they were in love. They jumped from strangers to love bypassing her distrust, and the crucial going out on a date phase. they have coffee once, the day after they meet, and only because they both happened to be there. Then she avoids him for a week. Then he she actively distrusts him some more, then he kisses her and then they are in love. WTF? Then they deal with the mystery and the bad guy and then they have sex (without a condom- seriously 2 humans in NYC that have known each other maybe 2 weeks but never have had a conversation about it have sex without a condom? Again I say, WTF?) My other gripe was in the story she mentions that she is going to take the train to Long Island. She needs to go to her apartment on West 32nd street then get to Grand Central Station. This is a personal gripe because I live on Long Island and know you can't get to Westhampton from GCS. Which if she lived on W. 32nd she'd also know since she would have to pass Penn Station eventually. Although when she comes home, she does come home to Penn Station Anyway, that aside the story moved slowly. Trying to build a romance between a hero & heroine that didn't show any spark, at all, while trying to make the hero seem both sexy and shady at the same time was a little ambitious and not done very well. 2 stars(less)

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May 17, 2013 Lau rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lit-exp-2013-hard

Reseña completa en Fantasía Mágica

Sookie no aparece en este libro, ni siquiera se la nombra. Lo puede leer cualquiera, aunque no hayan leido los otros libros ya que es autoconclusiva y está explicada y escrita de modo que ningún lector se quede con dudas.

Debo decir que en el caso de La danza de la noche el vampirismo es sólo un extra sexy. Los vampiros proyectan no maldad y tienen actividades muy humanas. Tampoco es una historia verdaderamente romántica, es como un pequeño bonus track que apare...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Billy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was excited to read this novella, compelled to see how Charlaine Harris would write in the 3rd person, having read all the Sookie Stackhouse books (which are in 1st). The result was a massive surprise. Whilst the story was difficult to get into, and even more difficult to stick with about halfway through, the end was worth every hesitation I had. Told in a dark, ominous tone that's worlds apart from Sookie's narrative, 'Dancers in the Dark' is, if anything, an intriguing look into Harris's wri...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Carrie Felton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read the status updates for my opinion of each individual story.
As a whole, I think the writing was vivid and very well done. I also noticed that all the heroines had previous prejudices against men based on serious, hardcore trouble with them in the past. Word to the wise: these stories are deep and pretty dark. They are fantastic and well written but they are also scary and very lifelike. It says something to me that I liked them because normally I am all light and happy and fluff while these...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Jenny Delandro rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: compilations-short-stories

1st story Charlene Harris

Explores the world that CH created, through the eyes of a young dancer who is in hiding and the vampire who comes to know all her secrets and saves her life.
A story of privilged son who abused her, and tried to kill her and how she won the day... how she gained a life with someone who loves her.. and how the bad guy lost it all ...
Very easy to read .... filled with friendship and commitment and pride
A feel good story ... Rue is surprised that she has friends who would h...more

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May 27, 2011 Erin Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, romance, re-reading

I really do like anything to do with Charlaine Harris. This book was a great novella and I liked each story for what it brought to the book as a whole. 'Her Best Enemy' was high on the list for me. I liked the struggle and the sexual tension between Kiley and Jack. It was great to read about and it all flowed well together, I would love to read more about them if possible.

'Someone Else's Shadow' was probably last on the list for me in this novella but it was a good storyline and easy enough to...more

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Apr 20, 2010 ஐ Briansgirl (Book Sale Queen)ஐ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: author-harris-charlaine, own, paranormal-supernatural

I have only read "Dancers in the Dark" so far, which I dearly loved. It's Sookie-verse, that is, it takes place in the world of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, but the character Sookie doesn't appear in this story. Sean and Layla, from this story, later appear briefly in All Together Dead with Sookie.

I only gave it 4 out of a possible 5 stars, because I havn't read the other two stories yet.

Merged review:

I have only read "Dancers in the Dark" so far, but I absolutely dearly lo...more

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Jan 04, 2010 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, horror, romance, anthology

I picked this up for the Charlaine Harris short story, and figured the other two were a nice bonus. Good thing, too. The Harris story was worth the eight bucks, though I would've loved to have read a more fully realized version of the story. It felt a little rushed, sometimes.

The other two, though, even going in with low expectations, weren't great. "Her Best Enemy" struck me as cardboard characters acting out the most cliche ghost story imaginable, with sex thrown in for the hell of it. I liked...more

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Aug 14, 2010 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Night's Edge is a book of 3 short stories about supernatural romance. I really enjoyed Her Best Enemy and Dancers In The Dark, but didn't really think much of Someone Else's Shadow. Her Best Enemy was pretty creepy, and I really enjoyed the ghost aspect of the story, but the romance aspect was predictable as they always are in romance books. Dancers In The Dark was about vampires, so I knew I would love it, the fact it's set in the Sookie universe made it that much better, as I already knew the...more

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Oct 24, 2009 Sheri Ward rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anthologies

Night's Edge is an anthology, which includes Her Best Enemy, by Maggie Shayne, Someone Else's Shadow, by Barbara Hambly, and Dancers in the Dark, by Charlaine Harris.

~~At the moment, I have only read .~~ I picked up Night's Edge because I've been reading Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series, and I was thrilled to find out that this story, though set in a different area, has the same premise; vampires out of the coffin because of Tru Blood.

Eventually I will move on and read the other two stories...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Colleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anthology, urban-fantasy, vampires

An urban fantasy anthology with 3 excellent novellas -- all are enthralling tales that hit the ground running and don't let up until they end. I'm not familiar with Maggie Shayne or Barbara Hambly, but if they can do a great a job in long form as they have with these novellas, I need to read more of their work. I especially liked the fact that the stories get creepier as you go.

Note also that these UFs have a heavy dose of romance mixed in with their paranormal thriller plots -- just enough to e...more An urban fantasy anthology with 3 excellent novellas -- all are enthralling tales that hit the ground running and don't let up until they end. I'm not familiar with Maggie Shayne or Barbara Hambly, but if they can do a great a job in long form as they have with these novellas, I need to read more of their work. I especially liked the fact that the stories get creepier as you go.

Note also that these UFs have a heavy dose of romance mixed in with their paranormal thriller plots -- just enough to enhance the character development without being distracting from their page turning plots.

"Dancers in the Dark" by Charlaine Harris - Layla Rue Le May is down on her luck, so she decides to join a vampire dance company to make her living. Layla is wary of people, in general, and the fact that the company requires the human partners to be willing to be bitten at the end of each dance doesn't help her trust issues. When Layla discovers that someone is stalking her, she is forced to turn to a vampire for protection.

"Her Best Enemy" by Maggie Shayne - Kiley Brigham is a take-no-nonsense reporter whose crusade is to rid her town of Burnt Hills, NY of all the phony mediums, psychic healers, witches, etc. So when her new home appears to be haunted, Kiley reluctantly turns to psychic Jack McCall, one of her targets, for answers.

"Someone Else's Shadow" by Barbara Hambly - Professional belly dancer/tarot reader Maddie Leveau is concerned about her 18-year-old roommate Tessa, who has recently come to NYC to audition for the American Ballet Academy. Late one night when Maddie stops by the building in which Tessa dances to walk her home, Tessa is missing. Maddie searches the deserted building room-by-room and just before she finds Tessa dazed and confused on the top floor, the building's lights go out and Maddie is threatened by a shadowy figure lurking nearby. Before they leave, they run into Phil, a tenant in the building, who evades Maddie's queries about the voices she heard. Days later, Tessa's behavior becomes stranger, and Maddie worries that Phil may be the reason why.(less)

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Jul 28, 2009 Kenna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Charlaine Harris and Maggie Shayne storys saved this book.

Dancers in the Dark is the story of the two Blue Moon Production dancers in the All Together Dead book at the ball after Sophie-Annes trial. It was very nice but it left me wanting more. I bet that could be a spin off series. That could be because Harris is one of my favorite authors or just that the story was that good. I would have liked to see their relationship fill out a little more in the story but because of time constraints, t...more

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About Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was wr...more Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, she had the opportunity to stay home and write, and the resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of writing mystery series, and soon had her own traditional books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who just enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, has drawn more readers. The Southern Vampire books are published in Japan, Great Britain, Greece, Germany, Thailand, Spain, France, and Russia.

In addition to Sookie, Charlaine has another heroine with a strange ability. Harper Connelly, lightning-struck and strange, can find corpses… and that’s how she makes her living.

In addition to her work as a writer, Charlaine is the past senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church, a board member of Mystery Writers of America, a past board member of Sisters in Crime, a member of the American Crime Writers League, and past president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance. She spends her "spare" time reading, watching her daughter play sports, traveling, and going to the movies. (less)

More about Charlaine Harris...

Books by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse, #2)

Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)

Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse, #5)

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Quotes from Night's Edge

“Look, I'm not a demon here. I don't eat babies or kick puppies. I just tell the truth." She
shrugged. "Can I help it if that makes the liars of the world angry?” — 13 people liked it

“We love people differently at different stages of our knowledge of them. As love changes its hape and its nature, we have to decide what we're going to do about that love on any given day.” — 11 people liked it

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Night's Edge (Sookie Stackhouse #4.2)

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