La danza de la noche

Sookie Stackhouse #4.2

by Charlaine Harris

Novella included in Dead to the World.

El pasado de la bailarina Rue May la había preparado para enfrentarse a casi todas las situaciones, incluso al que su pareja de baile, el distante Sean O’Rourke, fuera un vampiro pelirrojo de trescientos años de edad.

Aun así, cuando Rue vuelve a sufrir el acoso del hombre de sus pesadillas, se sorprende al comprobar que la única persona en la que puede confiar es Sean…

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction

157 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Charlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.

Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.

When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.

A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.

She's thinking about what to write next.

Reviews

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story so much. I hope to see these characters again in later stories or books.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining vampire listening 🎶🔰

This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account

She is a human who joins a dance 💃group with humans and vampires. She and a vampire become partners. Her old boyfriend shows up and attacks them. It all comes to a happy ending 😀.

I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of romantic family and friends relationships mystery fantasy novels 👍🔰. 2024

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a job as a dancer, Rue May applies for a job with Blue Moon Entertainment where the male dancers are vampires while their partners are humans. Rue is paired with Sean McClendon, a 250 year old vampire who was once an aristocrat in Ireland. When Sean learns that Rue has a stalker, he decides to take care of the problem for her.

This was a short story set it the Sookie Stackhouse universe, but with all new characters. It was an enjoyable story. My rating: 4 Stars.

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

05/12/22 Relectura:

Mantengo las cuatro estrellas, no son cinco porque hay una parte de esta historia por la que siempre tengo que pasar de puntillas. Quienes la hayáis leído, sabréis a qué me refiero 😭
En su día este relato me sorprendió, tanto por lo clásico que es en su género (cosa harto extraña para la Harris) como por lo mucho que me gustaron todos los personajes. Sobre todo Sean. Al cual adoro...

Esta historia está encuadrada en el universo de Sookie Stackhouse pero no tiene que ver ni con la trama principal de la saga, ni con sus personajes habituales. Es una maravillosa adición al Sookieverso. Para mi gusto, que soy fan nada objetiva.

En cuanto a la edición, me gusta más de lo que esperaba cuando la vi antes de tenerla en físico. Vamos, que mejora en persona 🤣 Le va bien a la historia y está bastante cuidada aunque de primeras parezca que es demasiado sencilla. Engaña, como este relato. Ahora, la traducción: como es costumbre en la editorial Harlequin Ibérica, no suele venir acreditado el traductor/a. No me extraña. Esta traducción es muy mala. Parece estar hecha por una persona que habla español como segundo idioma o, también puede ser, un traductor que no es profesional. Muy mal. Hasta el punto de perderse el sentido de algunas frases y quedar confuso.
Publicación de la editorial mencionada, del año 2010. En formato bolsillo pues es muy corto. Aún así, el tamaño es cómodo para la lectura y la letra de buen tamaño.

Leído para la lectura conjunta de True Blood organizada por Evitalecturitas.

[Arlene♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable.

4 stars It was a fun story and it made me feel like I was back in Sookie's world. I liked it because it takes place in the sookie realm it's so easy to digest. It reads really fast, and it doesn't feel like a short less than 100 page book, and no lie I like it. A lot

It's very "Bill and Sookie" like. A girl with a troubled past, changes her name and moves to a new town to get a fresh start meets a vampire who has never met anyone of the likes of her in many years. His a bit of the whole, "strong and silent" type with an Irish accent. And they fall in some serious like. He wants to save her and she is scared for her safety and all those all around her. I like it. It's making me miss the Sookie Stackhouse books. The ending was kinda of predictable, but it was still an awesome story.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of the Anthology "Dead of Night"

Dancers in the Dark by Charlaine Harris. This is the story about the dancers that you see periodically in the Sookie books. How they met, what happened to them. It's a good story. 4 stars.

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Why are you getting into my life? There’s so much bad in it”.

Relato de Charlaine Harris que se sitúa entre las novelas 4 y 5 del universo de True Blood. No es necesario leerlo para continuar con la saga principal pero yo quiero leerlo todo en orden cronológico.

“You fought back. You made a new life, on your own.

Aquí no tenemos a nuestros carismáticos protagonistas sino otros completamente diferentes. No sé si llegarán a ser parte de la historia principal, aunque probablemente no. Personalmente no me importa, lo importante es que me lo he pasado bien y ha sido una historia entretenida al estilo de la autora.

“I’m not scared”.

[Choco Con Churros · Rating 3 out of 5]

A ver. El relato no está mal. Es casi una novela corta (La ficha pone que 5 páginas pero sobrepasa de largo las 100).
Y casi me da vergüenza decir que me aburrí soberanamente, tratando temas como los abusos y la violación, la violencia de género y demás. Se siente una de lo más insensible. Porque el tema te puede horrorizar, pero aburrir... pero bueno, a la chica la conocemos después (mucho después) de los abusos que te cuentan por encima, a toro pasado, así que horror no pasas.
Te da pena ver las secuelas y demás pero está narrado de una manera que hace que te interese pero no te impliques, como en un capítulo de "Ley y orden: Unidad de víctimas especiales". Es decir: El capítulo te interesa pero no te implicas y aquí me aburrí. No por lo que contaba... es que por algún motivo me daba igual.
Por otra parte, este texto forma parte de una saga, pero no aparece ningún personaje de esta, ningún lugar de esta... nada medianamente reconocible, y los personajes no llegan a tener el carisma y peso para que te interesen por sí mismos, da igual las cosas horribles que les pasen. GL Bis (Sangre fresca)

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fits right into the Sookie Stackhouse world without a blip, although I didn't recognize any characters from that. This stands alone well & is a simple thriller-romance, so if you want to dip your toe in without getting bogged down in a series, this will do.

[Alba M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

HA SIDO ESPECTACULAR! Supongo que me ha gustado tanto porque no era sobre Sookie (ja, se nota mi odio hacia ella?).
Ha sido una historia corta pero intrigante y muy muy bonita. Sean y Rue son adorables y ese final, QUE FINALAZO!

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a 3.25.

It was good. I cared about the characters and could believe the conflict. It was nice to revisit characters from an earlier novel that I enjoyed.

It even had some smexy.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out interesting, but I disliked it more and more as it went along. Sean was overbearing. Rue was meh.

[diana marcela Ballestas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Único de la saga que no trata o tiene como protagonista a Sookie. La historia tiene potencial, pero fue predecible y tiene algunas inconsistencias con relación a lo tratado (y repetido múltiples veces) en el resto de la serie.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this duo of novellas from Charlaine Harris. The first one, DANCERS IN THE DARK, was a blend of her Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series and her Lily Bard series. I love both of those and this blend worked well. Not that any of the characters, that I know of, were here but the abused woman mirrored Lily and the vampired....well...Anyway, it worked.
The second one, THE BRITLINGENS GO TO HELL , wasn't like anything I'd read from Charlaine before. An alternate universe this time, so more fantasy I guess than paranormal. It was filled with strong characters and interesting premise.
I liked them both very much. I can definitely recommend the stories and Charlaine Harris.

[Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

As clichéd as I felt it was with the broken and tormented Layla falling for and being saved by a strong hero vampire, Sean, I actually really liked it. It was entertaining enough to keep me flipping pages (and quickly at that) and I thought it had a cute, if not predictable, ending. I liked the tie-in with the Sookie Stackhouse series of Sean and Layla at the hotel in Rhodes as performers. I thought the writing was surprisingly good for a romance novella and the storyline had me hooked all the way to the end.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read and I enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed reading the True Blood series. It took less than a day to read, but for a short story the plot was quite good and there wasn't too much unnecessary information, allowing an easy flow towards the end.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book version as oart of a series, but didn't read the second story that was not a Sookie book. I loved this story! Rue/Layla was so strong and brave and Sean was a man any woman would want as their partner, dance or otherwise. Strong, trustworthy and brave. Loved it!

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun to go back to Sookie's world for a few minutes.. Good stalker/vampire novellas.

[Phylisha Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved sean and layla's story.

[James Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romantic read

I normally due not like romance genre, but this is the exception. No long winded romantic descriptions. Good story line.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sookie Stackhouse universe #4.2 & 9.2
Dancers in the Dark by Charlaine Harris is a 2 story anthology from her Sookie Stackhouse universe.

The first story, Dancers in the Dark, features an Irish vampire named Sean and Layla, a beautiful human with a tragic past.

The second story, The Britlingens go to Hell, features the two Britlingens we met in, From Dead to Worse.

I enjoyed both stories, but I will say that I have a preference for the first one. Enjoy!

Read:
February 14-20, 2023 – Audible Audiobook

Sookie Stackhouse Chronological Reading Order:
• Dead Until Dark: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #1
• Living Dead in Dallas: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #2
• Club Dead: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #3
• Dead to the World: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #4
• “Fairy Dust” (novella) in The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories, #4.1
• Dancers in the Dark (novella) – Sookie Stackhouse #4.2
• “Dracula Night” (novella) in The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories #4.3
• Dead as a Doornail: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #5
• “One Word Answer” (short story) in The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories #5.1
• Definitely Dead: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #6
• “Tacky” (short story) in the My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding Anthology #6.1
• All Together Dead: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #7
• “Lucky” (novella) in The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories #7.1
• “Dahlia Underground” (short story) in Playing Possum #7.2
• From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries) #8
• “Gift Wrap” (novella) in The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories #8.1
• “Bacon” (short story) in Strange Brew Anthology #8.2
• Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse) #9
• “The Britlingens Go to Hell” (novella) found in Dancers in the Dark #9.2
• “Two Blondes” (a short story) in Playing Possum #9.5
• Dead in the Family: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #10
• “A Very Vampire Christmas” (novella) in Glamour Magazine Dec. 2010. #10.1
• “Small Town Wedding” (novella) in The Sookie Stackhouse Companion (SSTB) #10.5
• Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse) #11
• “Death by Dahlia” (short story) in Playing Possum #11.1
• “Playing Possum” (novella) in Playing Possum #11.2
• The Sookie Stackhouse Companion (SSTB)
• Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse) #12
• “If I Had a Hammer” (novella) in Playing Possum #12.1
• Dead Ever After: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel #13
• “In the Blue Hereafter”
• After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only borrowed Dead of Night to read Dancers in the Dark. Despite the fact that I’ve been reading the Sookie Stackhouse books for 5 years or so now (I was definitely late to the party!) I’d never managed to find this one. I did this year though.

We first meet Sean and Layla in the one with the vampire summit in Rhoades, and Sookie comments (mentally) on how rare it is for a vamp couple to be together, as they usually don’t last very long. There, Sean and Layla have been together for roughly 3 years I think, and in this one - so over 3 years before - vamps “came out” roughly 5 years before. That would put vamps as outed for 8 years around the time of the summit, but the entire Sookie series doesn’t even last 2-3 years, and I think that’s pushing it. So there’s one inconsistency. Another is Sean is telling Layla of his life, 270+ years previous in poor Ireland, when he was a valet for a vampire (whose last name was Lovell, and my genealogy does go back to Ireland on one branch, so I’m assuming this is my great x10 or however many grandpa, and I will take no questions on the matter). And how he used to shave dude’s beard. Except we know from Bill Compton that however they are when made vampire, is how they stay. Their hair doesn’t grow, at all. It’s giving “Diana Gabaldon” vibes in the sense that I believe an author should remember their own lore, but perhaps I’ve read Charlaine Harris’s stories more than she has, lol. I don’t imagine many authors sit around rereading their works.

Anyway. Rue (Layla) is on the run and hiding from a past that would see her killed. She’s from a small ass town owned by one rich ass family, and when the son of said family brutalizes her, she gets no justice. So she bails and joins a vamp/human dance company because dancing is something she’s good at and enjoys. This is where she meets Sean. I think I too would swoon over an Irish vampire, so I’m not mad at her all. As they get closer, she won’t tell him what she’s so afraid of, so Sean noses through her personal shit and heads to her home town to find out what the hell happened. In the meantime though, her abuser has been released from the mental hospital he was sent to and is out for blood.

I Stan Sean and Layla. I’m really glad Charlaine Harris gave us a little bit about the two, because I think we only see them 2 times in the main books, and I’ve always felt pulled in by them.

[I’m a Paula too… Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dancers in the Dark…

Rue/Layla is a human who has experienced a very traumatic attack, perpetrated by a very rich man’s son. So naturally she gets no justice because the rich father has the police in her small town firmly in his pocket. Sean is her new dance partner, and he’s a vampire. He’s Irish with long red hair and he’s, of course, very pale.

This is a very quick read, but a lot happens! Sean comes across as unfeeling but he’s attracted to Rue, and he knows something has happened to her in the past that she is hiding. So he starts to become very protective and walks her home after every dance practice. Except once…

This is a good story. I have noticed that Ms. Harris uses SA a lot as a plot point. Lily Bard from the Shakespeare series has a traumatic experience in her past. Her early two standalones do also. I wonder…

Anyway this is highly recommended…

[Crush Critiques · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very light short story about a traumatized woman and her vamp dance partner that unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired.

The characters weren’t very fleshed out and it doesn’t seem like Harris did any actual research into dance and entertainment companies and how they are run. As a former dancer and dance company director, that really bothered me. Not to mention everything progressed incredibly fast, especially for a character that we are supposed to believe has PTSD.

The whole thing just seemed rather juvenile, honestly. It’s been decades since I read the Sookie Stackhouse books so I don’t recall if it’s just how Harris writes or if this book was just rushed and filled with fluff. Either way I have no desire to continue reading anything more about these characters, or anything else from Harris in the future.

Wishing I had the last 2.5 hours and my money back…

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Dancers in the Dark” by Charlaine Harris ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Set in the Sookieverse, this novella follows two dancers living in the city of Rhodes (infamous for the Sookieverse hotel explosion) Rue is a human dancer in hiding after a terrible assault. Sean is a 300 year old red-headed Irish vampire. Together they dance professionally. The novella follows the beginnings of trust between them, as Rue tries to find some post-assault normalcy amidst her worries about the attacker finding her. It was a typically great Charlaine Harris book and I loved it. It’s a fast read and you don’t need to have read the Sookie books to understand it. In fact, that’s why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars - I hoped for more of a tie in with Sookie’s adventures in Rhodes.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s basically a romance between the domineering, possessive, but gentlemanly older man (vampire) and the gorgeous, young, troubled, relatively-innocent woman. Eh. And, while ‘romance’ is the best fitting genre, there’s no actual romance or love story; they just go from co-workers to sex partners. To be fair, that’s often how it works in the real world, too (other than the vampire part). I did like Sean a bit more than Sookie’s Bill, but that’s not saying much.

Warning: The cat dies. This really shouldn’t be a surprise, since it happened to Sookie’s cat, too. Like Sookie, Layla is over it instantly. If writers are going to use this as a lazy, disturbing, and horrifying plot device, at least make the humans’ response realistic.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glide into romance and mystery with this winner from Charlaine Harris

Rue was nervous and frightened but she needed this job. She was a dancer and a beauty contest winner. Her beauty meant little to her, that had been taken from her a long time ago. She knew, however, that she was a good dancer, something no one had ever been able to steal from her.

Dancing with a vampire was new to her but she had no choice. Who would ever think to look in such an unlikely place. Beer identity and her life meant she had to stay hidden.

Charlaine Harris wins again with a beautiful mystery mixed in with a little romance. You want be able to put it down. The only downfall...it ends too soon.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Rue finds a new job as a dancer at parties, her pasts quickly catches up with her. Luckily now she has a lot of new friends by her side to help her.
A very short romantic story, set in the same world as TrueBlood.

The story is a bit predictable, as a lot of romance books are, but still has some good twists and turns. I'm surprised Charlaine Harris managed to get so much story in such a little amount of pages. I enjoyed the read.
Definitely worth giving this story a try if you enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse series and are in the mood for something romantic, light and easy.

[Christine]

This was such a fun book to listen to. I fell out of love with Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series years ago, when I saw the mangling of the series by HBO. This is a great reminder that Harris is a good author, the book had some steamy parts however the majority of it was a heartfelt tale of hurt, love, and vengeance. The second short story was a wonderful reminder that I enjoy sci-fi Fantasy books as well. If you need something short to listen to I highly recommend these short stories.

[Trudi Jorda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris and this book follows the pattern. I could not put it down. I enjoyed the drama and mystery , the human dancer who is paired with a Vampire for the dance shows they perform at parties and the mystery behind the evil man stalking her. It was such a short read that I don't want to give too much away except to say that the end justifies the means and the end is a satisfying one!