Dancing With Darkness

Wild Hunt #1

by H.J. Reese

Sweet Summerfae, Valentina, did not listen when she gave up the enemy’s secrets to save a loved one from an ambush in a growing war. And those secrets take her to the frontlines, captive to the worst court of all—the firefae to the east. But it’s either escape with the gorgeous deadly Hunter whose shadows call to the darkness in her or back to the endless burning fire of Autumn Court. And they could never be more at odds. Valentina’s hate for Kaderyn’s arrogance is enough to draw the attention of absent gods. The two are forced on a quest for survival across an island of deceiving fae, dangerous monsters, and meddling, rhyming pixies. But that hate soon transforms into a desire neither expect as she lights a path through his darkness, and his shadows start leading her home. Dancing with Darkness is a slow burn, mild spice fantasy romance. Book two, Shadows of Solace , carries the payload of a ‘one love, all-consuming romance’ with heat and court intrigue ramped up. The world of Eadha is full of unique fantasy creatures, magical artifacts, and tavern-type songs. The Wild Hunt books are NOT dark romance. Content warnings violence, swearing, hunting/animal related triggers and sexual content not meant for those under 18, see inside book for further details.

Genres: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Romance, Fae, Romantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook

294 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2023

About the author

H J Reese is a left-handed, second-born, Sagittarius, who often falls into all the stereotypes these represent. She lives in a small town in Ontario, Canada but her dreams take her around the world. She is the author of the Wild Hunt books.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love ACOTAR with a mix of the wild hunt, this is absolutely for you. And it’s on KU!

One of the easiest 5*’s I could give. Everything about this has kept me so hooked. If I hadn’t had work I’d have devoured it in one go. This absolutely deserves some love it’s way.

The whole world is fae based, we have 5 courts, Gods and a bunch of creatures I’ve never heard of before. Descriptions are brilliant without being so over done they become boring. We start with Val, a fae who works in a theatre. Without spoilers she finds herself in some hot bother and enter Kade. Broody, moody and a one track mind to hunt down what belongs to him. Add Val and things get very complicated, very quickly.

Add this to your tbr, you absolutely won’t be disappointed.

[Andria Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to like it so much more than I did. It wasn't bad, but it didn't grab me as much as ACOTAR has. The characters were likeable but the plot wasn't quite there. 3.5 ⭐ rounded up.

[Frankie Pettit · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️ because it lacked a romantic edge!! There was barely a hint of romance until 90% of the way through! It was still enjoyable but I think a little smut would have landed this book higher on my ratings. Hoping the next one keeps the romance blooming that started in the final chapters…but hope it doesn’t take too long to heat up

[Dessy-Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy yesterday. And I must say the beginning of the book got me hooked right away. The story seemed to progress at a good pace, and then it kinda just fell away a little. I didn't feel like the book was like "the Witcher," or ACOTR." It lacked action. It lacked character development, and Kade honesty didn't seem all that arrogant . I felt the author spent too much time describing the world around the characters ( and I'm someone who loves world building) than actually having good dialog between the characters and letting their different personalities shine through. They spent most of the book just riding a horse, making fire, hunting, and eating. The book was an okay book to read. I just wished there was more depth, but the concept of the plot is what kept me reading.
This review is voluntary.

[Jaimie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it was a story with characters that did things. It feels like I started a story in the middle of it.

[Fay Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books I read in 2024, I absolutely loved it. I think I added it to my top 10 before it was even done. I wish it had a better title and a more unique cover that matched how cool this story is.

[Sydney Fiore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot, characters and world building were good. It was very entertaining and everything I wanted out of this book.

[Ashley | A Pair of Readers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Amanda Minnock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank H J Reese for my copy of her ARC. Due to this kind gesture I have decided to leave an honest review.

WOOOOOWWW! Can I just say I devoured this book in one sitting?! If you are a fan of Sarah J Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Kerri Maniscalco and so on, this series is definitely for you!

The story is a mix of The Wild Hunt & Fae with courts (ACOTAR style) and it mixes so well.. veeeeeeery well to be precise. There are 5 courts, all with their own abilities but then there is also the faeless who have no magic but are still fae and live just as long. Then there are also gods, Demi gods, pixies, wild creatures, and I am LIVING FOR IT!

I absolutely adored our main characters! Our band of morally grey characters (especially Kade) have a special little place in my heart. Teal our blue rhyming little pixie is absolutely adorable, Jairek absolutely adores his group and protects them to no end. Kaderyn our lord of the Court of The Shadows, Fallen Leader of the Wild Hunt has you wanting to learn more an more about his story. Our main leading lady Valentina is certainly a force to be reckoned with and her character development has you routing for her all the way.

I don’t like to go too much into the story of a book I review as I wouldn’t want to waste it, but it certainly is worth a read! If you are into fae, magic, creatures, romance and fantasy all rolled nice in a sweet baked pie then this is certainly for you, I cannot wait for the next book.. I need it NOOOOW!! Oh, and I did I mention it’s on KU?!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never seen the Witcher but I did get some ACOTAR vibes and was hooked immediately! The world building? Honestly made me feel RIGHT there. I just finished this one and I’m already ready for the next! GO READ THIS WOWOWOWOW

Want to thank the author for the ARC and note this review has been left voluntarily and all thoughts/opinions above are my own!

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 22% :/

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book!! It's a slow burn romantasy, and I mean slooooow but in a good way, there is no spice between or FMC & MMC in this book (hoping that changes in book #2), the FMC has a lover at the beginning of the book, but its not a very spicy scene, very mild. The narration was great.

Val, the FMC, is a Summer Court water fae, but has a hidden ability to take on someone's pain. She performs her trick on the customers that come to the theater where she lives & works. So it has a magical reputation that keep clients coming back. She is outed by one of the women working at the theater, and taken by the Autumn Court's General to take his pain. Enter our MMC, Kaderyn Lord of the Shadow Court, fallen leader of the Wild Hunt, who has lost his shadows and has to find them & reclaim them so he can go home & rejoin the Wild Hunt. He sees her being abused and bargains for "time" with her, he gets her away from her captors and releases her. Quickly realizing she will die without his help they travel together, looking for his shadows, meeting friends & fighting enemies & monsters along the way.

Can't wait for the next book in the series to be released!!

[Taikera · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a reading drought, Dancing with Darkness was exactly what I needed in a book right now. This book is giving Hades and Persephone, and I love that. Valentina, an innocent summer fae is thrown into a violent world unknown to her outside of the theater. She is taken by Mohr who uses her for her magic. He is absolutely awful. To be honest, I almost stopped reading from the way he treated Valentina. It was pretty violent and heart-wrenching, and this was before I even grew an attachment to her character.

She then meets Kaderyn, a now fae from the Underworld searching for his shadows, with a pixie named Teal accompanying him. He essentially saves her from the grasp of Mohr. After that, they go on an adventure to find Kaderyn's shadows. Valentina and Kaderyn initially have no interest in each other but soon find themselves longing for the other.

This book was enjoyable to read. If you love fantasy and romance, this is for you. I love slow-burn romances and listen, this is definitely a slow-burn. It's not too spicy but contains just the right amount to leave you longing for more, much like the characters themselves. Dancing with Darkness has likable characters and an intriguing plot that makes you want to read more.

Valentina and Kaderyn's attraction for each other is not hidden, so far no games are being played. Just pure attraction and budding love. My favorite part is that Kaderyn has shadows that are always with him. An extension of him, his shadows always find a way to gently caress her.

“What is it you like?” “The shadows.” For the past two days, they’d been curled through her hair, searching the coarse furs, eager to lie against her skin. I choked back the words. They like you, too.

When I finally made it to the end of the book, there was no hesitation. I immediately bought the second in the trilogy. Overall, Dancing with Darkness was fun and refreshing to read. I cannot wait to see how their relationship revolves and to know what happens to the world around them.

[Karen Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's a Summer fae with a secret. He's a Hunter in the Wild Hunt desperately trying to return to the Underworld. Once worlds apart—now leashed together. Summerfae, Valentina, did not listen when she gave up the enemy’s secrets to save a loved one from an ambush in a growing war.
Now those secrets take her to the frontlines, captive to the worst court of all—the firefae to the east and evil General Mohr.
But it’s either escape with the gorgeous deadly Hunter whose shadows call to the darkness in her or back to the endless burning fire of Autumn Court.
And they could never be more at odds. Valentina’s hate for Kaderyn’s arrogance is enough to draw the attention of absent gods. The two are forced on a quest for survival across an island of deceiving fae, dangerous monsters, and meddling, rhyming pixies that won't shut up. But that hate soon transforms into a desire neither expect as she lights a path through his darkness, and his shadows start leading her home. Loved the growing attraction between these two. Looking forward to book 2

[Mschief · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This an easy, entertaining read and yes, as the others said, this book will get you hooked from the beginning. Here I am writing a review at 1.34AM.

I'm giving it 4⭐ because of above said and for Teal (yes you have to read it to know her)
I can see why it would be described as a Witcher meets ACOTAR book but only for the Witcher being there is a quest to find something powerful and the MMC being grumpy; ACOTAR because of the seasonal courts but aside from that it is far from both imo.

Dancing with Darkness has it's own charm and it's own world. I just hope there is a little more context on the Gods and how demigods exist and such as they were being mentioned several times. There are novellas about the side characters i believe and I wish they were just incorporated in the book to have helped the world-building more, the book felt short (as in, in length) for me, meaning I want more. 😁

Can't wait to read the second book.

Thank you for the ARC, i enjoyed reading.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Well written and an interesting premise.

It was a little slow - especially at the start.

There were also moments that didn’t seem to make sense. I didn’t really understand why Kade and Val didn’t remove the link when they left the cave… it didn’t seem to make sense. She thought he would do it, but he didn’t. And then he thought about how he could do it, but wouldn’t tell Val. But she’d already thought he was going to in the cave… so she knew it was a possibility. So why did they then continue to stay tethered. Didn’t make much sense to me 🤷‍♀️

But I am keen to find out what happens next!

[Paperwitches ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO unbelievably good, I was immediately engrossed in it and couldn’t put it down. I LOVE the Witcher, and it’s one of my favorite series - and so it came naturally to love this. The main character is very well written and intelligent, and it was sad to see her both literally and figuratively take on so much pain. I actually am very hype for this series, as it has so much potential. Cant wait to see more!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Erin H. (ITIO Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I don’t know what it is but I AM DOWN BAD for fae books right now (I am ashamed, but not ashamed enough to avoid documenting this brief lapse of judgement on GR). 🤷🏼‍♀️

This book was a slow burn for me— the world building took quite a bit of time for me to adjust to, but I got there in the end (and I eagerly await the second book’s release in a few days). I thoroughly enjoyed Kade, Val, Jair, and Teal! I also loved that this novel prioritized fantastical world-building, friendly banter, and slow-burn romance over majorly steamy material. It was a fun-read!

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really slow. There wasn’t a lot of action and it is more of the FMC & MMC were camping and traveling to go camping again. I was really distracted on how much they all must of stunk. I am so glad that there was no spice. There was one spice scene but it was FTB and even then I was like ew 😖 Cillian is dirty and stinky and FMC is stinky.

I wouldn’t compare this book to The Witcher or ACOTAR. The only similarity is that they are are fantasies.

I may read the other book because I am just curious to see what happens when the FMC possibly reunites with her “friend”

[Jagged · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it

It's pretty slow, but I liked it!
There's a lot of character and world building.
And while Valentina might be a bit meek, I really liked her. She understood that her actions held consequences, and I think that was my favorite thing about her because it's just so rare in books.
The premise is engaging, and I'm curious about where the plot will go. A lot has been set up with key players so I'm eager to see where this goes.

[꧁Brutally Honest꧂ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh on the Young end of NA. Should probably be labeled Young Adult to be honest. Very clean. Your typical dainty fair holier than thou FC and a try to be bad boy MC.

I think when authors put “heat and intrigue go up in book 2!” Is a cop out. And what that tells me is there’s barely anything in book 1 since it’s nothing but a setup to the “better” book 2. There’s no reason for that except as a money grab. So no thanks. 🙂‍↔️

[Love Good · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the plot of the book needs to be fleshed out more.
I didn't enjoy the min character and her origin story.
She is booking up with a spring fae, but the way she cares for him confuses the main story with the shadow fae love interest.
Then there is this random shadow fae and their combined adventures are not that exciting
Overall - I wouldn't read the next book in the series.

[Rachel Arriola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining! Writing isn't anything incredible but it is readable and engaging. FMC is used to being taken advantage of and used and then ends up with the dark broody villainous type who isn't really. A very predictable story line of MMC becoming super protective and obsessed with dainty frail insecure FMC... but still a fun read.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too good to put down

I made the mistake of starting this book before bed. Needless to say I read 65% of the book in the first sitting and only got 2 hours of sleep. The story starts pretty slow but once it picked up it really didn't stop. Not spicy, but that night change in the next book.