Review: MacRieve

Reviewed by Jen
 

I have to admit that I wasn't overcome with excitement with the idea of Ulleam MacRieve as the next IAD hero.  True, the MacRieve Lykae are sexy to be sure, but Ulleam never did much for me --and frankly, I was itching for a Lanthe and Thronos book.  I love this series, though, so I figured any book was going to be a win one way or another --and for the most part, it was.

Basically, it's your standard Immortals After Dark book. The hero has a dark past.  He wants the heroine, but he doesn't WANT to want the heroine.  He is strong; she is vulnerable. Nix is funny...  It's comfortable. Pretty predictable.  But mostly enjoyable.

From the very beginning of the story, we find out the root of MacRieve's suffering. He was sexually abused by a succubus for years as a child.  The culmination of the abuse destroyed his family and warped him sexually.  It's been hundreds of years, but he still hasn't gotten over it.  His torture on the island featured in Carrow & Regin's books only made it worse.  He is ready to just end it all with a one-way trip to the place where immortals go to die.  Until Nix manipulates him into finding his mate.

Chloe grew up believing herself to be a human. She has no idea that her father is the evil man behind those island experiments.  She doesn't even know the Lore exists until she starts to exhibit signs of impending immortality. Her dad tosses her a book on the Lore and disappears, clearing the path for some very unhappy immortals to snatch her away.

Once MacRieve wrests her from the bad guys, their connection is instantaneous. The change in him is immediate and everything is so wonderful, you have no doubt it's all about to go to hell.  And it's obvious how it's going to happen.  In some ways after that, it's a lot like Bowen's story... where the hero's instinct tells him one thing, but his past and his personal damage tells him another.  Frankly, he is pretty mean to poor Chloe.  But unlike Lothaire, I had the chance to know him as a good guy first. I got to see what he went through. So I was able to muster some sympathy for him.  Chloe had a lot to handle in a short time and I thought she handled it extremely well (almost too well.)  When all was said and done, you had to root for them to work it all out.

Overall, I liked it.  There wasn't as much overlap with other characters in the series as usual.  The broad landscape of the world is one of the things I like most about the series, so I missed that. It was pretty much just Ulleam, Munro, and Nix (with a cameo from Malkom.)  It felt like a periphery story, more than one built into the main series arc.  I would have liked to see a surprise or two in there, but I left the book feeling satisfied... in a comfortable and familiar way.

Rating: B

Click to purchase: Amazon

MacRieve

by Kresley Cole

Release Date: July 2, 2013

Publisher: Gallery Books

Review: Shadow's Claim

Reviewed by Jen
 

I am a huge fan of Kresley Cole and her Immortals After Dark world.  This may be the first in a set of spinoff books, but it fits in perfectly along with the other installments in the existing series.  In fact, it reminded me quite a bit of an earlier book, but I'll get back to that in just a minute.

The Dacian series centers on the vampire sect we met in Lothaire's book. They are an ancient and secluded sect which many among the Lore basically consider to be a myth.  Trehan is one of their princes, a killer who serves as the sword of their people. And as the story begins, he is on the hunt for Castion, a demon who somehow sneaked into his lands and left.  No one is allowed to visit Dacia and leave, because of the risk they'll tell others about the secret society.  So Cas is marked for death.

Bettina is the princess of Abbadon, a demon realm. She is a demon-Sorceri hybrid and considered weak for it.  Unfortunately, her physical vulnerabilities were exploited by a group of men from her people's enemies and she was attacked. Bett was beaten within an inch of her life and her power was stolen. As a result, her family decided she needed a protector and devised a tournament to find her a husband.

The only man Bettina wants is her childhood friend Castion, but he loves her only as a friend.  It's during Trehan's hunt for Cas that he is drawn to Bettina and recognizes her as his Bride.  From that point on, his mission is twofold: win the tournament and make Bettina love him more than she thinks she loves Castion.

This story reminded me a lot of No Rest for the Wicked. A lot. That was the one where the vampire Sebastian entered the Hie tournament to win the love of Kaderin the Cold.  The heroes in both books are very similar --and while the details of the tournaments are different-- the whole "I must win for her" vibe is the same.  Kaderin and Bettina are nothing alike, though.  While Kaderin was cold and ruthless, Bettina is starry-eyed and needs to find her inner strength.  The similarities in the books didn't bother me, per se, but it kept it from feeling fresh. 

It has all the Kresley Cole markers: snarky, powerful women (in this case the Sorceri Morgana;) powerful, broody men who have gone too long without the love of a good woman; hot sex; humor; and a Nix sighting.  I think fans will enjoy it.  We've even got little tie-ins with the MacRieve's and the Lanthe-Thronos story (ie. the book I've been waiting for since Kiss of a Demon King back in the beginning of '09.)  My patience wears thin, Kresley.

Anyway, if you're wondering where this fits into the IAD timeline, it starts before the events of Lothaire and ends after that book's conclusion.  I point this out only because I spent the first few chapters wondering where the heck the Enemy of Old was.  For what it's worth, I liked this book better than that one.

Rating: B

Click to purchase: Amazon

Shadow's Claim

by Kresley Cole

Release Date: November 27, 2012

Publisher: Gallery Books

5 For Friday - October 26

Happy Friday, everybody. I hope you guys are having a fantastic week.  With the changes at work, I've found myself cramming almost all of my reading time into the weekends.  I recently wrapped up How Beauty Met the Beast, and I am already anxious to pick up book two.  Waiting is not my forte. And speaking of waiting...

5. I feel like I am going to die if I don't get my Qhuay love soon. JR Ward has released the back cover copy for Lover at Last.

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another....

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young- just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand.

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions... but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together... finally become one.

I am imploding.  Can someone fast forward time to March?

4. Apparently, Gena Showalter revealed the cover for her second Angels of the Dark book last week and I missed it!! (Bad Jen.)

Beauty Awakened is Koldo's book. It's out February 26th.

3. The wait is almost over for Karen Marie Moning's Iced.  The book trailer is out and KMM is dropping little teasers from the book all over her Facebook page.

Iced releases Tuesday.

2.  Kresley Cole is sharing an extended sneak peek of her upcoming IAD spinoff book, Shadow's Claim.

She's got the first five chapters up on her Facebook page. It's under the Members Only tab. Shadow's Claim is only a month away...

1.  A new interview with Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev says at least one or two more main characters are set to die this season on the show.

There aren't really that many main characters left alive.  There's Bonnie, Matt, and Jeremy. Am I missing anyone else?  Everyone else is already dead or part vampire.  I would guess Matt is going be the one to go, but people have been saying that for years and he's still around.  Got any predictions?

That's it for now!

XOXO,
Jen

5 for Friday - July 13

The Authors After Dark convention is getting so close, I can practically taste it! (For those of you who are curious, it tastes suspiciously like a Pat O'Brien's Hurricane.) But I am trying not to obsess.  This week has gone by pretty fast, thanks in part to an unplanned visit to New Orleans to visit my mom and take in a family crab-boil.  While I was there, she pulled up the blog on her computer, read a couple of posts and said, "You can be a little funny." (*pause*) "Who knew?" Thanks, Mom.

5. Kresley Cole has announced the next book in her Immortals After Dark series! Macrieve will be Uilleam's story.  (That's one of the Lykae twins who we last saw escaping the prison-island in Dreams of a Dark Warrior.)

I'm always down with the Lykae and I will read anything from Kresley Cole.  But I was kind of hoping for a Lanthe and Thronos book to be next.  Some people have said they thought it would be Kristoff and Furie, but I'm expecting them toward the end... maybe right before a big finale featuring Nix.  I won't bitch too much, though. I was dreadfully unexcited by the idea of a Carrow book with a hero I had never heard of, and Demon from the Dark ended up being my favorite book in the series so far. Macrieve will be out May 14th.

This seems like a good time to trot out my picture with Paul Marron, no?

I can wait to see what dude will end up on the Macrieve cover. Maybe I'll get to snuggle with him too.

4. I really enjoyed The Hunger Games --the book and the movie. Mockingjay is a whole 'nother story.  I will spare you the rant about how much I hated the ending of the series and jump to the part where Lionsgate has announced they are splitting the movie into two parts.

Yack.  It's not worth two movies.  It's the same length as the other two books and it was the most unappealing of the three.  Boo.

3. Onto more pleasant news, there is a new trailer out for the next season of Sons of Anarchy.

Jen is in her happy place.

2. Speaking of my happy place, Channing Tatum says there is gonna be a sequel to Magic Mike.  As I said on Twitter, I hope the filmmakers learn from their mistakes in the first movie: less "plot," more stripping.  Someone told me this may be a prequel.  I'm ok with that.  I'd love an excuse for Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer to get some more screen time.

But if we go with a new crop, let me recommend my casting: Jared Padalecki, Jason Momoa, Charlie Hunnam, and Zac Efron as the new "kid."  Oh yeah, and Channing Tatum. You can't have a Magic Mike movie without Mike.

Now I have myself all aflutter. Any thoughts on your fantasy casting?

1. And in one more piece of movie news, Michael Fassbender has announced plans to co-produce and star in the adaptation of Assassin's Creed.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it follows Desmond Miles, as "an unwilling participant in an experiment wherein he's forced to live out the memories of his assassin ancestors."* I wonder if he'll be naked.


Have a great weekend.

XOXO,
Jen

*I totally stole that Assassin's Creed description from MTV.com.

5 for Friday - May 11

Happy Friday everybody! Before I jump into my Top 5, I have give you a quick follow up from last week.  I did, indeed, go see The Avengers and Chris Hemsworth did NOT disappoint.  My single complaint is that he did not take off his shirt at any time in the movie. It was, frankly, a missed opportunity in my opinion.  But he looked quite delicious, even with those pesky clothes.



5. We've got two great cover reveals to talk about from two of my favorite PNR authors, Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter. Kresley's is for Shadow Claim, the first in her Dacian spinoff of the Immortals After Dark series. It's out November 27th.

He won’t be denied

Trehan Daciano, known as the Prince of Shadows, has spent his life serving his people, striking in the night, quietly executing any threat to their realm. The coldly disciplined swordsman has never desired anything for himself—until he beholds Bettina, the sheltered ward of two of the Lore’s most fearsome villains.

She’s bound to another

Desperate to earn her guardians’ approval after a life-shattering mistake, young Bettina has no choice but to marry whichever suitor prevails—even though she’s lost her heart to another. Yet one lethal competitor, a mysterious cloaked swordsman, invades her dreams, tempting her with forbidden pleasure.

A battle for her body and soul

Even if Trehan can survive the punishing contests to claim her as his wife, the true battle for Bettina’s heart is yet to come. And unleashing a millennium’s worth of savage need will either frighten his Bride away—or stoke Bettina’s own desires to a fever-pitch...

Gena's is for Last Kiss Goodnight, the first in her new Otherworld Assassin series. 

The breathtaking first novel in New York Times best selling author Gena Showalter’s new paranormal romance series, Otherworld Assassins, featuring a black ops agent who is captured and enslaved…and the beautiful deaf girl who holds the key to his salvation…

THE SWEETEST TEMPTATION…

Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.

THE ULTIMATE PRICE…

Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different—he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him…and he’ll be put to a killer test.

It's scheduled for release December 26th.

4. I am absolutely dying to read Archangel's Storm. The next installment of the Guild Hunter series --featuring our poor, tortured Jason-- doesn't come out until September 4th. But Nalini Singh has put up an excerpt on her website.

Let's see how long I can go without reading it.

3. While we're talking excerpts... Thea Harrison has a snippet from her next Elder Races novel, Lord's Fall, out November 4.

This one features Dragos and Pia again and I am very interested to see how Harrison will advance their story.  You can check out the excerpt on her blog.

2. If you haven't had a chance to peruse Brenda Novak's Annual Auction for diabetes research, it's a great time to go check it out.   Not only can you help support a worthy cause, but you can snag some great prizes, from ereaders and trips, to ARCs from authors like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Mary Janice Davidson, and Sylvia Day.  There's a ton of stuff to choose from and all money earned will go to The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami.

1. This last one is totally not book related. But who doesn't want to watch Jon Hamm answer questions from the inquiring minds of teenage girls?  Check out his answers from Ask a Grown Man:

Have a great weekend!

XOXO
Jen

My Night With Kresley & Paul

I decided to live a little and take the day off of work yesterday to drive to New Orleans for the Kresley Cole Lothaire signing. And I am so glad I did. It was a fantastic experience.

Kresley Cole was so funny and so sweet. She talked about how dear the Valkyries are to her heart. She joked about how much she is enjoying her time on the bus with cover model Paul Marron. And she made my heart happy by saying the Lanthe and Thronos story will more than likely be a full-length novel.

Of course, I have to mention the eye candy portion of the evening. Paul Marron was sooo nice. He was respectful and charming. (He held the door open for my friend.) He answered rude questions (like the one from the lady who asked him if he was gay.) And he dealt with women of all sizes, ages, and levels of intoxication as they drooled over him. One exceptionally drunk woman begged him to grab her tits for a photo.  He obliged. (No. It wasn't me.)

Paul was patient when my stupid camera wouldn't work and I stood there wrapped around him for a good minute or two. --And while I was there, I couldn't help but notice how slender he is in person. I didn't get his clothes off, but we did spend some quality time together.

Topping off all of this, I got to meet some of my Twitter/ blogging friends like Rachel from Parajunkee, Vanessa the Jeep Diva, Trish (Pickyme), and Patti from Caught in a FAB Romance. I apologize for any, er, inappropriate behavior brought on by my five glasses of champagne. (Let's just pretend that part didn't happen.)

Trish, Vanessa, and me



Patti, Rachel, and me



All in all, it was a fantastic night. Kresley & Paul were both amazing. A big, big thanks to them both for providing such a great experience for fans.

Review: Lothaire

One of the things I love most about Kresley Cole books is the way that she weaves her stories together. It's really quite amazing how she takes all these little pieces over a dozen books and makes them all feel like they are part of this fantastic master plan that she's had all along. Lothaire has been this mysterious and enigmatic character ever since A Hunger Like No Other. We've seen him scheme and manipulate; go on quests and gather debts; and we've had little hints: a feud with Nix... a plan to rule the vampires. And now it all makes sense.

Lothaire is the bastard son of the old Horde vampire king. His mother was a princess of the lost Diacan vamps. He should have been royalty. But his father cast him and his mother out. And they were forsaken by her family. As she died, he swore his revenge --to one day rule both the Horde and the Diacans-- and it's all he has lived for ever since.

Now he has finally found his Bride, the woman fated to be his Queen. Elizabeth is a human whose body is being possessed by an evil deity. Lothaire thinks the deity is his destined mate (though obviously it's Elizabeth) and he makes it his mission to find a way to permanently expel Elizabeth's soul from her body to give Soroya the reigns. He holds her captive as he tries to track down that powerful wish-granting ring he stole from the mummy back in Pleasure of a Dark Prince.  And as much as they outwardly disdain each other, there is an undeniable attraction between Elizabeth and Lothaire... one they can only fight so long, before they give in.

Here's the thing: Lothaire is sexy and ruthless. But he is also a complete asshole. He imprisons Ellie. He is cruel to her. He inflicts his will on her over and over again --and continues to do so even after he realizes she is really the one for him. He's completely self-absorbed and I felt like it took too long before he could stop seeing Ellie as beneath him. He did, however, make some powerful sacrifices and the sex was really hot... so there was some good stuff going on the romance department too. I just wish he had treated her better than he did for 90% of the book.

For me, where the book shines, are in the moments Cole lets us see the history and connections among the characters. I loved getting the backstory on Lothaire and Nix. I loved that she worked-in Hag, the Oracle from Kiss of a Demon King, and gave a shout-out to Lanthe. I loved Thaddeus, from Dreams of a Dark Warrior, with a capital-L. And the last sentence of the book really knocked my socks off.

Cole sets up her spinoff Diacan series nicely --and leaves me hoping that we'll get a Kristoff and Furie book very soon. 4 stars.

Click to purchase: Amazon

Lothaire

by Kresley Cole

Release Date: January 19, 2012

Publisher: Gallery Books

Review: Dreams of a Dark Warrior

I’ll admit, I am a Kresley Cole fan-girl. But I have a very good reason for that: her books are simply the best in the Paranormal Romance genre.  And this latest installment in the Immortals After Dark series features Regin the Radiant, one of the raucous Val-Hall Valkyrie we’ve grown to know and love.  Hundreds of years ago, she fell in love with a Berserker warrior named Aidan and they planned to marry. But he was killed by a vampire before he could realize his plans to become immortal.  Now his love for Regin prompts him to reincarnate over and over.  But each time, as he remembers their love, he is killed more brutally than the time before.

In this incarnation, he is Declan Chase… a man who has devoted his life to the destruction of Lorekind.  He is running an island facility that tests and tortures members of each species, hoping to exploit their weaknesses and harness their strengths to use against them.  This is the same camp where Carrow was taken in Demon from the Dark.  Of course, Regin is one of those abducted.  Declan doesn’t remember her, but he feels a pull towards her that he can’t explain.  He’s lived a tortured life and has good reason to hate the Lore, but despite that, and despite the drugs he takes to suppress his berserker strength, he can’t ignore the attraction.  At the same time, Regin struggles with a terrible choice: sacrifice herself or help Declan remember his life as Aidan and hasten the death of the only man she has ever loved.

As always, Cole fleshes out her characters so much that I can’t help but care for them deeply.  And each book is a symphony of sexual tension and payoff.  She always finds such a great balance between the love and the sex. 

Just like the group of books that take place simultaneously surrounding the Hie, we see the storyline converge from this book  in the same time frame as Lucia’s and Carrow’s before it. We’re also seeing the set-up for the next book in the series, which can’t come soon enough in my opinion.  And that is Lothaire’s story. (I’m also dying to get Lanthe’s story… which is a suprise, considering how much I hated Sabine.)
 
It can't be ignored that Declan is not the best hero. He does some pretty crappy stuff and it's hard to forgive him for it.  His issues are also pretty substantial and he is what keeps this one from rating as high for me as some of Cole's other books. I kind of wish that the hero would have been Aidan instead. 4 stars.

Review: Playing Easy to Get

With two of my favorite authors involved, I knew I would enjoy the anthology Playing Easy to Get.

The first of three novellas was Sherrilyn Kenyon’s “Turn Up the Heat.” This offering is loosely tied in to her BAD Agency series, but only just-barely. The story focuses on Allison, an average woman from Georgia, who works in a dead end job and has no prospects for love.  She spent the last several years caring for a dying mother. She just just broke up with her two timing boyfriend. And her favorite escape is found in her steamy romance novels.

An old friend helps Allison win a contest designed to let a romance reader live out her fantasy on an island for a week. It’s there she meets Vince.  He’s on the run from the Mafia and hiding out among the actors. Sparks fly between them and things heat up quickly.  Of course, the bad guys are on Vince’s tail. But the island is also a training station for some members of the BAD Agency. So, in the end, familiar faces Joe & Tee help save the day. 

The second story was “Hunter’s Oath” by Jaid Black. I did not enjoy it.  Our leading lady, Sofia, has been kidnapped from Alaska and dragged to an underground Viking world to be auctioned off as a Viking’s bride. She is stripped nude, put on an auction block, and purchased.  And in the end, she falls for her new husband and comes to accept their way of life. I’m sorry. I just can’t get past the premise.

The final novella was “The Warlord Wants Forever,” the story that kicks off Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. The book is worth it for this story alone. It features Niklolai Wroth, a vampire warlord, who meets his fated Bride, Myst the Valkyrie.  Myst is a prisoner in the castle Wroth has conquered. He hopes to use her to learn more about the creatures of the supernatural community, but he can’t resist his attraction to her. The feeling is mutual, but Myst’s Valkyrie sisters rescue her before they can consummate their relationship.  So Wroth spends five painful years searching for his missing Bride. When he finally finds her, he finds out he can control her by wielding the chain he pulls from around her waist.  Only, it’s not the power of the chain that makes Myst fall for her warlord.  It happens all on its own.  As with all IAD stories, this one is hot and super sexy. And we get to read the foundation for the main storylines in several books to come.

Alone, I’d give the Sherrilyn Kenyon story 4 stars, the Jaid Black story 2 stars, and the Kresley Cole story 5 stars.  An anthology worth the time and the money.

Review: Demon from the Dark

Kresley Cole’s Demon from the Dark is the 8th book in her totally amazing Immortals After Dark series.  The heroine in this book is the witch, Carrow, who we were briefly introduced to as Mariketa’s best friend in Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night. I have to say, I was not excited about reading her story. Her character never stood out to me, and the hero, Malkom, is an entirely new character.

Why did I ever doubt Kresley Cole? She rocks my socks off.

Carrow was one of the supernaturals kidnapped at the end of Pleasure of a Dark Prince. We find out that a group of humans is collecting samples from all the otherworldly species.  But they don’t have a dempire (demon/vampire hybrid.) They kidnap Carrow’s little witch niece, after killing the child’s mother, and blackmail Carrow into helping them catch Malkom.  Carrow is sent to Malkom’s demon realm and quickly discovers she is his destined mate.  Problems abound. He has lived a solitary and harsh life for centuries. He doesn’t speak English. And sadly, he has known nothing but cruelty and betrayal. They manage to fall for each other despite the language barrier, but Carrow can’t make him understand what she is doing and why she has to lead him into a trap.

WHAT IS SO GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK:
In a word: Malkom. I cared so much about his fragile heart, I wanted to beat down everyone who had ever hurt him. I ached for his sadness.  I hated what Carrow had to do.  It was masterful writing. Kresley Cole at her very best. And of course, you know that means there was some great sex in here too.

I’d give it more than 5 stars if I could.
Hell, it’s my blog. I give it 10 stars. Out of 5.  My favorite in the series.

Review: Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Kresley Cole’s Pleasure of a Dark Prince is the long-awaited story of Lucia and Garreth in the Immortals After Dark series.  And when I say long-awaited… I mean ever since A Hunger Like No Other, when we first saw their connection and Lucia’s unexplained reluctance to accept their destiny together.

One of the things that amazes me about Kresley Cole is how she lays the foundation for future stories inside her books.  We get to look back now and revisit all the clues she has dropped along the way and see what’s been happening with our couple.

Garreth the Lykae met Lucia the Valkyrie before the events of AHLNO. In fact, the book starts before Lachlain MacReive has pulled himself from the bowels of hell.  Garreth knew right away, of course, that Lucia was his mate. What he didn’t know, was that centuries ago she made a vow to stay chaste… a vow tied to her abilities as a master archer.  If she gives in to her feelings, she will lose her aim. This is especially bad since she is required to use her skills during every Ascension to put down Cromm Crauch (a really big bad guy) who she had the bad judgment to marry as a teenager.

So Lucia goes on the run and Garreth follows. She is on the hunt to find a weapon that can finally kill CC. The search leads her and Garreth deep into the Amazon. They face one obstacle after, not the least of which is their undeniable attraction to each other.

I love that so many questions were answered here. And by the end of the story, Cole has already set up the next major story arc.

I never really warmed up to Lucia. I never really felt like she deserved Garreth, which took away from the story a little bit. Perhaps my anticipation of this book prevented it from totally reaching my expectation.  Don’t get me wrong, it was an excellent book. But I surprised myself by liking the next book, Demon from the Dark, even better. 5 stars.

Review: Kiss of a Demon King

Kresley Cole’s Kiss of a Demon King is book 6 in her Immortals After Dark series. Here we finally learn what happened to King Rydstrom when he disappeared in Dark Desires After Dusk. We had a glimpse then of how Sabine tricked him into her prison cell.

Now we see from Rydstrom’s perspective how important his crown is to him. How guilty he feels that he couldn’t be there for his people. And how much he wants to find his fated female. Of course, he had no idea that both of those goals would be tied up with Sabine. She is the Queen of Illusions, a sorceress with loyalty only to her sister Lanthe. She is tied to her evil half-brother Omort, and wants to have a child with Rydstrom only to free herself from Omort and rule in his place.  She tortures Rydstrom with seduction, wanting to become his wife. Omort is behind the seduction because he wants to take Rydstrom’s heir and sacrifice him.

Rydstrom manages to escape and takes Sabine with him… working through the demon realm, trying to get back to his brother, to get to the sword foretold to defeat Omort.

Of all the IAD books, this one was my least favorite.  I like Rydstrom, but Sabine is awful. I’m sure she’s supposed to be, but perhaps it’s too much so. I also didn’t like that we are cut off from all that’s familiar for most of the book. The previous installments were all so intertwined and while there is a link to the last book… it’s just not the same.

I’d never suggest skipping this one if you are reading the IAD series, but for me, it wasn't nearly as good as A Hunger Like No Other.  Cole set the bar too high early in the series. I look forward to getting back to our Valkyries. 4 stars.

Review: Deep Kiss of Winter

Reviewed by Jen
 

Deep Kiss of Winter contains two stories, "Untouchable" from Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series and "Tempt Me Eternally" from Gena Showalter’s Alien Huntress Series.

The AH story focuses on Aleaha Love, a shapeshifter posing as Alien Investigation and Removal agent Macy.  She doesn’t know if she is alien or human. She grew up on the streets and is trying to make a life for herself. She took over Macy’s identity after discovering her dead body. Anyway, she is working with AIR, when a group of super-hot warrior Aliens show up. A fight ensues but she instantly has a connection with the leader, Breean. The Rakans are good aliens… they’re just trying to make a life for themselves on Earth. Their planet has been taken over by the Schon sex-cannibal folks we met in Savor Me Slowly. But they hope to use Aleaha/Macy and a handful of other AIR agents to secure their safe passage on our planet. As Breean and his men hold them captive, his relationship with Aleaha blossoms.

It’s not a long story, but it’s a good one. And Aleaha’s stories about her childhood and old friend Bride help set up Seduce the Darkness. A nice love story, with some wonderfully steamy scenes.

"Untouchable" finally shows us who Murdoch Wroth’s mysterious bride is: Daniela the Ice Maiden.  We learned way back that Murdoch had been blooded but he said his bride did not want to be revealed.  The story takes us back to the events of “The Warlord Wants Forever,” where Nickolai was searching for his beloved Myst. It seems that back on that fated night in the French Quarter, when he finally caught up to her, Murdoch met up with Daniela and his heart began beating again.

The big obstacle between the two is the fact that Daniela is an Ice Maiden and can not touch another person without it burning her skin.  I’ll tell you, they find some very creative ways to deal with this problem.

It felt like there was a lot of rehash in this story, but I wouldn’t have missed it. I love the Wroth brothers. I just wish Murdoch would have had a fleshed out version of a story that was all his own.
4 stars.

Review: Dark Desires After Dusk

Kresley Cole’s Dark Desires After Dusk, is the 5th book in her steamy Immortals After Dark series. Our hero is Cadeon Woede, a demon prince. We met him back in Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night, when he and his brother Rydstrom were trapped in the cave with Mariketa. He has found Holly, his fated female, but it seems she is a human. That makes her off-limits to Cade, because mating with a demon would kill a human woman.

Good thing she isn’t really human. It turns out Holly is really half-Valkyrie  and doesn’t know it. Not only that, but she is the “vessel.” Every Ascension, a woman is chosen as the vessel to carry a child that will be the ultimate good or evil. So all the different factions of the Lore are on the hunt for Holly, either to knock her up or to kill her. As she comes into her immortality, it would seem like the perfect time for Cade to claim her. Only he can’t.

You may remember, Cade is the reason his brother lost his throne. Now, he learns the only way Rydstrom can get his kingdom back is with a special sword. A sword the brothers can only get, by trading the vessel for it.

Cade agrees to bring Holly to the swordmaker, unbeknownst to her. And of course, he falls in love with her over the course of his journey. This despite, her very serious quirks. Holly has OCD, and I must say I didn’t find it at all endearing. In fact, she seemed to border on serious mental illness. Fortunately, Cade was ok with that and started helping her learn what it means to be a Valkyrie and an immortal.

When it’s time to turn over his woman, can Cade do it? Can he atone for his part in his brother losing the crown? Can Holly ever forgive him? What was Nix doing with those explosives? (I digress.)

I liked Cade a lot. And Cole can write the heck out of a love scene, so I’d give this one 4 1/2 stars. But I’m ready to go back to those Lykae. Aye!

Review: Dark Needs at Night's Edge

Dark Needs at Night’s Edge is book 4 in Kresley Cole’s fun and sexy Immortals After Dark series.  In it, we finally find out what happened to the missing Wroth brother: Conrad.  As we know from earlier books, Conrad’s brothers Murdoch and Nickolai forced him to become a vampire more than 100 years ago.  What we didn’t know was that this was especially abhorrent to Conrad because he was part of a secret vampire hunting organization at the time. He went crazy and became an assassin.

His three brothers corner him in a bar and drag him to an old home to help him recover from his bloodlust. What they don’t know is that the old home is haunted by the ghost of a beautiful ballerina, Neomi.  Nix, our favorite all-knowing Valkyrie, provided a special sedative that not only calms Conrad, but allows him to see Neomi. They, of course, fall for each other.

Conrad is eventually able to orchestrate his freedom from the house. And Neomi manages to reach out to Mariketa the witch to gain a temporary corporeal form. Once Conrad meets Neomi in the flesh, his heart starts beating and he confirms Neomi is his bride.

I didn’t think I could like a book where the love interest is a ghost, but I did. I love crazy Conrad and his lack of experience makes him endearing. Neomi isn’t as compelling to me as our Valkeryie heroines but she was ok.  Conrad was really compelling enough for both of them.  Kresley Cole is so creative and finds new and unique stories to tell in each of these books. Plus, the sex scenes are awesome.

5 stars.

P.S. Best book cover. Ever.

Review: Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

OK. Nobody is as sexy as one of Kresley Cole’s Lykae.  (Those accents should be criminal!) And Bowen MacReive is no exception. We met Bowen back in A Hunger Like No Other. There he was a broken man, barely hanging on to a reason to live after the death of his mate. In No Rest for the Wicked, we learn that he is trying to win an ancient competition called the Talisman Hie, where the prize will allow the winner to go back in time. He wants to use it to prevent his mate’s death.  Then, we only saw Bowen as a competitor from Kaderin and Sebastian’s perspectives. Here, we see the Hie from Bowen’s side.

As the competition begins, Bowen is drawn the young witch Mariketa. He assumes she has put some kind of spell on him, as he has been loyal to the memory of his dead mate for centuries.  He fights the attraction.. even going so far as trapping Mari and some others  in a cave full of zombie incubi to keep her out of the competition. She fights back by putting a spell on him, making him mortal.

We already know from the last book that Bowen loses the Hie.  He goes back to rescue Mari and the others in the cave, to avoid the wrath of the other witches.  As he helps bring her back to civilization, Bowen is less and less able to fight his overwhelming attraction to Mari.  Beyond the guilt over letting go of his feelings for his dead mate, he must also fight his revulsion of witchcraft, just as Mari strengthens her magic.

Like all of the IAD, this book is SEXY.  The twist surrounding how Bowen can have more than one mate is interesting and unexpected.  And it’s a lot of fun watching Mari grow into her powers. I am in awe of how Kresley Cole manages to weave so many books together at the same time.  It's totally seamless.  Just amazing.

5 big stars.

Review: No Rest for the Wicked

Not many books can measure up to the sexy goodness of A Hunger Like No Other. But I am happy to say, No Rest for the Wicked was really, really good.  This third installment of Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series features the tortured vampire Sebastian Wroth.  

Poor Sebastian is a recluse… who would welcome the death the vampire-slaying Valkyrie Kaderin the Cold-Hearted would bring.  But something strange happens before Kaderin can swing the death blow on our hero. First, she makes Sebastian’s heart start beating. That means she is his fated Bride. The only woman who can make him, er, be able to, um… do it.  Sebastian has quite the effect on Kaderin as well. You see, she has the curse/gift of a life without feeling…. granted to her centuries ago after her sisters were killed on the battlefield.  Now faced with Sebastian, Kaderin starts to feel again. At first, they revel in their change of fortune. Then Kaderin gets scared and bolts.

Kaderin is the long standing champion of the Talisman Hie, a sort-of supernatural scavenger hunt. This year’s winner gets a prize that allows them to go back in time. She wants to win, of course, to go back and save her sisters.  Sebastian enters to get closer to his lady-love and hopes to win the prize for her.

The competition is exciting and dangerous. And the growing relationship between our main characters is both sexy and sweet.  We have a big supporting cast which makes the series rich and full. The pacing is fast, but the book is never confusing.  This is one of the best Paranormal Romance series out there.

5 stars.

Review: A Hunger Like No Other

I read a lot. So much so that it makes my husband angry and my friends tease me. I tell you this so you know I mean business when I say Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other is one of the best Paranormal Romance books I have ever read.  The story centers around Lykae king Lachlain MacRieve. At the start of the book, he is chained in the pits of hell (for lack of a better word) and has been burning to near-death and resurrecting for hundreds of years. But then he scents his fated mated above ground. He busts free and finds her… only to discover she is part vampire. Lachlain hates the vampires, though, since they chained him that fiery prison and all….

Anyway, Emma is sweet, timid and not at all worldly.  An innocent in just about every way. Lachlain kidnaps her and uses her to help him acclimate to the new era he’s facing.  He pushes the envelope of a sexual relationship with her… and slowly begins to form an emotional relationship as well. 

Emma helps Lachlain journey back to his home in Scotland. (His accent is to die for, BTW.)  And he reunites with his people he hasn’t seen in centuries. While all this is happening, bad-guy vamps are trying to kidnap Emma.  It creates lots of drama and sets up a great twist at the end.

I want to acknowledge that I have heard some people complain that they felt Lachlain was too dominant, that they felt like he was forcing Emma to be with him physically, especially in the early parts of the book.  I felt like his self-control was tenuous, but their connection was undeniable.  I think it pushed the envelope, but for me, it didn't cross the line.  Lachlain is a great tortured hero, and those always resonate with me.

The world of the “Lore” that Kresley Cole establishes is unique and so easy to lose yourself in. The events in this book integrate seamlessly into other books in the series. I can’t recommend the Immortals After Dark books enough. And this is the book that made me fall in love with them all.

I’d give it more than 5 stars if I could.

Click to purchase: Amazon

A Hunger Like No Other

by Kresley Cole

Release Date: March 28, 2006

Publisher: Pocket Star

Series Reading Order: Immortals After Dark

This is the reading order for the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole:

• *The Warlord Wants Forever (Playing Easy to Get)
• A Hunger Like No Other
• No Rest for the Wicked
• Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night
• Dark Needs at Night’s Edge
• Dark Desires After Dusk
• *Untouchable (Deep Kiss of Winter)
• Kiss of a Demon King
• Pleasure of a Dark Prince
• Demon from the Dark
• Dreams of a Dark Warrior
• Lothaire
• MacRieve

The Dacians

•  Shadow's Claim

*Denotes short story/novella

Review: If You Deceive

If You Deceive is the 3rd book in Kresley Cole’s sexy Highlander series surrounding the MacCarrick Brothers. This installment focuses on the eldest brother, Ethan. Like his brothers, Court and Hugh, Ethan believes the family is cursed… the brothers never to marry or have children. If any were to open his heart, the object of his affections will suffer or die. Ethan feels like he is most intimately acquainted with the curse, as his old fiance killed herself years ago, shortly before their wedding.

10 years ago, Ethan was a handsome rake, who went home with a different woman every night. But one night, he went home with the wrong woman. She was married, a little older, and thought to seduce him. Once in her bedroom, he changed his mind. The woman became enraged. And when her husband came home early, she said Ethan tried to rape her. The husband had him beaten and his face slashed. Ethan made it a point to ruin the man and his evil wife. He bought up their debts and called them in. The husband killed himself. The wife and her daughter, Maddy, were driven into abject poverty. Anyone want to take a guess who that daughter will become to our hero?

Ethan meets Maddy in the novel’s present day, at a masquerade ball. They are inextricably drawn to each other. So much so, their passion escalates to sex in the carriage after the party. Ethan doesn’t know young Maddy was still innocent and he is a little too forceful with her. She leaves with a healthy dose of fear about sex. And Ethan is disconcerted by his intense feelings for the woman.

They go their separate ways… Maddy back to her seedy French apartment and Ethan on an assassin’s job. But after it’s over, he realizes he must find her again. It’s after he starts making inquiries that he realizes who she really is.

He pursues her anyway, thinking to find new ways to punish her mother. He asks Maddy to marry him. But he begins to truly fall for her. And he soon learns her mother is long dead –and he is to blame for the hard live Maddy has led.

Their feelings for each other are real and deep, but the secret between them creates a huge chasm. Ethan has so much baggage surrounding his scars, his curse and his past. He clearly doesn’t know how to love, but with Maddy, it’s inevitable. Their encounters are steamy. Their story is captivating. I couldn’t put it down.

And I loved the Epilogue, that gives us a glimpse into the future of all three brothers.

5 stars.

If You Deceive  

by Kresley Cole

Release Date: May 22, 2007

Publisher: Pocket Books