AUTHOR: Kresley Cole
INFO: Paperback, Fiction, 515 pages
PUBLISHED: Pocket Books, 2011
ISBN#: 978-1-4391-3680-5
HOW I GOT IT: Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour
FROM GOODREADS: HE VOWED HE’D COME FOR HER . . .
Murdered before he could wed Regin the Radiant, warlord Aidan the Fierce seeks his beloved through eternity, reborn again and again into new identities, yet with no memory of his past lives.
SHE AWAITS HIS RETURN . . .
When Regin encounters Declan Chase, a brutal Celtic soldier, she recognizes her proud warlord reincarnated. But Declan takes her captive, intending retribution against all immortals—unaware that he belongs to their world.
TO SATE A DESIRE MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH . . .
Yet every reincarnation comes with a price, for Aidan is doomed to die when he remembers his past. To save herself from Declan’s torments, will Regin rekindle memories of the passion they once shared—even if it means once again losing the only man she could ever love?
MY TAKE: This is the 9th installment in Kresley Cole's super-popular "Immortals After Dark" series and the first book of hers that I've read. Based on this one book, I am declaring myself a major fan! It can definitely be read as a stand alone story, but I'm betting that readers including myself will want to read the other books for the sheer pleasure. The author is a master story-teller.
This is a great tale of star-crossed lovers who keep finding each other every 200 years. She is immortal while he lives and dies as soon as he remembers who he is and who she is - his soulmate. He then comes back as a different man with Aidan's buried memories. As well as a very compelling storyline, Cole creates fantastic characters. This combination of a unique Valkyrie and an unaware Berserker causes sparks to fly and lightning to strike.
The cast of supporting characters (characters that have their own stories in the series - yay) is also amazing. From what I understand, the next book is about a psycho, but fascinating, super-vampire ~ Lothaire. He had a good-sized role in this story so I'm looking forward to getting a better look at him.
Regin is a smart-mouthed dynamo who does whatever she wants, whenever she wants. She also happens to be a one-of-a-kind Valkyrie. She's made a lot of enemies, including Declan Chase - the man who is the unknowing host to the current incarnation of Aidan the Fierce, a Berserker warlord. Declan is a hardened, no-nonsense soldier who lives for nothing but the killing of immortals. Their interaction is intense and intoxicating. This is one steamy and exciting read, not for the faint of heart!
I love the touches of humor, some of it tongue-in-cheek as well as references to things from some of our own distant pasts:
"Don't shriek," Nix chided. "You'll hurt Bertil's ears, and he needs them for echolocation." As she stroked her new pet in a a love-him-and-pet-him-and-call-him-George kind of way, her eyes were even more vacant than usual.
****So One Book Shy readers, do YOU know what that "George" statement references?
I am highly recommending this to adult fans of paranormal adventure and romance stories. I do caution against younger readers as there are explicit sex scenes.
Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:
~~~~~ Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own. I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links. I may receive books in order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one. Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.
The IAD series is great. You should read the other books if you liked this one especially the one right before this Demon After Dark.
ReplyDeleteI have a spoiler review of Dreams Of A Dark Warrior on my blog but mine is a bit negative.