Review: Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

I can't believe it's already Wednesday!! Sigh, work has really been kicking my butt. I had an extremely crappy day on Monday and I've been working long hours... Probably won't be out of work tonight before 8pm either :( Ugh. I hope it gets better starting from tomorrow, because seriously... Work can really suck, I mean beyond words at time :( Also, the weather has really be crap. I mean, I know we were going to pay for the past 2 weeks wonderful weather... but snow, freezing rain and hail? We didn't get much of everything, but enough that it's not very comfortable to be outside...

I've been working on this review for the past few days, but work keeps getting in a way. So hopefully, I can post it up today! :D

Cindy, this is for you :P


Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole
published by Simon & Schuster in February 2010

A dangerous beauty...

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her — and those she loves.

An uncontrollable need...

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

Thad lead to a pleasure so wicked...

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness — her wanton desire for him.

Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Immortals After Dark, Book #12 (counting novellas)

The Story: Long, long ago, Lucia made the mistake to trust the wrong man and she is still paying the price for it. To survive, Lucia become the follower of Skathi - a goddess that has reluctantly gifted Lucia with great hunting skills, but on the condition that Lucia remains chaste. In addition, every time Lucia would miss her target, she would suffer unmeasurable pain... However, Lucia is in no position to complain as she needs those hunting skills during each Accession  to confront and jail the man that has deceived her. Thus, when Lucia meets Garreth and realizes she is his mate, she panics and flees. Unfortunately, she did not factor Garreth's tenacity. Having finally met his mate, Garreth is not about to let her escape. After a year of chasing Lucia, Garreth finally catches up to her... to find out they're both heading in the Amazonian jungle so Lucia can find an artifact and hopefully changes her life around.

My Opinion: Readers have been introduced to Garreth and Lucia since the very first book of the series, A Hunger Like No Other, and finally, Pleasures of a Dark Prince is their book :D Yay!! Cindy reviewed it when it first came out and it was a keeper for her, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately for me though, I didn't end up liking it as much as Cindy.

What I liked about this book was Garreth. It was fun to discover him, because although we've all been waiting for his book, we've only got a glimpse of him in the past. Really not enough to know his personality, how he would act, what makes him... so this was fun. Garreth was the first carefree hero we've got in this series and he was a great hero. I mean, seriously, he's probably the best well-adjusted man in the whole series: charming, loyal, caring, tenacious and patient. Nobody can really blame him for his attitude when he catches up to Lucia... One lethal year of chasing - anyone's patience would be at an end. In my opinion, Garreth really made the book.

Lucia however was another story. She was too wishy-washy to my tastes and I didn't like the fact that she only showed her vulnerable side to Regin only and put up the strong/brave front. I felt too many of her actions were dictated by the fact that she was a Valkyrie instead of her being herself. It seemed to me that she had a definition of what a Valkyrie was and she tried to impersonate it. It doesn't help that I'm not in love with the Valkyries in Ms Cole's series... I feel they are too high-strung and full of themselves, but that's probably just me. Anyway, I wished she had been herself and would have stood up for herself instead of crumbling under the pressure. For example, when the Valkyries trapped Garreth as an exchange chip, she didn't want to, but she did because of the other Valkyries. Even when they called Garreth filthy names, she went along because Valkyries aren't supposed to like Lykae, even if she doesn't share the opinion. This got better once Lucia and Garreth were alone, but even then, she didn't open up very much to him. I liked the fact that she considered telling Garreth the whole truth, but in the end, she didn't... and it almost cost him his life.

My biggest issue with this book however wasn't Lucia, but the sense of deja-vu I had. In my opinion, the premises of Pleasure of a Dark Prince quite resemble the ones of Untouchable, Murdoch/Dani's story published as a novella in Deep Kiss in Winter. Both heroes meet their mates, but are unable to have physical relationship because of the mates' particularities. Both stories back-track to the beginning of the series... I think had I not read Untouchable, I would have enjoyed Pleasure of a Dark Prince a lot more. As a result, I wasn't able to totally engage in the storyline :(

My Grade: C+. I really liked Garreth, but the rest of the story didn't wow me. Also, the similarities with Untouchable really didn't play out in favor for Pleasure of a Dark Prince :( A lot of things are happening, but I don't feel like the series has been advancing. When is the freaking Accession going to happen? We've been on the verge of it for a couple of books already it seems. The ending of Pleasure of a Dark Prince was an interesting cliff-hanger though and will probably incite readers to continue this series.

Hmmm, it's funny how I tend to down-grade the books once I review them in comparison to my monthly list ^_^;

Nath's booking adventures...

Okay, so as you already know, I'm pretty obsessive when it comes to books ^_^; and I like to get the new releases ASAP. Hey, if I can, then why not?

So far, I've been able to observe some patterns... So here are my secrets:

1. Mira/HQN books have a release date of Month 1st. However, they usually show in the bookstores 10 days early.

2. Berkley books are also available early. Start checking the stores the Thursday-Friday before the release date. For example, if the book you want is going to be release next Tuesday, April 28... well start looking now :)

3. Simon & Schuster books usually come in 2 weeks early - well at least, Kresley Cole's books.

Other publishing houses are more tricky or I haven't been able to pin-point their shipping patterns yet. However, my best friend, the online stock indicator, is there to help LOL!! I even know the shelving patterns of the bookstores I go to :P I told you, obsessive.

Anyhow, as you've read in this post, you know that I've been looking forward to Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber, Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder and Visions in White by Nora Roberts... well guess what? The Macomber and Snyder are both Mira/HQN releases and the new Roberts, Berkley. So yes, I've been on the look out for them...


Yesterday (April 21)

Target: Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder and Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber.

*Nath checking the online stock indicator for Storm Glass

7.30am - 0 in all bookstores (I have a list of 5 bookstores, all easily accessible, except for 1)

9.30am - just got to work, 0 in all bookstores. All right, I know the bookstores only open at 9am, but hey, you never know! Maybe the updates are done during the night

12pm - 3 copies at Indigo Dix30! Yay!! However, Indigo Dix30 are usually slow to put out the books. Check Summer on Blossom Street - 10 copies at Indigo downtown!!! Yay! But damn, that's not the bookstore I want either - that bookstore is majorly under-staff... it's going to take forever before they have the books out.

2pm - Storm Glass: 3 copies at Indigo Dix30, 0 everywhere else
Summer on Blossom Street: 10 copies at Indigo Dix30 and 10 copies at Indigo downtown!

3.51pm - Storm Glass: 3 copies at Indigo Dix30, 6 at Indigo Downtown and 2 at Coles!! LOL, I immediately rushed to the phone and called the Coles. Coles are usually smaller bookstores and received less books... so they put them out faster :D Called and asked for Storm Glass - yes, they have it and they'll put it aside for me!! Yahoo!! Check for Summer on Blossom Street, they also have 10 copies!!

4.15pm - Get to the Coles and found Summer on Blossom Street on the shelves, as well as new Susan Mallery, Under Her Skin. Basically, all the new Mira/HQN releases were there... but I restrained myself :P In addition to those two, I picked up Edge of Hunger by Rhyannon Byrd and of course, Storm Glass.

Get to the cash, tell the clerk that I have Storm Glass put aside for me.

Clerk: "I noticed that you often call to put aside books."

Nath: "Ummm, yeah?"

Clerk: "I've never had time to offer it to you, but if you want, you can give us a list of upcoming releases that you want and we can put it aside for you when we received it. We can give you a call when we get a book or you can drop by when you want." Clerk shows Nath the folder with people's list. "These people mostly put aside romance books. I have no idea how they know what's coming, but they do and they give us a list. It also helps us know how many books to order and that way, you're sure to get a copy of the book you want. For example, we only received 2 copies of Storm Glass and 1 of them were already reserved. So you were lucky."

Nath: "Thanks, I'm going to think about it."

Clerk: "It's up to you."

LOL, how to tell him that I stalked the online indicator and calls as soon as I see the numbers showing up? Also, I like the Coles because they usually put the books out fast, but it's a small bookstore... Opening hours are not as advantageous as others and selection is more limited - although, they do get all the Mira/HQN. I guess I'll give them only the Mira/HQN books that I want :P

But hey, was I happy? LOL :) So excited and it really cheered me up :) I already finished Summer on Blossom Street. My only complaint though is that he didn't take my 15% coupon that I got the other day because one of the clerks at another bookstore couldn't find Close Encounters - and they had it in stock. This clerk said that the coupon was only good if I wanted to buy Close Encounters, but I knew that it could be used on any other books... However, I didn't argue, because I couldn't find the proof in the fine prints... I re-read the coupon on my way to the car and there it was, in big bold: valid on any other book in-stock. Ah well, I'm going to use it on another book.


Today (April 22)

Target: Visions in White by Nora Roberts

*Nath once again checking the online stock indicator for target

7.30am - 0 in every store. *I know, I know. They do not work in the middle of the night ^_^;*

9.30am - 0 in every store.

2pm - 189 copies at Chapters downtown! Yay! However, it usually takes Chapters one or two days before the books are on cart. Hmmm, will probably have to wait till tomorrow at the soonest.
3.30pm - 189 copies at Chapters downtown, 96 copies at Indigo Dix30 and 151 copies at Coles!! Jackpot!!! The only fear is that it's a strict release date and even Coles won't put it out early, but it's worth a chance.

3.45pm - Power outage. Noooooo!!! My experiment!!! Luckily, there's emergency generators.
4pm - Emergency generators are dead. Noooooo!!! I have samples in the stupid machines and now, it's locked and I can't open it without electricity!

4.15pm - Electricity. Yay!!

4.45pm - Done first step.

5.10pm - Done second step. Shit, Coles closes at 6pm!! Rush to show supervisor the results.

5.30pm - Leave the lab. Crap, it's going to take me at least 5 minutes to get to the car and then, 15 minutes to get to the bookstore. Cutting close.

5.40pm - Lost a stupid glove on my way to the car. Where is it?!?

5.45pm - Dum, dum, dum, dum. Will never make it ont time :( Okay, let's go to Chapters then, on the off chance :P

6pm - Get to Chapters. Look on every cart - not there. No boxes... Sigh.

6.15pm - Give a call to Indigo Dix30. Maybe a miracle happened.

Clerk: "Indigo Dix30. How may I help you."

Nath: "Hi, I'm looking for a book - Visions in White by Nora Roberts."

Clerk: "All right, let me check in the computers. Sorry, it's taking a while, but must re-boot system."

Nath: "No problem."

Clerk: "What's the title again?"

Nath: "Visions in White by Nora Roberts."

Clerk: "Okay, here it is. What format do you want?"

Nath: "It's trade-size. Bigger than paperback." With French books, there are no hardcovers, only paperback and trade-size... However, I don't know how they call trade-size in French.

Clerk: "Let me check the format..."

Nath *Who cares about the format?!? There's only one anyway!! Other options are audio-books!* Of course, I'm too polite to tell her that.

Clerk: "All right, here it is. We have 48 copies in-store, it shouldn't be a problem."

Nath: "Thanks."

Ugh, she didn't even offer to check on the shelves... Of course, with 48 copies, it's almost assured that the book is on the shelves... Unless, the customer is asking about a book that is not supposed to be released yet. Ugh, isn't it sad when you know the job better than they do? In the end, I didn't go to Indigo. Figured that I had books to read and could wait till tomorrow to try out the Coles :P

So there you have it, my booking adventures of the past two days. I know, I'm obsessed LOL, but it's one of my small pleasures. By the way, I've decided to buy these trade-size/HC books this month in-store instead of wait to order online... because I'm just not patient enough. Hey, consider it... I'm kind of saving money since what most probably would have happened is that I wouldn't have been able to wait till I get the books by the mail (especially considering that I'd have to wait at least till next Tuesday to order the books so not to pay the pre-order shipping fees) and would have bought a copy in-store anyway... So I would have wounded up with 2 copies and I don't mind returning one book from time to time, but 2 or 3? Nah. And it had happened in the past! So yeah, in a twisted way, I am saving $$$ LOL :)

Review: Too Good to be True and Kiss of a Demon King

Sigh. Seems like I'm a bit into a funk lately :( Not feeling like blogging or reading much. Part of it is due to Tim Horton's Brier - the man national curling championship... another part is the job... and well, my mood I guess. I'll try to get out of it, but don't be surprised if I'm a bit silent in the next few days - well at least, in my blog.

So let see if I can do this... two-fer review :) These two books don't have much in common except that they've both slipped away from me when it was time to review them. I got both of them before their release date, devoured them and just never got around to review them although I wanted to.

Since my reviews will only add to the praises everyone is lavishing on these two books, it will be somewhat shorter (or at least, that's the intention LOL).


Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins
published by HQN Books in February 2009

When Grace Emerson's ex-fiance starts dating her younger sister, extreme measures are called for. To keep everyone from obsessing about her love life, Grace announces that she's seeing someone. Someone wonderful. Someone handsome. Someone completely made up. Who is this Mr. Right? Someone...exactly "unlike" her renegade neighbor Callahan O'Shea. Well, someone with his looks, maybe. His hot body. His knife-sharp sense of humor. His smarts and big heart.

Whoa. No. Callahan O'Shea is not her perfect man Not with his unsavory past. So why does Mr. Wrong feel so...right?

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

The Story: Grace Emerson was going to marry Andrew in three weeks... till she caught the glint in his eyes that told her he wasn't completely in love with her... and perhaps, his great love could be another woman... her younger sister, Natalie.

One year later, Grace has given her blessings to Natalie and Andrew to be together. However, she has become the pitiful girl in the family and everyone is trying to encourage her, but it just further annoys her. After her cousin's third wedding, Grace decides it's time to make up a boyfriend so everyone would just stop... and it's not as if she never made up boyfriends - she has experience. However, when Natalie and Andrew announce their engagement...

My Opinion: So I didn't mention Cal in my summary, because this is really Grace's story. Like I said in my previous reviews of her books, I think that Ms Higgins' style is more chick-lit than contemporary romance. Good chick-lit, but chick-lit nonetheless.

As usual, I really like Grace as an heroine. Ms Higgins really has a knack at writing the heroines. There's this confidence in themselves that sets them apart in my opinion. Actually, they're just comfortable in their body and settle in their careers. In addition, since there's no mystery, everything allows Ms Higgins to focus on the relationships, dynamics and interactions and it results in good books.

Okay, I digress. So what I really want to say is I enjoyed Grace's character :) She was fun, brave and strong. Some think that perhaps, she was too nice - giving her blessing to her sister and Andrew. In my opinion, it was well explained and it fit her personality. To Grace, Natalie is very special... and when you love someone, you want them to be happy, even at the price of your own happiness. I liked Grace's interactions with her best friend, her family and Cal :) and LOL, imagining boyfriends isn't so bad :P In Dear Author's review, the reviewer pointed out that all of Ms Higgins heroines are similar and have the same voice. I agree; however, it works well and these heroines are really refreshing :)

There were tons of funny situations in this book :) Starting with Grace's best friend signing them up to a course to find happiness. LOL, when the motivation speaker was speaking to them about the techniques to get people's attention and when he wasn't so sure it would work on a gay man LOL :) Or when Julian had to fake to be Grace's boyfriend and he was stuck in the bathroom's stall. All of Grace's mother's women parts scultures that they had to bring out from the cellar when the mom came up unannounced. Finally, I really love the last quarter of the book, from the moment Grace finally gets together with Cal.

My main complaint about this book was Grace and Cal's relationship. Again, as it is usually the case with Ms Higgins' books, I wanted more of the H/H together. Especially once they became a couple. They were adorable together!! However, I was a bit uncomfortable about Grace's reluctance to get involved with Cal. I'm not totally sure of her reasons... Part of it was prejudices because Cal was a convict... which I thought was unfortunate really. I mean, I understand her position and I guess that I would react the same in real life... but in fiction... I still prefer to believe that Grace thought he wasn't going to be THE guy. Anyway, it doesn't matter much since they do get together at the end and like I said, adorable :)

I really liked how Ms Higgins wrapped things up between Grace and Cal and the three sisters relationships at the end. I'm actually curious to know what happened to Cal's grandfather ^_^; I know, I know... very small details LOL.

My Grade: B. Overall, this was a very good and solid book... However, I do think that Just One of the Guys and Fools Rush In were better :) Also, I'd like for Ms Higgins to try her hand at contemporary... a bit more between the H/H would be greatly appreciated :D



Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
published by Simon & Schuster in January 2009

His Obsession...

Sabine, Sorceress of Illusions: the evil beauty who surrenders her body, but not her heart.

Her Downfall...

Rydstrom Woede: the ruthless warrior who vows to keep her at all costs.

They were never supposed to want each other this much...

With each smoldering encounter, their shared hunger only increases. If they can defeat the sinister enemy that stands between them, will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice for her demon? Or will the proud king lay down his crown and arms to save his sorceress?

Genre: paranormal romance
Series: Immortals of Dark, Book #7

The Story: Rydstrom Woede is the king of some demon kingdom, but lost his throne to an immortal sorcerer. He along with his younger brother, Cadeon, have been trying to get the kingdom back, but it's not easy to kill someone who can't die. However, his chance has come... Rydstrom is on his way to meet Cadeon whose mission was to exchange the Vassel for a sword that can actually kill the sorcerer... when he is kidnapped by Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, sister of his mortal (immortal) enemy. Sabine has her own agenda though, which would be getting her and her younger sister out from under their brother's thumb... and although Sabine knows that she is supposed to borne Rydstrom's child according to a prophecy... she just wasn't prepared for this mutual passion.
My Opinion: Okay, so the timeline of Kiss of a Demon King actually overlaps with the events in Dark Desires After Dusk and I'm not really a fan of overlapping books, but it actually worked real well for this book. I've been a fan of Rydstrom ever since he appeared in the series, but from the glimpses I caught of Sabine in Dark Desires After Dusk and her effects on Rydstrom, I wasn't sure I would liked her.

Oh boy, was I wrong. I ended up really liking Sabine. She was a very fun character and that, from the beginning of the book :) Sabine really wasn't what I expected. I mean, first she's a sorceress and then, she's Rydstrom's enemy's sister ^_^; I was imagining a wicked, evil heroine and didn't know how she would match Rydstrom. Anyway, long story short, she was a fun character and I liked her :) I'd like if she has shared more with Rydstrom... I liked her loyalty to her younger sister as well :) As for Rydstrom, well he WAS everything I was expecting. I was still uncomfortable about the two brothers' relationship - Rydstrom blaming Cadeon for the loss of the kingdom and Cadeon feeling guilt. Sure, it's adding angst, but in the end, I'm not really satisfied with the resolution of their issue. I guess I would have liked more closing.

What else I didn't like? Hmmm, the first part of the book when Rydstrom was Sabine's prisoner. I thought it was boring, Sabine trying to have sex with Rydstrom to get pregnant. Wasn't really involved in that part. Luckily, it all picked up when the roles were reversed :) That part, me likey. I thought that Sabine showed more of her true face to Rydstrom and they had more interactions. Rydstrom started to learn more about her, he opened more as well.

I felt that this book was a bit more stand-alone in the series and I liked that. It didn't have too much connections to the earlier books. It wasn't sequel baiting either, so that was a plus. I've always felt that Ms Cole's books had a primitive feel to them, but the two last books were a bit smoother and suited more the storylines :) What I don't like though is that there are a lot of paranormal creatures in this series and it's starting to get confusing. The structure of the world building doesn't seem solid... I feel it's very flexible and when you have so many creatures and storylines going on, it'd be better if it was a bit more ground in my opinion.

My Grade: B+. Very fun book. So far, all the books with non-vampires H/H have been more enjoyable to me :) Also , great for Ms Cole to keep this series open so no anticipation and expections for the next H/H.

Review: Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole

Hello everyone :D

A quick post to let you know that I've reviewed Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole over at Breezing Through:D My buddy reviewer this time is Rosie from Nobody Asked Me...

Review here.

I'll be reviewing something for my own blog soon :D

Hope everyone is having a nice day!

Review: Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

published by Simon & Schuster in October 2007

Her breathless kiss haunts him.

Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed—until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive.

His slow, hot touch is irresistible.

Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It’s rumored that no one can tempt Bowen’s hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them. Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go.

No deed is too wicked for her seduction.
If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul—or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?

Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: The Immortals After Dark series, book #3

I wasn’t going to buy this book. Really. I read the first two books of the series, A Hunger Like no Other and No Rest for the Wicked, and I have to say something about them bothered me and I didn’t particularly like the main characters for both books… So there, I was going to stop another series. Then, I walked in the bookstore and saw this book almost two weeks before its release date! But no, I said, I was going to stop this series… till I glanced at the price, only 7.99$ Wow, that’s 2$ less than usual… and I also knew that some persons were really anticipating this book (ahem, Cindy) and that this book would be showing up on blogland... and that’s how I ended up buying it.

It was definitively a good buy. Although there are so many paranormal series out there, I liked the world that Ms Cole has created and think it is quite unique. Part of its uniqueness is due to the paranormal beings she chose which includes Valkyries (kind of like Amazon), elves and other creatures that we are less accustomed to see and also the fact that they are all immortals. Because of their immortality, many characters seem to not have adapted to the modern world and so, there is a very primitive feel to the books.

So onto Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night; the story actually overlaps with the timeline of No Rest for the Wicked, which is something unusual, but interesting. Our two main characters, Bowen MacRieve (a Lykae) and Mariketa (a witch) are participating to the Hie, some kind of supernatural Amazing Race. Bowen covets the final prize: a key that allows to go back in the past twice which he would use to go back in time and save his mate, while Mariketa wants to prove herself… See, Mariketa is the Awaited… Awaited for what, no one really knows, but she has incredible amount of power and is a witch of the 5 castes (kind of like branches such as healing branch, warrior branch, enchantment branch, etc.) which is really rare; however, she doesn’t have control over her magic and 99 out of 100 times she uses her magic, she ends up blowing thing. Thus, she wants to prove herself to her coven and her friends that she is worthy to be the Awaited one… The only problem is that the Hie is extremely dangerous, especially when you’re still mortal. See, Mariketa is only 23 years old and she hasn’t transitioned from mortal to immortal yet, but no one knows. So when Bowen traps her along with two demons and 3 elves in a Mayan temple, she’s in big trouble… especially from the incubi that have been jailed there for centuries.

I’m not going to go into more details about the plot although I want to. All I have to say is that I really enjoyed the book, especially the beginning. The storyline was interesting and clever. I also enjoyed the characters of this book a lot. We’ve already been introduced to Bowen in the previous book… he’s a bitter and violent Lykae, having lost his mate and all. He’s also ruthless, dominating, violent… and it works. I mean, I wouldn’t want him as my mate, but I understand where it comes from. First, he’s lykae… he’s also lost his mate and has lived hundreds of years of celibacy. However, we see him soften up a little throughout the book and I’ve come to like him. As for Mariketa, I really enjoyed her. She’s fun, witty and tough, but not too tough. She’s able to handle herself against Bowen, which, seriously, is admirable. Bowen and Mariketa match well also, even if they are very different, and their relationship is like a roller-coaster. Like Rosie said, seeing the issue of age (1400 y.o. vs. 23 y.o.) being addressed was also interesting... The secondary characters were well developped and recurring characters appeared, all without taking over the books.

My only complaint is when Bowen finally considers that perhaps Mariketa is his mate, he finally gives in and want to have sex with Mariketa... I found that part draggy. Also, I didn't really care for the sexual tension and sex scenes. I don't really like Ms Cole's sex scenes; I think it's because they also somehow feel primitive... not in a bad way, but just not my style. That aside, the beginning and ending of the book were strong with a good plot and characters, so it made up for it.

Grade: B+

October TBR challenge

Well I wanted to read this book for the October TBR challenge and well, I did... altho it's already November, I think that no one would mind... anyway, here it is:

Title: No Rest for the Wicked

Author: Kresley Cole

Year published: Oct. 2006

Why did you get this book? Personally, I have no idea. Maybe because I was giving a chance to the series.

Do you like the cover? I like the colors, but I could have passed on on the models :P

Did you enjoy the book? It was meh... I was expecting a bit more from the sneak preview, so I'm a tiny bit disappointed.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Nope, the author wasn't new to me. I've read the first of the series which was No Hunger Like Mine, or something like that...

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Not sure yet. probably keeping it till I have no more space and have to cut down on my books.

Anything else? I bet you actually dying to know more... so here it is... My formal review:


No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole: 2.5/5

Sebastien Wroth was turned into a vampire 300 years ago by his two elder brothers, because well, Sebastien was dying and his brothers didn't want him to. Angry at his brothers to have gone against his will, Sebastien has been sulking in one of his castle in Scotland and is awaiting death. Finally, appears Kaderin, a Valkyrie whose sole purpose in life is to kill vampire. Sebastien believes that he can die, but Kaderin hesitates... and suddenly, both characters get a bad case of lust, because apparently, Sebastien's Bride is Kaderin. Once a vampire finds his Bride, he can "lives" again, but well he's still dead. Anyway, Bride are important to vampires... Well it seems that Sebastien is not the only one affected by their connection, as Kaderin, in the presence of Sebastien, starts to feel again (see, she was turned emotionless by the Gods)... so Kaderin runs away. Sebastien pursues her and finds her at the Goddess Riora's temple where the creatures of the Lore (the otherworld) have gathered to participate to the Hie. The Hie is a competition among the representants of each race and basically, Riora gives a list of objects she wants and an amount of points that go with the task and well, the first 2 to reach 87 points get a place in the finale and the winner gets a price. Kaderin has been winning the competition for the last 5 times (the Hie happens every 250 yrs). Anyway, Kaderin and Sebastien both participate: Kaderin is even more eager than previous years because this year, the price is a key that allows to go back in time and as a result, she could save her triplet sisters and avoid a 1000 years of guilt, and Sebastien, to win the key and give it to Kaderin. However, another dangerous participant is present this year, Bowen, a werewolf, who wants the key to bring his mate back to life.

So yeah, sounds exciting? Not really. I guess the author wanted Sebastien to be a tortured hero, but his characterization doesn't turn out so well. Actually, I guess my problem is that this story is so deja-vu... it's been written and you don't bring anything new to it. It's nice to see other creatures aside from vampire, werewolf and witch, but I find the Valkyries not very interesting... Bunch of hyper girls that want to look tough. Kaderin wasn't an entertaining heroine either and I actually thought that the plot was weak and boring. So yeah, I don't know what to do anymore with this series? Give it another go or not... I guess not.