Kresley Cole - Dreams of a Dark Warrior

Of all the Immortals After Dark series, I think that this one is my favorite so far. I think that I spent the first half of the book in the good kind of gut wrenching tears that make me absolutely love a story. This book is the story of Regin the Radiant and her berserker warrior. As the story begins, we see Regin as a young Valkyrie, trying to save her sister Lucia from a terrible fate (see Pleasure of a Dark Prince). Though Regin is young and not yet immortal, she is fearless in her quest to save her sister and she is willing to ask the berserker Aidan the Fierce to help her. When Aidan meets Regin, he falls for her. He knows that she is his mate and that he will work to earn immortality in order to spend it with her. But fate steps in and Aidan ends up dying from his own pride. But as he lays n Regin's arms, dying, he promises that he will always find her and he forces his best friend, Brandr, to vow to protect her for all time by earning immortality himself.

Throughout time, Regin is forced to endure Aidan's reincarnation. Though he is the one man for her and she stays faithful to him for centuries, the reincarnations always die within hours of making love to her. Needless to say, this time around, Regin knows that she has learned her lesson. No matter what, she won't kiss Aidan's reincarnation and she sure as heck won't sleep with him. At least she is sure of that until she meets him. Declan Chase is Aidan's reincarnation this time around. But he is Regin's enemy. He has captured her and plans to torture her and her Immortal allies in a quest to rid the world of Immortals. Soon, Regin begins to think sleeping with him, and thereby forcing his death, may not be such a bad thing.

What I love about this story is Regin. And I say that with a bit of awe since she has irritated me throughout much of the series prior to this book. Regin's snide and sarcastic self all becomes so clear. As much as she has always believed that it is Aidan that has been cursed to reincarnate, she realizes that the curse is really hers. She has to suffer through the finding of him, and more tragically the losing of him, time after time. And this reincarnation looks to be no better. Though she hates Declan Chase with a passion, she is still drawn to him and to the part of him that is still Aidan. And having to kill him would kill her spirit for once and for all.

As I said, it starts out as a tear jerker and, though there are some undeniably humorous parts, brought on by Regin and her cellmates and the dryly cutting Lothaire, this one definitely tugs at the heart strings. As Declan starts to come to terms with who and what he really is, it is the tie to Regin that binds him to life and fulfills him in a way he never thought possible. What he has spent an aimless and tortured life searching for is finally within his grasp. If only he can find a way to make her forgive him for what he has done.

To date, my favorite of the series. Though Lothaire and Demon From the Dark are close seconds, this one touches on heart strings like few of the Immortals After Dark books do and I think it will always be my favorite.

Book: Dreams of a Dark Warrior
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, 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, Kiss of a Demon King, Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Jennifer Ashley - The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie (Audio)

Audio Corner - The last Friday of each month, a new audio book will be reviewed.

This month: The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley

I didn't think that anything could increase my enjoyment of Jennifer Ashley's The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, but having it as an audio book did it. The narrator did a wonderful job with Ian's Scottish lilt, without making it a full on brogue, and the other characters were distinguishable and clear. This really made a great story and turned it phenomenal.

Ian Mackenzie is the youngest of four very powerful and unique Scottish brothers. Though all the brothers have a form of "madness" about them, Ian's is the most noticeable and it draws him away from society. Ian is a high functioning autistic (probably Asperger's) and madly intelligent. His unique way of looking at the world, though accepted by his brothers, was dealt with cruelly by his father. After years in an asylum, where his father put him to shut him up about a deed he had witnessed, Ian is living on the edge of society and his family. Until he meets the widow Beth Ackerley and a man who thought he never could love suddenly can't live without her calming presence.

Beth is the widow of a happy marriage. As a vicar's wife, Beth had never aspired to more than that. When her husband dies, leaving her destitute, she becomes a companion to an elderly woman. This woman eventually dies and leaves Beth her fortune. Through this, Beth comes to the society of Ian Mackenzie and a romance filled with intrigue and tenderness ensues.

What I loved about the audio is that Ian's tender yet exasperating nature really comes through in the narrator's voice. In addition, I can already see a lot of the characteristics that will likely become a part of the brother's characters if the audios continue. Hart's gruff deep voice is already to die for! With any audio, there is a tendency to let the accents be the characterization, but Ms. Dawe really does a wonderful job avoiding that trap in this book.

I know that at this time, there are no plans to turn the rest of the Highland Pleasures series to audiobook, and I think it would be a shame if they were never made. This one is undoubtedly the best book of the series so far, but considering how much better than the book this audio was, just by having the characters come to life, I think it would be a shame if they weren't also turned to audios. Through audio book, mediocre books can become good. And though Ian's book is the strongest of the series, the others are far from merely mediocre! I hope that this one does well and the other titles, Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, and The Duke's Perfect Wife, are also made into audiobooks.

UPDATE - May 2012

The rest of the series IS being released as audiobooks by Tantor Media! The approximate release dates are as follows:

The Many Sins of Lord Cameron - June 25

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage - June 29

The Duke's Perfect Wife - July 9

All three will have the same narrator as the first! :)

Book: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Narrator: Angela Dawe

Other books in the Highland Pleasures series: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, The Duke's Perfect Wife, The Seduction of Elliott McBride, The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie (Dec 2013)

All For You by Lynn Kurland Release Day!!!

Is there anything sweeter than a Kurland love story? Nah!!! Congrats and happy release day to Lynn Kurland and happy reading everyone! Here is the link to my review for All For You

Book: All For You
Author: Lynn Kurland
Other books in the de Piaget Series: Another Chance to Dream (Together with If I Had You in A Time for Love), If I Had You (Together with Another Chance to Dream in A Time for Love) , This Is All I Ask, From This Moment On, To Kiss in the Shadows, The More I See You, Stardust of Yesterday, Dreams of Stardust, When I Fall in Love, The Gift of Christmas Past (In Love Came Just in Time), Till There Was You, One Enchanted Evening, One Magic Moment

Books in the MacLeod Series: A Dance Through Time, The Very Thought of You, Three Wise Ghosts (in Love Came Just in Time), And the Groom Wore Tulle (in Love Came Just in Time), The Traveler (in Knight's Vow), My Heart Stood Still, Much Ado in the Moonlight, A Garden in the Rain, With Every Breath, Till There Was You


Books in the Nine Kingdoms: Star of the Morning, The Mage's Daughter, Princess of the Sword, A Tapestry of Spells, Spellweaver, Gift of Magic, A Whisper of Spring (in A Queen in Winter), and The Tale of the Two Swords (in To Weave a Web of Magic)

Kresley Cole - Demon From the Dark

If you were to take all the wonderful aspects of J.R. Ward's fabulous Lover Awakened and put it into Kresley Cole's IAD world, the book you would get is Demon from the Dark. All the things that we love about Zsadist, we find in the demon Malkom Slaine. And it feels like a homecoming!

Malkom Slaine is a demon who was a freedom fighter. Forced by his enemies to turn into his own worst nightmare, he is now a vemon (a demon turned to a vampire). He is a vicious and cunning warrior who is matchless in strength and power. He lives in Oblivian, a demon wasteland where he has amassed power by controlling the only water sources. But he is incredibly lonely and convinced that he has been betrayed by the only people he will ever care about. He is definitely unwilling to ever trust again.

Until Carrow Graie appears in his wasteland unexpectedly. Carrow has been captured by the Order. A vicious militant group determined to exterminate all Immortals. By capturing her adopted daughter Ruby, the Order, led by Declan Chase, has made her their willing pawn. All that they need her to do is to use her witches power to help them capture one of the most ruthless Immortals alive, Malkom Slaine.

I will admit, there were parts in this book that made me want to throw my Kindle out the window. When Carrow betrayed Malkom, though with good reason, I hated her. He had done nothing but protect and care for her, when he could have protected himself instead, and he was willing to trust her enough to walk straight into the Order's trap. Thank goodness he quickly saw the reason for her actions and was willing to forgive and forget. If a Big Misunderstanding had sprung up and ruined this book, it would have been the last IAD book I read. But Cole mastered the situation artfully and I quickly forgave Carrow. So did Malkom and the love story that grew from that decision was quite beautiful to read.

By this book, Cole has become much more skillful at the overlapping stories. Though this book overlapped with the previous one, Pleasure of a Dark Prince, and the next one, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, I never had the same feelings as I had in the previous books. I was never anxious just to get on with it and to get to the new stuff and for that I am very grateful. Though these stories still may overlap in the future, the fact that Cole has mastered that skill makes that a non issue from now on.

Again, this is one of those books that you can pick up on its own. It is definitely able to stand without the rest of the series. If you have any doubts about the IAD series, it is a good one to read to get you hooked!

Book: Demon From the Dark
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, 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, Kiss of a Demon King, Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Lynn Kurland - All For You

Quote of the Book: "You know, Stephen," she said, "you can be very charming when you want to be." He shot her another smile. "I want to be." She walked with him for another few minutes, then looked up at him. "Why?" "Why not?"

Ahhh! Spring is in the air. For me, that means sitting outside in the sun with a cool breeze and a good book. It also means that I can look forward to an evening spent with a chivalric de Piaget or a dashing MacLeod. And this spring, that de Piaget lad was Stephen, the future Earl of the magical castle Artane.

Stephen de Piaget has a problem. Well, he has many. For one thing, he is a Cambridge professor of Medieval Studies who is torn between his public persona of being the heir to an ancestral family seat and his personal persona of knight in training. His grandmother is firmly trying to force him into a marriage with a woman of his station, but the women that she presents all look at Stephen and see merely his title and his hall. To top it all off, the woman he is madly in love with, Peaches Alexander, hates him. Profusely.

Peaches is in a bit of turmoil herself. Her entrepreneurial business is on the skids and she is quite sure she is at a crossroads in her life. She has seen her two sisters fall in love with a pair of Medieval knights, twins actually, and can't help but be envious of the perfect love that her sisters have found. While a part of her thinks she wants a raw food eating guru with a beard, in her heart of hearts she knows she wants a dashing knight to rescue her on a white horse with a sword in his hand. The problem is that when it happens, Peaches may be too blinded to even see it for the rescue it really is.

When the devious David Preston, Duke of Kenneworth, plots to make Peaches his most recent conquest, Stephen plays a modern day knight in rescuing Peaches from... well, herself, really. And just when Peaches seemed to be in the clear, the most extraordinary thing happens. She gets hurtled through a time gate and lands herself in Medieval England. Though for anyone who knows the de Piagets, this isn't that unusual. Fortunately for Peaches, having two Medieval brothers-in-law helps her to keep her wits about her. And low and behold, a dashing knight in shining armor, not tweed, manages to save her yet again.

I liked Stephen and Peaches as a couple. They were a cute pair and well suited for one another. I loved all the peeks at the de Piaget clan that we get throughout the book. But I will say, this one is not a stand alone. Though the story and plot of this book is one that will not be hard to follow without reading the previous books, I really don't think anyone would appreciate the story unless you were already in love with the de Piagets. A lot of my appreciation stemmed from that. Without knowing the history and magic of Artane, I don't think that a reader would really care about the things that befall Stephen through the course of the book. Though all the cameos of the family members are explained so that the reader wouldn't be lost, I just don't think the reader would care to know about the people in the secondary roles.

One thing that I find with Kurland's books is that many of the women of the de Piaget and MacLeod crew seem to get left behind. Though Zachary plays a role in this book, his wife Mary, who is the de Piaget relative, is rarely seen and I don't think she says a word. Her child, or maybe her children?, are completely baffling. At one point, she has a young baby, but about half way through the book, that baby has suddenly been unborn, but is "about" to be. Later, it seems that unborn baby was actually months in the offing. It was a little irritating as a fan of the series, but the casual reader probably wouldn't be bothered by it. However, the casual reader wouldn't know why they should care about Zachary, Mary, or the child(ren?) anyway, so it is a bit of a dilemma.

I think that, at this point, I would read just about anything if it included the de Piaget boys. All are charming shepherds that are chivalrous and kind and who love deeply and adoringly. The current heir is no exception! He does his ancestor's proud and earns the love of his lady in dashing ways. With all that, how can it go wrong?

Book: All For You
Author: Lynn Kurland
Other books in the de Piaget Series: Another Chance to Dream (Together with If I Had You in A Time for Love), If I Had You (Together with Another Chance to Dream in A Time for Love) , This Is All I Ask, From This Moment On, To Kiss in the Shadows, The More I See You, Stardust of Yesterday, Dreams of Stardust, When I Fall in Love, The Gift of Christmas Past (In Love Came Just in Time), Till There Was You, One Enchanted Evening, One Magic Moment

Books in the MacLeod Series: A Dance Through Time, The Very Thought of You, Three Wise Ghosts (in Love Came Just in Time), And the Groom Wore Tulle (in Love Came Just in Time), The Traveler (in Knight's Vow), My Heart Stood Still, Much Ado in the Moonlight, A Garden in the Rain, With Every Breath, Till There Was You


Books in the Nine Kingdoms: Star of the Morning, The Mage's Daughter, Princess of the Sword, A Tapestry of Spells, Spellweaver, Gift of Magic, A Whisper of Spring (in A Queen in Winter), and The Tale of the Two Swords (in To Weave a Web of Magic)

Kresley Cole - Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Garreth MacRieve is sure his brother is dead. That makes him the King of the Lykae. But it is the last thing he wants. He would much rather have his brother back. For now, he is the unwilling king, still trying to spend his time rough housing with his cousins rather than ruling his people. And that is just what he is doing when he spies the beautiful Archer Lucia of the Valkyrie. Lucia has been given the skill of the ultimate Archer. She can never miss a target or suffer unbearable pain. The catch is, that if she ever lays with a man, she will lose that skill. Since she is not willing to give up her tremendous power, it would take one heck of a guy to entice her into his bed.

Fortunately, Garreth MacRieve is that guy. When he meets Lucia, he is pretty sure she is his mate and, because of his title, his queen. But for some reason, she just won't have him. When Lucia is attacked by vemons (demons that were turned into vampires) and she misses her target, her pain calls out to Garreth and he is convinced of what she is to him. Now all he has to do is convince her that a life with him is worth giving up her skill.

As Lucia goes on her destined quest that comes up every 500 years, to kill the God of Death who is also her husband, Garreth follows behind determined to protect her. What Lucia needs is on the hunt for is a God killer, an enchanted arrow which will allow Lucia to achieve her goal and kill the evil god who stole her innocence a thousand years ago and oushed her into her life of celibacy. In order to find that, she needs to go to the Amazon River basin and get the arrow from La Dorada. As Lucia nearly loses her life because of the interference of the Enemy of Old, Garreth fights to protect his mate and win her love and respect.

Though not the best of the IAD series, it is not the worst. The story of the Valkyrie who refuses to bend to the will of her destined mate is getting a little old by now. This is the fifth Valkyrie who we have been through this with and I have to admit that by this book I was tired of it. Had this been the second story with that theme, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but as it wasn't I found that there was nothing new in this story other than the names of the characters. Beyond that Garreth and Lucia acted the same as Myst and Wroth, Sebastian and Kaderin, Lachlain and Emma, and so forth and so on.

Fortunately, after this one, we get a break from that and we instead get three of the strongest of the series. Let's hope that Cole is on a roll and that it just keeps getting better from here on out!


Book: Pleasure of a Dark Prince
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, 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, Kiss of a Demon King, Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Emma Wildes - Twice Fallen (TBR Challenge)

TBR Reading Challenge 2012 Wednesday - The third Wednesday of each month will be dedicated to a review of one of the books out of my TBR file on my Kindle

This month: Twice Fallen by Emma Wildes

The book that I choose to read from my TBR this month was Twice Fallen by Emma Wildes and I have very mixed reactions to it. On one hand, I loved one of the love stories in the book so I enjoyed it. Unfortuntely, it was a subplot of the novel rather than the main story and so that disappointed me.

The main characters in this story are Lily and Damien. Lily Bourne has been living in seclusion for the past four years because of a botched elopement. A childhood “sweetheart” and family friend left Lily high and dry and this resulted in social castration for Lily. When her younger sisters coming out, she decides it would make their chances for a match better if she were to brave the scandal and so she returns to London with no expectations for a happy season, but as a chore that she must simply get through.

Damien Northfield has returned to London after years of being a spy during the war. While he was away, his two brothers have both married and found unexpected wedded bliss. This leaves Damien a bit out of the family loop. Damien’s wartime injury and the years of war and spying are making his readjustment to London society a trial.

But a chance encounter with Lily in a deserted library intrigues him. Damien and Lily find a kindred spirit in their position of “outcast” in a society of conformists. But this is where the book starts to take a wrong turn. At this point, it inserts a Plot. Damien’s role as a former spy begins to enmesh itself in their romance and their relationship development takes a back seat within the framework of their story.

The worst part about this is that it really wasn’t needed. Damien and Lily are one of two major love stories in Twice Fallen. We also get the love story of Lily’s cousin James and his mistress Regina. In many ways, this was the more compelling story. I found myself caring more about their love story, which we pick up in the middle of their relationship. Regina is a complete nonconformist within the Ton while James is the typical Regency Aristocrat. Their love story really stole the show and I wish that they had been the main characters and that their story was given center stage.

The reason that James and Regina were more compelling than Lily and Damien can all be traced back to the Plot. By including Damien’s spying activities, the botched elopement, and some bad guys, Lily and Damien’s relationship was never a priority. When we got the glimpses of James and Regina, the glimpses focused on their personal struggles and were not distracted by a Plot. Had Lily and Damien been given the same advantage, then their story may have been equally compelling. Having the two stories exist side by side just made Lily and Damien’s deficiencies clearer.

As I said, the book is well written and the characters are engaging. I liked the book. But I didn’t love it and I will not be preordering the next in the series. I won’t be rereading this one and giving it a coveted place on my Kindle. If I could extract just James and Regina’s story from the bigger one, that story would get a spot, but Lily and Damien left me feeling flat overall and since they were the stars, that brought down the whole book.

Book: Twice Fallen
Author: Emma Wildes

Kresley Cole - Untouchable

In this novella, we get the final of the Wroth brothers love story. Murdoch has discovered his Bride in the Valkyrie, Daniela. Daniela is known as the Ice Maiden because touching her and her touching another is physically painful to her. She has spent her life devoid of contact. When she realizes that she has blooded a vampire, she is more than willing to be a devoted mate, but she can't imagine how the two can coexist. And of course, the one she Blooded is the playboy of the family. The one least willing to settle down.

Murdoch and Danii end up in Murdoch's remote Siberian hunting lodge, where Danii makes herself at home. She turns his rustic lodge into a frozen wonderland, but Murdoch has no intention of settling down with her there. Even once he is willing to accept that she may be his Bride and that he may have strong enough feelings for her to accept monogamy, he does not think he is capable of living without ever being able to claim his mate. And Danii and Murdoch's situation seems helpless. He can't touch her without causing her pain, but not touching her is tearing him apart.

The one thing that I did like about this story was the way that Danii and Murdoch's predicament was wrapped up. It was a good solution and one that surprised me - in a good way! I never saw it coming. The love scenes between the two are amazingly steaming considering that they are always surrounded by ice. I will never look at an icicle the same way again, that's for sure! And considering the fact that I consider it cold if the thermometer is less than 75 degrees, it amazes me that Cole could make that icicle scene seem desirable to me - but she did!

The biggest weakness of this story was the fact that I always felt on edge with it. It backtracks all the way to before Nicolai's story in the timeline. And I really felt like I knew what was coming next in the peripheral story, so let's get on with it already! It was very slow moving until the end. I also felt that with all the conflict that Danii's very nature brought to the couple, adding in Murdoch's commitment phobia was unnecessary and added to the slow pace of the story.

And what about the ending? Since the end of Sebastian's book (No Rest for the Wicked) and through Conrad's book (Dark Needs at Night's Edge), I have been waiting to hear about the fate of the Wroth sisters. I thought for sure that it would be addressed in this novella, but even that subplot is left hanging. In my opinion, a lot of the space taken up by Murdoch's commitment issues and the back tracking would have been better spent on the subplot of the sisters, but I can only hope that Cole is saving that for some other book, though I have no idea which it would be. With all the Wroth brothers Blooded and mated, it seems the poor Wroth sisters will be left in limbo for at least a while longer.

Book: Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology)
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, 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, Kiss of a Demon King, Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Kresley Cole - Kiss of a Demon King

Ok...ready for this? I haven't read it. Still. I picked up the IAD series in January. When I read Bowen's book (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night), I loved Rydstrom. I was actually looking forward to his book and I liked him a lot more than his brother Cade. But then, I read Cade's book, Dark Desires After Dusk. And Cade is just too adorable for words in his book. So, clearly, he became my favorite half of the Brothers Woede.

But something else happened in Cade's book. I hated Rydstrom. Just hated him. He was not nice to Cade at all. Didn't appreciate his brother. Treated him poorly. So when I finished Cade's book, I just couldn't read Kiss of a Demon King. I didn't like Rydstrom and honestly hoped the sorceress did him serious injury...

I skipped his book and continued on with the series. I got to Demon From the Dark and found out, hey, I was right to dislike Rydstrom, but his wife isn't much better. She is a special kind of nasty. So even though I had intended to go back and read Rydstrom's story, I had zero motivation to do so. Even having read through the whole series, knowing there was at least a year til the next new one, Kiss of a Demon King had zero pull for me.

When I decided that IAD was going to be my April series, I said...ok, I've got to read this book. But I made a serious tactical error. I thought that if I was going to read it, I would treat myself to a reread of Dark Desires After Dusk first, then I would move onto this one. Instead, what happened was a renewal of my extreme dislike of Rydstrom. I was reminded why I hated him and had no desire to read his book. And that is where I am still at. I just can't read it.

Now, I am sure that I will eventually overcome this feeling. But right now, I just can't do it. And if I did, I would probably hate it and not give it an honest review anyway. So, this will be my goal this year. To eventually read it. Maybe one month when the TBR challenge is a cowboy book, I will give this one a try. But for now...just can't do it....

Book: Kiss of a Demon King
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, 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 (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Shona Husk - Kiss of the Goblin Prince

I really loved The Goblin King by Shona Husk and so I was really looking forward to Kiss of the Goblin Prince. Unfortunately, the book fell flat very quickly and that left me very disappointed.

I would like to say that this book was about a couple, Dai and Amanda. However, it was only just minimally about Amanda. This was Dai's book and much of the book was spent in his perspective with him attempting to learn how he could use his magic in the modern day world. You see, Dai King has spent millennia cursed as a goblin in the Shadowlands. Roan, his brother, was able to break the curse by earning the love of Eliza. This sent Dai crashing into a century that he didn’t quite know how to adapt to. Still reeling from centuries of torment and greed, Dai decides to focus his energy on expanding his magical abilities and that is pretty much what his does the whole book - with the occasional romancing of Amanda thrown in.

Amanda is the widow of Eliza's brother and she is more than a little surprised when Eliza breaks her engagement and marries a strange Welshman instead. What is even more shocking is the strange attraction that Amanda feels for the man’s brother. There is something powerful and mysterious about Dai, but she can’t put her finger on what makes her so uneasy around the King brothers. All she knows is that she has spent years mourning her husband and caring for her asthmatic daughter and Dai has roused feelings she thought long dead.

Dai’s feelings for Amanda grew just because they felt an initial spark of attraction and he nourished the thread (literally) of that attraction throughout the book. However, they barely spent much time together. In fact, when the chapters were in Amanda's perspective, they were together. When it was in Dai's he was usually alone trying to become the most powerful sorcerer since Merlin. By three quarters of the way through the book, the two had barely had two conversations alone together, yet he was claiming to be in love with her. And Amanda was having the same feelings, despite struggling with the way that made her feel about her lost husband.

The strangest thing was that the couple barely had a physical relationship. Although that isn't necessarily a problem for me (as a big Kurland fan, obviously it doesn't mean much at all), but the problem is that the book is called the KISS of the Goblin Prince. How can the kiss be meaningful enough to name the book after if it was completely forgettable and I almost missed it?

What was even more surprising was the amount of time that was spent in the third Goblin, Meryn's, perspective. His will be the third book in the series and I really felt that the author spent more time preparing Dai and Meryn's position for that third book that in convincing me that Dai and Amanda were truly in love. I felt he was attracted to her because after a millenia or two without a woman, Amanda was the only woman that he knew, so he fell for her. I hope that the third book in the series is able to regain the magic that the first one had. This second offering was lacking. I want the adult fairy tale back!


Book: Kiss of the Goblin Prince
Author: Shona Husk
Other books in the Shadowlands Series: Summons (a Prequel to The Goblin King), The Goblin King, For Love of a Goblin Warrior

Kate Noble - If I Fall

Guest blogger Sara with another awesome Regency review! Kate Noble's If I Fall !

To begin this review we must first set the scene and take a step back to the final chapters of the previous book Follow My Lead. At the close of that story, the hero Jason finally understands his true feelings for the heroine Winifred, running off from a ball to declare his love. Sadly, the ball he abruptly left is his own engagement ball, and at the same time that Jason and Winifred are about to start their lives together there is one person that was left with her own heart breaking: Sarah Forrester, Jason’s fiancé. And so the curtain rises on the next act of Kate Nobel’s Blue Raven series with the book If I Fall, giving us the opportunity to see what happened to Sarah after she looses her Duke.

Sarah had done everything correct in her engagement to Jason. She was open with him, allowed him his pursuits, and looked forward to starting her life in earnest. When the engagement is broken she finds herself emotionally lost, slowly trying to rebuild her identity in the ton. Sarah is given the strength and means to survive by a sudden friendship with Lady Phillippa Worth (heroine of the previous book Revealed), who advises Sarah to never allow the ton to know her true self. With that sage wisdom, Sarah reinvents herself into The Golden Lady of London, the woman who sets the trends, knows all of society, who every woman wants to be and every man wants to be with.

Enter onto the stage Jackson Fletcher, an old family friend of Sarah and her sisters, who has returned from a nine-year tour serving the Royal Navy. His ship has returned to London to be assessed by the War Department for possible decommission, his own Lieutenant commission depends on being redeployed to another ship of the fleet, and his youthful quest for adventure has been tempered by maturity. He is a man who is reluctant to face the questions of “What next?” Upon his return to meet the Forrester family he is shocked to see how closed off Sarah has become from the girl he had been so close to. She is cold in her remarks, distant in her relations, never letting him see the light of her personality. Not believing that Sarah could have changed so dramatically from one woman to another, it becomes his quest to break through her façade.

To execute his plan, Jack uses his intimate knowledge of Sarah’s past infatuations to impersonate the legendary Blue Raven, super spy for England during the Napoleonic Wars. Within this fantasy Jack creates for Sarah, she does allow the walls to slowly fall around her, getting the two of them closer than either ever expected. Unfortunately reality can sometimes intrude into fantasy, and Jack is slowly pulled in a direction that could cost him this new relationship with Sarah and destroy any chance of him being with her as himself.

What is wonderful about this story is that the love between the two characters has always been there since they were children. Initially it was a bond of friendship and the closeness of family, maturing into a teenage fascination that was arrested when Jackson deployed for military service. When they meet again as adults, with so many layers of life experiences covering that emotion, it takes time and a few misunderstandings for them to rediscover it. Sarah had been terribly hurt by her fiancés betrayal, so trusting anyone with her heart is too frightening to comprehend. She can’t go through that hurt again or it would destroy the woman she has become. Jackson too is reluctant to look at his own life to see that one chapter of it has come to an end but there can be many more adventures ahead of him if he takes a chance at life. By the end of the story, each character has faced down the demons of their past to let the other person see what light truly exists inside of them. All walls have fallen, all masks are removed, and Sarah and Jackson are left with the truth of their love for one another.

Book: If I Fall
Author: Kate Noble
Other Books in the Blue Raven Series: Revealed, Summer of You, Follow My Lead, Let it be Me

Tessa Dare - A Week to be Wicked

GUEST BLOGGER!!!

In an effort to give more reviews and more variety in the books reviewed, my friend Sara has agreed to add some reviews to the Window Seat. From time to time, Sara will join me in reviewing a series or in sharing the books that she has read, which may be different from mine, with all of us! Welcome Sara!

Without further ado... Sara's first contribution. Thanks for joining me Sara and what a great review!!

People can surprise you. Rarely is someone limited to what they present of themselves to strangers or casual acquaintances. When we interact with others in our lives it can take time and trust before we will allow them to see what is lying just below the surface. However, once that social façade is stripped away the revelation of the person beneath can be glorious. In A Week To Be Wicked, author Tessa Dare takes us on this same journey with two characters that we’d never expect to find happiness together.

Colin Sandhurst, Viscount Payne, is a man who has never had to challenge himself. As a member of the peerage from a young age he has lived a life of excess with no one to tell him “No.” The closest he has come to being responsible was his forced impressment in the Spindle Cove militia run by his cousin, the Earl of Rycliff. Up until one year ago his life consisted of a steady stream of gambling, drinking and the other libertine pursuits of London. On the surface Lord Payne was a Rake of the highest order.

Minerva Highwood is seen as a Bluestocking through and through. She rarely presents herself in the town of Spindle Cove without a book in hand, or some type of rock she has just dug from the ground. As the middle child of the Highwood family, she is shadowed by her older sister’s beauty and by the machinations of their mother to make a good match for that sister to the highest-ranking single man living in town, namely Viscount Payne. Minerva’s rabid quests for knowledge are matched only by her fierce protection of her sisters, and she views the prospect of Colin as a brother-in-law as something she cannot allow.

When Colin and Minerva interact with one another in the opening scenes of this book, they are both only seeing these basic outlines of one another. Minerva sees him as a useless rake and he sees her as a boring academic. But in an attempt to keep Colin away from her sister, Minerva presents him with a plan that will give him the means to live independently and escape Spindle Cove. If he accepts her plan it also will allow her to escape the expectations of her family while succeeding in her personal accomplishments. Initially Colin passes on taking Minerva and her plan seriously, however she can’t give up the hope of succeeding and eventually maneuvers Colin into the adventure with her so they are soon on the road to Edinburgh together.

From this point forward, the story truly begins for Colin and Minerva. No longer are they able to fall into the comfortable roles they have assigned themselves and allowed everyone to see. As tends to happen to the best laid plans everything starts to go wrong almost immediately, and this is where their true personality can shine. Colin’s natural whit, charm, and imagination saves them when their transportation is lost, and gains them entrance to one of the most debauched homes in England when they are unable to find lodging. He slowly trusts in Minerva enough to open himself up so she can see the emotional scars that he’s hidden under that rake persona as well as the demons of his youth that have tainted his nights as an adult. Minerva’s strength, intelligence, and her ideas of self image are all tested when they are accosted by highwaymen and she is mistaken for a doxy by a rogue of the highest order. With their close companionship, and with an unusual sleeping arrangement between them, she starts to allow her emotions to overrule logic in her relationship with Colin. By the time the two visit a local harvest festival and allow themselves the joy of being together we are able to see how much the journey has moved their feelings from disregard, past a general caring, through the stages of lust, and firmly settled into the closeness of love.

Book: A Week to be Wicked
Author: Tessa Dare
Spindle Cove Series: A Night to Surrender, Once Upon a Winter's Eve, A Lady by Midnight, Beauty and the Blacksmith, Any Duchess Will Do

Author Interview - Lynn Kurland

Author Interview Tuesday - The second Tuesday of each month will be reserved for an author interview whenever I have been able to schedule one. Since author interviews are timed with the author's release dates, this will not always be possible, but I will at least try to always announce the upcoming interview on the second Tuesday.

This month - Lynn Kurland, author of the de Piaget Series, the MacLeod series, and the Nine Kingdoms Series. This interview goes on line today! Here is the link to the interview: New Lynn Kurland Interview and Giveaway

Kresley Cole - Dark Desires After Dusk

All right, this is my first "favorite" of the IAD series and it is the one that locked IAD onto my keeper shelf. Though as the series went on, others became my favorites (mostly Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, and Lothaire), this book, Dark Desires After Dark, was the one that hooked me in.

Cade Woede is a Rage Demon known as the Kingmaker. The irony is that the only person he really wants to make into a king is his brother, Rydstrom, and that is the one throne he continually fails to secure. Cade feels guilty that he is responsible for the loss of his brother's rightful throne and he is tormenting himself for it. In addition to that, Cade has found the woman who is his mate, Holly, and is falling in love with her after only one brief meeting. The only thing stopping him from going after her and claiming her is that she is a human and he knows that a mortal could never survive the mating with a Rage demon. So Cade reluctantly contents himself with loving her from afar and continuing his mercenary work looking for a way to get his brother back his throne.

When Cade is given the assignment of capturing the Vessel, the one immortal that will be guaranteed to conceive either the ultimate good or the ultimate evil, he is willing to take on the task in order to help Rydstrom. But what do you know, Holly is the Vessel. That means that not only is she in the gravest danger, but she is immortal and Cade can now claim her. But it also brings up the possibility that he could force her to conceive the ultimate evil. Cade's personal struggle about his own self worth and innate value make the story of Holly and Cade a tender love story. As Holly comes to terms with what she is and Cade starts to realize that loving Holly and being loved in return is the greatest sign of his worth, they are the first IAD couple that made me cry.

Now, as much as this book is the most tender, it is also one of the funniest. Cade is as laid back as a Rage demon can be. And Holly is a Valkyrie halfling with serious OCD issues and the way that the two opposites interact is priceless. Cade has a way of laughing at Holly's eccentricities without mocking her and while still making sure that her comfort is his first concern. The two work great together and I liked this story so much that I still haven't read Rydstrom's story (Kiss of a Demon King - but more on that tomorrow). I was so mad at the way that he treated his brother, who I felt deserved a lot more, that I couldn't bring myself to care about him and his imprisonment one little bit. This surprised me a lot because when Cade and Rydstrom first appeared in the Hie and were major players in Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, I was sure I would like Rydstrom better. But I happily changed my mind with this book. This is one of the strongest and most enjoyable of the IAD series and if you have any doubts about the series, read this one first and you too will be hooked!

Book: Dark Desires After Dusk
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, A Hunger Like No Other, No Rest for the Wicked, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Kiss of a Demon King, Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Kresely Cole - Dark Needs at Night's Edge

This book is the third of the Wroth brothers books within the Immortals After Dark series and it chronicles the story of the youngest brother, Conrad Wroth. Before Conrad was turned vampire by his brother Nicolai, unbeknownst to his brothers, Conrad was actually a part of a secret group whose sole purpose was to destroy all vampires. As a result, when his brother turned him, Conrad could barely live with himself and turned completely violent. Having chased vampires for years to exterminate them, he was now the very thing he loathed and swore vows to kill. After hundreds of years, Conrad has decided that the only thing that he can do is kill his brothers for their treachery and then kill himself.

Néomi Laress was a famous dancer in the early 1900's was killed by a jilted lover in her mansion in Louisiana. When her former lover killed her, Néomi became a ghost, trapped in her beloved home. She spent years alone and unseen until the Wroth brothers brought their insane brother Conrad to her home to try to rehabilitate him. At first, Conrad thinks that the woman only he sees is further proof of his insanity. That is until he realizes that she is his Bride and that, though she is a ghost, she is also the one woman that fate intended for him.

Of all the IAD books, this one is one that many people dislike, but I have to say that I enjoyed it. It was unique and the story line was all new (there was no borrowing from previous books in the timeline). The love story between Conrad and Néomi was probably one of the most believable as while Conrad was resistant to the pull of his Bride, the reasons (hello? she was a ghost!) was probably the most understandable and the conflict felt the least forced.

The ending is a surprise and, in fact, I am afraid to say too much because this book has one of the more complex plot wrap ups and it would really destroy the enjoyment of the story to have too many facts going in. I liked the way that Néomi really worked to calm and ease Conrad and how clearly that aspect of their relationship came through. Otherwise, it would have seemed his years of madness were a complete sham. So Cole really came through making that aspect of their relationship realistic. What can I say, I am a sucker for the underdogs of a series and I think this one is the IAD equivalent!

I actually liked Bowen and Mariketa in this book more than I liked them in their own book (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night) which is always a nice surprise. At this point in the IAD world, all four Wroth brothers have found their Brides, though we still don't know what is going on with the playboy Murdoch and his Bride (though we can be reasonably sure she is the Valkyrie Daniela). {For more on that, go to Untouchable.} Other than that, we can be reasonably sure that the Hie is over and now that many of the vamps are bonded, we can move on to my favorite heroes in the IAD series - the Demons!

Book: Dark Needs at Night's Edge
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, A Hunger Like No Other, No Rest for the Wicked, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Dark Desires After Dusk, Kiss of a Demon King, Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Kresley Cole - Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

This book, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, may just be my least favorite of the IAD series. And it has nothing to do with the characters or the greater story arc. I actually enjoyed those. It was the recycling of the Hie, the Immortal Amazing Race, and the feeling that we had already done much of this before. This book runs parallel to the previous book, No Rest for the Wicked, and that just made it hard for me to enjoy it. You knew what was coming, so you just wanted to get there and get past it to the new stuff.

In this story, Bowen MacRieve, introduced in A Hunger Like No Other as the werewolf who was living a half life because he lost his fated mate, has entered the Hie in order to win the enchanted object that will let him bring his mate back from the past. He has grieved her loss for centuries now, and he doesn't quite know how to keep living without her. The last thing he needs is a witch who is enchanting him to feel an attraction for her as a way to win the Hie.

Mariketa the Awaited is from the Witches' coven in New Orleans. She is believed to be the most powerful witch ever, but she has no control over her powers. She is, essentially, the great hope of her coven, but she doesn't feel worthy of their expectations. What she really wants is to win the Hie for the prestige it will give her and the self confidence. As fate would have it, she is pitted against a Valkyrie fighting for the ability to save her sisters and a werewolf fighting for the right to save his mate. Those aren't exactly odds in her favor. When the werewolf starts to believe that she is the reincarnation of his mate, which she is pretty sure she isn't, she figures she will use that as best she can because she needs all the advantages she can get.

As I said, I liked the characters. I liked the interaction of Mariketa and Bowen. I enjoyed their banter and the way that they came together at the end was a total shocker that I really enjoyed being surprised about. What I didn't like was that I knew, all along, that I was just waiting for things to happen. I knew what was going to happen from the previous book, and it was frustrating to "wait" for it while nothing else was really going on to advance Bowen and Mariketa's relationship. That was the only thing about the story that irritated me.

Once the Hie was over, and the storyline of the previous book was over, I really enjoyed this one. As I said, the twists and turns surprised me and they were exciting to read. I just wish that the first half of the book didn't seem like a waste. Fortunately, Cole learns how to do the concurrent story lines much better in later books and is becomes much more enjoyable to try to guess how the puzzle pieces fit! :)


Book: Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, A Hunger Like No Other, No Rest for the Wicked, Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Dark Desires After Dusk, Kiss of a Demon King, Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)

Kresley Cole - No Rest For the Wicked

In the third story (second book, but the third story) of the IAD series is No Rest for the Wicked. In this story, we learn the fate of one of the two missing Wroth brothers. Sebastian Wroth has not forgiven his brother Nikolai for turning him into a vampire hundreds of years ago. Since then, he has had no contact with his brothers. He has hidden himself away in shame for what he has become. He knows nothing of the Lore or of the Immortal World that is open to him. He only knows that he wants to die. When out of the blue, and into his life, comes his Bride. The one woman fated to bring life back to him. Kaderin the Cold Hearted is a Valkyrie without the ability to feel emotion. It was a blessing bestowed on her so she wouldn't have to feel again after the devastating loss of her sisters. It also makes her the most vicious Valkyrie warrior of them all.

This cold hearted lack of emotion makes Kaderin the perfect contender for the Hie. The Hie is the Immortal version of the Amazing Race. The Immortals compete for an ultimate prize. This year, the prize is an enchanted object that will let Kaderin bring back her beloved sisters. The prize is all but hers until Sebastian Wroth enters the competition. With his vampire abilities, he becomes the one to beat. But Kaderin's cold hearted lack of emotions suddenly deserts her as she fights her feelings for the vampire and tries to treat him as ruthlessly as she does everyone else.

This is the first of the IAD books that deal with the Hie and for that reason, I like it better than the other one (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night). However, the whole story line of the book is too similar to the previous IAD books for this one to be truly enjoyable. Fortunately, Cole eventually got out of the rut of Boy Meets Girl and knows their are fated, Girl hates Boy on principle but is lusting after him, Boy has to prove to Girl he is worthy, Happily Ever After Ending. But unfortunately, in this book, she is still pretty trapped in it. It is also the first book where the obvious overlap occurs. In the many of Cole's book she recycles the story by just telling it from a different perspective. Much of this book is happening simultaneous to the two previous ones and it makes it difficult to read and enjoy it as an original.

Sebastian and Kaderin have a nice story. But that is it. It is merely nice. Sebastian is wonderful, Kaderin is, as should be expected, cold and unfeeling, but though they end up together, I never really feel it until it happens. Kaderin played the part of unfeeling a little too long for me and it was clear, at least to me, that had she not been his fated Bride, Sebastian would have been better off tossing her to the Basilisk that they fight half way through. But he doesn't sacrifice her to the serpent and she eventually warms up to him. But I never felt anything for Kaderin. If you want to do a story line where the female is cold and unfeeling, you have to make the reader believe that it is just because of the curse/blessing that she was granted. Otherwise, the reader just won't like the character. In my case, and with this character, I never believed that Kaderin was more than her curse.

But, as I have said before and will say a few more times, this book isn't bad, it is merely ok. But ten merely ok books would be worth reading to get to the latest installments of the IAD series. And as far as Paranormal Romance goes, these are still pretty good. If not for the later books, I wouldn't rave about the series, but I would've still enjoyed them.

Book: No Rest for the Wicked
Author: Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark Series: The Warlord Wants Forever, A Hunger Like No Other, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Dark Desires After Dusk, Kiss of a Demon King, Untouchable (in Deep Kiss of Winter Anthology), Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Lothaire, MacRieve (May 2013)