Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 11: Immortals After Dark

These books keep getting longer and longer as the world building becomes more and more complex. I really like that. The plots have also become a lot more interesting, and the characters have become more multifaceted.

This is Regin's story, and she's one of my favorite characters, outside of Nix.

Pages: 515

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 9: Immortals After Dark

I have 40 other books checked out from my different libraries, but I can't quit reading this series. The only solution seems to be to finish the whole series, and this is only 9 out of 16 so far.

It's not that I couldn't stop and come back to this series from time to time. It's just that as soon as I finish one book, I find myself grabbing for the next one, even if I tell myself I will take a break to read from my TBR pile. So in theory, I could stop, but in reality, I apparently won't.

I blame the Bestie for this. I would have never started this series without her nagging, and now I'm trapped (though I don't seem to mind).

Pages: 431

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 6 in Immortals After Dark

I appreciated the diversity of characters in this one, particularly the female lead dealing with mental health issues, even if it was for supernatural reasons.

I have also become quite fond of a side character named Nix and enjoy her brief appearances in each novel almost as much or more than anything else.

Pages: 368

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book 2 in the Immortals After Dark Series.

Okay, I love these books. They're so feral and animalistic, in a supernatural monster sort of way. I'm pretty sure that doesn't make much sense, but it will once you start reading them.

It's a nice change of pace when I want something mindless and ridiculously fun to read. The world is fascinating, and they're spicy to the max. They also come with a bit of blood and gore, as should be expected when you mix a vampire/valkyrie and a werewolf.

This book also has some consent issues, much like the first book, but it got better as the story progressed. I just want to throw that out there for anyone who is sensitive to this. At the beginning, it did bother me some, and I had to take a deep breath and remind myself that this is a paranormal romance novel. I accept that these aren't humans, and they aren't following my rules for humanity, which is why I just let it go and enjoy the overly-dramatic ridiculousness of it all as the story progressed. However, I do hope that improves in future novels, and as the first one is about 12 years old now, I suspect that it will.

The concept of each creature finding one true mate is charming. I don't even believe in soulmates or "the one" but these stories kind of make me wish that I did. There's some fun to be found in pretty lies.

Pages: 356

The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole

The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

People have recommended the Immortals After Dark series to me for years, and I have politely listened to them go on and on about their obsession before deciding that there are far too many books in this series for me to want to start now. However, I do really enjoy Kresley Cole's YA novels, so I have been curious.

Then the Bestie become obsessed with this series, and it was either finally read them or be texted to death about them for the next 6 months. So I started this series out of self-defense, but I've continued it for far more interesting reasons.

This first book is captivating, fast-space, and extremely steamy. It's a novella, so it's short, which means there's a bit less world-building and storyline than in some of the following books.

Also, let's just be honest and point out that there are some definite consent issues here, especially in the beginning, and that made me feel a bit anxious and wrong from the inside out. I did get over that by reminding myself that this is paranormal romance published about 12 years ago, and I can't expect these monsters to play by human rules. Also, the poor behaviors improved as the book progressed, which helped with my initial concerns, and the characters won me over pretty fast. The female lead, in particular, is sassy and kickass.

I listened to this on audiobook, and I confess that I think I was blushing for half the novel. I'm pretty sure I haven't blushed since high school, so that's impressive. It's a steamy read, not for the faint-hearted. Although, let's be honest. The faint-hearted could probably use a read like this to shake things up a bit. :)

Pages: 163