This is the first of these overviews I have planned and depending on what people think will depend on if I keep doing them. Because a lot of the books I read are series I have been reading for a number of years. Therefore the books I have been reviewing are late in the series or new releases, so I thought an overview would be beneficial for anyone who is new to a series/author and are interested in trying them but are daunted by the size of the series.
(And she has been getting a serious bashing from the vaginal fantasy book club- which I love but I like her novels and don’t think she deserves, just cause of the 1st book they seem to be judging her works by.)
So the first overview will be…
Book List:
Immortals After Dark Series
*The Warlord wants forever (Prequel/Novella)
*A Hunger Like No Other
*No Rest For The Wicked
*Wicked Deeds On A Winters Night
*Dark Needs At Nights Edge
*Dark Desires After Dark
*Kiss Of A Demon King
*Deep Kiss Of Winter
*Pleasure Of A Dark Prince
*Demon From The Dark
*Dreams Of A Dark Warrior
*Lothaire
Coming Soon…
*MacRieve
Dacians
*Shadows Claim
Arcana Series
*Poison Princess
#So far I’m only focusing on her fantasy series but admittedly i haven’t read her historical romance series the MacCarrick Brothers Series but i have heard good things about them.
Also these are not full reviews just overviews, if more in-depth reviews are desired/requested i will be more than happy to oblige. 🙂
A Hunger Like No Other
Admittedly this is not my favourite of the series and i would even advise doing what i did and starting with the second book, which i will come to.
As for this book i struggled a little because the first half of the book is- to put it politely – annoying. Both in characters and plot. As despite his looks and the fact that he is a werewolf which is my favourite species within the fantasy genre (All Kelley Armstrongs fault 😀 ). It does not forgive the fact that he is a complete tool at the beginning of this book. But it is not all Lachlain’s(male lead) fault but Emmaline(female lead) is a waffly creature with a spine made of nothing but play-doh.
Rant over; It really does improve as the book goes on as Emmaline develops a spine and Lachline gets put in his place. But their relationship is difficult to understand and accept on first read. And it does have that alpha man problem, and while i personally i don’t mind this to a degree. What helped for me was this being the 3rd book by Kresley Cole’s i read and the rest of her female characters are a lot stronger & more kick-ass.
But it does create a good introduction to the series but it covers a lot of the issues and characters which hold a recurring role in the series. Especially the Valkyrie aunts who are my favourite.
#beware of ott american cover :s
No Rest For The Wicked
This book is much better than the first book and is where the progress begins. However there isn’t much I can really say about it, because while it has less serious flaws than the first one and it is good, it isn’t my favourite couple so it hasn’t stuck with me. But in general its a good book. Kaderin the female protagonist is a little bit of a love hate character. Because I love her kick ass, can do personality, definitely no fear of damsels-in-distress here. But here ‘curse’ made her difficult to like but she definitely improved as the book went on.
My favourite aspect of this book has to be Sebastian. He is such a great character in my opinion and he’s a great change from what is often the standard for some fantasy romance novels. Because Sebastian is sweet and funny and totally naive when it comes to the opposite gender which just makes him adorable. But as the story progress and the trials placed in front of him and Kaderin grow, he develops into a stronger and smarter character while maintaining the sweet disposition which he enters the book with. It also has one of the sweetest endings – yes I am a softie when it comes to romances- but I loved this one especially because of Sebastian, no ass-wholie (see what I did 😀 ) caveman ending. I had a mushy moment and I think yous will too.
It’s ending also sets us up for the next book rather dramatically.
Wicked Deeds On A Winters Night
This book I really liked despite Bowen (male lead) and his rather caveman attitude towards Mariketa (female lead). Mariketa is a young, feisty modern girl who is not willing to put up with Bowens old (v.v.v old) fashioned views on women and how they should act. Throw werewolves into the mix and combustion is inevitable. Its this feisty back and forth which makes the book enjoyable but I found it more helpful as a lay-up book, as it introduces a lot of the characters who will play a central role in the upcoming novels, as well enable us to watch Mariketa grow into a stronger character who will be vital in the continuing central plot which flows throughout the series.
It also allows Bowen some time to redeem himself as all the werewolves in this series which didn’t have a great introduction.
Dark Needs At Nights Edge
This book I read really late on, after I had read nearly the entire series, simply because they never had it in my book shop, however when I finally got around to it, I did end up really liking it. But I do think the fact that I read it later added to my enjoyment as I had a lot of the back ground information going into it and a lot of character build up. However reading them in order would probably work best for this book, as Naomi (female lead) plays a small role in the set up of the next book.
However the couple is the book is good, because Naomi is really feisty and despite Conrad’s (male lead) slightly (serious) dose of the crazies and asshat-ness – he is pushing her no where. Especially as their relationship grows Conrad develops into a decent vampire-being. As well as Naomi, she just gets funnier. But also the plot of this book is really good and while it is a little outside and separate from the overall plot line. It still has a strong romance element but the overall plot and character development is much stronger in this book.
Dark Desires After Dark
This was actually the first book in this series that I ever read and it has stayed with me as one of my favourite’s. The romance has a slow build up and has a strong emphasis on the plot line. The discovery of Holly (female lead) and her introduction into the IAD world really appealed to me. As Holly isn’t your traditional heroine, she’s a little quirky: being an OCD math teacher, with a real vintage flare which gives her just the right amount of normal girl but still sexy and sassy. Cade (male lead) on the other hand is a whirlwind of wild and crazy demon. But his real appeal is his sense of humor. However as the plot progresses – without spoiling the plot – he definitely gets his comeuppance. And Holly develops into an awesome and kick ass individual.
The humor, the romance and the over all character development made me just love this book. And nerdness, I was able to relate to Holly (without the genius IQ and OCD). Plus Cade is hot… 😉
Kiss Of A Demon King
This book is another good book, but for every different reasons as it reasons to a more cliché style romance. With a witty and biting kind of romance between these two. Taking their time to come to their senses and over come their differences. However Sabine (female lead) is an interesting character, introducing a new breed to the series, which takes a new twist on sorcery.
But Sabine’s serious dose of crazy just makes her funny, however I think I prefer her sisters character. She is perfect for Rydstrom (male lead), as she forces him to loosen up a bit.
Deep Kiss Of Winter
This one is a short story, but a really good one. It ties in a lot with Dark Deeds at Nights Edge, because Murdoch (male lead) is Conrad’s brother. What I loved most about this book is the fact that Daniela (female lead) finally gets her happy ever after, because she is a Valkyrie, a prevalent species in this series – they are crazy funny and awesome because they can easily keep up with the boys :D- and her story is sadder than most, and I so wanted her to get a happy ending. Because while some characters , I want them to get their own story because I simply want to know more about them, Daniela emotionally touched me.
Pleasure Of A Dark Prince
So this is another favourite. As it takes two of my favourite species the Valkyrie and the Werewolves, both powerful & crazy in their own way and throws them together – drama and hilarious-ness ensues!
Lucia(female lead) and Garreth’s (male lead) relationship has a slow but funny build up. To say that Lucia is reluctant to recognise he ties to Garreth is putting it mildly 🙂 Fireworks ensue in more ways than 1 😉 (comment if you get the reference). And its not just the humor that i love but the emotional element of this book is also superb. Because their story just draws you in and makes you all the more willing to understand their flaws. Especially for Lucia, whose back story just makes you root for her Happily Ever After.
And finally this book properly introduces two characters that i love in this series: Regin and Lothaire. Both these characters are two very different kinds of crazy & have great books. Lothaire especially has a lot of influence in the coming books/plot.
Demon From The Dark
This books is plot heavy at the beginning and end and lays up the story for the next book nicely. But the middle 2/3’s are focused on Carrow(female lead) and Malkom’s (male lead) relationship and the trials they go through. This again is a book i really like because Malkom has many of the caveman traits inherit with being a demon, however he really is a sweet character. There are some serious plot twists and sea changes in personality, locations etc but it totally adds to the appeal of the book. But i don’t want to say too much an ruin anything. But Carrow is also a really funny and sassy character .
Dreams of a Dark Warrior
This book has a great balance between Plot and Romance, because it has a really strong series plot focus, however you never lose the character focus on Regin(female lead) and Declan Chase(male lead). Declan’s character is central to this plot because he goes through a dramatic change which was necessary. But as his and Regin develop together and separately, their appeal grows dramatically. It explains a lot about Regin and her special brand of crazy. But it also was a little bit hard at the start to support their relationship because you want to kick Declan in the head at the start. But stick with because it is absolutely worth it.
Tiny thing i especially loved about this book – and yes its a little bias- is the fact that Declan is from Northern Ireland (like me :D) and he makes references to Northern Ireland which i was able to recognise and this made it for me. Plus lots of Lothaire.
-My gosh the further into this, the harder it gets not to create any plot spoilers!!
Lothaire
Yeah Finally!!!
Okay so i may have hinted that Lothaire(male lead) is one of my absolute favourite characters. He’s old and cranky and crazy &…just awesome. And his book is just the same because he clearly was enough crazy on his own but he need to find a new level of crazy to the mix.
And Ellie Peirce(female lead) has that in the boat load. To start with she is just the human kind of eccentric and crazy crazy funny, but just to mix things up she is possessed by an evil vampire goddess who has her own brand of crazy. To say that this complicates their early relationship is beyond saying. But this never gets Ellie down, she fights through and kicks serious ass! And is totally hold her own against Lothaire a centuries old vampire and egotistic asshat 😀
As the plot and their relationship developments their struggles and opposition only increase, but they only grow from this . And the conclusion will only have you laughing, while feeling all emotional!!
Shadows Claim
I have a full review for this book here: https://teacupsandraindrops.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/kresley-cole-shadows-claim/
However there is a transition here from the IAD world into the Shadowed world which is introduced in Lothaire and his new extended family. I wasnt totally enamored by the heroine in this book, Bettina. However Trehan more than makes up for it. As well i always give a little leeway for books introducing a new world in a series because its always a transition and i am looking forward for more in this world.
Conclusion
Overall i love Kresley Coles books. I’m not saying they’re perfect and everyone has the right to their own opinion. But both sides always have to be shown. The humor and the romance in her books plays a huge role in my love of these books. Also the fact that her heroines can stand on their own and while at the same time not being afraid to ask for help (most of the time).
I haven’t finish the Arcana novel yet, it has been a little hard for me to stick to so far and i’m easily distracted by other books so I’ve put the rest of for a while and what i have read hasn’t been bad. Its just very different from the rest of her books and it is YA.
Please let me know what you’s think and if you’ve tried any or are thinking about it 😀
Opinion as always are welcome & hopefully i’ll be back soon. But probably not until i get this Dissertation done with, as it has currently swallowed my life :S
Maebhe x
& omygosh! how could i forget the upcoming MacRieve Novel! So excited about this because we are back in the main IAD world and it is the story of Uilleam the cousin of Bowen, fellow werewolf and its continuing from the main plot line! Thank gosh, because i have been dying to find out more. 🙂
Made by Maebhe 