Hello everybody, hope you are all having a good Sunday!

We start this mini-stash with some news:

Change of Address

Two of our favorite bloggers have moved to new and shinning adobes:

Racy Romance Reviews is no longer. Jessica has not only moved her blog but also renamed and revamped it (or sort of). Read React Review is the new name and she plans on reviewing not only Romance but other genres as well and keep on writing all of those awesome philosophy of fiction posts. Like this one.

Kenda of Lurv A La Mode is the other one and we luuuurves the new design – very cool. Be sure to check it – the content remains the same awesomeness as always: reviews of romance, fantasy and scifi.

Make sure to update your blogrolls and feed readers!

In other news

Meanwhile, the second part of Jackie Kessler’s “Carpe Noctem” – Tales of the Vampire, part of the Buffy Comics is up and you can preview it here.

Also, the *official* countdown timer for the third and final installment in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy has been released! Check it out:

So. Very. Pretty.

Finally, you may or may not have heard the fabulous news that Carrie Ryan’s paperback release of The Forest of Hands and Teeth debuted at #8 on the New York Times Best Seller List!

We are so thrilled for Carrie – and if y’all haven’t read The Forest of Hands and Teeth, NOW is the time to go forth and buy a copy. Speaking of…you may have seen the shiny new countdown widget in our sidebar. We cannot WAIT for the release of The Dead-Tossed Waves next week – and what’s this? Thea just received her ARC in the mail this afternoon!

Giveaway winners

We also have a few giveaway winners to announce.

The winner of one copy of Something About You by Julie James is:

Shel! (comment#42)

The two winners of the Stacia Kane giveaway taking home the complete set of the Megan Chase books are:

Mel Butcherl! (comment#3)

Sharon K (comment#70)

And the 20 winners of the Kresley Cole giveaway are:

brina g (comment#58)

Anna Shah Hoque (comment#1)

elaing8 (comment#64)

chelleyreads (comment#41)

maered (comment#10)

Amanda Isabel (comment#24)

Ava (comment#76)

Maria (comment#22)

Tracey D (comment#52)

iokijo (comment#74)

Dawn (comment#69)

Rebecca (comment#47)

Virginia C (comment#11)

KayAnna Kirby (comment#6)

GSM (comment#34)

Jennifer K (comment#3)

Laura Hadland (comment#15)

Maija A. (comment#59)

Bianca F (comment#14)

Stacy (comment#45)

You all know the drill. Email us (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we will get your winnings out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and congratulations to all of the winners!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand that’s it from us today. Well, sort of.

We will be back later with our calendar for the Steampunk Week and launch the event in all its glory! We are excited. Yes, we are!!

We have a very special giveaway today. To celebrate the recent release of Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole, the newest in her Immortal After Dark series, we are proud to announce that Simon and Schuster are giving away TWENTY copies of the novel especially to our readers!

Here is the rundown.

THE BOOK:

Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 2010
Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages

Stand alone or series: Installment 9 in the Immortals After Dark series

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar.

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.

THAT 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.

THE AUTHOR:

Before becoming a writer, Kresley Cole was a world-ranked athlete and Master’s grad. Since her first novel was published in 2003, she has sold a total of fifteen books and two novellas in two different subgenres, and has seen her releases translated into ten foreign languages.

She lives in Florida with her husband and far, far too many dogs.

You can read more about the author on her website, where you can also find out more about the IAD series.

THE GIVEAWAY:

We have 20 copies up for grabs! To enter, simply leave a comment here tellings us which Immortal After Dark book is your favorite . Contest is open to all and runs till the end of the day today, March 6th, 11:59 (PST). Only ONE comment per person! Multiple entries will be automatically disqualified. Good luck!

Another Sunday, another stash!

After taking a week off of reviewing to read (OMG!), recuperate our sanity, and fortify ourselves for the weeks ahead, we are back, with a vengeance! First, a few tidbits of news.

Giveaway Winners:

We had quite a few giveaways this week – we’re shameless like that. And now we have a few winners to announce!

The winners of the Jeri Smith-Ready Giveaway, taking home a copy of Wicked Game and Bad to the Bone, are:

The winner of Shade Fright by Sean Cummings is:

And, the winners of Dark Life by Kat Falls are:

Congratulations to all the winners! You know the drill. Send us an email (contact AT the book smugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we will get your goodies out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to all that entered!

And don’t forget, our giveaway of Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten is still open!

Patricia Briggs’ Silver Borne Book Tour:

When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she’d previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn’t take enough of Mercy’s attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam’s life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn’t careful, she might not have many more to live…

ZOMG! We’ve only got a month to wait until the official release of the fifth Mercy Thompson book, Silver Borne! To promote her newest title, the awesome, esteemed Patricia Briggs will be traveling the west coast on a book tour where she will sign books and answer reader questions. If you are lucky enough to live in one of the tour cities, we HIGHLY recommend making your way out to a signing. Patty Briggs rules.

Silver Borne officially hits shelves on March 30, 2010. You can read the first chapter of the book online HERE.

Steampunk Week Teaser:

A bit of a teaser now. We Smugglers have planned our next big event – in two week’s time, we shall host the first of our two-part Steampunk Week! Details will follow soon, but for now we give you our official posters for the event (courtesy once again by the fantastic, amazing, incredible KMont of Lurv ala Mode)!

We’ll have guests, posts about the steampunk subgenre, and, of course, steampunk reviews galore.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Thea reviews YA speculative fiction title NUM8ERS by Rachel Ward. We’ll also have a grand prize giveaway opportunity for the book’s release, so stay tuned for a chance to win.

Tuesday, Ana reviews Something About You, the newest book-crack title from Julie James! We’ll also have a copy of Something About You up for grabs.

Wednesday, we have Urban Fantasy/Paranormal author Stacia Kane over for another Interactive Q&A and giveaway opportunity to celebrate the shiny new release of her latest Megan Chase novel, Demon Possessed! Also, Thea reviews Incarceron by Catherine Fisher – a YA dystopian novel that blew her away.

On Thursday, Ana reviews the brilliant, poignant YA novel The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Later, Thea reviews Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde – one of her hands down favorite reads of 2010.

On Friday, we have a joint review of new title Spider’s Bite, as author Jennifer Estep changes gears from lighthearted paranormal romance to gritty urban fantasy.

Finally, on Saturday, we are having a crazy wicked cool giveaway, courtesy of Simon & Schuster to celebrate the release of Kresley Cole’s newest novel in her Immortals After Dark series, Pleasure of a Dark Prince.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar.

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.

THAT 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.

We will be giving away 20 COPIES of Pleasure of a Dark Prince!

It’s another crazy week…

Title: Untouchable (one of two stories in the Deep Kiss of Winter anthology with Gena Showalter)

Author: Kresley Cole

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Pocket
Publishing Date: October, 2009
Hardcover 436 pages (the novella has about 240 pages)

Stand Alone or series: Part of the Immortals After Dark series but can be read as stand alone

Why did I read the book: This series is my literary crack

How did I get the book: review copy from publisher

Summary: Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden — the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can’t be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

Review: Kresley Cole’s Untouchable is one of two stories in the anthology Deep Kiss of Winter (the other story is Gena Showalter’s Tempt Me Eternally which I did not read as I am not acquainted with that series) and is set in the Immortals After Dark world. Kresley Cole’s books are my literary crack and I have read all of the novels and novellas in the series. I have enjoyed the first few very much but I am starting to feel a certain boredom and dissatisfaction with the series with the latest instalments. Untouchable has just cemented this feeling.

For all intents and purposes , I should have loved the story. This is the romance between the last of the Wroth brothers, Murdoch and the Valkyrie Daniela known as the Ice Maiden for her Icere (Ice Fey) half and at its heart it is a “Reformed Rake” story, my favourite romance trope. Murdoch was quite the ladies men, never attached to any woman until he became a vampire. One of the things he fears the most is to find his Bride (the vampire’s version of a life-mate) as he can’t think of anything worse than to be shackled to someone for eternity. That makes him absolutely unique in the world they inhabit (for all vampires want to find their Brides) but also amongst the heroes we have seen so far. It also provides some entertainment in itself as he asks those questions I am sure we all have asked at some point about the very idea of “mating”: Is he supposed to feel okay about being mated FOREVER with someone he hardly knows?

Even worse for Murdoch is the fact that Danii, as part Icere , is very sensitive to warm temperatures and is literally, untouchable or else she feels pain. She is hiding in New Orleans with her Valkirye coven because she is the rightful queen of the Icere, whose crown has been stolen and she has been a fugitive for about 2000 years. She has been unable to have any relationships and is very lonely – her reaction to being Murdoch’s Bride is one of relief until she realizes that he is not happy, at all.

And here is where I reach a problematic part of the review, with a conundrum.

Kresley Cole’s books are known for the oversexed characters and plot. Her books follow a recognizable pattern (loads of foreplay, and some conflict, then loads of sex) and that becomes part of the comfort in reading them. You always know what you going to get, in a very predictable manner. This book is no different, the sexing is scorching hot as usual, and is pretty good at that.

BUT, I find myself, as I said above, bored. Although each of Kresley Cole’s characters has individual traits that differentiate them from the characters from the previous books, the journey they make towards the happy ending is a very repetitive one. Without a strong world building in which to set the romance, the books are starting to read the same, every single time. Especially when I compare them to other paranormal romance series such as Nalini Singh’s and Meljean Brook’s; both these series have strong world building and stories that go far, far beyond the sexing. I had hoped Kresley Cole’s would go the same route (what with the Ascension and the Lore) but I lost that hope with the latest instalments.

Even though the conflicts, both internal and external, in this story are interesting to begin with, they come to a resolution, far too easy and fast. For all that Murdoch resists the pull of his Bride still he falls in that predictable pattern: endless pages of foreplay, displays of jealousy-possessiveness and his doubts being pushed aside because hey LOOK , her sex is glistening. Similarly Danii’s storyline with the Icere is solved ridiculously fast especially if you think this has been going on for two thousand years. In a matter of seconds, all that comes to a resolution with a Deus Ex Machina in the shape of an Icere guy who has “I am a future protagonist” written all over his hawt, tormented self.

The “conundrum” and “problematic” comes from the fact that there is nothing NEW here. All of the above happened in previous books which brings me to my point. If the books remain the same, it is I who have come to a crossroads – do I keep reading or do I part ways with the series? I read Romance books for more than the sex, and I think that the Immortal After Dark series, after that initial novelty feel, is not really for me. I do intend to read the next one, Pleasure of a Dark Prince because I have been waiting for that story since book one, but I have the strongest suspicion that that will be my last one.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: I thought his passage was funny – like an inside joke about these books’ tropes:

“Obviously, I need to leave,” she said while thinking, tell me I’m your Bride, and that I WILL be staying. Be an arrogant, possessive Neanderthal vampire! She wanted him to simply inform her that he would never let her go and she would just have to accept that, or whatever domineering misguided trip these manly men always said.

Verdict: If you read this series you know exactly what to expect. All left for you to decide is: is it worth paying Hardcover price to read another similar story that does not progress the main plot at all?

Rating: Well. If you are looking for good romance and hot sex, the story is effective – I would give it a 6. Overall plot is quite weak though – and that is a 4.

Reading next: The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick

For the past few months, we have been including an “On our Radar” section in our weekly stash for books that have caught our eye; books we heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. This is how the Smugglers’ Radar was born, and because there are far too many books that we want than we can possibly buy or review (what else is new?) we thought we could make it into a weekly feature on its own – this way YOU can tell us which books you have on your radar as well!

On Ana’s Radar:

Ah, Kresley Cole’s IAD series is my Cheetos Reading: guilty pleasure at its best and there are two new stories to look forward to:

The first is a story in Deep Kiss of Winter (out now)

Under the cover of wintry dark shadows, passion’s magic ignites a fire too hot to touch — and too wicked to die….

KRESLEY COLE delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time…and a Valkyrie aching to be touched.

Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden — the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can’t be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

GENA SHOWALTER puts a daring spin on a tale of huntress and hunted…and concocts a sensual chemistry that is positively explosive.

Aleaha Love can be anyone — literally. With only skin-to-skin contact, she can change her appearance, assume any identity. Her newest identity switch has made her an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent and sends her on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she becomes the captured. Breean, a golden-skinned commander known for his iron will who is at once dangerous and soul-shatteringly seductive, threatens her new life. Because for the first time, Aleaha only wants to be herself….

Watch the Deep Kiss of Winter Trailer!!

Click on the link HERE to read an Excerpt and to download an exclusive FREE Immortals After Dark novella, The Warlord Wants Forever or visit simonandschuster.com

And….Pleasure of a Dark Prince, the book I have been waiting for since book 1 in the series. (out February 16)

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

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

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. . . .

A Vampire and a Lykae story: NOM NOM NOM (Vampire trumps demons anytime. And Lykaes trump everything)

I love the cover for Shades of Gray, the next in the Black and White series by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge (about two superheroines!). This cover is SO much better than the one for the first book. Can’t wait (the book is not out until June though, BOO)

I also can’t wait for the second book in the YA series Soul Screamers, by Rachel Vincent (out in January)

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for
eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand. Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

And lookie! The Brazilian cover of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: I will sure be picking it up when I go home for Christmas!

On Thea’s Radar:

This book came out in July, but I have just seen the eye-catching cover recently…and I wants it.

First in a brand new series from the author of the rogue mage novels

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind-a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she’s been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps…

Love this title, this gorgeous cover, and the dystopian premise:

What Happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits? And what happens when said bio-terrorism forces humanity to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of “The Calorie Man”( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and “Yellow Card Man” (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these questions.

This cover FLOORS me. And the premise ain’t too shabby either…

926. New York. The Roaring Twenties. Jazz. Flappers. Prohibition. Coal-powered cars. A cold war with a British Empire that still covers half of the globe. Yet things have developed differently to established history. America is in the midst of a cold war with a British Empire that has only just buried Queen Victoria, her life artificially preserved to the age of 107. Coal-powered cars roar along roads thick with pedestrians, biplanes take off from standing with primitive rocket boosters and monsters lurk behind closed doors and around every corner. This is a time in need of heroes. It is a time for The Ghost. A series of targeted murders are occurring all over the city, the victims found with ancient Roman coins placed on their eyelids after death. The trail appears to lead to a group of Italian-American gangsters and their boss, who the mobsters have dubbed ‘The Roman’. However, as The Ghost soon discovers, there is more to The Roman than at first appears, and more bizarre happenings that he soon links to the man, including moss-golems posing as mobsters and a plot to bring an ancient pagan god into the physical world in a cavern beneath the city. As The Ghost draws nearer to The Roman and the center of his dangerous web, he must battle with foes both physical and supernatural and call on help from the most unexpected of quarters if he is to stop The Roman and halt the imminent destruction of the city.

AND, finally, just got this in the mail, and I cannot WAIT to read it:

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell. For as long as Han can remember, he’s worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They’re clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won’t use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history-it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Helena, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai camp – riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn’t looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea-the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has otherplans for her—plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning new page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.

What about you? Any books you are really looking forward to reading? Do share!

Title: Kiss of a Demon King

Author: Kresley Cole

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher:Pocket Books Romance (Simon & Schuster)
Publishing Date: Jan 20th 2009
Paperback: 432 pages

Stand Alone/Series: Book 6 in the Immortals After Dark series

Summary: For centuries, Rydstrom, fallen king of the Rage Demons, has fought to seize his crown, never relenting, until he is tricked into the lair of a exquisite enchantress. If she can tempt him to her bed, everything he’s worked for will be lost. Sabine the Sorceress of Illusions has long accepted her fate: to seduce a demon king. But once she kisses the brutal warrior, she realizes seduction is far from the punishment she’d feared. Yet just when they begin to fall for each other, one will be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. Will Sabine give up the only life she knows to save her demon? Or will the proud king lay down his crown and arms to keep his sorceress…?

Why Did I Read the Book: These books are so much fun!!

Review:

Rydstrom is a Rage Demon, King of Rothkalina. His kingdom was lost, some 900 years ago, to Ormot the Deathless and he has been trying to find a way to defeat Ormot ever since but Ormot is as invincible as his name proclaims him to be. Now, at last there is some light at the end of the tunnel as Rydstrom finds out that there is a sword that can kill Ormot; Rydstrom sent his brother Caedon – whom he has a very strained relationship as Caedom is to be blamed for the loss of Rothkalina – to secure the weapon and this is the event that takes place in the previous book of the series,Dark Desires After Dusk. The events that take place in Kiss of the Demon King run parallel to those in the previous book and we finally learn what the freaking hell happened to Rydstrom that made this very controlled and righteous character not only miss his appointment with Caedon but also appear to be over the edge when Caedon shows up at his door near the end of Dark Desires.

What happened to poor Rydstrom?

Sabine did. Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, a sorcerer of great power, Ormot´s half-sister and who is clearly on the dark side of the force. Oh, she is also Rydstrom’s mate – the one woman he has been searching for his whole life. It has been prophesized that Rydstrom’s son will be the one to unlock the Wells of Souls, a mystical source of power that is located inside Castle Tornin, Rydstrom’s fortress. The catch is that Rydstrom can only have children after his seed is unsealed by his true mate and Ormot, who has some serious leverage over Sabine and her sister Lanthe sends her to capture Rydstrom and make him take her so that she can have the child. Sabine, who loves nothing more than to plot and connive, has a plan of her own and agrees to it.

A great battle of sexes ensue. Rydstrom is torn between this woman and his kingdom, his wish to take her and make her his is the greatest instinct of any of these Immortal males. But Sabine wants him to have sex wit her but only after he marries her in a ritual of his own race so that their son is legitimate. She tries to seduce him but he vows never to succumb and he plots revenge – and then the table is turned and he makes her HIS prisoner and this is when things grow towards a climax of sex, love-hate and eventually acceptance: his of her evil tendencies and hers of his good. Oh, and also, the thing with Ormot but whatever , world-building is not really the reason why I should be reading these books and I am finally able to let it go and read the Immortal After Dark Series for what it is:

Guilty Pleasure.

The kinda like my mother’s strawberry-white chocolate-meringue pie which I know is full of empty calories but that I eat, repeat and lick my fingers when I am done. The kind that I know I will take immense pleasure whilst I am eating only to feel guilty later but a pleasure I am not able to deny myself nonetheless. Ever.

Kresley Cole’s offerings with this series are an Extreme Indulgence as my mom’s pie (with the added bonus of not making me fat!). I think this is actually a fantastic word to describe this series, its plots and its characters – EXTREME. As in EXTREMELY formulaic and EXTREMELY out there. The formula is always the same: extremely gorgeous and powerful alpha males, that search for their mate and when finding them realize they are not exactly what they expected them to be, and they have this inner struggle while at the same going through several scenes of coitus interruptus that can be seen as a HUGE and long preliminary session for the sex that happens when they are about to become downright bestial (going through the change – be them vampires, Lykae or Demon) , when they “mark” their mates and realize they will do ANYTHING to make them happy and being completely over the top possessive and protective while at it. And damn me if I don’t love all of them and read each book in one unstoppable afternoon. I wasn’t very keen on the previous book and thought I was going to be able to get over this also, EXTREMELY addictive series but paraphrasing Michael Corleone, just when I think I’m out, Kresley Cole pulls me back in.

So what is it in this particular book that makes it so freaking good: Sabine. Kresley Cole writes some kick-ass heroines – strong , capable, who don’t need their over-possessive, over-protective men to save them – and Sabine had a special edge of evilness to her that was great. Of course, the writer had to step-back a notch in her badness so that she could be paired-off with do-gooder Rydstrom by having her becoming friends with orphans and dragons and that dimmed my appreciation of the story a little bit. Not that she was THAT evil to start with, it is all about perception after all. Speaking of which, my first impression of Rydstrom was not that good –he first came across of a self-sacrificing sanctimonious pig who thought himself better than anyone – his brother and his woman and I thought Sabine deserved better but Kresley Cole strikes again and GODDAMN it, there comes Rydstrom completely in the throes of passion for this woman doing everything for her EVEN letting his kingdom go if necessary. At the end of the day, we all love a hero capable of everything for the heroine, but I think I love even more that the heroine is not a victim and ends up saving the day in the end. So. Much. Fun. Well done, Kresley Cole, for the time being I shall remain signed , sealed, delivered, yours.

In fewer words: I thought Kiss of a Demon King to be a better installment than the previous one but not quite as good as the other before that or Wicked Deeds (the 3rd book) , which I still think is the best one. In any case, if you like the series already you are sure to like this one!

I do think it is time that Kresley Cole brought back the Lykae, although I would not be averse to learning more about Lanthe and her enemy Thronos. Ha. Who am I kidding? I will so be there regardless.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: This is slightly spoilery (ok, it is very spoilery); Rydstrom fakes the wedding vows to Sabine because he only wants to make them when he can trust her and she can trust him so Sabine spends much of the book thinking she is married to him. In the end, when she learns he lied to her was reaction was awesome!

“Her brows drew together, and her bottom lip trembled. Rydstrom’s heart fell. “Ah, Gods, Sabine.” She was crushed. She should be. To act as if he’d wed her…
“Demon.I.Am” – she shook her head and swallowed hard – “so proud of you”. Her eyes were misty. “You got one over on me”.

Additional Thoughts: CJ of The Thrillionth Page is reading the series right now and she wrote a post investigating how Kresley Cole gets away with the things she writes. It is a cool post. Check it out here.

Verdict: Fans of the series know what they are going to find – alpha males, strong females, lots of sex and so much fun to be had.

Rating: at the end of the scale of 7 – VERY GOOD.

Reading Next: Caliber by Sam Sarkar

*Tag teams Katiebabs*

Look at the beautiful cover for the next installment of Kresley Cole’s Immortal After Dark series! A big thank you to the great Katie and and to the awesome Meljean Brook for this gift!

So what do we think? I have to say, this is my favorite cover so far. It certainly is a long looooooooooong way from those cartoonish covers – remember a Hunger Like No Other (book 1)?

Kiss of The Demon King by Kresley Cole is to be released February 2009.

Here is the summary:

His obsession: the enchantress who surrenders her body, but not her heart.

After Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, lures and traps Rydstrom Woede in her lair, the ruthless warrior fights to resist her seduction. But his fierce demon nature lusts for her delicate body and won’t be denied. Even as Rydstrom plots to escape, he still intends to claim Sabine as his own—on his terms.

Her downfall: the battle-scarred demon who vows to keep her at all costs.

When Rydstrom breaks free, her abducts Sabine, turning the tables. Now she’s the one struggling to resist his delicious torment. With each relentless encounter, Sabine hungers more for her merciless adversary.

They were never supposed to want each other this much. . . .
If they can defeat the sinister enemy that stands between them, will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice to save her demon? Or will the proud king lay down his crown and arms to keep his sorceress?

I can not wait!

Title: Dark Needs at Night’s Edge

Author: Kresley Cole

Review Number: 46

Genre: Parnormal Romance

Stand Alone/Series: Book 4 of Immortals After Dark Series

Why did I read the book: Because I love this series! Plus, I won my copy in a contest at Dear Author’s website (not that wouldn’t buy it anyway).

Review:

- When we talk, I like how our words ebb and flow. There doesn’t seem to be a need to remark on each comment, no need to clarify – it’s as if we both understand that we understand each other. It’s like dancing.
- Or sex?
She’d smiled: Only if it’s great
He’d given her a confident nod: then we would have great sex.

Title: If You Dare

Author: Kresley Cole

Review number: 41

Genre: Historical Romance

Stand Alone/ Series: First in the McCarrick Brothers series but can be read as stand alone.

Why did I read the book: I love Cole’s IAD series but wasn’t much inclined to read her historicals until I read: Kmont’s review and Rip my Bodice’s review.

Review:

Not marry, know love, or bind ,their fate
Your line to die for never seed shall take
Death and torment for those caught in the wake

“This is all your fault! I loathe you! Detest you! “
“Damn it , will you stop?” He lift her injured arm in front of her face:
“Look, wench! Look at all the blood everywhere.
Now faint. Should you not be fainting by now?”

Not marry, know love, or bind ,their fate
You line to die for never seed shall take
Death and torment for those caught in the wake
Until the blockhead Scot comes to Andorra
To pluck the spoiled little ninny from a
mountain

Janet at Dear Author has writen an amazing review. (Oh, to have and to hold an ARC….such a dream). My review will be here at this same batspot as soon as Mr Postman decides I waited far too long for my delivery.

Verdict: a delightful read that had me in stiches at some parts with the clever dialogues.

Rating: a solid 7 – very very good.

Reading next: The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran