Sexy Werewovles and Vampires, Yum!

I’m another new blogger here at NN. So, BRIEF intro – I’m an aspiring paranormal romance writer living in the western US.

My first blog is being dedicated to my favorite paranormal romance author: Kresley Cole. Since Kresley is THE REASON I started writing paranormal romances, I felt honor bound to talk about her in my first post here.

I’ve been reading romances for enough years to reveal that I’m no spring chicken. I read pretty much every genre. Paranormal was my most recent discovery. A couple of years ago I was cruising around looking for new authors to read and discovered a review of Kresley’s first paranormal novel in her Immortals After Dark Series. Read and loved. Read the rest of the series in less than a week. Currently devouring her latest release.

Now, I love many of the wonderful paranormal romance authors out there: Gena, Larissa, Lara, Christine, Sherrilyn. I’ll stop listing now. There are many more great authors out there. Don’t want to offend anyone by leaving her/him out. But the reason I’m blogging about Kresley is because her writing lured me into the paranormal world.

Today I’m reviewing the first full-length novel of the Immortals After Dark Series, A Hunger Like No Other. The series starts officially with the novella “The Warlord Wants Forever” in the Anthology Playing Easy to Get, which also contains entries by Sherrilyn and Jaid Black.

Acclaimed author Kresley Cole introduces a sizzling new series with this tale of a fierce werewolf and a bewitching vampire -- unlikely soul mates whose passion will test the boundaries of life and death.

A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her . . .

After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.

A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy . . .

Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents -- until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae -- and their notorious dark desires -- ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.

An all-consuming desire . . .

Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?

That's the Amazon.com blurb for A Hunger Like No Other. The tale begins in Paris where Emma is searching for clues to her past. She is the daughter of a deceased Valkyrie and an unknown vampire. In the eyes of her aunts, the kickass Valkyrie, Emma is a wuss. She drinks blood from a goblet and cries when she dusts the wings of a moth. Now she’s trying to flee, unsuccessfully, from a half-nuts werewolf who’s been tortured by vampires for the last one hundred plus years.

Lachlain is the hot hero of this tale. The king of the werewolves, aka Lykae, he’s been held prisoner by the Horde, or evil division of vampires. He’s been toasted in eternal flames only to be revived by his immortal nature for many years. When he catches a whiff of his mate’s scent, Lachlain goes to incredible lengths – this is one seriously determined wolfman – to escape and find her. Lachlain is one yummy Scottish werewolf that made this reader purr with delight.

Throw together a slightly demented Lykae and a wuss of a vampire-Valkyrie and you have a very entertaining couple. Since I dislike reviews that drop too many spoilers, I won’t say more about the plot.

At the end of the novel a very helpful glossary of terms is included to familiarize the reader with Kresley’s paranormal world. It may be included in the beginning of some versions as it is in later tales from the series.

Lachlain’s POV in the beginning is a little disjointed which perfectly fits his slightly psycho state of mind. As Emma’s presence tames his wilder half, he becomes more coherent. Emma starts off as a wuss, which may be a turnoff to some readers. I’ve heard complaints that in paranormal romance the heroines are often weak bookends for the hero. I don’t find this so in Kresley’s tales and indeed, Emma’s metamorphosis is more powerful in light of her original wussdom.

One of the major appeals of Kresley’s writing is her humor. Some of the secondary characters, especially the eccentric Valkyries, are down right chuckle inducing. She also hints at coming tales with side plots but doesn’t detract from the main story by putting too much out there. I hate it when the secondary plot is more interesting than the main hero and heroine. Kresley saves the good stuff for the actual story, which I really appreciate. I also appreciate that while she drops some current cultural references into her writing, she doesn’t go overboard as some authors to to the point of being ridiculous.

So, if you’re a paranormal romance reader or writer who hasn’t read Kresley Cole, get the hell out there and read her Immortals After Dark Series. You won’t regret it and if you do, well, I’ll be questioning your taste, because Kresley's tales are excellent!

Cheers,

Lila Barton

http://lilabartonromance.blogspot.com/ For news on my work.

http://lilabarton.wordpress.com/ My writing blog - topics for romance writers.