Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Review: Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter

Deep Kiss of Winter (Immortals After Dark #8) (Alien Huntress #4.5) by Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter
Synopsis (Goodreads):
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR KRESLEY COLE delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time . . . and a Valkyrie aching for his touch.

Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela—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. Can they conquer an agony of frustration and slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR GENA SHOWALTER puts a daring spin on a tale of huntress and hunted . . . and concocts a sensual chemistry that is positively explosive.

With only skin-to-skin contact, Aleaha Love can change her appearance, assume any identity. Now she’s an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she is held captive when dangerously seductive Breean, a golden-skinned, iron-willed commander, threatens her new life—and for the first time, Aleaha wants only to be herself.
My Thoughts: I originally picked up this book because I've been working my way through the IAD books again and I was pretty darn excited to finally get to Murdoch's story. Here goes...

Untouchable
The overlapping story lines in the Immortals After Dark series can be a bit of a blessing and a curse. It's really cool to see how the same events play out from a different point of view but if it's been a while since you've been in this world, it takes a little work to catch up. In my case, it had been a few months since I read the Wroth brothers' arc and I was struggling to remember some of the events that are mentioned in passing. This didn't detract from Murdoch and Danii's story, but it did leave me floundering a bit on the secondary story line.

As for the star-crossed lovers, I really liked the idea that a big strong vampire was brought to his knees by this little bitty lady and then he wasn't allowed to touch her. Danii's loneliness was especially poignant because she was so physically isolated from all the warm bloods around her - her Valkyrie sisters included. Her attraction to Murdoch when she's never been attracted to anyone before excites her. However, his reputation as a manwhore in his human life leaves her believing that he would never be content with her.

Which reminds me: Isn't it a little unfair to paint Murdoch with a manwhore brush when he hadn't been with or even wanted a lady in 300-ish years? I mean, give the guy a break. So, he bedded a few (*cough* many *cough*) ladies in his human days. These things happen. It kinda sucks that he got stuck with that label when it so obviously didn't apply since he couldn't even get hard before Daniela Blooded him.

Right. Anyway. Although I think I would have enjoyed this one even more if I had recently read the other books in the Wroth arc, I still found it highly enjoyable. As an added plus, I'm really feeling the urge to dive full steam ahead with the rest of the series.

Tempt Me Eternally
I've read a grand total of two of the Alien Huntress books and I read them out of order. Don't ask. Sometimes I like to get all crazy with my reading. Anyway. I like this series. I really enjoy that the paranormals in this case are alien beings. It's a little different and a lot fun.

That said, I did have a bit of a brain freeze with who all the agents were in the beginning. I vaguely remembered them but not enough to figure out who had hooked up with who and which ones were aliens and ... I was just floundering a bit. However (and I feel like I just said this before for the previous story), this didn't really take away from Aleaha and Breean's relationship. They had the insta-attraction, they acted on it, they stopped acting on it, they fought. Lather, rinse, repeat. It was sexy and hot - Hello! Breean's ability to enter another person's body had definite advantages in the lovin' department - and I liked it.

I think I own book 3, so this might be a good time to jump back on this wagon and get to reading this series.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books in this series
Immortals After Dark
1. The Warlord Wants Forever
2. A Hunger Like No Other
3. No Rest for the Wicked
4. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
5. Dark Needs at Night's Edge
6. Dark Desires After Dusk
7. Kiss of a Demon King
8. Untouchable (Deep Kiss of Winter) - Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
9. Pleasure of a Dark Prince
10. Demon from the Dark
11. Dreams of a Dark Warrior
12. Lothaire

Author Links - Kresley Cole
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Books in this series
Alien Huntress
1. Awaken Me Darkly
2. Enslave Me Sweetly
3. Savor Me Slowly
4. Seduce the Darkness
4.5. Tempt Me Eternally (Deep Kiss of Winter) - Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
5. Ecstasy in Darkness
6. Dark Taste of Rapture

Author Links - Gena Showalter
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

6 comments:

  1. I need to get back into the IAD series. It feels like it's been a while since I've read PNR.

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    1. I'd like to finish this series. So many people loved Lothaire's book that I'm DYING to read it but I don't think this is a series you can skip around in.

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  2. I just skimmed though your review because I haven't read this one yet (I only have to read one book in the series before I get to it). I'm glad you liked it, I'm sure I'll enjoy it, too.

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    1. It's very fun. I do love the way Kresley Cole writes.

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  3. "So, he bedded a few (*cough* many *cough*) ladies in his human days. These things happen."

    *falls over laughing*

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    1. What? He was a handsome dude apparently. The ladies liked his smooth moves! It happens!

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