"Tonight's as good a night as any."

I am pretty freakin' amazed that I didn't have any zombie dreams last night. Holy Carumba! The season finale of The Walking Dead was just a bit out of control. Especially after the weird creepy thing with its 2 "pets" rescued Andrea. That was hands-down the scariest shizz on the show. Forget about the zombies!

My favorite line was when Daryl asked Hershel if he was ready to die. Hershel said yes. And Daryl said "Tonight's as good a night as any." And then hopped off the porch. That guy is BAD-ASS with a capital BAD-ASS. Yeeeeeee hawwwwwww!!!!!!!

All right....time for Monday morning updates. (Sips coffee calmly).

1. I finished One Good Reason by Sarah Mayberry, and Ridley was right. It was 5 stars, all the way. This is not my usual read...it's a Harly, a contemporary, and filled with angsty characters. But I'll tell you this, I lived that book. My heart rate was racing during the explosive first love scene, my anxiety went up when Gabby was getting drunk off her ass at the big holiday party, my tear ducts were leaking (heavily!) when Jon and his brother finally embraced for the first time, after many years of abuse at the hands of their father. It was an extremely emotional and satisfying read.

Grade: A

2. I re-read A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (one of my fav re-reads). This is one of the best paranormal books out there (in my not-at-all humble opinion). Love the Scottish werewolves, love the superficial crazy-ass fey who love their bling and lop off heads without a moment's hesitation, love how Emma the Timid turns into Emma the King Killer. The sex in this book is the hottest stuff going.

Grade: A

Well, it looks like Boston skipped winter and is heading right into summer. It's supposed to be in the 80s this week! Craziness!

Happy Monday,
Penelope

Not So Fierce: A Review of Dreams Of A Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

This book is #11 in the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole. #10, Demon From The Dark, was one of my favorites in this series, and I knew it would be a tough act to follow. Unfortunately, Dreams of a Dark Warrior was not nearly as good as its predecessor.

I think it's pretty apparent that one of the most important elements in a successful romance is the chemistry between the hero and heroine. That'll make or break the book. When Kresley Cole nails it, the chemistry between her leads is super intense, both emotionally and sexually---which makes for a fabulous read. Malkom and Carrow in the last installment of this series were a perfect pair...the sexual tension between them was dynamite, the intensity of their emotional connection was fantastic. I loved that book.

Regin is probably the most outrageous, cocky character in this series. I love her energy, humor and loyalty. Her hero, Declan, is without a doubt a fascinating character. After a horrifying near death experience, he has become a warrior in the "Order" hellbent on destroying members of the Lore. He is also (unbeknownst to him at the beginning of this book) the reincarnation of a berserker, Aidan the Fierce, who is the mate to Regin. Declan, because of his past, is a merciless, cold-hearted, drug-addicted killer. Unfortunately, I found Declan and Regin to be mis-matched in this book. Regin is a cocky, sword-slinging "gunfighter"....she should have been paired with a character who could match that sort of fun energy, not a brooding loner. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between them at all....except when Regin (and every other Lore member) hated his guts. I just didn't buy the transition to devoted lovers.

The pacing of this book was also problematic. Cole excels with high action sequences (and super intense love scenes, which are flat-out amazing). The beginning of this book, when Regin is trapped in the facility, stalled. Declan was a total douche bag at the start of the book, and Regin was stripped of her powers. This totally killed the dynamic between them, and the storyline itself. It took way too long for Declan to become a likable character, and for the action to kick-start the storyline.

Lothaire, the most reviled vampire, was by far the most interesting character in the book, which is a huge red flag. When the secondary characters in a story outshine the primary hero and heroine, it's a problem. The interaction between Nix and Lothaire was quite intriguing, and I can't wait to see what's in store for these two characters.

This book was missing the intense spark/magic/humor I have come to expect in the IAD books. I thought it would be ramped up for Regin's book, but instead the story seemed more subdued than others. The second half of the book was much better--more emotional, the pacing picked up, etc. More satisfying all around, but still not enough for me to categorize this one as one of the best.

After reading a lot of winners this past week, I was disappointed with this book. I still love this series, but the books seem uneven at times. I hope Lothaire's story is a winner.

Grade: B-/C+

Penelope

Review of Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole

The first time I read A Hunger Like No Other I was blown out of the water. It was like no other paranormal romance I had ever read. Kresley Cole created a paranormal world where fey beings fall in love with werewolves, vampires fall in love with ghosts, female characters are more terrifying and violent than the men, pop culture references abound, and strong, intense characters have incredibly sexy journeys. I was in love....with a new-to-me author and the world she created. I have enjoyed a lot of the other books in the series, but until now, I have waiting for one that matched the awesomeness of AHLNO. Demon from the Dark did it.

Demon from the Dark has three things I love in my romance novels..."alternative" families who pull together over the course of the book, a terribly damaged hero whose journey is breathtakingly satisfying for the reader (and the heroine, too!) and flat-out incredible sex scenes.

Malkom is reminiscent of Zsadist from JR Ward's series in many ways....a blood slave, abused, on the verge of losing his sanity. Unlike Zsadist, who has his twin and the other brothers, Malkom is completely and utterly alone. His journey from savageness to ultra-protective, loving and even gentle is astonishing. He is without a doubt one of my new favorite heroes.

Carrow is a great heroine and counterpart for him...equally fierce, equally protective over her newly adopted daughter, and finally overcome by the depth of Malkom's devotion to her. What a love story!

I love how Carrow, Malkom and Ruby become a family. Wonderful!

I love how Kresley Cole builds the sexual tension. She is a master at this....just amazing. The "bath scene"....oh!

The bath scene!

The bath scene!

The bath scene!

dubba dubba dubba dubba.....OK, I'm babbling. Seriously, that scene is hands-down the best "sex" scene of the year. Jiminy Cricket! At one point, I realized the scene had gone on for chapters, and I was praying it would never end. Sooooooooo good! Whew!

I am completely in awe of Kresley Cole's talent...she has created two amazing characters, a touching and lusty love story, and a HEA that is just what the doctor ordered for my healing heart.

Thank you, Kresley Cole!

Grade: A+

Sighing with happiness and hoping a demon/vampire falls out of the sky and into my lap,

Penelope

Mini Review of Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

How To Mix a Werewolf-tini

Take one super sexy, incredibly protective, hunky Scottish werewolf named Garreth,

Add a gorgeous, tortured, secretive Archer named Lucia,

Throw in a fabulous adventure in the Amazon rain forest,

Don't forget the vampires, demons, Skathi, Shapeshifters, and Evil Gods,

Add a nice hefty heaping portion of totally hot sex,

An intense emotional connection between the hero and heroine,

Great humor, pacing, and secondary characters,

Scary-ass climatic scene,

And totally satisfying ending,

With just a touch of enticement for the next book in the series.

Shake well with plenty of ice. Serve with a twist of lemon.

Enjoy Pleasure of a Dark Prince. It's an "A" read all the way.

Wishing Scottish werewolves lived in my backyard,

Penelope

Review of Kresley Cole's Untouchable In Deep Kiss Of Winter

Untouchable by Kresley Cole

First of all, I have not read Gena Showalter's story yet. This review is only for Kresley Cole's novella, Untouchable. Second, I am an idiot. I did not realize as I was clicking that fun little button for primetime customers at Amazon that this was a freakin' hardcover. So, I am doubly irked that I did not like this story, and I paid out the wazoo for it. 

Okay, I am seriously disappointed. Lots of folks loved this story, and I was all jazzed up. I did not love KC's last book Kiss of a Demon King.  I was hoping that this author would re-capture the magic soon, since A Hunger Like No Other is one of my favorite paranormals of all time. Here is what I liked about the story....

Good Stuff:

• Cover: scrum-diddly-icious
• Title: Untouchable is such a great title for Daniela the Ice Queen
• Premise for story: Half-fey, half-ice princess who cannot touch or be touched...incredibly great premise for a romance novel
• the build-up and anticipation for hot sex....Murdoch and Daniela staring at each other's lips, bodies, not being able to consummate their lust...hot diggity damn, Cole knows how to build up the anticipation
• the Wroth brothers (as you know, I LOVE cool brotherhood stories, and the Wroth brothers rock it)
• the whole ice thing....gorgeous imagery, absolutely spectacular. I especially loved the description of Murdoch's home after Daniela transformed it into her own ice castle...so cool!

Bad Stuff:

• After all that good build-up for the hot sex, I found their kiss unremarkable, and the sex was hotter when they couldn't touch each other. What the????????
• Pacing was off. Too much time walking around New Orleans, too much time with Daniela hanging out BY HERSELF in Siberia (Jesus H. Canola!), not enough action. In a short novella, gotta keep the action going. And I know damned well KC can do this...she is a master of it. But not here.
• No emotional connection. All the deep POV was about how pissed Murdoch was to be bonded to Daniela. When/how/where does he fall in love with her? Not feeling it.
• Re-hashing the other stories already visited in other books. Not a good idea, slowed down this story and was confusing if you haven't read the other books in the series.
• Re-cycling conflict. Same sentiment from Lachlain in AHLNO...why I am bonded to this girl? I'm so pissed off. Enough already, get over yourself. Here is the plot in a nutshell.....

I don't like you (but I lust for you).

Well, I don't like you either (but you are a hottie).

Still don't like you. Pissed we are bonded.

Well, I still don't like you either.

(This continues until the last 5?10? pages....)

Oh, I figured out I am in love with you. Let's get it on.

Okay.

(I apologize for the sarcasm, but sheesh! This whole thing got tiresome.)

So, I am a bit torn. There were some cool things about this book, but the bottom line is I didn't feel the love connection, and the lust connection started out with great potential, but in my opinion failed to deliver. Bummer. Still love this author and pray for the next installment.

Grade:? C+/B- (not really sure how to grade it)

Planning to carve a pumpkin,

Penelope

P.S. Here is a link to the Youtube book trailer....hee hee hee!

Feeling Paranormal-ish

I am looking forward to the weekend. Paranormal activities will include Halloween parades, parties, trick-or-treating, hopefully watching a butt-load of horror movies on the Sci Fi Channel, and of course a couple of paranormal romance novels. One is Kresley Cole's Deep Kiss of Winter, which I am very excited to read. And the other is an ARC of Annette Blair's Naked Dragon, which looks very lusty and funny. Hope everyone is looking forward to a horror-licious weekend. Too bad all 14 bags of Halloween candy mysteriously disappeared and all I have left is one pack of twizzlers. 

Paranormally pleased,

Penelope

A Blast From The Past: Review of A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (2006)

There are not many romance novels that earn my ultimate seal of approval. Which happens when I finish a book and think "Holy Mother Of God...that was un-freakin'-believable!" Kresley Cole's first installment of her IAD series (Immortal After Dark) is one such book.  It is so damned original, unexpected and brilliant that I honestly think it's the (drum-roll please) Number One Paranormal Romance Novel Of All Time.  It's Cole's combination of humor, pop culture references, incredibly hot sex scenes, and amazing characters that do the trick.  Her introduction of this paranormal world (werewolves, vampires, demons, witches, Valkyries, etc.) is simply out of this world.  Lachlain, King of the Lykae, and Emmaline Troy, daughter of Helen of Troy (!) and a vampire king, are one of the greatest paranormal pairings I've ever read. His lusty intensity and devotion to his unexpected mate, and her surprising metamorphosis from a fearful immortal into a kick-ass warrior/vampire-slayer, make for one rocking ride. Emmaline's fey family is one the most hilarious, original and complex family units you'll find in paranormal romance. I love them! And that cover is the hottest thing I've ever seen. If you have never checked out Cole's series, I highly recommend this book. It will leave you hungry for more. Grade: A+

Pleased to be re-reading old favorites,

Penelope

Review for Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole

Kresley Cole's Immortal After Dark Series is one of the finest paranormal romance series on the market right now. In fact, it is just as good as JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, although Cole's name is not as well known. The first book of this series, A Hunger Like No Other, may be the best paranormal romance ever written and is on my all-time favorite list. However, it's difficult to stick with the program while writing these long-winded series, and even great authors such as Sherrilyn Kenyon and JR Ward have begun that nose dive to mediocrity after starting out with a bang. (I hope and pray that both of these exemplary authors will somehow find the magic again with their series, since their earlier books rocked the house!). Anyway, Cole's writing is mesmerizing. Her paranormal world fascinates, the sex is unbelievably hot, and her characters literally come alive. Also, the fun, witty repartee of the various members of the Lore (including valkyrie, witches, demons, vampires, etc) is riddled with pop culture references and adds a real spark to Cole's unique voice as a writer as well as a fresh twist on a paranormal setting. Now, after that stellar introduction, I must admit I was somewhat disappointed with Kiss of a Demon King.  For the simple reason that I did not like Sabine, Sorceress of Illusions.  I didn't like her at the beginning, and I didn't particularly like her at the end, either.  That's a problem. If your heroine isn't likable at the beginning of the story, you better make sure she's likable by the end.  Also, Rydstrom and Sabine did not have the same incredible chemistry as Lachlain and Emmaline from A Hunger Like No Other.  I still enjoyed the book and cannot wait for the next installment...Cole knows how to whet the reader's appetite for the next story by introducing a bevy of intriguing characters in each book. Kresley Cole's bio states that she was a world ranked athlete prior to her career as a writer. Unfortunately, Kiss of a Demon King is only getting a silver medal in my romance Olympics. Grade: B

All my best, Penelope