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73 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Bookmarks from Wild on Books!, December 12, 2008
Rydstrom Woede has been fighting and searching for a way to kill Omort, the sorcerer that invaded and desecrated his castle, Castle Tornin, in the Kingdom of Rothkalina hundreds of years ago. The rightful king of demons, Rydstrom is in search of a special sword in which to behead Omort and resume his rightful place on the throne. Despite dead end after dead end Rydstrom refuses to give up his plan. He is the heir to the kingdom and he will find a way to restore honor and loyalty to his subjects. With this in mind, he continues on his wild goose chase to find the one thing guaranteed to kill Omort.
Getting a tip from his brother, Rydstrom begins his journey to their meeting place only to come face to face with a coquettish vixen. When she implores his help Rydstrom doesn't hesitate but it is only when he is fully under her spell does he realize who she is - Sabine - the Queen of Illusions and his enemy's sister. Then to add to his animosity, she captures him and places him in her dungeon, or rather, his dungeon. Rydstrom is not a happy demon and when he gets free, Sabine is going to pay. But first, he has to resist her charms and attempts at seduction. And that is something that he definitely does not want to do.
The minute I finished reading Dark Desires After Dusk, I envisioned Rydstrom's story, KISS OF A DEMON KING, as being pivotal to this series and I knew without a doubt that it would be a story worthy of this illustrious and very noble demon king. I love when I am correct because KISS OF A DEMON KING was extraordinary.
Having lost his home hundreds of years ago to the foulness of Omort, Rydstrom spent the next years of his long life trying to find the one thing that was deadly to this wicked sorcerer. But through it all, he also had visions of finding the one woman he could make his queen. A woman his people would cherish and honor as their king's consort -- a woman he would love and in turn would love him as well and raise a family with him.
Fate had a funny way of rearing its head when the powers that be chose Sabine as Ryd's mate. Not known for her niceness, Sabine has magic so potent that it can be deadly to anyone that crosses her path. Kept in line by her brother, Sabine is reliant upon Omort's good will because without it, her life would be in more danger than it already is. Capturing Rydstrom is one thing, falling in love with him is another and Sabine fights with her almost non-existent conscience every step of the way.
KISS OF A DEMON KING is full of magic, mayhem, sorcery and sensuality. Readers will not want to miss one word of this memorable and enchanting tale. The closer to the end I got the slower I read because I knew once the story ended I would be left craving more of this brilliant and emotionally gripping saga.
KISS OF A DEMON KING releases from Pocket on January 20, 2009. Since it is book 6 of Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series, I recommend reading the books in order but it is not necessary; KISS OF A DEMON KING stands alone on its own merits. It is truly one of the most amazing tales Kresley Cole has ever released.
Immortals After Dark series (in order)
Playing Easy to Get anthology, Nikolai and Myst
A Hunger Like No Other, Lachlain and Emmaline
No Rest for the Wicked, Sebastian and Kaderin
Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Bowen and Mari
Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Conrad and Neomi
Dark Desires After Dusk, Cade and Holly
Kiss of a Demon King, Rydstom and Sabine
***Natalie S. for Wild on Books***
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54 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
2.5 stars, January 18, 2009
'Kiss of a Demon King' has the trademarks of what I like in a paranormal romance.
Brooding hero- check
Sassy, funny heroine- check
Wilder sex scenes- check and check!
More worldbuilding and juicy insights - check
However great those seperate things are though, they did not come together fluidly .
From the get go, Sabine is introduced as being slightly cold (well dying a few times might have that effect) and having a wickedly dark sense of humor. Alright. So we anticipate the peeling back of layers to get to why she's that way, and for her to prove she is a worthy mate to the king. Sadly I didn't get that.
While I get that Cole wanted to portray an unlikely mate for Rydstrom, I don't think she made Sabine to be his equal. For one, Sabine treats Rydstrom mercilessly, and while Cole may have included a spanking scene to even the balance of power, I don't think it worked.
There was a disconnect between how I perceived Sabine, and what I believe was Cole's intent. For example when she continuously referred to Puck, the orphan demon boy as 'it'. I know it was meant to be funny, and I recognize the humor, however it does nothing to endear Sabine to me as a heroine. (Does that make sense?) Cole wanted to give Rystorm a heroine that would question himself and make him step outside the box. I just think Sabine was a bit too wild and untamed with no true heart.
Besides sexual release, and the fact that she was fated to be Rydstorms mate (something she treated lightly, in my opinion) there was actually nothing I liked about Sabine. Well her makeup and clothing sounded interesting, though I had a mental picture of a Carnival reveler (a la Brazil Carnival etc)complete with a huge headdress traipsing behind a glowering demon.
Pretty much my entire quarrel with the book is the heroine. I will recommend it since it's part of an awesome series, and you definetely must read it , but it is my least favorite so far.
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33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Good to Be King, January 14, 2009
Sabine, Queen of Illusions, has one main goal in life - to survive. After dying over a dozen times before being brought back to life by her sister Lanthe, who can blame a girl? Sabine and Lanthe are Sorceri who have mystickal powers but share the unfortunate distinction of being half-sisters to Omort the Deathless, the evil king of Rothkalina. Centuries ago, an oracle foretold to Omort that Sabine was the mate of Rydstrom, the demon king Omort stole Rothkalina from, and the child they would bear would unlock the untold power of the mysterious Well in Omort's court. Sabine and Lanthe are trapped in Omort's service because he gave them a poison that causes a painful death unless they continue to take it regularly and since he is the only one who possesses it, they must keep in his good graces to live.
Omort sends Sabine to capture and seduce Rydstrom when he finds out that the demon king is trying to obtain a sword that is said to be able to kill him. Sabine has her own plans for the future - she will use this demon king to get pregnant then take over the throne from Omort when her son can use the power of the Well. She is confident that Rydstrom will be seduced quickly, after all who could resist her beauty and illusions?
Rydstrom, the deposed demon king, is finally within reach of the goal he has worked toward for centuries - killing Omort and recapturing his throne. On the way to meet an accomplice in his quest, he is fooled by Sabine's illusions into stepping through a portal to a cell in the dungeon of his old castle in Rothkalina. Once there, Sabine begins her seduction of Rydstrom by getting him very excited then refusing to finish things until he promises to make her his queen. Rydstrom is very confused because this sorceress feels like his mate but there is no way fate would stick him with an evil, selfish woman - right?
Sabine continues her seduction of Rydstrom by showing him his secret fantasies with her illusions but he refuses to break because he will not have her use his child for evil. She is impressed by his strength in spite of herself but refuses to give up her plan because there is no beating Omort any other way. She eventually gets her way but Rydstrom manages to trick her into thinking he made her queen when he really vowed revenge in the demon language.
Turn about is fair play, so when Rydstrom is given a chance to escape unexpectedly from an old enemy, he kidnaps Sabine and has a chance to enact the revenge he contemplated while under her mercy in the dungeon. She is helpless without her hands, so he ties her up and shows her exactly how it feels to be brought to the brink of satisfaction again and again without relief. The longer they stay together, the more certain Rydstrom is that Sabine is his real mate. He no longer knows whether he wants revenge or to seduce Sabine to stay by his side forever. Sabine is impressed by Rydstrom's fighting skills as he wards off attacks as they make their way to a portal out of Rothkalina to New Orleans. She has never had anyone fight for her besides her sister Lanthe and finds herself impressed with his honor and strength. He proves himself to her and slowly makes his way into the heart she didn't know she had anymore after too many years spent trying to survive in Omort's cut-throat court. Rydstrom finds that Sabine is just what he needs - a woman who is unafraid to challenge him in bed and out and someone strong enough to lead his people.
Sabine and Rydstrom are a great pair. Sabine is a bit wicked but is not evil. She does what she needs to survive but does not purposely hurt people - well, not unless they come between her and gold, a Sorceri obsession. Rydstrom finds that he needs Sabine's wickedness, especially in bed. The story kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who was going to seduce who - and how do you kill an evil man who can't die? The seduction scenes were hot! Rydstrom had some wicked fantasies in his head that Sabine was more than willing to fulfill. The action was non-stop, both in the bed and out, with it all coming down to Rydstrom facing down Omort for the throne of Rothkalina, where he found out what was really important to him. There was plenty of humor in the book with some great one-liners from Nucking Futs Nix. Kiss of a Demon King was a great read with two very interesting and complex characters who find love where they least expect it. I highly recommend reading this book and the rest of the Immortals After Dark series.
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