Customer Reviews

Kiss of a Demon King (Immortals After Dark, Book 6)

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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***

'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.

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.

Let me start off by saying that Kiss of a Demon King is closely tied to another book in the series, Dark Desires After Dusk. To read this book you don't need to have followed the whole series, but I strongly recommend reading the book that I just mentioned. It is the story of Cade, Rydstrom's brother, and has a few scenes that are a duplicate of those in this story. Also, they basically follow the same time line and involve most of the same people.

Sabine, Queen of Illusions, is half-sister to Omort the Deathless. She's in a pretty messy situation. She and her sister, Lanthe, have been stuck with Omort because of the poison he has that they need to live. Omort is not her favorite person, and he's creeping her out with his incestuous lusting. She's determined to get her sister and her out from under Omort's thumb. She believes she has the perfect opportunity in Rydstrom. Omort knows of a prophecy that tells of Sabine being Rydstrom's mate. The child they produce together will unlock the secrets of the Well of Souls. He plans to have Sabine capture him and get herself pregnant. Sabine, being the ruthless individual she is, is totally ok with this plan. She knows that this is her perfect chance to take control. If she has a child she can unlock the Well of Souls for her own use. Better a queen of Rothkalina rather than a king anyway, right?

For Rydstrom's part he's determined to kill Omort and regain his crown. He believes he's finally answered the question of how to kill someone who is deathless. He starts his brother, Cade, on the search for the Vessel and plans to meet up with him. Unfortunately he gets caught in one of Sabine's illusions and becomes trapped in his own castle's dungeon. He's none to pleased about that and is incredulous over Sabine's plan. Unfortunately for her, even if she got pregnant the child wouldn't be recognized unless they were married first. While Sabine is plotting them getting married and getting pregnant, Rydstrom is plotting on how to get free and enact his own revenge against her.

I know that many people found Sabine unlikable, but I didn't. I was impressed with her `look out for number one' attitude. She's died again and again throughout her life. I'd think she was a fool if she wasn't always plotting about how to turn a situation to her advantage. I loved that she was able to move beyond the fact that her group, the Sorceri, weren't very strong compared to the rest of the Lore. I really liked the fact that she stayed basically the same character throughout the book. As she and Rydstrom got closer they had to adapt and be willing to bend with each other, but never did either of them break some supposed `bad' trait in each other. Very refreshing.

Rydstrom was less of a favorite character for me. However, I think it's because I sympathized with Cade more in the last book and thought his brother was a butthead. I guess I never really got over that. I liked that I got to see his point of view on the reasons that Cade got sent away. The reminiscing over little Cade made me have an `awwwww' moment for Rydstrom. I actually liked that Rydstrom was such a stick in the mud in the beginning. I think he and Sabine really complimented each other. I love that Cole did not make Rydstrom a martyr. I loved the insight into how he sometimes felt the burden of his people and all their expectations. I thought that was very realistic.

I guess my major dislike about the book was the ending. All that buildup through various books and the fight for Rothkalina is over? Hmmmm... Very unsatisfying. I thought I'd get more than a page of the fight. I had to re-read to make sure I hadn't skipped something. Very anticlimactic. Also, all this time was devoted to Rydstrom's kinky fantasies and there seemed to be no follow through. There was one spanking scene but that was it. I wondered why the kinkiness was brought up so often if nothing was going to be done with it.

One thing I really loved: A reason for being a virgin that makes sense. Finally! Also, someone who admits to being a virgin in only the technical sense. I thought that was more realistic than most virgins (or near virgins) who hated anything to do with sex because of one bad experience.

I'm also so glad that the titles have stopped being so similar. I was getting really confused!

When I first picked up this book, I didn't really know if it was for me. It was hard to get into it because I could not relate to Sabine or fall in love with Rydstrom for the same reason Sabine couldn't. After the tables turned, I could not put the book down. I fell in love with both characters and the twists of the plot. I found myself cringing at the characters pain, yelling at them for their actions and laughing out loud at their dry sarcasm.

I debated a while before purchasing this book, because it has some negative reviews and I'm having a bit of a PNR problem. But then I reasoned that even a sub-par Kresley Cole is better than most books out there, which for me turned out to be true.

Rydstrom and Sabine aren't my favorite couple, this book ranks about where Bowen's does for me. It still is very good, though. Rydstrom and Sabine are both very strong-willed people, so there are a lot of power games and one-up-manship, and some very good and funny lines. By the end I felt both had grown some; Rydstrom examined his feelings about responsibility, Sabine about vulnerability. They did seem well-matched to me, I liked how Sabine figured out Rydstrom's dirty little demon needs, and because she's his mate, they happen to be her needs, too. That worked for me, I believe their HEA.

Nix is in the book some, always a good thing, and Cade is in the book near the end, in a sweet enough way that I'm considering rereading his book again.

Overall I liked the book, it didn't pack the emotional punch that Conrad's or Lachlain's did, but then, every single one can't. It's a keeper for me, and I think it will stand up well on a reread. I liked Sabine more than I thought I would, and did love the way she took on Rydstrom. Well played.

One more thing I want to add, and this is fairly unique to Cole, I think, is that her heroines are strong in their ways, and she doesn't change them. By the end of the books, even with their HEA, both characters adapt to each other, they don't change each other. I think that's great.

Since a few have written summaries, I'll be skipping that part...

Kiss of a Demon King in the Immortals After Dark series is, once again, an awsome novel not to be missed by anyone who likes to read paranormal romance with an alpha male and a strong and intellegent lead female. You will definately fall in love with both the characters as they fell in love with each other.

Rystrom's character was much developed in previous books in the series, and much more character development is done in this book. He is a fallen king, trying to reclaim his kingdom. As much as his character couldn't be classified as "fun," he definately has a very wild side, and Kresley had portrayed that side of him extremely well in this novel.

Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, being the classfied as everything "evil" has much redeeming qualities. True, she is selfish sometimes (or half of the times), but the selfishness in her was very logically explained by her past experiences. She is also strong and intellegent, like all heroines in Kresley's books.

One flaw (and I don't even think it's a flaw) that I would point out in this book is the first third of the portion being slightly repetitive. It consisted mainly of Sabine trying to seduce Rystrom, him trying not to be seduced, her trying to seduce him again, and him trying to resist again. However, I am still giving this book a solid 5 star because I felt all of that, although a little repetitive, was necessary for the two characters to fall as deeply in love with each other as they did in the end. I believe that I would not have felt the same if any of that part was left out, or the seduction process was reduced. Plus, during that section of the book, there were also a lot of character development going on, no just plain lemon.

Although this book can be read as a stand-alone, begining with the first book of the serious would let you understand much more of the world Kresley have created. Or at least read Dark Needs at Night's Edge (Rystrom's brother, Cadeon's story) first, imo.

So, again, if you love alpha male and a lead female who can rival him, Kiss of a Demon King, or any of the Immortals After Dark series for that matter of fact, don't miss this book.

Kiss of the Demon King by Kresley Cole

Paranormal Romance- January 20, 2009

5 stars

Kresley Cole has written another WINNER! After I finished it I re-read it to enjoy the experience again. And it was better the second time!

For those not familiar with Kresley Cole's Immortals Series, this book might be a little difficult to follow since many of the characters have been introduced in previous books. Also, if you don't like starting right into the middle of a series, I suggest you start with her earlier books.

The Immortals Series has it all: Valkyrie, Vampires, Ghosts, Demons, Sorcerers, Shifters, and Sirens. All interact with each other and have their own style and distinctive personality. What I find irresistible about her series is that she really makes you believe in her characters and doesn't insult your intelligence with easy, cut and dried situations. All her books get me teary-eyed and make me fall in love with her main characters.

Sabine is the Queen of Illusion. She captures the Demon King, Rydstom with the intention of seducing him. Sabine knows she is Rydstom's true mate, the only female Rydston can reach sexual satisfaction with and produce an heir. However, Sabine has kept herself from Rydstom because she cherishes her independence. She is no man's plaything. Sabine is cunning as well as head-strong and feisty. When she realizes that having a child with Rydstom is a rare bargaining chip to achieve freedom from her ruthless brother Omort, she decides to tempt Rydstom and torture him into submission.

King Rydstom is a Demon King without a kingdom. Ever since the evil sorcerer Omort took over his kingdom, and corrupted it, Rydstom has tirelessly attempted to retake his lost kingdom without success. When he finds himself in the dungeon of his old castle, being tempted by the intoxicating allure of Sabine, the sister of his immortal enemy, he is outraged. Rydstom can't believe how Sabine sets him afire; for countless years he has searched for his chosen mate and never felt this hunger. Distressed and angered by his lust for the amoral sister of his nemesis, Rydstom battles his desire for revenge against the desires of his body and heart.

Both characters are strong willed opposites. Together they are like oil and fire. He's stoic, she's sassy, add their snappy dialogue and you have book that keeps the pages turning. There were many times the characters had me laughing. I love how Sabine chipped away at Rydstom's serious demeanor. I found it touching when Rydstom actions make Sabine feel cherished and protected.

This is a book to be savored. If only for the characters' wild courtship. Kresley Cole has woven a spellbinding tale of romance and adventure that captured my imagination and kept me wanting MORE.

Reviewed by Steph from Bookaholics Romance Book Club

You know I love Kresley Cole and I love the Immortals After Dark series but this one was disappointing to say the least. I wasn't really looking forward to Rydstrom's story because I never liked his character to be honest. I found myself siding more with Cadeon about how the throne was lost and Rydstrom just came off looking like a jerk, in my opinion. He is always treating Cadeon like an afterthought and it continues in this book. That being said I tried to give Rystrom's story the benefit of the doubt.

The beginning seemed very slow, we started with Sabine and Lanthe but there was no spark to their story or what they were doing or who they were, we heard about some of Sabine's deaths but there was no emotion behind it. I just wanted to get to Rydstrom already and when we did there was an attraction between them but the games Sabine was playing got old really fast and the grudge Rydstrom seemed to hold against her after wards seemed out of proportion to the deeds committed. Sabine is a hard chick to love or even like, she had her moments here and there with Puck and Lanthe but it wasn't enough for me to get behind her. There was really no relationship between Rydstrom and Sabine, they didn't talk very much, everything degenerated into an angry, passionate encounter and they didn't seem to know each other very well not even at the end.

I sound like I didn't like anything about it and after writing this review I realize I really didn't like anything about it other than it being a part of this great series. So I don't think anyone should read this if they want to get an idea of what a great series of books this is, it's not really a necessary read in order to keep up with the series but if you liked Rydstrom's character in the other stories, I hope you enjoy it.

The good:

While not terrible (or terribly good) throughout, the writing does get better later on, culminating in a fairly exciting final battle scene. The mythos of the setting is interesting, a fact made more impressive given that this is one of a series of books that I haven't read, the others presumably setting up more of that same mythos. And somewhere down in there, there is a plot that *could* work if it weren't for my number one complaint.

The thing just has bizarre pacing. Why is all the hottest sex in the first third of the book? From then on it gets more vanilla and less frequent before just going MIA. By the end, they just skip it entirely and say things like, "After they made love..." Not only that, but putting all that sexy stuff together weighs down the entire story. There's not a single plot point during those hundred or so pages, and the hero and heroine don't emotionally grow at all, a fact made more sad given that they don't grow too much over the rest of the story anyway.

Neither the hero nor the heroine are likable, the hero especially because he never grasps the fact that the heroine can defend herself. She captures him, fights in a large battle scene, then in a smaller battle scene where she saves his life before his very eyes, and still he is obsessed with keeping her out of harm's way. It's a risk of the "destined mates therefor sexual chemistry trumps all" mechanic, because affection born from that mechanic manifests first as jealousy and feelings of possession. But being an idiot does little to endear the hero to the audience, and if I had to read the phrase "my female" one more time, some pages were going to get ripped out. The heroine is a chronic liar, besides being a thief, murderer, and all around selfish jerk, but she at least grows a little by the end.

Overall, "Kiss of a Demon King" gets two steel mesh bandeaux out of five.

PS: Steel mesh bandeau being the garment of choice for the heroine.

PPS: Yes I'm serious. I couldn't make that up if I wanted to, because I had to look up what a bandeau is.

PPPS: Specifically, she preferred a steel mesh bandeau with a "micro-skirt", thigh high boots, and fishnet stockings.... Still not making any of that up. Part of me wishes I was.