Verheißung des Zwielichts (Immortals After Dark 16)

Immortals After Dark #16

by Kresley Cole, Kresley Cole

Der erfolgsverwöhnte Vampirprinz und notorische Playboy Mirceo ist fasziniert von dem dämonischen Kopfgeldjäger Caspion "the Tracker". Er lässt nichts unversucht, um Cas ins Bett zu bekommen, denn er ist überzeugt, dass dieser sein vom Schicksal auserwählter Gefährte ist. Doch Cas bezweifelt das, da er nicht auf Männer steht und außerdem fürchtet, für Mirceo nur eine Eroberung zu sein. Die gewaltige sexuelle Anziehung zwischen den beiden belehrt sie bald eines Besseren und lässt sie schließlich als Lebensgefährten zueinander finden.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Vampires, M M Romance, Demons

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2017

About the author

Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series, the young adult Arcana Chronicles series, the erotic Gamemakers series, and five award-winning historical romances.

A master’s grad and former athlete, she has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings.
Her IAD books have been translated into 23 foreign languages, garnered three RITA awards, a RWA Hall of Fame induction, and consistently appear on the bestseller lists, in the U.S. and abroad.

Cole lives in Florida with her family. Learn more about Kresley at: www.kresleycole.com & www.thearcanachronicles.com

Reviews

[Mizuki]

"It hadn't been so long ago when she'd nearly decapitated Lothaire during one of their fights--which, knowing Lothaire, had been a justified response.

Ah, how much I love this!!!!!

So far it's a fun read, but to be honest, I'd read sexier, more exciting and more edgy same-sex romance than this before. XD

Pre-review:

Give This Book To Me Now! *screams*



OMG Ms. Cole is doing a M/M romance FINALLY? And with this pairing? The yaoi girl in me is doing a happy dance just now! I hope Ms. Cole will damn well do it right! LOL

And this...

Even if Mirceo can accept Caspion as his fated mate, the sensual vampire still must convince the stubborn demon that their bond is forever. And any royal Dacian union must receive the blessing of King Lothaire, an unpredictable and savage killer. . . .

I can't even start to imagine how this will go! LOL

This isn't the hottest M/M romance I have ever read before but it's okay, it's doing fine, I guess.

My review for Lothaire: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I’m strong for us,” Cas assured him. “Take as much as you need.”

I have longed for this book since it was annouced to be the next installment in The Dacians series. Caspion captured my attention in Shadow's Claim and I knew his story must be as exploding and promising as his intriguing character, but I'm quite disappointed after finishing this book. First of all, I was unsure Shadow's Seduction would work with the characters I was introduced to going to this man-on-man action. To be clear, I don't despise M/M romance at all, on the other hand, I loved it so much and have read many books which impressed me a lot.

“We’re a soon-to-be-legendary hunting partnership. ‘Impossible’ is our middle name.”

But this book utterly lacks of the chemistry between Caspion and Mercio. Mercio pops out of nowhere and claims Caspion that maybe he is his mate. Ok, this is Kresley Cole's way to write her book, and I kind of understand that. But they haven't even known each other before this book, so their matching has to be thoroughly woven, not goes so fast like this. I haven't prepared for this abrupt atttraction.

Caspion's insecurity is the only conflict in this book even though Mercio knows his heart that it wants only him, Caspion can't stop himself from pushing his prince away like he's not worth anything after Mercio's blooded by him. In addition, when I got relieved and felt like this story was goind to end peacefully, shit happens and I couldn't be happy for them at the end. Their reunion didn't attract me as it should be.



Sometimes I really enjoyed this book for the flow of the story. The lead characters are legit solid that I felt them all. Kresley Cole never fails to deliver her story to readers with this stunning story and her wit is everything. But somewhere between the pages, I felt as if this book wasn't written by her because the story was tipsy on its own I couldn't even grab what happened at that time. The satisfying emotion I feel towards her books since the first one is absent, too. It should have been there and I'm still looking for it even now, but I've found nothing. Ok, maybe it's just me for letting my expection reach its highest peak, hence I rated this one three stars as I did on Sweet Ruin because I feel the same way.

“Wanted you for so godsdamned long, Mirceo.” Had the demon’s horns ever been so straight and swollen? “Do you trust me not to hurt you?”

Plus the sex scene is not quite spectacular as I expected, just one shot that comes and goes with haste. All in all, this is a great start for her to write M/M books. Hope I'll see more of them in the future.



https://goo.gl/L4w6os

[Sahara]

My preference is M/F romance. I have a feeling Kresley has fallen into the "writing M/M romance because it's trendy" category thus more $$ through a wider fan base who knows...first she started with her YA series, an annoying three part serial, and now this....hope others enjoy the novel but if this becomes a common occurrence for Cole I will stray far away.

[SheReadsALot]

I WILL BE READING THE SCALES OFF THIS MOTHERFUCKER!!!



Fave author + MM?*

*Please refer to reaction above

[εllε · Rating 4 out of 5]

12/03/2017

There was a bit of drama more than it was necessary, but I liked it! Mirceo and Cas were exquisite! Hot and funny. I enjoyed their story. It feels incomplete but I'll settle for this now. I really am looking forward to Kosmina's story.

Congrats Kresley Cole on this MM novella. I hope you write more of these :)





Before release:

MM ???? OMG, omg, OMG, omg, OMG!!!!

Kresley Cole I love you so MUCH right now, I adore you!!!

Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!




a VAMPIRE and a DEMON!!!

Best combination EVER!!






GONNA BE EPIC!

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this one.......there were a few times that I almost gave up...and the only reason I turned the last page was that I kept thinking it would get better.

There was something missing between the two mc's....I never felt a chemistry or connection there.

I love the IAD Series but I am not sure about The Dacians.

However, I do love KC so I am not giving up on the Immortals now!!

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince Mirceo Daciano (Dacian Vampire) and Caspion the Tracker (Demon)

The vampire's eyes shot wide as if he'd been thunderstruck. Then they opened even wider. He tilted back his head and mouthed to the sky, "Oh gods, thank you!"
Cas, scowled unable to hold back his question "For what do you thank the gods?"
Mirceo faced him with a delighted look. "My fondest wish just came true." In a low tone full of hunger, he added, "Ah, sweetheart, what fun you and I shall have together."

I don't usually find really good paranormal MM romance.
This time the combination of the demon and the vampire is truly explosive.
I can honestly admit that I am utterly satisfied and happy with what I have just read.

[*P*u*r*p*l*e* Masochist]

You know what's annoying -> PEOPLE RATING THIS BOOK WITH 1 star JUST BECAUSE IT'LL BE MM ROMANCE and the book isn't even published yet. -.-'
Well, SUCK IT UP! No one is making you read it.

Btw. Kudos to you K. Cole!

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest I was glad when I found out KC decided to do a MxM novel.

To me, its hard to find really good MxM fantasy novels that actually have a good story, plot, character depth, world-building etc. and to have someone as skilled as KC do it, is just a dream and I really look forward towards the books release.

And to be honest, I think its kind of sad for some of her readers to judge her based on this book or feel that this threatens the series. Honestly if you were real ride-or-die loyal readers you'd give it a shot no matter what pairings there are. You'd think that as a "loyal reader" you can see that in this world of Loreans where sensuality and sexuality is wholly embraced that there would indeed be pairings of two males or two females. I personally prefer MxM pairings and I am a major fan of Cole. Although I prefer those pairings, it didn't stop me from fully enjoying her previous hetero pairings because I loved the story, world-building and characters too much to care.

The Lorean series that KC creates is rich and tantalizing, not because of who is shagging who, but because she creates these amazing characters and stories that bring the reader into their world. When reading her books (Yes, the straight ones even though I really love MxM romances), I find myself daydreaming not about a sexy viking who will *swoon* shag me into oblivion. But about eating lightning and tracing to places all over the world, or being a Sorceri King of Death.

To me at least, its her skill as a story teller that drags me back again and again no matter the sexual pairing and to be honest she could probably write a romance about a Cerunno and a Primordial demon and I'd probably enjoy that too.

All in all, I am looking forward to Shadow's Seduction and I hope I enjoy it as much as I did all the others.

[layla is a picky reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edit: March 1st, 2017 Final Rating: 3/5 stars

Weeeeell... it was a good, cute book but it left me wanting more --> hence only 3 stars. The novella ends on a giant cliffhanger which was so uncool! Seriously, this couple should've gotten a full-length book because they were so entertaining: Caspion is a hardass death demon that turns into a complete marshmallow around Mirceo, the spoiled prince of Dacia (don't worry, it's totally mutual, they've been pining after each other from the first second they met <3).

I liked that Mirceo was the first to suspect Caspion of being his mate and, once he made the "experiment", he was all in! No reservations, just stubborn pursuit. You would've thought a hedonistic spoiled prince would've run for the hills but nope, not Mirceo! He was drooling over Caspion from the first moment they met and he wanted to have him - forever. Wish granted!

Hmm, one thing that bothered me was that we didn't get much time with "young" Caspion - I genuinely enjoyed his bff-with-Mirceo chapters. I wanted to see that Caspion dealing with the prospect of matehood - especially since his mate was a guy - which is a total no-no in his demonic culture. After the life-changing kiss happens, he jumps in another dimension and stays there for 500 years! I mean, c'mon, the dynamic changed way too quickly: suddenly, Caspion is no longer the cutie pie full of sunshine he originally was but a more rugged, edgy version that is a bit too melodramatic for my taste.

I loved that Mirceo got with the program pretty much immediately and wasn't intimidated by the shift in power dynamics but rather, he was turned on by it *laughs* Oh yeah and the sexy scenes are definitely in KC's style - very hot, very dramatic, followed by a train wreck :))

We also got to see Lothaaaire, the crazy vampire we ALL love and his Lizvetta, the only one sane around there. Oh, and Kristoff! Poor guy, I wonder when will he stop playing chess with Leo? Oh, and meet his queen...

Oh, and kudos to Kresley for taking the step into m/m romance! I hope she'll write more of this. Who knows, maybe even *gasp* a full-length book?



_____________________________

AN M/M ROMANCE FROM KRESLEY COLE??

I AM SO IN!

[Bitchie]

I am both intrigued and scared. Can KC do an M/M story justice, or will it be Qhuinn/Blay all over again?

[Akanksha G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I have edited my note after having read the novel*

A really sexy, intense, and fun read as always from Kresley Cole. I never get tired of these stock characters. :P

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 4 out of 5]

She did that.

Lothaire threw his hands up as if all the world had gone mad. "Now Mirceo's mate is a full-blooded demon? With horns! Lizvetta, there's only so much I can STAND!"

"Wait," Cas said, "you don't care that I'm male?"

Lothaire blinked those creepy eyes. "Why the fuck would I care if you're male?"

Dare I say that Kresley Cole might have written some of her hottest scenes in this book? I'm not sure why she left some of the plot behind in favor of going erotica, but I'm not complaining.

I'm not saying that there wasn't a story at all, but the story definitely took a backseat to the sexual chemistry more than it has in other books.

And I'm still not complaining.

Did I say already that Shadow's Seduction was hot? Yes? Okay. Just checking.

The dedicated m/m readers might want to know if this book can be read as a stand-alone. I would say yes, with a hesitation. Of all of the IAD books, this one probably has the least connection to the IAD world as a connected whole, making it the easiest to follow along with if you haven't read any others. However, I don't feel like this book will be as fully appreciated without seeing some of Cas' torment in the first Dacians book Shadow's Claim. The events that happen in the previous book help the reader to understand why Cas took the life path that he did. So take that as you will. You can read and appreciate this book without having read any others, but you might miss a few nuances that can lend the reader sympathy for Cas.

Ms. Cole deviated a bit from her usual series formula for Shadow's Seduction. There was more of an open-ending for the main characters than usual (yes, there is still a HEA). As well, the 'adventures' for the characters weren't really of note because those were mostly a setup for another character. So there's that.

Not gonna lie...I was a bit thrown off by seeing a 7 foot demon being called sweetheart. But I guess this could mean that I might need to get over some of my own outdated male stereotypes.

One of my favorite things about Cole as a writer is her ability to keep her stories and characters fresh. It might have been a small disappointment, but this was one of the least original offerings from her to date, even with her taking a turn into m/m for the first time. Maybe she was nervous trying out this angle, so she stuck to other things that were familiar. Cas read to me as a slightly improved version of Cadeon (looks, race and personality). Cade's story was not a favorite of mine, so I was glad to see that Cas was at least an improvement. As well, the phrasing of Mirceo's was very similar to Lothaire's with stilted phrases similar to Glorious male! being thrown about quite often in his thoughts. But I was able to overlook some of the similarities because I'm guessing that Cole was trying to focus on writing a relationship that was new to her. And she put forth a good first effort. I hope to see more of these relationships in the future.

Mirceo could have used some time to mature (he should've gone on his own walkabout in the other dimension like Cas did in order to grow up a bit), but I'm probably nitpicking here. He was a good guy overall.

I never thought I'd be rating a KC book based solely on the steamy scenes. Guess there's a first time for everything.

I would share some of those scenes with you, but how could I spoil all of that deliciousness when the reader should experience it for themselves, right?

[River · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 to 4 stars

This book was definitely what I expected. The love story wasn't my favorite in the IAD series but it wasnt bad at all. I really appreciated that Kresley added an MM to her world and the way she told this story because yes it was one character chasing the other like in most of her stories but at the same time she did respected the characters in the sense I didn't felt like I was readinf MF and that's the case sometimes when you are reading an MM book from an author that doesn't write this genre.

I like both Caspion and Mirceo but I would have like a bit more of character development in Mirceo, I do believe he need a little bit more work, grow up a little bit.
My heart broke for Caspion, he was a hard ass but he wasn't an asshole, his reasons to not dive head first in the relationship seemed valid and I respect him specially after knowing his past.

A lot of reader were worried about the whole demon seal and the impregnation, well the way KC explained that was magnificent! she didn't make a big deal out of it, yes same sex relatonships happen and yes there are ways to have babies.

I appreciate how this stories are set in the same universe, but they stand on their own in the sense that nothing big in relation to the ascension happens here. Kristoff is mentioned and seen and a few possible big players in the war are mentioned but nothing big happened that might loose you in the next IAD story.


Lothaire.. dude.. what are we going to do with you? seriously I dind't know if I wanted to laugh or slap him. His actions did left us with a big cliffhanger but I wanna clear that, It is not a cliffhanger for this story, Caspion and Mirceo end up good but something does happen that leaves you in the air and waiting for the next Dacians story.



------------------------
Vampire + Demon MM romance?? Kresley you are giving my life!!! I didn't knew wanted this story but now I need it! I'm on cloud nine.

[Julia's Book Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one way more then I would have ever guessed. I've only read a handful of m/m books but this is one of my favourites now. Cas and Mirceo were awesome, I loved spending time in their heads. Also the sexy scenes were freaking hot!!! Just wish that the book didn't have such an abrupt ending cause I know the wait for the next book is probably going to be a long one. Also warning this book ends at about 75% and the rest is just teaser chapters for the next IAD book, I don't really read teaser chapters so I would have liked less of those and more of Cas and Mirceo.

Really hoping that Cole does some more m/m books cause I'd love that and very much looking forward to the next in this series and the IAD series.



February 10/17
Someone fixed it, now I'm not saying its because I'm an awesome complainer and pointed it out but I'm not not saying that ;D

March 18/16
Why is this listed as also being IAD #18 when it comes out before IAD #17? Lol that is weird.

[Kazza]

I cannot believe the romance readers who hate so vehemently - that makes you homophobes, and hypocrites, because...



Review to come

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

ragey review to follow so.........

I was really looking forward to this book and i have to say it was a major let down. This didn't even seem like KC it was so poorly written. The beginning was super abrupt and we were literally dropped in the middle of a scene to begin the book. Then, all of the time of them bonding and becoming close takes place off page which was a HUGE let down. Then there's this wacky time jump story twist which made little sense. By the time the book picks up momentum and starts to get decent it's over. This was in NO way as good as this author usually writes. And, ironically, the sex scenes were the best part. She did a good job on those, especially for never writing one before, but the plot, the emotions, the connection....meh. It's unfortunate cuz I liked both of the MC's and they had so much potential. Between their relationship and them going on bounties together, they could have been a great pairing. They should have been a great pairing.

This is the second main stream author who has given us a half-assed m/m novella (& I'm talking about Larissa Ione, not JR Ward. Whether you liked Blay and Qhuinn's book or not, at least Ward had the guts to make it as much a part of the series as the others.) I find this super annoying. If you're going to write it, write it right. Give these books just as much time and attention as you would your m/f books or don't do it. I get that some fans are going to lose their shit over m/m books being written in primarily m/f series. But you know what? Those homophobic dumpster fires are going to get upset no matter if it's a half-assed book or a great book so why not do great?

[Jo ★The Book Sloth★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

How did I have no idea of this? An MM book by Kresley Cole? HELL TO THE YES!!!

[Kat valentine ( Katsbookcornerreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delicious hot sexy read!!! This story had everything I love in a M/M romance. Their was red hot passion with glorious hot steamy scenes that were breathtaking and very erotic . The thing I love about male on male romance is the whole dominant vibe mixed with very strong feelings and even stronger passions and this vampire/ demon coupling had it in spades!!
Prince Mirceo Daciano is a mesmerizing vampire with plenty of swagger and sex appeal that you can't help dropping your panties for with just one of his smiles and Caspion the demon tracker really never had a chance against the the charm of this beautiful vamp. Both from different walks of life but destined to be mates and although caspion does everything in his power to fight the bond he's never felt so alive as he has with his friend Mirceo, but he knows this vamps history and as in the past mirceo will become bored and move on and that something that caspion could not endure. This is a story that starts with lust but ends with a happy ever after and I totally loved it! Kresley Cole's Immortals after dark is one of my very favorite series and I can't get enough of this paranormal world. And by the way Lothaire the crazed vampire king and my favorite character from this series makes a appearance as well, love,love him! Until next time Luv's💗💋

[Tamika♥RBF MOOD♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

[image error]

Dear Kresley Cole,

You could have done so much better.

Okay rambling ragey review to commence.

First, I would like to know why put the first 8 chapters of a book that's coming out in the next month or so. What's the fecking point? I didn't read the 8 chapters because I feel CHEATED that this book was over at 80%? Come on Kresley Cole. You should have known better. If you had some fear or backlsh from your inbred fans who is going to lash out about you writing a M/M book then you should not have done it unless you was going to GIVE IT YOUR BEST. This was freaking subpar at best. I mean, it ended. Just like that. Do we have to wait another 5 years to get a conclusion to their story? Or will you somehow write something that is worthy to us M/M folks. I am going to be really honest hear, I was so skeptical of you writing a book in this genre. I really loathe the m/f writers jumping on the band wagon of this genre just to make money. Now, I don't believe that's you because you have 2 successful series, and you didn't need to write these characters. Whatever compelled you to do it, kudos to you. Hopefully it'll convince Illona Andrews to write a Barabas & Christopher story without fear of ugly mofos protesting it.


Here's the thing, Its a damn book. If you don't like the subject then don't read it or rate it. Damn, it's so fecking simple. All you had to do was ignore it, but its completely unfair to rate a book 1 star and your dumbass didn't read it.

The first 25% of this story was disjointed and choppy sentences. I don't know what happened with you, but I take offense completely to you writing this. I take offense that not only was it not your best content, but you decided to leave the damn story as a cliffhanger. Why? Why not make it full length seeing as I don't think their sequel will be a priority for you. I will straight up compare it to Sweet Ruin, oversexed and not enough plot. Its as best as I can describe it. Will the potiential problem be in the next novel coming out in April? I think not, its about a new couple we don't know anything about. At this point, I would rater the series to be over then to drag it out and have mediocre ass writing. I'm disappointed because I'm a fan of this series, and you decided to take a genre that was everything to me, and make it absymal at best. The only position thing that saved me was that I enjoyed both characters. I really liked Mirceo & Caspion together. It's the only reason why it got its 3 stars.

I don't even know if I'm buying your next book.

Sincerely,

A pissed off fan

[Alba Turunen · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad 3'5 estrellas. Lo primero y antes de nada creo que es justo decir que ésta opinión no va a ser nada objetiva. No soy fan de la novela homoerótica, no es mi género favorito y no discrimino respecto a ello, es simplemente que no es lo mío, y respeto a quien le gusta. No fui una de las que saltó como locas al enterarse que Kresley iba a publicar un libro homoerótico en su serie "Inmortales de la Oscuridad", simplemente di por hecho que ya que la Ward se había atrevido, ahora lo hacía Kresley, y no me extrañaría que mañana lo hiciera Sherrilyn Kenyon.

¿Por eso ésta novela vale menos? No, a mi entender no. En el fondo aplaudo que Kresley se haya atrevido a la publicación de éste libro, siempre es un placer leerla, sea sobre quien sea el libro. ¿Mi puntuación habría variado si los protagonistas hubiesen sido chico y chica? Probablemente no.

Entonces ¿Qué es lo que no me ha gustado? Lo primero, que fuera un relato. Tampoco es que haya sido muy corto, en mi reader apenas ha llegado a las 300 páginas, es largo para ser un relato, y corto para ser una novela, así que Kresley podría haberle dado entre 100 y 200 páginas más y habría tenido un libro más completo, donde podría haber desarrollado mejor la historia. Otra cosa que no me ha gustado, que a pesar de la corta extensión del libro ha condensado demasiadas escenas eróticas, y tampoco soy fan de éste tipo de historias, no me gusta la erótica, me aburre. Así que en un libro de apenas 300 páginas, que por lo menos un tercio sea sólo sexo pues me cansa.

¿Qué cuenta Kresley en "Shadow's Seduction"? El romance de dos hombres que conocimos en libros anteriores. Uno de ellos el joven y consentido príncipe Mirceo, un vampiro daciano hedonista que sólo vive para su propio placer, y se tira todo lo que se mueve sea del género que sea, y al demonio Caspion el Rastreador, a quien conocimos en "Shadow's Claim", el mejor amigo de Bettina y que se enfrentó a Trehan por su mano.

Éste libro empieza un poco antes de los hechos acaecidos en "Shadow's Claim". Caspion y Mirceo se conocieron en una casa de placer y en seguida se hicieron amigos de correrías y borracheras. Caspion era joven y Mirceo aún no había llegado a su "congelación", pero su tiempo juntos como amigos les hizo sentir una extraña afinidad y posesividad, incentivado por un inocente juego con unas ninfas. Tras una dura separación, y la decisión de Caspion de "madurar" en un plano demoníaco donde el tiempo transcurría muy lentamente; ambos personajes volverán a encontrarse, ya como adultos, y a afrontar lo que sienten.

Pero no será tan fácil como parece, ambos pertenecen a razas distintas, y por si fuera poco, ambos son varones, en un mundo donde su unión no es exclusiva, pero tampoco está incentivada. Para Mirceo será más fácil aceptar lo que siente, su problema será dejar atrás su libertinaje, y Caspion tendrá más difícil aceptar lo que siente por Mirceo cuando a él sólo le han gustado las hembras. Juntos deberán afrontar una serie de pruebas, tanto sentimentales como físicas para aprender a confiar en su unión.

Si algo me ha chirriado ha sido ése final medio abierto que ha dejado Kresley, por desgracia es algo bastante común en su obra. Nos ha presentado a unos nuevos seres, los Gaolers, una especie de semidioses demoníacos, y veremos qué tienen que ver más adelante en su universo, aunque me atrevo a pensar que sólo los Morior pueden enfrentarse a ellos. Sin duda lo que me ha dejado con más ganas de saber es qué ha hecho con Kosmina respecto a ése final, pero imagino que se sabrá cuando publique "Shadow's Kiss". En cuanto a Lothaire y Elizabeth, siempre es un placer leerlos, pero a Lothaire me habría gustado darle un buen tirón de orejas, mientras que Elizabeth se merece un montón de aplausos.

En general ha sido un buen relato que hace de puente para otra serie de novelas. La lástima es que tarde tantísimo en publicarlos y a sólo un libro por año. Me da por pensar que éstas escritoras se creen tan inmortales como sus personajes.

[La*La · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.75 stars. Rounding up to 5 stars 'cos of all the unfair 1-star ratings from the M/M haters.

Well, this was a bumpy ride. Usually the quality of writing in Kresley Cole books is top-notch...this one was uneven. Maybe it was because of the length of the book? It felt like the author totally rushed parts of it...like, the beginning - we get only a brief scene of Mirceo&Caspion's meeting..fast-forward several months, and they're already best friends, talking about their extraordinary bond - but we don't get to see the process of them becoming besties, we're just told about it. Then there's a fade-to-black first sex scene, which almost made me rage, but thankfully we get to see it in full in a flashback. Still, threw me off for a while. Again, fast-forward several weeks, and Caspion is suddenly 500 years older. No going into details about his life during those centuries..just a couple of scenes where we understand it was quite miserable (Caspion is such a masochist!). The ending was also rushed - instead of getting settled in their relationship, the MCs are wrapped up in a drama with Cosmina..it totally muddled the the HEA.

I wish the book was looonger...then we would have got all the juicy details about the MCs past and present, we would see what is going on in the IAD world, maybe get a glimpse of Nix. Sure, we saw Lothaire (was he always that crazy-acting? I thought Liz calmed him down?), but it was so short and I wanted more. Guess all the best bits are saved for the upcoming book in April.

As to the romance itself - I dunno. I loved Mirceo - cocky and confident with just a bit of vulnerability is my favorite type of hero..he cracked me up at times (like with the baby-planning and his relentless pursuit of Cas)...despite his initial behavior and declarations about monogamy and mates, when he discovered Cas was his - he was all in, no hesitations. Cas was too pig-headed, to be honest, and I can't say I loved him, but overall, they made a good team. And they were hot together, so there's that.

Maybe my expectations were too high because this is my all time favorite author and series, or maybe I'm seriously spoiled by all the awesome M/M romance stories out there, but I feel little but let down. Though, this was good for a debut story..I hope it's not the last one!

[Ereader27 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just got the newsletter and saw TWO new Immortals After Dark Books... YAAAY!! Then as soon as I looked it up, I see a prince and Caspion. I reread it 3 more times. Yep, M/M.

[Santy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rant beginning in 5..4...3...2...

WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT ENDING KRESLEY?! It wasn’t a cliffhanger per se, but it didn’t have a definite ending too. It just sort of stopped(wait, isn’t that the definition of a cliffhanger?) Aaaaarrrgh!

I kept flipping the page hoping there was more but Alas it wasn’t to be. This made me ...unhappy. :(

When I saw the average ratings for this book, I thought she’d messed up with the M/M angle(which she handled perfectly btw) but looking at how this “ended” I can now appreciate the ratings. To add insult to injury, I saw on GR that I’ll have to wait till 2020 to know what happens to Kosmina. My heart. Can’t. Take. It.

okay rant over. 😊

Since I got that out of the way, I must say absolutely enjoyed this book! I adored Mirceo and his hedonistic ways. He always brought a smile to my face.

Caspion on the other hand, had his head stuck so far up his bum that it was a wonder he managed to remove it. I understood what he went through and how that shaped him. However , for someone who was so sensitive about his past, it annoyed me that he kept pushing Mirceo’s in his face. His constant push and pull attitude irked me.

Aside that, the story was solid as usual for this series, with it’s laughs and feels interspersed appropriately which made for a very fun read(I finished this in 8 hours give or take). If it wasn’t for that ending and other little annoying things Caspion did, it would’ve been near perfect for me.

Earlier,When I mentioned Kresley handling the M/M perfectly,I meant she HANDLED it. I know she writes some scorching MF scenes and didn’t think she could pull it off here but BOY DID SHE EVER. Sheesh. I gobbled all that right up! *giggles*

I do hope there are more LGBT+ pairings coming our way with this series. I know I will buy each and every one of them. Don’t let those homophobes get you down ma’am, STAY TRUE TO YOUR CHARACTERS ! 😘

[D.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 21, 2025: Yup, waited 8 YEARS to read this book until it was available in audio. And holy f*ck, it worth it. Robert Petkoff, you're a prince among narrators.

This was hot and so freaking funny. You can tell that Mirceo is 100% related to Lothaire, he was hysterical. And the love scenes!!!


That said, you can tell that Ms. Cole has little left in the tank because the major "conflict" was recycled from another book. I'll definitely listen to Mina's book, because the Dacians are proving the only part interesting thing left in this series. Right now, I'm likely to read this book again before continuing to attempt to read Munro's book, which I'm finding soo boring!

Feb 28, 2017: Release day
After months of waiting for the release day, I find out THIS BOOK IS NOT AVAILABLE IN AUDIO YET!!

This series is super popular in audio!!! How can the publisher release a new book after more than a year waiting and NOT have the audio come out on the release day? SHAME ON YOU, PUBLISHER!!!!

Aug 2016
OMG! I just learned about this. Feel like dancing, jumping up and down!

Not only this is a M/M book but given that this is about the Dacians, it should have a lot of Lothaire!

And the cover! Holy fuck! The best cover in the whole series!

Is it January yet?

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I've finally read it and I have to say i'm a little disappointed, but it still deserves it's stars. It took a while for the book to feel like a Kresley Cole novel and not like a rushed short erotica book. But luckily once it got going, the bounty hunter mission where Cas had to stay with him, I was just "ah, there's the Kresely Cole I know and love" it was great.
When you have so many things going on at once and there are timeline issues you need to work around then it can get really hard to even just decide how to convey a situation and fit everything. Kresley usually does this brilliantly, but it felt a little rushed and jarred at the start, and then ending kind of abruptly in their story. Which is such a shame because there are so many people who aren't going to buy this book for homophobic reasons, but if they read some of the start, or the book had fantastic reviews, or just completely necessary to the IAD series then maybe it would have convinced them otherwise.
One more tiny issue before I talk about the good, I felt like a bunch of dialogue and thought was just there to convince readers that the world isn't homophobic and it felt a bit off. I think maybe a species who famously call their mates, Brides, would have had a bit more issue. I would have liked for the first gay romance to have this book try and revoluntionise the world a bit. Especially since it's not just the first gay romance within the world with 17 books, it's the first of it's kind in the real life long paranormal urban fantasy romance series. I think there being something to fight for would have been a nice icebreaker into having more casual, not-an-issue romances later in the series.
I know it's a weird complaint, as non-straight person myself, I'm usually moaning that books with gay romances have too much of a "oh no i'm gay" or "homophobes are getting in the way" but I really think this series needed more of it. So I appreciate Kresley Cole for the romance she gave us, and had it not been in this world but in our, I would have been thrilled.

That leads me to the excellent way she dealt with subtle signs of homophobia. The handholding and the fetishising the couple have to put up with. I liked that Cas had a thing he had to work through in terms of his own sexuality and then the issue was age and history, even though that was super hypocritical of him, and I think after 500 years he would have accepted that.

I liked that we were dealing with a vamp who had a week in between his heart stopping and finding their mate. Also, is it terrible of me that I kind of wanted Mirceo to get trapped in Poly for like 10 years his time, a day our time?

I loved Mirceo's character so much. He was fun, but could be serious, I like the way he chased Cas and how much he loves his family.
I admit I disliked Caspian a bit from the last Dacians book, and it was hard for me to get used to the jump in character from a mid 2o's playboy with a dumb, selfish streak, to a hard, rough 500 year old dominant. But once I did, again I loved it.
I loved how there was no 'the girl' and 'the boy' stereotype. Too often you see writers that have a "gay male romances must have one equivalent to a girl because that's what's normal" way of thinking when they write a gay male/male romance. Mirceo was filling the role a little bit, but his fighting skills and very male manner stop that. I enjoyed how these two were constantly thumping each other it was adorable and felt very natural with them.


BEFORE I READ THE BOOK

This is the first time i've ever written a 'review' before the book. But I can't help myself, I need to express how thrilled I am that a LGBT+ romance is being introduced to a mainstream long romance series. It's never made sense to me how these types of series, usually with men who know each other well never end up together. How a series in one location or involving connected characters can go books on books on end without a single gay romance other than a throw-away comment for some side characters never to be mentioned again. I am so excited for this change, I hope other authors follow Kresley Cole's lead. YES!

[Blacky *Romance Addict* · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars, not because it's MM but
-I didn't really enjoy it
-there was something missing here
-like, a story

[Canan · Rating 3 out of 5]

O final neydi şimdi? Kresley sen insanı çıldırtmak mı istiyorsun? Madem hemen yazmayacaksın, şöyle merakta bırakıp gitme insanı! Kristoff kaç kitaptır merak konusu ve hâlâ kitabı yok. Munro desen, öyle bir yerde bıraktın ki bizi... üç kitap sonraya yazmışsın. Şimdi de Kosmina...Mina'nın suçu neydi yani 🥲 Başına ne iş geldi, ne zaman öğreneceğiz Allah bilir🙄

Neyse bu kurgunun asıl adamlarına gelelim. Daha önce arka planda m&m romans okudum okey ama ana mcleri erkek olan, smutu aşırı bol bir kitap okumadığım için tereddütte kalarak başladım okumaya.Yani yine de ilk tercihim olmaz ama çok da bozmadı sanki beni 😅 😎

Kadın-erkek farketmeksizin partnerlerinde seçici olmayan biseksüel Mirceo ve sonuna kadar heteroseksüelim diyen CAS ilginç bir denklemdi.Cas ve Mirceo ilk tanıştığında bir yakınlık hissederler. Asil bir soydan gelen prens ve kimliğinden bir haber, yoksulluk ve sefaletten gelen ödül avcısı... Yan yana geldiklerinde bunların hiç birinin önemi yoktur. Sadece iki yakın dost. Bir öpücük ortalığı karıştırana kadar...

Cas, Trehan ve Bettina'nın kitabında yaşadığı aşağılanma sonucu kendisini kanıtlamak için Plane of Lost Years boyutuna gider. Dünyada bir gün orda yüzlerce yıla eş değerdir. Bir an Mirceo'dan beş yaş küçükken bi an 500 yaşında olur kısacası 😂

Mirceo ise geçen haftalarda tam ölümsüzlüğe geçer. Cas'i bulup, ruh eşi sorusuna cevap bulmalı. Tam da düşündüğü gibidir. Kalbi atar, ama eşi o kalple hiç bir şey yapmak istemez 🙄

Mirceo daha gamsız, havai taraf olarak resmedilirken, Cas olgun ve otoriter yansıtılmış. Yaşadığı -utandığı- geçmişi yüzünden başka başka şeyleri öne sürerek direnç gösterir. Mirceo ise bir birleri için ideal olduklarını kanıtlamak için çabalar... İçerik olarak çok olay yoktu sanki... Güvensizlikleri, birbirleri ile zaman geçirmeleri falan vardı. Kısa bir şey zaten. Kayda değer tek şey Kosmina hakkında olanlar sanırım.

[Warda]

DNF at 60%.

‘Twas boring.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 "It's me, not you" Stars!

Sigh... well, I don't really know what to say. I think this was a case of, "It's me, not you" with this one. I believe I was wanting this to be a, "You and me against the world.", type of story. But what I got was a "deny, deny, deny, make every excuse under the sun, protect my fragile feelings at all cost, even my own happiness", type of story. Now, this was a my bad. I guess going in, I forgot that the whole IAD series- every book- is based on the couple coming together through impossible odds and situations. How could I have forgotten that!? I loved this series and have read all 17 published books. But I jumped in with both feet, only knowing it was an M/M romance. So even with that said and acknowledged, I had to push a little to get through this one. Because I wanted a different type of story, I guess. Like I said- my bad.

The writing is great. The world building is fantastic! This is one of my most favorite PNR worlds. There are so many different species of immortals with a vast array of special abilities. It is like a PNR jackpot for me. Also, both Mirceo and Caspian are good characters that you want to see work their situation out. So really, other than my jumping in with expectations that just didn't go my way, the book was good. If you are an IAD fan, I definitely say give it a go. Happy reading!