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Adam & Peter #2

No Rest for the Wicked

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Adam has gone through a lot of changes in the past year, a new taste for 'O' neg blood and allergy to sunlight being the least of them. Maybe it's the cute young grad student who has been sniffing around Adam's longtime sex partner, Peter. Or maybe immortality gives a man a little too much time to think. But Adam's feeling motivated to change a few of his ways. If he could just get Peter to stop working long enough to notice.

Peter has his own issues with dating a dead man. And after over a decade of being in love with a commitment-phobe, he's finding it hard to believe that Adam isn't sampling the goods of the hot young vampire he works with.

They manage their issues the way they always have. By not talking about them...until a high profile computer software genius turns up drained in Hollywood, revealing a new vampire gang in Los Angeles, and all of their troubles come to a head. There's no rest for the wicked.

Word count: 54,654

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2010

4 people are currently reading
311 people want to read

About the author

A.M. Riley

19 books222 followers
A.M. Riley is a film editor and amateur poet living in Los Angeles, California. She writes murder mystery, romance and urban paranormal with GLBT characters. In addition to writing, Riley enjoys politics, police blogs and ice hockey.

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5 stars
115 (31%)
4 stars
165 (44%)
3 stars
74 (20%)
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10 (2%)
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6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
Profile Image for Ami.
6,228 reviews489 followers
June 6, 2010
The sequel of "Immortality is the Suck" is just as deliciously good as the first -- if not slightly better because of the relationship factor.

Another 'adventure' of Adam ... a year after he is being turned into a vampire. Adam is more 'subdued' now, I think it comes with the fact of him being undead. He has more time to think about his situation with Peter, his used to be fuck buddy. Since the book is written from Adam's point of view, we get to know what he thinks ... how he feels of Peter, his jealousy of Jonathan, the young college student who seems to take liking to Peter. In the first book, I feel like Adam can be a SOB, taking Peter for granted ... but now, he is more contemplative about what Peter means for him. As for the mystery, it's another case of people turning up dead with bite holes in their neck.

It's really such a great book ... though I feel a bit sad as well. I always wonder what the future will be like for a vampire and his human lover. It's not like, as vampire, he can get older. So it's pretty much a moot point, isn't it? Always? The "best" thing will always be by turning the human lover into vampire too. Oh, well, I really do hope there is a next book in the series. I love Adam and Peter ... as dysfunctional as their relationship is, I want to know what will happen next with the two of them.

Awww, I'm in Adam and Peter withdrawal already!

PS: I do think the words "yours truly" is overused here, though. Just a random thought
Profile Image for Kassa.
1,117 reviews112 followers
March 30, 2010
I’m definitely not ashamed to say I am a fan of AM Riley’s writing. Also being a vampire groupie, the combination gives a fabulous series that is delightful, edgy, absorbing, and flat out entertaining. I pick up these books and never want them to end. No Rest for the Wicked is much the same with Adam’s first person point of view and very similar antics as the previous book. There is less of a focus on the criminal/police element and more on the resolution of Peter and Adam’s ongoing, slightly dysfunctional relationship. The ending has a finality to it that wraps everything up very neatly and stops the series in an excellent point. Of course as with any beloved book and characters, more would be welcome, but if the author never revisits Adam and Peter she’s left us fans with a wonderful swan song.

The story starts out with our beloved, anti-hero Adam. Adam has been trying to be a good little vampire for the past year since we saw him last. He’s drinking bagged blood, hooked up with a small group of vampires out to keep the civilians from being lunch while attempting to woo Peter with something resembling a real date. Adam’s discovering jealousy for the first time in the form of a younger, preppy suitor for Peter that is most importantly, alive and human. Startled by the unwanted competition, Adam is abstaining from random sex with others and trying to be a good boyfriend. But life is never easy for the undead and a celebrity body is found on their big date, landing Peter the investigation and Adam reluctantly helping.

Told from Adam’s first person point of view, the plot has the expected police/criminal/vampire tie ins. Here the dead body was drained and left with puncture marks so Adam and his makeshift group are asked to figure out who is draining celebrities. The actual mystery is somewhat convoluted but that may be partly my fault. The relationship between Adam and Peter is so much more present and intense in this offering that I found myself wanting to skim the actual mystery to get back to the meat of the story. Thankfully also the vampire involvement is less complicated than the previous book and blends the relationship aspect much better. There are a few holes or questions still unresolved at the end, but these are minor.

The relationship between Adam and Peter is much more involved this time around. Whereas Peter came off slightly sad and pathetic for putting up with Adam’s infidelity and poor behavior, here we see Adam’s perspective in how long he has been fascinated by Peter. How he ached for the man well before they ever got involved and finally Adam admits to the depths of his feelings, which go beyond physical. Peter for his part shows more of a spine and his reasons start to become clearer. He’s not innocent or naïve of Adam’s actions but chooses to believe in their connection and Adam’s goodness, much more than Adam initially does. Their chemistry is hot and visceral with a lot of sex between them but there is a wealth of tenderness in the small gestures as well. In fact the final selfless gesture Adam makes at the end is almost shocking, given his character and he seems to come full circle from the start of the first book.

Once again the book shines with solid writing and great chemistry. Adam is a lovable anti-hero with a disagreeable, dismissive attitude yet turns on a dime when trying to change for Peter. The dichotomy is humorous, engaging, and shows another side to the man used to doing what he wants, when he wants and never caring about the consequences. The ragtag vampire group Adam has aligned with is weird in their own right but offer a delightful, interesting contrast to the uptight, overworked police. Here the vampire group is the hero against the police who are too worried about protocol and placing blame to actually accomplish much. Adam’s silent and witty observations offer a lot of charm and humor throughout as his wry voice carries the book. Although Peter’s point of view would have been welcome, Adam’s unique voice is the strength of the series.

No Rest could be read on its own but I’d suggest reading Immortality first before tackling this. The Christmas short can be read whenever but reading Immortality first and No Rest second will give a more thorough look at the men and their connection. The neat resolution ties up most loose ends while giving a solid happy ending so Adam and Peter can ride off in the proverbial moonlight. This mini-series is not to be missed for romance fans or vamp lovers. Get it now.
Profile Image for Xing.
365 reviews263 followers
January 11, 2014
But, but...I don't WANT it to be over!

Sad day indeed. It's a pleasant surprise to see Adam become this new, more considerate person. His humor and devil-may-care attitude has become dulled in the presence of new revelations of his life (or not-life, depending on how you look at it). He loves Peter, but the events of the last six months have definitely put things in perspective.

So Adam is still the loveable anti-hero. He's just even more loveable now. And more of a hero, if you wanted my opinion that is.

We get more of the characters from the first book (Betsy, Caballo, Drew, PETER, and Jonathan). We also get a couple of newbies. Despite this relatively large cast of characters, I appreciate AM Riley's ability to always keep the spotlight on Adam and Peter.

The whole mystery aspect of the story was alright, but then again, I'm not a huge mystery fan myself. I liked how the mystery and investigation was used to keep Adam and Peter together. They didn't get enough "together" time in the first book, so it was nice to see that remedied in the sequel. I do wish the story explored more into the uncertainties in the future between an immortal vampire with a human lover. This series could definitely use another book (heck, I'll take a novella or short story even!) to see how things settle. Especially since this uncertainty was the cause of much anxiety for Adam.

So yeah: action, sex, mystery, and Adam x Peter together time. I just wish there was more!
Profile Image for Bookwatcher .
746 reviews117 followers
February 11, 2012
Peter and Adam are back. And God, I love it, again!

After the fun I had reading the first of the Adam&Peter series Immortality is the Suck I couldn't resist, and got also the second.

It's again a funny book, but it's darker than the first. The theme is not a easy one. Humans with uncured diseases, Adam thinking about his mortal lover, nope... it's a fun book, but be prepare to a much more serious Adam, and a incredible stubborn Peter.

What I like most in this story? The men behave. Peter and Adam are both very introvert, and forget about long romantic walk by a river with a full moon above, shining and reflecting the lovers hand by hand happy couple. Absolutely nothing like that will ever happen. Why? Peter is a cop, a very stubborn almost 40 old man. Adam is a mess up vampire, and for almost 10 years treat Peter as his fuck bud. No romanticism, fuck and that's all. BUT at their age, and after so long, can they start to think about how much their really love each other? Can Adam show affection? Can Peter desire a partner, not just the security blanket Adam is for him?
It's not but it's a VERY romantic story, even if you will not read many romantic scenes... let's say, the last scene made me weep. I wasn't expecting, not after something Adam did... I was certain it was the end... but well... I can't tell, you must read to see.

Last comment about this story. I love the secondary characters. There will be many now, more than the first book. They will have much more space and I like it. Adam and Peter story is VERY interesting, but I must admit sometimes the break from their dilemma (be or not be a couple) was needed.

I'm looking forward to read more because I know the story is not close to the end. Much more can and hopefully will be said about Peter and Adam. 5 stars
Profile Image for Emanuela ~plastic duck~.
805 reviews121 followers
May 23, 2012
I love A.M. Riley. Adam, the first person narrator, is an amazing character. He's quite open and he's one of those guys you can't help forgiving even when they fuck up, because he doesn't look for excuses, and when he does, you can see from a mile away that he's aware of his shortcomings. Adam and Peter are perfect together, because while Adam is a mischievous little devil, Peter is a saint.

I preferred the first book. The novelty of Adam being a vampire and the way his resurrection affected Peter gave far more occasions for memorable scenes. There was less tension in this book, but there was more tenderness and Adam melted me whenever he looked and thought of Peter. I think he came very close to Jake Riordan's adoration of Adrien English in the Adrien English series. For those who know me, this is a huge compliment!

A very good sequel. I'd be happy to read more of Adam and Peter's adventures.
Profile Image for Lily.
3,901 reviews48 followers
July 28, 2011
I loved this sequel. I loved the characters, the writing, the relationship between Adam and Peter and seeing how Adam changed as the stories evolved. The mystery/action plotline worked well as did the ending. Just like in the previous story my favorite part of the story was Adam. There's just something about his bad boy personality that really appeals to me. :)
Profile Image for JenMcJ.
2,601 reviews325 followers
March 10, 2010
The story is very much in the same narrative as Immortality is the Suck. If you liked that one, you will probably like this one.

The vampires are up to new tricks and everyone is scrambling to figure out what it is. A few new faces are introduces and few of the old ones don't make it to the next book.

Adam and Peter are still dysfunctional but struggling onward.

There is not a lot of sexual encounters in this book.
Profile Image for Betryal.
720 reviews3 followers
March 12, 2010
Ah bleeding fawking hell! If A.M. was beside me right at this minute a swat to the back of the head was warranted. I thought to myself don't let it end this way till I read the last chapter and let out a sigh of relief and let out one of many paralyzing breaths I'd been holding on and off throughout most of this book.

Not just the drama, but the heart-stopping action that was packed in it, the excitement of the plot in this book was epic! Truly a hit! Seriously a spazzed out awesome read!
Profile Image for Kathleen.
1,440 reviews137 followers
November 25, 2014
Even better than the first one. More Peter & Adam, more "romance".  (I'm not taking that declaration back, Adam.) I've come to love these two guys. Cleverly written, richly atmospheric, big action, one heck of a romp. Not perfect but close enough. 4.5 stars rounded up. Highly recommended, but one must read the first one before this sequel. 
Profile Image for Didi.
1,535 reviews86 followers
March 30, 2015
4.5 stars

The last chapter alone ante up my rating, but I already loved this book anyways. Adam and Peter didn't have an easy relationship - they were not a normal couple, even before Adam changed his diet. We're talking about connection that had been going more than fifteen years. I put this in a HFN category, but it was a happy hopeful one nonetheless!!
Profile Image for Shelby.
3,331 reviews93 followers
July 9, 2023
Honestly I've struggled a bit with this series. I feel like it could never figure out itself, whether vampires were good or bad or anything. If there was more to this series it might improve over time, but since it ends with this book that never gets fully explored and so I'm left unsettled with Adam and Peter's relationship even though they're still together at the end of this. So much of this book has them not quite in sync that I'm left not really trusting the HEA. I did enjoy Adam more in this book than in the first. I felt the growth in him as a character and that was lovely. Peter on the other hand annoyed me more in this one.

The mystery here didn't ever fully make a ton of sense to me. The basic idea was fine, but again, so much of the world of the vampires in this series was unclear that often it felt contradictory. I do wish there was more in this series to really clear up some of the ambiguity of the rules with the vampires in this world.
Profile Image for Lisa.
3,480 reviews140 followers
March 11, 2017
This was much better for me than book 1 in the series. It was easier to follow and got to a good outcome in the mystery.
Adam has been undead for a year now and is still doing his vigilante work. Peter is still RHD. This book sees him working with the FBI trying to locate some code.
An interesting story with loads of vampirey bits.
I am glad that Peter and Adam ended up together but it would have been nice to see what happened with Johnathan.
Profile Image for Trix.
1,354 reviews114 followers
March 27, 2011
I wonder if there's a third installment for this story. I enjoyed reading more about Peter and Adam's relationship, about both of them coming to terms to the full extent of what it meant to be a vampire.

[spoiler ahead] I was a bit put off at one point during the book when, again, there were characters introduced that had little relevance to the whole sense of the plot. I suppose Frank came into the picture only to emphasise the group's desire to do the right thing. And also, it took me a while to understand who the bad guys were and what their plan was. But once that cleared up, the story was very interesting. Adam evolved with the story, actually managing to admit his feelings for Peter and realise just how much he loved him, even though he didn't actually say the words. I was touched by the scene when Adam was shackled waiting for the sunrise and his thoughts turned to Peter.

Another surprise was Caballo. From "Immortality is the Suck", I had had an image of him of a somehow good guy (kind of like Adam... bad but not bad to the core). Reading about him killing that girl at the rave and then siding with Nicolas and his group was surprising to say the least. Though his ending seemed inevitable after that, one way or another.

Drew was equally a surprise as I did not perceive his feelings to be that strong for Betsy, enough to risk losing his life in exchange of being undead. But I suspected he would... survive the ordeal as the story and author do not seem inclined for too much drama. And his implication in Caballo's demise was a nice touch... considering the multiple ways in which he deserved to go and number of people willing to do it.

I appreciated that the author chose to close the story by focusing again on Peter and Adam. That was one of the rare occasions in which Adam was altruistic (giving Jonathan the tickets to South Beach) and I felt sorry for him, losing Peter, his only constant in life. When Adam went to the Policeman's Ball, I knew things would end well. Despite countless differences, they belong together. And I'm glad the story ended with that. [end spoiler]

The story really deserves a 4 star rating. It does not focus on one thing only and manages to encompass in less than 200 pages plenty of action, steamy sex, a touch of romanticism and vampires galore. Perfect combo!
Profile Image for Skye Blue ☆*~゚ლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆.
2,789 reviews28 followers
June 8, 2025
I loved this. Somehow becoming undead, has made him more alive.
Oh I loved him as the bad boy biker/undercover cop. But I liked that he is more aware of himself, and his feelings for Peter....and less selfish. Putting Peters well being above his own desires. Nice to see he still has limits on how far that will go though.

I was very happy with this installment, especially the ending...until I realized there are no more books in the series.





I want more Adam & Peter. While I'm sad that there are no more books, the end left off in a good place. No cliff hanger, or unhappy ending. Although it is very open to more stories. Please write more stories for them.
Profile Image for Byron.
200 reviews6 followers
July 16, 2011
AM Riley.. I WANT MORE!!!

This is a fully fleshed out novel with one of the most lovable Vamps I've met, entirely to human for his own good really. Is he dead? is he alive? does he have a soul? I am still wondering. and omg how much did I want to rant at both him and his - friend/partner/'not just a playmate' (you work it out!)

This book is just chock full of story, characters and emotion. The story is almost action/adventure, with a wee bit of romance on the side and was a sit up till 2 am to finish (actually I think it was closer to 2.30..)

I will be hunting out more A.M. Riley stuff if this is the high quality read that I get. If you like interesting people, with all the emotional flaws (i.e. NOT perfect) then this is a story for you.
Profile Image for Tj.
2,225 reviews67 followers
September 6, 2015
Very good read. Even though Adam is a "bad boy" he gets to you. Adam is much more serious in this book a even surprisingly has a few non-selfish moments. I really wasn't as into Peter this time. It was had to connect with him. It seemed the story was so much more grounded in Adam. I do admit the ending wasn't at all what I expected and it really left me wanting more which for a series is a good thing. I am hoping to read more on these two soon.
Profile Image for Ari.
1,039 reviews116 followers
September 16, 2015
4,5*
Please tell me there's another Adam&Peter book on the making
Dear Author, please write anything about Adam&Peter, I wont mind it all
Could be about their early days in the academy, could be about their fifteen-years days, could be about their future, what's lies in their future, because you know... human-vampire relationship is tricky situation
I will read it all because I'm fricking love Adam&Peter *sighs
148 reviews1 follower
April 16, 2016
I don't think I've squeed so much while reading a book in a while like I did throughout this one. I love Adam and the way he develops throughout this book, even when he's being a complete ass lol. I seriously had a few heart melting points. I'd come across the first book accidentally and just flew through it and started reading this one almost instantly.
Profile Image for Christine.
701 reviews4 followers
August 10, 2016
4.5 Stars

I did not read the 1st book in the series but had no trouble getting into the characters story line. Adam is my fave type of character, snarky bad boy with the heart of tarnished gold. Peter is a stubborn sweetheart you wanna shake ever now and again. Together they make the perfect couple.
Profile Image for ⚣Michaelle⚣.
3,662 reviews234 followers
June 14, 2017
4.3 Stars

I wish like hell that ending didn't read like a true end to a series because I'd love to read more about these two. Heh, who am I kidding? I just want more Adam. Seriously, I love the character POV & his snarky, slightly asshole-ish (if also completely loveable) charm. In addition, can I just LOL at how even becoming a vampire has been commercialized and exploited in this world? Were this real life I have a feeling that's exactly what would happen...taking advantage of the desperate and fleecing those with more money than common sense.
426 reviews
June 15, 2018
Just a couple things again:
1) the way the romance was "resolved" in this book was really unsatisfying; I did like that both of them were jealous (so it felt like both of them are invested); i needed a lot more from both of them :/
2) the mystery/crime part of the story was again not an amazing read....it finished with a fire and it wasn't resolved at all, they didn't stop the stuff from happening, they only figured out what was happening to all the people...
Profile Image for Doujia2.
273 reviews36 followers
September 27, 2023
Despite the sometimes less-than-smooth storytelling and some editing issues (the poor formatting was driving me crazy), this is still a highly worthwhile read! I shed a few tears reading the part about Peter taking care of financial planning for Adam, knowing he would probably die sooner than the now-immortal Adam. 😢 Adam & Peter's story shouldn't end here! It bears great potential for evolving into a long-running series.
Profile Image for Pham.
152 reviews24 followers
November 8, 2018
The second book convinced me to check out more A.M. Riley's books. It's nothing extravagant, just very decent M/M romance with actions and character development thrown in. Yum.
Profile Image for Janel.
109 reviews
July 13, 2021
Lots of action and intrigue - loved the characters!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews

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