I saw who the authors were for this anthology and it was an easy decision to pick it up. I’ve enjoyed books and series from all three paranormal powerhouse names and I was eager for more. What I didn’t realize was that it was a special anniversary edition celebrating the big tenth anniversary of Kresley Cole’s The Warlord Wants Forever.
Following, an updated version of The Warlord Wants Forever, the reader is treated to a tantalizing Q&A with Kresley for the Immortals After Dark series. There are a couple little tidbits revealed towards what the reader can anticipate in 2017. And then there is a fun chat session between all three authors slipped in that is giggle-worthy and reminded me of the punch-drunk convos I had with friends back in college when we pulled all-niters.
The updated edition for the first Immortals After Dark story by Kresley Cole, The Warlord Wants Forever was fun. I haven’t read it in years and I enjoyed the re-read that took me back to how things all got started for this winning series. A sassy, sexy Valkyrie with hidden depths teases and taunts a serious vampire warlord as he figures out that she is the woman for him. The humor, excitement, and action are a perfect blend.
Forsaken by Night was my introduction to the MoonBound Clan series written by Larissa Ione though this novella falls after book two in the series. I enjoyed this tale of a banished lone vampire, Lobo, and his peaceful time with his wolf companion, Tehya. Lobo accepts his fate until the day Tehya is mortally wounded and then he’ll do anything to save her life. Then he is shocked to learn that she was never just a wolf. This story was easy to follow and had enough worldbuilding that I understood how things were in the world of the story. Loved this story and will definitely go back for the series.
Dark Swan is a novella from Gena Showalter’s Otherworld Assassin series. The cocky and sure Dallas gets his story and as I suspected, it is one for the ages with the female he gets paired with. Lilica and her sisters were made in a lab- spliced from many alien races. Lilica’s goal is to save Trinity and be together until she is side tracked by a bond with Dallas whose goal is to end Trinity and go back to being alone. Goals change. Love the alien world, the playful snark, and the passion of these stories.
So, all in all, this was a treat for fans of all three authors particularly if the reader is also a fan of the series and also a fantastic sampling for those who want to try their books.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Gena Showalter is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author whose books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines, as well as Entertainment Weekly. Her novel Red Handed has been optioned by Sony Television. Critics have called her books “sizzling page-turners” and “utterly spellbinding stories,” while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise.” Her mix of humor, danger and wickedly hot sex provides wildly sensual page-turners sure to enthrall.
A former meteorologist and EMT, Air Force veteran Larissa Ione now gets her daily dose of excitement from vampires, werewolves, demons, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. She lives in wintery Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat, and her hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.
I don’t follow the series so I skipped this. I want to read the interviews though, I might pick up some nugget of news that might interest me at some point.
If I’ve remembered it all, the Kresley Cole interview is completely about the IAD series. She talks a bit about the past and answers a few fan questions, but there are also a couple responses that talk about the books coming out next year. It was exciting for a fan.
Ahhhh love all three ladies and their series. And terribly behind in all three. Eee! Glad you enjoyed!
So easy to get behind even on well-loved series. I hadn’t read from the Larissa Ione series before this novella, but now, yes, need to go back for those and yippee only two books in so not too bad.
Oooo, putting Gena Showalter and Kresley Cole on the same cover… I can’t imagine any book that they put out doing poorly! I adore their stories. I’m not one for anthologies, but I definitely see why this was an easy choice in terms of picking it up. And I’m glad the stories were enjoyable!
Great review, Sophia. =)
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
I know, gasp. It was love and need at first sight for me. I’ve read both their series and have always wanted to try Larissa’s vamps so super easy to click (silently beg the NG gods with gnashing of teeth for approval).
I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved reading it, and hate that is added two huge series to my backlist! Bwahaha!
Yeah, I can see that. I felt the same way after I read Larissa’s novella. Then I sighed with relief when I realized that we were only talking two previous books in the series. Whew, I can handle that much catching up. 😉
Ooh! Putting these old school authors together sounds like such a good fit, but I haven’t been doing anthologies lately. Glad you really liked it. Love the new look of your website! Hugs…
Yes, it was fun to get all these authors together and especially re-read Kresley’s first Immortals After Dark story- can’t believe it’s been 10 Years. 🙂
Thanks! Shari’s picture collage is cute and everything is so clean and new. 🙂
I’m getting caught up on commenting. I’ve been on vacation and then just behind.
I need to pick up the book version of this. I’m reviewing the IAD book, but it didn’t have the Q&A. Just redone with the IAD narrator (this book was on audio, but with a different narrator than the rest of the series). I’m need to get caught up on Larissa Ione too. I’ve only read book one and I remember nothing about it. I’ve only read LoTU from Showalter. Glad you enjoyed this anthology.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Rabid Reads
Neat! Glad you got a vacation in. Oh, I never thought about how they would put a Q&A and then the author talk into an audio version. I had read the IAD story, but she cleaned this one up and changed it a little (my memory is so bad that I couldn’t see the changes. Oops) But the Showalter Alien Huntress series is great. I read it years ago and this one character who was a recurring secondary one through all of them finally got his story in this one. And the conflict was unresolved from the other stories so… Read more »