Tag Archive | Kresley Cole

Historical Romance 101: What Makes a Great Heroine and Favorites

Apr17

Historical Romance 101Welcome to another segment of Historical Romance 101!! Come and join along with myself, Jennifer @ Feminist Fairy Tales, Amanda @ On A Book Bender, and Quinn @ Quinn’s Book Nook. This is a special one, and I find one of my favorite things to talk about…our lovely heroines. Now we all know that it is more difficult to find a winning heroine than a hero. But it is such a special treat to find a heroine you can connect with.  Continue reading →

Book Review-The Master by Kresely Cole

Feb26
The MasterTitle: The Master
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: The Game Maker (2)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: EPub
Release Date: February 17 2015
Pages: 448
Acquired: Self Bought
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 978-1-4516-5010-5

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Book Review-The Professional by Kresley Cole

Feb25
The ProfessionalTitle: The Professional
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: The Game Maker (1)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: May 6 2014
Pages: 400
Acquired: Self Bought
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 978-1-4767-6231-9

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Book Review-Shadow’s Claim by Kresley Cole

Jan15
Title: Shadow’s Claim 
Author: Kresley Cole 
Series: The Dacians 
Format: Paperback 
Release Date: November 27 2012 
Publisher: Pocket Books 
Pages: 481 Pages 
Genre: Paranormal Romance 
ISBN: 978-1-4516-5005-1

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestseller Kresley Cole introduces The Dacians: Realm of Blood and Mist, a new paranormal series following the royal bloodline of Dacia, a vampire kingdom hidden within the Lore of the Immortals After Dark. Shadow’s Claim features Prince Trehan, a ruthless master assassin who will do anything to possess Bettina, his beautiful sorceress mate, even compete for her hand in a blood-sport tournament— to the death.

HE WON’T BE DENIED…

Trehan Daciano, known as the Prince of Shadows, has spent his life serving his people—striking in the night, quietly executing any threat to their realm. The coldly disciplined swordsman has never desired anything for himself – until he beholds Bettina, the sheltered ward of two of the Lore’s most fearsome villains.

SHE’S BOUND TO ANOTHER…

Desperate to earn her guardians’ approval after a life-shattering mistake, young Bettina has no choice but to marry whichever suitor prevails—even though she’s lost her heart to another. Yet one lethal competitor, a mysterious cloaked swordsman, invades her dreams, tempting her with forbidden pleasure.

A BATTLE FOR HER BODY AND SOUL

Even if Trehan can survive the punishing contests to claim her as his wife, the true battle for Bettina’s heart is yet to come. And unleashing a millennium’s worth of savage need will either frighten his Bride away – or stoke Bettina’s own desires to a fever pitch…

My Review

Bettina, lost her parents when she was young, and then she was captured and tortured by the same creatures who killed her mother and destroyed her father, and now she has no choice but to trust in her guardians, who have planned a way for her to get married, a death match of the fiercest warriors, for she will be queen of the demons. There is one man she has loved more than any other, who has been her friend since she was a child, and wants more than anything to be his wife. But her friend, has a death sentence by the one man who is a merciless killer, and a assassin, who is cold and calculating, and through a series of circumstances, she learns that she is his mate. A man that will fight with every weapon at his disposal to claim  her as his for eternity. To her horror both her best friend and Trehan have entered the “till death” contest. As the fighting  and competitions begins, a fire burns between Trehan and Bettina, and Bettina will have to choose between her closest friend and the man that holds her desire and her heart…

What a wild ride of dangerous paranormal elements that had me at the edge of this page turner!!! Utterly shocking and tantalizing and fierce and passionate in every way. This was one hell of a story and it has been a LONG time since I have read a story that had me so intense and I just had to read this as fast as I could. There was so much emotion and compelling characters, and this scenario that Kresley Cole has played out for us, WHEW….Ladies and Gentleman buckle your seat belts, for this is one ride you might not come out of alive if you don’t watch it.

The heat between Bettina and Trehan is so HOT and I almost got burned….they sure know how to create fireworks, and with one kiss I betcha you all will need to open your windows–yes yes I know its winter, but seriously you will burn to a crisp if you don..hehehehe. These characters are so fascinating and I had such a fun time with them, there is quite depth to each of them, even the side characters. I know at first this seems like a triangle romance…but HELL NO!!! (Shaking finger…don’t you guys think that way and let that be a deterrent to reading this….you will be so ashamed if you turn away from this one. Kresley Cole is a truly talented individual, who has the capacity of creating a story that is witty, smart and full on sexy. What else can you ask for? And quite frankly…you won’t regret it!! I guarantee it. Just make sure you have plenty time on your hands, some delicious treats, plenty of water (by the gallons), and a nice comfy sitting arrangement, and you will be in the perfect mind frame to get the full aspect to enjoy this one to its fullest. DARING AND PASSIONATE!!

This book and series is connected to Immortals After Dark but isn’t officially part of that series. I haven’t read Lothaire, and even though there is some reference to him, it doesn’t spoil anything from what I could tell. But boy do I need to read that one. 🙂

Favorite Quotes (Warning: May Contain Spoilers)

“I spent the morning as the ceiling in the warlocks’ tent. Found out that the hobbies of Those Best Forgotten include long walks on the beach and sacrificing nymphs on altars. I mean, who’d want to hurt a nymph? That’s like kicking a rainbow in the nuts.”  
——————————————————————————————————–
“I’m a good killer. A talented scholar. Fuck. How could she possibly resist?”
——————————————————————————————————–
“Take care, lest you lose a male who’ll desire only you – and gain a male who’ll desire only others.”
——————————————————————————————————–
“My Bride poisoned me so that I would lose a match against the demon male she loves.”
Lothaire hiked his shoulders. “So?”
“Did you not hear me? She dumped toxins into a goblet of blood, then handed it to me, urging me to drink”

“Who doesn’t have petty spats during courtship? So fucking what?”

“So she doesn’t fucking want me!”

Lothaire roared back, “She doesn’t get a godsdamned say in the matter!”

“Trehan’s brows drew together. “What are you advising “advising—that I abduct her? As you recently did the Forbearer king? And your Bride before him?”

Lothaire snapped his fingers. “Exactly”

My Rating

5 Blossoms

Heat Rating

Steamy

Book Review-If You Desire

Nov24

If You Desire
MacCarrick Trilogy (2)
Kresely Cole
Pocket Books
Paperback
Published May 2007
358 Pages
Victorian Historical Romance
ISBN 978-1-4165-0360-6

Synopsis 

He tried to run….
In his youth, Hugh MacCarrick foolishly fell in love with a beautiful English lass who delighted in teasing him with her flirtatious ways. Yet he knew he could never marry her because he was shadowed by an accursed family legacy. To avoid temptation, Hugh left home, ultimately becoming an assassin.

She tried to forget him….
Jane Weyland was devastated when the Highlander she believed would marry her abandoned her instead. Years later, when Hugh MacCarrick is summoned to protect her from her father’s enemies, her heartache has turned to fury — but her desire for him has not waned.

Will passion overwhelm them?
In hiding, Jane torments Hugh with seductive play. He struggles to resist her because of deadly secrets that could endanger her further. But Hugh is no longer a gentle young man — and toying with the fever-pitched desires of a hardened warrior will either get Jane burned…or enflame a love that never died.

MY REVIEW 
Summary:
Jane, fell in love with Hugh, but who broke her heart when he just abandoned her with no goodbye. Now many years later he has reentered her life once more, insisting that because she is in danger she must marry him with her father right behind him on it….so with not much choice she agrees. Hugh, even though it killed him inside when he had to leave her, he knew it was better that way because of the curse against his family. Now however because of a past friend going against everything he once believed in wants to kill Jane to get back to Hugh and her father, and Hugh still loves her with a desperated and will do everything he can to protect her…even though it may cost him his sanity and his heart…

The Hero (Hugh MacCarrick)
Hugh, has always been reminded of the curse against both himself and his two brothers. Even though he is a agent for the British Government, and has wealth, he knows he can only live his life alone, and give up the only woman he has ever truly loved. Jane is the core of Hugh, and when they have to get married so he can protect her, he knows that he is in deep trouble because the passion that flames up between them both may engulf him.

The Heroine (Jane Weyland)
Jane, growing up always had love in her family, and even though she lost her mother, she has a good relationship with her father, or she so believes. Jane when she was young, fell madly for Hugh, but then he disappeared with no word and no goodbye which hurt most of all. Now he is back into her life when she had just started to move on with her life, and is put in a situation where she knows her heart may get broken for a second time.

My Thoughts 
If You Desire is the second in the MacCarrick trilogy, and by far my favorite of the series. When I first started reading this book, I kept hoping that it would be as good as I had heard about, but after read the first in the series and being disappointed I didn’t want to get my hopes too high. However, I think I just fell in lust/love with If You Desire. I would have to say the best of the series!!! I loved the story of this series…where you have two people who have fallen in love with each other before but both ended up hurt, but find themselves in close proximity to each other again and this time the love they share is only magnified. There were so hilarious moments in this book…that had me unseated with laughter.  The sensuality side of this story, was sexy and hott but not too much that turned me off…it was just perfect in my estimation. There was such delicious material in this book that it will leave you only earning for more!! A Tantalizing Read!!!!

My Grade On This Book 
4 Blossoms


Other Books In The Series 
If You Dare
If You Deceive

Book Review-If You Dare

Nov21

If You Dare
MacCarrick Brothers (1)
Kresley Cole
Pocket Books
Paperback
Published May 2005
348 Pages

High in the Pyrenees, a band of mercenaries led by Courtland MacCarrick wages war for General Reynaldo Pascal. When Court turns on the evil general, Pascal orders him killed but Court narrowly escapes and exacts revenge by kidnapping Pascal’s exquisite Castilian fiancée.

Can she deny her passions?

Lady Annalía Tristán Llorente despises her towering, barbaric captor almost as much as she does Pascal. Her inexplicable attraction to the Highlander only fuels her fury. But nothing will stop her from returning to Pascal — for if she doesn’t wed him, she signs her brother’s death warrant, as well as her own.

Can there be love between them?

From the moment Court discovers that Anna’s prim façade masks a fiery, brave lass, his heart’s ensnared, and he dares to defy the curse that has shadowed his life — to walk with death or walk alone. But Pascal vows that he’ll hunt the two, never stopping until he’s destroyed them both

Summary:
Court, has been waging against a evil tyrant, General Pascal. Then he is almost killed and escapes and is found by Annalia, who nurses him back to health. When Annalia hears that Pascal has her brother in captivity and in return for his life she is required to marry him. However before she agrees to it…Court takes her away once finding out her connection to Pascal, hoping to exact justice against Pascal. However what Court never expected was to start falling for beautiful Annalia, whose fiery spirit only increases his attraction to her…and before he knows it, he finds himself in love with her and willing to do whatever to make her happy.

The Hero (Courtland MacCarrick)
Court, along with his two brothers are cursed, and knows that it would be wrong to ever bind a woman to him…for it would only bring misery and pain. So he tries to maintain his distance from his siren of a captive, only the passion he feels for her in undeniable and he knows that she is slowly creeping into his heart and soul….and nothing can save him or her.

The Heroine (Annalia Llorente)
Annallia, has gone through much in her young life…but now her brother is the prisoner of a demented and very evil man, who would easily kill him. However when she finds a injured man, and takes him to her homes so he can recuperate, since her caring soul can’t refuse someone injured….she never expected her life to take twists and turns as they do when she is near Court, but never thought that she would fall in love with the man who has taken her prisoner.

My Thoughts 
If You Dare, is the first in the MacCarrick Brothers Series….and as much as I enjoyed If You Deceive, I had such a difficult time reading this one. I finished it for sure…but it did take a little while…and there was inconsistency throughout the whole story…I think if it had run more smoothly I may have enjoyed it more…however despite that the characters were at times likable but I had a hard time with Court and Annalia…it seemed like the whole story apart from the end was all about how they fight with each other, and I couldn’t see how they could even fall in love with each other….but I did enjoy the ending most of all…however It was far from my favorite from this author…

My Grade On This Book 
3 Blossoms

Other Books In The Series 
If You Desire
If You Deceive

Book Review-If You Deceive

Nov2

If You Deceive
MacCarrick Brothers (3)
Kresley Cole
Pocket Books
Paperback
Published June 2007
356 Pages
Victorian Historical Romance
ISBN978-1-4165-0361-3

Synospsis

Burning vengeance…
Ethan MacCarrick was a heartbreakingly handsome rake until a powerful nobleman ordered him brutally beaten and his face scarred for a crime he didn’t commit. Ethan’s reprisal — bankrupting the nobleman and forcing his exile — does little to appease his wrath. Ten years later, a haughty, mysterious beauty enchants Ethan — the daughter of his enemy. At last, Ethan will have the revenge he’s craved; he’ll promise her marriage, seduce her, then cast her aside.

Bitter hardships…
When Madeleine van Rowen’s family was suddenly plunged into destitution and dishonor, she steeled herself against further heartache. She never weakened, never trusted, until a towering, scarred Highlander relentlessly pursues her, breaking down her defenses.

At what price forgiveness?
The passion between them burns hotter than Ethan’s fury, and soon he finds he can’t let her go. But when Madeleine uncovers the truth about him, can Ethan convince her to accept all he now offers — when he once destroyed everything she had?

MY REVIEW 
Summary:
Ethan, was once handsome as sin until a nobleman had him tortured and scarred, which would change his life, and Ethan spent years feeling a lust for revenge. Now ten years later, he finds a beauty who enchants him and spending a magical night with her, he knows she could definitely break through the ice around his heart, until he finds out who she really is, the daughter of the nobleman that ordered his scarring, and has a plan for revenge, to make her fall for him, marry her and then cast her away from him in the end. Only things never go as planned when the heart is involved, and the more he goes after his plan, he starts to realize that they are perfect each other and he would rather cut his own face again over hurting her again…

The Hero (Ethan MacCarrick)
Ethan, has been blistering with vengence for ten long years. When he sees Madeleine, he is utterly captivated, and is bewildered by it, because she isn’t his usual type of woman. Ethan has been mocking his two brothers who have fallen for their women and acted like ‘idiots and fools’ and plans on never being like they are, totally besotted. But the more and more he is surrounded by Madeleine and her sweet spirit, he will fall hard and fast like nothing before and will be too lost before he can escape.

The Heroine (Madeleine Van Rowen)
Madeleine, ever since she was fourteen years old has been on her own, surviving as best she could. With her family being plunged into disgrace and being destitute, her mother dying from a severe disease, she has had to fend for herself. She has never found relief from her life until Ethan enters into her life, like a knight in shining armor, but when everything comes revealed, will her love for him be strong enough…

My Thoughts 
If You Deceive is the third in the MacCarrick series, and I have read a book or two from this author but they were average liked reads, so I haven’t read much from her since, but when I read a really good review of If You Deceive I knew I had to give her historical’s a chance, and I think I just loved this one and I am much looking forward to reading the rest in the series.  I loved how there were different twists and turns throughout the story that continued to surprise me at every turn….the passion and heat between Madeleine and Ethan was body tingling, and the fast paced action kept me in suspense. The writing in If You Deceive was tantalizing and drew the reader into her story with a superb talent that I hadn’t experienced from this author…looking forward to reading more from her!! A Splendid Read!!

My Grade On This Book 
4.5 Blossoms

Other Books In The Series 
If You Dare
If  You Desire