Review: Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole

Posted May 23, 2008 by Casee in Reviews | 7 Comments

Summary:

Cade of the rage demons will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

Raised as a human, Holly Ashwin never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon’s wicked touch.

Yet just when he earns Holly’s trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs—and claim his heart?

Since the day his actions cost his brother the throne and his rightful place as King of Rothkalina, Cadeon Woede of the rage demons has tried to make reparation. There is nothing Cade won’t do to reclaim Rydstrom’s throne for him, even if it means giving up the woman who is fated to be his mate. When Rydstrom tells him that they’ve finally found a way to defeat Omort the Deathless, Cade has no idea that it will lead him to the very woman he’s trying to stay away from.

Human Holly Ashwin knows that she’s different. She doesn’t know just how different she is until the night she finds herself kidnapped and placed naked on an altar. It’s only after Cade arrives and gets them both safely away that Holly learns that the very things that have always made her different aren’t so strange after all. Suddenly she finds herself thrown into a world that she would never have believed existed if she hadn’t seen it for herself. Half-Valkyrie and half-human, Holly feels a measure of relief that some of her weirder traits aren’t so weird in the Lore.

Though the one thing that has always kept Cade from Holly is now non-existent, Cade will still do whatever it takes to get Rydstrom’s throne back. The fact that he can now fully claim Holly will not deter Cade from his goal, even if it means hurting Holly in the process. Through half-truths, straight out lies, and flat out deceit, Cade gets Holly to agree to accompany him to the sorcerer that will hand over the one weapon that can kill Omort. He has a price of course, and that price is Holly. As for Holly, she has no idea what Cade has planned for her. She things that Cade is taking her to a sorcerer who can change her back to being fully human. It’s only as the weeks pass that Holly wonders if it would be so bad to stay the way she is. She has no idea of the struggle that is going on inside Cade.

This is another fantastic addition to the Immortals After Dark series. We first met Cade in Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night. He was a real bastard, though a very intriguing character. Often times when a character has traits that make him/her unlikable, the character’s personality magically change when it’s time for his/her book. Kresley Cole stayed true to Cade’s character in this book. There was little that Cade apologized for, even when he knew his actions were hurting Holly. The love between Cade and Holly was a powerful thing, more so b/c Cade knew what he was risking by letting himself love her. Holly might very well be my favorite heroine in this series. Though she was strong and independent from the beginning, there are aspects of herself that Holly only begins to uncover while with Cade.

I loved this book from the beginning to the end. Of course there are twists thrown in that I couldn’t even begin to discuss, but rest assured that readers of this series will not be disappointed.

5 out of 5.

This book is available from Simon & Schuster. You can buy it here or here in e-format.