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Review
“SHE MAY BE AN EVIL BITCH, BUT SHE IS MY EVIL BITCH. AND I’LL HAVE NO OTHER!”
Oh Rydstrom, you are so freaking awesome!
4 stars.
Rydstrom has appeared in a number of books in this series. He is the 1,500 year old Demon King who lost his throne, and has spent the last 900 years fighting to reclaim it. Rydstrom is noble, brave and good, but there’s always been something a little bit dark about him, and I have been so excited to get to his story.
This book takes place during the same timeframe as the previous book in the series, so you go into it already knowing what to expect – that Rydstrom finds himself all tangled up with Sabine, Sorceress of Illusions, and sister of the psychopath who took his throne.
Sabine is everything Rydstrom is not – sassy, outspoken, opinionated, sarcastic and devious, she is selfish and always looking out for ways to get ahead. She is also Rydstrom’s destined mate. Demons mate once. For life. They know their mate instinctively, and their coming together sparks all sorts of awesomeness for them. Rydstrom has “attempted” a number of good, kind and sweet females looking for the one that is his… but all to no avail. And then along comes Sabine.
Sabine knows who she is to Rydstrom, he takes a little longer to come around, mainly because these two initially hate each other with a passion. They hate each other on principle because Sabine’s brother has made them enemies, but it only gets worse when Sabine kidnaps Rydstrom and ties him to a bed in her dungeon with the intention of becoming pregnant with his child – therefore fulfilling a prophecy which will unlock massive power. Rydstrom eventually gets the upper hand, and this unleashes the back-and-forth relationship that makes up the majority of this book.
Rydstrom and Sabine have an antagonistic relationship which is fuelled by their hatred and mad lust for each other. There is so much game playing in this book as they try to get one-up on each other, or even the score, and it’s absolutely hilarious! Most of their game playing is sexual in nature – teasing and tempting without following through – it’s hot as all hell, and there is much frustration between the two of them, which just makes things between them even more heated. It’s a vicious circle, and they bicker and banter constantly, but it’s so funny and great fun watching it all unfold!
“Sabine gave a Scoff. “I could be virtuous, if I wanted to be.”
In an incredulous tone, he said, “You don’t know the meaning of virtue!”
“Of course I do – it means your thong must be white.”
Considering who Rydstrom is, and his ultimate goal, there’s not as much action in this one as I was expecting. Instead the story very much focusses on what is unfolding between him and Sabine, and while it was a little slow moving in parts, I really enjoyed watching them get to know each other more and start to develop some real feelings. Sabine hides her softer side at every opportunity, which is both funny and frustrating, and Rydstrom still gets plenty of opportunity to show that he’s a total badass. It’s a slow process, but they never lose the fiery nature of their connection, and it becomes something truly beautiful as they realise that they truly are perfect for each other.
“I’m not interested in a life that doesn’t have you in it.”
There is some action towards the end as the drama ramps up to create an exciting finish, and I was really happy with the way it all played out.
As always, I loved getting lost in Kresley Cole’s world. The Lore and all of its inhabitants and their politics are well developed and exciting to read about. And the side characters add so much awesome to the story. I really liked Sabine’s sister, Lanthe, there’s an interesting story there, and I’m looking forward to getting to her book later in the series. Once again, Nix plays an important part and had me laughing out loud, and I loved the quick check in we got with some of the other characters – including Cadeon and Holly from the last book.
I loved this one. Great fun, sexy and romantic, it’s a great addition to the series.
4 stars.
For full series info, see our Immortals After Dark series page.