Shadow's Seduction by Kresley Cole Series: Immortals After Dark #17
Published by Valkyrie Press on February 28, 2017
Genres: PNR
Pages: 248
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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In this scorching Immortals After Dark/Dacian novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole brings together a wicked vampire prince used to getting everything he desires and a demon warrior who always felt like an outcast.
A night of debauchery . . .
Prince Mirceo Daciano and his new friend, Caspion the Tracker, comb the streets of Dacia, drunkenly seeking out pleasures of the flesh. In what should have been a typical night, they coax a bevy of nymphs to bed. To impress their females, the demon and the vampire kiss on a dare.Changes them forever . . .
Once they finally break away from their soul-searing kiss, they find themselves alone—and shaken. Had they imagined their explosive chemistry? Obstacles—ranging from a death sentence to exile in a war-torn dimension—threaten to destroy their lives . . . and the vulnerable promise in that one kiss.How long can they resist the fire that blazes between them?
Even if Mirceo can accept Caspion as his fated mate, the seductive vampire still must convince the stubborn demon that their bond is forever. And any royal Dacian union must receive the blessing of King Lothaire, an unpredictable and savage killer...
When I saw Kresley Cole had a novella out, and it was male/male, Â and it was about the Dacians, the excitement I felt was out of control. One of my favorite books of hers is Shadow’s Claim. Â After Lothaire took over his rightful place as king of the Dacians, I really was excited to see the prince get his story. And to top it off, his mate is also from Shadow’s Claim! You guys, I was so excited!
I reread Shadow’s Claim, which I do recommend.
And then…
It took me a month to read this novella (and by the way, novella is a loose term here. it’s like a short novel, or a Harlequin category romance). The fact that I usually read Kresley Cole books in one sitting, this is unheard of. I couldn’t put it down, somewhere around the 50% mark, which is crazy. But I just didn’t really care for the way Cas was acting.
Right off the bat, something turned me off this pairing, and this book. Mirceo is a Dacian prince, who is super young. Maybe 20? He’s trying to screw his way through the population before he’s frozen in his immortality, and as a vampire, he won’t be able to do that once he’s immortal. Not until he meets his mate, that is.
He sees Caspion one night, and they get along famously. But Cas only beds females, and Mirc will sleep with anything. They meet in the middle of having sex with other people, and then…continue to sleep with other people. This was the biggest turn off for me. I know it’s not technically cheating since they aren’t together at this point, but seriously, they begin to have orgies with other people as part of their weird friendship. How can I want to watch them sleep with others when I know they’re mates? And it went on way too long considering this is a novella.
I pushed that aside, since I really love this author and this world she’s created.
But then, once Mirceo finally is able to convince Cas that he is his mate, all Cas can do is deny, rage, and remind Mirceo that he’d never be faithful since he never has before. So Cas bails. He goes back to his home, loses a fight in a big way (this was in Shadow’s Claim), and then goes into a hell dimension to track bounties. When he and Mirceo meet again, it’s only been about a week for Mirceo, but it’s been five hundred years for Cas.
So much of this book was spent with Cas telling Mirceo why he would never be faithful to Cas, that he’s too young for him now, and that even if he believed that Cas was his mate, it would never work out. I just got so mad at Cas. Add to that, it’s near 40% before I realized that Cas wasn’t against having a male mate, but he was against Mirceo due to his own insecurities. That’s a big deal. It should have been clearer sooner.
Okay, moving on to the good parts. Kresley Cole’s books have changed since she wrote her Russians (the Gamemaker series). If anything, it’s hotter, steamier, and sexier.
I loved watching Mirceo fall in love with Caspion. He figured out quickly how special he was, and how amazing he was. At once point, he’s watching him fight, and he thinks how proud he is of Cas. In another scene, Cas is coming out of the ocean and up the beach, and Mirc is gobsmacked. He thinks, “My mate is a god.” He was very sweet.
Once Cas pulled his head out of his butt, I liked him a lot better. And in true Kresley Cole fashion, things are going on in the world of the Immortals, big things. Lothaire and Kristoff each have a role and I can’t wait to read more about the threads left hanging. Because, of course this ending isn’t an ending at all. It’s a beginning. And luckily I have the next book on my nightstand 😉
