A review by laurenjodi
The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
4.0
The Warlord Wants Forever
3.5 Stars
Synopsis
Once a ruthless warlord and now a general in the rebel vampire army, Nikolai Wroth is shocked to discover that his Bride, the one woman who can make his heart beat again, is the incredibly beautiful but completely merciless Myst the Coveted, a Valkyrie warrior who has devoted her life to destroying vampires. Fortunately or unfortunately, Nikolai stumbles across the means to control Myst but does he want her subjugation or her love?
Review
After reading and enjoying A Hunger Like No Other, I felt that something was missing regarding Nikolai and Myst's backstory. So, I went back and read The Warlord Wants Forever even though I am not a fan of novellas because they are too short and the character development is usually meh. All in all, this does not disappoint but reading Hunger... first probably enhanced my enjoyment.
Nikolai and Myst have an intense love/hate relationship that takes some getting used to but on the whole they each give as good as they get and ultimately deserve each other. Nikolai is too domineering for my taste, and some of his actions are cringe-worthy but his character does learn an important lesson. Myst is also an ambiguous character but once everything about her past is revealed, she becomes very sympathetic. One problem with her characterization is the incongruity between her ferocity and independence and her need to submit to another in order to find true love - this does not resonate well.
The dialogue and humor are perfect in their snarkiness, and the sex scenes are steamy with a capital S but never become gratuitous.
Even though this is a novella, it does not read as one and neither the plot nor the characterization are short changed. I do, however, recommend that it be read by those who have already begun the Immortals After Dark books as I would not consider it a good introduction to the series.
3.5 Stars
Synopsis
Once a ruthless warlord and now a general in the rebel vampire army, Nikolai Wroth is shocked to discover that his Bride, the one woman who can make his heart beat again, is the incredibly beautiful but completely merciless Myst the Coveted, a Valkyrie warrior who has devoted her life to destroying vampires. Fortunately or unfortunately, Nikolai stumbles across the means to control Myst but does he want her subjugation or her love?
Review
After reading and enjoying A Hunger Like No Other, I felt that something was missing regarding Nikolai and Myst's backstory. So, I went back and read The Warlord Wants Forever even though I am not a fan of novellas because they are too short and the character development is usually meh. All in all, this does not disappoint but reading Hunger... first probably enhanced my enjoyment.
Nikolai and Myst have an intense love/hate relationship that takes some getting used to but on the whole they each give as good as they get and ultimately deserve each other. Nikolai is too domineering for my taste, and some of his actions are cringe-worthy but his character does learn an important lesson. Myst is also an ambiguous character but once everything about her past is revealed, she becomes very sympathetic. One problem with her characterization is the incongruity between her ferocity and independence and her need to submit to another in order to find true love - this does not resonate well.
The dialogue and humor are perfect in their snarkiness, and the sex scenes are steamy with a capital S but never become gratuitous.
Even though this is a novella, it does not read as one and neither the plot nor the characterization are short changed. I do, however, recommend that it be read by those who have already begun the Immortals After Dark books as I would not consider it a good introduction to the series.