Book 12, Lothaire: Immortals After Dark

First, a little background to help you decide if this is a review you want to rely on. I don't like writing reviews basically because I'm lazy & typing on my PW kindle is excrutiating :-) I love to read & use the reviews of others to help me decide on what to purchase. Contributing a review stems partly from guilt for taking without giving back to the community; but mostly from frustration due to so-called 'review inflation' which is putting a lot of inadequate work (IMO) up in the 4/5 star catagory.

On to the review. I've read all of this series and have really enjoyed the ride. Some of the books would have been difficult to read as a stand-alone but not this one. This book is not overloaded with the extensive character-list that has built up throughout the series so the author did not have to constantly info-dump. This allows new readers to start the spinoff series (Dacians) with this book without getting lost; while readers familiar with the IAD series get a good solid addition to the story arc. The character development of both the H & the h was strong. Thankfully, Lothaire did not do a complete 180 in this book, we just get to see a clearer picture of who he is and where he can go as he accepts his Bride into his life. He is still insane & ruthless but he bends just enough to be sexy and interesting. The h was well-rounded; she was physically weak compared to the immortals but she was smart and resilient. Her hillbillyisms were fun without being over the top. The development and resolution of the romance/sexual tension was well done. It took time but the romantic suspense was the result of a good well-written story not unnecessary angst or a TSTL heroine.

Holy smokes!!! This is an amazing book!! The twists and turns and plots and everything in between kept me on the edge of my seat!! I was ready to get to Lothaire and omg I was NOT disappointed!!! Wow!!!

Only truly excellent books make me want to reread them after I finish, and Lothaire is one of them. It's very nicely paced, it has a decent amount of romance, action, angst/drama, horror, and sex. Oh the sex. If you're squeamish about super kinky, eye burning sex, then this book is not for you, however, you'd be missing out on all together an amazing story. Cole has developed these characters so well. Their back stories are interesting, and their personalities endearing.

Recommend?
YES!

Given Lothaire's previous appearances, I was seriously doubting the depth to which the reader would be able to sympathize with his character. However, the twists in this story had me laughing throughout the book. At each step, Lothaire seemed only to get what he deserved in the process of giving his heroine, a girl who suffered undeserved wrongs, all that she needed. Even by the end of the story, Lothaire seems inevitably locked in his fate to the delight of the reader. This one is a winner.

I think that you liking this book will all depend on whether you love Lothaire as a character or not. I've come across reviews disliking the book because of how much a jerk Lothaire is and how could Ellie still be attracted to him... But face it, if you have millennium of being tortured and betrayed would you become a typical romance hero material in a matter of 3 weeks of meeting the love of your life? `Rubber band snap Snap!' - Unlikely! That is so fake and unrealistic. In my opinion Ellie could fall in love with Lothaire is because she understands him. As she said "he's just misunderstood" pg.445 And really, Ellie (and her family) is not exactly a saint either. I think they are a perfect match!

But though I love this book, sadly it has not taken down my no.1 spot of favorite IAD series, which is 'Kiss of a Demon King'. I feel that this book is slightly different than other IAD series is because KC is focusing more on the couple rather than the whole underlining plot of the accession. We will only get answers towards the end of the book. Just like its title, this book is about Lothaire. Love him, hate him, know that he has reasons behind his actions ;) oh and be warned that this book is scorching HAWT!

Kresley Cole is an extremely talented author.

I search for others like her, desperate for new material and characters of depth that I can form an emotional attachment to, but always in vain - there is only one, and she never fails to deliver the best of paranormal romance.

Lothaire, Enemy of Old, is the ultimate male character of all the IAD series. Vicious and insane, it's hard to believe anyone could possibly ever feel anything for this ancient vampire other than fear and contempt. His arrogance when confronted with his fated bride is astounding, his treatment of her scalding, and in your heart you begin to feel the anger and hate young Elizabeth Pierce builds inside her.

Ellie is a deceptively intelligent mortal woman, possessed with the evil spirit of the vampiric goddess of death. Though born and raised in the poorest regions of the Appalachian mountains, she will surprise you again and again. The preconceived notions of how she should be due to her background might make you, like Lothaire, believe she is nothing a king would want, but you will know how wrong you are once she faces off against a worthy adversary.

She is nothing he expects. He is something she could have never imagined.

New possible pairings are hinted at, and the plot of the Lore thickens. Who will be next after Lothaire?

This paranormal romance was the best I've read in a long time. It was a page turner, it was gripping, it was raw, it was satisfying,just great. There was a strong heroine and a intent alpha male character. I will be definitely adding the Lotharie to my favorites list.

First off,Kresley Cole is one of my favorite(fantasy/romance)author's.There hasn't been ONE book that I have read of her that I didn't like.I love them all.She incorporates her characters from other books in with her series,etc.making them unified & interesting. Lothaire sounds sexy & tough as hell.This is the start of her newer series"The Dacian's"with Lothaire becoming the head cheese of the secret,mysterious Vampire clan.Action packed & fun to read.You wont be bored with this one.

Too often when a series has been around for awhile the books start to get weaker and weaker until it's better off to let the series die out. Not so with Kresley Cole's latest book in the Immortals After Dark series. I can't say enough about how good this book is. We all know and have been intrigued by this sexy evil vampire Lothaire and through all the references to him throughout the other books we've had to wonder what he's up to and what exactly is his relationship with Nix. This book answers those questions. Kresley Cole manages to keep Lothaire true to his evil self but shows how that evil can be tempered by the love of a good woman. Her creation of the character Ellie is just brilliant. She is a remarkable character, a total match for the intelligent and cunning Lothaire. The repartee between these two was hilarious at times. There are some tragic, heart breaking moments in this book too - Lothaire's early history and poor Nix's struggle to stay sane. There was nothing predictable about this story. I can't wait to see what happens in the future - there is so much left to tell - so many stories of so many great characters - Nix, Hag, Thad, Kristoff, Furie. And I for one want to hear more about Lothaire and Ellie and the children I'm sure they'll have. Kresley Cole can't write fast enough for me.

I really love the Immortals After Dark series. There were one or two other books that I did not care for and unfortunately I have to add this book to that list.
After reading the book, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps for this author scorching sex = love.
In contrast to the majority of the other books in this series that I've read, this one felt very very forced. In addition, some parts felt like very clinical recaps of what happened in the series thus far. This felt like pure filler to me.
I did not like the character Elizabeth. Her "spunkiness" seemed highly overdone and very unlikely for a human. She was wise beyond her years and even though Lothaire was a billion times older than her, she always knew how to surprise him, how to challenge him. She was so so brave and awesome and self sacrificing and honourable and such an underdog that knew how to lick her wounds and hurt quietly on the inside that I found myself anticipating her death. Yes, I wrote that correctly. I wished she would die already. Harsh? A little, but reading her acclimatize so easily to the Lore one minute and then the next be chanting "Not real not real" left me staring quizzically at the screen. Then the waffling between "I'll win him over" "No, he sees me as nothing" "No, I'll make him want me - I'm super inexperienced but somehow I'll get 'er done!" "I love him even though he treats me like trash" "I'm going to die but I'll take all that I can now"... yah, she really grated on my nerves.
Next, the awesome Lothaire. I really loved his deviousness in all of the other books he appeared in. Here, we get to know a bit more about him and why he's the way he is. Unfortunately, it's the same kind of story as all the other tortured males in this series. I was hoping for less violins with this guy. I would have liked him better in this if he was just evil for it's own sake - no back story.
Next is their "love". So Elizabeth gets pulled in to the Lore and Lothaire despises her frail human backwater hillbilly-ness. He insults her at every turn, threatens and imprisons her, threatens her family - sheesh the list goes on and on YET she begins to fall for him. I was beginning to attribute it to Stockholm sydrome but the author begins to drill it down the reader's throat that no, these feeling are for reals. She wants to experiment sexually and Lothaire has been blooded so he has his needs. Voila. A perfect set up for lurve! I don't care how sexy Lothaire is (and we're reminded of this fact no less than a thousand times) I was not convinced that his mere touch set something off in her that made her want him and that it turned to love in a flash. She went from not knowing anything of the Lore to being in love with a big red eyed unstable vampire, meeting other Lore folk and settling right in with nothin' but her wits and her charm about her. The man was big and scary and had great sexual need - she should have been afraid of being sexually assaulted, not wishing for encounters of those kind. In addition to being hateful to her he clearly enjoyed hurting and killing others, yet Elizabeth wasn't scared and all her coping mechanisms got her through. Oh, but the Valkyrie thought her impressive so I guess the reader should automatically think she is too. Not.
I could go on and on about how rushed it felt when some of the loose ends were tied very neatly up in square little packages, how there wasn't enough of some of the other characters that made things very interesting in previous books, how no one but Lothaire seems to notice something is amiss with our Nixy, how the book has some inconsistencies (was Lothaire in self imposed celibacy or not???) or how confusing it became with all the new info introduced and all the back-story that had to be added to it for it to make sense and how over wrought the characters were but I won't go in to any more detail. I gave it two stars only because it's written by Kresley Cole and I got to see Nix again. But in a word - meh.

Another very good addition to the IAD series. I highly recommended this book as I do the whole IAD series. Lothaire, The Enemy of Old is the hero. Wow. Ms. Cole is brilliant. You really root for Lothaire. He makes a great hero all the while he retains his evilness. It is amazing. And Elsie holds her own with Leo and they have a great story. A part near the end totally trips me out; it is so Lothaire, Happy but what Elsie does in turn is brilliant. Happy reading!

Made me borderline uncomfortable, but not enough to put me off. So steamy. I love her writing. And I love how she intertwines all the characters in the series.

I'm going to add this to every Cole book I review:
The way she writes is so refreshing. Her mastery of language definitely shines through. It reads like a proper novel, not cheap erotica.

Lothaire is definitely my favorite anti-hero ever on the Immortals After Dark series and Kresley Cole portrayed his character very well in this book. A very complex individual who can also make the reader laugh with his dark remarks.

I have read and LOVED everyone of Kresley Coles Immortals After Dark Series and I must say that Lothaire is my favorite out of them all. Lothaire is incredibly sexy and funny, words can't express this book. One minute I was laughing the next I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. This is by far her best work. Good Job Ms. Cole, Good Job. I am counting down the days until the next book comes out.

Totally worth the wait. Brilliant heroine - no simpering mortal this one - but not so tough-as-nails as to seem ridiculous. Lothaire is hands down the biggest ass of an Alpha ever. LOVED him. He's mean, rude, brilliant, flawed, more flawed, arrogant and absolutely hysterical at times. I fully expected to hate him (wasn't overly fond of Declan in the previous installment) but man did I dig this vampire. Some of the best character development in the series, jaw-dropping reveals and just an insane amount of fun.

Five stars....
This book is awesome! Steamy, hot and wicked. The characters are sexy, it makes you want to be apart of the plot. Kresley Cole always amazes me. Can't put the book down, you just want to keep reading. Looking forward to read the next story.
I recommend reading this book to all who loves paranormal books. I guarantee that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Having read this entire series, I am always excited to see what Cole will come up with next. Lothaire was the ultimate antagonist in her previous books, so I was curious as to how she would portray him in his own story, but true to her amazing storytelling abilities, she was able to show that even the 'bad guy' can become a hero. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

I have been curious about Lothaire since he was first introduced and I have to say I was NOT disappointed!! :) ..He was perfect and I will re-read as often as I can. He was too funny. I liked seeing a different perspective on him as the mysterious character everyone was afraid of. The part where he wondered about wanting firstborns for immortal blood debts had me cracking up. And hands down, Elizabeth's character was GREAT for their romance. Good read.

Loved it. This is definitely the best book of this series. Absolutely no disappointments in the entire book. Everything you could want and more for a sexual breath stopping adventure. I am so on egg shells awaiting and hoping there will be another book concerning Lothaire and Kristof ( especially with the ending concerning them both).

The immortals After dark series is amazing, and this book continues the saga wonderfully. The main male character in this book is hard to like most of the way through the book, yet he is impossible not to desire and lust after. Kresley Cole delves deep into her characters backgrounds to explain why they behave as they do, and you come to appreciate these characters and even become invested emotionally in their outcomes. She is my favorite author in this genre.

I was disappointed in this book. I had hoped Coke would show us an "evil" pairing. Show the Pravus side of things. I also felt that Ellie(while an ok character) just didn't seem like a good match for Lothaire. I would have liked to see him with someone as witty, and devious as he is.

I've waited impatiently for Lothaire's book from the time he was first introduced in the series. I'm relieved to say that it was well worth the wait. More often than not I'm disappointed by books that I've had such a high level of anticipation to read because I've mentally set the bar so high that it's rarely met. This book is only the second one that I've read that has met my inflated expectations -- the other being Nalini Singh's Archangel's Blade. I'd go so far as to say that Lothaire now holds my number one spot for the IAD series. Well done!

I was looking forward to this book and really enjoyed it. The only reason I gave it a 4 instead of 5 is there were times i didn't want Ellie to end up with Lothaire. He was a pretty big jerk. In the end, I was glad they came together. The clash of their two worlds was a little weird, but it worked. And so excited about the set up for the dacians! I'm looking forward to the offshoot series no, where before I wasn't interested.

I was (like many readers) really looking forward to Lothaire's story - he is the smart, snarky one with the cutting sense of humour, and the bad boy of the series. But that didn't mean Ms Cole had to make him into a complete jerk! I was really hoping the series would redeem itself after the last awful book (Regin's) but while Lothaire doesnt get his rocks off torturing immortals he really is a bit of a tosser, although it is quite funny that he nearly sacrifices his Bride because he is so arrogant he thinks he is far too good for a mere mortal and his Bride must only be a goddess just as arrogant and obnoxious as he is.

I did think his behaviour was rotten - turning Ellie against her will, the way he treated her when he considered her a vessel, but Ellie was a bit of a sap so it was quite hard to empathise with her. Unlike the previous book, Lothaire did have a stab at redeeming himself by saving her family but that is the only reason this book got 2 stars instead of 1. I really felt like it was a waste of money, and like the previous book, probably written by a fan, rather than by Ms Cole herself. WE can tell the difference.

I will keep reading these as I wait for Nix's story, and hopefully someone will make the effort to study the tides and dig up Furie, who I think is probably Kristof's longlost girlfriend. Now that would be a great story.

OUTSTANDING!!!! Once again Kresley Cole blows it out of the park....I wish I could just live inside her head for a day!! I highly recommend this book and I will happily reread it many more times. Read it and I promise you you won't be disappointed.. One of my favorites this year!

great). who would have thought that lothaire could grab a hold of your heart and youwould want him to keep a hold of it this starts out with him being his horrible self but ohh how he changes grab a seat ladies this is going to be a bumpy ride a sexy and worth while explosive ride a cant put this book down kick butt experience (ENJOY)5 stars

Kresley Cole is my favorite paranormal romance author. I have read most of her Immortals After Dark (IAD) books twice. I will continue to read her books, but Lothaire is far from my favorite. I will explain why...

There are several reasons for this:

1) It's quite a chore to make Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, into a likeable hero. I had the same problems with Sabine (Queen of Illusions), mostly because they are both more evil than good, but not as evil as they could be. In Lothaire's case, he is almost older than dirt, and it is difficult to change anything about himself.

2) Ellie Peirce may be tough, but I have a hard time thinking she'll take Lothaire's nature so much in stride. Love is important, but there are some things that are nearly impossible to overcome, especially in such a short time. I don't want to spoil the book, but after all that was done to Ellie, I'm sure you'll understand what I mean after you read it.

3) This book felt a little long (it is the longest one so far) and I think this is because a little too much time is spent on the new Dacian vampires, who are the focus of KC's new spin-off series coming out later this year. I think I'll like the four new characters KC introduced, but they had too much time dedicated to them in Lothaire that was unnecessary. They have very minor roles, after all.

Still, despite these issues, I rated it four stars instead of three because of Hag, Thad, and the hinting of Nix's eventual book. And of course I love KC's writing style and humor (Bertil, anyone?). I'm still a huge fan, but I may not read this book as many times as some of the others.

Much more enjoyable than I anticipated. The main characters were SO not stereotypical of a romance novel - didn't know whether I should love or hate Lothaire... The "love scenes" made my eyes pop, though... Is that really what readers want nowadays?
I'm thinking of reading another of Cole's books just to see if it was a one time fluke or if she can pull off another interesting character or two.

I pretty much love anything Kresley Cole writes and this was no exception. Lothaire is one crazy ass vamp and it shows in this. I kinda love him though. That moment of shock when he realizes he was a douche is priceless. He probably could've groveled more, but he gets a pass since he's basically insane.

I love all of Kresley Coles's IAD books, including this one. Lothaire is one of the bad red-eyed vamps, and yet we learn his back story which makes you sympathize with him and really root for him. We even learn of a surprise connection to Nix. Ellie, his Bride is one of my favorite characters. I laughed out loud when she and Lothaire traded insults. However, their misunderstanding that keeps them apart for most of the story tends to drag on too long in my opinion and I just didn't feel the chemistry between them the way I have with couples in past books.

Lothaire is OMG amazing. How is the mysterious enemy of old so friggin hot? I have no idea how idea how Kresley Cole does it, but she this book is out of this world. Lothaire is an amazingly complex oh and hot character. Did I already mention how hot he is?

In true IAD form, this is a fast paced book that never slows down, twists and turns keep us flipping page after page.

Okay, so probably like everyone, I was madly looking forward to Lothaire's story. And it was a great paranormal romance, it really was. I enjoyed the heck out of it. However, this was Lothaire. And yes, the author did make some effort to make him different, special, difficult. But, she could have taken it much further. This was Lothaire! It was great, but it should have been epic!

If you like supernatural and romance combined then this is the book for you. Kresley Cole has a great talent for making the supernatural easy to read and understand. Be warned that some of this book can be a bit graphic so I don't recommend it for the young or easily offended.

This book will take you away from your everyday life into a whole new world where unbelievable creatures are not only real but are fascinating with depth of character and twists that make it a page turner that is hard to put down.

I finally finished Lothaire and can safely say that it was an amazing roller-coaster ride of a book. It is without a doubt a 5 Star effort even though at times I thought it was a bit overly long winded in places. I can see where the new series will be heading and the future looks bright for both series. Highly recommended but with Kresley Cole and the IAD series that is almost redundant :)

Since so many others have already written their reviews about the book, I will just skip to my opinion :)

Initially I felt disappointed when I was first reading this book after a year of waiting. Before I decided to write my review, I reread the book 2 days later and thought as to why this book wasn't what I thought it was gonna be. Then I realized that every person is different. Kresley Cole is capturing different personalities and relationships. There are REAL people that like being controlled in relationships. I feel that this couple is a good match despite my initial impression. Clearly Ellie is weak and very much ruled by emotions. When we talk of 'trailer trash', people generally think the women talk stupid, dress terrible, drug addicts, and push-overs. Lothaire's perfect mate could never be someone entirely kind-hearted nor strong. Kresley Cole kept Lothaire ultimately evil rather than changing him to be a good-guy. If she did that, then she would break her pattern of writing. I had never thought about leaving a bad guy, well, bad. Aren't they always suppose to be good in the end?

I then asked myself: Where was the developed romance in the book? Well, there really couldn't be because Lothaire couldn't 'see' his Bride clearly because of their being two souls in one body. So naturally sex is the only plan Kresley Cole could 'play on'.

After realizing all this, I can definitely say that this is an amazing addition to the series!

* may contain some small spoilers*

Let me start out by saying I am a huge fan of Cole's IAD series and love, love Lothaire and I know I will get slammed for this, but I find that this book has some serious issues for me. It is extremely difficult for any writer to transform any *truly* evil character into a hero; to make the reader essentially forgive all his past transgressions and make him a likeable, loving person. Is Lothaire that person at the end of his book? Maybe. Maybe not.

The good-
There are many parts of this book that I found heartwarming. Recalling Lothaire's past as a little vampire, standing up for his mother, was utterly heartbreaking. His lack of family, friends, and anyone to trust made me ache for him. I just wanted to grab hold of him and hug him and tell him it'll be OK. Its so sad that Lothaire's loneliness is so a part of him that he doesn't even realize its a bad thing until he is given an alternative, an opportunity to find happiness. *Happiness *-something that is such a foreign concept to him that he is initially confused by it. The poor fool doesn't even know how to smile. And when he finally realizes that Ellie is his bride, its nearly comical seeing him wrestle with his emotions.

The awesome-
Thaddeus -yummmmmmy! Nix (as always).

Snooze worthy-
Lothaire's book of blood debts that goes nowhere. Saroya's boring demise. La Dorada's anti climatic cameo.

Unfortunately the bad-
The heinous acts he commits against others are forgivable. They are mostly against characters that the reader doesn't have a vested emotional interest in. Acts he commits against his Bride? Potentially forgivable, but does he deserve it? I'm not sure about that. Remorse is key concept, but where is it? Is it enough to say 'I'm sorry" (after all that he did to poor Ellie) and that's it? A few trinkets, trips and lovemaking? Where are the heartfelt words/actions? What is Lothaire's sacrifice? I will not spoil it for anyone and go into specific details but I found his high handedness extreme at times and he shows not even a twinge of regret over it. It doesn't matter if he is right or wrong. The whole point is his attitude. And as much as it pains me to write this, I also think that a case can be made for rape. Yes, reread those those chapters again and I challenge you to disagree. No means no, I don't care how many orgasms you have. As for Ellie, she essentially has a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome. The time period is too short for anything otherwise.

Overall I think my biggest gripe boils down to the short time period. A scant few weeks is not enough to even partially reform a complex character like Lothaire. Perhaps I'm too picky, I know this isn't reality. People can fall in love in a blink of an eye. Forgiveness can be given just as fast. But, I don't know, I just wanted MORE. More emotion, more love, more romance. More pages? I would have like to have seen Lothaire grow more as a character. There are glimpses of goodness but not enough to satisfy. He has the potential to be the absolute best reformed hero ever, but I just don't see that here. If you've ever read Cole's If You Deceive (The MacCarrick Brothers, Book 3) you know exactly what this book is missing and the potential of this author to create drama -that's why I gave this book 3 stars. A great beginning but not nearly enough growth in character.

I really have enjoyed this entire series and the branch off series that have all come from the original one. Kresley Cole is with out a doubt one of my all time favorite Writers! If you haven't read all her books then you should read her Immortals after dark series. They will make you laugh, cry, and fan yourself. The first is 'Hunger like no other'. Happy reading!!!

Kresley Cole does an amazing job of making Lothaire a hero for Ellie while keeping him a villain to everyone else. First, I love that Ellie was the first mortal in the series. Lothaire was a unique character and he needed a unique heroine. Second, Cole does an amazing job of explaining WHY the characters act the way they act and think the way they think. Like always, the romance doesn't disappoint and fans will be pleased with this newest addition to the series.

Since I heard Kressley Cole was writting a new book and it was about Lothaire, I knew I had to read it. At first I thought it was kinda slow moving, but as I kept reading I couldn't put it down. I love this book as much as I love the other Immortals Afer Dark books.

Lothaire is the kinda person that has everything planned out and always knows what others will do before they do it...but he can't seem to figure out Ellie. Elizabeth Pierce is a do it yourself kind of woman and because she is from the Moutains of Virginia. She is constantly underestemated because of where she comes from but is actually really clever...

When they go toe-to-toe someone has to give... Will it be the stubbern, head-strong Ellie or the tall, handsome, cunning, thousand year old vampire born of noble blood, Lothaire Enemy of Old?

Read it and find out yourself!

Kresley Cole just gets better and better. Lothaire was not a lovable hero at the beginning, but after learning about his history (uh, very long history) I started to understand him better and to appreciate his good points. It is complex story that will delight series followers and should attract new devotees. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.

I'm a die-hard Kresley Cole aficionado who believes that woman can pull off anything--except apparently make Lothaire a hero worth rooting for! I'm truly stunned at how much I despise this character. Normally I buy her books on their release date and spend all day devouring them. However, this particular book took me an excruciatingly long period of time to read because (for the first time ever!!!!) I didn't want to finish a Kresley Cole novel. The novel's overall writing is excellent. It flows and is inviting to read, as well as gives readers more information about Lore creatures like Dorada and Hag in only a few lines. (That's why I gave it three stars instead of one.) Despite this, I could not get over my distaste for Lothaire which ruined the whole story for me.

Lothaire is one of those characters who always seemed like a better side character than the main protagonist, dropping in a scene to lend it some witty banter, a bit of snark, and a lot of evil deeds to progress the plot. It turns out that what was amusing and intriguing in those small cameos didn't translate into a 400+ page novel like I'd hoped. He just never transitioned into the makings of a good romance hero. Cole has pulled off some pretty awesome feats when it comes to straddling the line between dangerously damaged hero and crossing the line into unforgivable psychopath. I've fallen in love with every one of her previous heroes no matter how bad they started. But Lothaire is the first protagonist I just couldn't stomach. His inability to see beyond his own needs, his violent approach to sex with/ rape of his Bride completely undermine any endearing traits he exhibits. Not only is he batcrap crazy, but he's so damaged and abusive that even as strong a character as his Bride, Ellie, shouldn't have to settle for one like him. I actually think the novel would have been more romantic if Lothaire had died and Ellie was free to find a more decent lover.

Lothaire's mate, Ellie, is a strong, likable character whom Cole is always careful not to turn into a victim so the story isn't as in-your-face abusive as it could have been. This is good I suppose. But if anyone has ever lived with an abusive personality type, she will have serious doubts as to how Ellie could have so easily succumbed sexually, if not always emotionally, to this monster (and no I don't think that is too harsh a word to describe Lothaire!). I don't care how liberated or healthy your libido is, I don't understand how anyone can get off when your partner is telling you he is going to kill you and finds you lacking compared to the psychopath sharing your body.

Plus the novel was waaaaaay too long. There are simply too many scenes of Ellie's isolation and imprisonment with Lothaire from which the reader is not given any relief. It's almost as if we are supposed to share in the Stockholm Syndrome alongside Ellie. Well, this is one hostage who would have had no problem shoving the vampire into the sun and watching him burn.

If I hadn't already been addicted to this series for several years and if I hadn't been so anxious to find hints on upcoming future characters and stories, I would have donated this book to my book swapping club without finishing it. That is how strongly I dislike Lothaire. The character never captured my heart like he did several fans, but I had begun to warm up to his character during Dreams of a Dark Warrior. Yet everything I liked about him in DoaDW was absent from this novel. Even his "wit" was labored and lacking. I suppose I feel so betrayed because I rely on Cole to provide guaranteed good reads. Plus this book took so long to be published, was the first hardcover IAD novel, was published before the long-awaited Thronos and Lanthe book, and was promised on the fan forums to be "the best IAD book yet." For me it is the worse yet and I hope and pray that her spin-off series, The Dacians:Realm of Blood and Mist, will be worth the disappointment of Lothaire when it comes out this summer.

Before buying, I read the mixed reviews about him being too mean, etc to the heroine. I wanted to see for myself. Loved the story. I think it's great the author stayed true to his character. A real bad ass doesn't turn into a wimp just because he finds a lady intriguing. He stays true to form and only slowly comes to the realization he cares.

Wow. Seriously disappointed in this story. Very very very underwhelmed. I have liked -- and been intrigued by -- Lothaire throughout the series, but found this heroine extremely unlikely, and fairly unlikeable.

Kresley Cole has become one of my favorite authors. I have an hour commute to work each morning and the same back in the evening. These cds have been quite amusing for all the time I spend in the car. The reader does numerous accents well, which I get a real kick out of. I wish there were more of her books on audio.

She continues to keep one enchanted with this tale. Can't wait for the next book. Am always left with wanting more of this series. Lothaire shows another aspect of this world she has invented. She and JR Ward are two of my favorate Vampire Saga writers.

I gotta tell ya'.....I was seriously afraid that this series may start to lose momentum,considering the sheer number of books in it.Not in the least.Every new book is fresh and original,yet still cohesive with the previous characters and storyline.This was,is and always will remain one of my top ten fave series in the genre.I recommend it to anyone new to paranormal romance,as well as the seasoned PR reader.Bravo! Keep them coming!

Everybody was waiting with baited breath for Kresley Cole's new book Lothaire. I read the pre-reads with a bit of a frown because it seemed badly edited. In that respect the book was a surprise. It is just that Mrs. Cole's books all have the same theme: beautiful freak hunk (demon, vampire, beserker, werewolf etc.) finds his mate in a surprising and mostly at the beginning despised form.
Lothaire is of course not different, but at least Mrs. Cole gives it a nice swing with the unimpressive background of The Bride. A pity she does not make more of the Bride's psychological degree, with a man like Lothaire that would have turned out decidedly interesting. Mrs. Cole is one of the best if writing fantasy stories. I would have gladly given her 4-star but I think the price for a Kindle at about 17 usdl. is definitely appalling. It is not that good. It's only good within fantasy novels.