BOOK REVIEW ~ LOTHAIRE BY KRESLEY COLE



Title: Lothaire ( Immortals After Dark, Book 12)

Author: Kresley Cole

Hardcover: 468 pages

Published:  January 10th 2012 by Gallery

ISBN1439136823

Book Blurb

ALL FEAR THE ENEMY OF OLD

 Driven by his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire, plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But blood lust and torture have left him on the brink of madness—until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory. He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul in exchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens within him emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience.


A DEADLY FORCE DWELLS WITHIN HER


Growing up in desperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imagining she’d be convicted of murder—or that an evil immortal would abduct her from death row. But Lothaire is no savior, as he himself plans to sacrifice Ellie in one month’s time. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her with wealth and sexual pleasure. In a bid to save her soul, Ellie surrenders her body to the wicked vampire, while vowing to protect her heart.

CENTURIES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE SHATTERED


Elizabeth tempts Lothaire beyond reason, as only his fated mate could. As the month draws to a close, he must choose between a millennium-old blood vendetta and his irresistible prisoner. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past . . . or risk everything for a future with her.
 

 
Book Review
 
I spent my weekend reading what I know will be in my Top Ten Reads of 2012-Lothaire by Kresley Cole.


As an avid reader, you have those books during the year that you are looking forward to reading. Last year, for me it was Shadowfever. Could.Not.Wait.

And if we’re lucky-the sweet anticipation is greatly rewarded by a fantastic story that makes you literally hum as you read it. After its conclusion, you utter a sigh…wish that you read it a little slower, because now it’s over.

Lothaire was like that. I closed the book with a sigh…still lost in the world of the Lore and in my happy place. And extremely excited about the secrets that Kresley spilled in the last lines.

I wanted his story since the beginning of the series, A Hunger Like No Other. He was the villain. The bad boy-- And I was smitten.

I purchased the hardback version of this book—no kindle version for me. The cover had to be fully appreciated, lol. There aren’t many covers that get it right; the vision that I have in my head about how the hero looks, but this one is spot-on. Straight blond hair hanging over intense red eyes that seem to penetrate your soul. A plus goes to the cover design peeps.

I used post-it notes to flag parts of the story that really caught my attention; things that I wanted to talk about in my review. My book is very colorful—blues, yellows, oranges—a rainbow of favorite moments.

Let’s start with the hero, shall we?

Lothaire- The Enemy of Old and ancient foe of the Lore. He has an endgame with seven critical pieces that he is determined to make happen. And if you’re not with him, you’re against him. He swings precariously near the edge of madness-the countless thoughts of his victims pushing him one inch closer to the rocky border.

He is resolute to have his Bride by his side, no matter the consequences….

Which lead us to Ellie Pierce, our heroine.

Ellie struggles to fight Saroya, The Soul Reaper, whose spirit inhabits her body and has murdered innocent victims with her blood-thirsty compulsions. She would rather die than let Saroya continue her murderous rampage. She accepts her fate on death row and is just minutes from the fatal does that will end her life, when Lothaire rescues his Bride.

Their tumultuous beginning makes for an entrancing read. Verbal insults are slung, countered with witty retorts. Lothaire’s acerbic retorts barely penetrate the thick-skinned Appalachian heroine-her tenacity and intellect a perfect match for our egocentric vampire.

Ellie’s hate for Lothaire slowly changes during her time in captivity. She sees a side of him never witnessed by anyone in the Lore. And the heady attraction between the two cannot be denied, despite their best laid plans.

“Lothaire, you’re looking at my nipples…still wantin’ to bite me?” She lowered her hands, released the dark waves of her hair, then clutched his shoulders.
“Lean forward, pet. I’ll only use my tongue on them.”
She shivered. “That’s what you want?”
“Yes.”

She leaned back.

Though her boldness attracted him like a font of fresh blood, his anger couldn’t be denied. “You want me to suck them.”

“Aching for you to.”

Annnnnd I needed a cold shower. This was the best grinding scene I have ever read; one where I was panting along with the characters. As Ellie would say, “Hoo!”

I’m not gonna lie here, folks-the sex is HAWT—and borders on the more erotic side. It also pushes the envelope on what some consider non-consensual. Did I think Kresley took it past that limit? Nope. It was spot-on for how I perceived Lothaire and stayed true to his character. So if you aren’t into that sort of thing, you might want to skim those parts, just sayin’. For me, I devoured every word of the book and relished them.

Lothaire resists the slow revelation of his true Bride-Ellie. How could a backwoods Appalachian with no royal connection be his true Bride. Ego much, Leo? He starts to crave Ellie’s presence, and not that of the cold-hearted Saroya. Even after being sucker punched with the realization that Ellie is indeed his true Bride, Lothaire has some major work to do. But the aged immortal fails miserably-- His bullish demands, excessive pride, and his lack of apology for his past treatment of Ellie lead to the destruction of their fragile relationship.

What I loved about this book? The fact that Lothaire’s underlying character still remained intact without turning into some sappy love-sick moron. Thank you, Kresley Cole. My ultimate bad-boy is still a little bad-ass-- And I like it that way.

Where you can find Kresley Cole
 
Website
Facebook
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Goodreads
 
 

About The Author

Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series, as well as five award-winning historical romances.

Before becoming a writer, Cole was a world-ranked athlete, coach, and graduate student. She has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings. Two of her favorite places to visit include the rain forests of Central America and the Far North Queensland area of Australia (where, by the way, she would not recommend swimming outside of the stinger nets--at night).
Cole’s trademark action, sensuality, and humor are best exemplified in her Immortals After Dark Series, which revolves around the Lore, a secret stratum of hundreds of immortal creatures--ranging from Vampires to Lykae, Furies to Shifters, and Fey to Valkyrie--that each have their strengths, weaknesses, and age old prejudices against the others. Though they secretly live among humans, they constantly war among themselves, which gives her a lot of material.
Her IAD books have been translated into seventeen foreign languages, garnered two RITA awards, and consistently appear on the bestseller lists, in the U.S. and abroad.

Cole lives in Florida with her family and “far too many animals.” She spends any free time traveling and enjoys all things related to boats and water.

Her Books

From Pocket Books/ Simon & Schuster

~The Immortals After Dark Series~

PLAYING EASY TO GET Anthology February 2006

A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER April 2006

NO REST FOR THE WICKED October 2006

WICKED DEEDS ON A WINTER'S NIGHT October 2007

DARK NEEDS AT NIGHT'S EDGE May 2008

DARK DESIRES AFTER DUSK June 2008

KISS OF A DEMON KING February 2009

DEEP KISS OF WINTER Duology October 2009

PLEASURE OF A DARK PRINCE February 2010

DEMON FROM THE DARK August 2010

DREAMS OF A DARK WARRIOR February 2011

~The MacCarrick Brothers Trilogy~

IF YOU DARE May 2005 (reissue March 2007)

IF YOU DESIRE April 2007

IF YOU DECEIVE May 2007

~The Sutherland Brothers Series~

THE CAPTAIN OF ALL PLEASURES July 2003

THE PRICE OF PLEASURE July 2004