Even if you haven’t read any of the previous Immortals After Dark books, you can still jump into Wicked Abyss, which is technically a stand alone installment. For IAD fans, though, the story includes everyone’s favorite unhinged Valkyrie soothsayer, Nix, the delightfully bitchy Sorceri sisters Sabine and Melanthe, as well as some other favorites. If you haven’t read the series from the beginning, I strongly suggest picking up A Hunger Like No Other and going from there. There are 18 books so far in the series and there isn’t a bad one in the bunch. In my opinion, Kresley Cole is the queen of paranormal romance. I like to think of it as the thinking woman’s smut: it’s a sexy romance, but also a really awesome story with well-developed and super-likeable characters.
{Here’s the Time Bekah was Obsesed with Immortals After Dark}
In this book, we meet Calliope “Lila” Barbot, the delicate, 24-year-old, not-yet-immortal fey princess, cast out of her homeland and hiding out by playing Cinderella in Disney World.
She finds out that she is a reincarnate of the ancient fey Princess Kari, the mate of Abyssian “Sian” Infernas, the ten thousand-year-old King of Hell. Sian was once the most handsome immortal in all the realms, but since he has taken the crown of hell, his appearance is, well, going to hell, as he becomes more and more demonic-looking. Side note: the only thing funnier than the real fairy princess playing a pretend fairy princess is that Sian—the terrifying king of hell—is constantly referring to the Magic Kingdom as some kind of elusive, mystical realm.
As with all the couples in this series, opposites attract. Gentle, young Lila doesn’t seem to belong with cruel, old Sian—cue the odd couple music!
Except, in this story, the main characters have a lot more in common that most others: they’re both whip-smart tricksters who come to admire the others trickery over time. I always appreciate this kind of romance because you tend to see the characters enjoying each other’s company for longer periods than most. You get a HEA preview for several sweet chapters here, rather than constant strife and conflict. In this sense, Wicked Abyss bears a very strong resemblance to one of my very favorite Kresley Cole romances, The Player. Aside: please read that book. If you liked 50 Shades of Grey because but weren’t a fan of the writing (I mean, do we really need a bazillion “Holy Cows”?), you MUST read The Player.
While this is a tried and true Beauty and the Beast story, this fairy tale also takes strong cues from others. The ending gives us an echo of Cinderella, except in this story, this kick-ass, pissed-off Cinderella writes all the wrongs done to her by crashing the ball and taking her own frigging crown. While her love Sian may race to save her with his might, Lila wins with her wits, without any help from her man. And, that is what makes this and the other IAD books some of the best paranormal romance books out there.
So, if you love a strong female character and want to see a Beauty and the Beast story with more sexy dalliances and less talking candlesticks, read Wicked Abyss.
Wicked Abyss is out now! Get it on Amazon
WRITTEN BY ADRIENNE
Adrienne is a mother, teacher, writer, and sexy vampire book aficionado. She likes candlelit dinners, long walks on the beach, and naps that don’t end with someone yelling, “Mommy!” You can read her blog at TheMoodyMommy.com
