Kiss of a Demon King (Immortals After Dark, #7) by Kresley Cole

May 05, 2012 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kristen by: Karla

Shelves: paranormal-romance, kresley-cole, demons, 5-star, angsty-emotional, enemies-to-lovers, fabulous-characters, favorite-couple, kick-butt-heroine, medium-steam, scarred-disfigured, strong-willed-heroine, tortured-souls

5 stars

Wow! Absolutely fantastic! I loved Kiss of a Demon King!

For a book I wasn't too sure about in the beginning, I ended up loving every thing about this story. The range of emotions I experienced while reading Kiss of a Demon King was surprising and enthralling, making me savor everything about this book.

I was captivated, and, frankly, mesmerized by the complex, belligerent, sinister, yet somewhat humorous relationship between the hero, Rydstrom, and the heroine, Sabine. They were imperfect...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Annie the Destroyer *Leather Lust* rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal romance fans

Shelves: author-kresley-cole, angels-and-demons, books-i-own, my-hottie-harem, books-i-go-rabid-over, keep-a-spare-pair-of-knickers, tortured-bad-boys, covers-to-covet, pnr, warriors, bondage, ebooks, drinks-on-me, favorites, under-the-covers-with-marron

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love the fact that Kiss of a Demon King and Dark Desires after Dusk run parallel with one another. Cole has done this before with No Rest for the Wicked and Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night, but because we read Cade’s story first and got teasing glimpses of a distraught and angry Rydstrom, I was curious to see what the hell happened to him! What could make the reasonable Rydstrom to snap like that? The answer? Sabine, of course.

Kiss of a Demon King got me hooked from the prologue. I loved the...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Auntee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Paranormal Romance

Shelves: paranormal-romance, 2009_reads, part-of-a-series

I'm going to say up front that I was fully prepared not to like this one, or at least be a little disappointed because of the mixed reviews I've read. But darn it, after about page 150 (which I know, that's a long time to give a book a chance) I was totally riveted, did not want to put it down, and bought into the story hook, line and sinker! In fact, I just spent about 3 hours to finish it up, and even teared up at the end. And most of the time I had a silly smile on my face or caught myself ch...more I'm going to say up front that I was fully prepared not to like this one, or at least be a little disappointed because of the mixed reviews I've read. But darn it, after about page 150 (which I know, that's a long time to give a book a chance) I was totally riveted, did not want to put it down, and bought into the story hook, line and sinker! In fact, I just spent about 3 hours to finish it up, and even teared up at the end. And most of the time I had a silly smile on my face or caught myself chuckling while reading. Go figure.

So the book started out a little slow and confusing for me. It took me a while to immerse myself again in Kresley Cole's world of the Lore with the demons, vampires, sorceri, witches, valkyri, and assorted immortals. This stuff can get overwhelming at times. It took me a while to remember and get up to speed with the Demon King of Rothkalina, Rydstrom, and his story. Things picked up when the sorceress Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, stepped into Rydstom's life. These two had a powerful chemistry, and I loved the bickering, the sexual tension, and the constant one-ups-manship between the two of them. They had the whole love/hate thing going on, and I loved seeing Rydstrom struggling with his control and his growing feelings for Sabine. I loved Rydstrom's sexy presence (even his demon's horns!) and his whole honorable character, yet I also loved seeing Sabine push his buttons and making him lose control and do and say things he wouldn't normally do.

Now Sabine...I took a while to warm up to her. Which isn't surprising for me, since I always find something objectionable about Cole's heroines (compared to the heroes)- at least at first. It's hard to like a heroine who lies, cheats, steals, and is so stubborn and devious...but there was just something about her, and the more I read and found out her circumstances, the more I forgave her and began to admire her (sort of like Rydstrom did). I loved reading her thoughts about Rydstrom, and loved seeing her struggle with her feelings for him. I thought the sexual torture in the castle dungeon went on a little too long and dragged the story down a tad, even though it was kind of hot. But the story really picked up for me when Rydstrom made his escape with Sabine in tow, and he unleashed his full demonic and masculine powers. Now that was hot.

I also enjoyed when Rydstrom and Sabine made their way to New Orleans, and had a run in with some of the previous characters in the series (especially Nix). I liked Nix's reference to checking out the "Lords of the Underworld"--that was cute. There were some very funny moments between Nix, Rydstrom and Sabine, a funny moment in the bar when Sabine meets up with Regin, and a conversation between Holly (Dark Desires After Dusk) and Nix about Dirty Jobs star Mike Rowe that made me laugh out loud. It was also in New Orleans where Rydstrom and Sabine finally started admitting their feelings for each other, and finally had a mutually satisfying sexual encounter (page 357!) instead of just over-the-top sexual tension. So the reader has to wait a long time, but to paraphrase Rydstrom "it was worth every minute of the wait."

The conclusion was action packed, with Sabine's near death, Rydstrom's reuniting with his brother Cadeon, the sacrifice Rydstrom was willing to make for love, and the final showdown with Omart the Deathless. I think I bit off a few fingernails reading the final 30 pages! There was a very nice epilogue that brought you up to date with some of the characters but left a few unanswered questions and left a few stories hanging. I'm sure there will be some future books that will take care of that though.

It's hard to pick a favorite out of this series, because to me they're all good in their own way. It's all a matter of what characters you connect with, and whose story speaks to you. It may not have supplanted my favorite (No Rest For The Wicked), but Kiss of a Demon King came darn close. 5 stars! (less)

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Jan 14, 2009 MelissaB rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: immortals-after-dark, favorite-paranormal-romance, paranormal-romance, 2009-reads, paper-books-i-own

Sabine, Queen of Illusions, has one main goal in life – to survive. After dying over a dozen times before being brought back to life by her sister Lanthe, who can blame a girl? Sabine and Lanthe are Sorceri who have mystickal powers but share the unfortunate distinction of being half-sisters to Omort the Deathless, the evil king of Rothkalina. Centuries ago, an oracle foretold to Omort that Sabine was the mate of Rydstrom, the demon king Omort stole Rothkalina from, and the child they would bear...more Sabine, Queen of Illusions, has one main goal in life – to survive. After dying over a dozen times before being brought back to life by her sister Lanthe, who can blame a girl? Sabine and Lanthe are Sorceri who have mystickal powers but share the unfortunate distinction of being half-sisters to Omort the Deathless, the evil king of Rothkalina. Centuries ago, an oracle foretold to Omort that Sabine was the mate of Rydstrom, the demon king Omort stole Rothkalina from, and the child they would bear would unlock the untold power of the mysterious Well in Omort’s court. Sabine and Lanthe are trapped in Omort’s service because he gave them a poison that causes a painful death unless they continue to take it regularly and since he is the only one who possesses it, they must keep in his good graces to live.

Omort sends Sabine to capture and seduce Rydstrom when he finds out that the demon king is trying to obtain a sword that is said to be able to kill him. Sabine has her own plans for the future – she will use this demon king to get pregnant then take over the throne from Omort when her son can use the power of the Well. She is confident that Rydstrom will be seduced quickly, after all who could resist her beauty and illusions?

Rydstrom, the deposed demon king, is finally within reach of the goal he has worked toward for centuries – killing Omort and recapturing his throne. On the way to meet an accomplice in his quest, he is fooled by Sabine’s illusions into stepping through a portal to a cell in the dungeon of his old castle in Rothkalina. Once there, Sabine begins her seduction of Rydstrom by getting him very excited then refusing to finish things until he promises to make her his queen. Rydstrom is very confused because this sorceress feels like his mate but there is no way fate would stick him with an evil, selfish woman – right?

Sabine continues her seduction of Rydstrom by showing him his secret fantasies with her illusions but he refuses to break because he will not have her use his child for evil. She is impressed by his strength in spite of herself but refuses to give up her plan because there is no beating Omort any other way. She eventually gets her way but Rydstrom manages to trick her into thinking he made her queen when he really vowed revenge in the demon language.

Turn about is fair play, so when Rydstrom is given a chance to escape unexpectedly from an old enemy, he kidnaps Sabine and has a chance to enact the revenge he contemplated while under her mercy in the dungeon. She is helpless without her hands, so he ties her up and shows her exactly how it feels to be brought to the brink of satisfaction again and again without relief. The longer they stay together, the more certain Rydstrom is that Sabine is his real mate. He no longer knows whether he wants revenge or to seduce Sabine to stay by his side forever. Sabine is impressed by Rydstrom’s fighting skills as he wards off attacks as they make their way to a portal out of Rothkalina to New Orleans. She has never had anyone fight for her besides her sister Lanthe and finds herself impressed with his honor and strength. He proves himself to her and slowly makes his way into the heart she didn’t know she had anymore after too many years spent trying to survive in Omort’s cut-throat court. Rydstrom finds that Sabine is just what he needs – a woman who is unafraid to challenge him in bed and out and someone strong enough to lead his people.

Sabine and Rydstrom are a great pair. Sabine is a bit wicked but is not evil. She does what she needs to survive but does not purposely hurt people – unless they come between her and gold, a Sorceri obsession. Rydstrom finds that he needs Sabine’s wickedness, especially in bed. The story kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who was going to seduce who – and how do you kill an evil man who can’t die? The seduction scenes were hot! Rydstrom had some wicked fantasies in his head that Sabine was more than willing to fulfill. The action was non-stop, both in the bed and out, with it all coming down to Rydstrom facing down Omort for the throne of Rothkalina, where he found out what was really important to him. There was plenty of humor in the book with some great one-liners from Nucking Futs Nix. Kiss of a Demon King was a great read with two very interesting and complex characters who find love where they least expect it. I highly recommend reading this book and the rest of the Immortals After Dark series.
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Jan 18, 2009 Kathrynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-paranormal, series-iad_cole, own, 2009, hot, reviewed

Enjoyed this continuation in the Immortals After Dark saga. There was a lot of action, suspense, betrayal, revenge, plotting and scheming, and sexual tension packed into this 417 page book. The usual humor was good and though Nix and Regin were only in this book briefly--toward the end--they had me laughing.

Kiss of the Demon King takes place at the exact same time as Dark Desires After Dusk. They come together at one point and show a conversation between the two brothers, but from the others pe...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kresley-cole

I'll start by saying that while I really liked Rydstrom, Sabine made this book for me. I loved her. She was hilarious and witty and I loved her attitude. Her zingers were some of the best that Kresley Cole has delivered to date. She was definitely a bad sorceress but she wasn't an evil one. She was just looking out for numero uno and woe to anyone else standing in her way. I loved her sister too, and am breathlessly waiting for the moment when she has her own story.

Rydstrom was so deliciously s...more I'll start by saying that while I really liked Rydstrom, Sabine made this book for me. I loved her. She was hilarious and witty and I loved her attitude. Her zingers were some of the best that Kresley Cole has delivered to date. She was definitely a bad sorceress but she wasn't an evil one. She was just looking out for numero uno and woe to anyone else standing in her way. I loved her sister too, and am breathlessly waiting for the moment when she has her own story.

Rydstrom was so deliciously stuffy in this book and he had a serious stick up his butt. When he does loosen up though it wasn't in an, "Oh yay, he's finally loosening up" sort of way. It was, "Oh My God, he's lost his mind!" The problem with being a rage demon, is well, the rage. Sabine has him imprisoned in his own dungeon and her methods of ensuring his compliance are akin to waving a red flag in a bulls face, or better yet, kicking a bull in the nuts and then trying to run away to safety before said bull recovers in time to run you down. Let's just say payback's a bitch. I also loved reading the same scenes from Dark Desires After Dusk (Cade & Holly's story) but from Rydstrom and Sabine's perspective. Especially that scene when Cade comes by his house to drop off the sword. It was really funny.

My only problem with this book is that it was too long. It needed to be trimmed. Rydstrom and Sabine's constant back and forth was exhausting. All their teasing and lack of follow through was getting to me and it seemed to drag on, but then when things got really good towards the end it seemed to fly by at a lightening fast pace. But here's a really fun fact, Nix is taking a time-out in order to inspect the Lords of The Underworld! I wonder who she will be joined up with? And if that will mesh well? She is like Anya so it shouldn't be too jarring to get someone like Nix transplanted into Gena Showalter's world. It will be interesting at any rate.

Anyhoo, love this book, wish it was a little shorter and now I have an enormous girl crush on Sabine. This was yet another great addition to the Immortals After Dark series and I'm already greedily looking forward to the next one. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (less)

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Nov 30, 2010 DarienMoya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, demon

^^GOTTA LOVE DEMON KISSES!^^

My least favourite book, but still another solid instalment in this wonderful, erotic and edgy series. I was hoping for like the read of all reads for Rydstrom book, but I wasn’t overly impressed maybe I just expected too much for him because of the build-up and all the things involving him throughout the series.

THE RUNDOWN- Rydstrom is a king who lost his kingdom and is fighting hell and high-water to get it back. Problem, the person living in his castle and terrori...more ^^GOTTA LOVE DEMON KISSES!^^

My least favourite book, but still another solid instalment in this wonderful, erotic and edgy series. I was hoping for like the read of all reads for Rydstrom book, but I wasn’t overly impressed maybe I just expected too much for him because of the build-up and all the things involving him throughout the series.

THE RUNDOWN- Rydstrom is a king who lost his kingdom and is fighting hell and high-water to get it back. Problem, the person living in his castle and terrorizing his people is all but invincible, so that is proving problematic. Some very interesting news came around saying there is a sword that just might slay his nemesis; and he will be able to rule over his people once more. Ryd needs it bad, like a plant needs water in hottest dessert. On his way to obtain the sword, he is intercepted, captured and held prisoner by a crazed but very attractive woman. He is being held in the dungeons of his own bloody castle, talk about the effin nerve of this woman. Seems this is the Queen of Illusions and she just might be his woman. Go figure!

SABINE- Two words “crazy bitch” but you gotta love her. She knows that Rydstrom is her fated man, because it has been prophesized. All she has to do is get his vow that she will be queen and make a baby. Easier said than done, she desperately needs this so she can finally be free of her evil and creepy brother. Also, she very much wishes to stop dying and live peacefully with her sister. Laying with a demon is a sacrifice she just has to make, because everyone knows demons are the lowest. Well Sabine is about to be educated in sexy, horns, and the hottest male she has ever seen. This might not be so bad after all, if only he didn’t hate her so much.

RYDSTROM- This guy carries the world on his shoulders; if you saw him, you would see the world. He blames himself for everything; he is a little bit uptight, and very serious. When the opportunity to finally claim his birthright arises, he wants it bad. So the woman who is holding him captive he wants nothing more than to rip her pretty little head off. If the prophecy that she is claiming, is true by chance. Then this woman is his mate, his queen and he hates her guts. Yet his body wants her real bad, but he must not lose sight of what is important, his people and kingdom.

PLOT- I think it was the reawakening of two people, both facing very different obstacles. Through the foreplay, and adventure they both come to realize what it is they really want. Ryd has to get that sword and he has to fight for his woman, Sabine has to trust this demon and hope. It clearly was a look into this larger than life demon that so intrigued us, and his falling in love. Another is the budding relationship between Sabine and Ryd, let me tell you it is no easy road. I am pretty sure they wanted to murder each other at times, and things was just all the more difficult because they could never see eye to eye. Sabine can be exasperating.

FEELINGS- Not my fave but I still loved it, Sabine clearly is a little nuts but she was entertaining. I enjoyed Ryd and it was nice to see things from his point of view, I always thought he was a little bit of a bastard and needed to move and forgive his brother Cadeon. This book was very sexy, all the things these two got up to was epic. At some point, I was severely frustrated, I was like let each other cum already, and stop wasting time. I loved Sabine with the little demon boy I think those were some of her best moments, warmed my heart. I thought the ending was a little abrupt but I do appreciate there was no 100% turn over for both characters, Ryd is still uptight and Sabine is still just as selfish and nutty but she is getting there.
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Feb 03, 2010 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr, favorites

Oh Rydstrom!
This seventh book in the Immortal After Dark series was another engaging read. This time we get to see Rydstrom (*sigh*) finding love.
Rydstrom, fallen demon king of Rothkalina, is known throughout the Lore as an honorable, levelheaded rage demon. The only one to get him worked up is his brother Cadeon, other than that Rydstrom seems calm… on the outside.
However, Rydstrom is on edge lately. He wants his female, has waited for centuries for his fated one. But he has always put winnin...more

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Jan 30, 2009 Eastofoz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

This latest and much anticipated book in the IAD gets just a weak 4 star rating for me (5 if we count only the eye-candy cover ;D ). Something is off and it’s hard to say exactly what that is.

The story happens at the same time as the previous one, 'Dark Desires after Dusk', only it’s Rhydstrom’s story. There’s lots of action, the story flows and the steam is kettle whistling hot, but it seemed as if Cole tried too hard to be funny and those sex scenes that she’s usually really good at writing w...more

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Jan 17, 2009 Celeste rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kresley-cole, favorites

LOVED Kresley Cole's newest edition to her Immortals After Dark Series. I knew I was going to enjoy Rydstrom's story though while I was reading Cadeon's.

Rydstrom and Sabine were perfect for eachother. Sabine is the "evil" sorceress that kidnapped him in the beginning of Cadeon's book. Even though she frustrated me a little in the beginning of this book I grew to love her! And what's not to love about Rydstrom!? Can I have one?! ;-)

**SPOILER BELOW**

I have to say, there was something that was sa...more

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Jan 20, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, 2009, urban-fantasy, romance

Kresley Cole never disappoints me. In the previous book, Dark Desires After Dusk, we saw Rydstrom Woede, rage demon and displaced king of Rothkalina, being taken prisoner by Sabine, Queen of Illusions - and later we saw the freed Rydstrom at his home in Louisiana with Sabine manacled to his bed. So what happened? Here is their story, and it's a doozie. I love how Cole interweaves her plotlines so you get somewhat the same story but from different perspectives, different characters, and still the...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Barbara ★ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-demons, read-2009, zzcover-green, read-2011, paranormal-vampires, paranormal-witches-wizards, h-h-abused-tortured, h-h-disfigured-handicapped, set-in-usa-louisiana

January 2009
I really liked the other books in this series but just couldn't get into this one. The heroine is beyond boring and I just didn't give a rat's ass how it was going to end. I think I made it to page 100 before I gave up on it. Hopefully the next in the series will return to the previous writing style and be worth the $7.99 price.

11/23/11 UPDATE:
I picked this book up again because of a challenge that requested I give an author/book a second chance and this is the only one (since it's a...more

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Sep 28, 2009 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of steamy paranormal romance with strong fantasy elements

Shelves: alpha-hero, antihero, bad-girl-heroine, captive-kidnapped, celibate-or-less-experienced-hero, scary-sexy-cool-dangerous-hero, deceived, enemies-to-lovers, fated-to-be-mated, favorites, flawed-heroine, hero-in-pursuit, hero-to-die-for, heroine-i-adore, hot-and-steamy-romance, kickbutt-heroine, knight-in-shining-armor, opposites-attract, paranormal-romance, owned-copy, part-of-a-series, redemption, scarred-hero, scarred-heroine, demon, favorite-or-autobuy-author

This book sparkled from the first sentence. Love the lead-in with introducing Sabine's character. I finished this book yesterday and I loved it. It was dark in a way that the others weren't quite dark. The usurped kingdom of Rothkalina has some murky happenings under the helm of Omort the Deathless. I believe this is also due in part to the fact that the heroine is supposed to be evil in this story. I wouldn't exactly call her evil. I'd call her pragmatic. She's had a rough life that taught her...more This book sparkled from the first sentence. Love the lead-in with introducing Sabine's character. I finished this book yesterday and I loved it. It was dark in a way that the others weren't quite dark. The usurped kingdom of Rothkalina has some murky happenings under the helm of Omort the Deathless. I believe this is also due in part to the fact that the heroine is supposed to be evil in this story. I wouldn't exactly call her evil. I'd call her pragmatic. She's had a rough life that taught her to look out for Number One and her sister. She died several times, and faced enemies out for her blood innumerable times. She was raised in a environment where kindness was considered weakness, and where she always had to be on guard. In that context, she didn't come off as evil. But juxtaposed to virtuous King Rydstrom, she probably does seem amoral. I admired Sabine for her survivor traits and for being down to earth about who she was. She was a sensual being, she liked her gold, and she liked to dress dramatically. And she was do what was necessary and wouldn't hesitate in the doing of of it.

That is the great thing about this story. Rydstrom and Sabine are soulmates. They may not view life the same way, but I felt they were a great pair because their strengths complemented each other. And although Sabine is not exactly what Rydstrom thought he wanted in a queen, it turns out she is exactly what he needed, and vice versa.

I hesitate to call this story a redemption story, because I don't believe that Sabine is actually redeemed all that much. She does learn to let others into her heart and to allow herself to care, but she was never a person who killed for no reason or went out of her way to hurt others. Merely, she was a person who was hardened to others. And we see that she does grow in her ability to feel for others. It was nice to see her bond with the demon orphan Puck, despite the fact that she has no use for children, and her kind is raised to look down on demons. She will always be a bit of a wild card, who has moral flexibility, yet it is clear that she won't harm innocents, and is devoted to her King and would do anything for him. I truly believe she will be an excellent Queen for Rothkalina.

A purist would find some of the happenings in this book somewhat objectionable. This story has a lot of bondage, control, and captive themes. The script get flipped around and the captive becomes the captor. I didn't have issues with the way things unfold because it was very true to the characters and the storyline. Although Rydstrom is a boy scout type hero, every person has their limits as to what they will take, and he is also a Rage Demon who has been under lots of stress for millenia. So it made sense that he would explode or implode at some point. And Sabine was following through to her nature as an extreme pragmatist of a morally flexible disposition. Considering what Sabine did to Rydstrom in the first part of the book, I felt that it was fair what Rydstrom did to Sabine when he got the opportunity. The term parity was used. I believe there was definitely parity in his treatment of her. The great thing is the huge lie that he told Sabine was actually laughed off by her and she was proud of him for doing it. It was an interesting moment to read, as I was expecting the stuff to hit the fan, but Sabine laughs and says that she is proud of him for doing what he did. So in the end, they were a very interesting couple with a unique dynamic between them for a romance.

I really liked how the relationship issues were resolved between Ryd and Sabine. He didn't feel that he could trust Sabine to stay with him, and he had to learn that she would stay with him out of choice, so he had to learn to trust her love for him. Sabine had to learn to do what she said she would instead of lying all the time, which she did. She had to learn to trust someone to take care of her, as she had always taken care of herself or her sister, and vice versa. And she had to learn to allow herself to be loved and to trust in that love. She wanted a strong man, but then she had to realize that a strong man would want to protect his woman. For a woman used to being in control, surrendering control must have been extremely difficult. I can understand having those issues, because I don't like depending on others or being under someone's control. So in that way I could identify with her, due to my own trust and control issues.

The world-building and fantasy elements in this story were excellent. It was exciting to keep reading and to see more of the Lore world that Cole has written. Fundamentally, this is a very steamy paranormal romance, but it is also just as good as fantasy on the sword and sorceror side, if the readers doesn't mind lots of steamy, descriptive sex scenes. The humor is also excellent, and I found myself laughing out loud many times. I really admire the way that Cole can combine humor and intensity in her books. She is the queen of great one liners. This along with the sexy men and their devotion to the women they love, is what keeps me coming back to her books, and the Immortals After Dark in particular. Not to mention the wonderful, mythical world she has created, using her imagination, and the old folklore and myths that I grew up reading. And I love that her heroines are strong and real-life, with their share of flaws and admirable traits.

It was great to get inside of the Demon King's head and to see his conflict with Cadeon from his viewpoint. To see what his struggle has been. And his loneliness waiting for his true female. You feel for him because all along, having a woman to love was probably just as important as regaining his throne, but he couldn't wear his heart on his sleeve since he was a King. Thus issues are deeper than it seemed on the outside. Yes, Ryd was upset that his kingdom was lost, but he also was upset with the way he felt that Cadeon was wasting his life. I was glad to see the brothers make up and come to an understanding of each other. Rydstrom turns out to be a three-dimensional character with a good and a bad side, and with scores of passion locked inside of his methodical demeanor. He is as intense as they came, and boy do I love the intense heroes. I loved his fixation on Sabine, although at times, it seemed quite out of control, but then Sabine was a pretty maddening heroine to deal with for a man/demon like Rydstrom. I was glad that in my opinion, he never truly hurt her or did anything beyond the pale, based on their unusual relationship.

It's also great to see appearances by other members of the Lore, such as Nix, who always has a rather pivotal role, Holly, fighting off some massive morning sickness, and a brief appearance by Regin. It's like seeing old friends again, and catching up. We also get to meet some new characters that I hope to see more of. I feel that there is much to be resolved between Sabine's sister Melanthe and Thronos, who is out for her blood. Future couple? I think yes. I am also intrigued by Lothaire, a Fallen vampire, who seems like he may not be as evil as one would think.

So when this book ended, I was sad. I wanted to read more, and experience more of this universe. But I enjoyed every moment of the reading. I hope that Cole continues to write these books long into the future, and I can't wait to see how the Ascension goes down, as we see the formidable Lore being paired up and forming the force for the good.(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: guilty-pleasure, read-2011, ebook, favorite-series, re-read, read-2012

I think I've achieved what no mere mortal ever has...I read a Kresley Cole novel with no sex scenes. Some giant tosser (literally) ripped out EVERY SINGLE ONE, from the library book I borrowed and I still managed to enjoy the story enough to finish it! I know, I know, I am that freaky. Although my enjoyment of the book was hampered by the pure hatred I felt for the asshole who would dare defile a book!! Also, I couldn't stop imagining what kind of depraved soul would do that...loser!

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Jan 17, 2013 Kajol rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kajol by: Aly (Mircea) Basarab

Shelves: adult-fiction, ass-kicking-totally-awesome-heroine, demons, favorites, humor, magic-mumbo-jumbo, paranormal, romance, witches-wizards-warlocks

Rating: 4.4 stars!

Holy smokes batman!

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The opening of this story just deserves some really hot, delectable smooches and a huge whoo-hoo in the name of beginning with a bang. Just, wow. Man, I need a moment to take all the screaming and fangirling and feelings, digest them while I settle down, and not barf them into a jumble of nonsense that, while displays my current state of ecstasy, wastes nothing but time.

Do you know what makes this novel as awesome as it is? Do you?

Sabine. That woman is like a...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Brenda (b) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, 1-print-books, 2-2009-read

Another great installment of the Immortals After Dark series. I liked the fact that Rydstrom actually tried to think through how to change Sabine's mind about him. "Do nothing irrevocable." IMO, a good motto for a demon king trying to deal with a contrary sorceress.

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Feb 05, 2011 Peep (Pop! Pop!) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: pretty-much-hated, read-in-2011, seriously-didn-t-like, so-not-impressed, what-the-heck, adult-cravings

I was really disappointed in this one. For the first time in a long time I found myself skimming (and at times skipping) pages in a book.

As I did with the Gena Showalter book, I have a hard time dealing with childish immortals (haha, never thought I'd say that sentence out loud. Ever.). I did not like Sabine. I have a hard time liking characters like her. Plus, she didn't want me to like her anyway. Mission accomplished. She lied, she stole, she was self centered, a *virgin* seductress (rolls ey...more I was really disappointed in this one. For the first time in a long time I found myself skimming (and at times skipping) pages in a book.

As I did with the Gena Showalter book, I have a hard time dealing with childish immortals (haha, never thought I'd say that sentence out loud. Ever.). I did not like Sabine. I have a hard time liking characters like her. Plus, she didn't want me to like her anyway. Mission accomplished. She lied, she stole, she was self centered, a *virgin* seductress (rolls eyes), and just not at all likable. She was cold and heartless. I didn't fall for the attempts to make me feel sorry for her or to feel her plight. That's life Sabine, get over it (haha, maybe I should take my own advice). You've had centuries to get over yourself. News Flash: Nearly all the immortals have had hard lives. Hello? Why do you think they got their own books? Take a note from the Valkerie, girly. Look at how they can be girly, psychotic, demanding, and awesome - all without the reader hating them!

Rydstrom was semi likable in the previous books but he was basically dominated for all the parts that I read in this one. And when he did get a chance to dominate, he was ho hum. You are a rage demon. Where is the rage? Actually, there was rage, but hardly any action. Disappointing.

Out of all the books, this was probably the steamiest. I know a lot of people don't mind (judging by all the good reviews here), but I did. It was so annoying and repetitive. There were probably about 4 pages total that weren't steamy. I blame myself. I had this idea of Rydstrom in my head and the book just shattered it. For all I know, this could have been some type of impostor. Certainly not the same Demon King that I'd read about in books past.

Sheesh, just looked at the synopsis. I usually don't read them until after I finish the book but man, I could've avoided this major migraine had I read it beforehand.

I'm not going to give up on the series, because I want to know what happens. This book really knocked the series down for me though. Not what I was expecting, nor was it what I wanted.

It wasn't all bad. I did enjoy the relationship between Sabine and her sister Lanthe.

Favorite word: berserker!(less)

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Aug 23, 2012 Megan Riverina Romantics/Meggerfly~TS rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Kresley Cole lovers

Shelves: paranormal-romance, other-worlds, bdsm

Kiss of a Demon King is the 7th book in Cole's IAD series. It is Sabine's and Rydstrom's story.

Sabine is a Sorceri, the Queen of Illusions, and the anointed princess of Rothkalina. Rydstrom Woede is the fallen demon king of Rothkalina. We first met Rydstrom in No Rest for The Wicked and Sabine in Dark Desires After Dusk. Sabine was foretold to be Rydstrom's mate ages ago and she kept herself pure for him. Mostly though to protect herself. When she comes for Rydstrom, imprisoning him, she thinks...more

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Feb 15, 2010 Zeek rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites-all-time, favorites-pnr, pnr, favorite-author, pnr-kitchen-sink

Rydstrom Woede has been desperate to get his throne back from the evil Sorcerer Omort- who cannot be killed- ever since he lost it centuries ago. Nothing else matters to him. On the way to recover a weapon repudiated to do the impossible, he gets waylaid by a beautiful woman who is not all she appears to be.

Sabine the Queen of Illusions is only carrying out her ogre of a brother's wishes because it just happens to fit in with HER plans. But when she captures the once and future demon king, Rydst...more

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May 16, 2013 D.G. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, paranormal, reviewed

**3.5 stars**

I didn't like this one as much as the previous book but I enjoyed it nevertheless. The narration was awesome as usual.

I hoped that we would have a different sort of hero as Rydstrom was supposed to be cool and logical but all that fell down the wayside when he got captured by Sabine. Not that I blamed him but I wished the story had progressed a bit differently.

Sabine seemed really horrible at the beginning but you sort of warm up to her by the end. I really liked how things were res...more

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Feb 03, 2009 Barbara M. rated it 2 of 5 stars

2 Stars??? I know!!! My friends are going to think I've lost my mind but I just didn't like it that much. I don't think I've ever given Cole less than 4 Stars so I do feel kind of guilty for dishing out the 2. The main reason I didn't like "Kiss of The Demon King" was the first half of the book was the same thing over and over and over (tie him up...tease him...tie him up...tease him...talk to my sister...tie him up...tease him...talk to my sister...)Blah! I love this author, but this book was a...more

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Sep 04, 2010 willaful rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hero-is-the-good-brother, good-boy-bad-girl, heroes-behaving-badly, heroines-behaving-badly, old-skool, starchy-hero-gets-unstarched, series, timeshare-series, angsty-goodness, prisoner-of-love, secrets-and-lies

Kiss of a Demon King had me thinking constantly about the nature of the romance novel, the tension between modern and old school style, what it means for a character to be good or evil. Unfortunately while I was doing all that, I was not getting sucked into the story. If I were taking a university class, I would write a paper on it... but will I ever want to reread it? I'm not sure.

We have a classic Old Skool romance relationship here. Long standing family feud, she kidnaps him and torments him...more

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Jun 20, 2009 PT rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, demons, enemies-turned-lovers, paranormal, romance, scarred-hero-heroine, serial, shape-shifters, vampires, werewolves, whoa-nelly-sexy, witches

OK, I SO hoping that I would like this book because Rydstorm (isn't that the sexiest name) was my favorite Woede. Plus, I love it when the calm, analytical ones loose it. Plus (yes, another plus), the little tidbits that we got of the story in Dark Desires After Dusk were very intriguing. I really liked Sabine and her sister Melanthe. They do exactly what they want, not caring if their actions are of questionable eithics. While I enjoyed how Sabine "tortured" Rydstorm while at Tornin, but I thou...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Carolyn F. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, favorites

Love this book! Sabine is a great character. She cracked me up from the beginning when she sits the crazies down to tell them a story. So funny. I loved her with Rydstrom. Would totally recommend this book.

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Jul 16, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, fated-mates, virgin-heroines, tortured-heros, demons, kick-ass-heroines, witchcraft, love-hate-relationship

Kiss of the Demon King
4.5 Stars

Synopsis
Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, lures Rydstrom Woede, deposed King of the Rage Demons to her lair in order to seduce him and produce an heir. Not only does Rydstrom plan to escape but is also determined to claim Sabine as his own. Can these too unlikely lovers overcome the obstacles in their past and defeat the sinister foe standing in the way of their predestined future?

Review
Rydstrom's scene at the end of Dark Desires After Dusk had me salivating to read...more Kiss of the Demon King
4.5 Stars

Synopsis
Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, lures Rydstrom Woede, deposed King of the Rage Demons to her lair in order to seduce him and produce an heir. Not only does Rydstrom plan to escape but is also determined to claim Sabine as his own. Can these too unlikely lovers overcome the obstacles in their past and defeat the sinister foe standing in the way of their predestined future?

Review
Rydstrom's scene at the end of Dark Desires After Dusk had me salivating to read this one and I wasn't disappointed.

Rydstrom is seriously smokin' and I wouldn't mind keeping him in my dungeon (if I had one). Nevertheless, he is not only a pretty face but honest and honorable, fierce and lusty.

Sabine grew on me like a fungus. Even though she classifies herself as evil, I saw her as a powerful woman willing to do anything to survive. Yes, she is immoral, ruthless, manipulative and untrustworthy but she has her reasons and she is never intentionally cruel or vicious (unless keeping a man sexually frustrated is considered cruel and unusual punishment - he didn't seem to mind too much...).

Sabine and Rydstrom are a perfect, if ironic, match and their clash of wills and battle for dominance is very entertaining (theirs is definitely the most erotic romance so far). Moreover, their journey toward mutual acceptance and a deep emotional connection makes this an excellent addition to the series.

The writing is wonderful as usual and the story within a story prologue establishes the darker tone and atmosphere that characterizes the book as well as providing insight into Sabine's nature. The secondary characters are very compelling, especially Lanthe and Thronos (there's another book in there) and Lothaire - there are no words to describe how much he intrigues me.

Couple of nitpicks - the dungeon scenes are too drawn out and although Omort's demise is satisfying, it is too rushed and a little anti-climactic given all the build up of the war in previous books.

Overall, two thumbs up! (less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Exina rated it 3 of 5 stars

"This demon's a tricky one," Sabine continued. "I suspect that both his mind and desires are complicated."
"No way. I can almost hear him saying, Me big demon, me lusty!"

I have to admit that in the “Immortals After Dark” series I like “Kiss of a Demon King” the least.

It has many positive aspects, but also many, many things I disliked about it.

First, I was forced to reread what I have already known about the world of the Lore. Although very important information was also offered, such as the stor...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Kiki Dufoulon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Book seven in the series gives us a good helping of Rydstrom Woede the fallen King of Rothkalina, and introduces us all to Sabine of the Sorceri, Queen of Illusions. Being the adopted sister of Omort the Deathless and fated Female to Rystrom, her brothers enemy, Sabine is set the task of capturing and seducing the fallen King in order to open the mystical Well through the death of his heir. Enraged by his imprisonment Rydstrom escapes, intent on making her suffer he takes his deceitful Female wi...more Book seven in the series gives us a good helping of Rydstrom Woede the fallen King of Rothkalina, and introduces us all to Sabine of the Sorceri, Queen of Illusions. Being the adopted sister of Omort the Deathless and fated Female to Rystrom, her brothers enemy, Sabine is set the task of capturing and seducing the fallen King in order to open the mystical Well through the death of his heir. Enraged by his imprisonment Rydstrom escapes, intent on making her suffer he takes his deceitful Female with him. However, with each smoldering encounter their shared desire increase. If they can defeat the sinister enemy between them will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice for her Demon, or will the proud King lay down his crown and arms to save his sorceress.

I really enjoyed this book, with all these gorgeous Demons it's getting real hard for me to choose a favorite now. As usual its packed full of action, betrayal, lust, love, and emotional turmoil - I love that phrase... lol. The way Rydstrom the normally calm, level-headed King went crazed for his tease of a Female Sabine was great. I guess it was expected after centuries of waiting for his one true mate, only to have her torture and abuse him. Strangely it made me melt for him, even though I tend to run from unstable males. The broody, tortured thing totally does it for me, but I was like a little wow when he started acting out... lol. And even though she was a major bitch I couldn't help but love Sabine. Her mess-with-me-and-die attitude, along with her hidden vulnerability and love for Rydstrom is what made her. She Rocks!!

I swear this book is jam packed with the steamiest, sex scenes ever!! Starting with all Sabine's teasing in the cell. However, I did find some of it a little wrong - as in all the abuse!! I mean they wanted each other, Sabine fought it at first, but she wanted Rydstrom. So why be rough with him, and have him man-handled in that area!! Not nice lady!! But then again, look what happens when he gets carried away in there!! Anywho, it gets better and Rydstrom gets his own back as he tortures Sabine in that sexual way of his - from the spanking in the woods to their wee dip in the lake. Grr... And finally there is their mating - all I can say is HOT!!

The fight scenes are great too, and you know me and my action - I love it!! It's the fights that make a book, in my opinion anyway. And Kresley knows how to write a good fight scene. Her immortals can work it...lol. The big confrontation with Omort at the end of the book is great!! I swear I was at the edge of my seat, you'll have to read it for yourselves, but it is great. I also loved the sacrifice Sabine made for Rydstrom at the end of the book, even if I did hate him a little for keeping her from her sister and the Morsus that Omort drugged them with. But the hate didn't last long cause it was obvious that he loved her and would die for her if need be. I loved these two, and hopefully we'll more of them in future books. But for know go out and grab this one, it'll totally be worth your time to read it.
(less)

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Dec 08, 2010 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this last year, but I just realized my review was like 3 sentences and pretty crappy for such an awesome book!

I love Rydstrom, and have loved him since the beginning of the Talisman's Hie.

He has been looking for centuries for his female, hoping to find a noblewoman of his kind, but never in million years did he think he'd be stuck with Sabine the Queen of Illusions.

She takes him prisoner in Cade's book, remember? Well, now we find out what she does with him. See Sabine's not on the same...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Lisa Lap rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-books-read, fantasy, fiction, paranormal, paranormalromance

Talk about sexual tension. This book was riddled with it and the payoff was great. I loved the constant battle of wills between Sabine and Rydstrom. Great interaction, realistic back and forth teasing and aggression. Believable sexual build up. Hot and heavy - with flames (illusion or not) exploding around them when they finally came together. Sabine's slow defection to the good side was extremely enjoyable to read as she warred with herself against her feelings of Rydstrom. It was also nice to...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Lorelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-i-want-to-read, series-to-finish-by-end-2013

3.5 I guess. This might be an unfair rating. Ive been trying to cram in too many PNRs lately, so that next month I dont have to read any, so ive been skimming an awful lot. I think I have to reduce my reads. I was really looking forward to Rydstroms book, but i skimmed the last 100 pages. I dont like it when the main focus is just game playing and loads of inner monologue of does she/he doesnt she/he love me/telling me the truth.

I thought id love the story along with this one, thinking that it...more

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Kiss of a Demon King (Immortals After Dark #7)

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