Playing Easy to Get (Includes: B.A.D. Series, #1.5; Vikings Underground, #3; Immortals After Dark, #1)

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Playing Easy to Get (Immortals After Dark #1)

by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole (Goodreads Author), Jaid Black

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 7,061 ratings · 278 reviews

New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon and rising stars Jaid Black and Kresley Cole unlock the pleasures and perils of embracing the boldest and most powerful of lovers -- 100% alpha males -- in three sensually erotic tales. Discover the physical rapture of his muscular arms.... Become a prisoner of passion, swept away by an encounter with his primal side.... A...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published February 7th 2006 by Gallery Books (first published 2006)

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Jun 06, 2009 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, alpha-hero, antihero, assassin, bad-girl-heroine, captive-kidnapped, enemies-to-lovers, fated-to-be-mated, forced-bride, hero-in-pursuit, hero-to-die-for, hot-and-steamy-romance, kickbutt-heroine, norse-mythology, owned-copy, paranormal-romance, part-of-a-series, scarred-hero, warrior

This book excels because of The Warlord Wants Forever, the first Immortals After Dark story by Kresley Cole. I actually read this one second because I read A Hunger Like No Other first. I remember reading A Hunger and being like, "Who are Myst and Nikolai?" When I realized that there was a prequel short story, I was on the hunt to get it. Finally I found it at a Half Price Books in San Antonio. I bought it and read it when I was in Denver for training. I actually read it about 2 and 1/2 times. I...more This book excels because of The Warlord Wants Forever, the first Immortals After Dark story by Kresley Cole. I actually read this one second because I read A Hunger Like No Other first. I remember reading A Hunger and being like, "Who are Myst and Nikolai?" When I realized that there was a prequel short story, I was on the hunt to get it. Finally I found it at a Half Price Books in San Antonio. I bought it and read it when I was in Denver for training. I actually read it about 2 and 1/2 times. I love this story so much. It's short but it's very hot and sweet. So well written, with characters that jump off the page at you. I thought I loved Lachlain, until I met Nikolai. The man is so delicious to me, and like Myst, I can't resist his scars and his warrior essence. It has a captive theme, so that might not work for some. As the saying goes, I would not kick Nikolai out of bed for eating crackers. Yet honestly, Nikolai is not a gentle lover, but Myst doesn't exactly play fair either. In the IAD universe vampires are unable to have sex until they meet their Bride who 'bloods' them. And then, watch out. Well, Myst is Nikolai's bride, despite the fact that as a valkyrie she hates vampires and kills their kind. She actually exploits the fact that she can 'blood' vampires and has killed them by almost seducing them. Well she feels an attraction to Nikolai despite her hatred of vamps. When she 'bloods' him, she leaves him hanging, in desperate need that only she can assuage for five years. Talk about frustration. This story has excellent chemistry, and the skill of Cole's writing shines in this short story. She is so good at combining humor, action, and writing characters that burn for each other.

Although I do love Sherrilyn Kenyon, I have not been enthralled by her BAD stories. They are just too ordinary for me. I really like what she does with paranormal in contemporaries, and I miss it when it's not there.

The Jaid Black story was pretty unique with the modern vikings who steal women to take underground. This is one is also a captive/kidnapped story with a bit of forced seduction if that is not a person's cup of tea. It was good, and I enjoyed it. However, I would say read this collection for the Kresley Cole story!(less)

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Mar 25, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, 2008, romance, novella

My ratings for the three separate stories are:
☆☆☆ for Turn Up the Heat by Sherrilyn Kenyon
☆☆☆☆ for Hunter's Oath by Jaid Black
☆☆☆☆☆ for The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole

I bought this book specifically for the Cole story, as it is technically #1 in the series and I've already read #2 & 3 - and god it was good! Very hot and steamy, and very well written, it's obvious she wrote it at the same time as book #2 because at the end there they overlap.

Hunter's Oath was really good too, and s...more

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Mar 20, 2009 Mojca rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, series-bad, contemporary-romance, part-of-a-series, kenyon-macgregor, suspense-mystery-adventure-thriller, kresley-cole, paranormal-romance-fantasy, immortals-after-dark, vampires, own, bodyguard-military-merc-gov-cop-leo, cover-hunkiness

I expected a little more from this anthology since the blurbs promised a bang that the stories just didn't deliver.
Sherrilyn Kenyon's contribution was typical SK. A goody-two-shoes heroine with no life whatsoever that needs just the right guy to unleash the temptress that's lurking just beneath her holier-than-thou facade. A tall, dark, and dangerous hero with a shady past and a murderous "family" bossman on his tight ass, that just happens to have a penchant for the Dairy Maid thing the heroin...more I expected a little more from this anthology since the blurbs promised a bang that the stories just didn't deliver.
Sherrilyn Kenyon's contribution was typical SK. A goody-two-shoes heroine with no life whatsoever that needs just the right guy to unleash the temptress that's lurking just beneath her holier-than-thou facade. A tall, dark, and dangerous hero with a shady past and a murderous "family" bossman on his tight ass, that just happens to have a penchant for the Dairy Maid thing the heroine has going on.
The premise was promising, but the acting-out-a-book scenario and the slowness of the pace ruined it for me. Luckily Joe Public, BAD leader, made a small appearance in the end, bringing a much needed ray of sunshine in this rather boring story.

I'm growing rather tired of Jaid Black's Viking stories. There's nothing interesting about a bunch of Vikings buried underground because of a crazy prophecy. They might appear interesting for a while, though the softness-of-heart could be toned down a bit - getting old and boring, but whenever I start enjoying the story, bam, there goes the mention of them living underground because of a crazy prophecy, and my interest withers and dies a slow and agonizing death.
This one was no exception...And it was too short to even make it believable (despite the living underground because of a crazy prophecy).

I'm not sure about Kresley Cole's novella. One moment I liked it, than something the hero or heroine (or both) did got me disliking it with a passion. I just couldn't relate to neither of them, not fully. They were quite perfect fiction characters, both with major flaws, both with huge chips on their shoulders, so reading about them and their journey should've been quite a ride, yet I just couldn't go past the fact she was a psychotic nutcase and him a jealousy-prone, possessive jerk. But that's just me.
The sneak peek for Ms. Cole's next novel, the first full installment in the Immortals After Dark series was quite promising, so I'm truly hoping for the best.(less)

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Feb 09, 2009 LibraryLass rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, monthly-challenges

Yee-ha! Off on another series adventure. I only read Kresley Coles' "The warlord wants forever" cos I wanted to start her series. Loved it. Took me a little time to get into the 'other world' as I am not used to reading fantastical fiction. But once in I was hooked. Can't wait to get to the official first in the series "A hunger like no other."

I thought the romance between Nikolae and Myst was yummy. Just the right mix of friction and romance. The sex was hot (about my limit - but oh so good). I...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, fantasy-romance, 5-star-romance, romantic-suspense

First two stories great, the third ok.

5 stars for HUNTER’S OATH by Jaid Black.

STORY BRIEF:
Sophia attended her brother’s funeral in Alaska. She takes a taxi to the airport, but the driver locks her inside and instead drives her to a cabin in a remote area of Alaska. Two tall, weird mountain men pay money to the taxi driver and take Sophia to an underground society of Viking people. There is a shortage of women, so they kidnap women from above and sell them on the auction block to be wives to the...more

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Apr 13, 2008 Eastofoz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This anthology is terrible except for the Kresley Cole story that is actually a story and not just a mishmash of lame story-telling and poor borderline erotica pulled together at the last minute. Cole's story, that starts the IAD, is the only thing holding a 3 star review. The story itself is worth a 3.5-4 stars the others are worth a 2.

Jaid Black's "Hunter's Oath" starts out alright but it quickly turns into a syrupy sweet rushed blob of goo and suddenly you have this non-sensical HEA. The sex...more This anthology is terrible except for the Kresley Cole story that is actually a story and not just a mishmash of lame story-telling and poor borderline erotica pulled together at the last minute. Cole's story, that starts the IAD, is the only thing holding a 3 star review. The story itself is worth a 3.5-4 stars the others are worth a 2.

Jaid Black's "Hunter's Oath" starts out alright but it quickly turns into a syrupy sweet rushed blob of goo and suddenly you have this non-sensical HEA. The sex is there for the sake of having some sex even if it is part of the so-called story line. The hero has the hots for a terrified woman being sold naked at a marriage auction block like a slave. She's oiled and shaved everywhere --this is what I mean by bad erotica. I think it was intended as erotica but for me anyway, it was a far cry from it because of the abject fear that the poor heroine was experiencing. Pretty creepy if he's all hot and bothered over that. It also gets preechy about religion at one point--right out of left field that one! The author felt the need to moralize I guess which stuck out like a sore thumb. It's poorly written and just silly. The HEA is 100% gag worthy.

Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Turn up the Heat" starts out well too but quickly spirals into just plain stupidity. It's like a bad episode from the Sopranos at one point. The whole mafia thing is so stereotypical that it's not funny. She tried way too hard and it just didn't work. Her heroine, this plain Jane little mouse of a woman suddenly morphs into a Lara Croft sex kitten knowing the ins and outs of how to use a .22 and a glock--all because she was raised on a farm in the American mid-west--it doesn't get any more unbelievable than that. Everybody is calling everybody "baby" and loving each other after 20 minutes of being together. This is some very bad stuff.

Kresely's Cole's "The Warlord Wants Forever" is a real story that the author put some effort into writing. Good thing I started with that one and not the other two otherwise it'd have quickly been tossed into the DNF pile. It goes a bit fast but it is a short story so it can be overlooked. The full length books in the series are better. She does a great job building up tension and she tells a plausible story. Too bad you can't just buy this story and spend less money than on the $14 anthology of garbage.(less)

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Jan 21, 2012 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, contemporary, paranormal-romance, read-2012, romance

I read this mainly for "The Warlord Wants Forever." I just finished A Hunger Like No Other, and I decided I wanted to know more about what Myst and Nikolai Wroth were up to while Emmaline and Lachlain were having their adventures. I decided that I might as well read the other stories too, while I had the anthology. That turned out to be a mistake.

Note that I gave the whole anthology a 3-star rating because I just didn't know how else to compromise between my very disparate ratings of the three...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

Playing Easy To Get is an erotic romance anthology that I wanted to read for the story by Kresley Cole which is part of her Immortals After Dark series. I've heard a lot of good things about Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series for so was also looking forward to trying her B.A.D series. I've not read anything by Jaid Black before either so this was a good way to try a couple of new to me authors. Overall I'd say this book is worth reading for the stories by Kresley Cole and Sherrilyn Kenyon but...more Playing Easy To Get is an erotic romance anthology that I wanted to read for the story by Kresley Cole which is part of her Immortals After Dark series. I've heard a lot of good things about Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series for so was also looking forward to trying her B.A.D series. I've not read anything by Jaid Black before either so this was a good way to try a couple of new to me authors. Overall I'd say this book is worth reading for the stories by Kresley Cole and Sherrilyn Kenyon but I wasn't that keen on Jaid Black story. I'd recommend this if you're a fan of any of the authors included in the anthology or if you'd like to try out any of these series or authors. I'm giving this 4 stars based on the Cole & Kenyon stories.

Turn Up the Heat - Sherrilyn Kenyon 4/5 Stars
This is the first story I've read in Sherrilyn Kenyon's BAD series and I thought it was an enjoyable story. When Vince and Allison meet the attraction is instant and things build very quickly between them but you have to expect that in a romance novella when there isn't much time to build a relationship slowly. I liked both of the main characters and thought they complimented each other well. I will definitely be checking out more books in this series as I'm very curious to find out more about the Bureau of American Defense and the men and women who work for them.

Hunter's Oath - Jaid Black 2/5 Stars
This was my least favorite story in the anthology - I just didn't like the way the heroine Sofia is kidnapped and then sold as a Bride in a a secret underground Viking world she was taken to. The "Brides" are basically given no choice in the matter and might as well be being sold into slavery. Force fed an aphrodisiac before the auction she has no choice but to consumate her new marriage unless she wants to be in unbearable pain. I found the whole thing completely unbelievable and it just wasn't my kind of story. I don't think I'll be reading any more of this series.

The Warlord Wants Forever - Kresley Cole 4/5 Stars
This story was the main reason I wanted to read the anthology as I've already read the next 3 books in the Immortals After Dark series and it was my favorite story in the book. I have to confess that I wasn't that keen on Myst at the start of the story but she did grow on me as I got to know her better and I really liked Wroth from the beginning. This is a great introduction to the series if you haven't started reading it yet and it's a series I would definitely recommend to paranormal romance fans.(less)

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Jan 14, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: immortals-after-dark, anthology, pararnormal-romance

With two of my favorite authors involved, I knew I would enjoy the anthology Playing Easy to Get.

The first of three novellas was Sherrilyn Kenyon's “Turn Up the Heat.” This offering is loosely tied in to her Bad Agency series, but only just-barely. The story focuses on Allison, an average woman from Georgia, who works in a dead end job and has no prospects for love. She spent several of the last several years caring for a dying mother. Just just broke up with her two timing boyfriend. And her fa...more With two of my favorite authors involved, I knew I would enjoy the anthology Playing Easy to Get.

The first of three novellas was Sherrilyn Kenyon's “Turn Up the Heat.” This offering is loosely tied in to her Bad Agency series, but only just-barely. The story focuses on Allison, an average woman from Georgia, who works in a dead end job and has no prospects for love. She spent several of the last several years caring for a dying mother. Just just broke up with her two timing boyfriend. And her favorite escape is found in her steamy romance novels.

An old friend helps Allison win a contest designed to let a romance reader live out her fantasy on an island for a week. It’s there she meets Vince. He’s on the run from the Mafia and hiding out there among the actors. Sparks fly between them and things heat up quickly. Of course, the bad guys are on Vince’s tail. But the island is also a training station for some members of the BAD Agency. So, in the end, familiar faces Joe & Tee help save the day.

The second story was “Hunter’s Oath” by Jaid Black. I did not enjoy it. Our leading lady, Sofia, has been kidnapped from Alaska and dragged to an underground Viking world to be auctioned off as a Viking’s bride. She is stripped nude, put on an auction block, and purchased. And in the end, she falls for her new husband and comes to accept their way of life. I’m sorry. I just can’t get past the premise.

The final novella was “The Warlord Wants Forever,” the story that kicks off Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. The book is worth it for this story alone. It features Niklolai Wroth, a vampire warlord, who meets his fated Bride, Myst the Valkyrie. Myst is a prisoner in the castle Wroth has conquered. He hopes to use her to learn more about the creatures of the supernatural community, but he can’t resist his attraction to her. The feeling is mutual, but Myst’s Valkyrie sisters rescue her before they can consummate their relationship. So Wroth spends five painful years searching for his missing Bride. When he finally finds her, he finds out he can control her by wielding the chain he pulls from around her waist. Only, it’s not the power of the chain that makes Myst fall for her warlord. It happens all on its own. As with all IAD stories, this one is hot and super sexy. And we get to read the foundation for the main storylines in several books to come.

Alone, I’d give the Sherrilyn Kenyon story 4 stars, the Jaid Black story 2 stars, and the Kresley Cole story 5 stars. An anthology worth the time and the money.

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Jul 09, 2008 Mahlet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr, own, series

I based my rating on The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole (5 stars) and Hunter’s Oath by Jaid Black (3 stars). I skipped Sherrilyn Kenyon’s story, Turn Up The Heat, based on friends’ comments here.

The Warlord Wants Forever is a short story that introduces readers to the immensely popular Immortals After Dark Series. If you actually started out the series with book one, “A Hunger Like No Other”, then you’ve already met the h/h of this story: valkyrie Myst the Coveted, and turned vampire and...more I based my rating on The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole (5 stars) and Hunter’s Oath by Jaid Black (3 stars). I skipped Sherrilyn Kenyon’s story, Turn Up The Heat, based on friends’ comments here.

The Warlord Wants Forever is a short story that introduces readers to the immensely popular Immortals After Dark Series. If you actually started out the series with book one, “A Hunger Like No Other”, then you’ve already met the h/h of this story: valkyrie Myst the Coveted, and turned vampire and general of the Forbearers army, Nikolai Wroth. In A Hunger Like No Other, Myst and Wroth are already a couple, so like me, you may have considered skipping this anthology because you know how their story ends and Myst and Wroth just trace in and out of a few scenes in book one, but don’t make a huge impression – well DON’T! Don’t skip their story! Although The Warlord Wants Forever is considered a short story, it’s a nice meaty 150 pages, and makes up nearly half of this “anthology”. In true Kresley Cole form, the story and bond between the h/h was extremely sexy, passionate, and palpable. In the beginning, they hurt and/or planned to hurt each other, although their attraction to one another was making matters difficult. Great tension here! And when Wroth finds Myst after five years of sexual torture (which was inflicted by her), his pain and wanting come across so real…..Add to that a moving ending and a HEA. The Warlord Wants Forever is the best story in this book; I pretty much re-read it just as soon as I was finished. I was really that good and worth the cost of this entire anthology.

I also enjoyed Hunter’s Oath. It was a little short, but since that meant more room for Wroth & Myst, I was happy! The beginning of Hunter’s Oath took a little adjusting as they kept referring to women as “wenches.” Once I got over that, it was smooth sailing and a wonderful, sweet story. Somehow, the author took the scenario of a young lonely woman being snatched by a “bride-hunter”, taken to a secret underground Viking world, then placed onto an auctioning block and sold into marriage to a sexy nobleman…..and yet the heroine and the reader will still fall hard for this Viking hero ;)
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Mar 27, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of romantic erotica

Shelves: romantica-erotica

Hmm. It took me a while to figure out what to say about this erotica anthology. The first novella is by Sherrilyn Kenyon, and it is too short. It’s also not erotica, but romance. The problem was she created a totally yummy hero, Vince, but only gives us one very short and very meh love scene when he finally gets together with the heroine (don’t do that to me!! *grin). Usually Kenyon writes some of the best sex scenes in PNR, so I have no idea what happened here with this one.

The second too short...more

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Shannon (Giraffe Days) I didn't think it was supposed to be erotica, actually. I mean, it's not marketed as such, only romance.

I'm so disappointed you didn't like "The Warlo...more
Mar 27, 2008 09:36am

Laura Hi, Shannon (big wave!)--

I read your review before I read the Warlords story. When I finished it I could see why you liked it. I know you are a fan of...more
Mar 27, 2008 10:13am

Jul 23, 2008 Ladiibbug rated it 4 of 5 stars

Romance Anthol.

"Turn Up The Heat" (non-PNR) - Sherrilyn Kenyon

One more fun, exciting adventure featuring the men & women of B.A.D. (Bureau of American Defense (think off-the-books CIA-like).

I LOVE her BAD series - many are stories in anthol's. - and wish she'd write another full-length BAD book.

"Hunter's Oath" (PNR) - Jaid Black

Cool, I stumbled over a 2nd JB anthol. story featuring the hidden underground world of the Vikings! Must check out this author.

"The Warlord Wants Forever" (PNR) - K...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Kathrynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series-iad_cole, romance-paranormal, own, hot, 2006, reviewed, anthology

"The Warlord Wants Forever" by Kresley Cole starts her Immortals After Dark Series and was my favorite in this book. Series order is:
1. This one
2. A Hunger Like No Other
3. No Rest for the Wicked
4. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
5. Dark Needs at Nights Edge (releases May 2008)
6. Dark Desires After Dusk (releases June 2008)

"Hunters Oath" by Jaid Black is her Warlords of the Viking Underground Series,#3 and was very...different. Series order is:
1. Beseiged in "The Hunted,"
2. Hunter's Right in "T...more

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Oct 10, 2008 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire, paranormal-romance-urban-fantasy, 2008

The second story, Hunter's Oath by Jaid Black was okay, but both the characters and the plot were underdeveloped. I know its a short story, but come on!! Build a little! The Sherrilyn Kenyon story, Turn up the Heat, sucked quite frankly. I think that I really just don't like her writing style. It's stilted and juvenile. The Kresley Cole story, The Warlord Wants Forever, is by far the class of the book. Its the begining of her Immortals After Dark series, which is one of my favorites of the paran...more

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Jan 06, 2009 j.elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, kresley-cole, sherrilyn-kenyon

These are three of my favorite authors, and I really enjoyed all three stories. This book includes “Turn up the Heat: B.A.D. #5″ by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It feels like this was one of Sherrilyn’s earlier writings, not quite as high a level of writing skills as her other works, however I enjoyed the story of a man hiding out from the mafia and a women who wins a free fantasy vacation. Jaid Black’s story “Hunter’s Oath: Vikings Underground #3 was a series I read and loved on from a long time ago and t...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Lyndi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Hunter's Oath by Jaid Black
Meh. It's hard to get into a slave-bride story. I was mostly annoyed by Sofia's adamant refusal to just accept reality. I understand wanting to escape, but she herself said she had nothing and nobody to escape to. She wanted to start a new life. Well, bitch, here it is! Fucking start. And after admitting to herself that she knew escape was impossible, she still wouldn't let it go. I'm sorry, but if I were kidnapped and taken to a strange new world that nobody had ever...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Pat aka Tygyr rated it 4 of 5 stars

Each of the novellas in this book were very good. All were PNR. 2 novellas had dragons, demons, merpeople, centaurs, and I have probably forgotten several. Humans invade Atlantis and chaos ensues. The middle novella, has a modern day Viking civilization living underground. Brides are auctioned off periodically. The Viking women of marriageable age look forward to this day. But there are not enough Viking women of marriageable age, so Brokers are paid to kidnap women from the surface. Sorry, sinc...more

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Dec 05, 2011 ♥ Sarah ♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-elsewhere, own

*Note this rating/review is only for The Warlord Wants Forever at this point. I will update my review/rating accordingly if I read the other stories as well.

The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole: (4 stars)
(Immortals After Dark, #1)
What a great start to a new series for me! I'm so excited to read the next ones.

This was a different kind of story for me because it was a short story (only about 120 pages) so everything kind of moved quickly.

Although that can be good in some cases, it's why I gav...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, s-kenyon

This is a very old (well, it’s been out since 2006) anthology but for Ms. Cole’s part, is the prequel to the Immortals After Dark series that is extremely popular. I have held out and have not read any of the series waiting to get this book which I was able to get from my library after an extremely long wait. It was worth it. The story, “The Warlord Wants Forever” was so freaken good, I just cannot wait to read the next in the series. I am running to my shelf to start the next book (I had alread...more This is a very old (well, it’s been out since 2006) anthology but for Ms. Cole’s part, is the prequel to the Immortals After Dark series that is extremely popular. I have held out and have not read any of the series waiting to get this book which I was able to get from my library after an extremely long wait. It was worth it. The story, “The Warlord Wants Forever” was so freaken good, I just cannot wait to read the next in the series. I am running to my shelf to start the next book (I had already purchased it quite some time ago). I love the world Ms. Cole created and the characters and for the first time in a long time, one of the erotic scenes in the book made my blood burn! Very hot stuff. For some reason, and maybe this is just me, but for some reason, this book sort of reminded me of a sexy Vampire Academy.

The middle story Hunter’s Oath by Jaid Black was interesting as well. I will definitely be checking out other books by Ms. Black too! The story was rather unusual in that a world was set with underground Viking mega hot dudes that kidnap women from the above ground but the kidnapped women love it etc. Our heroine was kidnapped after her brother dies and she goes to Alaska. It’s a good story. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Then finally, the first story, Turn up the Heat by Sherrilyn Kenyon was um, well, really bad. I hate saying that too because Sherrilyn is one of my favorite authors. This story is a B.A.D. novella and frankly, I seriously doubt I’ll be reading any of the others. It was a contemporary romance and the romance part was um, BAD.

So the star of this anthology is Kresley Cole’s book which thankfully is SO good, you won’t mind the bad Sherrilyn Kenyon that has top billing. Ms. Black’s story is a lovely little tidbit as well so all in all, it’s an anthology that you should read if for nothing else, but to get the beginning of the Immortals After Dark series.

What I liked: I loved, loved, loved the world that was in The Warlord Wants Forever. It was so exciting and dark and sexy. It’s such a great start to a series and as bait to get new readers, it’s perfect.

What I disliked: I just have to point to Ms. Kenyon’s story. It was just baaaaaaaadddd.
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Jun 28, 2011 Ning rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: translation, romance, paranormal, contemporary

ต้องถือเป็นความโชคดี ที่อ่านเล่ม 2 ก่อนเล่มนี้

เพราะไม่งั้นคงทำใจยอมรับนิสัยแปลก ๆ ของนางเอกไม่ได้แน่ ๆ
เป็นวัลคีรี ที่สุดโต่งมาก ๆ (แล้วก็แปลกกันทุกตัวเสียด้วย)

เป็นเรื่องสั้น ๆ ที่ดำเนินเรื่อง เร็วดีค่ะ ไม่ค่อยมีอะไรมาก แต่ก็ชอบ
เพราะติดใจพระเอกมาจากฉากค้ำเพดานในเล่ม 2
สรุปว่าน่ารักดี

เรื่องที่ 2 - อ่านแล้วน่าสนใจดีค่ะ อยากทดลองอ่านฃุด B.A.D ดูเหมือนกัน
อยากรู้จักคู่ที่เค้าเถึยง ๆ กันนี่ล่ะ

เรื่องที่ 3 - ยังไม่ได้อ่าน อยากอ่าน Immortals เล่ม 3 แล้ว เลยค้างไว้ก่อน

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Jun 07, 2011 Kiki Dufoulon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kresley Cole - The Warlord wants Forever. 3.5 Stars

In this first instalment of the AD series we are introduced to the world of the Lore, in particular Nikolai Wroth, an eighteenth century Warlord and Vampire General, and his Bride Myst the Coveted, a Valkyrie seductress. When Myst finds herself imprisoned in the Hordes stronghold the last thing she expects to find is a sexy Vampire General trying to claim her as his Bride. After seducing him Myst flees and leaves Nikolai aching for her touch, li...more Kresley Cole - The Warlord wants Forever. 3.5 Stars

In this first instalment of the AD series we are introduced to the world of the Lore, in particular Nikolai Wroth, an eighteenth century Warlord and Vampire General, and his Bride Myst the Coveted, a Valkyrie seductress. When Myst finds herself imprisoned in the Hordes stronghold the last thing she expects to find is a sexy Vampire General trying to claim her as his Bride. After seducing him Myst flees and leaves Nikolai aching for her touch, literally. When Nikolai's fevered chase leads him back to his Bride, a battle of domination and desire begins.

Nikolai is aching for his Bride, literally. The poor man has had a five year boner and no way of relieving it, and it drives the sexy vampire insane. When he finally makes his way to New Orleans and bumps into Myst its game on!! He has no mercy, and does everything his power to get what he wants. And I do mean anything!! Talk about demanding men! I swear this man is scrumptious... all tall, dark and dangerous. I'm telling you, he can suck on my neck any time he wants... lol.

Myst has been thinking about her gorgeous Commander since the day she was freed from her prison, but being the way of the Valkyrie she ignores her wants and needs in favour of her sister's safety. However, when Nikolai turns up crazed and demanding his five years worth she finds herself melting for the big vamp. I can't blame her... lol. As much as she wants him though she isn't going to give up her freedom or her family for him, so as I said before, it's game on - and believe me when I say, this woman can give as good as she gets. She is fierce and powerful. So watch out Nikolai... lol.

I really enjoyed this book, but I feel there could have been more to it. I love the Wroth brothers and I feel we didn't really get to see the real Nikolai here. The other brothers get their own full length books, packed full of useful Wroth info... dark secrets and hidden demons, but we're still in the dark when it comes to Nikolai. All we really know is that he's a kick ass Vampire and his Bride drives him insane... not that his dark and broody episodes weren't HOT!! We got a little more of Myst in this book, who to be honest I'm not that in to. She just doesn't live up to her sister's reputations, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, apart from that I did enjoy reading this, especially when it came to the pent-up sexual tension and all the emotional turmoil left in its wake... but sure it made for some really steamy love scenes - I'll just say 'shower' and let you find out for yourself. *wink(less)

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May 16, 2011 ~Sara~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, short-stories-poems

In the first story, Turn Up the Heat, I thought the plot was ridiculously far-fetched and the relationship was pretty cheesy. I realize in short stories there isn't a lot of time to build up either, but this stretched believability beyond the breaking point for me. That said, I still enjoyed it. I thought it was pretty humourous and the heroine, although annoying in the beginning, grew on me as the story went on.
The one thing that really bothered me about this story was that it started with a s...more In the first story, Turn Up the Heat, I thought the plot was ridiculously far-fetched and the relationship was pretty cheesy. I realize in short stories there isn't a lot of time to build up either, but this stretched believability beyond the breaking point for me. That said, I still enjoyed it. I thought it was pretty humourous and the heroine, although annoying in the beginning, grew on me as the story went on.
The one thing that really bothered me about this story was that it started with a super hot love scene that turned out to be from the book Allison was reading but when it came time for Allison and Vince to have sex, I found it boring and anti-climactic. I was expecting something a little more exciting after that teaser. Oh well, at least Allison seemed to enjoy it! :D
I'd give this story 3 stars.

I had a hard time with almost all of Hunter's Oath, the setting, the characters, and their interactions; I don't think I liked anything about the story. I really don't like heroine's who fall for their captor - I know the hero wasn't directly responsible for her captivity, but it was still a turn off. (view spoiler) I just found it far too weird. This one was 1.5 stars and that generosity is due to the fact that at least it was unique.

As for the final story, The Warlord Wants Forever, I was pleasantly surprised by this. It wasn't a fantastic story but it was pretty good and was far better than A Hunger Like No Other, a book I really didn't like and that turned me off the series. As I said before, I hate kidnapped heroines and the whole Stockholm syndrome storyline but I also really didn't like the main characters. Although Emma grew a backbone as the story progressed, she was too annoying and whiny for me to like until the end of the book and Lachlain was just an ass. Although Myst and Wroth also annoyed me at times, overall I liked them and I thought their relationship and interactions were a huge improvement over Emma and Lachlain. I won't rush to read the next book in the series, but based on this one, I'll give it another chance. 3 stars.(less)

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Dec 13, 2010 Bronwyn Rykiert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Turn Up the Heat – Sherrilyn Kenyon

3* – Allison wins a contest and ends up on an island able to live her favourite fantasy for one week. She meets Vince and they have an adventure. I didn’t find her fantasy all that great but it was okay.

Hunter’s Oath - Jaid Black

3* - Sofia Rowley has just lost her brother and has come to Alaska for his funeral when she kidnapped by the Bride Hunters (a band of hunters who find brides on the outside for their county men who live under the earth). The brides are...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book when a friend told me about Kresley Cole and lent the first eight books of "Immortals After Dark" to me. So, I specifically read this book for the Cole story.

"Turn Up the Heat" I did not like at all. It started out so strong, and I got very into it-but- when I finally got to the one steamy scene, it ended so quickly and abruptly that once it was over, I felt I was in the middle of Lethal Weapon. I thought it was relatively weak, and it really wasn't what I was interested in read...more

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Mar 07, 2011 ~*~Princess Nhya~*~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

TURN UP THE HEAT
RATING:*
SENSUALITY:*
PLOT:half *

This was way too simple for me. The writing came off as something a 15 year old would write. The setting and plot for this one was just not interesting and a little too far fetched for me.. Seriously, a get away island where a woman can live her favorite fantasy romance novel? Anyway.. Moving on. The two male characters were hot but not enough to warrant another star for my rating. The female was not good nor bad just forgettable.

HUNTER'S OATH
RATING...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Sophie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, paranormal, raunchy-erotic, romance, series, viking

Three stories in one (including the beginning of Kresley Cole's 'Immortals After Dark' series).

(1) "Turning up the Heat" by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

4 stars.
An enjoyable romance story of an average woman winning a romance readers competition that leads her to meeting a bad-boy, ex-mafia hit man that is in hiding. I have only just recently started reading some of Kenyon's work and I truly love her writing style. i find her stories flow incredibly well and sucks you in straight away (no matter how far-fet...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Quinn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, erotic-romance

I imagine that most readers, like me, pick up Playing Easy to Get for the purpose of reading The Warlord Wants Forever - the first story in Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series.

Well, do yourself a favour, and skip straight to that story, because the first two in this anthology, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Turn up the Heat and Jaid Black’s Hunter’s Oath, probably aren’t worth your time – at least that was the case for me.

Turn up the Heat - Sherrilyn Kenyon
1.5 stars

Thankfully, I’ve read Sherrilyn Ken...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Alysha DeShaé rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh... There isn't really anything that jumps out and says "quality literature right here" of course - they're romance stories, what did you expect?! But it's kind of sad when the only story out of the three in the book that seems even remotely likely to end in a good relationship is the one involving a vampire and Valkyrie.

The one with the Vikings was kind of fail, too. The author didn't even try to show how the kidnapper made his victim fall in love. It was just "I will escape" to "bam, we're...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kenyon-sherrilyn, cole-kresley

I agree with other reviews I have read that the Kresley Cole story makes this book worth the read. The other two stories were good but the Cole story is great. It makes me look forward to the other IAD books. I'm glad I read this one first. Nikolai and Myst are fun to get to know. I was glad to see the HEA ending even though you know it won't be an easy path. All 3 stories are unique and definitely worth reading.

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Dec 21, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kresley-cole

Ok first of all I originally didn't know this was actually the first book. Maybe because it is in an anthology. I have read all the other books in the Immortals After Dark Series before this one but it didn't really matter. I still think that book 2 really sets up the series. Anyway, that being said, I read this book for Kresley Cole's story "The Warlord Wants Forever" which tells the story of the Vampire Forebearer(the good vamps!) Nikolai Wroth and Valkyrie Myst Coveted. I really liked their...more

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About Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sherrilyn Kenyon lives a life of extraordinary danger... as does any woman with three sons, a husband, a menagerie of pets and a collection of swords that all of the above have a fixation on. But when not running interference (or dashing off to the emergency room), she's found chained to her computer where she likes to play with all her imaginary friends. With more than ten million copies of her b...more

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Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #4; Were-Hunter, #1)

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Playing Easy to Get (Immortals After Dark #1)

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