Review: No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

Title: No Rest for the Wicked
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark #2
Pages: 356
Publisher: Pocket Star
Format: Paperback
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Won from The Bookish Snob

Goodreads Description:
Centuries ago, Sebastian Wroth was turned into a vampire against his will. Burdened with hatred and alone for ages, he sees little reason to live. Until an exquisite, fey creature comes to kill him.When Kaderin the Cold Hearted lost her two beloved sisters to a vampire attack long ago, a benevolent force deadened her sorrow -- accidentally extinguishing all of her emotions. Yet whenever she encounters Sebastian, her feelings emerge multiplied. For the first time, she's unable to complete a kill. The Hie is a month-long contest with a prize powerful enough to change history, and Kaderin will do anything to win it for her sisters. Wanting only to win her, forever, Sebastian competes as well, taking every opportunity -- as they travel to ancient tombs and through catacombs, seeking relics around the world -- to use her new feelings to seduce her. But when forced to choose between the vampire she's falling for and reuniting her family, how can Kaderin live without either?


My Review:
I just finished this book like 10 minutes ago and I just had to run over here to write about it. I think that maybe I should have taken a cold shower first ...wow... My-Oh-My...Let's just say that the second book in Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series is definitely a book that can get you through those long cold nights of winter that are coming down upon us. Holy Hotness... I am absolutely thrilled with pretty much every aspect of this book, which makes me happy, because I was worried about it at first.You know how you love the first book in a series, and you are afraid that the next one will fall flat after how good the first one was? Well, rest assured that this second is one you will want to get your hands on. I found it just as good, if not even more incredible than the first book, A Hunger Like No Other.

This book is centered on Sebastian and Kaderin, and their fight to figure out their relationship while they are competing in the Hie: a supernatural version of the Amazing Race. This kept the plot of the book both fast paced, and extremely swoon-worthy. There is all sorts of things going on, from mythical monsters such as dragons and fire serpents,to something as simple as swimming through shark infested waters. And of course, the entire race Sebastian is trying to get into Kaderin's pants. Totally hilarious. I loved how he started pestering her and finally just used the prizes to barter for sexual favors. It could seem a little whore-ish...but I dug it. lol. Even though their physical relationship is kind of explosive and progresses quickly, I really enjoyed their banter and fighting. You don't get the sense of "love at first sight" which is good. Kaderin makes Sebastian work for her heart and her body, and that makes it that much hotter when he finally succeeds.

I think that you could read this as a stand-alone if you wanted to, but it makes a bit more sense if you read the first book. There are references to Emmaline and Lachlain, the main characters in the first book, and some things that are discussed in the first book are also brought up in No Rest for the Wicked. Also, one of the main supporting character's, Bowen, is a side character that you get to know in the first book, so understanding him helps you identify and understand his actions in this book. I just found out that there was a novella that can be read as a prequel and might be able to help you understand the relationships better. I will have to give it a try, because even I get a tad confused on some of the details that aren't explained well enough in these first two books.

I absolutely adore all the Valkyrie women. Individually and collectively, they are the best extended family I have ever read about. Experiencing life with the Valkyrie seems to be a little like living with kleptomaniac sorority girls who...like normal sorority girls...love all things sparkly or jewel-covered and spend most of their time running around gossiping and shrieking at each other. Unlike normal sorority girls however, the Valkyrie also like to kill vampires and shoot lightning all around when they are feeling a particularly strong emotion. I loved the mixture of the past and present in the girl's daily lives. They fight off the Horde with ancient swords and fighting techniques, then go home to their manor and cry over Lifetime movies and fight over popcorn and who is better at video-games. Then they shriek and roll around fighting over it until they have a video-game tournament to decide once and for all. I'd like to see a party between the Valkyrie women and the boys of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...now THAT would be a frat-party to remember...ahah. Regardless, from Nucking Futs Nix to Kaderin the Cold-Hearted, these girls are hilarious, fierce, and fantastic females that know how to fight and have fun...usually at the same time.

1/2

I give No Rest for the Wicked 4 and 1/2 Keys. There is so much awesome in this book that it's hard to put it into words. Bizarre and hilarious characters mix with complicated and mysterious plots, all mixed together with a supernatural Battle Royal combo treasure hunt. I have to say that this was one of the funnest, and hottest books I've read in a while. It's another one of those series that you want to run out and get the entire set so you can get your fill of hot lusty men and amazing and original plots.