Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals After Dark #9) by Kresley Cole

Note: This review and the book reviewed contain adult themes. Please, do not read either unless you are above the age of 18.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): A Dangerous Beauty
Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbours secrets that threaten to destroy her – and those she loves.

An Uncontrolled Need
Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

That lead to a pleasure so wicked...
From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness – her wanton desire for him.

MY OPINION:

Finally! I’ve been waiting for Garreth’s and Lucia’s story since the first book. And it didn’t disappoint. The only problem I now have is how to review it without spoiling it and half of the series with it. So, I am going to be terribly vague.

In contrast to some other stories in the series, Garreth’s and Lucia’s love story is more on the slow-burn side and in more tender in a way, yet still just as intense and heated. This makes it refreshing and unique, and that’s what I love about this series: even though the novels follow the same basic concept and their stories intertwine, they never feel old or too repetitive; Kresley Cole is really a magician of combining the familiar and the new.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince spans the timeline from almost the very beginning of the series and past the point of the previous instalment (Untouchable). I loved the little reminders of the past events and glimpses into the lives of other beloved couples (especially Lachlain and Emma; and now I want to reread their book), always just enough to refresh one’s memory and see how the protagonists from the previous novels fare in their future.

Garreth’s and Lucia’s adventures are as crazy and unpredictable as you can expect from Kresley Cole and the ending just as wittily resolved and satisfying.

The only downsides were that I had to not read some parts too attentively, because mega caimans and, even worse, anacondas are a major squick for me (I scream and squeal and feel sick when I see and earthworm, okay?). Additionally, the villain of the book is extra gruesome, too.

Lucia’s benefactress and saviour, goddess Skathi, is somewhat shady, and I resented her that a lot of Lucia’s pain, fear and shame and self-flagellation was her fault – although she may have meant well (and maybe actually did Lucia good with her attitude, I’m still not sure.)

Nevertheless, Pleasure of a Dark Prince is overall another amazing instalment of Immortals After Dark series and if you read the series to this point, don’t stop now.

RECOMMENDATION: Not much to say, if you loved the previous Immortals After Dark books, you will love this one too. And if are a fan of paranormal romance and you haven’t tied this series yet, you definitely should.