Dark Needs at Night’s Edge (Immortals After Dark #5) by Kresley Cole

Note: This is a review of an adult book. Please, do not read either the review or the book reviewed unless you are an adult.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Néomi Laress, a famous ballerina from a past century, became a phantom the night she was murdered. Imbued with otherworldly powers but invisible to the living, she haunts her beloved home, scaring away trespassers -- until she encounters a ruthless immortal even more terrifying than Néomi herself.

 

To prevent him from harming others, Conrad Wroth's brothers imprison him in an abandoned manor. But there, a female only he can see seems determined to drive him further into madness. The exquisite creature torments him with desire, leaving his body racked with lust and his soul torn as he finds himself coveting her for his own.

 

Yet even if Conrad can win Néomi, evil still surrounds her. Once he returns to the brutality of his past to protect her, will he succumb to the dark needs seething inside him?

 

MY OPINION:

 

The one thing that bothered me:

 

Typos. Or are they typos? Could those weird the-first-letter-of-the-word misspellings be intentional? Also, magic/magical is spelled very consistently as magick/magickal.

 

What I liked:

 

a)     The Wroth brothers. All four of them appear in this book. Need I say more?

 

b)     It feels like visiting old friends (and some annoying acquaintances along the way) as many of the characters from the previous books make their appearance, too: from the Valkyries Myst, Kaderin and Nïx, to Mariketa nad Bowen, a couple of familiar demons, and we even catch a glimpse of the infamous Kristoff.

 

c)     Though he was included at a), he deserves a separate mention as the main protagonist: Conrad Wroth. The warrior who gave himself over to a greater cause turned into a thing he had been sworn to fight. The mad blood-lusting vampire on a vindictive killing spree. Kresley Cole gives an excellent insight in his state of mind before and during the recovery from his madness, and it is impossible not to like him and sympathise with him from the beginning.

 

d)     Néomi. A kick-ass ghost of a kick-ass woman. She is energetic, persistent and resourceful, and she does not wait around for a man to save her but takes the fate into her own hands.

 

e)     A slowly-built romance. The chemistry between Conrad and Néomi is causing fireworks all over the place, but they get to know each other well and develop deep feelings for each other before engaging in steamy sex. This is just how I like it – the focus being on the relationship and love, and sex is there as a bonus.

 

Throw in some typical Valkyrie banter/humour/wrath/etc., intriguing conflicts, and a twisting plot, and you get a thoroughly compelling and entertaining read. The ending is rather turbulent, and I needed some time for it to sink in how perfectly Cole’s solution works out. Actually, I have already reread the last couple of chapters twice, because the book is just so good. Naturally, there is some open space left, but that is to be expected. After all, the series continues. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

 

RECOMMENDATION: If you like adult paranormal romance, this book – or rather, this entire series – is not to be missed.