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A Hunger Like No Other

Kresley Cole

Published 2006          360 Pages

Synopsis

Lachlain MacRieve is leader of the Lykae Clan (a Lykae is a kind of werewolf) he has been imprisoned and tortured in the catacombs under Paris for over 15 decades by the vampire horde.  As an immortal he can not die, so 150 years of being tortured to death only to revive and be tortured to death again - has pushed him to the brink of madness.  His hatred for his vampire torturers has been the only thing that kept him going through his whole ordeal.

Lykae have predestined mates but Lachlain never found his before he was captured and imprisoned by the vampires.  In a moment of respite from his torture he catches the sent of his mate; a woman he has never met, yet he knows that she is the one and only mate for him.  This gives him the strength to finally break his bonds and escape his prison.

Emmaline, an orphan from birth, is on a trip to Paris to try and find out more about her parents and her unique heritage.  She is the child of a Valkyrie mother and an unknown vampire father.  Small and timid she seems to have inherited none of the strengths and all the weaknesses of her parents.  She has lived a sheltered life, protected by her Valkyrie aunts and this trip to Paris is the first thing she has ever done on her own.  She is totally unprepared for the maddened Lykae who chases her across Paris and captures her for his own.

Lachlain is horrified to find the mate that he has been waiting a millennia for is a vampire and his sworn enemy.   Emma is terrified of the Lykae because she has heard they are savage beasts with vicious tempers and dark desires.  Lachlain makes a deal with Emma that if she helps him return to his native Scotland he will let her go unharmed, yet he knows she is his mate and has no intention of keeping his word.

Being with Lachlain in Scotland has a strange affect on Emma.  Her anger and passion seem to unlock the hidden strength within her.  Which is a good thing, because with the Accession at hand and the vampire horde suddenly targeting her she will need all the strength she has got.

The Review

This is the first full length book in a new series (The Immortals After Dark series) from the romance author Kresley Cole.  (Although there is a prequel to this story, a novella called “The Warlord Wants Forever” in the anthology titled “Playing Easy To Get.”) 

I really enjoyed reading this book, although I wasn’t sure that I was going to after reading the Prologue where Lachlain claws and chews his own leg off to free himself from his confinement.  It really made my skin crawl, although it was probably just me being squeamish....

Once past that, the book is a fast paced enjoyable read with the romantic tension between Lachlain and Emma effectively holding the readers attention.  There are several relationship issues that they have to work out; his hatred of vampires, her not wanting to have anything to do with him because he’s a werewolf and he scares her, can she trust him after he’s lied to her and will she ever be accepted into the Lykae clan, to name but a few.

For me, the best part of the book is Emma’s development from being afraid of her own shadow and needed the protection of her Valkyrie aunts, to someone who is self-confident and a power to be reckoned with.

Kresley Cole has created a whole new mythology for her Immortals After Dark series that is both varied and original.  Her Lykae are werewolves but they don’t transform in the traditional way. Her vampires can be good or evil depending on whether they drink people to death or not (drinking people to death brings insanity and is addictive.)  Her Valkyries are beautiful yet fierce warrior women who love shopping, plus there are a host of other creatures such as demons, wraiths and ghouls.

In A Hunger Like No Other not only do you get the romance between the two central characters but you have a whole host of interesting supporting characters that hopefully will be developed in later books of the series.

Recommended reading for anyone who likes paranormal romance with strong alpha male heroes who can not resist the attraction of their predestined mates.

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