Genre: Paranormal Romance
Edition Reviewed: Ebook
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Sweet Ruin (14)
An immortal assassin is caught between desire and duty... A foundling raised in a world of humans
Growing up, orphaned Josephine didn’t know who or what she was—just that she was “bad,” an outcast with strange powers. Her baby brother Thaddeus was as perfect as she was flawed; protecting him became her entire life. The day he was taken away began Jo’s transition from angry girl... to would-be superhero... to enchanting, ruthless villain.
A lethally sensual enforcer on a mission
A threat to the Møriør has brought archer Rune the Baneblood to the mortal realm to slay the oldest living Valkyrie. Whether by bow or in bed, he never fails to eliminate his target. Yet before he can strike, he encounters a vampiric creature whose beauty conceals a black heart. With one bite, she pierces him with aching pleasure, taking his forbidden blood - and jeopardizing the secrets of his brethren.
A boundless passion that will lead to sweet ruin... Could this exquisite female be a spy sent by the very Valkyrie he hunts? Rune knows he must not trust Josephine, yet he’s unable to turn her away. Despite his millennia of sexual conquests, he can’t ignore the unfamiliar longing she arouses deep within him. When Jo betrays the identity of the one man she will die to protect, she and Rune become locked in a treacherous battle of wills that pits ultimate loyalty against unbridled lust.
Review:
I've kind of been an jerk lately about
the Immortals After Dark books. Lately a few have been missing the
mark with me, but overall still solid. My issue has been with how
each installment's romance has 5 steps that they follow. I'm not
going to get into them, because I'm not going to be a meanie. Nope.
Because in between those “5 Steps” I was still having fun. The
romance was still building, and for each read it normally does. The
world is building. Character growth is happening. I feel the feels!
Well it's still a great read!
After that epiphany and finally realizing that I didn't want to be a mean bookworm I decided to enjoy Sweet Ruin. (And any future books of this series.)
Because this is a game changer! It is frustrating jumping around the Ascension, the Lore being imprisoned on an island, and all those open cliffhangers. (MacRieve anyone!) Then boom totally new turn. All the new elements introduced here—sighs—are too good. I'm eating it up. Sweet Ruin was just what the series needed to rejuvenate the series. Despite all those open plots. The introduction to the Morior and Orion the Undoing is a breath of fresh air for plot possibilities. Not to mention that it's awesome seeing beloved characters through the eyes of Jo and Rune.
Jo is brilliant. She may be clueless about certain things, but she knows her self. She knows what she deserves and she doesn't take no. She gets what she wants; or she's smart enough to know when it's time to walk. No self hating. Well at least for things she knows aren't in her hands. Her love for her brother Thaddeus is beautiful. Both when they're young, and when they are reunited! Getting to know more about Thaddeus was such a treat. It's just nice to see a decent female lead again, I haven't been fond of the last few.
Rune is an interesting male lead. And when I found out he was quite the whore, I thought it was a cheap gimmick. In the last book the female got around and now it was time for a role reversal. That was not the case. Rune is one of the most fascinating male leads since Lothaire (at least for me). He felt more thought out and not quite as “me caveman” as is Cole's specialty. It was refreshing to see the male POV on sexual abuse. It felt real and I loved his revelations in the end. It's a great message on self love and worth.
Jo and Rune are amazing together. Sure Cole has a formula, but the magic of her books has always been her characters. Romance tends to follow a pattern and I love these characters—and world—too much to miss out. Not to mention that Cole's writing is solid! The snark, accents, flavor of each character, and the crazy-amazing-ness of the IAD is on point! Cole knows how to write a good book, if she uses her formula to do so why not? It works, it's good. And I shan't be judgy any longer.
I've been vague because I want readers to go in being absolutely surprised—and very delighted—by what Cole is bringing to the table. Nix is pretty epic here and I wonder if we just met her fated male? But I think that's too on the nose. The whole cast of the Morior that was introduced are characters I would very much like to get to know and see get HEAs. Not to mention that I want to see Nix take them away from Orion. How are Nix and Orion going to duke it out?!!!! No, really, it is going to get epic. Plus, I'm dying to know who is going to be next. Especially since there was a FURY in one of the showdowns. What the flying books!? Way to tease us Cole. I'm in for wherever this series is going to go. Because the characters are awesome; the world is super-duper-fun awesome; there's decent plots and world building shit going on here!
Sexual Content: Plenty of sexual humor and bedroom scenes. Duh. That's how we Cole fans like it.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.
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