Prophecies, fated mates, and creatures of the Lore return in the debut novel of the Immortals After Dark Series- A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole is a whirlwind novel that propels you into a gripping world that forces you to check your whits and morals at the door.
Genres: Paranormal RomancePublisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: March 28th 2006
Source: Owned
Format: Scribd – Audiobook / Physical Copy
Acclaimed author Kresley Cole introduces a sizzling new series with this tale of a fierce werewolf and a bewitching vampire—unlikely soul mates whose passion will test the boundaries of life and death.
A mythic warrior who’ll stop at nothing to possess her…
After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he’s waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.
A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy…
Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents—until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae—and their notorious dark desires—ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.
An all-consuming desire…
Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?
“Nix had told Emma before she’d left for Europe that on this trip she would ‘do that which you were born to do.’ Apparently, Emma was born to get kidnapped by a deranged Lykae. Her fate sucked.”
This was a bonkers ride! This book had me blinking and re-reading paragraphs to make sure I did indeed read what I actually read. Kresley Cole didn’t come to play with her first debut into the paranormal romance world back in 2006. A Hunger Like No Other, jumps right into the story with Lachlain, a Lykae (werewolf like being) whose been trapped in what is basically an underground hell, gets a wiff of his mate above the surface. Not willing to lose her after just finding her, Lachlain does the unthinkable to break free to get to her. However, what he finds in his mate is something not even Lachlain was prepared for.
This book was a mixed bag for me, even though it felt like every chapter had me on the edge of my seat holding on for dear life as I continuously whispered “WTF” in the spare moments I had in my work office. Lachlain is the epitome and probably the main picture of what an alpha male looks like. Brooding, demanding, and hot as all get out. Emmaline however, is everything you don’t imagine a vampire being–sheltered, severely insecure and wallflower-esque. I didn’t care for Emmaline as a character at all solely because of how much of a wallflower she was–Though I will admit that I did thoroughly appreciate her growth near the end of the novel.
Beyond being fated mates, I didn’t see any foreboding attraction between the two that screamed chemistry. Overtime as Emmaline (and a bit of Lachlain if I’m going to be honest) got past her insecurities and became bolder, I could see the chemistry blooming between them, but sadly this didn’t happen until much later in the book and by then I just wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be.
“Never run from one such as me, female. You will no’ get away – and we like it.”
There were several moments where the issue of consent and lack there of came into play; which brought me–unfortunately– in and out of the story more often than I would have liked. Lachlain didn’t understand the concept of “no” and constantly he put his needs of sexual gratification above the requests of Emmaline’s own, simply because she was his mate and that is what was suppose to happen.
I will say though, I loved the way Kresley built things, and how even now in the first novel began weaving and foreshadowing future events into the storyline. I genuinely got interested in almost all the side characters and even wrote down the ones I hope receive their own novel.
Overall though, This was an OK, 3 star read for me! Honestly, if anyone is thinking of starting the IAD series, I probably would jump this one and head straight into the second book, “No Rest For The Wicked” which honestly is Chef Kisses and a great intro to the world!
I absolutely loved this one, but I can see why some would struggle with it. But the series is amazing, so I always recommend reading some of the books later in the series.