Kiss of A Demon King by Kresley Cole

The royals have arrived! Kiss Of A Demon King tells the much anticipated story of disposed King Rhydstrom and the girl who captured him–literally. Kresley Cole adds a level of spice that stands on its own in this power play of a story. A book with mixed reviews, I couldn’t help but be entranced with it.

Kiss of a Demon King (Immortals After Dark, #7)

Genres: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: January 1st 2009
Source: Owned
Format: Scribd – Audiobook / Physical Copy

From New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole comes this spellbinding story of a demon king trapped by an enchantress for her wanton purposes — and the scorching aftermath that follows when he turns the tables and claims her as his captive.

HIS OBSESSION…
Sabine, Sorceress of Illusions: the evil beauty who surrenders her body, but not her heart.

HER DOWNFALL…
Rydstrom Woede: the ruthless warrior who vows to keep her at all costs.

THEY WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO WANT EACH OTHER THIS MUCH…
With each smoldering encounter, their shared hunger only increases. If they can defeat the sinister enemy that stands between them, will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice for her demon? Or will the proud king lay down his crown and arms to save his sorceress?

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“She may be an evil bitch, but she is MY evil bitch. And I’ll have no other.”

I am shocked! I went into this prepared to not like this book. Almost everyone I know who has read this book has either not liked it or has DNF’d it. Going in I knew I was getting Rhydstrom story and finding out what happened to him during Cade’s story (Dark Desires After Dusk), and I didn’t have the highest of opinions of Rhydstrom even if he is considered the noble of royals in the demon species. But what I wasn’t expecting was just how much I adored this book? Like, Sabine and Rhydstrom were a complete hoot for me and I actually binged this story in one sitting.

Now I will say, my friends were right in their assessment in Rhydstrom–he is indeed an idiot. But what made this story for me was Sabine. Specifically what Sabine brought out of Rhydstrom. I loved their dynamic and how they both gave as good as they got (if you know you know). The chemistry between them was absolutely on fire, and I had such a blast watching them “torture” each other that I couldn’t stop smiling throughout this story.

Sabine is the queen of illusions who is destined to be mated to Rhydstrom the true king of Rothkalina. However, Sabine’s half brother, Omort, stole the crown a couple centuries ago and will do anything to keep it–even if that means using Sabine to ensure it. But what he didn’t bank on was just how determined Rhydstrom is to return his people and kingdom to their former glory, but also just how much Sabine dreams of freedom and answering to no one.

“So you’re just a cold, heartless bitch.”
“As much as you’re a self-righteous, miserable prick.” Her lips curled into a smirk. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have something meaningful between us.”

For the first time in this series, I feel like we are given a pairing that are equals in so many ways. Neither of them are ignorant of the Lore or the inner workings and both are known for their power. I loved watching them realize this about the other and the mutual respect that comes with being around an equal. I feel like Sabine is probably my favorite heroine so far in this series because she is such a complete badass. She does everything to ensure that her and her sister survives; and I love that she says “to hell with everything and everyone else”.

It didn’t take me as long as I thought it would to soften up to Rhydstrom while I was reading this story, as I think Sabine’s form of punishment was good enough for the bullshit he made Cadeon go through in the previous novel. I do however stand by my friends’ assessment that he is indeed still an idiot. No matter how far in the novel we got, I was still shaking my head and muttering how much of an idiot Rhydstrom was with all of his actions.

All in all this was a ride I was so thrilled to be on. Sabine and Rhydstrom is an enemies to lovers romance that had me clutching my pearls and scrambling to turn the page just so I could get more of what was happening. Without a doubt, I can see myself re-reading this story later on down the road! If you are thinking of reading this one, I highly recommend starting with Cadeon’s story first before plowing into this one though!