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With that sword, Rydstrom can kill the otherwise immortal Omort and free his kingdom from Omort's evil oppressive rule.Cade is surprised to find out that the Vessel is a shy, tightly wound college math teacher that he has been infatuated with and has been secretly watching. Cade wants the job because this is his last chance to make up for his mistake that cost his brother Rydstrom their kingdom Rothkalina. They have received information that a Vessel, a chosen female is being pursued by Omort and his half brother Groot so that they can mate with her and create evil offspring. Cade accepts the mercenary's job to safeguard the female Vessel and deliver her to Groot. When Cade was only 7 yrs old, he was secreted away to a foster farmer's family.
Cade finds Holly shivering in a dark corner, covered with blood and in shock. Rydstrom offered Cade a chance to learn to be a warrior and avenge his losses and help his brother regain the kingdom. But, how could any female reisist the charms of Cade. The only quibble that I have about this installment is that the ending was rushed. She had to fight her own way out, battling all manner of disgusting, repulsive creatures of evil to save herself.
Cade rescues her. Years later, his first communication is a summons from his older brother to come back and defend the kingdom, while Rydstrom left the kingdom to fight the vampire Horde. Groot's payment is the only sword that can kill Omort. Cade lies to her that if she accompanies him, she will be able to reverse her transition from a human to a Valkyrie. This task has taken hundreds of years.Centuries later, Rydstrom and Cade are in present day New Orleans. Cade Woede is the younger brother of Rydstrom Woede, the rightful ruler of the kingdom of Rothkalina.
Telling her that more evil creatures are still after her, Cade covers her in his huge shirt and uses his body to absorb all the bullets being shot by the pursuing monsters. Cade teaches her to be a fighter. As a result of his choice, Omort, the Deathless seized the throne and slaughtered Cade's foster family. Holly cannot believe how she could be in the middle of the messy disorderly world of the Lore supernatural.The rest of the story is a kick in the pants. She just knows that when she gets sexually turned on, she hurts the men she wants to make love to. As he was driven away, his beloved older brother Rydstrom had no words of farewell or love for him.
The sex scenes between them are very HOT.Her Valkyrie sisters rescue her and help her adjust to being a Valkyrie at Val Hall. When vampires kidnap her, strip her naked on a stone altar and are about to rape her, she lets out a Valkyrie scream that sends the glass dome above her to crash down in deadly shards and bolts of lightening give her the strength and skill to kill her attackers. Cade is in love with Holly and does not want to lose her to Groot, but he HAS to get the sword and make it up to his brother Rydstrom. Her own Valkyrie Aunt Nix lies to her too in order to get her to go on this journey to find Groot's castle and retrieve the sword that can kill Omort. Cade falls deeper and deeper in love with Holly. I think Kresley Cole should have made Cade make amends and be more repentent to Holly before the happy ending.
He betrayed her to the disgusting Groot. Not many. Cade lied to Holly. Cade did not go, choosing to stay with his foster family to protect them. In the meantime, Rydstrom himself is kidnapped and imprisoned by Sabine, the sister of Omort and a goddess of Illusions.The road trip is hilarious with all kinds of fun side shows and the delightful banter between Holly and Cade about life, men, women, sex, love and lore. She takes medication to stifle all the parts of her that are Valkyrie.
Both have become mercenaries for the Lore. Holly Ashwin has no idea that she is a supernatural being.
And I totally love her intelligence. The transformation of Holly is fantastic. I love the strong and empowered woman she becomes. The thing that really worked for me in this book was the aspect of betrayal that the characters have to deal with. It makes her a great leading lady. I love a book that has me on the verge of tears and has me pulling for hero or heroine to rise above the hand they are dealt. The choices that they made and the way they dealt with them were heart breaking, and I loved it. (especially the heroine).
I have read a few other of the Immortals after Dark and have walked away disappointed each time. After reading A Hunger Like No Other, which was absolutely fabulous, I was deeply disappointed in Dark Desires After Dusk. This book will not end up on my "favorite" bookshelf to be read again but sent to be recycled. I really do not care for the Valkyries except for Emma in A Hunger Like No Other. Page after page, I kept waiting for the essence that made A Hunger Like No Other such a wonderful read but it never happened. I could easily put this book down and go on about my business.
Cade was a likeable "bad boy" and a great contrast to Holly's uptight prude. This book was the best of the Immortals After Dark series. I highly recommend it. There was lots of action and the romance was satisfying. I LOVED the relationship between Cade and Holly. Their verbal sparring was very funny.
Cadeon will do anything to get his brother's crown back even if it means sacrificing his one true mate, Holly. Cade and Holly go on the road and she thinks Cade is trying to protect her and find someone who can change her back into human, while Cade needs to deliver her to the one person who can help him get Rydstrom's crown and thus the key to the kingdom.If you like road romances, Dark Desires is the perfect read for you. Cade helped her realize who she is and held her hand so to speak. Since the titles in Kresley Cole's Immortal After Dark Series have become so confusing, I have nicknamed this one, Cade: The One With the Likable Horns. Plus, they way Cade helps her release her pent up feelings is oh, so good.These two were a riot to read even though I wanted to bop Cade over the head at one point because of a certain situation he places Holly in, but again, Cade has to sacrifice a part of himself for his brother. She holds back all types of sexual urges and likes everything to be in perfect harmony. In my eyes that made him a worthy hero.Katiebabs
He can never have her because she is human after all and if he tries to mate with her, she wouldn't be able to survive. I know some had issues with Holly and her being so repressed and stiff but what I enjoyed the most is how Holly was able to break free of her self imposed bonds and become more empowered within herself. Cade is a porn loving slob while Holly has OCD and the thought of sex gets her very scared because she feels if she loses it in the heat of the moment, she will hurt the man she is with because of her Valkyrie strength. So, Cade has a constant case of blue balls.One night Holly is attacked and about to be raped so she can conceive the spawn of evil, but Cade comes to her rescue in time. Talk about total opposites.
Alas, his horns were not licked during the story but this is another worthy addition to Cole's paranormal series that should not be missed.Caedon Woede is a rage demon who is trying to help his brother, Rydstrom retrieve his magical crown so he can take back his kingdom he lost. I had so much fun over the bantering and bickering back and forth between Cade and Holly. This has only come out now because Holly has been repressed. Cade has been watching or rather peeping on her ever since they met. Holly finds out she is part Valkyrie and the vessel to carry the spawn that can either become a product of good or evil and help change the world.
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