Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Dark Needs at Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole: A Must Read

**Note: this review is spoiler-free, so read on without fear**

Unbeknownst to humankind, immortals live among us. Creatures of the Lore – vampires, Valkyrie, witches, Lykae, demons, and other magical beings are as real as you or I. Battles have been going on for centuries as different factions of the Lore vie for supremacy. But things are changing. Even as the fighting escalates, enemies have become allies, prejudices are slowly being chipped away, and love seems determined to have its say. This is the world of Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series.

Dark Needs at Night’s Edge takes us to the haunted streets of New Orleans where Conrad Wroth, a vampire driven to madness, hunted by his enemies, and consumed by his need for vengeance, plots to kill his brothers for having turned him into what he hates. In their last effort to bring him back from the brink of destruction, Conrad’s brothers capture and imprison him at Elancourt, an abandoned estate. What they don’t know is that the mansion’s former owner still lives there…and only Conrad can see her.

Néomi Laress was once a famous ballerina, until her life was abruptly cut short by her murder. For more than eighty years she has haunted her home, unable to interact with anyone – until Conrad. Néomi is drawn to Conrad, seeing the man beneath the madness. Can Conrad overcome the darkness inside him? Will love be able to grow between a vampire and a ghost? Or will Conrad’s enemies destroy them both? These questions I leave to be answered by the story.

I have two confessions to make. First, I absolutely love the first four books in Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. Second, I was fully prepared to dislike this book. Conrad begins the book wanting to kill his brothers, Nikolai, Sebastian, and Murdoch. After four books, two of which featured Wroth males as heroes, I am firmly attached to the Wroth brothers and did not believe I could like someone out to harm them for reasons I did not agree with. In addition, I do not, as a rule, like romances featuring ghosts. That being said…

I loved this book! Cole defied my expectations, overcame my biases, and delivered a love story beyond compare. I was engrossed in Conrad’s inner struggle, found myself understanding the reasons that fueled his desire for revenge, and loved his protectiveness of Néomi. I admired Néomi’s inner strength, adored her quirks, and was heartbroken by her need for love. Most importantly, I was completely enthralled by this story from the very beginning. Conrad and Néomi have numerous obstacles to overcome, none the least of which is her being incorporeal. I found myself cheering them on, wondering how their burgeoning love would survive.

I also cannot write this review without praising Cole’s skill, not just as a storyteller, but as a writer. Conrad’s thoughts, his disassociation from himself in his madness, are written in such a way that I am in awe of Cole’s talent. The transition of those thoughts as he slowly begins to reclaim control is so smooth, so flawless, that after I finished Dark Needs at Night’s Edge I found myself flipping back, trying to find the transition point. For this reason alone, I would recommend the book.

One of my favorite aspects of this series is that characters from previous books play strong supporting roles. In Dark Needs at Night’s Edge, readers get to revisit almost all the previous heroes and heroines of the series, and many more favorite characters reappear. In addition, Cole provides some tantalizing hints about her next hero and heroine, Cade and Holly, which makes me grateful Dark Desires After Dusk comes out May 20, 2008.

For those new to Cole’s world, Dark Needs at Night’s Edge does stand on its own. However, for a richer read (as all the supporting characters have appeared in previous books), I recommend reading the entire series, the order of which can be found by clicking here.

Dark Needs at Night’s Edge is a fantastic addition to Cole’s already incredible series. A sexy, tortured hero, an enchanting heroine, an engaging plot, and a beautiful love story all delivered by a truly superb writer make Dark Needs at Night’s Edge a must read!!!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Christina Dodd Book Order

Click here to jump to a particular series:


Last Seen in Gothic (suspense)
Murder in Alaska (suspense)
Cape Charade (suspense)
Virtue Falls (suspense)
Bella Terra Deception
The Chosen Ones Series
Darkness Chosen Series (paranormal)
Fortune Hunter Series (contemporary)
Lost Hearts Series (contemporary)
The Lost Princess Series (historical)
The Governess Bride Series (historical)
The Switching Places Series (historical)
The Princess Series (historical)
The Well Pleasured Series (historical)
The Knight Series (historical)
Connected Books (historical)
Stand Alones


Last Seen in Gothic (suspense)


1) Point Last Seen

1.5) Welcome to Gothic (available 1/10/23)

2) Forget What You Know (available 3/7/23)


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Murder in Alaska (suspense)


0.5) Right Motive

1) Wrong Alibi
My Review


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Cape Charade (suspense)


**Hard to Kill

1) Dead Girl Running
My Review

** Families and Other Enemies

2) What Doesn't Kill Her
My Review

**Hidden Truths

3) Strangers She Knows
My Review


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Virtue Falls (suspense)


*The Listener

1) Virtue Falls

1.5) The Relatives

2) Obsession Falls

*Love Never Dies

3) Because I'm Watching
My Review

*The Watcher

4) The Woman Who Couldn't Scream

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Bella Terra Deception (contemporary)


1) Secrets of Bella Terra
Rafe and Brooke
My Review

2) Revenge at Bella Terra
Eli and Chloë

3) Betrayal
Noah and Penelope


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The Chosen Ones Series (paranormal)


1) Storm of Visions
Caleb and Jacqueline

2) Storm of Shadows
Aaron and Rosamund

3) Chains of Ice
John and Genny

4) Chains of Fire
Samuel and Isabelle

5) Stone Angel
Liam and Amanda

6) Wilder
Aleksandr and Charisma

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Darkness Chosen Series (paranormal)


1) Scent of Darkness
Jasha and Ann

2) Touch of Darkness
Rurik and Tasya

3) Into the Shadow
Adrik and Karen

4) Into the Flame
Firebird and Douglas

*Wilder Family Halloween


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Fortune Hunter Series (contemporary)


1) Trouble in High Heels
Brandi and Roberto

2) Tongue in Chic
Devlin and Meadow

3) Thigh High
Jeremiah and Nessa

4) Danger in a Red Dress
Gabriel and Hannah


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Lost Hearts Series (contemporary)


1) Just the Way You Are
Zack and Hope

2) Almost Like Being in Love
Dan and Pepper

3) Close to You
Teague and Kate

4) Gabriel's Gift
Gabriel and Hannah


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The Lost Princess Series (historical)


1) Some Enchanted Evening
Robert and Clarice

2) The Barefoot Princess
Jermyn and Amy

3) The Prince Kidnaps a Bride
Rainger and Sorcha


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The Governess Bride Series (historical)


1) That Scandalous Evening
Ransom and Jane

2) Rules of Surrender
Wynter and Charlotte

3) Rules of Engagement
Devon and Pamela

4) Rules of Attraction
Dougald and Hannah

5) In My Wildest Dreams
Garrick and Celeste

6) Lost in Your Arms
Stephen and Enid

7) My Favorite Bride
William and Samantha

8) My Fair Temptress
Jude and Caroline

9) In Bed with the Duke
Michael and Emma

10) Taken by the Prince
Saber and Victoria

10.5) Hero Come Back
Harry and Jessie

11) A Pirate's Wife For Me
Taran and Caitlin


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The Switching Places Series (historical)


1) Scandalous Again
Gabriel and Madeline

2) One Kiss From You
Remington and Eleanor


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The Princess Series (historical)


1) The Runaway Princess
Danior and Evangeline

2) Someday My Prince
Dominic and Laurentia


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The Well Pleasured Series (historical)


1) A Well Pleasured Lady
Sebastian and Mary

2) A Well Favored Gentleman
Ian and Alanna

3) “Under the Kilt” (in the Scottish Brides anthology)
Hadden and Andra


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The Knight Series (historical)


1) Once a Knight
David and Alisoun

2) A Knight to Remember
Hugh and Edlyn


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Connected Books (historical)


1) Candle in the Window
William and Saura


2) Castles in the Air
Raymond and Juliana


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Stand Alones


Once Upon a Pillow

Priceless
Adam and Bronwyn

Treasure of the Sun
Damian and Katherine

Move Heaven and Earth
Rand and Sylvan

Outrageous
Griffith and Marian

Greatest Lover in all England
Anthony and Rosie


“The Lady or the Tiger” (in My Scandalous Bride anthology and originally in the One Night with a Rogue anthology)
Keith and Laura


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Please note: This page was written by me, so as always, please visit the author’s website for up-to-date, author-verified information as well as for information books that have not yet been included to this list.

http://www.christinadodd.com