I have no idea how I found her, where I found her, what author name/recommendation on Amazon led me to her doorstep, all I know is that from the moment I finished with those Sutherland brothers I was hook, line and sinkered.
Then there were the MacCarrick brothers, a trilogy I fell in love with, and though the second book was a disappointment, the third book more than made up for any disappointment (however minor) I had suffered.
When the paranormals started coming, I didn't want to read them. I didn't do paranormal, I insisted. And then I couldn't take the idea of not reading a Kresley Cole book for SO LONG (A Hunger Like No Other may have come out before the end of the MacCarrick brothers' trilogy, which kept getting pushed back... and back... and back...)
A Hunger Like No Other rocked my world and my socks simultaneously-- there was much rocking. It was like reading the fantasy books I enjoyed most in my youth... only with supersexy Alpha Lykae and lots and lots of hot sex. Perfection on a stick. And by the time that book was done, not only did I do Kresley Cole paranormal, but I was willing to try the entire subgenre, for better or for worse.
Four and a half years and nine books later, I'm a little bit worried about the state of the Immortals After Dark series. I talked about it before when I said I wasn't sure who Cole was going to write about next, and it turns out that the "last resort" characters I had identified are indeed the current and next books. I am in the middle of Demon From The Dark as we speak, and am enjoying it immensely, despite my earlier hesitation about how much I liked Carrow the Incarcerated. I'm not going to review the book now, but I do want to talk about some things that are making me... question.
(When I say I'm questioning, I am in no way considering a break up with the series or the author. Even at their worst, the IAD novels are solid, endearing romances with some badass heroines and really intriguing heroes. For the moment I am happy to continue reading them as long as Cole continues to deliver the goods.)
But with this book comes the introduction of (it seems like) dozens of new species, animals, dimensions, and possibilities. In the tenth book of the series, I find myself getting confused about the different Lorean creatures-- and frustrated that even characters in the Lore itself, characters who are over a thousand years old, seem to have never heard of some of these creatures, either.
This series is Kresley Cole's baby, and she's done a wonderful job with it. I question the (sort-of) desperation with which she is clinging to it. For example, it's really difficult to continue to appreciate old characters when we have to meet new ones in every book. Sure, there's cross-pollination, but I occasionally wonder why I had to meet some characters only to see them fade into the background. Doesn't bode well for re-read purposes. Also, ten books is a lot. It's a lot to follow the same characters over time (hi Charlaine Harris! J.D. Robb, how are you feeling today? Good? Good!), but it's really really a lot to keep track of all of these new and not-always-interconnecting characters. And while we (in real life) have experienced (at least) four and a half years, the books' timeline is... one year? Really disconcerting. Really really. All of this is to say nothing of the fact that, honestly, not every character needs/deserves their own book. Regin is next, and based on what I have read so far, Lanthe will be after that... I'm already exhausted thinking about how much longer this is going to be stretched out.
Now that I re-read this post, I recognize that it sounds a lot like my plea at the end of my Pleasure of a Dark Prince review. For that, I apologize. And perhaps, despite my reassurances to the contrary (to both myself and to you, dear reader) I am starting to have a serious problem with the direction of IAD. Maybe it's time for a post about breaking up with a series. We'll get there. But hopefully not with this series, and hopefully not soon.
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