5 star:		(221)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I have been highly anticipating Lothaire for some time now, especially after seeing a lot of him in the previous book, Dreams of a Dark Warrior. Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, an extremely old and feared vampire who is set upon revenge. As the bastard child of the King of the Horde, Stefanovich, he promised his Dacian vampire mother before she was tortured and killed that he would slay Stefanovich so the Horde will ultimately swear fealty to Lothaire. He then plans to unite the Dacian and Horde kingdoms together. He has spent century after century set to accomplish his endgame and refuses to be stopped. Extremely smart, arrogant and lethal, he has so many in the Lore who owe him. This makes him very feared but also one of the most-hunted people in the Lore. But now one of the most feared vampires is about to be mated to a mortal.

Elizabeth Pierce, or Ellie, comes from a poor mining family in the Appalachian Mountains. At 19 she became possessed by the demon Saroya and is desperate to get rid of her. Saroya was once a goddess (a death goddess), but has been condemned to live in mortal bodies. She likes Ellie's body. Ellie is beautiful and strong -- maybe a little too strong, as Ellie often can fight to keep Saroya hidden deep within her. When Saroya rises, though, she is very violent, killing all in her path, which is how Ellie ends up on Death Row.

When Lothaire meets Ellie/Saroya, he becomes "blooded": His body becomes alive with a heartbeat, and he has breath. He assumes his bride must be Saroya, because she is a goddess, not the mere mortal Elizabeth:

*******
"Because fate would not slight me so unspeakably. I'd seek a noon-day sun if I were paired with one such as you."
"Such as me," she repeated blandly. She'd been mocked too often over her lifetime to take offense. Her skin was as thick as armor.
"Yes, you. An ignorant, mortal Kmart checkout girl." He took the sharpest knife from his place setting, absently turning it between his left thumb and forefinger.
"Kmart? I should have been so lucky. Those jobs were hard to come by. I worked at my uncle's outfitter shop."
"Then you're even worse. You're an outfitter checkout girl with aspirations for Kmart."
"Still better than a demon."
******

He has spent the five years Ellie has spent in prison trying to track down a special ring that he hopes can extinguish Ellie's soul. That way, Saroya can use Ellie's body to become an immortal vampire, getting around the curse, and become Lothaire's bride so he can reclaim the Horde throne. When Lothaire nabs Ellie off of Death Row in the nick of time, he is stuck keeping her body safe until he can figure out how to extinguish Ellie's soul so Saroya can fully take over her body. But Ellie isn't going down without a fight.

As I sit here and try to think how to explain Lothaire, all I can really is say is that he is just one of a kind. There isn't a lot of gray in his world. He is so old and his arrogance is so ingrained, that it is his way or else. Kresley Cole allows him to fall in love -- and still retain these characteristics. Because of his age, and the fact that when he drinks from people, he retains their memories, he is not lucid at all times. He is skirting the edge of insanity and fears he may not make it to exact his revenge.

At times I wanted to slap him for how he acted, but he has gotten his way for centuries, so he knows nothing else. At times I felt sorry for him. While he keeps a ledger of everyone who is indebted to him -- looking through all the names gives him a sense of peace -- he barely has any friends. He has lived his entire existence trying to get revenge and hasn't really experienced happiness. Now that he has a mortal who is not only extremely fragile in his world, but one who says "no" to him, he is baffled. He can't comprehend how one would not be attracted to him or not think he is making the best decisions for her. As we learn, he is "Lothairistic."

*****
"First of all, I'm not narcissistic." When she opened her lips to argue, he said, "I know Narkissos of Thespiae -- while we might share traits, I came first, so he's Lothairistic, not the other way around."
*****

Ellie, thinking she only has days before Lothaire finds the ring and kills her soul, doesn't have a lot to lose. She is spunky and stubborn and, although they have a difficult journey together, I loved how their romance plays out. They have to work hard for it, but it is very believable and well done. I also have to say the sex in this book is the best Kresley Cole has written.

I am amazed at this world Kresley Cole has created. It is so complex and vast, and while I appreciate that, I also think the amount of page time it takes to rehash events and remind us who everyone is weighs this book down in the beginning. Of course, I also needed that refresher, because I forget from book to book what is going on. So it is needed, but just be aware that the book starts a little slow. Once we get into it, though, it really takes off.

We also meet some new characters belonging to the very secretive Dacian, which will also star in her new spinoff series. (Lothaire's mother is Dacian.) I don't want to give away anything about them, but I really enjoyed what we get to see of them.

I think this is one of the few series that is actually getting better as it progresses. Lothaire is Book 12 and a definite favorite. I'm so intrigued by the characters. Nix is still walking around crazy, Furie is still chained somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, Thaddeus is 17 and turning into a stud -- and we meet Hag, who will definitely amuse you. And those are just a few of the many insane, sarcastic and engaging characters in this world. My favorite thing about these books is that Cole lets the characters act like immortals. They are so violent, so cunning and evil. And yet they are hilarious and smart and, of course, amazing in bed. I believe the last page of Lothaire gives us a hint as to whose book is next, and I can't wait.

What I really appreciate about these books is how it hasn't followed the natural progression of other popular series, where the characters and situations start to become sameish/dull/not so very good. In the case of the Immortals after Dark, the world is continuously becoming increasingly more complex and ambitious. The different immortal factions are becoming increasingly integrated, opening up narrative possibilities while actually having the action move forward. The romantic scenes are a bit more earthy and raw than in previous books, and Lothaire has definitely a tendency for err, effectively crude language. And Lothaire is pretty much all that he was billed to be, snarky, crazy, hilarious, and completely out of his league when having to deal with Elizabeth.

This book is the longest effort in the series, I believe, which means that it lurches a bit in the beginning after an explosive beginning. But while the action is not so compressed as in the previous books, it's an exhilarating ride.

I have been waiting for Lothaires story & was so anxious that I was actually worried I would be let down. I wanted certain things & had ideas about how the story line should go. Lothaire has been a favorite of mine (as well as Nix) through the entire series & I have just been dying to get his full story. This book gave me a completed feeling. While it was not what I had expected or really even predicted the story was fabulous and while it was heartbreaking at times, it was the same laugh out loud Kresley Cole that I love! I mean really??? Lothaire the Enemy of Olde finds his Bride in Ellie Mae Clampet? Could there have been a bigger shock? Ahhh I loved it! I have read every book & loved every single one, but this is definately her best work so far! The series just gets better & better! I hope to see Leo and "Lizavetta" again, especially when Nix FINALLY gets a man & a little tiny bit of sanity! I love her so much, and found myself crying in this book at her hopelessness. While her insanity has always brought me to laughter, this book reveals the strain that she is facing & it was rather depressing. I will be hoping to see Nix find a man who can bring her some semblance of peace & hopefully Lothaire will be the one to help her. He owes her that. All in all... perfect book & the perfectly imperfect hero.

Very disappointing. I looked eagerly forward to this book as I adore the entire IAD series. Kresley Cole is a paranormal romance writer without parallel. But in "Lothaire", I felt as though she was trying to recreate the push/pull dynamic of her first full length IAD book, "A Hunger Like No Other". The big difference was that as wicked as Lacclain was to Emma, he always recognized her as his Bride and from very early on he had regrets about his conflicted behavior towards Emma. Lachlain showed true feelings for Emma that occasionally shone through in his thoughts and behavior. Contrast that to Lothaire, who was simply evil and hateful to Ellie for half the book. And the other half, she was a possession, mostly a sexual possesion. Where was the romance? I missed the tortured, conflicted, "but she is my Bride and I must protect her" thoughts and actions from Lothaire. Instead, he simply berated, diminished and otherwise mentally abused Ellie.

I also didn't buy the romance between them. If Ellie hadn't been beautiful and sexually aroused by Lothaire, there would have been no relationship because that is all that pulled Lothaire to Ellie. He despised all she represented in her low hillbilly upbringing and repeatedly made that clear.

Overall a miss for me. Her first stumble in my opinion and I still can't wait to read the first book in the Dacian series as well as the next IAD novel.

FYI, pretty much spoiler-free, I think.

3+/3.5 stars overall. I'll be completely honest; I'm a little underwhelmed. I liked it...for the most part. There were parts I really liked, parts I didn't particularly like, and parts with which I was definitely squeamish/uncomfortable. This is a hard one for me to evaluate because I had been looking forward to it for QUITE some time (uh, check when I originally shelved this book - back in MAY 2011). Much like that feeling you get when you've planned a vacation to see, say, the Eiffel Tower, then after months of waiting, you get there and you're like "oh," I feel the anticipation for this book may have clouded my judgment.

HERE'S WHAT I LIKED

1. World-building! Back story! Introduction of the Dacians (a supposedly fabled but actually real vampire kingdom...that happens to be the subject of KC's spinoff series "Realm of Blood and Mist," arriving this summer)! Seeing other characters with whom I am familiar and of whom I am quite fond (hi, Thad! hi, Nixie!)!
- KC is really good at this. REALLY good at this. We get a lot of information about Lothaire's history, from his early formative years to...YES...his long history and odd frienemies status with Nix. If you're an IAD faithful *raises hand*, you'll also get a little thrill when you spot cameos of other IAD characters.
- Beyond that, we get a lot more of the world-building that makes the IAD world so fun. The biggest aspect of this world-building is the world of the Dacians. The vampire books generally are my least favorite of the IAD world, but KC does a nice job of giving her Dacian vamps individual personalities, whether it be brooding or surly. Mmmm...me likey. I'm curious enough to try out her new series set in that world.

2. The heroine, Elizabeth Ann Peirce (or "Ellie") - I liked her. A lot. Whoever thought to pair up a millenia-old, mortal-hating, filthy-rich, eviler-than-thou vamp with a human hillbilly from Appalachia? KC, that's who. Surprisingly, it worked for me. I had some fears that her character would be too much like the (loathed) trailer trash Tayla from Larissa Ione's "Pleasure Unbound," who was so unworthy of Eidolon, but Ellie wasn't like that. Ellie worked for me because she was intelligent, spunky, stood up for herself, and had backbone. And when you're paired up with Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, you need a backbone...or else he'll just rip it out for you. Even faced with her seemingly impossible position (um, from death row prisoner to captive of a vampire who is hell-bent on exterminating you so that he can use your body as the host for an evil ex-goddess? yeah, THAT doesn't sound daunting), she was still trying to scheme and plot her way into besting him. I liked that. It showed determination and grit.

3. Lothaire...as a character. To clarify, NOT as a hero. Yes, this is going to come as a weird one for all of those Lothaire groupies (of whom I still count myself a part), but yeah...he's not hero material. Sorry, folks. I think he's an awesome character with his dry DRY wit, his boundless arrogance, and his unwavering confidence. He had so many one liners that I couldn't keep track of them. He also had a really interesting back story, but yeah...that made him a great character. He didn't work (for me) as a romance hero. For more info thereon, see number 2. of "Here's what didn't work for me" below.

4. Sexytimes. Pretty smokin' hot. Like...hotter than all the other IAD books, I think. And Lothaire when he loses control over his puny mortal (then doesn't want to cop to it) is pretty great. *evil grin*

HERE'S WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME

1. Sexytimes. Yes, this shows up on both lists. Pretty smokin' hot sexytimes, but I just couldn't get past my squeamishness over what felt like questionable consent scenarios. And pretty much all of them fell under that category. I mean...super-powerful vamp who torments his kidnappee matched up with human captive? The power dynamic just felt SO wrong to me that I couldn't get comfortable with their sexytimes scenes, especially when Lothaire was such a jerk afterwards and any time he was with her otherwise, even if the sexytimes themselves were hot and choreographed nicely. There was just such a weird dynamic overall to the relationship that, even though Ellie tried to do all that she could to best Lothaire, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was doing these things (namely, seducing him) not necessarily of her own free will, but because (a) she was overpowered and had no choice and (b) she had her own endgame in mind.

2. Lothaire...as a romance hero. Yeah, he's alpha. Gamma, even? Yeah, he knows his way around a bedroom (and a settee...and a kitchen counter...etc.). But yeah...he wasn't...romantic. And he didn't protect and cherish Ellie like a vamp should his Bride. Now, I'm usually on board with KC's alpha heroes. Give me a demon with lickable horns who's dragging a reluctant newfound Valkyrie cross-country, and I totally signed up for that. It's not like I expected a reformed Lothaire or anything. He could continue with his badassery, End Game, and death dealing (which he does in this book). I just wanted a little more...outlook adjustment, I suppose? At the very least with respect to his Bride? After he recognizes Ellie as his Bride and subsequently mulls over his really UN-heroic actions towards her, I was rubbing my hands in anticipation of some major groveling. Alas, such did not appear. Some of his actions were thoughtful, which I understand for Lothaire is a MAJOR leap already, but I just couldn't connect with him as a hero. He's fun to watch and a fantastic character, sure, but I didn't really think he was a hero in this case.

3. Saroya possession. *sigh* I was really indifferent towards the first 30% or so of the book. I knew it had something to do with the Saroya possession aspect, but I couldn't pinpoint it at the time. I finally figured out just why this bothered me so much. It was totally TOTALLY an "other woman"/cheating scenario, and what made this one different was you actually got narrative from the OW's POV. *cringe* I'm sure it added to the story in some way what with Lothaire's not knowing who his Bride was, but this part didn't really work for me. I know I know...I'm just a huge wuss when it comes to these evil chicks (I also hated Sabine from "Kiss of a Demon King," but at least she could be funny), but nobody said this review was going to be anything but completely subjective.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

This was a really cool addition to the IAD world, and I loved seeing the IAD characters from earlier books. KC has a great imagination, and reading about some of the baddies and their world was a fun ride through less charted territory. However, the romance didn't really blossom as a romance, in my opinion. The inherent skewed relationship between kidnapper and captive just didn't really work to establish a believable connection between the two main characters, especially when one is adamant in his belief that a mere mortal couldn't possibly be his Bride and continues to degrade and insult her at every turn. Sure, I didn't really expect kittens and roses - it's Lothaire, after all - but I did expect...something more. I dunno...let's just say that I've done rereads of almost every other IAD book, but this one...might not be on that rotation as often as I would originally have expected.

I guess what it boils down to is this: I got caught up in this book and kept reading it, but NOT for the romance, which is a strange strange thing to say about a romance novel.

Here's hoping that the Dacians live up to their promise in this summer's "Shadow's Claim."

I am honestly wondering if half of these reviewers were paid to give good ones. I have read this entire series and was eagerly anticipating this book. What a disappointment. Usually I stay up all night in order to finish books from this series because I literally can't put them down, but I actually had to force myself to even finish this book at all.

First of all, I understand that Lothaire is not a "good guy." That has been established in the previous books; however, I feel like his behavior could have been spun differently so as to make him at least likeable in this book, which Cole just did not do. She tried to set up a background for Lothaire to explain why he is the way he is (which I won't go into here), but it just fell short for me. Also, if I had to read the words "end game" one more time I probably would have thrown the book across the room.

I thought the whole premise of Ellie being possessed by Lothaire's potential vampire bride, Saroya, was brilliant. And it started off really well. Somewhere along the way, however, (perhaps midway through) Cole seemed to lose steam. The story just wasn't going anywhere and the constant discussion about doing something to get the ring from La Dorada and subsequently banishing Ellie's soul just became redundant. It was almost like, enough already, stop talking about it and do it or shut up.

Also, SPOILER ALERT, I understand that Lothaire is an uber alpha male and all that, which I usually love. But when he turns Ellie into a vampire against her will, in the face of her flagrant and vehemently stated objections, I was annoyed. And when he didn't even apologize, flying the "I know what's best for you" flag, I was even more annoyed. BUT when Ellie, who up until that point was pretty strong and independent, just kind of accepted that without a fight, I was just over the book.

I felt like there was a lot of build up around the premise of Lothaire realizing and accepting mortal Ellie as his bride, but when it actually happened it was pretty anticlimactic. And he didn't really accept her as a mortal. I felt like he didn't accept her until he turned her (against her will) and made her into an immortal, which to me doesn't scream true and unconditional love. Long story short, it almost seemed like Cole just said forget it and wanted to finish the book.

It's Lothaire's story, and he's...well, he's Lothaire. He's still a villain; Cole didn't do a 180 to make him more palatable as a romantic hero, and he's not a romantic hero, really. He's arrogant and deeply self-absorbed, so much so that he can't even conceive of a woman not being honored to be with him and accept whatever treatment he dishes out. I *love* that Kresley Cole maintained his character, and I love the likable, gritty heroine she created, Ellie Peirce (not a typo), who's strong enough to bend rather than break in her determination to survive and protect her family. And yes, the book is crazy hot. Hot like fire, seriously.

[Warning: Minor to moderate spoilers]

I know some reviewers are greatly bothered by the dubious consent; it's a reasonable concern, and it gave me a moment or two of pause myself. But ultimately I consider the bond Cole's described between the heroes and heroines in her Immortals After Dark series to undermine consent on its own. An unbelievably powerful attraction dictated not by choice, but supernatural selection? I understand its function in the books (yowsa!), but I do find it a cheat. It almost functions as a drug to keep the couple together and narcoticized on great sex until real feelings, independent of the bond, can form. YMMV, of course.

Lothaire hasn't merely been without his Bride for millenia, he's been without *anyone* for all that time. He hasn't loved anyone since his mother died. He's existed in a solipsistic cocoon since then; it's like expecting a lawn chair to know how to have a healthy relationship. When he absorbs Ellie's experiences the only way he can, by dreaming them after taking her blood, he's horrified by his actions. As soon as his eyes are opened, he repents of his treatment of her ... while still remaining a brat prince (okay, king) who looks forward to building up his big book of debts.

At times I wasn't convinced of whether Cole could make a happy ending believable. Ultimately she did, to my mind. One of the best of the IAD series.

* may contain some small spoilers*

Let me start out by saying I am a huge fan of Cole's IAD series and love, love Lothaire and I know I will get slammed for this, but I find that this book has some serious issues for me. It is extremely difficult for any writer to transform any *truly* evil character into a hero; to make the reader essentially forgive all his past transgressions and make him a likeable, loving person. Is Lothaire that person at the end of his book? Maybe. Maybe not.

The good-
There are many parts of this book that I found heartwarming. Recalling Lothaire's past as a little vampire, standing up for his mother, was utterly heartbreaking. His lack of family, friends, and anyone to trust made me ache for him. I just wanted to grab hold of him and hug him and tell him it'll be OK. Its so sad that Lothaire's loneliness is so a part of him that he doesn't even realize its a bad thing until he is given an alternative, an opportunity to find happiness. *Happiness *-something that is such a foreign concept to him that he is initially confused by it. The poor fool doesn't even know how to smile. And when he finally realizes that Ellie is his bride, its nearly comical seeing him wrestle with his emotions.

The awesome-
Thaddeus -yummmmmmy! Nix (as always).

Snooze worthy-
Lothaire's book of blood debts that goes nowhere. Saroya's boring demise. La Dorada's anti climatic cameo.

Unfortunately the bad-
The heinous acts he commits against others are forgivable. They are mostly against characters that the reader doesn't have a vested emotional interest in. Acts he commits against his Bride? Potentially forgivable, but does he deserve it? I'm not sure about that. Remorse is key concept, but where is it? Is it enough to say 'I'm sorry" (after all that he did to poor Ellie) and that's it? A few trinkets, trips and lovemaking? Where are the heartfelt words/actions? What is Lothaire's sacrifice? I will not spoil it for anyone and go into specific details but I found his high handedness extreme at times and he shows not even a twinge of regret over it. It doesn't matter if he is right or wrong. The whole point is his attitude. And as much as it pains me to write this, I also think that a case can be made for rape. Yes, reread those those chapters again and I challenge you to disagree. No means no, I don't care how many orgasms you have. As for Ellie, she essentially has a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome. The time period is too short for anything otherwise.

Overall I think my biggest gripe boils down to the short time period. A scant few weeks is not enough to even partially reform a complex character like Lothaire. Perhaps I'm too picky, I know this isn't reality. People can fall in love in a blink of an eye. Forgiveness can be given just as fast. But, I don't know, I just wanted MORE. More emotion, more love, more romance. More pages? I would have like to have seen Lothaire grow more as a character. There are glimpses of goodness but not enough to satisfy. He has the potential to be the absolute best reformed hero ever, but I just don't see that here. If you've ever read Cole's If You Deceive (The MacCarrick Brothers, Book 3) you know exactly what this book is missing and the potential of this author to create drama -that's why I gave this book 3 stars. A great beginning but not nearly enough growth in character.

I LOVED most of the other books in the IAD series - in fact, even after I've mostly grown bored of the endless repetitive drivel that most other paranormal romance authors continue to bring to the presses, I kept coming back to this series - mostly because of the irreverent humor and because Cole's heroines are complete badasses.

Another reviewer absolutely hit the nail on the head with this one - while Lachlain in A Hunger Like No Other did terrorize Emma somewhat, deep down he never truly wanted to hurt her. This book takes Stockholm Syndrome Romance to a new low...it honestly makes me concerned for anyone who loves this book - the "hero" uses and abuses the heroine in every possible way, even going against her deepest wishes until about twenty pages before the end....then, voila, all is forgiven. I couldn't even read the romance scenes - it felt completely wrong.

I am concerned about the direction that Ms. Cole is taking of late - between Declan vivisecting his beloved and now to Lothaire....if this is what people dream about at night, then count me out. I'd rather go back to Jane Austen.

L was an abusive prick (no pun intended) throughout the majority of the book. The way he took Ellie's maidenhead was terrible. It truly saddens me that Cole has gone down the road of so many other authors lately, leading to a world where the supposed heroes get to treat their women so badly, yet always be forgiven for it, in the end. What a horrible message. What a waste of my time and money.