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Review: Lothaire by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark #12)

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Lothaire by Kresley ColeLothaire (Immortals After Dark #12)
Kresley Cole
Published: Jan. 10, 2012 (Gallery)
Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon

Reviewed by: Candace

Rating (out of 5): 5 stars

“You know I can do anything. Trust me?”

“Can I?”

“You alone can trust me.”

I’ve read so many books in my life, it would be impossible to get anywhere near an accurate count. Every once in a while, I’ve been lucky enough to read a book that gives me goosebumps. The one where you know the writer is going to be a legend. For Kresley Cole, that moment happened the moment I cracked open Lothaire.

We met The Enemy of Old at the beginning of the series and have had bits and pieces of him throughout the Immortals After Dark journey. In Regin’s book, we got a pretty good amount of Lothaire exposure. And of course, we all wanted his book even more. The clincher here is that there was a fairly substantial number of us who wanted Lothaire to be paired with Nix, Valkyrie soothsayer extraordinaire. Alas, that was not meant to be.

Lothaire’s heroine comes in the form of Elizabeth Peirce, or Ellie, a.k.a. death row inmate.

This book provides us with the missing pieces. It gives us the information revealing why The Enemy of Old is an enemy to so many. He’s spent decades, centuries, millenia orchestrating revenge for the events that set his life as an enemy to so many in motion. In the process of keeping his vow of revenge, he lost focus on what should be the single most important thing ever to a vampire – his Bride, whoever she may be. Because the true identify of Lothaire’s Bride remains in question. Getting to the answer is a thrill ride that only Kresley can give us.

Lothaire (character, not book) had me seething. His cruelty to Ellie was unconscionable. His behavior was reprehensible. The reveals of his life up until this point begin to provide reason. But should this girl, who has suffered so much already, have to bear the brunt of Lothaire’s single minded focus on revenge? No, she shouldn’t and she doesn’t. Simply put, Ellie is no doormat. She gives as good as she gets. Her strength is admirable, her courage is endearing. Ellie does not become the female doormat to an overbearing Alpha.

Ellie is a small town girl. Her family is from a mining community. She was raised in the Appalachian Mountains. This girl screams redneck Hillbilly with a passion. But on the glimpses into her life, we find this is an intelligent girl fallen victim to a centuries old quest for revenge. Can a girl who was this close to a lethal injection face life, however long it is for a human, with a vampire hellbent on killing and revenge? Lothaire the book is filled with as many questions and uncertainties as Lothaire the character.

Since the beginning, no one has been able to tell us with any certainty if Lothaire is a good guy, bad guy, should he take a nap in the sun, will he buddy up with the Wroth Brothers and toast marshmallows over a campfire? What makes this a phenomenal book is that at no point do you want to shut the book and not get an answer. Lothaire makes it impossible to quit. For the overbearing bastard that he is, we, the reader, still want to love him.

Let’s not forget the other characters on the IAD journey. Mariketa the Awaited shows up as does her growling snarling husband. The players from the island of torture are there (Webb, I predict torture and a painful death for you in a future book). Regin’s radiance shines through. Okay, fine, it’s her smart mouth. But still, we’re reminded why we love her. Thaddeus, the sweet, endearing boy who just realized his link to the Lore, makes us all grin with his cuteness.

Nix. Nix actually made me cry. 1:30 in the morning, I’ve got a pillow between my husband and me, hoping the light from the lamp won’t wake him up and I’m grabbing for Kleenex. That’s all I’ll say.

If you’re on the fence about starting IAD, this book alone should make the decision for you. Lothaire is worth it.

Sexual content: Graphic sex scenes. (An ageless vampire has his newly-blooded Bride? Count on intensity.)

7 Responses to “Review: Lothaire by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark #12)”

  1. BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously would give Lothaire 6 out of 5 stars. I could not stop laughing through the entire book no matter how serious it got, and you are right about Ellie, all the way! The hick references KILLLLED MEEEE, and Lothaire’s relationships with all the new characters in the spin-off series. I swear I have a quote highlighted every other page of this dang book.
    And yeah, the Nix and Lothaire heart to heart, I teared up as well. Great post, Candace!

  2. Miss Mel says:

    Great review. I was on the other end of the spectrum with my view of Lothaire and his evil, evil deeds. Every time he would do something exceptionally cruel and vicious (i.e. prison scene) I was thinking damn that man knows how to make an entrance and dear gods I love Lothaire. The more cruel and sinister he was the more I wanted. I’m sick and twisted that way. I was so afraid that by finding his Bride that he would become a watered down version of himself but Kresley wrote him brilliantly. If I could’ve given this book more than a 5 star rating I would have.

  3. LC says:

    What a great review! I couldn’t agree more! I love, love, love all of Kresley’s books. (I think I read three of them on a four-day getaway!) But I must say, Lothaire has been my absolute favorite! I loved everything about his nature and how he consistantly had to battle his emotions with Ellie all the time. I would definitely give this 5 out of 5 stars!

    xoxo

  4. TJ says:

    I started Lothaire yesterday & am now half way thru his book. I have to say I think I’m in love with Lothaire! This book was def. worth the wait & by far the best book so far in the IAD series!

  5. Kristin says:

    Lothaire was amazing – the character is flawlessly written and stays true despite finding his Bride. And Ellie – just WOW. Love strong women who find their men and show vulnerability without losing any of their strength. I also truly enjoyed finding out so much about Nyx and her history with Lothaire – and his realization that he was orchestrating one Endgame while she was masterminding hundreds. His reassessment of Nyx was a favorite moment of mine in this book. 5 stars, for sure. Now, what’s next with IAD? Thad, anyone?

  6. Xeranthemum says:

    I enjoyed reading your review. I liked your perspective and how you expressed what you liked in the story.

    I, too, loved this book. I thought it was the best in the series, so far, and your review captured all the best elements that made it impossible to put down until the last page.
    Congrats!!!

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