Sweet Ruin (Immortals After Dark #16) by Kresley Cole-a review

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About the book:Release Date December 1, 2015

An immortal assassin is caught between desire and duty…

A foundling raised in a world of humans

Growing up, orphaned Josephine didn’t know who or what she was—just that she was “bad,” an outcast with strange powers. Her baby brother Thaddeus was as perfect as she was flawed; protecting him became her entire life. The day he was taken away began Jo’s transition from angry girl… to would-be superhero… to enchanting, ruthless villain.

A lethally sensual enforcer on a mission

A threat to the Møriør has brought archer Rune the Baneblood to the mortal realm to slay the oldest living Valkyrie. Whether by bow or in bed, he never fails to eliminate his target. Yet before he can strike, he encounters a vampiric creature whose beauty conceals a black heart. With one bite, she pierces him with aching pleasure, taking his forbidden blood – and jeopardizing the secrets of his brethren.

A boundless passion that will lead to sweet ruin…

Could this exquisite female be a spy sent by the very Valkyrie he hunts? Rune knows he must not trust Josephine, yet he’s unable to turn her away. Despite his millennia of sexual conquests, he can’t ignore the unfamiliar longing she arouses deep within him. When Jo betrays the identity of the one man she will die to protect, she and Rune become locked in a treacherous battle of wills that pits ultimate loyalty against unbridled lust.

Review:

Sweet Ruin begins with Josephine, aka Jo, and her little brother on the streets with only each other to depend on. They had been in and out of the foster system until Jo finally decided that was not the way to go. They’d had “problems” with the foster parents and Jo was doing her best to take care of herself and Thaddie.

Fortunately, Mrs. Brayden, aka Miz B, a part-time librarian feeds them on a regular basis and will watch Jo’s little brother, Thaddeus, for a little while so that Jo can take care of a few things. The neighborhood wasn’t a good one. There was a gang that was brutal to girls on the streets and that made Jo’s blood boil. She did what she could to help them, until that fateful afternoon she encountered “The Wall”, the gang leader. He’d figured out she was the one that had been messing with his stuff and, last night, sat his house on fire. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your pov, he had a gun pointed at her face……and pulled the trigger.

When Jo woke, she was disoriented and it took her a little bit to remember what had happened. And, then she figured out she was…..a ghost? She seeks revenge against the one who shot her and then strikes out to get Thaddie back. But when she goes to Miz B’s, Thaddie doesn’t recognize her and Miz B tells her she died and she needs to “pass on”. Devastated, she leaves and spends a few months trying to get herself together and goes back to take her brother. But, when she arrives and sees how well he’s doing, she knows she’s lost him….for now.

Rune the Baneblood was the one Morior who had stayed awake for five centuries as the dimension of Tenebrous had gone through time and space to reach Earth. Once they neared, he woke the others. The Morior is a group of extremely powerful beings that include the first werefolf, the Overlady of Witches, and the oldest vampire, just to name a few. Their mission to kill the oldest living Valkyrie….Nucking Futs Nix herself. Rune is dispatched to ferret out information and to locate Nix and ends up in present day New Orleans. He’s called Rune the Insatiable because he uses sex to achieve his goals, and he always gets what he wants.

Since Jo has been in New Orleans, she has discovered that there are others like her. Not “just” like her, but not human. She has used her powers for good trying to rid the streets of pimps and help the girls on the streets as best she can. One night while out walking, she encounters a handsome man servicing a group of nymphs and decides to do a little spying. Rune almost immediately knows someone is watching, but he can’t see her. Once he leaves the group of nymphs, he zeroes in on Jo and they talk for a bit. Rune knows she’s not human, but doesn’t know exactly what she is. When Jo rebuffs his advances, Rune is stunned. And intrigued. What follows is a series of events that will make you laugh, will make you tear up and will definitely keep you turning the pages.

Sweet Ruin is an awesome story that will advance the Accession storyline. I, for one, was disappointed when I saw that the leads were new characters, but the disappointment didn’t last long. Cole has said that this story was necessary for a few reasons. It will push the Accession forward in a major way. She also said it had to come before the others because she’s setting up future conflicts, and that one of the new characters will play a huge role in Nix’s future. I believe that one of the Morior is Nix’s mate and can’t wait to read that story! But, I digress. Jo was a great heroine. She was so naïve in the fact that she didn’t know there were more like her, but when she finds out what she is AND what she can do? Awesome! She’s been by herself for so long and has longed for someone to be hers, and she misses Thaddie terribly. Rune, whom Jo calls Ruin to tic him off, has a heartbreaking past. He’d been enslaved for centuries and is thousands of years old, and had given up on finding a mate. When he finally figures out what Jo is and that she’s not affected by his poison blood, he feels something that he hasn’t felt in eons….Hope. But, as he and Jo navigate their burgeoning relationship, he worries that his fellow Morior will never be accepting of him, or any of them, having a mate. The two of them are an amazing pairing. Probably in my top three of the series. Nix plays a big part in this one, and we get to see a lot of the other characters from the series. I wish I could tell you what EXACTLY is happening with the Accession, but I don’t have a clue as of yet. Ha! All I can tell you is you’d better get to reading!! Well done, Kresley Cole! Very, very, very well done!!!!

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Vickie M.