Lothaire: Immortals After Dark (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Honestly, Kresley Cole's "Lothaire" left me feeling quite torn once I finished reading it. While there were definitely a number of enjoyable and good parts, I was left feeling disappointed and for the first time ever, I found the quality of a Kresley Cole book lacking. This is the weakest book in the series (novellas included).

Let me first say that Lothaire and Ellie through the book became some of my favorite characters in the series. Both are clever and creative when dealing with whatever life throws at them, and they do make an enjoyable couple (at times). A few of the other characters we meet, Thad, the Hag, Nix and La Dorada especially, were entertaining and revealed glimpses of really intriguing plots to come, but most minor characters remained part of the background, which was a shame. The book also contains a lot of information about vampires in the lore and their history.

However, the book suffers from a number of problems. Firstly, Lothaire is one of the books strengths, but also one of its greatest weaknesses. Lothaire is cunning, dry humored, selfish, arrogant, ruthless and evil, all things that make him the interesting character he has been. But while these traits are what make him so great, it also makes him a terrible leading man in a romance novel. He is hard to relate to, sympathize with or even like in a significant portion of the book. Also, he doesn't interact all that much with Ellie, and in fact, the romance part of the story is barely visible until the end.

My second problem with the book is the fact that the first half of the book was almost exclusively expositional, acting as an incredibly long, dragged out setup for the actual story. I love Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series, her books have always been really entertaining and engaging, but the first 200 pages of "Lothaire" were dull and pretty pointless.

Third problem was the plot. It was a mess, a tangle of cheesy, predictable and convenient plotlines and resolutions.

All in all, this is the weakest book in the entire series. Cole's writing is still awesome, and the humor and sexiness is still great the few times it actually does appear, and again, loved the characters. Ellie is probably one of my favorite female characters in this series, a strong and cunning woman who doesn't use cussing, physical violence or throw tantrums whenever she needs to express herself. She really stands out from the valkyries and witches, who often come off as really over-the-top and unrealistic. This book has some really great things going for it, but it is such a mess. This is the first book of the series I am not interested in re-reading, at all.

I've been waiting for Lothaire for quite some time, and I've just stayed up all night reading it because, like everything Kresley Cole writes, I couldn't seem to put it down.

What can I say? Lothaire was fantastic, everything I'd hoped he'd be. Arrogant, dry, utterly intractable. And so dirty. The sex in this book is a bit of a change of style compared to some of the others in the series. It's still steamy as ever, but Lothaire isn't the usual animal-passion Lykae or tortured Wroth or Woede. Lothaire is like... my kinda guy. Let's just say he can turn a pretty phrase in EVERY situation ;) At one point, I became worried that he was going to 'go soppy' like some of her other heroes do... but then Cole pulled it out of the bag in spectacular style, and Lothaire screwed it all up by being so Lothairish it was awesome (The heart scene? Pure Lothaire!) Yet I still totally felt his romance with Ellie. It was very honest, yet he never lurched in to 'tortured' or 'over-protective' hero mode. He was basically an arrogant idiot, and in several places I wanted to smack his head against the wall, but at the same time just loved everything he said. If there was ever someone who needed a bit of no-nonsense love (as oppose to doe-eyed adoration), it was Lothaire. But when he gets it? Boy, does he ever not have a clue what to do with it! Lothaire is the least 'heroic' hero Cole's ever written. I love how he does almost nothing to earn Ellie's forgiveness... yet he gets it anyway. The human character puts all the warring, vendetta-carrying immortals to shame. Ellie forgives Lothaire not because he's earned it... but because she likes him and wants him in her life, knowing that he'll probably always be like it. I think he realises how lucky he is though, in the end ;)

I'll admit I was a Nix/Lothaire supporter, and worried a little about Ellie. Who could possibly match Lothaire? And, at times, I think perhaps Ellie did pale a little in comparison to the Enemy of Old - as indeed almost everyone in the IAD series but Nix does. But instead of a powerful lore character, in Ellie, Cole gives us a powerful HUMAN - one we can identify with in a way we never can with her other heroines. She's basically trailer trash - and darn proud of it! She's not a wilting violet, and her very naivety about the lore is the one thing stopping her from quaking in her boots around Lothaire. She's got nothing to lose, she gives as good as she gets, and she's a complete ray of sunshine without being a sap. She's not princessy like Holly/Emmaline nor immortal-sassy like Regin/Sabine - she's a friendly, no-frills, inquisitive girl trying to make the best of what she's been given, making tough choices because she's brave in the way only a vulnerable person can really be, and finding happiness in the little things... things that Lothaire forgot about millenia ago. I can totally see why she floored him!

A special shout out to Nix, who was lovely as ever. I can't wait to see who she ends up with. I have my suspicions but who can say? Cole keeps pulling surprise after surprise out of the bag in this series. Thad was also fantastic - how cute that big bad Lothaire has a soft spot for these sweet, naive, ray-of-sunshine humans (or baby immortals).

I prefer the faster, more plot-based pacing of Dreams of a Dark Warrior or No Rest for the Wicked, and Lothaire slowed down again and was more reminiscent of the Neomie/Conrad relationship. But, as we discovered in the last book, Lothaire is dreamiest to read when he's doing very little at all. This is the most quotable of all her books, so many I'm not even gonna try. Another great IAD - well done Kresley!

I got the book yesterday and could not put it down until I knew the outcome of this epic battle. I love the story line. Very well thought out and it is so so so sexy to read. I do love all the books in this series however this one has kept the promise as a 5* read and I will read it again and again.

I cant wait for the next book in the series.