Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4.25 of 5 stars
Good Boy Attracted to a Bad Girl
“Rydstrom was known as upstanding and good, Sabine as treacherous and evil.”
FINAL DECISION: This intriguing story of a good king who has been really tired with being good and having people defer to him finds his mate in a wicked woman who is on the side of evil.
THE STORY: Rydstrom Woede lost his kingdom nine hundred years ago and has spent those years plotting to get it back. Just when he discovers the existence of a sword that can kill his “unkillable” usurper (that story is told in DARK DESIRES AFTER DUSK), Rydstrom is abducted by Sabine, Sorceress of Illusions, a wicked woman who is half sister to the usurper and working with him. Sabine intends on seducing Rydstrom and becoming pregnant with his heir in order to cement control of Rydstrom’s kingdom.
OPINION: What I found most intriguing about this book is the story that begins as a good man and a wicked woman and yet the attraction between the two demonstrates that the good boy has a bad side and the bad girl can also be sympathetic and gentle. The complexity of these characters was refreshing because the book doesn’t have a cop out that Sabine has actually been a good person all along. Her bad acts are explained and can be understood but are not diminished as being bad acts. This book moves beyond the bad/good dichotomy and allows itself to dwell in shades of grey which makes the character more vibrant, more real and more interesting.
WORTH MENTIONING: This book takes place concurrently with the previous book and fills in the gaps of what was happening in Cade’s book since this book is from Rydstrom’s perspective.
CONNECTED BOOKS: KISS OF A DEMON KING is the seventh book in the Immortals After Dark series. This book can be read as a standalone but is better read as part of the series. At least a reader should read the story of Rydstrom’s brother DARK DESIRES AFTER DUSK which occurs concurrently with this book.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4.25 stars.