I can't believe it's been more than a week since I've blogged! I'm bad. But you'll forgive me when you hear what I've been doing. I had the newest installment of Kresley Cole's nationally bestselling Immortals After Dark series to review! Lucky, lucky me! Dark Needs at Night's Edge hits shelves April 29th, but you can preorder it now. I strongly suggest you do so, because this one is not to be missed. See below for my review:

Celebrated ballerina Néomi Laress has been haunting her New Orleans estate since a jealous ex-lover murdered her there in the late 1920’s. In the last eighty years, no temporary tenant of Elancourt has fascinated her as much as the most recent arrival—Conrad Wroth, a mad vampire being held captive by his brothers. Amazing enough to find out about the Lore, the supernatural underworld of Valkyrie, nymphs, werewolves and the like—but even more astonishing is Conrad’s ability to see and hear Néomi in her ghost state.

Conrad is one of the Fallen: a vampire who has surrendered to his bloodlust and drunk straight from the living vein. With that blood, he receives his victims’ memories, crowding into his own mind and distorting reality to the extent that he thinks he’s hallucinating the ephemerally beautiful Néomi. Her presence calms him as his brothers’ drugs and lectures can’t, and Conrad begins to believe she’s real. He also wonders if she might be his Bride, the one woman who can bring his heart—and other parts—back to life. When Néomi strikes a deal with a witch to become corporeal again, Conrad must fight to protect her from his enemies—and even more, from himself.

Kresley Cole is a uniquely talented author, with a gift for twisting romance clichés into fabulously original plots. In Dark Needs at Night’s Edge, the ghost protagonist is the heroine, rather than the hero—and not only that, she’s a sexually liberated woman full of independence and verve, who really should write a self-help book. Her words of wisdom on life and love are priceless—e.g. “People think happiness will simply fall into their laps. You have to aspire to it. And sometimes you have to seize it when it’s kicking and screaming.”—but she never comes across as preachy or smug. She’s someone you’d love to have as a friend. While Conrad, on the surface, appears to be all the hero no-no’s rolled into one; he’s psychotic, a violent killer, an addict, and to top it all off, a virgin! And yet. Conrad leaps off the page and into your heart. He’s unexpected and unpredictable, fiercely determined to get better and to protect his mate, and an absolute fantasty lover in his devotion to Néomi’s pleasure. Their sizzling attraction transcends the limits of the physical; Conrad loves her before he ever touches her, and the evolution of their romance is among the most believable and engrossing I’ve ever read. Cole’s Immortals After Dark series continues stronger than ever with this latest installment.

Posted by Louisa Edwards at 8:20 AM