Lothaire by Kresley Cole
Immortals After Dark, Book 12
Gallery Books
Paranormal
ISBN: 9781439136829
Reviewed by Miranda

Lothaire, The Enemy of Old is not known for his charm but for his viciousness. He is part Horde vampire and part Dacian. Lothaire has been seeking revenge for the horrendous death of this mother for centuries. Lothaire never does anything for free he takes pleasure in keeping people indebted to him. Lothaire searches for his bride: the one woman who can blood him and bear his children. He expects his bride to rule over the Horde and Dacian kingdoms with him. What a slight to discover his bride is a mere mortal. This cannot be true a being such as Lothaire could never be blooded by a mortal.

Elizabeth Pierce is a southern woman from meager beginnings. She strives to go to college and get a job so she can take care of her family but the Fates have a different plan for her. Elizabeth is harboring an ancient goddess within her body; Saroya, The Soul Reaper, Goddess of Divine Death uses Elizabeth’s body to kill. Elizabeth would rather die than kill again but before she can sacrifice herself Lothaire steps in.

Lothaire must keep Elizabeth Pierce’s body safe so that his true bride Saroya can survive until he can figure out a way to snuff out Elizabeth’s soul. Lothaire kidnaps Elizabeth with the intention of keeping her safe until he can find the means to kick her out of her own body but Elizabeth has other plans. She may be a southern hick but she’s a fighter and she will never willingly give up her body to the goddess of death. Can Elizabeth convince Lothaire to save her and kick Saroya out of her body?

Lothaire is a bewitching villain and Elizabeth is a beguiling heroine. Lothaire is the baddest of bad guys. As his story starts it is hard not to feel for him. I was almost brought to tears in the very first chapter of Lothaire. Lothaire has a one track mind all he can focus on is gaining his revenge and the things he has to do to get it. Elizabeth gets unwillingly caught up in his agenda. The world of Lore is scary and insane to her. From the very first I was enchanted by Elizabeth and her plight. She is a strong woman but how do you fight a goddess when she takes over your body? Then she must fight this immortal vampire who wants to kick her out of her body. Lothaire makes it plain what he thinks about Elizabeth and her hillbilly background. At some points his degrading of Elizabeth seems almost too much to overcome for a couple. As I am rooting for Elizabeth to get rid of Saroya it becomes hard to imagine how Lothaire could ever become good enough for Elizabeth. Love is definitely a battlefield in Lothaire! For most of the story the hero and heroine battle each other intensely, sometimes leading to passionate moments and others to anger and sorrow. Most of the time you start a romance book and you know the hero and heroine are going to end up together. I can honestly say there are many times during Lothaire that I wondering how these two could ever work together. Lothaire and Elizabeth may be extremely different puzzle pieces but when together they make a beautiful romance. I found Lothaire to be an alluring mammoth romance. It is not necessary to have read all of the Immortals After Dark series to follow Lothaire but it definitely enhances the story if you have. I don’t usually comment on covers but Lothaire is now a favorite as it sets the tone for this dark and mesmerizing story.