Shadow's Seduction (Immortals After Dark, #16)

by Kresley Cole

• ISBN10: 0997215194
• ISBN13: 9780997215199
• Publish Date: 1 February 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Valkyrie Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 250
• Language: English

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

Shadow’s Seduction is the sixteenth book in Kresley Cole’s Immortal After Dark series. This is my first time reading this book. I know; shame on me for just now reading it. I was busy in 2017 when the book was released. I was working a full-time job that took precedence. I’m just glad I finally read Mirceo’s and Caspion’s book. 

Storyline/My Thoughts: Shadow’s Seduction is an M/M Paranormal Romance book, so if you are not used to reading M/M, then this book may not be for you. This is not my first M/M. (Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy introduced me to my very first M/M books, and I fell in love with their M/M books, and those are contemporary/new adult.) I was excited and anxious to read Kresley’s M/M book. She already won me over with her previous couples in each of the Immortals After Dark books, and I know she can win me over again with this book.

I had a feeling in Shadow’s Claim that Caspion was keeping something from Bettina, and now I know what after reading Shadow’s Seduction. Caspion is a demon who has had a rough life, and he’s also a tracker who can find anyone. (except for the Vrekeners, but that’s in Shadow’s Claim.) Now, let me say this about Caspion. I’m not a fan of Caspion. Nope. He drove me crazy in Shadow’s Claim, and he drove me crazy in this book. He did redeem himself at the end of this book. Don’t get me started on how he treated Mirceo. Again, he’s not a favorite male protagonist. 

Mirceo is what won me over in this book. Mirceo is a Dacian vampire, and I adore him, especially after he was there for his little sister after losing their parents. He also won me over on how he was willing to prove himself for Caspion, but what does Caspion do? He runs and hides for many years in a different realm. Grrr!

Now, there was coaxing to get Caspion and Mirceo together initially. They were drunk and wanted to seek pleasure with nymphs when something happened between Caspion and Mirceo. Caspion is confused, but Mirceo is not.

This book comes off as a slow-burn romance because Caspion doesn’t accept being Mirceo’s mate at first in the book. It takes Caspion going with Mirceo on a bounty for him to accept their pairing, maybe. When these two do get together, it’s steamy.

The most intriguing part of the story is what happens at the end. It involves Lothaire and what he let happen that Mirceo said no to immediately. I hope Kresley Cole lets us know what happens soon in her upcoming book(s). I need to know what happened. (Not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read this book yet.)

Overall, this book gets 3.5 stars from me. It may not be a favorite due to Caspion, but I loved its storyline. Here’s hoping another Dacian gets their story next. Lothaire has his hands full with being the King over the Dacians. I love how Ellie controls him. =)

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Immortals After Dark series, and I recommend reading in order.

Steaminess: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Trope(s): Fated Mates; Slow Burn Romance; M/M

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I would recommend this book to M/M Paranormal Romance readers.

[Linda]

Shadow's Seduction is very seductive, hot, and complicated. I really enjoyed how the Leech and the Demon figured out their relationship, and how they had to deal with outside complications to get there.

[EBookObsessed]

Kresley Cole brings her usual IAD style to this M/M romance. For fans, it is worth reading even if M/M is not your usual choice.

Note: I highly recommend that you re-read Shadow’s Claim before starting Shadow Seduction. Shadow’s Claim takes place smack in the middle of Shadow Seduction and Caspian is a major character in the prior book. I did not do this and had to re-read my own review to see the connection between the stories. It has been five years since Shadow’s Claim was released so I borrowed a copy from the library. (I think I gave my copy away. Silly me.)

Caspian, a death demon, and Prince Mirceo of the Dacians meet at the cusp of Mirceo being frozen into his immortality. He is a thirty-year-old, natural-born vampire and he plans to enjoy all types of pleasures before he loses his heartbeat and his ability to have sex. He is currently working his way through all the females and the males at the New Rome Pleasure Palace.

Mirceo sees Caspian and must have him as his next playmate. While Mirceo is very flexible in his sexuality, Cas, as a demon, is more conservative and only has sex with females. After spending several hours together, they form a quick friendship and go off together cavorting and drinking as Mirceo’s heartbeat continues to slow down.

The more time they spend together, Mirceo and Cas feel their bond growing. Mirceo believes that Cas might be the destined mate for his sister, Princess Kosmina. He convinces Cas to return with him to Dacia to meet her but he warns Cas that strangers who go to Dacia can never leave. Killing anyone who tries keeps the Kingdom hidden.

After meeting Kosmina, Cas realizes that they are not mates, but as his feelings toward Mirceo grow stronger, Cas starts to become uncomfortable with the possible truth that Mirceo keeps whispering, that they might be mates. Cas panics and decides to return to his home world to see his friend, Battina.

Prince Trehan follows Cas to his home dimension to kill him for leaving Dacia and meets his Bride, Battina.

Here is where the entire Shadow’s Claim takes place!

Upon Cas’s downfall in the Iron Ring of Abbdon, Cas runs away to another dimension where times runs differently from Earth. He returns only weeks later here in this dimension, but Cas has been a Bounty Hunter in the other dimension for five centuries, making him suddenly significantly older than his friend, Mirceo.

Mirceo once again tracks down his friend with all intentions of seducing him so the Mirceo can prove that fate intends them to be mated. But Mirceo is in for a bigger surprise, Cas isn’t avoiding him because he doesn’t want male as his mate. Cas doesn’t want a spoiled, selfish Prince as his mate. Mirceo will do anything to prove himself worthy of Cas.

As always, Kresley Cole keeps the tensions high between the lovers by keeping the consummation until the end. Whether it is a f/m couples or now the m/m couples of Mirceo/Caspian, she keeps the teasing high as well while she continues to keep the action going so she doesn’t lose the audience while they wait to find out if Cas/Mirceo are truly mates.

While I usually don’t grab for a m/m romance, if it is part of a series that I am reading, I want a copy. Right now, I am looking forward to reading my copy of Midnight Target by Elle Kennedy which also features a m/m couple, Liam and Sully.

My only major complaint here (beside the fact that should be a re-read Shadow’s Claim disclosure) is the fact that she ends this story with a set up for another story. She now has several dangling, unfinished story lines and with the release of the last book, Sweet Ruin, she introduced five or six new major characters who will also be clamoring for a HEA. That was bad enough when she was publishing 2 IAD books a year. For the last few years, we only get 1 a year and my daughters will definitely be graduated from high school before we ever get to Nix’s story.

It is wonderful that we, the fans, are clamoring for more stories but sometimes it feels like — if you as old as I am and remember when The Empire Strikes Back released in 1980 and left you crying about Han Solo being trapped in carbonite after telling Princess Leia he loved her, and you knew it would be years–YEARS–before you would ever find out what happened next. KC is not the only author I follow that takes her time between releases, but she is the only one who has so many epilogues setting up another story which we still have no hint when we will get back to. For example, MacRieve was published in 2013 with hint of a storyline for his brother and a mate. It is 2017 and her 2017 release, Wicked Abyss has nothing to do with the brother or that storyline.

Ms. Cole, we need more IADs or please only tease us with the next couple on the list. Trust me, we will read the next book. We are already dying to read it, but waiting years and years for the book you want causes a certain disappointment when each book release is finally announced and it is not the couple you are waiting for. I cried each time for years over the Lanthe/Thronos books that seemed to never be coming out.

Kresley Cole delivers an interesting new couple in this latest release, but please someone lock her in a room until she catches up with more on this series.