Dark Needs at Night's Edge (Immortals After Dark Book 5)

Not sure what derailed me from a few years ago, but I’m glad to be back. Great characters, steamy love scenes, cool world-building, hard to put down (have found them all to have this). Here, mighty warrior Conrad struggles with his sanity for much of the book, while Néomi is lovely, lonely ghost. Watching them fall is love was beautiful, and seeing them overcome their (many!) obstacles (separately and together) made it feel real and healthy. Great and interesting characters from the past were revisited and further developed. Excited to read the next one!

I have always loved Kresley Coles Immortal After Dark Series, Ive read a few though not in order mores the pity. (smiles) I love the characters in this full novel, some parts dragged a bit but then other flowed smoothly and kept you wanting to read. We meet Conrad a touch more than a mad vampire, his older brothers are trying to help gain a bit or normalcy. His brothers still see the potential good in Conrad. But when Conrad starts talking to himself they think he has a set back. A dancer, a well know Ballerina killed in her home and left to haunt its halls. Neomi doesn't know what to think about the red eye'd vampire that has invaded her home. Each such a sad soul, slightly broken but fixable? Can Conrad give Neomi something tangible to hold on to? Will Neomie be that one that calms the monster inside? all over a great story I enjoyed seeing Nix and Markita the awaited. A few pretty hot scenes and as norm a evil baddie lurks. fate, choices and descisions. Enjoy

I enjoyed this read. I'd been wanting a break from my current read and this certainly helped to stop a gap. It was exactly what I needed. I enjoyed most of the writing, only small sections when switching POV felt repetitive. But overall I had a good time. I liked that Neomi set boundaries where she could. Left to his own devices Conrad would be overbearing. Sometimes I found him a little too intense, but for his character that made sense. Neomi deserves anything good that comes into her life after all her struggles. Conrad I'm less empathetic towards lol. I am curious about other books in the series and will be checking them out. This book was closer to a 3.5 than a 4 but clearly I have to round up.

When I reread IAD last year, I actually started with Kiss of the Demon King, skipping the Wroth brothers. I recalled feeling inundated by Wroth brothers in the early parts of the series (there *are* 4 of them, after all) because you get them all so early on, and you get parts of the same story from different perspectives in each book. I'm glad this time when I picked up Dark Needs at Nights Edge (thanks @hsumanityreads) it was to start here. I found myself significantly more comfortable with enjoying the romance on this reread rather than trying to grasp at plot threads, in large part because I've read most of the series twice through. Conrad is a virgin hero for valid reasons (he joined a religious order at a young age and swore off women...then lived several hundred vampire years), and as a vampire discovering his bride and having her become and anchor for him amidst his bloodthirsty insanity is the hottest/sweetest character arc. I love Neomi's stance as independent woman/ghost, and watching her learn to rely on someone else because they both want it is also immensely satisfying. The shower scene remains one of the hottest I've ever read: tension and pining, chef's kiss. I think this is a really good IAD entry point, as there is some worldbuilding, but also better consent than in earlier books. Conrad has possessive tendencies, but he's vampire possessive, and in this case really sweet and protective, rather than scarily possessive.

I have been reading romance novels since I was 15, so a good 20 years now. In my mind nothing like a cup of tea and a good romance novel to escape and unwind at the end of a day. Just to give a sample of my taste, other authors I enjoy are: Jen Holling, Connie Brockway, Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood, Christina Dodd, just to name a few. This entire series is such a page turner. I had a hard time putting any of the titles down. More evenings than I care to admit I stayed up way to late "just to read one more chapter". I love that the brothers are all together in this book working to save a fallen brother. Love that they are doing what they can to save the one vampire that most likely cannot be saved. The sparks between Neomi Laress and Conrad are just fantastic from the beginning. I could not find out fast enough how on earth these two could be together. I enjoyed the glimpse of supporting characters so you felt that any of them would be enjoyable to read about in their own series. The entire series is fast and there is not a lot of review of what happened in a prior book. You open the book and off you go. These are not slow moving. I laughed, I cried, I blushed. Boy Ms. Cole writes some steamy scenes. Wow! And I am amazed that nothing repeats. Each book is so different, the plots are so different and the way the main characters relate is so different. Yes they do all have hansom men and lovely ladies. But the dynamic relationship between the main characters is simply fire from page 1 to the end. Out of all my years reading romance. I have never read modern romance before. I can say without a doubt that these are the best romance books I have read and that is truly saying a lot considering how many authors works sit on my shelf.

I gave this three-stars before, apparently, but I think I was being generous then – because I hated this book for the longest time. The first time I read it, was on a cross-country flight. I had nothing else to read, and nothing else to do for the entirety of the flight. I wasn’t in the mood for it, and felt that way from the moment I opened the book. But what else could I do? I hate sleeping on flights. So, I forced myself to read it. And it was, I think, that forced reading that made me hate it so much. I couldn’t stand anything about the story. Not Conrad, not Néomi, not the love story, nothing. Except maybe Nix. 1-star for Nix, that’s what it should have been previously rated. I’d tried re-reading it a few times prior to this massive re-read with Sarah, and each time I got bored a couple of pages in and gave up, skipping directly to the next book. Happily, this re-read has improved my opinion quite a lot. I’d give it a solid 3-stars now. It’s still not my favorite of the series, and probably one of my lower-favorites, but it’s good. Néomi’s an awesome character. Despite the fact that she’s a ghost and has been for eighty-some-odd years, she’s strong. She was always ahead of her time, independent, wealthy, smart, and confident. I think that she’s amazing. I didn’t always love how much she capitulated to Conrad’s angers and rages, but she also forced herself not to value herself as less, too. She took her fate into her own hands, and made herself – just as she had in life. I truly appreciated that about her character. Conrad, well, he was the biggest problem that I had with the book initially. And don’t get me wrong – all the characters in these books can be assholish, so it’s not just that he was an ass. I do get why he reacted the way he did quite frequently, it makes sense with his history, and his training, and then the madness; a very real thing for him with all his victims’ memories floating around in his head. And I even liked his single-minded approach to setting his goals, and removing the obstacles to those goals from his path. I just never really fell for him. This is probably a hold-over from my first reading (first impressions do stick), so I won’t try to hold it against him too much. The other part of the problem is that the vampires are probably my least favorite part of the Lore in this series. There’s just so many more interesting factions and groups to be with! I’ve talked about the world, and plot/pacing of these books at length in my previous reviews – and I think I’d just mostly be repeating myself if I extolled about them again here. But I will say that I continue to be awed at the way that Kresley Cole has interwoven all these storylines and characters and plot-lines. It’s truly amazing. There’s a plot here that’s been brewing for a few books already and doesn’t come to fruition for a few books on yet. There are mentions of things happening off page, that we only truly learn about later. This is absolutely my favorite part of this series. It’s so tightly woven and created that I’ve never – in all my years of re-reading it – caught a timeline, or consistency error. And when you’re talking about this many characters and things going on and this long of a series …. that’s impressive. I can’t wait to go onto the next book, because some of my favorites are coming up.

I admit that I was a little worried when I started Dark Needs at Night's Edge. I wasn't really thrilled about the idea of a romance where the heroine is a ghost, and a lot of reviews complained that this book was slow, or just not quite up to par with the others. I've been working through the Immortals After Dark series in order, so I wasn't going to skip it, but I was prepared for a weak link. I was pleasantly surprised - I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Needs at Night's Edge, loved the pacing and character development, and the author managed to make Neomi's ghostly nature work for, rather than against, the plot. So there are a few things going on in this novel. On the one hand, it's about curing Conrad Wroth of madness brought on by bloodlust. When vampires drink blood straight from the vein, they gain access to the memories of their victims. Eventually, all the memories - experienced in the first person - make the vampires lose all sense of self, bringing on madness. Conrad is 300 years old and completely bonkers. His brothers are trying to wean him off drinking from the vein, hoping that will help him control the cacophany of memories, but what really helps him turn the corner is his Bride - the ghost Neomi. She's so important to him that she crowds out the other thoughts, allows him to focus, gives him a goal. And at the same time, it's about Neomi deciding that being a ghost is no excuse for being passive. She's trapped in a painful unlife, but she can still make choices - and it's Conrad, with his attempts to control and dominate her, that reminds Neomi who's in charge (Hint: not Conrad). So the hero and the heroine are each on their own, individual journey - but romance is the catalyst for their progress, their ultimate test, and also their greatest reward. While Conrad is in the depths of his madness, it gives him great comfort that Neomi is a ghost - because he can't hurt her. He has hardly any self-control, and an incorporeal bride gives him the chance to work through the early stages of trust and attraction without the risk of killing her in a fit of rage. And when they've made as much progress as a couple can without actually touching, it's Neomi who takes charge and figures out how to remedy the situation. It's true there isn't a huge amount of action in this novel, but there is a LOT of romance. Conrad and Neomi spend a lot of time together, since they are both stuck in the crumbling New Orleans mansion where Neomi was killed and Conrad was chained. Their relationship goes through many different stages - it starts off very tentative - and it was a nice change of pace to have a sexually experienced and enthusiastic heroine and an innocent hero. Conrad is definitely rough around the edges, and he has no idea how to court a woman. So when he tries, there's a really adorable vulnerability about him that just tugs on your heartstrings. Anyhow, for any other Immortals After Dark readers who are wondering if Dark Needs at Night's Edge is going to be a weak link - you can add one more reader to your tally on the side of "totally satisfied." I thought it fit into the series perfectly and made me look forward all the more to starting book 5.

IMMORTALS AFTER DARK SERIES: Playing Easy To Get (Anthology that includes an IAD novella to kick- off the series) A Hunger Like No Other No Rest For The Wicked Wicked Deeds On A Winter's Night Dark Needs At Night's Edge Dark Desires After Dusk The girl can write! Kresley Cole delivered another winner. This story brings back the main couple from "Wicked Deeds", as well as The Wroth brothers (Nikolai from "Playing Easy", Sebastian from "No Rest", and Murdoch whose story we are eagerly awaiting), to play major roles. The fourth Wroth brother is named Conrad. Of the four vampire brothers, only Conrad became a "fallen" vampire... one who takes blood straight from the vain. By taking "living blood", Conrad also receives the memories of his victims. With 300 years of collected memories tormenting his mind, Conrad is at the peek of madness. His brothers have one chance to imprison Conrad and try to help him get well. Otherwise, Kristoff, the king of vampires, will have Conrad hunted down and slain. Nikolai has purchased an old abandoned home in New Orleans. It is the perfect place to hide Conrad with the bespelled chains that will hold him prisoner during his recovery. Néomi has lived in her dream home, Elancourt, for eighty years. As a young and successful ballet dancer, she bought and restored the home with a loving touch. She never could have imagined it would become the scene of her murder. When her enraged ex- fiance plunged a knife through her heart, Néomi couldn't bare to die. Fighting her passing with every last breath, Néomi's spirit stayed in her home. For the next 8 decades, she remained in Elancourt as a ghostly prisoner, never able to leave her property. In her loneliness, Néomi prays for new tenants to move into her home. Her quiet and mundane existence comes to a startling end when three men bring their mad brother into Elancourt. Dragging his chains across her marble floors, punching holes into her walls, this madman is not welcome... until Néomi learns that Conrad can see and speak to her. For the first time in 80 years, Néomi is not isolated. Over the following weeks, Conrad and Néomi become precious to one another. They cannot touch, but they can communicate. Secrets of their pasts are shared, but neither holds any hope for a happy future. Néomi dreads the day when Conrad will leave her home. Conrad begins to make plans for finding a sorcerer who can give Néomi a corporeal body. Although there is no way to prove it while she has no physical shell, Conrad is becoming convinced that his little ballerina is actually his destined Bride. As the two fall in love, they can only express their desire through words of fantasy mating. Some how, once his enemies are no longer a threat, Conrad is going to find a way to make those spoken fantasies reality. Knowing that a vampire's Bride is his enemy's best weapon, Conrad must first slay his would be assassins. To avoid sinking back into madness, he must do it without taking their blood. I struggled a bit between giving this book 4 or 5 stars. My one complaint is the fact that most of the story took place in Elancourt. I missed Cole's usual exciting adventures. I found myself waiting and waiting for the couple to break out of the home and travel together a bit. There were only a few times when the story left Elancourt, and none of them were with Conrad and Néomi leaving together. Still, the intense love story won me over. All told, the score would be 4.5 stars. Definitely not to be missed! Want to read the whole series? (Believe me, you do!) Here are the links: Playing Easy to Get (Anthology that includes the first IAD story... Nikolai's story!) A Hunger Like No Other (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 1) (The best of the series so far, and one of my personal all- time favorite romance novels!) No Rest for the Wicked (The Immortals After Dark, Book 2) Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night (The Immortals After Dark, Book 3) Dark Needs at Night's Edge (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 4) Dark Desires After Dusk (The Immortals After Dark, Book 5) Can't get enough Kresley? Here is her latest historical romance series: The MacCarrick Brothers Series: If You Dare (The MacCarrick Brothers, Book 1) If You Desire (The MacCarrick Brothers, Book 2) If You Deceive (The MacCarrick Brothers, Book 3)

The Amazon title states book 6 in series. This is incorrect. It's book 5.

Another incredible IAD book! The Wroth brothers are strong charachters that will make you melt - again. Kresley Cole brings us action, romance, unexpected plot twists and a sweet slow burn that turns into a scalding-hot romance.

Ich glaube, die Liebesgeschichte zwischen Neomie und Conrad ist eine der schönsten Liebesgeschichten, die ich je gelesen habe. Sie hat ein bisschen was von ›Die Schöne und das Biest‹, wenn man das Verhalten und die Umstände der beiden bedenkt. Ich konnte das Buch auf jeden Fall nicht mehr aus der Hand legen und war ab der ersten Seite gefesselt von diesen beiden außergewöhnlichen Charakteren und ihrer spannenden, emotionalen Geschichte. Einfach perfekt!

and a pretty good read too

Bueno