No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

Book Description:
A vampire soldier weary of life...

Centuries ago, Sebastian Wroth was turned into a vampire—a nightmare in his mind—against his will. Burdened with hatred and alone for ages, he sees little reason to live. Until an exquisite, fey creature comes to kill him, inadvertently saving him instead.

A Valkyrie assassin dispatched to destroy him...

When Kaderin the Cold Hearted lost her two beloved sisters to a vampire attack long ago, a benevolent force deadened her sorrow—accidentally extinguishing all of her emotions. Yet whenever she encounters Sebastian, her feelings — particularly lust — emerge multiplied. For the first time, she's unable to complete a kill.

Become competitors in a legendary hunt...

The prize of the month-long contest is powerful enough to change history, and Kaderin will do anything to win it for her sisters. Wanting only to win her, forever, Sebastian competes as well, taking every opportunity-as they travel to ancient tombs and through catacombs, seeking relics around the world-to use her new feelings to seduce her. But when forced to choose between the vampire she's falling for and reuniting her family, how can Kaderin live without either?

What can I say - I loved this story!  Why did I wait so long to read this book?  Second in the Immortals After Dark Series, I read the first, A Hunger Like No Other almost two years ago and just never got around to reading the next in the series.  I wasn't wholeheartedly won over by paranormals by that point, but now I'm more accustomed to the idea of vampires and werewolves.  This time I was into it!

Kaderin is not the most likable person at first.  She's "unfeeling," the by-product of, what she considers, a "blessing" that's gotten her to where she is over the past one thousand years, fighting battles, killing vampires and being an all around tough motherf*cker!  No one messes with the legendary Kaderin the Valkyrie.  She has won the Hie Scavenger hunt any number of times, she's ruthless and determined to win at any cost.  The loss of her sisters long ago at the hands of a vampire Kaderin should have killed-but didn't, has driven Kaderin to these lengths.  She's gone from Kaderin the Kind Hearted to Cold Hearted over the years since she became unfeeling.

But now... what's happened?  She meets Sebastian, a vampire she's about to kill and suddenly everything changes.  Her world tilts and she feels.  She feels lust and can't help it.

Sebastian, an ancient vampire, turned against his will by his brother, has been alone all his vampire life.   But, one night he meets his match.  Kaderin, killer of all vampires, is about to kill him, but some strange force stops her and it is kismet, they are meant for one another and Sebastian realizes she is his mate - his bride.  This means, instant lust, instant attraction, he must have her forever.  It's all new for him too!  It's been eons since he's felt this way, by meeting her, he has now become blooded as if he were human.  Kaderin cannot resist his pull, but this is insane - he is a vampire!  She hates vampires!  She can't be into a vampire (much less, let one into her!)

But, it's not easy for her to say no.  They have one mad, passionate moment, nearly doing the dirty deed and she runs off but he follows her to the ends of the earth - literally.  She's entering the Hie Scavenger Hunt again and can't afford to be distracted by this overgrown hunky vampire who turns up everywhere! The big prize of the Hunt is one dear to her heart.  It can make one go back in time and change what happens in history.  She wants to go back and get her sisters who died.  Sebastian, to be with Kaderin, joins in the Hunt too - plus he wants to help Kaderin if he can.  Since he can "trace" (speed around all over the world in a blink of an eye as long as he's been there once before) he can go to all the far flung reaches of the world to accumulate points for the Hunt - he can even give some of the items used to accumulate points to Kaderin (what a sweetie!).

Over the course of the Hunt, Kaderin grudgingly accepts the fact she is Sebastian's bride.  She can't understand it, and hates to think what her family is going to think about it, but it's something she can't stop or hide.  He's irresistible to her and gradually she softens towards him.  She realizes that vampires are not all bad.  I loved their growing relationship over the course of the Hunt and how their chemistry together scorches the pages off this book.  Plus, there's a lot of humor due to this Romeo and Juliet type of relationship between the two.  I've got to admit, he really is irresistible.  He's kind, honorable, sex on a stick and devoted to her - not your average run of the mill vampire.

Action, excitement and a love story make this a really fun book to read. I'm eager to read more of the series now and already have the next book lined up (I'm glad there are a lot more to go!)  The writing is well done, characters are well drawn and different and interesting, and the plot kept me going all the way through to the ending.  Sebastian was a swoonworthy vampire, in fact he really doesn't act like a vampire, refusing to join in the usual vampire games, like feeding on humans (except Kaderin when they make love - hot!) or fighting with the Horde.  He's kept to himself, a loner, and now he has his mate - Kaderin.  I loved to see her transformation from Cold to Kind, she has a heart now - and Sebastian.

4/5

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