Shadow's Claim (Immortals After Dark, #12; The Dacians, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Dec 21, 2020 Dina rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, ebook, series-immortals-after-dark, to-review

3 1/2 stars (rounded down to 3 stars, because I couldn't stand Bettina)
...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Jun 15, 2013 D.G. rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, reviewed, paranormal-romance

I really don't know why this is considered a separate series instead of just another installment of IAD. The hero is introduced in Lothaire's book, the story is set around the same time as Lothaire's, things that happened in the IAD series were discussed, IAD characters show up and events in this book seem to be setting up both MacRieve and Dark Skye. If Ms. Cole was really trying to set up a new series, it didn't work.

Shadow's Claim had the usual vampire IAD plot. The hero finds his bride, she' ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2012 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5stars, paranormal-romance, lmaiangowi-s-150-for-2012, read-in-2012, reread, audiobook, overdrive-t, read-in-2020

Wow...I've missed you Kresley Cole! ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2012 Yz the Whyz rated it really liked it

Shelves: kresley-cole, 2013-reads

I've always enjoyed Kresley Cole's novels, and this book is no exception. She has the knack of making unusual pairings work.

In this book, we have Trehan, the vampire Prince of Shadow of the Dacians and Bettina, the timid half-Sorceri/half-demoness and future queen of the Deadly Ones. After meeting the Dacian cousins in Lothaire, I'm excited to see them get their own books, and am happy to find this series.

As usual, Cole's writing shines with wit and humor as our hero and heroine struggles to fi ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 12, 2016 Netanella rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016-dangerous-heroes, 2016-rrrc-challenge-addicts-reading, 2016-march-reading-challenge

A near perfect paranormal romance for fans of the genre, and particularly for fans of the IAD series. This is not a stand alone book - too many players to keep track from the prior books and plotlines. The perfection of this book is marred simply by the weakness that is Bettina, particularly at the end. Maybe it's my female perspective that thinks she's unworthy of a male like Trehan Daciano, but truly, I think she is. Lucky her, though. A very good read. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2012 lia rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance

To me Kresley Cole Never fails to deliver.

Shadow's claim is her first book in the Dacian series, the spin off of Immortals After Dark. So for those whose are loving the IAD and have to endure the excruciating wait until KC comes up with new book can endure better with The Dacian around.

Trehan Dacian is a prince from house of shadows. One of the five houses faction that warring for the Dacian's throne. He devoted his 900 years for Dacia by becoming Dacian's assassin. One night he suddenly feel ...more

Like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, arc-are

Shadow's Claim is the first in a new paranormal romance series by author Kresley Cole, best known for her wildly popular Immortals After Dark series.

Trehan Daciano is the vampire Prince of Shadows, a deadly assassin who has been protecting the hidden kingdom of Dacia for thousands of years. While on the hunt for his latest prey, Caspian The Tracker, in the demon realm of Abbadon, Trehan is inexplicably drawn to a lighted castle window where he discovers his Bride, Princess Bettina.
Desperate to
Shadow's Claim is the first in a new paranormal romance series by author Kresley Cole, best known for her wildly popular Immortals After Dark series.

Trehan Daciano is the vampire Prince of Shadows, a deadly assassin who has been protecting the hidden kingdom of Dacia for thousands of years. While on the hunt for his latest prey, Caspian The Tracker, in the demon realm of Abbadon, Trehan is inexplicably drawn to a lighted castle window where he discovers his Bride, Princess Bettina.
Desperate to secure her childhood friend's affections, Bettina mistakes the hovering presence of Trehan in her darkened bedroom for Caspian and invites him into her bed, an offer Trehan is unable to resist. But when Bettina surfaces from the haze of passion she is horrified to discover her mistake.
To claim his Bride, Trehan must not only convince Bettina of his devotion but win her hand in a tournament in which he must fight Caspian to the death.

Set within the shadow of Immortals After Dark, the lore of The Realm of Blood and Mist will be familiar to Cole fans yet introduces a new range of characters and an expansion of the familiar myths. With multiple planes of existence, warring kingdoms, and a variety of immortal creatures including vampires, witches, demons, fae and shifters Cole's world is complex yet even though I have never read any of the IAD series I found I quickly grasped the basics of the world, helped by the Glossary of Terms from the Living Book of Lore included in the first few pages.

As a paranormal romance, the relationship between the protagonists is at the core of the story, unfolding with the familiar love me/love me not pattern of engagement. Bettina may be Trehan's destined Bride but he needs to convince Bettina of that to claim her, as she believes she is in love with her childhood friend. While I'm not a big fan of the fated mate trope, I grew weary of Bettina's stubborn rejection after a while. Not because of her resistance to Trehan but because her blind devotion to the womanising, weak minded and completely uninterested Caspian was stretched a little thin for me and I felt it reflected poorly on her character. Trehan's alpha dominance was exactly what I expected and though his manipulations and possessiveness are somewhat grating I found him appealing, all the more so for the flashes of emotional vulnerability.

What surprised me most about Shadow's Claim was Cole's ability to sustain the tale despite it's length (481 pages). I thought it likely I would lose interest mid way through but I didn't and in fact found it a quick and engrossing read, enjoying my escape into a fantasy realm of magic, danger and dark passion. I'm looking forward to the next installment of The Realm of Blood and Mist and may be tempted to pick up the Immortal After Dark series in the meantime.

...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 23, 2013 Kimberly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

I thought I had a bunch to say about my irritation to Bettina and what part of manipulative did she not understand about Trehan, and the fact that Trehan was trying so hard to contain himself from being something other than what he was. But then I got to the chapter where Lothaire actually appeared and he just summed everything up for me. To think, Lothaire was the reasonable one in this book.

Like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: vampire-supernatural, romance, 2013

I took awhile with this book... partly because I've been busy and partly because I think it dragged on a little bit more than I liked it to and I kept getting bored by it. Not a bad book, but not one of my favorites by her. ...more

Like · see review