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Wicked Deeds On A Winter's Night

Kresley Cole

Published 2007        359 pages

Summary (from the book jacket)

Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him.  The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed - until a smouldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires.  When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive.

Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary.  It's rumoured that no one can tempt Bowen's hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them.  Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go.

If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul - or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?

The Review

Wicked Deeds On A Winter’s Night is the third novel in Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark paranormal romance series (fourth if you include the novella “The Warlord Wants Forever” which first introduced readers to this series.)

I have to be honest now and confess that there aren’t really any vampires in Wicked Deeds On A Winter’s Night.  The central characters Bowen and Mariketa are a Lykae (werewolf) and witch respectively.  The vampires in this novel are secondary characters and they only have the tiniest role in the story.  These vampires will be familiar to anyone who has read the previous novels in this series who will recognise them as previous leading characters. 

At this point I feel compelled to point out that while all of the novels in the Immortals After Dark series are stand-alone stories and can be read out of order, most of the secondary characters make repeat appearances through out the books and refer to events that have happened in previous stories, so maximum enjoyment may be gained by reading the books in order.  And truly it’s no hardship to read all of these books because they are all remarkably good – I can guarantee that once you have read one you will want to read the others!

Bowen always seemed somewhat harsh and inflexible when first introduced in the previous books (not to mention desperate to find a way to get his dead mate back which put something of a crimp in his ability to care for anyone else.)  It almost seemed unfair at first to pair him with such a fun-loving, and young, woman as Mariketa (she is in her early twenties compared to his twelve-hundred year plus age) but as the story unfolds it is plain to see that the two are perfectly matched, if they can only overcome their mutual dislike for each other.  She gives Bowen as good as she gets and proves that she is a power to be reckoned with in her own right.

Set in the Central American jungles of Guatemala the story keeps up a rocket-like pace from start to finish with demons, undead incubi and warring human guerrillas thrown in for good measure.  The author’s humour and light-handed writing style make Wicked Deeds On A Winter’s Night a pleasure to read.

Kresley Cole seems to know exactly how to play on the reader’s heartstrings.  She manages to effortlessly deliver heart wringing romance, likeable heroines, hot heroes and hotter sex.  All of which is set against an original and exciting paranormal mythology that keeps the both the story and the reader speeding along from one high point to another. 

Recommended reading for paranormal romance fans. 

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