** spoiler alert ** 
 (apologies in advance for all the expletives) 
 Man, Lothaire is a dick! 
 He did too many unforgiveable things. UNforgiveable. His repentance, SO not enough. Absolutely NOT okay, Leo, you rat bastard. I couldn't even appreciate the sexy bits, because I kept thinking, Ellie, how DARE you let him touch you after that?! Almost EVERY time, he forced her. I blame her. She shouldn't have been okay with ANY of that. He did...let me count--repeatedly threatening her family then keeping her away from them, sending her to death row, then imprisoning her again and again, shamelessly planning to destroy her soul, forcing himself on her, taking her virginity in that awful way, letting her "rot" at Val Hal...oh, and the HUGE one, turning her into a vampire COMPLETELY AGAINST HER WILL!--EIGHT unforgiveable things. And I'm not even mentioning the perpetual psychological abuse. What a complete and total, UNLOVEABLE, ugly-on-the-inside DICK! 
 It sounds like I didn't like the book, but I did. I found the Immortals After Dark series when they'd already been released, so I never had to wait for one before Lothaire. And it didn't disappoint. Was I happy with him? No. Did I take pleasure in him getting almost-decapitated? AbsoLUTEly! 
 Where to begin. Well, Kresley Cole is a wicked, brilliant mastermind. Pairing Lothaire, the badass Enemy of Old, heir to TWO vampire thrones and arrogant sonofabitch with Ellie Mae Clampett? Who but K.C. would DO such a diabolical thing? I loved how Ellie let the many many insults just roll off her back. Ellie knew who she was, didn't apologize for it. I love that in a heroine. I didn't think a mortal could compare to the Valkyries with sass, but Ellie surprised me. SUCKER PUNCH! 
 Great seeing Nix, who is always a pleasure. Poor Mariketta's hand! Thad's going to have a great book of his own, I think. And the ending was amazing, with Kristoff? One of those, should have seen it coming but really didn't moments. Kresley Cole has a lot of those, which is incredible considering these are formulaic romance novels. This is why she's awesome. 
 Now, I wish I didn't have to wait who knows how long for the NEXT book. I think I'll reread my 3 favorites again. 
 Favorite lines: 
 But then, weren't all goddesses afflicted with bitchery? 
 "So for now, I am an unrepentant manizer." At Lothaire's blank look, she'd said, "That will be amusing in the twenty-first century." 
 With a pained expression, he said, "Those stuffed animals horrify and repel me." 
 **addendum: After further consideration, I had to remove a star. Still liked the book. Still love Kresley Cole. HATE Lothaire...but only in this book. Love him in all the others. His behavior in his own book shouldn't be rewarded with additional, unearned stars. ...Prick.