Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 Sweet Ruin is the sixteenth book (wowzers) in Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series. It's probably the longest series I've stuck with and it's a paranormal romance to boot. Each book operates in the one couple per book system, though I would not recommend reading this without reading the previous books, which is really always the crux of paranormal romance series. It's hard for new readers to jump right in when they have to play catch up. 
 The one thing that bugged me the most, though, is the utter confusion I felt as a reader. The book ends rather abruptly and Jo is still caught between her brother's alliance to those we see as "the good guys" and Rune's place as one of the Morior. I'm also still trying to work out Jo's origins. We find out what she is and where she comes from, but I'm still fuzzy on the logistics of it all. Though this is the second longest book so far in the series, it could have done with more pages for explanation, or some cutting of the filler action to allow for a more thorough reveal of Jo's past. I'd definitely recommend having a friend read it too, so you can try and make sense of it all. Seriously, if it weren't for my friend Rachel and our frantic Facebook messages, I don't know what I would have done. 
 If Cole were to put together some kind of compendium, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The series around a decade old and unless you want to reread them all before every book, it's so tough to keep characters and backstories straight. But that being said, sticking with a series for so long gives me such a feeling of accomplishment, and you really get to know what you like and don't like about an author and his or her books. 
 I've also realized that I love how Cole doesn't make sex the necessary payoff. Most times, the characters are getting down in the bedroom because they have some lust and tension they need to work out. It's the intimacy that they have to work toward, not necessarily the sex. 
 Despite my confusion with some of the rather important details of the book, Cole has introduced some really interesting and new characters that I'll be looking forward to. I'm already anxious to see who the next pairing will be. 
 - Amanda