Book and Audiobook Review: Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole

Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Published by Gallery Books on December 1st 2015
Narrator: Robert Petkoff
Genres: Erotica, Paranormal, Romance
Purchase links: Amazon, iTunes
Add to Goodreads
Source: Purchased audiobook, Simon & Schuster

An immortal assassin is caught between desire and duty...

A foundling raised in a world of humans

Growing up, orphaned Josephine didn’t know who or what she was—just that she was “bad,” an outcast with strange powers. Her baby brother Thaddeus was as perfect as she was flawed; protecting him became her entire life. The day he was taken away began Jo’s transition from angry girl... to would-be superhero... to enchanting, ruthless villain.

A lethally sensual enforcer on a mission

A threat to the Møriør has brought archer Rune the Baneblood to the mortal realm to slay the oldest living Valkyrie. Whether by bow or in bed, he never fails to eliminate his target. Yet before he can strike, he encounters a vampiric creature whose beauty conceals a black heart. With one bite, she pierces him with aching pleasure, taking his forbidden blood - and jeopardizing the secrets of his brethren.

A boundless passion that will lead to sweet ruin...

Could this exquisite female be a spy sent by the very Valkyrie he hunts? Rune knows he must not trust Josephine, yet he’s unable to turn her away. Despite his millennia of sexual conquests, he can’t ignore the unfamiliar longing she arouses deep within him. When Jo betrays the identity of the one man she will die to protect, she and Rune become locked in a treacherous battle of wills that pits ultimate loyalty against unbridled lust.

We received this book/audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.

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Angy’s Review: 5+++ stars

It’s been ages since I read a paranormal book. I used to love reading vampire books, but after starting reading romance, going back to vamps and werewolves was hard for me, so I simply quit reading them. And then, I read Kresley Cole. I loved her book The Master and lots of friends recommended me Immortals After Dark Series so when I knew about her new book, Sweet Ruin, I decided to give it a try, and it was amazing.

I was hooked with the story from the beginning. The development of the characters was awesome, the writing style was fluid, easy to understand—even though I was new to this universe, I could understand everything. I loved the descriptions of the battles, the places, and of course, the erotism in Rune and Josephine’s relationship. Literally, I loved everything about this book.

It’s really hard to talk a little about the story without giving spoilers, so I decided to make a list of the things I liked. So here I go:

-Josephine: She was “wicked strong and all”—that’s her own description. She was protective of her brother and very possessive with Rune. I loved that she was always so sure of what she wanted, she followed her instincts and acted on them.

-Rune: Oh. My. God. That Man! Sexy. Powerful. PERFECT. *sigh* He was as possessive of Josie as she was with him.

His long, lean body, however, was smoking hot. He must be nearing seven feet tall, would tower over her five and a half feet, and every inch of him was ripped. A thin shirt highlighted his broad chest and chiseled arms. His bared ass was rock-hard. His powerful thighs would nicely fill out those black leather pants bunched above his knees.

-Their relationship: At first, it was pure lust. Their attraction was so huge, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and when they knew Josie was immune to his poisoned blood—and other body fluids—things were more heated for them both. There was one thing Josie was so sure about but Rune so stubborn to accept it, that fact drove me crazy half of the book, and when it finally happened, it was SO PERFECT! Josie was right all the time.

-Thaddeus: He was so little times in this book, but his few appearances were always so cool. As a baby, he was adorable, and then as a teenager, he was “wicked strong”—again, his own description.

-The Lore, The Møriør, all the creatures and the whole plot: Everything was so impressive. I can’t wait to read more about this amazing universe. There are lots of books in this series that I’ll surely read, one day soon.

Audiobook impressions: Robert Petkoff did an impressive performance with this book. The change of inflection with each character was so marked, it felt like there was more than one person narrating this book. I loved listening the growls Robert made for Rune, and the nerve in Josie’s personality. There was also laughters and other sounds that are not very common in audiobooks, and they added that perfect touch to this audio that made me love it even more. This audiobook was a perfect companion to the book.

100% Recommended.

Jenn’s review: 5+++ stars

Vampires, demons, phantoms, dark fairies, good vs. Evil…. An awesome compilation for a great plot and good book. I have only read a handful of books with that direction and I have been satisfied so far. I must admit I was struggling with this one because many moments, situations and even the characters personalities and some names were all too similar to another series within the same genre that reminded me of it all the time.

But I really liked to see how Rune and Jo’s relationship grow stronger by each moment they spent together. It was pure lust and physical need in the beginning that turned into a lifelong commitment that bound them to each other forever.

It wasn’t all rose petals and happy ending over it through the book, which made this more realistic for me. It was like reading about everyday couple that deals with problems and have fights and hot electric make up sex, but with demonic – vampire powers 🙂

Jo’s never ending search for her little brother was very touching. How protective she was of him, and by not knowing if he too had powers and was like her, she chose to stay away and let him move on with his life and find stability and happiness without her in it. Her heart was breaking, she was all alone but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make for him to be the best he can be without her messing him up.

Even if this story is way beyond reality if you read between the lines and look deeper into it you will find a hidden message that is about family, love and all that we are willing to do and sacrifice for our love ones and how much we want all the best for them!  

About the narrator:

This was the first book I have listen to narrated by Robert Petkoff and God is that man talented or what? It was a pure pleasure and joy for my ears to listen to his voice, close my eyes and teleport myself into the story.

His ability to transform his voice from male to female ones and how he handled low and high tones,

all different accents he pulled off was amazing. It really felt like I was having an out of body experience and was in those countries where the accents were from.

Robert did a great job and I am looking forward to listen to more audio books narrated by him.

Lisa from The Mommy Porn Periodicals is our guest today. She created this amazing playlist with songs that this book made her think about and listen to.

Sweet Ruin from Mommy Porn Periodicals on 8tracks Radio.

We present: RUNE!