A Hunger Like No Other

by Kresley Cole

Book Overview

In New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Kresley Cole's sizzling series, a fierce werewolf and a bewitching vampire become unlikely soul mates whose passion will test the boundaries of life and death. After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. Emmaline Troy is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416509879
• ISBN13: 9781416509875
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Pocket Star
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.1" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Now THIS is Paranormal Romance!

Lachlain MacRieve is leader of the Lykae Clan. After enduring centuries of torture in catacombs beneath Paris by the vampire horde, he's finally found a reason to escape when he senses his destined mate nearby. When he finally holds her within his arms though, he's literally disgusted to find she herself is a vampire...and something else too. Intending to deal with the detestable female in due time, he cannot dismiss the eerie calming effect she begins to have on his long raging mind. Lachlain intends to have his revenge, and just maybe through their connection as mates, his little vampire will be able to help him focus. Emmaline Troy is tired of living under her very powerful family's shadow. She's taken a trip to Paris in a first step bid to win some independence. Dismissing the dire warnings of her family, she nevertheless regrets her behavior soon when she's taken prisoner by a mad Lykae. Not only is this deranged, too-sexy-for-words male making her life miserable, but the vampires, a race she's never had occasion to meet, is hunting her as well. Could it be her half Valkyrie nature they're after? Whatever the case may be, she's got plenty to deal with in terms of her captor, a frustrating, mesmerizing mess of a Lykae king who's all to ready to Kill her one minute and protect her the next. It's enough to make this vampire/Valkyrie hybrid more than a little mad, and more than a little leery of her heart. Now THIS is paranormal romance! Action, drama, suspense, wit and more intriguing supernatural beings than we can shake a broomstick at coalesce into one of the best paranormal romances ever. This is an amazing intro into a very promising series, one with plenty of well-rounded secondary characters to carry on what begins here. Lachlain is at once a rough, anti-hero alpha and achingly caring and sexy. He's very complex given the nature of his last several centuries and he couldn't be better complimented by Emma's sweet, yet not-so-biddable nature. She's weak in the beginning, yes, but morphs into a powerful, kick butt type the longer she interacts with our hero. She's smart, witty and possesses a timeless grace that others around her can only dream of possessing. Her family of Valkyries is very intriguing and I'm glad to see Cole keeping their stories coming as well. This is a very fresh, very consuming addition to the world of paranormal romance. Very much worth as many rereads as the book itself can handle. It's on to the second in the series next, No Rest for the Wicked and the third, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, releases October 31, 2007.

Turn ON the air conditioner... the definition of a 'page turner'

Now comfortably organized among my favorite novels, I can't plug this title enough to friends and family who are fans of romance - paranormal or otherwise. Super hot page turner, it had me giggling within the first naughty (*ooo! naughty!) ten pages, and two days later I'm ready to pick it up again for the long weekend. This is one you hold on to and keep rereading. Thank you Kresley Cole! My tastes run more historical with romance genre rather than preternatural, and after my last fiasco into the category, I was ready to call a major time-out (see my reviews). However, this is as perfect as it gets - a super-charged attraction, endearingly flawed hero and heroine, compelling backdrop. You don't have to wait before it gets going. The tension starts on the first page and doesn't end until the end... ah, wonderful, wonderful cheese! He's the ancient werewolf king (of course, heh) recently escaped from a tortured imprisonment, and she's a recently-spawn half vampire / half valkyrie, but a compassionate wimp - a creature who can't bring herself to harm anything - even to nip enough blood to keep her healthy. Admirable, but worrisome. I've a penchant for the whole 'alpha-male / alpha-female / trouble ensues' and usually slink away from the 'weak, whining female stereotype,' because normally, I just want to slap them, but fragile Emmaline Troy has enough modern-style chutzpah to take on overbearing protagonist Lachlain on her own terms. On the streets of Paris, she's seeking the story of her unique lineage, and when he scents her deep within his horrifying confinement, he draws strength enough to break free in search of his one true mate (ahhh, me). Enter the conflict: vampires, werewolves and valkyrie tribes have been battling for countless centuries... the gods must hate them both. When he abducts her, the journey is a never-want-to-end romp of desperate desire, hilarity, property damage and ooooh, mature sexual content... mmmm mmmm good! Kresley Cole is able to masterfully mix the familiar with her own spawned lore, and throw in a few contemporary references to make you laugh out loud. She adeptly mixes IPods with primeval weaponry and nail polish with ancient customs. It's a smart book, well-written and an absolute keeper. The characterization is fully formed, locations lushly depicted, supporting characters quirky and interesting... and I'm sure I'm not the only one impatiently waiting to see which one stars in her next novel. You'll just love Emmaline's doddering valkyrie aunt Nix, and feel for Lachlain's friend Bowe's misery. Try not to double over in laughter when you learn who Emmaline's mom is. The boyfriend almost made me stop reading for fear I would choke myself with it. Poor guy, he had to sit so patiently when I was compelled to give him a play by play of the plot. Read this book, it's so entertaining. Warning: don't bring this as beach reading, you're likely to forget to turn before you get a serious sunburn. Get all the chores

A Paranormal Feast

As far as vampires go, Emmaline Troy is a petite and timid half-breed. Guarded by her overprotective Valkyrie aunts, Emma has a strong aversion to pain and conflict and much prefers to study other Lore creatures. If cornered, her grand fight strategy is to run. As far as werewolves go, Lachlain MacRieve is a massive beast on the edge. The Lykae Clan's leader, it's been over a century since he disappeared into mindless torture, and the world has changed. Mortal enemies, vampires and Lykae aren't supposed to like each other, let alone fall in love. So when Lachlain is led to his mate, he's horrified to learn Emma's true nature. Emma isn't thrilled either, but at first, she's too intimidated to escape the warrior's grasp. While Emma is held captive at Lachlain's castle, all hell breaks loose at the Valkyrie coven where Emma's aunts live. Soon, it's more than her family that's threatened, and Emma must connect with her deeply buried strength and courage in order to save them all. If she's lucky, she might find the love of an immortal lifetime. In this dark and edgy romance, Cole has created a vivid story with characters that clutch the heart. This tale is about more than fighting evil creatures and falling in love. It's about betrayal, pain, forgiveness, passion, and coming of age. Some readers may be uncomfortable with the level of violence and explicit love scenes, but this is truly a tale that cannot be told without it. These events are catalysts for the changes that occur within the characters, and therefore worth the journey. Although a large cast is introduced, the secondary characters' unique personalities come to life without overshadowing the hero and heroine. This new series promises one fresh story after another with the wonderful assortment presented here. Definitely a recommended read for fans of paranormal romance. Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer 5-11-2006

A Wildly Delicious Read!

Ms. Cole's latest effort is "wildly" delicious and entertaining. She has taken the paranormal genre and created her very own legends and lore...filled with ultra entertaining characters. Emmaline is half vampire and half Valkyrie. She is known in her coven as Emma the timid. Her family is shocked when she decides she wants to travel to Paris alone to find out the truth about her father. While there she is attacked by a handsome, yummy, strong, yummy, scary...oh yes yummy man who scares the stuffing out of her. She is even more shocked to find out that in order to return to Louisiana she will have to help Lachlain MacRieve the leader of a Lykae Clan return to his home in Scotland. She'll do it believing she will be allowed to return home. She has no idea Lachlain is her forever mate and he has no plans on ever letting her get away. Lachlain has spent the last hundred and fifty years being tortured by the vampire Demestriu. He is slowly going mad and then...he scents his mate. He has been waiting an eternity to find her and he is not going to let her get away now. He is shocked and somewhat disgusted when he finds out his long awaited mate is half vampire. But despite this he can't keep himself from feeling things for the wee little Emma. She fires his blood and he will do what he must to keep her...even if it means to lie to her. Anything to get her home to Scotland where he will be able to keep her safe and protected when he goes to get revenge against Demestriu. But, life doesn't always go according to plan and wooing Emma is just one of those things. Will he be able to keep her safe and with him or will the vampire horde take away the one thing he needs to live? Lachlain and Emma are wonderfully constructed characters. These two are both strong likeable characters. Their conflict is entertaining as is their way of dealing with what they face. Emma is sassy and quick witted...Lachlain is patient and yummy. This is a great new series and I truly can't wait for the next installment. Ms. Cole has made her mark on the paranormal genre and is an author you need to add to your must read list!

What a great new series!

Lachlain MacRieve is the King of all Lycans. For hundreds of years he's been waiting for his mate to appear. He knows that he will recognize her the moment he sees her, or scents her. However Lachlain never expects to find his mate is half vampire. Lycans and vampires have been at war for a long time and the King of the Vampires imprisoned and tortured Lachlain for over 100 years. So when Lachlain finally finds his mate, he can't accept the fact that his enemy will be his Queen. Emmaline's mother, Helen, was a Valkyrie. Before she died, Helen made arrangements to send Emmaline to her coven, with strict instructions to never let the vampires know of Emmaline's existence. On her first trip away from the coven, Emmaline is on a mission to discover information about her parents. She didn't bargain on meeting Lachlain. Before Emmaline knows what's happened, she finds herself captive to what appears to be an out-of-control Lycan. Lachlain forces Emmaline to travel with him to his clan's home in Scotland, where he is determined that she will accept her position as his mate. The more time they spend together, the more the passion builds between them. But once Emma's coven discovers that Lachlain has taken her, they wage an all out attack to bring her home. And just to make things worse, the vampires have discovered Emmaline's existence and are determined that Emmaline belongs with them. Can Lachlain fight all these opposing forces to keep his mate? As the emotion deepens between them, will Emmaline accept her place as Lachlain's Queen? A Hunger Like No Other surprised me! I've read Kresley Cole's historicals and certainly enjoyed them but with A Hunger Like No Other she surpasses her previous work. By turns sensual and laugh-out-loud funny, A Hunger Like No Other brings together the best of paranormal romance. Lachlain and Emmaline hooked me from page one. Filled with vampires, lycans, witches, valkyries and wraiths, you never know what's coming from one page to the next. Readers of Angela Knight and Christine Feehan will find what they are looking for here. E-book aficionados who are fans of Shelly Laurentson will definitely find A Hunger Like No Other right up their alley. I anxiously await the next installment from Kresley Cole in what I am sure will be a must-read series. Melissa Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed NOTE: After I read this book I realized that there was a prequel to this book in the anthology Playing Easy To Get. I read Kresely Cole's story in the anthology and highly recommend that readers also get Playing Easy To Get as they will also find Ms. Cole's addition to the anthology just as enjoyable as A Hunger Like No Other. It will certainly help set up Emma's story and explain away certain comments made by characters. You can't go wrong with these books!