Deep Kiss of Winter

I won this hardcover from the Knight Agency. I haven't read either author before though I have seen their names everywhere, so I was curious to give them a try. In the end, I found both well-written, but found the male leads to be a turn-off in the start. Christmas is a theme in both but it's not integral to either story.

"Untouchable" is the largest novella in the book, taking place in Kresley Cole's world of Lore where rival vampires and fey struggle for power. Daniella is an ice maiden, half Valkyrie and half Icere. She requires constant cold, and can't sustain touch with anyone else. When she sees the vampire Murdoch, it's lust at first sight--after she survives an attack of Icere assassins. I had a difficult time getting into this show more one as it's obviously a well-established world with a cast of existing characters that overlapped into this book; by the end, this became very confusing as several side characters had mates suddenly pop up. The sex scenes were a bit crude for my liking, as they leaned more towards crazed lust than actual romance.

"Tempt Me Eternally" by Gena Showalter takes place in a different different realm: far-future Earth, after wars with alien planets. Aleaha is a shapeshifter desperate to fit in with the humans of Earth. She's assuming the role of a police-like officer when Breean arrives as part of an alien invasion. I was bothered by the scene of Breean's arrival, as his honey-scented pheromones induce anyone to a sexual frenzy whether they want it or not--and it's my belief that if they don't want it, that's rape, even if the guy is a well-endowed alien. Thankfully, Breean backs off (if he hadn't, I would have stopped reading in disgust) and a romance begins developing between the two. I really like Showalter's writing style. It's well-paced, and she created a very intriguing world in a short amount of space. This ended up being my favorite of the two, which was a huge turn around from my opinion at the start. show less

First off, I'm not a big fan of anthologies. They usually mean I end up spending money on a book I will only read 150 pages of because I only care about one of the authors or because that story fits into a series somewhere and I'm a consummate completest. This one was even more annoying because it came out in hardcover. I sucked it up and bought it any way because Kresley Cole is one of my favorite authors, and the Immortals After Dark series is addictive. So I'm reviewing specifically her story, Untouchable. I may eventually go back and read Gena Showalters (I am a fan of some of her work) but for now I just focused on Daniela and Murdoch.

Second point: I realize full well that this was intended as a winter holiday/Christmas book, but I show more read it in July. Oops. Actually, while the theme is ice and Christmas is briefly mentioned, it's not very Christmasy. I found the cold theme oddly refreshing.

Now, to the story: Basically, Daniella is a valkyrie but she was born to and Icere mother. The Icere are people of the cold, their bodies are cold, and warmth of any kind is deadly to them. For Danii that means contact with and non-Icere beings burns painfully, and getting overheated is a constant concern. When it's discovered that she is Murdoch's Bride (his fated mate), their inability to touch physically presents a huge problem.

The characters were surprisingly well rounded, considering that their developement had to take place in only 250 pages. Without the usual action/adventure sequences typical of the series, Cole focuses almost entirely on their core problem as a couple. I liked that. Danii's desperation to be loved and feel physical affection is heartbreaking. Murdoch, meanwhile, was somewhat of a rake when human--commiting to one woman, let alone one he cannot touch, is frustrating and life altering for him. I liked them as a couple. They certainly aren't my favorite of the series, but I wouldn't expect them to be.

I would like to say that Kresley Cole is one of the most endlessly creative authors I've encountered. The settings--like the cabin in Siberia that's magically iced over--take you to another world. The sex scenes are inventive. The characters are unique and interesting. Even the secondary characters are well rounded and likeable (Nix being my standing favorite).

Now the negatives: The overlapping timelines drive me crazy. If you've read the series up to this point, you know what I'm talking about. I usually don't file them under "negative" because while they are confusing, they're also a lot of fun. But in this case, in such a short novel, trying to shove in those context clues so that we as readers will know what part of the story arch we're in...I think it was a miss calculation on Cole's part. It felt like she had to work to make the story fit, and so I had to work to make it ok in my own head. Just a bit of a stretch.

I also kind of thought that the final solution to Danii and Murdoch's problem was SO OBVIOUS. No, I won't spoil it because maybe it isn't that immediately obvious to all readers. I just thought it was a bit lazy, and when it came to that point I said "Umm, duh?" and was left feeling a bit disapointed.

Overall, it's a good story. Worth the purchase of a full priced hardcover? Not really. But worth a read if you can get it otherwise. show less

Although I like these brothers, I think this book was by far the weakest. I really liked the MCs but felt the book just jumped back & forth too much without making it perfectly clear that months had gone by, yet the MCs were having the same problems/convos. I felt it could have been better edited. It's in an anthology, but really isn't a novella but a full length book. At times even that didn't seem like Cole gave the story her full attention. It just wasn't up to her usual standard. After all, I had figured out by the first kiss what the solution to their problem of Daniella being to cold to touch could be. Duh.

I liked the first story, Untouchable by Kresley Cole but couldn't read Tempt me Eternally by Gena Showalter, I did try but I just don't like stories where the male insists that he's always right and that the female wants sex with him, and that she should submit to the male no matter what her opinon or wants. I also have an issue with the too beautiful to resist characters overwhelming with their pheromones etc. I don't find this sexy or romantic. I know some people do, but it just aggravates me and I'm going to stop trying to read them. It gets a 2.5/5 from me. The characters could have real promise for me in someone elses hands.

Untouchable by Kresley Cole is the story of a valkyrie, Daniela, who is actually part-Ice Fey and really show more likes the cold, only Murdoch Wroth has fallen in love with her, however he can't touch her without hurting her, as his warmth burns her. They have to work out a place for themselves and who they are. I actually liked this story, only I worked out some of how they would work things out a lot earlier than the story did.

Overall the Cole story was diverting but I just didn't want to keep reading the Showalter. I found a lot of how the folks in the Cole Story dealt with things quite interesting and different. Nothing new here. Probably more for fans of the respective series.

On re-reading I vaguely remembered bits but honestly it didn't stand out in any way. show less

The two stories contained within this volume are part of each author's larger series. 'Untouchable' by Kresley Cole is part of her Immortals After Dark book series and 'Tempt Me Eternally' by Gena Showalter is part of her Alien Huntress book series. I've read neither series for the record.

Initially when I heard about this book I was excited because I really enjoy Showalter's books. Playing With Fire is my favorite, but I enjoy her Atlantis books as well. For some reason I've never read her Alien Huntress books. Kresley Cole is one of those authors that I know I should read, since I enjoy paranormal romances so much, but haven't had any interest in. That said, I have to admit I loved Cole's Danii a lot. Valkayrie coolness aside, I liked show more that because of who she is she's been untouchable. Not because of a past guy who did her wrong, or father issues or anything like that. She's straddling two worlds and neither world wants much to do with her (talk about paying for the sins of the parents).

Murdoch was kind of awesome, but also rather vexing. He's a self-proclaimed manwhore and feels he has good reason to fear being bonded, but he's a little short-sighted. Or else he's hanging with the wrong crowds. Either way he ignored the good that came with the potential bad. This is a romance, so it is inevitable, but there was a merry chase involved.

Showalter's story fared a little less well for me, but I can't tell if its because I didn't enjoy it or because I have no idea about the world she was writing in. The premise is pretty cool--we can all be like Mystique from X-Men!--but I suppose since I was familiar with the world a lot of it fell flat. I did like Breean though and was mostly envious of Aleaha.

Minor pet peeve, I can't remember how to spell any of the four romantic leads names without looking it up.

This is a good book for a winter's evening however, the romance will take the chill off your skin and should be a treat for fans of either series. show less

Untouchable by Kresley Cole - 3.5 stars

This wasn't a bad story, but Murdoch's stubbornness almost ruined it for me. It was explained why he resisted being bound to Danii, but he wasn't even willing to really try. He'd make some limp effort and if things got too tough or didn't go exactly his way, he easily gave up. Danii, on the other hand, put herself out there again and again, only to be continually rejected by Murdoch. I really wanted to knock some sense into him and when he finally realized what he was doing, I thought Danii should have given him the boot. She was too good for him.

Deep Kiss of Winter
4 Stars
Review of Untouchable only

Synopsis
Vampire Murdoch Wroth never wanted to be blooded but when his heart starts beating again at the sight of Daniella the Ice Maiden he will stop at nothing to have her. Unfortunately, Daniella suffers intense agony when touched. Can these two unlikely lovers overcome the obstacles?

Review
The timeline is concurrent with the first 5 IAD books and the recaps of the various stories are enjoyable. It is also great seeing the details from Murdoch's perspective.

The introduction to the Icere (Ice Fey) is interesting and some of the aspects of the Valkyrie are clearer to me now.

The romance, however, it not the best. Danii and Murdoch's on/off relationship is too angsty and their emotional show more distance for most of the book is frustrating. Nevertheless, the resolution to the obstacle of Murdoch being unable to touch Danii is brilliant and the lengths he goes to in order to be with her more than compensate for his lack of finesse and "bachelor panic" in the first 3/4s. The epilogue with the four Wroth brothers and their Brides is very endearing.

The ice motif, while unique and beautiful, is not conducive to creating a sense of intimacy and closeness for Danii and Murdoch. Unlike Neomi and Conrad, whose relationship was intense and steamy despite their inability to touch, Danii and Murdoch lack the emotional attachment of the other relationships in the series.

Overall, an entertaining novella and it was nice to have closure to the Wroth brothers. show less