If you've been following me for a while, you know that I started out as a Paranormal Romance (PNR for short) super-fan. Since I was 12 and got into reading, PNR was basically all I would read. But then came Fifty, which I only read to begin with because it was Twilight fanfiction, which led me into the less supernatural genres. Topping my list of favorite paranormal series' is the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole. You won't find a hotter, sexier, more hilarious or entertaining set of books anywhere. {Kresley, if you're reading this, you still owe me that "SQUIRREL!" shirt ;-) } When Kresley puts her pen to paper...or fingers to keyboard...magic happens. So, since I've been more into the Adult and Erotic stories, when I found out that my Kresley was trying her hand at the more scandalous genre, I seriously freaked out. If her IAD series is already one of the steamiest I own (and I own a butt-load), I KNEW she wouldn't let me down with The Professional.
Kresley Cole and I at her Lothaire signing at Katy Budget Books, Houston 2012
First off, let me just say that in pure KC style, she grabbed me from page one. Immediately, her wonderful sense of humor shines through her characters from the very beginning, setting the tone of the relationship between Natalie, our leading lady, and her BFF Jess.
Natalie is very intuitive when it comes to men. She can read them and tell what type of person they are, and has an almost eerie talent of hyper-observation skills. But when she can't "manalyze" the sexy, tatted-up, and scarred stranger at the bar, she's curious enough to do something completely unlike herself, and goes up to talk to him.
He blows her off, and she goes home with her feelings a little hurt, but still can't get the man out of her head. She decides to take a bath to unwind, and that's when the adventure begins!
Yes...the adventure begins with her in the bathtub...hehehe!
Without giving anything away (which I really can't anyways because this is a serial and even I don't know what happens. EEEK!), the sexual tension between Natalie and the uber-sexy Sevastyan is intoxicating. My eyes glossed over plenty of times while reading the first part in this series. Sevastyan tries his best to fight the pull Natalie has on him, but its like they are magnetized and are drawn together in a way that is just too powerful to ignore.
There are many other reason I absolutely loved this story
and can't wait till January when the next one is set to release.
1~ I've always been super curious about the whole story of Anastasia. Ever since I saw the cartoon when I was little, I've always found myself researching the tragedy in Russian history. This story is like a modern day Anastasia story, only it picks up when the girl finds her long lost family.
2~ The main chick is ridiculously likeable, which is a KC trait. You always end up wanting to be the leading lady's bestie. This isn't the normal tale of the poor girl that can barely make it on her own, finds a gajillionaire guy who falls madly in love with her and wants to lavish her in gifts, money, and hot sex. Nope. There is no tragic, abusive past, there is no horrible ex-lover who did damage to her psyche, there is no giant obstacle, which I for one was relieved about (I hate angsty books!)
Natalie is in the middle of working on her PhD, works three jobs, has a fantastic best friend...the only thing really going on is that she's searching for her biological parents.
And what she finds...is like nothing she could have imagined!
And 3~ Have I mentioned how HOT our leading fella is? Jesus H.
He could "try to run me off" any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.
He thinks that if he were to show Natalie just what he REALLY wants to do to her, it'll scare her off. But after giving her just a taste of what's going on inside that gorgeous scarred head of his, trying to make her back off, all she can think about is trying to get him to do MORE.
So, Five Sexy CAN'T-WAIT-TIL-THE NEXT-ONE, WHAT-AM-I-SUPPOSED-TO-DO-WITH-MYSELF-TIL-THEN Stars for Kresley Cole's The Professional: Part 1 in the Game Maker Series.
You go, girl!
~SQUIRREL~
Love it! On your recommendation I read all of the IAD series back-to-back and completely fell in love with them all. Great review, I'll have to read this one soon!
ReplyDeleteall I have to do is see the name Kresley Cole and I buy...I find out about the plot when I get home with it...
ReplyDeleteI love that Insight pic you have there. Kresley Cole is on my list of "to read" authors.
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