Her breathless kiss haunts him…
Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed — until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and … his strength and skill to keep her alive.
His slow, hot touch is irresistible…
Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It’s rumored that no one can tempt Bowen’s hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them. Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go.
No deed is too wicked for her seduction…
If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul — or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?
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I love the Immortals After Dark series, but this book really stands out for me. I loved the twists in the book, the character development, the plot, the way that you just melted with every page. Definitely a favorite.
I really loved Bowen and Mariketa’s book. Bowen is a Lycae (werewolf) who lost his mate nearly 2 centuries ago. He hasn’t been with a woman since (Cole has a LOT of characters who have been celibate for freakishly long periods of time). Losing his mate broke him but now there is a woman making him believe she’s his mate. Mari, a witch.
Could it be just an enchantment to trick him so she can win a tournament? The same tournament he’s competing in to win a key that could allow him to go back in time to save his mate? (Yes, it’s the same tournament Caderin was in if you read my review for “No Rest for the Wicked”. Cole’s stories start to overlap in the timeline. This is rarely done well, but Cole manages to make it not feel redundant.)
I love Bowen. He’s one of my favorite of the Lycae. This is Book 4 in the Immortals After Dark series.
Normally I would steer clear of any book where the H rejects the h and attempts to cause her harm. But somehow it works in this book. I never hated the H especially since I knew his history from A Hunger Like No Other. It really pays to read these books in sequence.
I love this series so much that.
If you’re a fan of supernatural, steamy couples, bad boys and tough girls then you’ll have an amazing time reading this.
Once again an exceptional paranormal romance by Kresley Cole! I couldn’t put this book down!
I’m going to begin by clearing up my own confusion. I noticed that some covers of this book say “Winter’s” and some say, simply, “Winter”. So, which is correct? I went to the author’s website and it’s listed with the possessive, therefore that’s what I’m using. (Although, to be truthful, I used the non-possessive in my First Lines Friday post.)
Anywho, this story was amazing. So many alpha males, most of who will make you swoon. Of course, the main alpha for this book is Bowen aka Bowe. He’s gruff and primitive and single-minded. He’s also loyal and broken and lonely.
“Doona bring me back to life only to destroy me once more.”
~ Bowen MacRieve
Almost two centuries ago Bowen tragically lost his mate, something he’s always blamed on himself. Ever since that day, he has been a shell of his former self. Moping around and pining for his lost love. Or, at least, who he thinks is his lost love. As I got to know Bowe, the more I realized his cousins were correct. Mariah was most likely not his mate…but is Mariketa?
Mariketa is a very young witch. Truly in her 20’s, not just looking that way. But she’s predestined for great things, even if she hasn’t yet learned to control her powers. In the last book, No Rest for the Wicked, we were introduced to the competition these two are involved in, the Hie. We also know that Mariketa did something to Bowe that has messed with his immortal abilities. When this story picks up, that is all explained. And the off the charts chemistry between these two is established.
There are many reasons this couple both feel they should not give into their chemistry. Of course, Bowe feels he has another mate that he has to be loyal to, even if she’s gone. Plus, to him, Mariketa is extremely young. As for Mariketa, she’s been left behind her whole life. First her dad, then her mom, even her first boyfriend. She’s not interested in playing second best to Bowe’s deceased mate, even if he thinks she’s perhaps his mate now. Can that be possible? Or did she accidently compel Bowe to have feelings for her?
Once Bowe starts treating Mari as his mate, we finally get to see his soft side. That man knows how to take care of a woman! He still has his alpha tendencies, but it’s hard to get annoyed with him when it’s all in the protection of Mari.
Bowen and Mariketa definitely have a lot to work out, but it’s a beautiful thing to watch them grow closer and closer. To see Bowe realize what true love is and how a mate should react to him is very touching. Mari has such a confident outer shell while she’s truly quite insecure…about her magic, her looks, even her personality. When Bowe isn’t putting his foot in his mouth, he starts building her confidence in ways she didn’t even know she needed.
I feel this series is getting better with each story. Granted, this was only the 3rd in book, but still. I can’t wait to read more. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of alpha males in this story. I cannot wait to get to Rydstrom’s tale. That man (demon) was making me swoon and it wasn’t even his book!
loved this book in the series
Loved!!!
This is definitely a second chance romance as Bowen McRieve has to overcome past hatred and betrayal to see the true love that’s always been his. This book really brings home that love is the emotion that forgives all faults and allows you to see impossible truths.
This was a great enemies-to-lovers story with a twist at the end. I really am loving the world-building that bridges books. I really enjoyed Bowen and Mariketa’s story. I liked how they came at each other from different angles, but still strived to see something they liked about the other. I really enjoyed how Bowen realized that he was being a putz and decided that he needed to be the one to change to make the relationship work. This is another great addition to the series and I’ll be continuing on.
I absolutely can not get enough of all of the characters and this imaginative world that Kresley Cole has created. Wicked Deeds On A Winters Night is the 4th book in this series. It is action packed and full of everything!! Humor, danger, tortured heroes, romance through impossible odds! Edge of your seat page turner and leaves you wanting more!
bookshelves: adult, paranormal, romance, 0-n-order-by-athr, shared-2-facebook, 2shr2bkbub, 2shr2google, shared-2-amazon, suspense
Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night by Kresley Cole
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense
4.75 Stars
Loved it.
Made me go from smiling to flat out laughing out loud.
The ADULT romance is there and superbly done.
There is suspense and twist throughout the story that keep you wondering.
You can’t help but to really like both Bowen & Mariketa. Their personalities are both strong, well defined and loads of FUN! Their chemistry is off the charts.
I HIGHLY recommend this book!
I love this author!
Love it! I usually find that enemies to lovers stories don’t work for me because I don’t get enough “growth” to believe a couple changes that drastically. But Kresley Cole comes through on this one…as expected. Cole consistently writes the most amazing stories which is why she always ends up on my Keeper Shelf!
I fell in love with Bowen from the start. I do love my males protective and focused, although he is a little too focused so he can’t see the trees for the forest. Mari has some serious, but understandable, issues as well. Kresley Cole puts both of these characters through the ringer but the love they build is so sweet and strong. I really enjoyed the twist of immortals knowing who they’re destined to mate with but both fighting so hard to resist that I sometimes wondered if they’d ever get there. It makes their love that much sweeter.
I love all of the IAD book by Kresley Cole. You have to be in the mood. I feel like I choose books based on the mood that I am in. Sometimes I need a laugh and looking for something a little different. I was never into anything paranormal but a friend talked me into reading it. I ended up reading all of her books. I enjoyed most of them. The characters are linked together throughout the series. If you are looking for something a little different, with fated mates and laughter throughout, I’d recommend.
Love it! I usually find that enemies to lovers stories don’t work for me because I don’t get enough “growth” to believe a couple changes that drastically. But Kresley Cole comes through on this one…as expected. Cole consistently writes the most amazing stories which is why she always ends up on my Keeper Shelf!
I fell in love with Bowen from the start. I do love my males protective and focused, although he is a little too focused so he can’t see the trees for the forest. Mari has some serious, but understandable, issues as well. Kresley Cole puts both of these characters through the ringer but the love they build is so sweet and strong. I really enjoyed the twist of immortals knowing who they’re destined to mate with but both fighting so hard to resist that I sometimes wondered if they’d ever get there. It makes their love that much sweeter.
First Read: April 2010
Second Read: June 2014
Third Read (Listened): February 2019
I read this book back in 2010, reread it in 2014, and then listened to it in February 2019 (Thanks to the Fated Mates Podcast). I never reviewed it back in 2010, so I reviewed it back in 2014. I was into binge reading back into 2010 and not reviewing, but I’m correcting it now by doing re-reads.In 2010, I didn’t enjoy this book like the others because of the male character Bowen. Oh, how I hated his character. I had my reasons because of the way he treated Mariketa at first. If you read the previous book, you would know why I didn’t like him. Although, after listening to this book I finally was able to understand and like Bowen better. (I highly recommend listening to this book thanks to the narrator)Kresley Cole managed to tell certain parts of the previous book in this book. I will always be amazed at how she has her books continue the story with different characters and different perspectives of certain situations that have already happened. She is a master of telling a story with her characters and world-building like crazy. This is just a couple of reasons why Kresley will always be one of my favorite paranormal romance authors.
In Wicked Deeds of a Winter’s Night, the story picks up where Bowen has to save Mariketa from the cave; he had put her in. Yup…he has to save the witch that cursed him. He believes she not only put one curse on him but another one that enchanted him to desire her. (Bowen is going to meet his match, and Kresley Cole did a fantastic job on giving him a character that put him through the wringer) Mariketa is making friends in that cave who are protecting her. She’s not full immortal yet, so the demons in the caves with her are determined to keep her safe. She is the witch that supposedly that is going to be more powerful than others. When Bowen goes to rescue her, Mari doesn’t make it easy for him. Bowen lost his mate a long time ago, and he was hoping to get back from winning the prize from the competition they were in together. If you read the previous book, you’ll understand why Bowen is depressed in this book. He’s only depressed for a little while though because he’s starting to gain feelings for the problematic witch. I could go on and on about this book, but for anyone who hasn’t read this series yet…I’ll quit now. =)
The banter between the two is what made the book enjoyable. I love these two together. Mari was not the timid female witch in this book, and I adored her in every turn of the book because of how she handled Bowen. The very ending of this book is what was a shocker, and the narrator told it better then me having to read it. I love Robert Petkoff. He’s become one of my many favorite narrators. He gets into character for each character in the books. I love his accents for the demon characters that even played a role in this book and can’t wait to re-listen to their books. If you haven’t read/listen to these books and are a fan of paranormal romance, I highly recommend Kresley Cole’s Immortal After Dark series. Thanks to the Fated Mates Podcast because I’m diving back into the series preparing for the new book that releases, later on, this year. I’m also catching up on the series since I’ve missed out on some books.
Story Rating: 4.5 stars
Steaminess Rating: 4 stars
Standalone or part of series: Part of the Immortals After Dark series and I highly recommend reading in order.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, most definitely
Will I read other books from the author? Yes. She’s one of my auto-buy favorite authors.
Tropes/Elements: Fated Mates. Male Character is very Alpha Male (Werewolf Shifter) and Female Character is a Witch and she is not to be messed with in the story.
This was the book that started me reading romance and paranormal romance books.
Reading and re-reading each book in this series is always a pleasure. They are so entertaining, funny and heart-warming. Mari & Bo’s story is no exception. If you haven’t read it yet: go and get it. It will make you smile and feel happy.
Also, make sure to listen to the audiobook as it is every bit as delicious as your mind will conjure up while reading. Robert Petkoff narrates it and it is nothing but brilliant. Especially his werewolf voices are hilarious.
Uggggggh I did not like this one as much as the others and even thought seriously about quitting it halfway through. I really liked Bowe and even loved Mari, but they started bickering in the beginning and then NEVER STOPPED. It feels like I just read one long argument for 300 pages. The ending was great and they were really cute when it was done, but JEEZ.
Another major shout out to Robert Petkoff though, who continues to BALLER at narrating this series in the audiobooks. His voices and accents are my favorite!
↬ FINAL WORD
This one was rough and personally not my cup of tea. I’d say skip it and move on to the next one.