Product Description

Under the cover of wintry dark shadows, passion's magic ignites a fire too hot to touch -- and too wicked to die....

DEEP KISS OF WINTER

Two never-before-published paranormal stories to delight the senses and tantalize the imagination!

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

KRESLEY COLE

delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time...and a Valkyrie aching to be touched.

Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden -- the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can't be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

GENA SHOWALTER

puts a daring spin on a tale of huntress and hunted...and concocts a sensual chemistry that is positively explosive.

Aleaha Love can be anyone -- literally. With only skin-to-skin contact, she can change her appearance, assume any identity. Her newest identity switch has made her an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent and sends her on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she becomes the captured. Breean, a golden-skinned commander known for his iron will who is at once dangerous and soul-shatteringly seductive, threatens her new life. Because for the first time, Aleaha only wants to be herself....

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4352 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 436 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781439159668
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Before becoming a writer, Kresley Cole was a competitive athlete and a Master's grad in English. She sold her first two novels in 2003, and since then, she has published eleven more books and has seen her releases translated into nine foreign languages.

Kresley followed her highly-acclaimed Sutherland Series historicals with the bestselling MacCarrick Brothers Series, a trilogy of Highlander historical romances, as well as the continuing Immortals After Dark Series, a Rita award-winning paranormal romance collection, all with Pocket Books.

In January 2009, she became a #1 New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller with her sixth IAD installment, Kiss of a Demon King.

Kresley lives in Florida with her husband and far too many dogs. She loves to hear from readers and invites you to visit her website: www.kresleycole.com.

Gena Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27 and now, four years later, is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirteen books, with eleven more on the way in a thrilling blend of genres: breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy. 

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, MTV, Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in French, Italian and Korean.  The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called ?a star on the rise?. 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
One

The French Quarter, New Orleans

Present day

"She's...near."

At his brother's weak and broken words, Murdoch Wroth's eyes narrowed in anger toward the one who'd brought the proud Nikolai so low.

Myst the Coveted, a female immortal with a vicious heart.

And Nikolai's fated Bride.

"How can you tell?" Murdoch asked.

"Because I can feel her," Nikolai said.

Murdoch adjusted Nikolai's arm, which he'd slung across his shoulders to help his brother walk as they searched. The humans milling all around them merely assumed Nikolai was another drunk.

Proud Nikolai. He was exhausted from consuming too little blood, his body racked with never-ending need for a mad Valkyrie who delighted in his pain. Nikolai had lost weight, his face turning gaunt, his muscles flagging.

"Murdoch, when I find her...I want you to trace from here."

He shook his head. "I'll stay until you've secured her -- "

"No. Don't want you to...see me." Nikolai's weary gaze darted away from Murdoch's. "I will lose control."

Which would shame his stalwart older brother as little else could.

Murdoch couldn't imagine how Nikolai would react when he found Myst. Five years ago, she had blooded Nikolai, as only a Bride could, bringing to life his dead vampire's body. She'd made him breathe, made his heart beat, and stoked his newly reawakened lust with no intention of slaking it.

That same night, another Valkyrie had shot him through with arrows and still another had mocked his desires. Myst had fled with the two, dooming Nikolai.

A blooded vampire could only take release for the first time while touching his Bride in some way. If she wasn't available, then he would remain in a state of constant sexual readiness, aching indefinitely.

Which she well knew.

"Promise me you'll leave," Nikolai grated.

At length, Murdoch said, "I will." If Myst was indeed here tonight, it would make sense that there'd be more Valkyrie out on these very streets. More of their deceiving, manipulative, violent kind. "But only to find another one," he added.

He could capture one and interrogate her about the Lore, the world of not-so-mythical beings he and his brother were now a part of.

Murdoch's knowledge of the Lore was as limited as that of any of the vampires in their warrior order of Forbearers. Their army consisted mostly of turned humans, and the Lore creatures kept their secrets well guarded from them.

"Don't underestimate the Valkyrie as I did," Nikolai rasped. "Else suffer as I have."

He suffered because fate had forced this blooding on Nikolai. As if Nikolai needed another burden.

The blooding process was what Murdoch detested most about being a vampire, even more than never seeing the sun again.

Though he'd once been a rake, bedding a new woman each night, Murdoch hoped it never happened to him. To be mystically tied to a single woman sounded hellish, especially to a woman he didn't choose, and one who could spurn him, as Myst had Nikolai.

The pain had rendered his brother nearly mindless in his pursuit of her. Nikolai wanted retribution, but Murdoch suspected he also simply wanted her. Even after all that she'd done to him.

"Where will you take her this night?" Murdoch asked. "The mill?" They'd secured an old renovated sugar mill outside the city, staying there instead of the Forbearer castle while they'd scoured these streets.

Nikolai shook his head.

"Then back to the castle?"

When Nikolai didn't answer, Murdoch said, "You wouldn't take her to Blachmount?" The ancient Wroth estate -- where most of their family had died in a single night of sickness and murder. "Why?"

"Because that's where my Bride belongs."

Before Murdoch could question his meaning, Nikolai went still, his eyes briefly sliding shut. Then his head swung up toward a rooftop. "It's her."

Above them, a redhead stood frozen, her lips parting in shock.

Murdoch had only briefly seen her all those years before, and now he studied the details of her Valkyrie appearance. She had delicate fey features -- pointed ears and high cheekbones -- but he also spied the tell-tale claws and small fangs.

At the sight of her, Nikolai stood fully, no longer needing Murdoch's aid. "My Myst."

Her face paled, no doubt at the sight of Nikolai, who now looked like the monster she'd sought to make him. His irises had turned completely black, his fangs descending in his mouth, dripping from thirst.

Her horrified expression almost made Murdoch pity her, but she deserved no mercy. Which was good, because Nikolai would show her none this night.

Their pursuit of half a decade was...over. At last.

Just as Nikolai tensed to trace to her, Murdoch slapped him on the back, then teleported away as he'd promised, disappearing so quickly he went unnoticed in the morass of drunken tourists. Even if they had seen him vanish, the humans would think they'd imagined it.

Murdoch materialized in a back alley several blocks away, then walked to the Quarter's main thoroughfare, Bourbon Street. As he moved among the crowds, a warm breeze tripped down the street, dissipating the swampy haze and the fumes from food vendor stands.

Warm. In February. Good hunting weather.

Yes, Nikolai would be merciless tonight, as would Murdoch. Now all he needed was to find his prey.

The hunt is on.

I'm being followed.

Daniela the Ice Maiden furtively glanced over her shoulder once more. Again she spied nothing out of the ordinary -- tourists milling, witches catcalling to human males -- but Danii couldn't shake the feeling that she was being stalked.

Which begged the question: what creature would be stupid enough to court a Valkyrie's wrath?

Maybe she was just spooked by Nïx's cryptic remarks tonight. Nucking Futs Nïx, her half sister and the Valkyrie soothsayer, often made off-the-wall predictions. But this one continued to replay in Danii's mind.

"Sad, sad Daniela, the broken doll who wants to be fixed. Tonight she might."

Because of Danii's pale, freezing skin -- she was part Icere -- she was often likened to a porcelain doll. Well, because of her icy skin and because of what would happen to her if she grew overheated....

But a broken doll? What did that mean? And fixed -- for good, for bad? What precisely would be fixed?

She'd told Nïx, "I can't imagine what you're talking about. I'm not broken" -- my lonely existence makes me want to tear my hair out -- "and I don't know how I could be 'fixed.'"

Perhaps by being able to finally touch another? To feel a man's skin against her own without being burned, instead of constantly fantasizing about it?

I would give anything.

Yet the only males on earth who could touch her were the Icere. Regrettably, they also happened to want her dead.

Which meant the closest she'd ever get to having sex would be reading about it in the many tomes of erotica she kept hidden in her room or by indulging in her rich fantasy life. Which also meant she was probably the world's oldest virgin. Merely awaiting confirmation from Guinness.

And people wonder why I prefer fantasy to reality.

Her ears twitched with awareness. No, she wasn't simply spooked; something was happening. Her senses were alert.

Hastening her pace, she carefully wound around the people on the street, negotiating the ninety-eight-point-six degree gauntlet. Even the briefest contact with another's skin would burn her. A conundrum, because she kept cool by baring lots of hers.

When her frosty breath fogged in the warm night air, she just stifled the urge to scream, and peeked over her shoulder once more.

This time she spotted a towering male, far behind her. He was striking, looked to be mid-thirties. But there was something unusual about him.

Was he even human? New Orleans was chock-full of Lore beings. He could be an immortal, maybe even the one trailing her.

At that moment, he wasn't looking in her direction, so she took the opportunity to duck into an alley beside a hotel. Leaping up four stories to the hotel's flat roof, she crossed to a low ledge wall overlooking the street, then crouched between two flags -- one had a fleur-de-lis covered in beads, and the other said Pardi Gras!

Tilting her head, she studied the male below. He had longish dark brown hair, cut negligently, with a lock falling over his forehead. His face was fantasy-worthy, with a strong, masculine jaw and chin.

He wore tasteful clothes, a black button-down and jeans with a jacket that made her feel warm just looking at it. She herself was wearing the thinnest backless dress she could find.

He strode with an air of confidence. The male was gorgeous -- and he knew it. How could he not, with the women gaping at him? Then she frowned. He seemed oblivious to the prancing coeds in low-cut tops angling for his attention.

His body was big, muscular in a way that hinted at immortal, but what he was exactly eluded her. Considering his size, he was probably a demon, or even a Lykae -- those animals had begun prowling the Valkyries' turf as bold as they pleased.

Or could he be...a vampire?

She trained her gaze on his chest, watching for the rise and fall of breaths. Seconds passed. Historically, the vampires had shunned Louisiana. Yet on this night her Valkyrie coven had heard that members of both warring vampire armies, the Horde and the Forbearers, could be out in the Quarter.

What they didn't know was why.

His chest is still. Bingo. Vamp.

Since his eyes were a normal gray and clear -- not crazed and red with bloodlust -- that meant he was a Forbearer, one of an army who didn't drink blood straight from the flesh.

Vampires who didn't kill. At least, that was their mission statement.

The Lore was still waiting to see how that worked out for them.

Though Danii knew she needed to report back on this sighting, she couldn't take her gaze off him. What was it about this vampire? She was aware of only two Valkyrie who'd ever been with his kind. One still lived. Danii knew the danger; so why this attraction?

Yes, he was breat...

Customer Reviews

Not Kresley Cole's Best
Kresley Cole has set her own bar so high in her IAD series that I don't know how she could ever beat books like A Hunger Like No Other (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 1), No Rest for the Wicked, and Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night (The Immortals After Dark, Book 3) - to name a few. This book is by far not the best of this author's efforts. Murdoch was a surprisingly unsympathetic character and Danii came off as, well, a little icy (pun intended). I did not feel the same investment in the story and the characters that I usually do in the IAD books. That being said, diehard IAD fans should definitely read this book to see more of their favorite characters.

This dynamic duo have written an anthology that their fans MUST have!!
Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole
Paranormal Romance-Oct 13th, 2009
5 stars

Deep Kiss of Winter is a fabulous read that you will not want to miss! In anthologies I often feel the stories are too short, lack complexity and I generally feel a vague sense of dissatisfaction. But this is not the case with this book. Both stories were well worth the price of the HC book! This anthology includes the long anticipated finish to the last Vampire Wroth brother and continues the thrilling Alien Huntress series by Gena Showalter. If you love either of these series, you will not be disappointed.

In Kresley Cole's Untouchable, we are introduced to the last Wroth brother. Murdoch Wroth was a deadly soldier like his brothers but history only remembers him as the `Casanova' of the family. Seduce them, bed them, and then leave them. Murdoch wanted no commitments and his conquests as a legendary lothario were envied. But his skills were no longer of use when he became a vampire. As a vampire his body is dead to every woman except his bride. However, Murdoch doesn't want to find his bride like other vampires. He believes being tied to one woman, would make him weak like his father. Murdoch remembers how his strong father declined when his mother died. Murdoch long ago decided he will never let another person affect him in the same way. But fate is not always kind, while walking in the streets of New Orleans he is captured by the glimpse of a rare beauty one that he feels compelled to pursue. Although she tries to run from him he knows he must discover her identity. And when he hears his heart start to beat signaling he has found his bride, he freezes.

Daniela is known as the Ice Queen. She is a Valkrie warrior but also half Icere. As her mother's heir she is the rightful ruler of the Icere, descended from a long line of Icere queens. But when her mother was murdered and her crown stolen Daniela is a fugitive among the Icere. As an Icere, she is sensitive to warm temperatures. She must keep cold at all times and the touch of any except those of her own race pains her. As an outcast her hopes of finding a mate are virtually nonexistent. Daniela has hidden in New Orleans with her Valkrie sisters for she believes she is safe from the Icere assassins in this warm climate. Unfortunately, the Icere have found her in New Orleans and are set on terminating her and any hope of her regaining the throne. As she tries to escape them an annoyingly handsome vampire insists on following her at the same time. How will she loose them with him on her trail? And why can't she loose him? Normally she would love the male attention even is she can't physically enjoy a man but if she doesn't loose him her death is a guarantee.

The romance between Daniela and Murdoch moved me to tears. I loved Daniela's quiet bravery as she risks her well being to be with Murdoch. Murdoch is a stubborn male and although he desires Daniela a part of him can't let go of NOT wanting to be bonded. And although he doesn't want anyone around Daniela except himself he still feels trapped by strange emotions that he has never felt before. It was also fun to see how Murdoch's famous charms fled him when he was around Daniela. And it tugged at my heart strings as I read Daniela's reaction to Murdoch as he tries to fight their bond. Their inability to physically touch and the demons both face are made more difficult as the Icere become a real threat. I really wanted the 2 to be together but could not figure out how the impossible could become possible. This story was moving, exciting and unexpected. The conclusion was one that I found extremely satisfying. I only mourn the fact that the last of the Wroth brothers are now hitched!

In Gena Showalter's Tempt Me Eternally, she returns to her Alien Huntress series. As always, Gena Showalter writes an exciting storyline with wonderful characters. This story is much racier than Kresley Cole's and every bit as intense! I loved the sizzling interaction between the main characters.

Breean is a Rakan, a race that is incredibly beautiful as it is peaceful. Thst is until their planet was decimated by the Schon Queen. The Schon Queen spread a deadly virus on their world and killed most of their population. Breean and his men are now the last of their untainted race and they have decided to find a new world to live in peace. Unfortunately, when they arrive through a portal to earth they are ambushed by the AIR.

Macy has a secret, she can shift and change her identity but she cannot control it under extreme emotions. In her latest identity she finds herself the newest member of the AIR team, an elite enforcement group devoted to protecting the earth from aliens. On her 1st operation she and the rest of her team ready to surprise the invading Schon from causing mass destruction to earth. Only they are instead surprised by a group of Rakan. As her entire team scrambles to trap the Raken they are overwhelmed and only Macy is left standing. As her entire team is imprisoned Macy must fight against the desire she feels for the leader named Breean who wants to claim for himself and form a plan to escape and free her teammates.

Wowzers! If Breean is the typical example of the Rakan race, I really hope Gena Showalter writes more stories which include them. Breean was irresistible and frankly it was a testament to Macy's strength of will that she was strong enough to resist his charms as long as she did. Breean's determination to claim Macy and find his men a place to call home was admirable. And Macy's courage and vulnerability were engrossing. I was enthralled by her mixed emotions as she began to fall for Breean but refused to give up on saving her the rest of her team. The 2 strong willed characters were a well matched pair and the sparkling interaction between them made this story exceptionally enjoyable.

This dynamic duo have written an anthology that their fans MUST have!! I slipped right back into each of their worlds and wished neither had to end. This book is sure to be a well-loved keeper.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

Pretty Hot for Winter
I looove Kresley Cole!!! She is one of the few writers in this genre that I can't put down and read every word cover to cover. This story is not one of her best, but it's good as always. It's worth the money I spent, no doubt.

The story line involves a Vampire who does not drink to kill so he is a Forebearer. The Horde is the Vampire faction who does drink to kill, but luckily our Hero is a good Vampire. His name is Murdock and he is the brother of four Vampires. The other 3 have already had their time to shine in 3 prior Cole books. Murdock comes across an Ice Princess/ Valkerie in New Orleans that cannot be touched by anyone but her kind because her skin will burn. She runs very very cold. She has been in hiding from the Ice King who killed her mother for the crown and now wants the only other ire to the thrown dead. During a botched assignation in New Orleans Murdock saves her from sure death. She is incapacitated when he brings her back to his home. It's at this time that he realizes he has a big problem. She has "blooded" him. As a Vampire he is dead, his heart does not beat, he cannot get an erection and so on. But while fighting to defend her his heart thunders in his ears and his blood begins to flow. This means she is his Bride. That poses several problems for Murdock, one he wants release and he cannot get it because he cannot touch her, and two he is not the settling down type. He was known as quite the ladies man and is put off at the idea of having a fated mate. When she comes to she is more than pleased at this develop because she has never had a sexual encounter and loves the idea of him being so obsessed with her. She wants to help him find release. After a very hot chapter or two he leaves her because of his fear of commitment and because he can't actually touch her. She is scorned and rejected. The story continues as such: he comes looking for her, they fight, and he comes back for her, and so on. He can't stay away. Finally he comes to terms with the fact that he wants her and only her and decides they will just need to find a way around the no touching ordeal. They get creative. Fast forward a few months and they are both at their wits end and tormented sexually.

That's the quick rundown. Clearly a way to touch is discovered and there is more to the story, but it's involved and I don't want to give too much away. Because this story takes place during the other prior books in Cole's series it covers a lot of ground and ties in several plots. This may be confusing for someone who has not read prior Immortals After Dark books. For those who haven't... Cole's one of the best as I mentioned before and her style of action, comic, and erotic writing leaves nothing to be desired.

Now there are two stories in this book and the second half of this novel is written by Gena Showalter. Her story is about an alien shape-shifter and alien sex god. The shape-shifter lives on earth and is part of a government faction that fights aliens from other planets that mean earth harm...think Men in Black. They are doing surveillance when the Alien sex Gods land in a field. I call them Sex Gods cuz they look hotter than hell and put off pheromones like no other. The shape-shifter is a woman so she is overwhelmed with need at the sight of them. They meanwhile want her because all their women on their planet are dead. The head of the sex gods takes her as his war prize when they win the battle in the field.

This story is also part of Showalters series that involves Aliens. I believe its call Alien Huntress or something like that. It's a good read, but does not knock your socks off. It's a little bit more primal in the since that the Hero takes his women without her consent in a field. I mean he could have just knocked her over the head with a club and drug her to his cave, but that's basically what he does, so it's funny in that matter. Yet, the banter between the two was annoying, "Let me go!" -- "No!"...that went on for chapters it seemed. To the point where I just wanted her her to give in or him to give up.