A review by loverofromance
Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole

5.0

Bettina, lost her parents when she was young, and then she was captured and tortured by the same creatures who killed her mother and destroyed her father, and now she has no choice but to trust in her guardians, who have planned a way for her to get married, a death match of the fiercest warriors, for she will be queen of the demons. There is one man she has loved more than any other, who has been her friend since she was a child, and wants more than anything to be his wife. But her friend, has a death sentence by the one man who is a merciless killer, and a assassin, who is cold and calculating, and through a series of circumstances, she learns that she is his mate. A man that will fight with every weapon at his disposal to claim her as his for eternity. To her horror both her best friend and Trehan have entered the "till death" contest. As the fighting and competitions begins, a fire burns between Trehan and Bettina, and Bettina will have to choose between her closest friend and the man that holds her desire and her heart...

What a wild ride of dangerous paranormal elements that had me at the edge of this page turner!!! Utterly shocking and tantalizing and fierce and passionate in every way. This was one hell of a story and it has been a LONG time since I have read a story that had me so intense and I just had to read this as fast as I could. There was so much emotion and compelling characters, and this scenario that Kresley Cole has played out for us, WHEW....Ladies and Gentleman buckle your seat belts, for this is one ride you might not come out of alive if you don't watch it.

The heat between Bettina and Trehan is so HOT and I almost got burned....they sure know how to create fireworks, and with one kiss I betcha you all will need to open your windows--yes yes I know its winter, but seriously you will burn to a crisp if you don..hehehehe. These characters are so fascinating and I had such a fun time with them, there is quite depth to each of them, even the side characters. I know at first this seems like a triangle romance...but HELL NO!!! (Shaking finger...don't you guys think that way and let that be a deterrent to reading this....you will be so ashamed if you turn away from this one. Kresley Cole is a truly talented individual, who has the capacity of creating a story that is witty, smart and full on sexy. What else can you ask for? And quite frankly...you won't regret it!! I guarantee it. Just make sure you have plenty time on your hands, some delicious treats, plenty of water (by the gallons), and a nice comfy sitting arrangement, and you will be in the perfect mind frame to get the full aspect to enjoy this one to its fullest. DARING AND PASSIONATE!!

This book and series is connected to Immortals After Dark but isn't officially part of that series. I haven't read Lothaire, and even though there is some reference to him, it doesn't spoil anything from what I could tell. But boy do I need to read that one. :)