Warlord Wants Forever

By Kresley Cole

The Warlord Wants Forever…the sensually charged novella that started it all, now with an exclusive excerpt from MacRieve!

In this scorching series opener, #1 New York Times bestseller Kresley Cole introduces the captivating Immortals After Dark Series. The ebook also includes an exclusive extended excerpt from MacRieve, the highly anticipated next installment in the series.

The Warlord
Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire general, will stop at nothing to find his Bride, the one woman who can “blood” him, making his heart beat and filling him with strength. Coldly interested only in the power his Bride will bring, he can hardly believe when Myst the Coveted awakens him body—and soul.

The Seductress
Famed throughout the world as the most beautiful Valkyrie, Myst has devoted her life to protecting a magical jewel and to fighting the vampires. Wroth provides her with the perfect opportunity to torment her sworn enemy—for with his new heartbeat comes a consuming sexual desire that can only be slaked by her. Denying him, she flees, struggling to forget his searing, possessive kiss.

The Hunt is on…
She eludes him for five years, but he has finally chased her to ground and stolen her enchanted jewel, giving him absolute power over her. Now that she’s his for the taking, he intends to make her experience first-hand the agonizing, unending lust she subjected him to for half a decade. Yet when Nikolai realizes he wants far more than vengeance from Myst and frees her, will she come back to him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Release date: Nov 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781451673005

Kresley Cole

Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Immortals After Dark paranormal series and the young adult Arcana Chronicles. Her books have been translated into over twenty foreign languages, garnered three RITA awards, and consistently appear on the bestseller lists in the US and abroad. Before becoming a writer, Cole was a world-ranked athlete, coach, and graduate student. She has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings. She lives in Florida with her family and “far too many animals,” and spends any free time traveling. You can learn more about her and her work at KresleyCole.com or Facebook.com/KresleyCole.

Reviews for Warlord Wants Forever

[flemmily · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

short and steamy

[whiskeyinthejar-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this for the Terrifying Women square for Halloween Bingo

Into the blood-splattered snow, the lone warrior fell to one knee and shuddered with weakness. Still, an arm shot out to raise a sword against the oncoming legion. Her dented breastplate swallowed her small form. Though the winds howled, whipping her hair, she heard the twang of the bowstring unleashed. She screamed in fury when the arrow punctured the center of her armor, the blow sending her flying back.
The arrowhead had pierced through metal, then barely through her breastbone, just enough that her heart met the point with each beat. The beating of her own brave heart was killing her. But her scream had woken two nearby gods sleeping together through a brutal, wintry decade.
They stirred and looked down upon the maiden, seeing in her eyes courage burning bright. Bravery and will had marked her entire life, but the light ebbed with death and they mourned it.
Freya, the female god, whispered that they should take her courage and preserve it for eternity because it was so precious.

The first in the Immortals After Dark series, we get the origins of the Valkyrie and an introduction to the lore. This was also a hot little number with Myst and Wroth rubbing all up on each other.
It's an introduction novella, so the shorter word count leaves some to be desired with flushed out world but I loved our leads. Myst was kickass and Wroth, for all his confusion, was commanding but tolerant beast.
The conflict comes from Myst's trust issues with men and Wroth not knowing how to navigate it and some hints as to the series future enemies may be.
I enjoyed the hotness and excitement of it all.

[msralways · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good for a novella, nothing fancy though. People said that I should really give the second book a chance, because it gets much better and the series is a really good one. It was worth the read.

[aliterarylion · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I always saw glimpses of this relationship in other books. I like Myst, but felt that Nikolai kept making weird decisions to make sure that Myst was really his mate. Once again, I like to focus on the couple and don't care for superfluous focus on other characters. Shallow? I don't care...

[saturnnalia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a good begining to the Immortals After Dark series. I liked both Myst and Wroth, individually and together. The only problem I had was the forced seduction, I had to put the book down for a day after reading that particular 'love' scene. Wroth chases down Myst, they beat each other up hard enough to leave behind bruises and blood, she says 'no' several times, and he forces her. It was stated they are like rough sex, but that was too much. For a novella the characters were fully realized and their journey to love and trust complete.

[cc123-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read in book Playing Easy to Get

[asgwilli · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars
This was an interesting start to a series.. but there were some parts, where it seemed like the scene jumped a little. I may have been reading too fast. Otherwise, it was a short steamy paranormal read.

[creativejunkie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this well enough by the end, and truly loved Myst's character, but the beginning was hard to take. The whole forced-sex scene isn't my bag, and I have a hard time ever forgiving a hero for pulling that shit.

[tanya8dogearedcopy · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Paranormal Romance featuring a vampire and a Valkyrie. I tried this on the strength of the author's Game Maker series; but I was a bit underwhelmed. Of course, all romance novels are built on a set of pre-determined standards but the characters and settings are so hyper-caricaturized in this novel, it's nearly comical. Perhaps if I had read this series before the author's BDSM series; or if I hadn't inadvertently read yet another Valkyrie-based Paranormal Romance the week before, I might have been more open or more favorably inclined to this.

[bethanymoore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

LOVE THIS SERIES!

I was hooked immediately, and proceeded to devour all the books one after the other!

[laphenix · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Why do I keep picking up romance novels? Because I loved her YA series and had hope for more of the same. Filled with melodrama of the crippling fear of the word "vagina," The Warlord Wants Forever doesn't stray far from any other paranormal smut books. That said, I did find the mythology intriguing.

[becky_mckenna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nikolai is a vampire, has been searching for his destined love. His "Bride" is supposed to revive his undead body, making his heart beat again. Myst is a Valkyrie, an immortal, a warrior, with powerful sisters and a fierce independence streak. She doesn't need or want a man, having never found one strong enough to qualify as her match. I liked the mystical elements of this story and it was well written. The plot took a different turn than I expected, but there is so much potential here in the world the author creates. I liked it, even if it didn't "wow" me. Take that with a grain of salt, because it's purely my personal preference. The way the couple wielded sex as a weapon bugged me and the emotional love didn't make an appearance until the end. It was a much steamier read than I usually entertain and I wondered if I'd accidently picked up the erotica genre. That being said, I really liked the ending and the way the couple grew to understand each other. I'll continue with the series.

***Adult Content***

[addictedtomorphemes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole#1 Immortals After Dark (IAD)This novella starts off the popular series, Immortals After Dark. It centers around a female Valkyrie warrior, Myst the Coveted, who is descended from the gods, and the fated relationship she has with a former human turned powerful vampire warlord, Nikolai Wroth.Although it is set in present day, it has a much older feel at times. It's possible that the medieval aspect (including their homes which appear to be run-down castles or mansions) is to signify the age of these beings, as well as the supernatural or fantastical aspect of the creatures who fight amongst each other--demons, ghouls, vampires, gods, etc. It starts off at Mt. Oblak Castle in Russia then fast forwards to New Orleans, but because they can "trace" (teleport) to different locations, they can travel anywhere on earth instantaneously.I was not all that impressed with how the heroine, a Valkyrie (part god/part Furie) with centuries of experience in life and battle, started off so strong and then devolved into a spineless sexpot once she met the hero. It was quite clear (in her mind) that in order to love and be loved by Wroth she would have to give up being who she was--a strong, independent, respected warrior. The two species, Valkyrie and vampire, are natural enemies and are prone to kill each other, so Myst also feels she would have to endure an eternal separation from her three sisters if she chooses Wroth in order for everyone to be safe from one another. Her sisters are also fierce warriors, who are close to, but also seem very snarky toward Myst. I'm curious about their relationship because they all profess to be very close to each other, but Myst always feels relieved when she's away from them. Myst just came to accept with a sigh that Wroth would now be the one protecting her. That did change by the end of the story, but for a while it was disappointing that it was assumed this is the way it would be and she secretly was glad for it. Nothing wrong with that for most people, but come on! We're talking about a kick @ss warrior here who loves to be embroiled in battle. No way is she going to want to stay home and polish her toenails while he is out "being the man". This is one of those series where there is a fantasy element of being drawn together by blood or by some supernatural force. They cannot help themselves. They may be enemies and "hate" each other, but they have sexual chemistry which neither can fight. It's a good thing they do, too, because that's the thing that ends up saving them in the end. They start out with zero communication skills which causes the majority of the ridiculous parlaying and cat-fighting that goes on between them until the truth of their real feelings comes out and all seems to be right in the end. Although I cannot deny there was great physical chemistry between the MCs, the story itself was lacking something. It has some similarities to J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, which I liked even with its faults, so I'll continue on and see if I start to get attached to Cole's characters and story like I did Ward's. If there weren't so many people recommending IAD, I probably wouldn't move forward in the series.

[aneris-3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Every now and then I check the books I'd read and sometimes I even write an explanation for the rating (if they are missing one). It's my way of decreasing the number of books with no review. It doesn't mean I read it again.
I don't remember why I thought this was an okay story instead of disliking it or liking it more. The only thing I do remember is that I thought the heroine was over the top. Maybe I'll read it again (it's short enough), who knows.

[bookslesstravelled · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I stumbled across this series the other day, and for whatever strange reason, felt the need for something different. I grabbed the audio book from my library and listened through the whole book in one day. I'm the first to admit I don't like books the focus on romance or sex, but overall I did enjoy most of this book. I liked Wroth, not loved, but I did enjoy his parts. Myst was OK, and I enjoyed her toward the end, but I didn't like some of her choices at the beginning.

It was fun seeing two strong and determined characters work out their differences, and choose sides. I also liked the little big of lore we got between a vampire and a Valkyrie pairing. The sex was ok, but since the story was so short, I didn't get to know the characters well enough to really care about it.

The audio was interesting, and it was my first time listening to two voice actors in a story. I enjoyed both, and especially liked hearing Simone Fomhar's and Hagan Verret's version of Wroth's accent! They put on a great performance, and made the story interesting!

[Khandygirl4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Glad I got to read the beginning of this series. I truly enjoyed it. Sometimes books don't have to a lot of pages to get the point across. I came in on the series by reading the last two books and I know that I had to find some more. Thanks Scribd!

Myst and Wroth make a perfect couple! Well on to some more!!!

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not really much one for paranormal actually, but author Sarah MacLean raved about this series, so I decided to try it anyway. I didn't love it, but I didn't really hate it either. I think I'll go ahead and try the first full length novel and see how that goes.

[Shanda · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really liked this one. Myst was pretty funny.

[ladyisis_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This isn't going to be a very long review. It is hard to write a really through review of a Novella and not give something away. This is a nice introduction to the “Immortals after Dark” series. We are shown that there are more than just vampires living in this world. There are two vampire factions, Forebears and born, they are at war with each other. The born vampires are ravening killing machines that are out of control and no one in the Lore wants anything to do with them. The Forebears are trying to put an end to the born vampires. There is a lot of dirty fighting going on by both. The Valkyrie are warrior women that have been saved through history by Freya and Woden. They are from all parts of the Lore and the universally mistrust and hate males. Because the current King of the vampire tortured and imprisoned the leader of the Valkyrie, Furie, they are at war with the vampires. In addition there is the mention of Demons, Lykea (werewolves), and Fae.Our hero is Nikolai Worth who is an ancient warrior of some renowned. He fights for his king Kristoff. Nikolai and the Horde are ignorant of the Lore and all the species that are part of it. So he is unprepared for Myst. I also think that Myst is more than a little unprepared for what fate has up its sleeve for her. Nikolai is and honorable man that hasn't come fully into the modern world. Some of his ideas are still very eighteenth century. He is trying to catch up but it takes him a while to realize what he has gotten himself into.Myst the Coveted has been around for two thousand years and has never found any male strong enough to make her submit. So Nikolai is a real surprised. She also has to overcome some prejudices and hatreds. Like most of the Valkyrie she is a little on the insane side. She is a flirt and a tease. She is also a warrior.This novella gives a taste of the Lore and some of it many occupants. It would have been wonderful if it had been longer, I guess that is the problem with almost all novellas. I will say that there is a good amount of world building in this story and it does make you want to read the next story.

[sweetkokoro-61371 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Okay this is my 3rd book I have read by Kresley and oh dear lord did it plummet in all ways.This book hangs on grey areas so close to an almost rapeish scene that I just could not. The amount of effort that was written into creating Nikolai into being such a controlling and demanding jackass was not what I was expecting. It’s one thing to be a strong forthcoming man, it’s another being a man who finds a way to have complete and utter control over someone with an object that they have no chance in hell to combat you. The whole chain of control thing was so bad.The only thing that was good about this book, was when you got to finally see Myst’s memories and those were heartbreaking. And Murdoch telling Nikolai to get his head out of his ass and realize what he was doing was absolutely wrong. Thank god the book has one man with a sensible head (but I’m not holding my breath for the hopes that it continues in his own book)Im ultimately angry that he still managed to get the girl in the end after the way he treated her, like she was written to just dust it all under the rug like it never happened.With only having read 3 of her books so far this is my least liked one, and it’s only a freaking Novella.

[capnrandm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Myst is one stone cold lady.

[bookwormdreams · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Why I did not start to read this series before? :)
Intriguing introduction to the new world invented by Kresley Cole. I liked how she made a new twist to the vampires and other mythical creatures. I will definitely read the next book soon.

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Warlord Wants Forever
3.5 Stars

Synopsis
Once a ruthless warlord and now a general in the rebel vampire army, Nikolai Wroth is shocked to discover that his Bride, the one woman who can make his heart beat again, is the incredibly beautiful but completely merciless Myst the Coveted, a Valkyrie warrior who has devoted her life to destroying vampires. Fortunately or unfortunately, Nikolai stumbles across the means to control Myst but does he want her subjugation or her love?

Review
After reading and enjoying A Hunger Like No Other, I felt that something was missing regarding Nikolai and Myst's backstory. So, I went back and read The Warlord Wants Forever even though I am not a fan of novellas because they are too short and the character development is usually meh. All in all, this does not disappoint but reading Hunger... first probably enhanced my enjoyment.

Nikolai and Myst have an intense love/hate relationship that takes some getting used to but on the whole they each give as good as they get and ultimately deserve each other. Nikolai is too domineering for my taste, and some of his actions are cringe-worthy but his character does learn an important lesson. Myst is also an ambiguous character but once everything about her past is revealed, she becomes very sympathetic. One problem with her characterization is the incongruity between her ferocity and independence and her need to submit to another in order to find true love - this does not resonate well.

The dialogue and humor are perfect in their snarkiness, and the sex scenes are steamy with a capital S but never become gratuitous.

Even though this is a novella, it does not read as one and neither the plot nor the characterization are short changed. I do, however, recommend that it be read by those who have already begun the Immortals After Dark books as I would not consider it a good introduction to the series.

[myntop · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting new take on paranormal beings. I've heard it only gets better so I am excited. The differences between these vampires and others I've read about are very intriguing. I love the thought of them having one "soul mate" so to speak that they must try to find. I've never read a book with Valkyries before so that was a change too.

[theyodamom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.7
I like the Warlord and his Myst. He is overbearing, opinionated, scarred, loving, loyal and sexy. Myst is smart, strong, scarred, sexy and extremely not trusting. The perfect pair. Yeh, well good luck with that. LOL This couple has some stones to throw at each other and maybe even worse things. Things get HOT, dangerous, sad, heartwarming and then... everything goes to ________.
Nice an quick a sweet little story. Don't miss it if you're reading the series.

[becky_jean_12 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Not as big a fan of this one as I am of the later IAD books. I just found the whole dynamic weird and disturbing, no matter how well-adjusted Myst and Nikolai seem in the later books.

[glitrbug_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finally, a vampire book where the gal fights back. I loved the sassy, sarcastic Valkyrie who sets off lightning when she gets worked up and the vampire that takes the pain away. The dialog between them is too funny. I wanted the book to go on so I could hear more about their exploits.

[rubya_32 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the concept behind the Immortals After Dark series, particularly since I'm looking for some good paranormals after The Black Dagger Brotherhood. This novella acts as an introduction to the series and it left me mildly disappointed. The story felt rushed and it felt like the author was trying to do a whole lot in a very short book. I feel like this book would have made a very good 300 pager, and I was a little annoyed at how crowded the plot was and how undeveloped the characters were. I mean, there's a reason fantasy fiction tends to be tremendously long in terms of page length and I think it's because the author must create a new world for the reader and introduce him/her to it. In reading this novella, I felt thrown into the universe of the novel and didn't get a good feel for the way things worked. The "romance" between Myst and Wroth confused me and didn't quite move me because I didn't have an opportunity to see who these characters were so I couldn't really care about them.

As a taste of the series and an introduction to Cole's writing style (in some ways, very Wardian,) this novella does its job and I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into the first (real) book of the series. As a standalone novella, The Warlord Wants Forever is mediocre at best in my opinion.

[bookofsecrets · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rating: 4½ Stars

The Warlord Wants Forever is an exciting beginning to Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series. This story first appeared in the anthology Playing Easy to Get. (The blurb above gives an excellent plot summary.) The story focuses on the very passionate yet volatile relationship between Myst, a Valkyrie warrior, and Wroth, a general in the vampire army. Though mortal enemies, Wroth discovers that Myst is his Bride, the one who will give him great power once they bond, and he will stop at nothing to possess her. Myst, however, has no intension of submitting to a beastly vampire. Much of the sexual relationship between Wroth and Myst would be considered dubious consent or forced seduction. Personally, I enjoy the "bodice ripper" theme, though I know many readers are turned off by it. The sex is scorching hot, but it is also aggressive and somewhat cruel at times. Don't worry; I never felt like Wroth crossed the line of violence. He used great self-control when dealing with Myst, and he turned out to be the perfect alpha hero.

This novella is a solid introduction to the world of the Immortals, in particular the history of the Valkyrie sisters. Often times short stories are too rushed and gloss over important details, but I think this is a perfectly paced, well-crafted story. The Valkyrie are a group of sharp-tongued, kick-ass warriors, and I loved them! It appears they will be the foundation of the series. We're also introduced to some of the other Lore creatures that we'll see in future books. If you've read the Immortals After Dark but missed this one, I highly recommend giving it a read!

[fanip_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like it in the beginning but in the end the heroes stopped jumping on each other and at last there was some plot besides the sex. As a short story it was very nice but as an introduction to the series... it could have been better. Now that I've read the other books of the series, I'm glad I've read this as well, but had I started with it I'm not sure I would have gone and read the rest of the books.