4 to 4 1/2 starsI thoroughly enjoyed reading Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, the fourth book in the Immortals After Dark series. I was not as enamored with this story as I was with the third book, but I had fun reading it just the same. The hero, Bowen, is one of the most tortured heroes I've read, yet he is genuine, likable and charming in a brusque way. His protective, consuming, and voracious nature toward his mate Mariketa, the heroine, was awe-inspiring and endearing. I truly adore Bowen's character. The heroine, Mariketa (Mari), is a fantastic and fun character. I loved her spunk and determination but also her vulnerability and insecurity. She is my favorite heroine in the series thus far. I loved her. The plot twist at the end of this book took me by utter surprise. I honestly did not see the turn of events coming. How awesome is that?! I love when an author has the ability to surprise me. My only complaint about this bookand the seriesand reason for the slight drop in rating is the annoying relationship pattern I've noticed in the books I've read thus far. In each book the hero and heroine continually banter with each other, which is fun and would be fine, if theybut mostly the heroinedidn't also continue to fight their attraction and inevitable relationship until the last few chapters of book. Since it's obvious Ms. Cole is a gifted and creative writer I can only hope she rectifies this relationship pattern in future books. Other than that, I can't seem get enough of this fantastic series, full of colorful, unique, fascinating, and compelling characters. One things for sure, Kristley Cole has created one captivating and exciting mythical world.

3.5/5 starsYou could almost make me forget what I really want. Yay!! My first ever Kresley Cole book...and it was FANTASTIC! This was a completely addicting book that I flew through. I just couldn't get enough! I admit, I probably should have started at book one so I knew the gist of all the worldbuilding and different creatures; but I still understood the book relatively well. Bowen and Mari's relationship was a rollercoaster of angst, misunderstandings and some serious sexual tension...but I loved it. Apart they were great characters but together, they were near perfect. Now that I've gotten a taste for this series I know that I'm not going to be able to hold myself back!Mariketa and Bowen are both competing a magical competition, with the prize being the ability to go back in time twice. Mari is a young witch who has been prophesied to have great powers, only she's not quite there yet. She is competing for her Coven, and with the hope of unlocking some of this power that supposedly awaits her. Bowen is competing for a very different reason. He must go back in time to save his mate, the very one that he killed thousands of years before. In this magical and fantastical world, mates are bound so tightly that it is almost impossible to live once a mate dies. This is why Bowen wants to find a way to bring his mate back, in order to stop this agony that is eating him alive. The only problem is, he is feeling attracted to the young witch, even if he believes himself to be faithful to his dead mate.After an accident during the competition, Mari finds herself with Bowen, the very man that could have caused her death. Now, she must rely on him to help them get back to safety. This is especially hard when Bowen is persistent in treating Mari like his mate, which was his only explanation for the powerful attraction he felt for her. But Mari doesn't want to be used in that way, so she tries to stifle her feelings for Bowen, unless he decides that she is really his mate. However, romance is not the only thing on the table in her life, with a very powerful and evil force trying to destroy the coven and essentially her world. Mari must find a way to unlock her powers, but if she does this, will she still have time for Bowen; a Lykae who hates witches.Damn it, MacRieve, if you keep calling me kitten, then I'm going to start calling you something equivalent, like hound dog - and then we'll both be losers.The romance in this book was downright electrifying. Despite a seriously rocky start and a very adversarial relationship, Bowen and Mira were undeniably attracted to each other. The sexual chemistry between this pair was off-the-charts, and was introduced in the first few chapters of the novel. I was physically pained just wanting these characters to get together already, but let me tell you, it was totally worth it when they did. The characters were totally different, but somehow together they were just perfect. Not only was it a very hot and sexy relationship, but they also had many sweet moments. This greatly contrasted the asshole-ish actions that Bowen showed towards Mari in the beginning, which I didn't exactly appreciate. Nonetheless, by the end of the book, I was fully invested in their romance which was both greatly emotional and very sexually driven.I admit, there was quite a large portion of the book where I was quite confused as to what was happening. I'm not sure whether this is because I jumped right into the series without reading previous books, or the world building didn't connect to me. I'd say that the whole competition at the start didn't resonate with me. Nonetheless, after this moment I seemed to connect more to the characters and so I was less focused on the direction of the plot. This book was so character driven, and I'd take a guess that the whole series is similar. The plot was interesting, don't get me wrong, but the relationships were what really kept me going. In saying this, towards the climax at the end, I was fully invested in the story and I was dying to know the outcome. This slow connection to the plot did prevent me from enjoying the story early on, but it didn't really ruin my reading experience altogether.I'm most excited about exploring this series further because there is such an elaborate, fantastical world that I'm just dying to get to know. There are so many different creatures with internal politics, wars, animosity and allies. I saw a little snippet of this in the book, guy I'm sure that it will only get more intense as the series continues. I think this is the most detailed paranormal book that I have ever read, and this is only the beginning.Whats your favorite place to visit? He absently answered, Wherever you are. Bowen, five things about you cant all be about me. But youre the only good thing that Ive got.

He crossed to her, clasped her upper arms, and pulled her to her feet.Gazing down at her, his voice breaking low, he said, "Doona bring me back to life only to destroy me once more."What a f*cking awesome book!I swear, this series is just getting better and better!!!!I loved Bowen in the previous books and I couldn't wait for his own, and it didn't disappoint! It's my favorite from this series so far and I don't think that will change <3 And again, I LOVE this narrator <3 The way he did Bowen had me melting <3 <3 <3 <3