One of my least favorite IAD books. Still rounding it up to 3 stars because Nix <3 :PP I didn't read Showalter's story.

Please note that this review is only for Kresley Coles Untouchable. I havent read the Alien Huntress series by Gena Showalter, so Ill wait to read her novella Tempt me Eternally and review that later. Im reading a series in order for once!WHATS A WROTH BROTHER GOT TO DO TO GET HIS OWN FULL LENGTH BOOK!?!!?First, Nikolai and now Murdoch? I WISH THEY HAD THEIR OWN FULL LENGTH NOVELS!!! These Wroth brothers deserve better! Once again, Kresley Cole proves herself with this long novella. I didnt think Murdochs story would be that great, considering his less than desirable reputation as a manwhore. I wasnt that interested to read his story because I am so smitten with his brother, Sebastian, but Murdochs got some moves, no doubt! I love Murdoch! As a former rake in his human life, hes confident enough that his moves will work on Daniela, but when Danii doesnt fall for his charming words and gift offerings, Murdoch realizes he cant tempt Danii with his previously effective material. I found that the fights and conflicts between the two created for a much more interesting story. And the fact that Murdoch comes for her in the end makes me melt more than any words he can say.Daniela the Ice Maiden is such a unique character. I found myself instantly adoring her. Part Valkyrie and part Ice Fae, Daniis definitely got one of the most interesting powers from the Lore. But her Ice Fae half prevents her from forming meaningful relationships with either side. Her Ice fae side wishes to see her dead and she doesnt necessarily fit in with her Valkyrie sisters. Being alone and untouched for so long, Danii finds it hard to let herself fall in love...especially with a vampire who has a reputation of hitting it and then quitting it.I loved the interactions between Murdoch and Danii. I was surprised to see so much development in the plot and reading about familiar names here and there. I especially loved the part where Murdoch says he bought a gemstone comb for Danii, but when he tries to give it to her, he cant find it. If youve read Dark Needs at Night's Edge, then you know that Neomi Laress, Conrads mate stole it from Murdoch when he was unaware. Little things like that make me smile and I cant help but rave about KCs plotting. After reading Untouchable, I think Murdoch and Conrad are tied in second place for my heart. Danii and Murdochs story is so well-planned and eloquently written that I cant believe its only a novella. Its hard to believe that this story spans from the first IAD novella, The Warlord Wants Forever to the latest instalment when it was released. KC is a freaking genius!Lastly, I need to mention that icicle scene in the wintery woods! That was HOT, right!? After reading all these books with sexy winter sexcapades (Sin Undone snowball scene ;P) I cant help but find winter a little more enjoyable. Ill admit, Ive been yelling at kids having a snowball fight in the streets to SAVE THOSE SNOWBALLS! I can think of a much better use for them, if you know what I mean! ;P

**Sigh sigh** both books were a disappointment for me. Showalters was a disaster but I wasnt expecting much from her story to begin with because shes not an author that seems to work for me even if I had a teeny tiny hope based on the jacket blurb. Her story is more of a 2 star rating while the Cole one barely makes it to a 3 and I was really looking forward to it which is what makes it even worse.Coles story, Untouchable, tells the story of Murdoch Wroth and Daniela the Ice Maiden. Murdoch is another one of the vampire brothers. His story takes place at the same time as his other brothers (Conrad, Sebastian and Nikolai) so they're all revisited in brief which keeps the story connected to the series. I think most series readers like the familiarity of past characters so its nice when the authors stick in a few appearances. As for Daniela, shes a Valkyrie and that gang is all back too with Nix popping up the most often as usual. Murdoch is a playboy and Danii wants to find love but her problem is that no one can touch her because shell burn. I didnt like Murdochs character because he was too ambivalent about everything and god only knows why Danii felt the need to stay with him when he wasnt the nicest guy to her. His apathy was irritating. Shes extremely insecure and needy bordering on doormat which bugs me in a heroine.As for Showalters story Tempt Me Eternally, I dont follow the Alien Huntress Series so maybe itd have been better if I did but I seriously doubt it. The h/h do absolutely nothing together and then BANG! theyre in love. Now I couldve bought the lust because of the paranormal element and all the mine stuff (and that has gotten soooo old in paranormals I wish authors would at least try for a modicum of originality there) but I dont see how they couldve loved each other. The hero is this guy from another planet looking for a new place to live with his colony and shes part of the AIR team out to kill them. At one point shes an unforgiveable backstabbing b and for the life of me I dont know how he couldve still loved her. Nothing was believable in terms of the emotion and intimacy between the two characters.In a way both stories felt like they were haphazardly put together under a deadline, a kind of have-to-get-a-book-out and oh well theyre somewhat sloppy but they both have legions of fans so who cares about story quality. The story outline is there, the sex is there but the emotional connection wasnt. Its horrible to be addicted to series I tell ya because youll gobble up whatever is put out in the hopes of finding that/those great read(s) again ;)Theres a little smidge of Christmas in both stories but that felt shoved in as a marketing ploy more so for readers looking for a seasonal story. Neither story is seasonal, Christmas dinner just happened to be there so dont be fooled by the Holiday Collection with Bite blurb on the front cover.Both stories have too much down and dirty sex and not enough story, lots of going round in circles with virtually no character development. Down and dirty sex is fine but you need some plot expansion otherwise the story just doesnt go anywhere almost making you say ok, and...nextgeeze again!. Both novels felt repetitive and again Showalters was the worst of the two. Neither story however felt like those short/rushed anthology stories which I was afraid would happen so hats off to them for at least not giving off that feeling. Showalter is off my reading list, but Im still looking forward to the next IAD because when Cole writes a good one, its keeper shelf for life material :)

This review is for the Kresley Cole story, "Untouchable", only.At the risk of sounding like a broken record regarding this series...I loved this book! Yes, when it comes to paranormal romances, I have a soft spot in my heart for vampires, so it stands to reason that I would enjoy this story about renowned sexy rake Murdoch Wroth (last of the unattached Wroth vampires) and his 'Bride', the beautiful Daniela the Ice Maiden. I won't get into the plot, since there's a nice synopsis that goes with the book details, except to say that of all the books in the series, it's probably the easiest one to follow and understand. The book is only 256 pages long, yet it doesn't read like a short story or novella. There's plenty of character development and a fast paced plot, and it's written very lean and tight, but still has a bit of the trademark humor and pop culture references that are sprinkled throughout the books in the series. (Funniest bit is when Daniela gives the arrogant Murdoch her phone number, which is actually the name of a well known song.) I will warn that it's best that you've read all the books involving the Wroth vampires before you start this one, which would include all the way up to Dark Needs at Night's Edge, which is book #5 in the series. This book actually takes place during the months that books 1-5 occur, which was a bit confusing for me at first. And since it's been a while since I read those books, I was second guessing myself when during the first part of the story it was mentioned that Sebastian (No Rest for the Wicked) and Conrad (Dark Needs at Night's Edge) hadn't been 'blooded' (finding their mates) yet. But gradually as the story goes along, Murdoch has some interaction with all his brothers and then you get a sense just where this book falls chronologically.Now, as far as the hero and heroine? I fell in love with both of them! Sometimes I have a little problem with the heroines of this series--some of those valkyries are hard to take! But I loved part valkyrie/part ice fey, two thousand(?) year old virgin Daniela from the get-go. I felt sorry for her and her lonely existence. Imagine not being able to touch or be touched without feeling pain--what kind of life is that? And the lengths she had to go to just to be able to live with her half sisters (who thought of her as a 'broken doll') in hot and humid New Orleans--living in a room that was equivalent to a walk-in freezer, constantly having to be on guard that she didn't get overheated and go into thermal shock, making sure she didn't accidentally touch someone and get scalded...talk about tortured heroine! All she wanted was to be loved, and she was desperate to be touched by a man, but the chances of that happening were practically nil, unless she wanted to be with someone of her own kind. And that couldn't happen because she had Icere assassins hunting her, sent by the Icere king to make sure that she couldn't come back to her people and take over her rightful place as their queen. And when those assassins finally caught up with her as she was walking through the French Quarter, that's when she met the man who would save her and ultimately change her whole existence--Murdoch Wroth.Murdoch--ah, what a guy! Tall, striking, mid-thirties, longish dark hair, fantasy worthy face, with a strong masculine jaw and chin, big and muscular--gorgeous...and he knows it. A different-woman-every- night 'manwhore' in his pre-vampire life, and now without a woman (and liking it) for over 300 years. Until he sees the beautiful Daniela...and saves her from attack...and then his heart starts beating...and he's been 'blooded'...to a woman he can never touch...or have. How ironic.I just loved Murdoch and Daniela together. Even though they were deeply attracted to each other, Murdoch, with his love 'em and leave 'em mentality, wasn't entirely on board with being 'blooded' to Daniela. To him it was bad enough being blooded, but to a woman he could never touch or have sex with (without scalding her and causing her immense pain)? He just didn't see how that could work. Ah, but gradually as they spent time together they found creative ways to be together, which helped somewhat but also frustrated both of them. I loved when Murdoch took Daniela to his cabin in frozen Siberia--what better place for her? I loved seeing him fall under her spell, even though he wasn't aware that he was. I loved seeing him struggle over his feelings over wanting to be with her, yet not wanting to be tied to anyone. I loved when he finally realized that he loved her and just what he was willing to give up to be with Daniela for eternity. I just loved all the growth and maturity he went through while he fell in love with her. And what he was willing to do to be with Daniela (and what she gave up for him) in the end brought tears to my eyes. Of course you know after all that there's going to be a way for them to be physically intimate, and let me tell you--it's worth the wait. Scorching hot is all I'll say.:)There's a nice, touching little epilogue where all the Wroth vampires and their brides get together on Christmas Eve, and it leads the reader to believe that we haven't seen the last of this family. I would love that, and I hope Ms. Cole has that in the works.Fans of the series--I don't see how you can be disappointed in this one. This one had more pure romance, and less adventure, but that was okay with me. Daniela and Murdoch were real sweethearts, and are now probably my favorite couple of this whole wonderful series. What can I say, another 5 star read!

This review is just for Untouchable (#8 Immortals After Dark series) by Kresley Cole in this anthology Deep Kiss of Winter.(4 Stars)I really enjoyed this. This is the 8th story in the Immortals After Dark series. It is about Murdoch Wroth, a.k.a "The Manwhore (this really irks him LOL), one of the Wroth vampire brothers, and Daniela the Ice Maiden, the half Valkyrie, half ice fey. I really felt for Daniela whose Iceren blood means she cannot be touched as it burns her and causes her great pain. She must live in a freezing meat-locker bedroom to help her "recharge" from the heat of New Orleans or risk death by thermal shock. And Murdoch, who can never kiss and touch his Bride, even though he never wanted a Bride to begin with. This was another HOT instalment by Kresley Cole and I dont think I can ever see an icicle the same again. ^_~ Im glad I read The Warlord Wants Forever (#1 of IAD Nicolai Wroths story) before this, as the two are closely linked and there are events that happen concurrently. There are events in Sebastians (No Rest for the Wicked, #3 IAD) and Conrads books (Dark Needs at Nights Edge, #5 IAD), other two Wroth brothers, that also occur concurrently with this story. So, it would be better to have read those 3 stories before reading this one. I just love the Wroth brothers and I loved the Epilogue and seeing all the brothers with their Brides. Love this quote:"Just looking at her wrecks me. I'm tempted every second by something that's dazzling and perfect - and always just out of reach." - Murdoch Wroth, Untouchable by Kresley ColeLooking forward to Lucia the Huntress and Garreth MacRieves story, Pleasure of a Dark Prince, coming out on February 16, 2010. ^_^ They were introduced in The Warlord Wants Forever (#1 IAD). Excerpt of Pleasure of a Dark Prince below:http://kresleycole.com/books/pleasure...