Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

Huge gaps in the book during playback. Couldn’t even hear the ending because it skipped over a good 4 hours of the book and then just shut down. This has been happening to me on several books. Starting to think this app isn’t worth the $$ ?

As long as KC keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them!

The best one so far. I loved Bowen and Mariketa, but the thing that I really, really freaking loved was Mariketa. Lol. She was awesome and they were great together. Again, great writing and world building, as usual

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole is a 2007 Pocket Star publication. I was provided a copy of this book as an S&S XOXpert- The official street team of XOXO After Dark. After reading the first 2 full length novels with gusto, I knew the third book would really have to pull out the stops in order to compete. Well, this one not only holds it's own, but maybe inches out ahead of the others just a tiny bit. Bowen is Lykae, but it is amazing he is still among the living after having lost his one true soul mate, if you want to call what he does living. But, Bowen has a plan to somehow change the course of history to reunite him with his lost love. There is only one hitch in his elaborate plan... Mariketa ( Mari) , is a wily witch - leader of the House of Witches- who finds herself without powers and under the protection of an enemy- Bowen MacRieve. However, she should be safe with him because his heart has hardened to cold stone. But, something is brewing under the surface between them and the longer Mari is under Bowen's protection, the harder it is to deny. I love forbidden love, or enemies to lovers stories, and this one falls into that category. The pair join forces to battle evil and find the alliance works out better than would have guessed. The Scottish Bowen will have your pulse racing- and I must say I have never seen a better written Scottish Brogue!! The super sonic speed of book two is toned down just bit in this one, but Bowen's story is an emotional tale and the pace needed to reflect that. Mari, is bit of a handful at times, but her character did develop quite nicely as the story progressed. This couple is scorching hot, and the romance is one that spans time, space, and all manner of obstacles. The couple is willing to do whatever it takes to find a way to be together. As long as they have each other, everything else will take care of itself. Sometimes, if life, that is the best way to approach the good and the bad times. So, cheers to Bowen and Mari and their long HEA! With each story the author as either matched or surpassed the previous installment, so now the bar has definitely been raised! I have the next book in the series queued up and ready to go- Can't wait!

"Wicked Deeds On A Winter's Night" is the third in Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series. It is the tale of Lykae (werewolf) Bowan who would go to the ends of the world to release his wife Mariah from death, although she has been dead for centuries. Then he meets a witch, Mariketa. Maria and Bowan are immediately attracted to each other even though they are mean to each other. In a competition (sort of a supernatural Amazing Race) Mari puts a curse on Bowan, making the immortal unable to heal from his injuries. He leaves her stranded in a cave with several other competitors and a succubus or two. When Bowan learns long after the competitions ends that the witch ant the other competitors haven't returned, and that the witch is mortal, he rushes off to save her. Thus begins (in my mind) part two of the book. It tells of Bowan trying to rescue Mari and the two have lots of "close encounters" in the jungle, with big baddies and with each other! Bowan thinks Mari may be his mate reincarnated. She tries to resist him (a little too much). I read this book in a lot of stop and starts. It just didn't hold my interest the way the first two volumes did. Whiile I think that this book was my least favorite in the series there are many things I liked about it. I liked both Bowan and Mari. I really enjoy the way Mari deals with Bowan and the grief they give each other. The romance was the norm for Kresley Cole, which means hot, hot hot! The last third of the book really redeemed it for me. I loved the final confrontation and how the story dealt with magic and Bowan's deceased wife. This book is lightyears better than most romance stories, but it just wasn't quite as good as its predecessors.

The best IAD book of them all. I really don't know if this one will ever stop being my favorite. I'm always reading this one in audio and e book. And it never fails me.

This is one of my favorite books in the IAD series. Mariketa and Bowen have amazing chemistry in the story. Who doesn't love the saucy witch and hot lykae? This book has plenty of humor that will keep you laughing throughout it. I really liked how Bowen and Mari overcome major "lore" prejudices and open up to to each other. The passion and steamy scenes had me literally fanning myself. Kresley Cole can write passion like no other and will leave you panting and drooling. This is one book that I can read over and over again without growing bored. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who enjoys steamy paranormal romance and the IAD series by Kresley Cole.

This one was better than the one before it in the series. This book picked up during the "Amazing Race" for the paranormal which was one of the things that I disliked about the last one. But it left that and went into its own story about Bowen and Mariket. I so enjoyed their trek through the rainforest and cried when she lost Bowen to his "mate" before her who was deceased but was resurrected by a scorceress. Anyway, all ends well and I loved it!

?I didn't think that Cole would be able to make me warm-up to MacRieve in this one, but she did. I only read it so that I wouldn't fall behind with the goings-on in the Lore, but I ended up really enjoying this one. Mostly because Mari is such a cool heroine and she didn't take MacRieve's crap.

Bowen has long grieved for the fairy princess who was his mate and died while trying to escape his werewolf beast brought on by the full moon. Given an opportunity to find his mate once again with the mystical prize of the deadly Talisman's Hie contest he finds himself pitted against some of the most powerful creatures in Lore. Surprisingly to Bowen his toughest competitor is a petite witch who appears to have cast a spell on him.Mari is known as "The Awaited" one, although to Mari it seems like she is doing the one waiting. Possessed of incredible powers she is still waiting to figure out how to control them, she is waiting to see if she's good enough to be the destined leader of her coven but mostly she's still waiting for that special someone who will just want to be with her and not think of her as second best. However, Mari has determined that no matter how much she wants someone to love, it will certainly not be the maddening werewolf competing against her in a contest she wants to win no matter what the cost.As always Kresley Cole delivers a solid story with intriguing characters and lots of twists. I did enjoy both Bowen and Mari. Although on the surface there are lots of quirks about them you could dislike, i.e. Bowen's moodiness and/or Mari's whininess, they have such good chemistry it is easy to overlook. What I like about this particular series, "The Immortals After Dark", is that the secondary characters waiting in the wings for their own story never take over the current one. This is something I find happens frequently in other series. Although we do seem to spot them peripherally, they don't take over the limelight. Another good thing about this particular book is that I, for one, didn't get the twist until it happened, which means it isn't glaringly obvious (although readers more astute than I would probably figure it out.) This was a very readable entry into this enjoyable paranormal romance series and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
4.5 Stars

Synopsis
Bowen MacRieve is determined to return his deceased mate to life, but the moment he sets eyes on Mariketa the Awaited he cannot resist the passion that burns between them. Mari is unable to control her immense powers until she must use them to protect the only thing she ever truly wanted - Bowen. Will Bowen and Mari risk everything to be together?

Review
Definitely lives up to its potential.

Mari is my favorite heroine in the series. She has incredible power and I love that she has no qualms using it against Bowen - she is one woman you don't want to meet in a dark alley.

In the previous books, Bowen's suffering made him a captivating character and his struggle to come to terms with his growing obsession with Mari only enhances his heroic status. There were times when I wanted to slap him upside the head for his prejudices, but he more than makes up for them by the end.

Together, Mari and Bowen are simply amazing. Their love/hate relationship is engrossing, their steamy scenes sexy as hell and their banter laugh-out-loud funny.

The beginning of the story overlaps with certain moments from the Talisman Hie originally depicted in No Rest for the Wicked, and it is interesting to see these events from Bowen's perspective. The rest of the plot is entertaining even if it is a little predictable toward the end but it all comes together in an explosive and satisfying conclusion.

Cole's world building is well detailed and compelling, and I particularly enjoyed the introduction of several new secondary characters who will ultimately get books of their own, i.e. the demon brothers Cade and Rydstrom.

All in all, a fun, fun, fun read.

The story of Mariketa, a witch/fey halfling, and Bowen, a Lykae (werewolf) was a fun and frothy read about a boy who chases a girl and after some obstacles thrown in his way, boy gets girl.I like straightforward stories and I liked this one.That said, it lacked something in the same way that Cole's Dark Desires After Dusk lacked. I guess my problem with Cole's books are that I find her male heroes are likable even when they are acting out. Bowen is no exception. Yes, he's a grumbly alpha male and he makes his mistakes, but he's still a likable hero.But her heroines! Mariketa, Neomi, and Holly are sort of annoying. Not completely but sort of. Just around the edges kind of annoying. They are especially annoying because the valkyrie, Nix, who appears in all three books is nothing short of striking.Still, there is something about Cole's Immortals After Dark books. They are like Pop-Tarts in the vending machine on a slow afternoon. When I see one that I haven't read, I pick it up.So I can't give it less than 3.5 stars because Pop-Tarts are a 3.5 star snack to me.

Kresley Cole's third installment in her Immortals After Dark series is likely to be a favorite among fans. We met Bowen MacRieve in the first book, when his cousin Lachlain returned from years of torment at the hands of vampires. Bowen was miserable after losing his mate 180 years earlier. In the second book we see him again, still wasting away and unhappy but with a glimmer of hope as he competes in the Hie in hopes of winning the prize- a key that allows one to go back in time and retrieve someone. If you've not read the previous books please don't read further this is spoilery... alas, he does not win and is trapped for weeks after the final fight. During his time trapped he suffers, his mind wandering back to the witch who cursed him earlier in the race. He and his kind have a natural distrust of witches but his runs deeper, the result of family trauma at the hands of one. Yet he continues to think of her, expecting that she and those with her have long since escaped the prison they were trapped in by him. When Lachlain collects him he is in bad shape, knowing without getting the witch to remove the curse he will die. Unfortunately she is still trapped and only he can go and rescue her to avoid bringing the wrath of the Lore down on the Lykae. Mariketta has been trapped, held captive by incubi for weeks while her companions are useless to help her. Alone in the dark she senses that Bowen has returned. Thus begin the adventures of Bowe and Mari as they work to get her to safety and struggle with the thought that Mariketta might have something to do with Bowen's dead mate, Mariah. Can he overcome his prejudice against witches and can she control the new power that is coming to her? You'll have to dig in to find out. This series gets better and better, though I have a couple of things I don't like. After three books the 'life-mate' concept is becoming really annoying. So is the possessive male chases unwilling female until she falls for him plot device. For once I'd like to see the female like the guy right off and not fight it. Once again, however, Cole has delivered a great adventure and this one actually surprised me with its plot twist. I was sure I'd figured it out and I was close but that one subtle thing flipped my theory on its ear which was refreshing!

Wicked Deeds is another great addition to Cole's highly addictive Immortals After Dark. The way Bowen and Mari played and flirted with each other was fantastic to read. And if you thought the jungles of Central America was hot and steamy just wait and see how much Bowen and Mari raise the temperature in this tropical location. Sex in a tropical jungle? HOT & STEAMY!

Very good read. Bowen and his true mates love story with a lot of twist and turns; ups and downs; didn’t see that one coming; kind of book. Oh and the descriptive erotic love scenes and narration were great!

This is one of my favourite paranormal romance series. I adore the world building and love the characters and the sensualness. (Even if the Scottish dialect drives me up the wall, I talk to Scottish people all the time in my job and never have trouble understanding them, but the written dialect in this series is confusing drives me to distraction).

I almost gave up with this one halfway through. Started off quite good, I adored Mariketa and loved the introduction of witches and their magic into the mix. I was less than impressed with Bowen. I didn't find him the slightest bit sexy or alluring. I found him to be an arrogant asshole.

By the halfway point I despised Bowen so much I was ready to say the hell with this installment and move on to the next. However, my love for Mariketa kept me going.

Bowen will never be my favourite male in this series, but he did improve towards the end. Towards the end the plot picked up again and got pretty damn good. So I'm glad I stuck with it.

Bring on the next one!

Why are there odd breaks in the writing? I kept expecting time jumps or a transfer to other characters. Instead, the story continued as if the break wasn't there. Weird. Other then that, the book was very enjoyable. I can't really relate to an old-as-dirt werewolf, but Mariketa is beautifully crafted from a current generation with all the quirks and curiosities contained therein. The writing contains a subtle sarcasm that had me laughing, which in turn elicited many an odd expression from my family. I love the combination of myriad myths all thrown together under the umbrella of the Lore. Many of these creatures are commonly written about, but Cole brings in many others that are not commonly touched on in modern fiction, such as the Valkyrie. A very enjoyable read all around.

This 3rd book in the Immortal After Dark Series is my favorite in the series - although ALL of the books are sublime and deserving to be read. However, for some reason Bowen and Mari's story touched my heart in a way I can barely explain. It is one of my favorite stories, and I strongly recommend this series to every paranormal romance reader!!! (AND PLEASE READ THEM IN ORDER...TRUST ME IT'S WORTH IT!!)

Liked this one better than the last in the series, a little slower paced but more coherent. Plus a Scottish accent which doesn't come across as stupid and fake.

Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed--until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive.His slow, hot touch is irresistible... Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It's rumored that no one can tempt Bowen's hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them. Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go.No deed is too wicked for her seduction... If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul--or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?Okay, I'm officially hooked on this series. I heard from a lot of people that this book was a "weak link", but I was hooked. Great characters, great twists and turns, great romance.Kresley Cole is especially good at mixing up the settings she uses. They don't all take place at the same house, everyone always in the same city or whatever. Her books are adventures, and they take place all over the world. This one took place mostly in the rainforest in Guatemala or something.But anyway... not only does Cole write great romances, but these books are fun to read for the settings, adventures and secondary characters. And she is one of the best at making a "soul mate" book still be believable and romantic. Great book, great series. I absolutely love this series.I'll keep reading :D

Bowen MacRieve and Mariketa the Awaited meet in the battle for the Talisman?s Hie, standing in front of a temple. The assignment for this round: to get a sacrificial headdress, hidden somewhere in this temple. They search together in the temple, since there are already 4 other contestants looking for the headdresses in the temple. Soon the sexual tension between them increases and explodes in a make out session on a grave. Bowen however jumps back before things can go out of hands. He doesn?t want to betray his dead mate?

Werewolves only long for their mates, so Bowen is convinced that Mari has put a spell on him. Otherwise he wouldn?t do a thing to betray his dead mate, especially not with witches! To prevent this from happening again he closes the entrance to the temple and locks here and the other players in, not knowing that a bunch of succubi were confined in the cave and that nobody has the power to reopen it.

Bowen doesn?t do that well either. Just before closing the exit, Mari curses him by taking his immortality, which makes him unable to heal his wounds. In the end he looses the game because of this and with it his chance to rescue his lost mate, leaving him deadly wounded. Fortunately Lachlain manages to save him just in time.

When raging Valkyrie and witches knock on his door he discovers that Mari hasn?t been able to escape from the temple and unlike what he thought is still a moral and can?t go without food and water. She?s also the only one who can undo the curse passed on him and give him back his mortality. Bowen is also convinced that Mari put another spell on him, one that makes him think that she?s his mate. Will Bowen be able to reverse to regain his immortality on time and save Mari? Did she put another curse on him or is she his mate reincarnated? If that?s the case, will she be able to forgive him for what he did to her?

I postponed reading this book. Main reason: I wanted to read about Valkyries! Just like the other books in the series! Not about another witch and werewolf couple. Of course after reading the book, I regret it? It was as amazing as the other books in this series! How could I be so stupid, again??

Anyway, at last I was able to dive again in the amazing word Kresley Kole created, with all her paranormal creatures (still amazed that humans don?t know what?s happening right before their eyes )! Since it?s been a while that I read a book in this series (my fault, I know ), it took me a while before I remembered what happened in the other books. After I figured it out, it was a great book to read!

It took a little longer than I expected before Mari and Bowen became a couple. Okay when someone locks you in a cave with succubi who hurt you and make you drink their blood, I also wouldn?t be to keen on forgiving that person. Still, I thought Bowen had a good reason for his belated rescue and he didn?t even know she was a mortal and didn?t have the power to blow away the rock. Okay he shouldn?t have locked them up in the first place, but he thought it would be easy for her to remove the stone. Therefore I was rooting for him, although he could get some lessons in courting someone?

Overall rating 4 hearts. As I said, it?s a great sequel in this amazing series and it was a great feast to read it. After reading it, reading the title again made me laugh, since there?s a big contrast between a cold winter?s night and the ?hot? scenes in the jungle, where this book takes place. I Look forward to the next installment in this phenomenal series!

Wicked Deeds On A Winter's Night is the third novel in the Immortals After Dark paranormal romance series. Although this series was advertised as a vampire series, this book does not have any vampires (at least not on the front line) in it. This book centers around characters Bowen and Mariketa are a Lykae (werewolf) and witch respectively. Bowen, in past novels, always seemed somewhat harsh and inflexible. It almost seemed unfair at first to pair him with such a fun-loving, and young, woman as Mariketa (she is in her early twenties compared to his twelve-hundred year plus age) but as the story unfolds it is plain to see that the two are perfectly matched, if they can only overcome their mutual dislike for each other. She gives Bowen as good as she gets and proves that she is a power to be reckoned with in her own right. Kresley Cole seems to know exactly how to play on the reader's heartstrings. She manages to effortlessly deliver heart wringing romance, like-able heroines, hot heroes and hotter sex. All of which is set against an original and exciting paranormal mythology that keeps the both the story and the reader speeding along from one high point to another. I definitely enjoyed reading this book in the series and found that I didn't want to put it down. It is definitely a page turner and one I think you would enjoy.

When the lady showed up at the house reincarnated, come to find out that she was not the real deal

This book way okay, but I like the Valkries better than the witch.

the best in the series; great chemistry between the two especially the hero whose a tortured soul; couldn't put it down!

This is the first book in the Immortals After Dark series that didn't completely satisfy me. I raced through Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, pulled along with Kresley Cole's usual fast pacing, smooth writing, and snappy dialogue. I liked the two leads, Mariketa and Bowen, but I did not like how their romance played out on the page.

My heart really went out to Bowen during books 1 and 2 in the series, I was really ready for him to catch a break and find his happily ever after. But I was also really curious: how could Bowen get a happily ever after when his one true mate is dead, and he can't travel back in time for her? Well, the answer *seems* to be witchcraft: Mariketa accidentally enchants Bowen to think she's his mate. He's sure he's been tricked, but the enchantment is indistinguishable from the reality and before long Bowen isn't sure he wants it to end.

Now, Lykae are absolutely, 100% devoted to their mates. No matter what Mari does, how she treats him, Bowen will come back for more. He literally cannot help himself. So what does that mean? Mari has all the power, and Bowen has none. Mari takes advantage of the situation in a kind of nasty way. Bowen runs himself ragged trying to win her, because it's his sole purpose in life. If he does a good enough job, Mari will hold out a shred of hope. But then he'll do or say something that isn't quite perfect, and Mari will threaten to leave him forever. Rinse and repeat.

Now, it can be really nice to read about a guy who will move heaven and earth for his woman, to see him really prove how much he cares. And Bowen has a few things to prove, for sure. But the way it worked out here really rubbed me wrong.

Here's an example which involves no spoilers. During the Hie, Bowen trapped Mariketa and a few other contestants inside a Mayan temple. Mari is trapped there for weeks, and the experience is truly hellish. Bowen thought Mari would be able to escape the temple because Mari told him she'd be able to. She was lying, but Bowen didn't know that. He didn't intend to torture or kill Mari; he just wanted to slow her down.

At the same time, Mari cursed Bowen so that he couldn't regenerate from wounds during the remainder of the Hie. Mari intended exactly the spell she executed, and she was convinced it would kill him. Bowen doesn't die, but he is horribly maimed - his face is burned, he gets shrapnel in his gut, he loses a hand.

So while Mari spends some seriously unpleasant time in an old temple with some nasty creatures, gross food, and bugs (but good company), Bowen is alone, injured, and hopeless in a fiery underground cavern. Bowen had it WAY worse than Mari. Mari intended the greater evil, and she caused more pain. But guess who has to apologize and grovel endlessly? Yep, Bowen. Bowen has to pay back Mari's suffering with (many) extravagant displays of devotion. Mari just has to decide when to forgive him. There's no balance.

Now, in A Hunger Like No Other - which also featured a Lykae hero - the Lykae's almost slavish devotion is balanced out by the fact that he's big and scary. Powerful. In Wicked Deeds, Bowen doesn't even have that advantage. Mari's magic is unstable...unless Bowen is nearby. Mari can pin him up, tie him down, whatever she feels like. He's physically and emotionally at her mercy.

Ok, enough. I'm going on and on because of how much I like this series, and this book was SO CLOSE for me. A few tweaks here and there and I'd just plain old love it. Instead it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

When I first read it, I didn't like it and put it down. When I picked it up again, I understood the characters' decisions, and realized they were an excellent pairing.

I am quickly falling head over heels in love with this series. After this book and the first in the series, I want myself a Lycae. Whew! Those boys are hot. Anyway...this book had so many plot twists and turns I don't even know how the author stayed caught up with it all. It all flowed well though, and it was amazing. This book is my favorite so far, and you definitely need to read it. I am about to start the next one, and I can not wait.

Bowen MacReive is a Lykae cautionary tale. He lost his mate when she ran from him - and died. After centuries of half-life, he has one chance to return to the past and make things right. All he has to do is win the Talisman's Hie (think Amazing Race for immortals) and claim the prize. His competition - especially the witches - should beware. Mariketa the Awaited has the potential to be the strongest witch ever. Unfortunately, what she's actually capable of seems to be blowing things up spectacularly, but not predictably. Winning the Hie will gain her some much needed respect, but since she's not yet immortal, it might just be the death of her.Forced together by a curse, the pair might be fated - or they might kill one another. Odds are even either way.Glass witch with misfiring powers = glitch. Love it!

Nope, not going any further with this series. This very nearly got a 1 or 2 star from me and would have if I hadn't ploughed through after the half-way mark.She's not a possession, and that's the way he treats her at first. He talks about binning her contraceptive patch (hello, contraception isn't the only reason people use them), bins her vibrator, doesn't listen to her and then expects that she will fall over backwards to forgive him, and of bloody course she does because she's a doormat, not a whole person with attitude and backbone.When he gets near the end the story becomes more believable and less one-sided in the power struggle, but this doesn't make me happy with the story and it would take some serious convincing to make me continue with the stories.These are people with power, love does not lessen power, it often gives the person in love a solid place to come back to, a person to support them when the day gets dark. There may be compromise but in a good relationship it's on both sides.