Dream of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

Finally! A title that might actually help me remember the characters and plot of the book.

Dreams actually play into the story so hopefully that stays with me but then, with my memory, who knows.

Cindy Blurb: We meet Regin the Radiant (A Valkryie) a thousand years ago plus another 9 or so when she first leaves Valhalla (Heaven) and is still a child of 10 years. She has no real fear of anything but does need food and a horse cause she is still a mortal and hunger does not keep itself at bay.

She enters a Berzerkers place (think Vikings with super rage) to find Aidan, the leader to ask for help. Aidan, upon seeing her knows she is his but also knows she is too young. So he hies her off to his cottage to feed her and keep her safe for the night before sending her to live with family until she is of the age they can be together. I'm thinking Aidan is like 40 at this time. Regin thinks he's a touch crazed but he listens to her and laughs with her when most people find her a pain in the arse. Doesn't matter though, she leaves in the night and for the next 9 years Aidan does nothing but try and find her.

Finally they are together and Regin still finds him fun and charming but hey, he's a mortal and she has no interest in sticking around to see him grow old and die. So Aidan says he will gain immortality by fighting 200 battles in the name of Woden (her Father) and will not anger the gods by taking her virginity. But they still have lots of fun. Until the night he can't help himself and afterwards is killed. His dying words are how he'll find Regin again.

Fast forward a thousand years and Regin is now the prisoner of Declan Chase, an evil man with the soul purpose of destroying all things Lore or immortal or of another species that is not human. He is the right hand man of a huge operation and has hunted and killed many of the lore.

Only Regin knows he the reincarnation of Aidan and with one kiss and a night of bliss she hopes she can save herself and her allies.

But with all things lately, it's complicated.

I have to admit I have a few left over questions about how everything worked and worked out. I mean, the idea of reincarnation is not really explained as to how or why it happens. In previous books Cole usually has logical reasons why something odd in the lore might happen. This time the reincarnation part wasn't really explained.

With that said, I have to say the story has stayed with me. I love dark tortured characters and Declan was definitely all that. In fact, he is considered the greatest enemy of many of the lore when they discover he exists along with The Order (a human group experimenting on miscreats (miscreations) to find the weakness so humans can exterminate them). I also like how even at the end of the story he wasn't all sunshine and happiness about the lore. I mean, how do you go from hating and fighting for over 20 years of your life and then just flip a switch. You don't and Declan really can't.

Regin meanwhile is fun and mouthy and hey, I enjoy that. She has a way of egging on her enemies and being somewhat inappropriate but you never have to wonder where you stand with her.

What Regin didn't expect was the man who had harmed her and tortured her could be her reincarnated lover Aidan. Afterall, other reincarnations had never tried to hurt her. Declan has her and many of her allies and greatest enemies all imprisoned and she realizes her only hope is to get Declan to remember his past lives with her.

But there's a catch and you'll have to read the book to find it. At least, I think you do, I don't think it's mentioned in the blurb and probably not in the first couple of chapters either.

I do have to say that there was a part of this story that didn't work for me and that was the 'mine' aspect which has worked for me in the past. The only problem is yelling 'mine!' out while making love it not overly romantic to me. Easily fixed with the addition 'you're' but just 'mine' and I'm wondering if it's the vagina he's claiming and the rest of the body parts are just there for the ride. Okay, yes, I may be pulling at fine strings but for some reason with this book I really, really noticed the use of this word and have to say it was off putting.

I don't want to go into spoiler territory so if you're going to read the book you might want to skip this paragraph just in case. I found the previous incarnations of Aidan to be obsessed with Regin and not really in love with her and Regin never really fell in love with them. Declan meanwhile has so much to over come that he doesn't come off as obsessed but more curious and needing. I think the separation of Aidan from Declan would have been complete if Declan had never used the same terminology as Aidan and claimed all of Regin without yelling 'mine'. Cause really, 2 year old kids run around yelling 'mine' all the time and even they aren't cute when doing it.

Once again, there is a meeting of many of the previous lovers and friends near the end and Nix is hanging about (but I can't see her as a pretty young woman - I see her as an old hag kind of thing) and I couldn't really tell who's story would be next which is kind of cool.

I'm going with a B- because I enjoyed Regin and her sense of humour and her ways and I really did like the dark Declan Chase. I guess the ending just didn't work out quite right for me (and it had more to do with changes in Declan than to plotting) so it's not really a keeper but then, I'm keeping the book - just in case!