Showing posts with label Gena Showalter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gena Showalter. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2019

Blog Tour Book Review: The Darkest Assassin by Gena Showalter

We are beyond excited to be sharing this release from Gena Showalter with you today by participating in the blog tour! THE DARKEST ASSASSIN is part of her Lords of the Underworld series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now.

 

Purchase your copy of THE DARKEST ASSASSIN today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Lords of the Underworld #14.6
Audience: Over 18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date:  December 10th 2019
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):


From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter comes a new story in her Lords of the Underworld series…

Fox is a demon-possessed immortal with many talents.
Ability to open portals—check
Power to kill the most dangerous Sent Ones—check
Scare away any man who might want to date her—mate
Now, the keeper of Distrust has been marked for death, a winged assassin with rainbow-colored eyes tracking her every move, determined to avenge the males she accidentally decimated. If only she could control the desire to rip off his clothes…

Bjorn is a fierce warrior with many complications.
Tragic, torture-filled past—check
A wife he was forced to wed, who is draining his life force—check
Ever-intensifying desire for the enigmatic Fox—mate
Never has he hesitated to exterminate an evil being. Until now. The sharp-tongued female with a shockingly vulnerable heart tempts him in ways no one else ever has, threatening his iron control.

But, as Fate itself seems to conspire against the unlikely pair, both old and new enemies emerge. And Fox and Bjorn must fight to survive.

And learn to love…
Add THE DARKEST ASSASSIN to your Goodreads TBR here!

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As such my review my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

The newest installment in the Lords Of The Underworld series is here guys, and I. Am. Stoked! Any chance I have of going back to this wonderful world is something I shall grab with both hands (and feet...monkey style!). If you're a fan of this series, you're in for a wild ride. If not, let me tell you why you should put everything on hold and start reading this series right now.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Blog Tour Book Review: Frost And Flame by Gena Showalter

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Gods of War #2
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: September 17th 2019
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
From Gena Showalter, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lords of the Underworld saga, comes Frost and Flame , the second book in the scorching paranormal romance series Gods of War.

Bane of Adwaeweth is the most feared immortal warrior in All War history. Possessed by a bloodthirsty beast, he will stop at nothing to win. Then he meets irresistible Nola Lee. He hates the power she wields over him, but she alone can rain vengeance upon his wife’s killer.

Unaware of her destiny to rule as queen of beasts, Nola battles illness, addiction and vulnerability. With Bane, however, she experiences pleasure for the first time, and only wants more. But being with him comes with a terrible price.

With enemies lurking around every corner, Bane and Nola must fight to survive. But time is running out, and neither can resist the sizzling attraction blazing between them. Will their romance save the beast and his beauty, or destroy everything they’ve come to love?

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of his book from Wildfire Marketing Solutions in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

Ever since I read Shadow and Ice last year I've been waiting for this book. It's no secret that I love Gena Showalter, so it should be that big of a surprise to hear that I absolutely loved this book with all my heart. Because I did. I totally, totally did. Let me tell you all about it!

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Blog Tour Book Review: The Darkest Captive by Gena Showalter

  

The demon possessed beast wants his beauty back, and he’ll do anything to win her. Even war with a god king.

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gena Showalter, comes THE DARKEST CAPTIVE, a new novella in her addictive bestselling Lords of the Underworld Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today

The Darkest Captive by Gena ShowalterAuthor: Gena Showalter
Series: Lords of the Underworld #14.5, 1001 Dark Nights #94
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal romance
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: December 4th 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
 
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter comes a new story in her Lords of the Underworld series…

For centuries, Galen the Treacherous has been the most hated immortal in the Underworld. With good reason! This bad boy of bad boys has lied, stolen, cheated and killed with abandon. Possessed by the demons of Jealousy and False Hope, he has always lived for a single purpose: destroy everything. Then he met her.

Former demon turned human femme fatale — Legion Honey — sought to kill Galen, but ended up parting with her virginity instead. Afraid of their sizzling connection, she ran away…and ended up trapped in hell, tortured and abused in the worst of ways. Now she’s free, and a shell of herself, afraid of her own shadow.

Galen’s hunger for Legion has only grown. Now the warrior with nothing to lose must help her rekindle the fire that once burned inside her. But as desires blaze white-hot, will Legion run again? Or will the unlikely pair succumb to love at long last?
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only

Friday, November 2, 2018

Blog Tour Book Review: Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter


 

The Queen of Paranormal Romance, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter, stuns with SHADOW AND ICE, the first title in her scorching new paranormal romance Gods of War Series. Check out the tour stop below and get your copy of SHADOW AND ICE today!

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Gods of War #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: October 23rd 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Gena Showalter, the New York Times bestselling author who brought you the Lords of the Underworld, introduces a scorching new paranormal romance series… Gods of War.

Knox of Iviland has spent his life competing in the All Wars, where vicious warriors with supernatural powers fight to the death to claim new realms. One winner takes everything—and all losers die. Enslaved as a child for his ability to control shadows, the most ruthless champion in history will stop at nothing to kill his king. But first he must win the battle for Earth. When a fearsome weapon imprisons every combatant in ice, centuries pass without progress…until she walks in.

Vale London craves a fun arctic getaway with her foster sister before settling down to open a bakery. Street-tough but vulnerable, she is unprepared to find ancient gods escaping a frozen cave—merciless beings who target her when she inadvertently enters their war.

Though Vale is now his enemy, Knox is consumed with lust and a fierce need to protect her. But only one combatant can prove victorious, and he will have to choose: live for freedom, or die for love. 
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.


**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Blog Tour Book Review: The Darkest Warrior by Gena Showalter

   

The Queen of Paranormal Romance, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter, returns with THE DARKEST WARRIOR, a searing Lords of the Underworld tale featuring a beastly prince and the wife he will wage war to keep. THE DARKEST WARRIOR is now available where all fine books are sold. Grab your copy today!

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Lords of the Underworld #14
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: June 26th 2018
My Rating:4.5 Cups
Source:InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
He is ice…

Puck the Undefeated, host of the demon of Indifference, cannot experience emotion without punishment, so he allows himself to feel nothing. Until her. According to ancient prophecy, she is the key to avenging his past, saving his realm and ruling as king. All he must do? Steal her from the man she loves—and marry her.

She is fire…

Gillian Shaw has suffered many tragedies in her too-short life, but nothing could have prepared the fragile human for her transition into immortality. To survive, she must wed a horned monster who both intrigues and frightens her…and become the warrior queen she was born to be.

Together they burn.

As a rising sense of possession and obsession overtake Puck, so does insatiable lust. The more he learns about his clever, resourceful wife, the more he craves her. And the more time Gillian spends with her protective husband, the more she aches for him. But the prophecy also predicts an unhappily-ever-after. Can Puck defeat fate itself to keep the woman who brought his deadened heart back to life? Or will they succumb to destiny, losing each other…and everything they’ve been fighting for?
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Book Review & Release Dy Launch: Everlife by Gena Showalter

   

New from Gena Showalter, author of the New York Times bestselling The White Rabbit Chronicles, comes a series finale that will keep you on the edge of your seat rooting for the characters until the very last page. Don’t miss the EPIC CONCLUSION to the Everlife novels, a series fans calls “vividly unique,” “unforgettable” and “exhilarating.” Grab your copy today!

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Everlife #3
Audience: YA
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 27th 2018
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
STAND TOGETHER OR FALL ALONE.

THE FATE OF THE EVERLIFE HANGS IN THE BALANCE.

At seventeen years old, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood needed to make the ultimate choice—where to live after she died. Loyalty to her selected realm has not wavered…until now. The numbers-obsessed Conduit is out of time. Sacrifices must be made, and a terrible price must be paid. But is she too late?

As the Everlife descends into darkness, a single truth becomes clear: Troika and Myriad must unite in the end—or perish. As a way to bring sworn enemies together, Ten must enter forbidden territory…and destroy the powerful Prince of Ravens. But there’s only one way inside—bonding with Killian Flynn, a deadly rival Laborer who sets her blood aflame.

When nothing goes as planned and betrayal results in the edge of utter defeat, Ten and Killian must rebuild agree with from the ashes in their hearts. Victory seems not possible; the odds stacked against them. In spite of everything, how far will they be willing to go for the sake in their realms and the Everlife? 

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Book Review: Lifeblood by Gena Showalter

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Everlife #2
Audience: +16
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 28th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cup
Source: Own Copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):
My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning.

With her last living breath, Tenley "Ten" Lockwood made her choice and picked her realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.

Because Ten possesses a rare supernatural ability to absorb and share light, the Powers That Be have the highest expectations for her future—and the enemy wants her neutralized. Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?

But Ten's competition is Killian, the boy she can't forget—the one who gave up everything for her happiness. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she's never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.
*phew* This book was a roller-coaster, guys!

Lifeblood picks up where Firstlife ended, right after Ten dies and chooses Troika. What follows is a journey full of bumps, heartache, pain, and love. I love how the central themes of this book seem to be love, loyalty and forgiveness. I am curious to see how these themes will be used, if they will be used in the next book.

When we meet Ten in this book she’s still the same girl we know, the girl who wants to find her place without being forced into it, the girl who is in love with a boy she shouldn’t be, the girl trying to just fit in and be loved. Ten goes through a transformation process. Her love for Killian makes her do things that don’t endear her to her fellow Troikans. At the same time, while she’s trying to find Archer, she learns that love can heal someone’s soul. Not romantic love, but love through forgiveness. She learns some more about her family, and she meets important people to herself in this book, people she knew about, people she hasn’t yet met, as well as old friends. She makes some new friends too, and it’s interesting to see how each and every one of them plays a part in Ten’s journey. Throughout the book Ten discovers some interesting things about the two realms, things that somehow change the rules of the games in my opinion. They’re subtle, yet important things too.

Killian is, as usual, fantastic, and I wonder how his decision will affect the last book and the war itself. The brilliance of this story is that, while we see everything from Ten's POV, and we know that some people are loyal and honest, I have to wonder if, in the very end, Killian will prove to be who he says he is. There's a part of me, a tiny part of me, that kind of wants him to be bad.

There were a few characters in this book that I liked, some of them people we meet for the first time in Lifeblood. I'm curious to see the future of these characters, who lives, who dies. There are some old faces around as well, and I'm intrigued by them.

This book helped unveil a little bit of the hidden rules of Myriad and Troika, some details that people from these realms haven't yet thought about, or they relate to things the people have taken for granted. I can't wait to see if these rules will keep changing or if somehow they can be broken. We also learn a little bit more about the history of the two realms, as well as how exactly Troika functions. By default, we learn a little bit about Myriad as well.

The pace is pretty great, and the glimpses behind the scenes that we get through the messages between various parties from both realms make the story even more interesting. Ten's obsession with numbers continues, as well as her double poems. I like the double poems, as well as her numerology skills, her ability to find a numerical connection everywhere. I liked that there were things I couldn't anticipate. I also liked that just because you're a Troikan, doesn't mean you're 100% good, just like being a Myridian doesn't make that person fully bad. I like the grey areas and I'm curious to see if that will be discussed in Everlife or if it will somehow play a part in the final battle.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and I am biting my nails, waiting for Everlife.


Saturday, February 18, 2017

Book Review: Blood Red Kiss by Kresley Cole, Larissa Ione, Gena Showalter

Author: Kresley Cole, Larissa Ione, Gena Showalter
Series: Immortals After Dark #1, MoonBound Clan Vampires #2.5, Otherworld Assassin #2.5
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: September 20th 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Good things always come in threes—and this paranormal romance anthology featuring steamy stories from New York Times bestselling authors Kresley Cole, Larissa Ione, and Gena Showalter is no exception!

Get ready for a collection chock full of vamps, demons, aliens, and plenty of sizzle!

In Kresley Cole’s celebrated story “The Warlord Wants Forever,” the first in her scorching Immortals After Dark series, vampire warlord Nikolai Wroth will stop at nothing to claim his Bride, the one woman who can make his heart beat again. But can beautiful Myst the Coveted accept an enemy vampire as her own?

Tehya has spent the last twelve years as an accidental wolf, but is truly a vampire at heart. When she gets injured, Lobo sneaks her inside MoonBound’s headquarters and nurses her back to health…with potentially deadly consequences. Desire collides with danger in “Forsaken by Night,” a MoonBound Clan novella from Larissa Ione!

In Gena Showalter’s Otherworld Assassins novella, Dark Swan, Lilica Swan isn’t quite human or otherworlder; she is the best—and worst—of both. She is willing to do whatever proves necessary to save her sister from the seductive and deadly Alien Investigation and Removal agent, Dallas Gutierrez, even bond her life to his…effectively wedding him. But without consummation, the bond will fade. Can Dallas resist his insatiable desire for the powerful beauty? Or will she lead to his ultimate downfall?

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Pocket Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating of the book or the content of this review in any way.

A few years ago, before I started book blogging, I discovered the world of paranormal romance. Around that time, I fell in love with Ione's demons and Cole's valkyries. Then last year I stumbled across Showalter's alien hunters. Fast forward a few months, and then Blood Red Kiss is a thing, putting three of my favorite authors into one book. Can you say heaven?

As someone already familiar with the world of the Immortals, I knew Nikolai and Myst's story. I've already read it, and I vaguely remembered some of the details, but I was nevertheless excited about reading it. Myst is a wonderful character, and it was interesting to read about her now, a few years after being introduced to her, and see how the way I saw her changed from the first time I read it. And of course I see her differently. I was able to focus on her flaws, and I think her pride might be the biggest one. She's proud, but she's also the most loyal person, because she'd be willing to do anything for those she loves. And Nikolai is still intriguing, he's still mysterious, but he's also a tad vengeful. They shouldn't fit together as well as they do, but I still get a funny feeling when I read about them saying "I love you" to each other. And then there are the rest of the Valkyries, which are, as usual, a riot to read about. I'm planning on doing a reread of this series, tp see if there are any new stuff to be discovered about Nix, try to catch a glimpse of my love, Lothair, and generally reacquaint myself with everyone.

I can't remember if Lobo appears in the first MoonBound Clan Vampires book. I'm inclined to say yes, but I can't be 100% sure. I loved his story though, so, so much. It was interesting to see how Ione decided to combine vampires and werewolves and make this amazing, new take on their mythology. Lobo is a sexy guy. But he's also a tortured soul. I love reading about him finally getting to say what he needed to say, what his former clan needed to hear for a very long time. I love these big moments, when someone regarded as inferior gets to say his or her side of the story and the people on the receiving end of the harsh truth get to be stunned and basically ashamed of acting like they're the kings of the world. And Lobo gets such a moment, and I couldn't be happier for him. I loved the beginning of the novella, with him and Tehya, his wolf, running and playing in the forest.

I've only read one book in Gena Showalter's Alien Huntress, but I loved the idea of this world a lot. I also like the fact that there's a bunch of connected series surrounding this world. I enjoyed reading Lilica's story so much. What I loved about this story is that it explores the same issue from different points of view. You have Dallas who sees Lilica as a potential threat and her sister as someone who needs to be hunted down, you have Lilica who's trying to prove her sister is not so guilty as she seems, and then there's Lilica's own sister who proves to be completely different than what either thought she was. I loved reading about Dallas and Lilica, but I am super, super curious to read about about Lilica's sisters after this novella.

And in case you need one more reason to love this book, there's a fantastic part in this book showing the way these three authors procrastinate... I mean *ehem*... brainstorm. It's funny to get to experience that, but also super, super intriguing, because they drop some interesting hints about what's to come in these three series.

Lately I've had the need to "go back to basics", in a way, to find why I fell in love with reading in the first place, and this book reminded me why. Believe it or not, it wasn't the fun, hot, sexy times in the book that did it. And believe me, there where a lot of hot, sexy times in it. But the stories in general, the creation of new worlds, using mythological elements and figures, supernatural creatures, and creating new creatures, new elements, it's just what attracted me to reading in the first place. I definitely loved this book, and I cannot wait to see what these three ladies have in store for their series in the future.



Friday, November 18, 2016

Blog Tour Book Review: The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter

the-darkest-torment-tour-banner    

Gena Showalter’s THE DARKEST TORMENT is coming in paperback! The Queen of Paranormal Romance, USA TODAY bestselling author Gena Showalter, returns with THE DARKEST TORMENT, the eagerly anticipated twelfth novel in her Lords of the Underworld series! Order your copy today!

 
Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Lords of the Underworld #12
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Release Date: 31 May 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Can Beauty tame her Beast?

Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he's back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he's unable to withstand the touch of another and he's quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride just not his own.

Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she's taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she's plunged into a war between two evils with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.

But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she'll have to teach him to love or lose him forever.

Includes Q&A featuring J. R. Ward, Jeaniene Frost, Nalini Singh and more!

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from InkSlinger PR and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or rating of the book in any way.

One of the urban fantasy series that everyone seems to be talking about is Lords of the Underworld, and I finally decided to pick this series up. I have to say, it's a bit scary going into a series that you've heard great things about, but haven't read the previous books, however I'm very pleased with what I discovered.

As you probably know, I'm a huge lover of all things regarding ancient mythology, so this take on the myth of Pandora's Box is quite interesting and unique. I loved reading about the Lords and how each had to live with a demon inside, and I was quite intrigued with how this was portrayed and with how each character had to deal with that. 

Baden was an interesting male. He's kind of a reluctant hero, he seems like one of those guys that has a mission and just wants to do his job. I felt quite sorry for him, to be honest, because he went through a lot of bad stuff. Sure, when you think about it, a bit of karma was in there somewhere, but he certainly didn't deserve centuries of torment. At some point during the story though, I started to understand him better, and to actually get it, why he did certain things, why he took certain decisions that affected everyone, not just him, why he was so closed off. I think the thing that most made me want to give this guy a hug was how lonely he is. It's so heartbreaking to see him crave something that he once had, that he had to give up on, and that he might never have again. That was so painful.

Katarina was a great heroine. Her story is quite sad, as well. I love how she managed to not let that story break her spirit though, and how she managed to find the good in any situation, and how she keeps fighting. Katarina is a fighter, she's a badass woman, and that is awesome. I love how brave she is. There's a scene at the end of the book where she shows exactly how brave and how totally badass she is, involving herself and a very scary god, and I wanted to high-five her afterwards.

There are a few characters that intrigued me in this book, some that I hope will get their stories told, some that already have their happy ending, I just need to read those books. I love how there are things revealed in this book that makes me wonder what that means for the rest of the series, and I am dying to see if it also helps explain some of the events from the past.

It takes a lot of time for me to read a book in a series, without having read the previous books, and it just goes to show how great a storyteller Showalter is, that I didn't feel lost or confused, or worse, like I'm missing something. Sure, I know that I'm missing parts of the story, but that didn't keep me from totally enjoy this book. In case you're like me, and have had this series for a long time on your TBR, trust me, you won't be sorry for starting to read this series. 


Order THE DARKEST TORMENT here!

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository GooglePlay *iBooks * BAM * Kobo * IndieBound

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

    the-darkest-torment-tour-teaser-2  
“—friends are looking for you,” an unfamiliar voice said, breaking into her awareness. It belonged to a male. Was deep and raspy, with the same cocky and perpetually amused timbre as William. “I think they want your head on a platter.”
“Thanks to you, Baden brought trouble to Buda,” William replied, utterly unconcerned by the threat. “Gillian needs peace and quiet right now.”
“I told you not to befriend her. She’s human.”
“And I told you to go fuck yourself. More than once!”
“Is that any way to speak to your dear father?”
“Adopted father,” William grumbled. “And I’m tempted to say worse. Let’s take this conversation outside.”
So. He was speaking with Hades, she realized, sweat beading on her brow. The bad boy of the underworld. And that was saying something!
William didn’t know it, but Hades had appeared to her one night. He’d warned her: Stay away from my son. You aren’t the one for him. Don’t make me prove it.
He’d scared her, but she hadn’t heeded him. William was too important to her.
“Not being blood related to me is an embarrassing secret you’d do well to hide,” Hades remarked now.
Gillian cracked open her eyes…caught sight of two towering shadows on the balcony.
“She’s deathly ill. She’s going to die if you fail to make her immortal,” William snapped. “So, make her immortal.”
“I have the power to change her, yes. But in her condition, she’ll die before she’s turned.”
“Then you’re useless to me. Leave.”
“Tsk-tsk. So rude. You might want to be nice to me, my son. I’m the only thing standing between you and scores of angry husbands you’ve cuckolded over the centuries.”
“As if a legion of them would be any match for me.”
“True. I trained you well. But the girl…they’d hurt her without a qualm.”
William unleashed a storm of curses. “Anyone touches her, and I’ll spend the rest of eternity ensuring they and everyone they love suffer unending torments.”
“What’s so special about her?” Hades asked.
Yes, Liam. What’s so special about me? She’d always wondered.
“I’m not discussing her with you.”
“I’m discussing her with you, then. You can’t be with her. You can’t be with anyone.
You know as well as I that your happiness walks hand-in-hand with your doom.” Gillian had heard a little about William’s doom. Aka, his curse. The woman he loved was destined to destroy him.
Did Gillian believe in curses? Yes and no. She’d lived with demon-possessed immortals for three years now. She’d seen things. Supernatural things. Wild things. Impossible things. But curses…good luck versus bad luck? No. Bad things happened because bad decisions were made. End of story.
“I’m searching for a way to break—” William began.
“You’ve been searching,” Hades interjected. “For centuries.”
“My book—”
“Is nonsense. A trick to make you hope for what can never be so that your demise will be that much sweeter. If the book could be decoded, it would have been decoded by now.”
Another tense pause. Then William spat, “Did you come here to piss me off?”
“Pissing you off is a bonus. I came to warn you.”
“Well, you’ve done both.”
“No, son, I haven’t.” Hades’s voice hardened. “The warning is this: if I think you’re falling for the girl, I’ll kill her myself.”

  lord-of-the-underworld-series-banner  

And don’t miss the previous titles in the Lords of the Underworld Series!

THE DARKEST NIGHT

THE DARKEST KISS

THE DARKEST PLEASURE

THE DARKEST WHISPER

THE DARKEST PASSION

THE DARKEST LIE

THE DARKEST SECRET

THE DARKEST SURRENDER

THE DARKEST SEDUCTION

THE DARKEST CRAVING

THE DARKEST TOUCH

    the-darkest-torment-tour-teaser-1    

Don’t Miss each stop on THE DARKEST TORMENT Review & Excerpt Tour!

November 7
Ashleyz Wonderland – Excerpt
 November 8
danielriding.com –Excerpt
 November 9
 November 10
Reading in Pajamas – Review & Excerpt
 November 11
The Book Beacon – Review & Excerpt
The Bookery Review – Excerpt
 November 12
 November 13
Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
 November 14
EskieMama Reads – Excerpt
 November 15
New Adult Addiction – Review & Excerpt
November 16
WTF ARE YOU READING? – Review & Excerpt
 November 17
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
Canadian Book Addict – Review & Excerpt
 November 18
Grownup Fangirl – Excerpt
Ruby's Books – Review & Excerpt
 November 19
 November 20
Natalie TheBiblioholic – Review & Excerpt
 November 21
PBC – Excerpt
The Eater of Books! – Review & Excerpt
 November 22
I Smell Sheep – Review & Excerpt
Bound by Books Book Review – Review & Excerpt
 November 23
evocative book reviews – Review & Excerpt
Sassy Moms Say Read Romance – Review & Excerpt
 November 24
The Opening Hook – Review & Excerpt
Books n Wine – Excerpt
Once Upon a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
 November 25
Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt
Pardon My Blurb – Review & Excerpt




author-pic-gena-showalter      About Gena Showalter: Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over fifty books, including the acclaimed Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, and the White Rabbit Chronicles. She writes sizzling paranormal romance, heartwarming contemporary romance, and unputdownable young adult novels, and lives in Oklahoma City with her family and menagerie of dogs. Visit her at genashowalter.com.        

Website | Twitter@genashowalter | Facebook | Goodreads

 






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Monday, February 1, 2016

Early Book Review: Firstlife by Gena Showalter

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Everlife #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 23rd 201
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
ONE CHOICE.

TWO REALMS.

NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…


*Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC of this copy from Netgalley and Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

Life after death is one of those topics that will always be of interest to people, for various reasons, whether it's scientific curiosity, fear of the unknown or personal beliefs. I've always been fascinated with how different people interpret and imagine it, which is what attracted me to requesting and reading Firstlife.

I was very fascinated with the mythology of this world, the idea that you can choose where to go in the Afterlife, either Troika or Myriad. Usually the story of the afterlife is pretty much the one we've grown up with, that if you do good in this life, you end up in Heaven, if you do bad things, you end up in Hell. So I really enjoyed that aspect of free will and the fact that no matter what you do, you can choose how life after death is going to be like.

Tenley, or Ten as friends call her, is in a really bad place at the beginning of this book. I admired her courage, her stubbornness, and her conviction. I personally would have folded and would have accepted anything just to make my life easier. I liked the fact that she was also very loyal to her friends and that she had that "no man left behind" code, when a lot of other people wouldn't have given a damn. I also enjoyed her fascination with numbers. I thought that made her a very unique character and made her stand out more.

The boys, Killian and Archer, make the entire story much wilder and interesting than I first imagined. I didn't get the feeling of a love triangle, which made me insanely happy. Instead, I got the impression that they were willing to put their differences aside and make the right choices for the things they believed in, even if it might have gone against their world. There's an interesting dynamic not only between the two guys and Ten, but also between the guys themselves. There's definitely a story worth exploring there and I'm sure that there's a lot of other stuff that wasn't mentioned in this book that I want to see mentioned in the next books.

Aside from being a fantasy, dystopian story about life after death, I feel like at the core of this book there's the theme of parent-child relationships. I felt like the asylum was a giant metaphor for dysfunctional, toxic relationships between a child or a teenager and whoever raises them and is their legal guardian, be they a biological parent or whatever. It was something that honestly surprised me a little bit, because I wasn't expecting that, but it was done beautifully and I am glad that this was one of the many themes in the book.

As far as pacing goes, I felt like it was well paced, not too fast, not too slow. The ending came out of nowhere and I was shocked that it ended the way it did. It was a massive cliffhanger in my opinion and I am curious to see when exactly will the story be picked up in the next book.

This was a fantastic read and I am very, very excited for book number 2 and the (hopefully) many more books to come.




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