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Author: Gena Showalter
Tittle: Wicked Nights
Release: June 26th 2012
Series: Angels of the Dark 1
Reviewer: Lil
Source: Little Bird Publicity
Purchase: | Book Depository

Leader of the most powerful army in the heavens, Zacharel has been deemed nearly too dangerous, too ruthless–and if he isn’t careful, he’ll lose his wings. But this warrior with a heart of ice will not be deterred from his missions at any cost…until a vulnerable human tempts him with a carnal pleasure he’s never known before.

Accused of a crime she did not commit, Annabelle Miller has spent four years in an institution for the criminally insane. Demons track her every move, and their king will stop at nothing to have her. Zacharel is her only hope for survival, but is the brutal angel with a touch as hot as hell her salvation–or her ultimate damnation?

I am always nervous when I sit down to write a review but when I really love a book I’m sweating bullets because I want to be able to convey to the reader how good a book is so they will choose it. I also don’t want to spoil a second of this book by going into to much story detail. There is a fine line between reviewing and spoiling and I try not to overstep. I know Ms. Showalter has lots of fans but I also know there are many who have never read a Showalter novel. Three weeks ago I was one of the latter. But thanks to Wicked Nights I have added everything I could find to my Goodreads TBR and have sent a start date for reading the first Lords of The Underworld series. Okay now on to what I thought about Wicked Nights.

First a virgin HERO? Seriously? Heck yes and it’s the first book I’ve ever read where the guy is the naive untouched lead. I’ve read so many books and I can’t think of one before this…. nope Zacharel is the first. The character of Zacharel was intriguing to say the least. Having not read the Underworld book where he was introduced I was coming into Wicked Nights with no expectations beyond expecting a well written book. I talked to several fans of Showalter’s previous works to know I probably like this book. Though it wouldn’t be the first time I didn’t jump on the train with the rest of the crew. Zacharel pulled no punches, he made me feel everything I like to feel when delving into a new character. I had moments of frustration, amusement, and understanding even communion with this angel. I was able to connect with him not only as a man but as a leader and that is rare for me. I found myself turning the page after page even though I had a 3:30 am alarm to rouse me from the sleep I was fighting to just read one more page.

Annabelle was harder for me to like, though by the middle of the book I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. She’s young but has seen and experienced so much pain and darkness yet hope still lived inside her. She’s a tough fighter and could get passed her fear to fight for herself and those important to her. I loved this strong female lead even if sometimes I did want to yell at her. Her emotional growth was steady throughout the story and to her credit she didn’t want me to throw the book against the wall. And we all know I’ve done it. Many times.

The world building is very detailed which I love and we are introduced to several angels who belong to Zacharel’s army. I cannot wait to get to know them better. Koldo is a worthy male who makes sacrifices and is honorable. He seems tortured and we learn he has a very dark past that helped shape him as an angel and a warrior. I cannot wait to read his story. Thane and his crew are mouthwatering but also I recognized a level of darkness that surrounds them that is so deep I wonder if I won’t be squirming in my seat when I’m reading their stories. I can’t wait!

The love connection of Zachie and Anna was well done. Believable and sincere within a story full of highs and excruciating lows. This book was right up my ally. It had it’s moments of humor peppered within the action and angst. I have never really been a fan of fight/action in books unless it’s faced paced and well thought out by the author. This book is full of really well written stories that intertwine in such a way you don’t even notice they are separate. Each character is connected to the same history and as the story progesses it pulls you in more and more. You find yourself wanting to discover each character’s inner secrets and fall into the world that has been plotted and described in such an enchanting way. I don’t feel lost in the midst of a world that was introduced in a previous series but I can promise you will want to start reading the other series once you get a glimpse of that world and it’s characters. The tension and passion between the leads was palpable. Hot. Beautiful. And the secondary cast is so truly developed where you become just invested in them but it’s not a massive number of characters that you will find yourself skimming pages to get back to meat of the story. So there is only one conclusion I can come to…. Ms. Showalter is an amazing story teller.

Lil is an avid reader who gave up TV so she could greedily read every book she could get her hands on. In the process she discovered a love for contemporary romance heavily laden with humor. Lil is formerly a True Blood blogger who discovered there is more to the world than her annoying love/hate one-sided relationship with the writers of TB. She credits JR Ward for pulling her from the two dimensional world of TV viewing.

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