Review: ‘The Darkest Angel’ by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Angel
by Gena ShowalterSeries: Lords of the Underworld #4.5
Published by Harlequin HQN on October 1, 2013
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance
Format: AudioBook, Paperback
Pages: 157
Source: Purchased
Audience: 18+/Rated R
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Winged warrior Lysander has been alive for centuries, and yet he's never known desire—until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of his enemy, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the untouched Lysander into temptation. He may try to evade her attempts, but even the most iron-willed demon assassin can resist for only so long…
The Darkest Angel is another novella in the LOTU series by Gena Showalter. This novella is definitely a favorite and must-read for LOTU fans. It should be read after The Darkest Whisper because its storyline goes with what is to come in The Darkest Passion.
Lysander’s character is a grumpy angel who has issues with the half-harpy/half-phoenix, Bianka, and he wants her to change her ways or suffer the consequences. He decides one day to kidnap her and hold her captive so he can hopefully change her from her sinful ways, but instead, he’s tempted every day by the beautiful harpy. Bianka is not easy to keep captive, and she’ll make Lysander’s life difficult in every way possible.
I love the banter between Lysander and Bianka in this novella and found myself laughing out loud with these two. I’ve always loved the harpies in this series because they tend to put the MMCs in their places. That’s no different with Bianka. Lysander knew he wouldn’t be able to resist Bianka, and I loved how Bianka wouldn’t give up on winning over the angel, even though he did treat her horribly at times and leave her alone in his cloud home, which only backfired on Lysander.
This novella does give an introduction to Olivia, the angel who will actually be in The Darkest Passion, and how Lysander is her mentor. I found it sweet how Olivia looks up to Lysander, even though he is a grumpy angel sometimes.
My favorite scene in the book is when Bianka has control over Lysander’s cloud, and she ends up having him and Paris participate in an entertaining activity for Bianka to watch. It was friggin’ funny as ever.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable, quick novella that definitely should be read if you are LOTU obsessed. I give it five stars and look forward to continuing my reread of this series.
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About Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of nearly 100 novels. Most stories fall under the genre of romance, be they paranormal, fantasy, contemporary, or young adult. She’s also co-authored a (delightfully quirky) cozy mystery series as well as a nonfiction guide about how to write a book in a year.
Gena is a dedicated mother, grandmother, and fur-mom. A woman under construction, whose life took a few unexpected turns the past few years. But she’s learned a lot and firmly believes her best days are ahead of her, not behind her. Chances are good she’s writing her next novel and already in love with the hero.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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