Beauty Awakened
by Gena Showalter
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: HQN Books
Book #2 in the Angels of the Dark series
(also listed as book #9.5 in the Lords of the Underworld series)
Number of Pages: 448
Kindle Edition
Source: MCL
Paranormal Romance M/F
Rating: XXX
Read 7/5/19 to 7/8/19
Koldo – The Heavens’ Most Wrathful Warrior Scarred, dangerous, legendary – Koldo lives only for vengeance on the angel who viciously removed his wings, and diminished his power. But if he retaliates he will be kicked from the heavens, eternally damned. Mortal Nicola could be the key to his deliverance – or his downfall. The first addictive spark of lust that she inspires in Koldo calms his rage, and offers him a path away from vengeance. But as a target for the demon world, Nicola is stalked by evil at every turn. Now Koldo’s quest for revenge is the least of his concerns as he face his toughest battle yet: the war to save Nicola’s life—even if he has to sacrifice his own.
I have to say, the characters throughout Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series are just all phenomenal. Across the board. And she has a knack for writing women who seem meek or weak or vulnerable who are also bad asses. I love it!
Nicola has a lot going against her. Demons literally sitting on her shoulders and infesting her twin sister, compromised health her whole life, no family (other than said twin who is worse off than her) to lean on. But that lady is tough and does not give up. Especially once she learns there is a way to fight back, a way to get her sister healthy again, a way to live a long life. If only she can convince her sister to believe.
Koldo doesn’t quite realize it, but he holds onto so much more negativity than Nicola. And here he is trying to teach her to banish negative thoughts since those thoughts let the demons in and cause things to fester and die. To be fair, Koldo has some of the most negligent and appalling parents ever! Really, it will make you cringe the way his parents treat him.
It’s obvious Koldo and Nicola are meant to be. By the end, Nicola has taken to Koldo’s instructions and stories of where he’s from so thoroughly and naturally that some surprising things start happening. The most important being that she is able to get through to Koldo and he starts to redeem himself.
For those of you that also read the Lords of the Underworld series (and I’ll say it for the billionth time, if you don’t you should!) there is a teaser about William in this story that is juicy. So pumped to see that part of the story play out!
All In Good Time 