I received this book for free from Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Immortal by Gena Showalter Series: Rise of the Warlords #2
Published by HQN on February 1, 2022
Genres: PNR
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Advance Reader Copy
Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter delivers The Immortal, the second dark and sexy book in her Rise of the Warlords series, featuring a cold, merciless assassin and a stubborn harpy warrior... one fated to die by the other's hand.
Halo Phaninon, assassin of gods, is as cold and merciless as a machine. For victory, he crosses any line. When tasked to kill twelve of mythology’s fiercest monsters in twenty-four hours, Halo eagerly accepts. Except, each morning he awakens to the same day, forced to relive new horrors. Only one other person retains their memory—the beauty who threatens his iron control.
Ophelia the Flunk Out hates her disaster of a life. She’s the family disappointment, a harpy warrior without a kill and powerless—or is she? Nearly every night she’s doomed to repeat her own murder, but each morning she arises to spar with Halo, the ruthless warlord increasingly determined to save her…and lure her to his bed.
Halo’s insatiable desire for the stubborn Ophelia drives him wild…and he only craves more. If he remains in the time loop, they stay together. But if he escapes, they lose each other forever.
Don't miss Ruthless, the second book in New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter's captivating and unforgettable Immortal Enemies series.
I realized when I was writing the review last week for The Phantom, that I hadn’t written a review for this book! This is the second book in Gena Showalter’s Rise of the Warlords series and I loved it. Imagine a Paranormal Groundhog Day (as I write this on Groundhog’s Day).
Ophelia is cursed to relive the same day over and over, with each day ending with her death, and each death bringing her closer to a day she won’t wake up. And Halo is doomed to be the one who kills her.
Halo is one of the Astra Planeta. These almost-gods have conquered the Harpy Homeland and with that conquering, they are tasked by the gods (Chaos, Zeus, etc), to certain tasks. This Herculean effort for Halo has become more than just a task to complete, because this time, the heart he didn’t know he had, is on the line.
If they do not complete these tasks, they suffer immeasurable loss for 500 years. However if they complete these final tasks, they ascend. The tasks are impossible to complete without hurting someone. Or are they…
I loved the Groundhog Day repeat trope these two experienced together and my all time favorite scene is one where a big, tough, scary Astra is sitting down to a tea party with a little harpy girl. Seriously, Gena Showalter is a brilliant writer. The way she shows two characters who should be impossible to get together, not only win the day, but also earn their happily ever after is just amazing. I aspire to her level of plotting. She weaves the threads of the plot over here, and over there, and in places you don’t even see until BAM happy ending and you’re fully tangled up in the plot.
Ophelia for her part is handling her part in his curse really well. She’s fun, she’s snarky, she’s pretty badass, and I think she made the book for me. I loved her hero, don’t get me wrong, but she was the best heroine I’ve read in a while.
Their chemistry was ridiculously sexy and off the charts. Their banter, their page time, their fun…all of these factor into an intense page turner of a book where you love every minute of it!
***ARC courtesy of Netgalley
