I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Warlord by Gena Showalter Series: Rise of the Warlords #1
Published by HQN on April 20, 2021
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley
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New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter begins a dark, sexy new series--Rise of the Warlords--with a fan favorite character from her beloved Lords of the Underworld series, Taliyah Skyhawk. The ice maiden faces off with her greatest enemy, a villain brutal beyond imagining.
For centuries, Taliyah Skyhawk has prepared to become Harpy General, leader of the deadliest female army in existence. One of the requirements? Remain a virgin. But, for a chance to save her people, she must wed the fearless leader of the Astra Planeta, Alaroc Phaethon.
The time has come for Roc to sacrifice another virgin bride to his god. There has never been a woman alluring enough to tempt him from his path. No warrioress powerful enough to overcome his incredible strength. No enchantress desirable enough to make him burn beyond reason. Until now.
With the clock ticking, war between husband and wife ignites. Except Taliyah never expected the merciless king to challenge the future she once envisioned. She certainly never anticipated the thrill of their battles turning into games... The problem is, only one spouse can survive.
Love is a battlefield in Showalter's The Warlord.
I really miss PNR like this. This hit the spot. This story makes me want to re-read her Lords of the Underworld just to stay in one of her worlds a bit longer.
This book is hot. H-O-T hot. Like sexy sexy sexy hot. If you’ve read her Lord of the Underworld series, you’ll know about the harpies. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat because the harpies are freaking awesome! They’re deadly, sexy, and mouthy. I loved them all. You also get a couple of cameos from some of the Lords, which is fun. And you get a story that you can’t put down.
Taliyah has been groomed since birth to become the fiercest general of all the harpies. So when the Astra Planeta invade her land and take her people hostage demanding the fiercest warrior to be his bride, naturally Tailyah pipes up. Alaroc (Roc) is ready to ascend. For him, for his people, that means they are at the point of their lives where if they have sacrificed enough, they can ascend to a higher level and finally have peace from all the warring. The problem? Taliyah doesn’t really feel like being sacrificed.
So Taliyah sets her sights on annoying Roc and freeing her harpies…but there’s more going on to the whole situation, and she’s far more involved that either she or Roc ever imagined. There are gods involved who give cryptic information because of course they do! But what I really enjoyed was how Taliyah’s mind worked. She was very figure it out and take care of it. She was smart, didn’t take failure as an option, and did it all while being amazing. She absolutely earned Roc’s respect very quickly. But when the gods meddled and spilled some secrets he went a little crazy…and she proved her awesomeness over and over. His grand gesture has her smiling, but I would have loved more.
Guys, this book is sexy. So sexy. Roc wants a virgin sacrifice, but doesn’t need her to be one. Taliyah is supposed to be a virgin to be general seeing as she’ll give her body to her people…you can probably see where I’m going with this. They push each other as far as possible and it’s glorious. I loved how so much of their relationship is teasing and learning about each other. I loved the Greek gods being part of this..Chaos, Hades, Erebus…especially Hades.
This is typical Gena Showalter immortals in the sense that if you’ve read her before, you’ll know what you’re in for. You’re in for a sexy and epic ride with huge plot twists, even huger battles, and happily ever after. I’m really excited for the next book, because there are a lot of warriors who don’t have their happily ever afters yet, and I for one feel like they really could use a good HEA.
***Review copy courtesy of the publisher HQN via Netgalley
