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Angels of the Dark #1
Wicked Nights
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?
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?
452 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2012
About the author
Gena Showalter
252 books27.5k followersGena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over seventy books, including the acclaimed Lords of the Underworld series, the Gods of War series, the White Rabbit Chronicles, and the Forest of Good and Evil series. She writes sizzling paranormal romance, heartwarming contemporary romance, and unputdownable young adult novels, and lives in Oklahoma City with her family and menagerie of dogs and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,635 reviews
July 12, 2012
4 stars
Wicked Nights, is the first book of Angels of The Dark, spin-off series from Lords of The Underworld.
Annabelle Miller accused as murderer, and insane. 4 years after the the death of her parents, now she become patient of asylum and endure humiliating things done to her while she actually innocent. Worse, demon track her everywhere, and she never know why. Since Annabelle just a mere human. All change after she met this cold-than-ice angel, Zacharel.
Zacharel is one of the warrior angels and we know about him from Amun's book, The Darkest Secret. His Deity is disappointed with Zacharel's act to murder demon possesed people,even they proven innocent. Zacharel must lead bad behaving angel army or they all will fallen and succumb to the darkness. First meet with Annabelle rose his long dead emotion and passion. Even then he realize Annabele had been marked by High Lord Demon and become its consort, no demons or angels can't stop him to claim Annabelle as his. Now,with demon hot in their tails, Zacharel and Annabelle must find whose demon that target her and ready to face the big war at Heaven and Hell.
Yes, Gena never disappoint me. But I hope she not use the same theme (human-immortal), since the ending is easily predictable.Its make me a little bored since I will know what happen in the end, even Gena give readers some twist that lead us to the next book, Beauty Awakened.
What I love from this book is the characterization. Both Annabelle and Zacharel are easily to loved and adore. Annabelle with her strong personality but deep inside she still fragile after all people she love left her. Zacharel who is... oh, did I forget to mention, he's VIRGIN?? Well, dayum! Virgin hero is one of my favorite, since I always love see their woman lover is their first and last. But not just the fact he's still virgin. Zacharel is alpha, infuriated alpha but he don't hesitate to said sorry. His scene when he cry and ask forgiveness to Annabelle is one of my favorite.
Others characters is likeable too. The angel army feat Thane, Koldo, Xerxes, Bjorn, Axel and Jamila is more likely will be told in the next books. And LOTU fans will happy and rejoice, since the Lords become cameo here, and not just cameo, they have important role too. My disappointment is just I have to see the Harpies again. Sorry, they are my less favorite creatures in LOTU world.
LOTU and Gena fans will ravish this book and love each page of it. Strong characters, full action, fast pace. Even the ending kinda overused, I assure you still can enjoy this. But I suggest to read the Lords of The Underworld first to know the background and some already known characters. Are the angels hotter than the Lords? Well, you must read this book to prove it by yourself ;)
BTW, look for my fantasy cast, both for Zacharel and Annabelle :
Zacharel :
Ummm, hotness overload? ;)
Annabelle Miller
Annabelle is half Japanese half Americans. I want to use Devon Aoki pics, but decide she's too much older for Annabelle that 22 years old.
Review for the cover
Holy Moley Naked Batman!!!
When I think The Darkest Seduction is the hottest LOTU cover, Zacharel's book steal the attention!!The background look too simple, just plain black, but the model pose are outstanding! Look at those abs! Yummilicious! Think if this angel finally find his wicked side?
Pairing of human and angel, I guess in the end the heroine will be immortal, or vice versa. Just sayin ;P
Note : I'm glad Gena make a new heroine for Zacharel.No more harpies, please!
Wicked Nights, is the first book of Angels of The Dark, spin-off series from Lords of The Underworld.
Annabelle Miller accused as murderer, and insane. 4 years after the the death of her parents, now she become patient of asylum and endure humiliating things done to her while she actually innocent. Worse, demon track her everywhere, and she never know why. Since Annabelle just a mere human. All change after she met this cold-than-ice angel, Zacharel.
Zacharel is one of the warrior angels and we know about him from Amun's book, The Darkest Secret. His Deity is disappointed with Zacharel's act to murder demon possesed people,even they proven innocent. Zacharel must lead bad behaving angel army or they all will fallen and succumb to the darkness. First meet with Annabelle rose his long dead emotion and passion. Even then he realize Annabele had been marked by High Lord Demon and become its consort, no demons or angels can't stop him to claim Annabelle as his. Now,with demon hot in their tails, Zacharel and Annabelle must find whose demon that target her and ready to face the big war at Heaven and Hell.
Yes, Gena never disappoint me. But I hope she not use the same theme (human-immortal), since the ending is easily predictable.Its make me a little bored since I will know what happen in the end, even Gena give readers some twist that lead us to the next book, Beauty Awakened.
What I love from this book is the characterization. Both Annabelle and Zacharel are easily to loved and adore. Annabelle with her strong personality but deep inside she still fragile after all people she love left her. Zacharel who is... oh, did I forget to mention, he's VIRGIN?? Well, dayum! Virgin hero is one of my favorite, since I always love see their woman lover is their first and last. But not just the fact he's still virgin. Zacharel is alpha, infuriated alpha but he don't hesitate to said sorry. His scene when he cry and ask forgiveness to Annabelle is one of my favorite.
Others characters is likeable too. The angel army feat Thane, Koldo, Xerxes, Bjorn, Axel and Jamila is more likely will be told in the next books. And LOTU fans will happy and rejoice, since the Lords become cameo here, and not just cameo, they have important role too. My disappointment is just I have to see the Harpies again. Sorry, they are my less favorite creatures in LOTU world.
LOTU and Gena fans will ravish this book and love each page of it. Strong characters, full action, fast pace. Even the ending kinda overused, I assure you still can enjoy this. But I suggest to read the Lords of The Underworld first to know the background and some already known characters. Are the angels hotter than the Lords? Well, you must read this book to prove it by yourself ;)
BTW, look for my fantasy cast, both for Zacharel and Annabelle :
Zacharel :
Ummm, hotness overload? ;)
Annabelle Miller
Annabelle is half Japanese half Americans. I want to use Devon Aoki pics, but decide she's too much older for Annabelle that 22 years old.
Review for the cover
Holy Moley Naked Batman!!!
When I think The Darkest Seduction is the hottest LOTU cover, Zacharel's book steal the attention!!The background look too simple, just plain black, but the model pose are outstanding! Look at those abs! Yummilicious! Think if this angel finally find his wicked side?
Pairing of human and angel, I guess in the end the heroine will be immortal, or vice versa. Just sayin ;P
Note : I'm glad Gena make a new heroine for Zacharel.No more harpies, please!
April 17, 2013
Annabelle was tricked by a demon and everything change in her life.This demon accomplished not only to destroy her family but also her life.
Now she is enclosed in an institution and her sick doctor violates her instead of helping her.
Here you are completely at my mercy.You are mine to do as I please...
and I please plenty.
However, he is not her only problem .Creature from the underworld are coming for her and she must fight them in order to survive.
Zacharel is assigned to teach the rebelious angels respect. This happened because he is a warrior without emotions and he doesnt count a lot human lifes and that's his punishment.For him emotions are nothing more than a waste of time , as for love , he has no idea what it feels like.
After a few events Zacharel feels the urge to protect her even if he doesnt know her ,so he takes her to his .Being imprisoned again is not something that she wants so death would be a mercy for her.
Zacharel and Annabelle spend more and more time together.Clearly he enjoys being near her but in the beginning she is uterly sarcastic to him.
Annabelle must get away from the demon that is hunting her so Zacharel is there to help her but he has a condition.
I will stay with you for a mounth ... If you will vow to kiss me whenever the urge strikes you.
Exactly , because a kiss is always not enough but Zach lost control.
They start to built a love hate relationship which is really entertaining.
The more you talk . The more I like you.
While everything is perfect then .......
I didnt see that coming. Fortunately Zacharel is quite broadminded and that doesnt affect their relationship but leads them to open up.
I'm sorry not because you know my sin but because I caused you so much pain.
Yet things get frustrating again when his deity and the demon appear.
My expressions when it comes to his deity
and when it comes to the demon
All in all I loved this book because I liked Zacharel's change.He used to be cold and emotionless but because he didnt need to use his emotions.She somehow became his everything when he had nothing.Annabelle managed to tame him and I have to say that she was pretty patient because he was difficult and comlpex.
Finally I have to state that I enjoyed so much the third POV.It was like the author was making comments in some intense parts of the book and that left me smiling.
"That's my boy."
"It's time for you to zip it Miller and let Zachie do his things . Remember???
“You are mine,” he rasped. “Only ever mine. I accept all that you are, and we can be together."
August 4, 2012
HOW has this book gotten so many 4 and 5 star reviews? The characters were flat and underdeveloped, the dialogue didn't flow, the sex scenes were lukewarm at best, the overuse of ellipses (...) throughout the book bugged the crap out of me, and the "and oh"s plaguing the book--all 16 of them--were highly annoying.
Like this:
"A long, white robe draped him, somehow displaying his incredible strength, and oh, oh, oh, but he had brought the chill of the Arctic with him."
All those "oh"s are unnecessary and quite frankly, jarred me out the flow of reading. Now am I being a little nitpicky? Probably. But I can overlook stuff like this if the writing is solid, and unfortunately, Ms. Showalter's writing just isn't.
All that stuff aside, the WORST part of this book was the purple prose, most of which didn't even make a damn lick of sense.
An actual quote from the book:
"Her tongue rolled against his, bringing with it the tastes of summer: berries dipped in cream, newly blooming roses and sultry midnights."
Seriously? Showalter's comparing the taste of Annabelle's tongue to "sultry midnights"? ...SERIOUSLY?? That's AWFUL writing right there, not to mention it doesn't make any freaking sense.
How about this one:
"A decadent fire consumed her in seconds, burning her up."
A fire cannot be decadent! This is absurd, and makes me wonder if Ms. Showalter even knows the meaning of the word.
I was not impressed with the first book in the LOTU series, but I was willing to give the author another try. I should've stuck with my gut and avoided this one, like I will do from now on with ALL of Gena Showalter's books.
Like this:
"A long, white robe draped him, somehow displaying his incredible strength, and oh, oh, oh, but he had brought the chill of the Arctic with him."
All those "oh"s are unnecessary and quite frankly, jarred me out the flow of reading. Now am I being a little nitpicky? Probably. But I can overlook stuff like this if the writing is solid, and unfortunately, Ms. Showalter's writing just isn't.
All that stuff aside, the WORST part of this book was the purple prose, most of which didn't even make a damn lick of sense.
An actual quote from the book:
"Her tongue rolled against his, bringing with it the tastes of summer: berries dipped in cream, newly blooming roses and sultry midnights."
Seriously? Showalter's comparing the taste of Annabelle's tongue to "sultry midnights"? ...SERIOUSLY?? That's AWFUL writing right there, not to mention it doesn't make any freaking sense.
How about this one:
"A decadent fire consumed her in seconds, burning her up."
A fire cannot be decadent! This is absurd, and makes me wonder if Ms. Showalter even knows the meaning of the word.
I was not impressed with the first book in the LOTU series, but I was willing to give the author another try. I should've stuck with my gut and avoided this one, like I will do from now on with ALL of Gena Showalter's books.
October 5, 2015
Final rating: 5/5 stars
※ update: I did some editing of the review on 17/10/14.
One word: AMAZING! I felt skeptical about reading it, mostly because it's connected to Lords of the Underworld. Actually, only the characters are connected with LoU - so it really isn't necessary to read LOU first. (But because of this book i will definitely read LOU now). And it's my first Gena Showalter experience!
Anyway, this story was sweet, funny and sometimes tragic, but still amazing book! The characters were just so intriguing and i can't wait to read more about them.
The world building is quite interesting, and i liked Hierarchy and i really loved Army of Disgrace. This is a story of Angels and Demons, or actually Sent Ones and Demons. There is a certain hierarchy. The Most High ruled the heavens (Merciful One, the Anointed One and the Mighty One are the tree ruling members, going by the name of The Most High). They had appointed several underlings and one of them is Deity Germanus. Germanus is a lesser king, who leads the Elite Seven—Zacharel, Lysander, Andrian, Gabek, Shalilah, Luanne, Svana and they all lead their own armies. Zacharel leads the Army of Disgrace, and he is the main character of this story.
Since this is a story of Sent One and Demons, then here is a bit more about them: Sent Ones are like angels, but not really. They are adopted children of the Most High, and their lives are tethered to Them. They are the source of their power and essential for their own existence. Angels are lesser in the hierarchy and they are servants and messengers.
There are many types of the demons and all of them did different things. They also had ranks and they liked to attach themselves to humans or posses them. Demons fed off the panic and upset, thus weakening humans and making them easy target.
____________________________________________
CHARACTERS :
____________________________________________
♦ Zacharel
Sinful Angel - Josh Kloss by ~shinhbang
Sexy Angel in charge of a complete mess of an army! He didn't care for the lives of the humans, especially when they were possessed by demons. He killed them, and for that he was punished to lead the worst army of Angels ever. They are all close to falling, and it's up to him to stop that happening. Most of his army doesn't care about anything, and some of them kill human or two, and for those deaths he gets punished. That fact changed his mind about killing humans or letting his army kill them. And then....he meets Annabelle, and saves her. And then some sparkles happen... and a lot of things.
He also tries to be emotionless - when someone he loved died, he closed off so he could not suffer all of that grief again. Basically, he is very cold character at first. Did i mention that he is extremely arrogant, kick ass, and quite interesting. Also has a gentle side, is a fierce warrior. He is also a virgin! A VIRGIN! VIRGIN! How rare it is for this genre. But i really loved him, and he felt guilt, remorse and regret for some things that he had done, especially to what he had done to Anna accidentally.
♦ Annabelle
Annabelle was attacked on her 18th birthday by a Demon. He killed her parents, violated her and hurt her. In shock and despair, she said to everyone that the monster killed her parents, and they judged her to be criminally insane and unstable. Not even her brother believed her. No one did. In just one night she lost everything and was thrown into institution for the criminally insane, and four years have passed from then. While she could see - because her eyes turned colorless and pale - and could feel the demons, the demons sensed her to and hurt her many many times. And because of that, doctors still thought she was insane and that she was trying to hurt herself, despite her efforts to convince them otherwise. Enter Fitzpervert who used her situation to his own benefit. And then, one night, Zachariel finds her, and after lot of convincing, and a lot of calling him names such as Winged Wonder and so on, he finally rescues her and takes her to his home.
She is a fighter, she will never go without a fight, extremely brave as well, she tries to turn situations in her advantage, she is traumatized, but she doesn't show it easily. She doesn't trust easily either! She is also half Japanese. She was a strong and brave heroine, and overall, great.
♦ Others :
There were many great characters as well. I liked Thane, Xerxes and Bjorn, they are very interesting characters and I want to know more about them. They met and bonded while they were in the captivity of the demons. They are all damaged, and still have side effects from it, because of which they were put in Zachariel's army. They love each other, and they would do anything for each other forever and ever.
Koldo on the other hand i found quite amazing. His wings were torn when he was young, and he never could regenerate them since. But it doesn't make him any less deadly. I couldn't believe what he had gone through for a person he knows for only 3 months - he gave up on something he cherished so much so he could help. He is just...amazing... I am glad the next book is with him!
____________________________________________
OVERALL :
____________________________________________
I loved it! It was just... great and i loved everything about it. Can't wait to see what sequels have in store!
____________________________________________
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
____________________________________________
MY ANGELS OF THE DARK REVIEWS:
◉ Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark, #1)
◉ Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark, #2)
◉ Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark, #3)
This review can be found on my blog: infinity-of-time.blogspot.com also known as...
“It shall be my pleasure to remedy it. First, it is not your strength or your speed that draws me. It's your... everything. Your laugh, your wit, your emotions and the way they change. Your courage, your sweetness, your near obsessive delight in cookies. Second, you are indeed a prize. You've made me want what no one else ever had. A communion of bodies."
※ update: I did some editing of the review on 17/10/14.
One word: AMAZING! I felt skeptical about reading it, mostly because it's connected to Lords of the Underworld. Actually, only the characters are connected with LoU - so it really isn't necessary to read LOU first. (But because of this book i will definitely read LOU now). And it's my first Gena Showalter experience!
Anyway, this story was sweet, funny and sometimes tragic, but still amazing book! The characters were just so intriguing and i can't wait to read more about them.
The world building is quite interesting, and i liked Hierarchy and i really loved Army of Disgrace. This is a story of Angels and Demons, or actually Sent Ones and Demons. There is a certain hierarchy. The Most High ruled the heavens (Merciful One, the Anointed One and the Mighty One are the tree ruling members, going by the name of The Most High). They had appointed several underlings and one of them is Deity Germanus. Germanus is a lesser king, who leads the Elite Seven—Zacharel, Lysander, Andrian, Gabek, Shalilah, Luanne, Svana and they all lead their own armies. Zacharel leads the Army of Disgrace, and he is the main character of this story.
Since this is a story of Sent One and Demons, then here is a bit more about them: Sent Ones are like angels, but not really. They are adopted children of the Most High, and their lives are tethered to Them. They are the source of their power and essential for their own existence. Angels are lesser in the hierarchy and they are servants and messengers.
There are many types of the demons and all of them did different things. They also had ranks and they liked to attach themselves to humans or posses them. Demons fed off the panic and upset, thus weakening humans and making them easy target.
____________________________________________
CHARACTERS :
____________________________________________
♦ Zacharel
Sinful Angel - Josh Kloss by ~shinhbang
“You know, you’re pretty when you smile,” she said, patting the side of his cheek.
“Fierce, woman. I am fierce.”
“If you say so.”
Sexy Angel in charge of a complete mess of an army! He didn't care for the lives of the humans, especially when they were possessed by demons. He killed them, and for that he was punished to lead the worst army of Angels ever. They are all close to falling, and it's up to him to stop that happening. Most of his army doesn't care about anything, and some of them kill human or two, and for those deaths he gets punished. That fact changed his mind about killing humans or letting his army kill them. And then....he meets Annabelle, and saves her. And then some sparkles happen... and a lot of things.
He also tries to be emotionless - when someone he loved died, he closed off so he could not suffer all of that grief again. Basically, he is very cold character at first. Did i mention that he is extremely arrogant, kick ass, and quite interesting. Also has a gentle side, is a fierce warrior. He is also a virgin! A VIRGIN! VIRGIN! How rare it is for this genre. But i really loved him, and he felt guilt, remorse and regret for some things that he had done, especially to what he had done to Anna accidentally.
♦ Annabelle
“Look, Winged Wonder. Get me out of here, then we'll hammer out the details about where I'm staying. Okay?"
"Winged Wonder," he said, nodding. "I find that I do not mind that one. It fits."
"Captain Modesty fits better," she muttered.
"I disagree. Winged Wonder is clearly the better choice for a man such as me."
Annabelle was attacked on her 18th birthday by a Demon. He killed her parents, violated her and hurt her. In shock and despair, she said to everyone that the monster killed her parents, and they judged her to be criminally insane and unstable. Not even her brother believed her. No one did. In just one night she lost everything and was thrown into institution for the criminally insane, and four years have passed from then. While she could see - because her eyes turned colorless and pale - and could feel the demons, the demons sensed her to and hurt her many many times. And because of that, doctors still thought she was insane and that she was trying to hurt herself, despite her efforts to convince them otherwise. Enter Fitzpervert who used her situation to his own benefit. And then, one night, Zachariel finds her, and after lot of convincing, and a lot of calling him names such as Winged Wonder and so on, he finally rescues her and takes her to his home.
She is a fighter, she will never go without a fight, extremely brave as well, she tries to turn situations in her advantage, she is traumatized, but she doesn't show it easily. She doesn't trust easily either! She is also half Japanese. She was a strong and brave heroine, and overall, great.
♦ Others :
There were many great characters as well. I liked Thane, Xerxes and Bjorn, they are very interesting characters and I want to know more about them. They met and bonded while they were in the captivity of the demons. They are all damaged, and still have side effects from it, because of which they were put in Zachariel's army. They love each other, and they would do anything for each other forever and ever.
Koldo on the other hand i found quite amazing. His wings were torn when he was young, and he never could regenerate them since. But it doesn't make him any less deadly. I couldn't believe what he had gone through for a person he knows for only 3 months - he gave up on something he cherished so much so he could help. He is just...amazing... I am glad the next book is with him!
____________________________________________
OVERALL :
____________________________________________
I loved it! It was just... great and i loved everything about it. Can't wait to see what sequels have in store!
____________________________________________
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
____________________________________________
MY ANGELS OF THE DARK REVIEWS:
◉ Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark, #1)
◉ Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark, #2)
◉ Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark, #3)
This review can be found on my blog: infinity-of-time.blogspot.com also known as...
October 18, 2012
Maybe the worst book I have read this year. I'm no literary expert, I read fluff, smut, smuff, I read romance, scifi, fantasy, urban fantasy and I'll be the first to admit my tastes aren't very glamorous. I'm not that hard to please... So when I pick up a book like this and it is so resoundingly awful, I feel it is my duty to let everyone know. I wanted to put this book down when I was 70% of the way in, which is very very rare for me. I ended up finishing it just so I could write this scathing review.
In general, this author tries to be gritty, dirty and bad, she was trying to write this story about the ugly side of heaven... or soemthing in that vein. She's too cutesy, and fluffy, and it didn't work. It was like she was trying to be JR Ward or Ilona Andrews, but just paled in comparison.
First, the circumstances that got Annabelle into that institute for the criminally insane were just dumb. On the day she turned 18, this girl supposedly killed her parents with a knife and chopped their bodies up (in daylight), then she called 911 and sat over her brother until they came. They got her because she had a knife in her hand that she had grabbed to protect herself, after her parents were murdered. First of all, the knife would have had no blood on the blade, and even if it were cleaned, a forensics lab would have been able to tell you that. Even though she had just turned 18, any good lawyer would have had her tried as a minor. Also, when you're in "jail" or in Annabell's case, an institute for the criminally insane, you do not have your hands cuffed behind your back on a regular basis, unless you're being transported somewhere. That sort of treatment is considered abusive because it can do permanent damage to your ligaments. In a criminally insane institution, you would have been cuffed in front with leather straps, and your hands would have been linked by a chain to your cuffed ankles. They also tend to have cameras everywhere, and I doubt that there would be so much abuse going on between the administrators and the patients.
Also, if you were randomly attached by demons no one else could see, don't you think people would wonder about the random cuts and scrapes you got, seemingly out of mid-air?
Economics and punishment in the Angel world also made no sense. Why the hell would an angel have to pay to live in a "cloud" or to live anywhere? And seriously, the author could not have come up with something less simple for them to live inside of, instead of a cloud? Why are bad angels punished with violence? That also made no sense. I think we all learned over the past few thousand years that flogging doesn't really solve anything... especially for fast-healing angels that have a very high pain tolerance.
I also don't believe for a second that if an angel is anything like a human, how one like Zacherel could have gone through thousands of years of his life without once having had sex (or at least a friggin' hard on). He was an adolescent once, one with mary-sue like abilities and he had a writhing mass of humans and otherworldly beings at his beck and call... Yeah, no.
Also, I did not once understand how he could have been attracted to Annabelle. Annabelle was a bitchy, angsty, whiny, adolescent child who was supposedly 22 years old. Apparently Zach's essentia latched onto her, and he didn't have a choice. Annabelle was such an awful person with no attractive or redeemable qualities. She was also incredibly dumb, anytime Zach told her he was leaving a room, she would get all angsty and wonder if that was him dumping her. Ahhh my goodness, I wanted to grab some bouncy balls and tape them to her anatomy, because I knew she didn't have the ability to grow a pair.
She would have been the most angsty and emo person to have ever lived, if it was not for Zacharel and his QQing over his dead brother. Did it annoy anyone else that he had this black spot growing on his chest, but didn't really care? At least he stood up for himself at times and sort of tried to shake the dumb out of Annabelle.
I also know I don't need to read any of the other books by this author because she introduced her other characters to the reader, and I hated them all. So that's a relief!
Okay, there were other things about this book that I didn't like, but I think I am done with this review. I am going to go read some paranormal romance that is actually good now, bye!
In general, this author tries to be gritty, dirty and bad, she was trying to write this story about the ugly side of heaven... or soemthing in that vein. She's too cutesy, and fluffy, and it didn't work. It was like she was trying to be JR Ward or Ilona Andrews, but just paled in comparison.
First, the circumstances that got Annabelle into that institute for the criminally insane were just dumb. On the day she turned 18, this girl supposedly killed her parents with a knife and chopped their bodies up (in daylight), then she called 911 and sat over her brother until they came. They got her because she had a knife in her hand that she had grabbed to protect herself, after her parents were murdered. First of all, the knife would have had no blood on the blade, and even if it were cleaned, a forensics lab would have been able to tell you that. Even though she had just turned 18, any good lawyer would have had her tried as a minor. Also, when you're in "jail" or in Annabell's case, an institute for the criminally insane, you do not have your hands cuffed behind your back on a regular basis, unless you're being transported somewhere. That sort of treatment is considered abusive because it can do permanent damage to your ligaments. In a criminally insane institution, you would have been cuffed in front with leather straps, and your hands would have been linked by a chain to your cuffed ankles. They also tend to have cameras everywhere, and I doubt that there would be so much abuse going on between the administrators and the patients.
Also, if you were randomly attached by demons no one else could see, don't you think people would wonder about the random cuts and scrapes you got, seemingly out of mid-air?
Economics and punishment in the Angel world also made no sense. Why the hell would an angel have to pay to live in a "cloud" or to live anywhere? And seriously, the author could not have come up with something less simple for them to live inside of, instead of a cloud? Why are bad angels punished with violence? That also made no sense. I think we all learned over the past few thousand years that flogging doesn't really solve anything... especially for fast-healing angels that have a very high pain tolerance.
I also don't believe for a second that if an angel is anything like a human, how one like Zacherel could have gone through thousands of years of his life without once having had sex (or at least a friggin' hard on). He was an adolescent once, one with mary-sue like abilities and he had a writhing mass of humans and otherworldly beings at his beck and call... Yeah, no.
Also, I did not once understand how he could have been attracted to Annabelle. Annabelle was a bitchy, angsty, whiny, adolescent child who was supposedly 22 years old. Apparently Zach's essentia latched onto her, and he didn't have a choice. Annabelle was such an awful person with no attractive or redeemable qualities. She was also incredibly dumb, anytime Zach told her he was leaving a room, she would get all angsty and wonder if that was him dumping her. Ahhh my goodness, I wanted to grab some bouncy balls and tape them to her anatomy, because I knew she didn't have the ability to grow a pair.
She would have been the most angsty and emo person to have ever lived, if it was not for Zacharel and his QQing over his dead brother. Did it annoy anyone else that he had this black spot growing on his chest, but didn't really care? At least he stood up for himself at times and sort of tried to shake the dumb out of Annabelle.
I also know I don't need to read any of the other books by this author because she introduced her other characters to the reader, and I hated them all. So that's a relief!
Okay, there were other things about this book that I didn't like, but I think I am done with this review. I am going to go read some paranormal romance that is actually good now, bye!
March 16, 2013
Actual Rating: 4.5
What I really loved about Wicked Nights was the slow building of the romance. The change in Zacharel, his curiosity, Anabelle's determination, her tenacity. To be honest it's a slow read, more an introduction to the world of the Angels of the Dark, but I found I did not mind. I didn't want to jump into a story where I had no idea what was going on and everything needed to be explained at once so I could play catch up, making it even more confusing. Heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Gena Showalter brings us another amazing series, and beautiful angels on the brink of destruction with no hope for redemption.
Zacharel, leader of the Army of Disgrace, as his fellow brethren have deemed them, is a cold, heartless, and emotionless angel. When we first met Zacharel in The Darkest Secret, I was immediately intrigued. He is as beautiful and magnetic as he is cold and callous. But how can an angel who is suppose to be kind, compassionate, and caring be so heartless? What has made this angel so icy? When I discovered his reason, I was both shocked and heartbroken, it wasn't something I'd expect to read, but there it was. But all that changes when he meets Anabelle Miller, a human who intrigues the angel like nothing or no one ever has before. To watch him fall apart and contradict himself with her was so beautiful and not to mention hilarious, I couldn't help but fall in love even more with him.
Anabelle Miller is a human locked up in a criminally insane institution. She's been accused of murdering her parents claiming a demon did it. But what the police doesn't understand, is she is telling the truth. But why is she the only human who can see demons? This was a startling revelation, I had no idea a demon could have a consort, let alone that they could do it whilst the person was dreaming. What I liked about Anabelle? Despite the fact that she was wrongfully accused and living out a life sentence in an insane asylum, she was strong and determined not to go down without a fight, both with the demons and humans alike. I really liked that about her. Then her wry sense of humor with Zacharel, their banter was hilarious. And I like that she doesn't fall head over heels in love with him and let's him treat her like she's beneath him, despite that she's human.
I liked the slow building of their relationship, it seemed much more realistic that they took things slow, as it was Zacharel's first time, EVER with a woman. I wouldn't go as far as saying the sex scenes were awesome and they were so steamy, no, rather they were endearing and sweet. Not what I was use to from Gena Showalter, but definitely not disappointing either.
All love aside, though, Zacharel struggles to earn the respect of his men. They're all angels who've seen far more than any other has. And they've been stripped of their humanity, their compassion, their ability to feel anything but the need for destruction and vengeance. I really loved Thane, Bjorn, Xerxes, Koldo, and Axel, though we only see very little of him. I would have liked to see more of the army, and more of their reluctance to heed orders, I mean they're suppose to be the baddest of the bad, right?
On top of leading an army, Zacharel must deal with demons who are bent on capturing Anabelle for the Demon High Lord, Unforgiveness. But I couldn't help feel disappointed that the reason why he wanted her was so obvious. Still, I liked the end result. And the more I read, the more I wanted to know more. Despite the Angel's new mission to keep from falling, and the battles with demons they must face, there is still the impending war we saw brewing in the Lords of the Underworld series. And I really liked that we got to see the Lords interact with Zacharel again, brief as it was.
I can't wait to read Koldo's book, which is Beauty Awakened, and read more about the angels. This series is looking very promising and I'd recommend to any LOTU fan and lover of angel paranormal romances :D
And now for my Fangirl review Well, more like a play by play of my reaction to some of the things that happened :P
FANGIRLING? MEEEE?? Why, yes... Yes I am! And
What I really loved about Wicked Nights was the slow building of the romance. The change in Zacharel, his curiosity, Anabelle's determination, her tenacity. To be honest it's a slow read, more an introduction to the world of the Angels of the Dark, but I found I did not mind. I didn't want to jump into a story where I had no idea what was going on and everything needed to be explained at once so I could play catch up, making it even more confusing. Heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Gena Showalter brings us another amazing series, and beautiful angels on the brink of destruction with no hope for redemption.
Zacharel, leader of the Army of Disgrace, as his fellow brethren have deemed them, is a cold, heartless, and emotionless angel. When we first met Zacharel in The Darkest Secret, I was immediately intrigued. He is as beautiful and magnetic as he is cold and callous. But how can an angel who is suppose to be kind, compassionate, and caring be so heartless? What has made this angel so icy? When I discovered his reason, I was both shocked and heartbroken, it wasn't something I'd expect to read, but there it was. But all that changes when he meets Anabelle Miller, a human who intrigues the angel like nothing or no one ever has before. To watch him fall apart and contradict himself with her was so beautiful and not to mention hilarious, I couldn't help but fall in love even more with him.
Anabelle Miller is a human locked up in a criminally insane institution. She's been accused of murdering her parents claiming a demon did it. But what the police doesn't understand, is she is telling the truth. But why is she the only human who can see demons? This was a startling revelation, I had no idea a demon could have a consort, let alone that they could do it whilst the person was dreaming. What I liked about Anabelle? Despite the fact that she was wrongfully accused and living out a life sentence in an insane asylum, she was strong and determined not to go down without a fight, both with the demons and humans alike. I really liked that about her. Then her wry sense of humor with Zacharel, their banter was hilarious. And I like that she doesn't fall head over heels in love with him and let's him treat her like she's beneath him, despite that she's human.
I liked the slow building of their relationship, it seemed much more realistic that they took things slow, as it was Zacharel's first time, EVER with a woman. I wouldn't go as far as saying the sex scenes were awesome and they were so steamy, no, rather they were endearing and sweet. Not what I was use to from Gena Showalter, but definitely not disappointing either.
All love aside, though, Zacharel struggles to earn the respect of his men. They're all angels who've seen far more than any other has. And they've been stripped of their humanity, their compassion, their ability to feel anything but the need for destruction and vengeance. I really loved Thane, Bjorn, Xerxes, Koldo, and Axel, though we only see very little of him. I would have liked to see more of the army, and more of their reluctance to heed orders, I mean they're suppose to be the baddest of the bad, right?
On top of leading an army, Zacharel must deal with demons who are bent on capturing Anabelle for the Demon High Lord, Unforgiveness. But I couldn't help feel disappointed that the reason why he wanted her was so obvious. Still, I liked the end result. And the more I read, the more I wanted to know more. Despite the Angel's new mission to keep from falling, and the battles with demons they must face, there is still the impending war we saw brewing in the Lords of the Underworld series. And I really liked that we got to see the Lords interact with Zacharel again, brief as it was.
I can't wait to read Koldo's book, which is Beauty Awakened, and read more about the angels. This series is looking very promising and I'd recommend to any LOTU fan and lover of angel paranormal romances :D
And now for my Fangirl review Well, more like a play by play of my reaction to some of the things that happened :P
FANGIRLING? MEEEE?? Why, yes... Yes I am! And
October 16, 2020
"Wicked Nights" is the first book in the "Angels of the Dark"-series and are also related to "Lords of the Underworld"-series.Gena Showalter presents another bunch of sexy tortured warrior Angels,irresistible romance and hard-core action and magic and a wonderful twist that i actually predicted!Annabelle Miller was a normal girl until a demon from hell killed her parents and then marked her as his own.Being a suspect of her parents murder she gets locked up in a mental institution.The ice-cold Angel warrior Zachariel kills the demons located there and decides to save Annabelle after feeling a undeniable pull towards her.Together they have to slay the demon of Unforgiveness to finally free her from his poison.
Annabelle Miller is half-japanese and very strong and brave when it came to her circumstances.I mean fate had been everything but good towards her,and she refused to dwell on the past.If it were me i would be ballshit crazy if all that shit happened to me!I love how she opens up to Zachariel`s world,and how she falls for the golden hearted man he is.She comes to love him irrevocably and i love it that she knew that he also felt the same before he even knew it.
Zachariel is a Deity warrior and a very beautiful Angel who haven`t felt any emotion at all for centuries ever since he had to kill his twin-brother Hadraniel.He is also a virgin,which i found so romantic!It was fun watching in the past books how he was so confused about the love the Lords felt for their women and i so longed for him to get a woman of his own and fall head over heels!Annabelle quickly becomes his whole world,she teaches him to love and sacrifice and the goodness of humanity.I cried at the scene where he humbled himself in front of her down his knees,crying to her stomach and begging for forgiveness!Ahh how i wanted to hug him to pieces!
I am so intrigued by Koldo,Thane,Xerxes and Bjorn-i mean all these warriors are sexy as hell and their dark attitudes only makes them more irresistible!Paris,Strider,Kaia,Amun,Haidee,Lucien and Anya from the LOTU series also appeared which made me giddy as hell,just jumped up and down in my room!Paris makes my heart sing everytime he appears!Oh,and one thing i realized about this book was that the sex-scenes aren`t as detailed as in the authors other books,why is that?I loved this book either way,it was all i could expect from the Queen of paranormal romance genre Gena Showalter.
Annabelle Miller is half-japanese and very strong and brave when it came to her circumstances.I mean fate had been everything but good towards her,and she refused to dwell on the past.If it were me i would be ballshit crazy if all that shit happened to me!I love how she opens up to Zachariel`s world,and how she falls for the golden hearted man he is.She comes to love him irrevocably and i love it that she knew that he also felt the same before he even knew it.
Zachariel is a Deity warrior and a very beautiful Angel who haven`t felt any emotion at all for centuries ever since he had to kill his twin-brother Hadraniel.He is also a virgin,which i found so romantic!It was fun watching in the past books how he was so confused about the love the Lords felt for their women and i so longed for him to get a woman of his own and fall head over heels!Annabelle quickly becomes his whole world,she teaches him to love and sacrifice and the goodness of humanity.I cried at the scene where he humbled himself in front of her down his knees,crying to her stomach and begging for forgiveness!Ahh how i wanted to hug him to pieces!
I am so intrigued by Koldo,Thane,Xerxes and Bjorn-i mean all these warriors are sexy as hell and their dark attitudes only makes them more irresistible!Paris,Strider,Kaia,Amun,Haidee,Lucien and Anya from the LOTU series also appeared which made me giddy as hell,just jumped up and down in my room!Paris makes my heart sing everytime he appears!Oh,and one thing i realized about this book was that the sex-scenes aren`t as detailed as in the authors other books,why is that?I loved this book either way,it was all i could expect from the Queen of paranormal romance genre Gena Showalter.
June 13, 2013
Eating strawberries... I literally stopped my hand midway to my mouth and stared.
^Yup, this was my facial expression.
Oh.
My.
God.
I need some of that... like, now.
^Yup, this was my facial expression.
Oh.
My.
God.
I need some of that... like, now.
July 21, 2024
What we want is not always what we need.
2.5 stars
Zacharel’s appearance in The Darkest Seduction really intrigued me to read his story. I pre-ordered his book in January, and after months of waiting, I was looking forward to knowing "ultracold" Zacharel's behaviour in romantic situations...
Wicked Nights is the first installment of the Angels of the Dark series, which is a Lords of the Underworld spin-off.
Zacharel was always enigmatic, and although in his book I get to know a lot of things about him, I still don’t feel him close to me.
It is absolutely Zacharel’s book. The story revolves around his life, his deeds, and his future.
Someone wants to take revenge on him, wants him to pay for a deed he was forced to do long time ago. Although Zacharel did his best, he unintentionally hurt this person. Since then, he suffers extremely because of it, and is sentenced to slow death himself.
Meanwhile, his Deity wants to teach him a lesson about the true essence of their mission, their true task. Zacharel hopes to be a member of the Elite Seven, but as yet he is not aware of the basic idea of being an angel. So the lesson is necessary. First it seems too cruel, but when the Deity explains it, it is so clear, so obvious.
At the beginning of the story, I felt like Annabelle was a catalyst, a tool for starting and keeping the events in motion. She is not his equal as a main character.
She also suffers from this inequality in the story, from a different aspect, of course. Fortunately, she has the strength to become an equal partner of Zacharel. She is brave, smart, funny, and observant.
Annabelle has spirit; she is filled with hope, she never gives up. I loved her teasing, and nicknames for Zacharel.
“Look, Winged Wonder. Get me out of here, then we’ll hammer out the details about where I’m staying, okay?”
“Winged Wonder,” he said, nodding. “I find that I do not mind that one. It fits.”
“Captain Modesty fits better,” she muttered.
“I disagree. Winged Wonder is clearly the better choice for a man such as me.”
Secondary characters
The warrior angels, Thane, Xerxes, Bjorn and Koldo in Zacharel’s army are very interesting characters. I enjoyed their little insults toward Zacharel. As the story progresses, the insults disappear, and are replaced by respect for their leader.
The appearance of the Lords of the Underworld is spectacular! I love them so much!
Some problems
● The plot is well-built, but its fluidity and rhythm are broken by some elongated chapters and episodes, such as the chapter about Zacharel and Annabelle’s conversation about kisses, another chapter about their bargain of kisses, and a further chapter about their first kiss.
● There is only one twist in the story, but that one is shocking. The awaited resolution-scene comes too late, only at the end. The fight with the antagonist is too short, too hasty.
● I love the world Gena Showalter has created in the Lords of the Underworld series, because it is unique. Usually she doesn’t adopt clichés or popular images. But in here there some annoying things, such as the delineation of the Deity as an old man; the minion demons are sitting on humans’ shoulders and whispering incitements into their ears; ooh, and the demonic appearance of Annabelle disappears when she calms down, just like the Hulk...
● The erotic scenes are kind of boring and faint. They are moderate and mannered: now you, then me, your turn, my turn, etc. Something is missing, maybe the heat. I didn’t feel the “thing”...
● The dialogues are witty, but I’m used to more humorous scenes in Gena Showalter’s books.
Romance, drama, and action are in appropriate amount in the novel, but their presentment is often superficial and depthless.
The cover
The cover is beautiful. The models are perfectly fit the main characters’ appearances. So far, for me it is the cover of the year.
My favorite quotes.
July 31, 2015
Loved this book! Loved this couple! Just... LOVED!:)
February 10, 2017
Re-read: 12.10.2016
Ah, how I love angels: I still adored it. It's a cute, charming and awesome story. I like the characters; I find no wrongs in them and I like the story. I don't love it, but I like it. Well enough to at least re-read it, obviously :) Though, it's not the best angel book out there, it's still worth (re-)reading.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance
Series: - Series, Book One
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Zacharel
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Probably.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Already done it. Who knows if I'll do it again?
Rating - 3.5/4 Stars.
First read review:
"Wicked Nights" by Gena Showalter was great! Good written, awesome story, and nice characters! I give the book 4 stars :)
Ah, how I love angels: I still adored it. It's a cute, charming and awesome story. I like the characters; I find no wrongs in them and I like the story. I don't love it, but I like it. Well enough to at least re-read it, obviously :) Though, it's not the best angel book out there, it's still worth (re-)reading.
“You,” the female on the bed said, her timbre shaded with irritation. “New guy. Angel Boy. Colonel Curls, or whatever you want to be called. I'm done asking, so now I'm commanding. Free me.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance
Series: - Series, Book One
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Zacharel
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Probably.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Already done it. Who knows if I'll do it again?
Rating - 3.5/4 Stars.
First read review:
"Wicked Nights" by Gena Showalter was great! Good written, awesome story, and nice characters! I give the book 4 stars :)
June 26, 2012
Posted on Under the Covers
From the amazing author who brought you the Lords of the Underworld comes a new world were angels toe the line between darkness and light. In WICKED NIGHTS, the first book of the ANGELS OF THE DARK series, Gena Showalter introduces a virgin angel named Zacharel. Burdened by the Deity to be the leader of a group of badass angels, Zacharel is forced to lead and receive punishment for any misdeeds they commit. In this group there is Thane, Bjorn, Xerxes and Koldo. All of which are tortured souls waiting to exact revenge on someone or something.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I have been a fan of Showalter for some time now and firmly believe that her writing has improved with each book. I noticed this in her last release, THE DARKEST SEDUCTION, but in WICKED NIGHTS, Showalter really shows her strength and growth as a writer. Her writing has become more descriptive, more tighter and the proof is in the pages. Gena has been working her butt off and you can totally see the improvements in each subsequent book.
Probably the biggest reason I loved this book is because I adored the hero and heroine. Zacharel is a virgin – need I say more? And Annabelle is a woman who has faced a tough life, but doesn’t allow her past hurts to haunt her. I adored her spunk and fiery spirit and added to Zacharel’s more serious side results in some hilarious dialogue. Here, case in point:
Annabelle alternately marveled at the change in him and at the luminosity of the full moon. Other humans gave him a wide berth, nearly flattening themselves against the building walls to widen the distance between them. Annabelle danced around him, grinning. “Can I just say what a bad boy you are right now?”
“Of course you can. You just did.”
“No, I mean – Oh, never mind, you spoiled it. “ Her lips dipped into a pout.
Zacharel is adorable!
While I thought the book lacked the thread that should have pulled the plot forward, I found that I really enjoyed the ending. Showalter pulls a little twist at the ending that I really enjoyed and it really stirred the pot up! For fans of the LOTU, there are a lot of cameos in this book. You’ll be happy to note that Paris and Lucien and some of the women and more make regular appearances. It was hilarious to read Annabelle’s reaction to Paris’ hotness.
Now I am jonesing for a taste of Koldo and Xerxes. Out of all the other angels, they stood out to me the most. If Showalter continues to write like this for her next books, there is no doubt that the Angels of the Dark series will be just as successful as the Lords of the Underworld. Watch out now, Lords ‘cause the Angels have arrived!
*Early Review Copy provided by author
From the amazing author who brought you the Lords of the Underworld comes a new world were angels toe the line between darkness and light. In WICKED NIGHTS, the first book of the ANGELS OF THE DARK series, Gena Showalter introduces a virgin angel named Zacharel. Burdened by the Deity to be the leader of a group of badass angels, Zacharel is forced to lead and receive punishment for any misdeeds they commit. In this group there is Thane, Bjorn, Xerxes and Koldo. All of which are tortured souls waiting to exact revenge on someone or something.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I have been a fan of Showalter for some time now and firmly believe that her writing has improved with each book. I noticed this in her last release, THE DARKEST SEDUCTION, but in WICKED NIGHTS, Showalter really shows her strength and growth as a writer. Her writing has become more descriptive, more tighter and the proof is in the pages. Gena has been working her butt off and you can totally see the improvements in each subsequent book.
Probably the biggest reason I loved this book is because I adored the hero and heroine. Zacharel is a virgin – need I say more? And Annabelle is a woman who has faced a tough life, but doesn’t allow her past hurts to haunt her. I adored her spunk and fiery spirit and added to Zacharel’s more serious side results in some hilarious dialogue. Here, case in point:
Annabelle alternately marveled at the change in him and at the luminosity of the full moon. Other humans gave him a wide berth, nearly flattening themselves against the building walls to widen the distance between them. Annabelle danced around him, grinning. “Can I just say what a bad boy you are right now?”
“Of course you can. You just did.”
“No, I mean – Oh, never mind, you spoiled it. “ Her lips dipped into a pout.
Zacharel is adorable!
While I thought the book lacked the thread that should have pulled the plot forward, I found that I really enjoyed the ending. Showalter pulls a little twist at the ending that I really enjoyed and it really stirred the pot up! For fans of the LOTU, there are a lot of cameos in this book. You’ll be happy to note that Paris and Lucien and some of the women and more make regular appearances. It was hilarious to read Annabelle’s reaction to Paris’ hotness.
Now I am jonesing for a taste of Koldo and Xerxes. Out of all the other angels, they stood out to me the most. If Showalter continues to write like this for her next books, there is no doubt that the Angels of the Dark series will be just as successful as the Lords of the Underworld. Watch out now, Lords ‘cause the Angels have arrived!
*Early Review Copy provided by author
October 18, 2012
5+ stars!!! Zacharel = HOT HOT HOT (even when he's oh so cold...)
'Wicked Nights' heralds the first in Gena Showalter's new series 'Angels of the Dark', a spin-off of her wildly popular 'Lords of the Underworld' books, and (IMHO) she has definitely hit it out of the park with this one. I absolutely loved it!
Paranormal romance used to be my all-time favorite, numero uno, top choice when it came to reading... and it still is to some extent. However, it seems like the genre is just so overloaded with mediocre and crap books these days, it's hard to find and latch onto something exciting and new. That's why I've been branching out of my comfort zone and have thankfully discovered some ah-may-zing reads in other romance sub-genres (*cough Kristen Ashley cough*). Oh, I've still got my favorite go-to, auto-buy paranormal romance authors and Gena Showalter is among them, but sometimes their books even fall a bit short off the mark (*ahem* 'The Darkest Seduction'). So when I found out GS was coming out with a LOTU spin-off I was both super excited and a tad wary. Turns out, there was no need to be wary. 'Wicked Nights' was fresh, exciting, sexy, action-packed and one of the best books Gena Showalter has written to date.
We first met aloof, sexy badass Angel Zacharel in 'The Darkest Secret' and it was a panty-melting experience. His arrogance and continued cold-indifference have landed him in trouble with the Deity and he now finds himself leading an army of badass Angel misfits. (ROWR! - There are a LOT of tortured bad-boys to love here!!) These guys have been f*ck-ups for a while and this is their last chance - if Zacharel and his demon-fighting crew of Angelic warriors don't manage to redeem themselves within a year then they are Fallen. Trouble is, there is little to no respect between Zacharel and his new army, and they are struggling (and pretty much failing) to work together. When they are called in to defeat a horde of demons attacking an institution for the criminally insane, Zacharel meets a beautiful inmate, Annabelle, who manages to crack his ice-cold facade. She is the intended target of the demons and while he can't understand why he's drawn to her, he decides to free her anyway... And when Zacharel begins to feel for the first time in eons, trust and respect begins to grow between him and his warriors.
There were a lot of twists and turns in 'Wicked Nights', and the last 100 pages were especially gripping. I'll admit that I believed I knew where the book was heading fairly early on - and it does indeed turn out somewhat like I expected... but it also doesn't. Showalter manages to pack in a few unexpected surprises and follows through with a thrilling climax. When all was said and done, I was left completely satisfied and antsy for more! I can't wait for Koldo's story - bring on more 'Angels of the Dark'!
'Wicked Nights' heralds the first in Gena Showalter's new series 'Angels of the Dark', a spin-off of her wildly popular 'Lords of the Underworld' books, and (IMHO) she has definitely hit it out of the park with this one. I absolutely loved it!
Paranormal romance used to be my all-time favorite, numero uno, top choice when it came to reading... and it still is to some extent. However, it seems like the genre is just so overloaded with mediocre and crap books these days, it's hard to find and latch onto something exciting and new. That's why I've been branching out of my comfort zone and have thankfully discovered some ah-may-zing reads in other romance sub-genres (*cough Kristen Ashley cough*). Oh, I've still got my favorite go-to, auto-buy paranormal romance authors and Gena Showalter is among them, but sometimes their books even fall a bit short off the mark (*ahem* 'The Darkest Seduction'). So when I found out GS was coming out with a LOTU spin-off I was both super excited and a tad wary. Turns out, there was no need to be wary. 'Wicked Nights' was fresh, exciting, sexy, action-packed and one of the best books Gena Showalter has written to date.
We first met aloof, sexy badass Angel Zacharel in 'The Darkest Secret' and it was a panty-melting experience. His arrogance and continued cold-indifference have landed him in trouble with the Deity and he now finds himself leading an army of badass Angel misfits. (ROWR! - There are a LOT of tortured bad-boys to love here!!) These guys have been f*ck-ups for a while and this is their last chance - if Zacharel and his demon-fighting crew of Angelic warriors don't manage to redeem themselves within a year then they are Fallen. Trouble is, there is little to no respect between Zacharel and his new army, and they are struggling (and pretty much failing) to work together. When they are called in to defeat a horde of demons attacking an institution for the criminally insane, Zacharel meets a beautiful inmate, Annabelle, who manages to crack his ice-cold facade. She is the intended target of the demons and while he can't understand why he's drawn to her, he decides to free her anyway... And when Zacharel begins to feel for the first time in eons, trust and respect begins to grow between him and his warriors.
There were a lot of twists and turns in 'Wicked Nights', and the last 100 pages were especially gripping. I'll admit that I believed I knew where the book was heading fairly early on - and it does indeed turn out somewhat like I expected... but it also doesn't. Showalter manages to pack in a few unexpected surprises and follows through with a thrilling climax. When all was said and done, I was left completely satisfied and antsy for more! I can't wait for Koldo's story - bring on more 'Angels of the Dark'!
October 4, 2015
I was stuck for a while teetering on 4 stars probably because I'm in such a book funk. I have been needing romance.. swooning romance where you feel the love they have and because of all the side stories and all the battles I didn't get that till the end of this story. But when it came it was beyond satisfying and I had tears streaming which catapulted this straight to 5 stars. I adored Zacharel and Annabelle was so feisty and funny at times. I will definitely be checking out the other angels stories.
March 20, 2017
4.25/5 stars
I cant believe that this is my first Gena Showalter book! Everyone takes about her Lords of the Underworld series and here I am only just starting her spin-off series. I totally understand why everyone is addicted to these books, Wicked Nights was amazing! It was sweet, funny and had angels in it!! Angels are by far my favourite paranormal being to read about, but I just haven't found many angel books that Ive really connected to. The angels in this book are sexy, edgy and super cute (although they'd probably kill me for saying so)!
Zacharel is the commander of a brutal angel army who all seem to be on the brink of falling. They're all a force to be reckoned with but Zacharel is by far the most likely to lose his wings as he is seen as too cold hearted, dangerous and too ruthless of heaven. He has never cared about collateral damage or taking human lives whilst destroying demons...until one vulnerable human unleashes desire from deep within him. Zacharel experiences desire like he never has before and will try everything to claim the human for as his own.
Annabelle Miller has spent the last four years locked away in a mental institute for the criminally insane accused of killing her parents. Nobody believes her when she talks about the demon who killed her parents or the other demons that seem to follow her everywhere. Zacharel might be her only salvation, but their relationship grows to become much more than just Zacharel protecting Annabelle. Their desire for each other grows, but how can an angel love someone who has been claimed by a demon.
This was just such a charming book! It was addictive, funny and constantly entertaining. The world that Gena Showalter created is so rich and phenomenally detailed, I was thinking about it long after it was finished. The angels were so uniquely created and described. There were unique aspects about them that I've never read before and I absolutely loved diving into the world and getting to know all about the paranormal beings and magic system. Usually I get bored about history, politics and backstories but I was drawn into every word about these angels. I am well and truly hooked!
I have no specific negative comments about this book, however, it did take me a while to get connected to the story. I think this was may be to do with me being extremely busy whilst I was reading the book so I never had time to just sit down and get fully immersed in the story. There was also a lot of history and hierarchy explanations at the start which took a while for me to fully get my head around. But this really wasn't a big issue for me and overall, I really enjoyed the book! I just wish I could have sat down and binge read it instead of being constantly interrupted (how rude of life to interrupt my reading time)!!
The romance in this book was definitely a slow burn, but the angst and tension was there from the start. They had an enormous amount of chemistry as well as great banter, some super sweet moments and an overwhelming desire to protect each other.
At the start of the book, Zacharel is basically emotionless and has a very hard time understanding human fancies, emotions and vulnerabilities. It was actually hilarious to read about him stumbling over these newfound emotions and desires after meeting Annabelle. He developed so much over the book and by the end he was sweet, protective but still hot as hell! I thought he was such an adorable character and I loved him to pieces! His character also meshed so well with Annabelle (who I also love) because she was a strong, stubborn and feisty women with a heart of gold. Together they made such a perfect character and I revelled in every moment they spent together and how much they developed throughout the book.
Even though I haven't read the Lords of the Underworld series, I found it super easy to get to know the characters and understand where they fit in the story. The minor characters were such a grea influence on the book and brought so much more fun and entertainment. Whilst I was reading and loving Annabelle and Zacharel's story, at the same time I was excited to read about these other characters. Without a doubt I'm continuing this series as well as the author's other series.
“You are mine,” he rasped. “Only ever mine. I accept all that you are, and we can be together.”
I cant believe that this is my first Gena Showalter book! Everyone takes about her Lords of the Underworld series and here I am only just starting her spin-off series. I totally understand why everyone is addicted to these books, Wicked Nights was amazing! It was sweet, funny and had angels in it!! Angels are by far my favourite paranormal being to read about, but I just haven't found many angel books that Ive really connected to. The angels in this book are sexy, edgy and super cute (although they'd probably kill me for saying so)!
Zacharel is the commander of a brutal angel army who all seem to be on the brink of falling. They're all a force to be reckoned with but Zacharel is by far the most likely to lose his wings as he is seen as too cold hearted, dangerous and too ruthless of heaven. He has never cared about collateral damage or taking human lives whilst destroying demons...until one vulnerable human unleashes desire from deep within him. Zacharel experiences desire like he never has before and will try everything to claim the human for as his own.
Annabelle Miller has spent the last four years locked away in a mental institute for the criminally insane accused of killing her parents. Nobody believes her when she talks about the demon who killed her parents or the other demons that seem to follow her everywhere. Zacharel might be her only salvation, but their relationship grows to become much more than just Zacharel protecting Annabelle. Their desire for each other grows, but how can an angel love someone who has been claimed by a demon.
“Look, Winged Wonder. Get me out of here, then we'll hammer out the details about where I'm staying. Okay?"
"Winged Wonder," he said, nodding. "I find that I do not mind that one. It fits."
"Captain Modesty fits better," she muttered.
"I disagree. Winged Wonder is clearly the better choice for a man such as me."
This was just such a charming book! It was addictive, funny and constantly entertaining. The world that Gena Showalter created is so rich and phenomenally detailed, I was thinking about it long after it was finished. The angels were so uniquely created and described. There were unique aspects about them that I've never read before and I absolutely loved diving into the world and getting to know all about the paranormal beings and magic system. Usually I get bored about history, politics and backstories but I was drawn into every word about these angels. I am well and truly hooked!
I have no specific negative comments about this book, however, it did take me a while to get connected to the story. I think this was may be to do with me being extremely busy whilst I was reading the book so I never had time to just sit down and get fully immersed in the story. There was also a lot of history and hierarchy explanations at the start which took a while for me to fully get my head around. But this really wasn't a big issue for me and overall, I really enjoyed the book! I just wish I could have sat down and binge read it instead of being constantly interrupted (how rude of life to interrupt my reading time)!!
“You know, you’re pretty when you smile,” she said, patting the side of his cheek.
“Fierce, woman. I am fierce.”
“If you say so.”
The romance in this book was definitely a slow burn, but the angst and tension was there from the start. They had an enormous amount of chemistry as well as great banter, some super sweet moments and an overwhelming desire to protect each other.
At the start of the book, Zacharel is basically emotionless and has a very hard time understanding human fancies, emotions and vulnerabilities. It was actually hilarious to read about him stumbling over these newfound emotions and desires after meeting Annabelle. He developed so much over the book and by the end he was sweet, protective but still hot as hell! I thought he was such an adorable character and I loved him to pieces! His character also meshed so well with Annabelle (who I also love) because she was a strong, stubborn and feisty women with a heart of gold. Together they made such a perfect character and I revelled in every moment they spent together and how much they developed throughout the book.
Even though I haven't read the Lords of the Underworld series, I found it super easy to get to know the characters and understand where they fit in the story. The minor characters were such a grea influence on the book and brought so much more fun and entertainment. Whilst I was reading and loving Annabelle and Zacharel's story, at the same time I was excited to read about these other characters. Without a doubt I'm continuing this series as well as the author's other series.
“It shall be my pleasure to remedy it. First, it is not your strength or your speed that draws me. It's your...everything. Your laugh, your wit, your emotions and the way they change. Your courage, your sweetness, your near obsessive delight in cookies. Second, you are indeed a prize. You've made me want what no one else ever had. A communion of bodies."
December 27, 2012
Spoiler Free Review
4 STARS out of 5
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Series: Book #1 in Angels of the Dark series
Zacharel is cold blooded, he feels no emotion. HOWEVER one human girl will warm his blood and bring a passion that will burn him to his soul. In Wicked Nights
The Deity has claimed Zacharel too dangerous. His cold hearted mentality will leave him wingless if he does not change his ways. Now with a gang of angel misfits Zacharel must learn to melt the ice in his chest while teaching his misfit army of Angels to do the same by showing compassion and respect for human life.
Annabelle Miller has spent the last four years of her life in a hospital for the criminally insane for the murder of her parents. Problem is Annabelle did not commit the crime. A demon did, of course when she tells the police " A monster did it" that does not help her case. A Demon king wants Annabelle and he sends out demons to track her on a regular basis. Fighting has become her lifestyle and she refuses to let the demons win. So when an Angel appears she holds out a little hope that he will save her.
How can Zacharel save Anna when he has not felt emotions such as sympathy for over a millennium?
And how long will it take for him to realize that they share a common enemy?
Soon the ice cold Angel with the piercing green eyes will learn that love is more powerful than anything he has EVER experienced.
Thoughts
The book started pretty slow for me but when it picked up it really got my attention. As always the world building was awesome and Showalter even had a cameo in there with some of my fave Lords of the Underworld which i loved! I also loved Thane can't wait for his book the guy had me laughing out loud often. The twist was good though i saw it coming about 2 seconds before it happened.
Annabelle- Anna has become one of my fave PNR heroines. She was fun fierce and female just the way I like them! She kicked all ass and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice if need be.
Zacharel- Started off very cold and at times ignorant. And i guess with some things he really was ignorant to his credit he is considered to be like most Angels innocent and nonchalant. However Anna heated his cold blood quickly making him crave things he never knew he wanted. Like Love, Sex and Cookies.
My Ratings
Characters- Likeable
Writing Style- Good
Plot/Storyline- Good
Steam Factor- Low to Slow Simmer/Moderately Steamy
Overall- I liked it!
Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it on Goodreads!
October 27, 2011
It’s pretty much a given I will read anything by Gena Showalter. I’m beyond addicted to her Lords of the Underworld series, and when I heard she had written a spin off series, called Angels of the Dark, I was more than happy a start to what looks to be a great new series.
A few angels have popped up in her Lords of the Underworld series, specifically, Lysander. If you read The Darkest Angel from the Heart of Darkness anthology, then you have a good idea what Zacharel, the angel hero of Wicked Nights is like. Zacharel has the same mind set as Lysander. He’s cold, calculating, has a massive ego and refuses to feel any real emotion. He’s in charge of an army of angels who have angered the Deity, a type of spirit or god they all follow. These angels are all rejects, and Zacharel is in charge of keeping them in line while they battle the demons of the underworld that cause havoc on Earth. Zacharel’s angel warriors are a bloodthirsty group and they don’t care if there are human casualties. Zacharel does care because his Deity takes it out on his hide, literally, if any angels kill innocent humans while taking down demons.
During the latest battle on Earth, Zacharel ends up at a mental institutional for the criminally insane. For some reason the demons want to get inside. When Zacharel enters the building, he comes in contact with a drugged woman tied down to a gurney. He thinks nothing of her until he notices the demons want to hurt her. She’s Annabelle, who was found guilty of murdering her parents when she was eighteen. Annabelle sees demons everywhere. They stalk her because she has been claimed by a powerful demon. She has no idea how or why this has happened. Zacharel decides to take her up to heaven and keep her safe in his cloud until he can figure out why Annabelle has been marked. Soon enough Annabelle breaks through his defenses and he starts developing feelings for her. He doesn’t know why he enjoys being with Annabelle and helps her train in defending herself, including the way his body responds to her. He’s confused and worried that if his feelings continue to grow for Annabelle, his Deity may punish him. But Zacharel can’t stop wanting Annabelle, and while she teaches him about love and trust, he in turn teaches her to fight back. Together they join forces and soon their lessons become passionate and all consuming where Zacharel will move heaven and earth to claim his Anna forever.
Wicked Nights is wicked awesome. Gena continually gets better with every book she writes. Annabelle is fierce, strong, no weeping hides in the corner, TSTL heroine. She fights back with everything inside of her. Her strength is what attracts Zacharel to her. Watching him fall for Anna is beyond delicious. Zacharel has never felt passion ever in the thousands of years he’s lived. Annabelle reaches deep inside of him and makes his heart beat, as well as bleed for her. Also Zacharel is a virgin (loves me some virgin heroes) and those scenes where he and Annabelle engage in heavy make our sessions and foreplay are full of sexy erotic fun.
I also love the idea of Zacharel’s home being a cloud that will grant you anything you want. This was shown in The Darkest Angel and Annabelle makes good use of Zacharel’s cloud. Can I have my own cloud with a side of Zacharel, please?
Wicked Nights is a total winning read for me and cements my belief that Gena Showalter is one of the best authors out there writing addicting paranormal romance. Do yourself a favor and read Wicked Nights ASAP. It’s one book you’ll not only read once and sigh over, but end up re-reading many times over.
A few angels have popped up in her Lords of the Underworld series, specifically, Lysander. If you read The Darkest Angel from the Heart of Darkness anthology, then you have a good idea what Zacharel, the angel hero of Wicked Nights is like. Zacharel has the same mind set as Lysander. He’s cold, calculating, has a massive ego and refuses to feel any real emotion. He’s in charge of an army of angels who have angered the Deity, a type of spirit or god they all follow. These angels are all rejects, and Zacharel is in charge of keeping them in line while they battle the demons of the underworld that cause havoc on Earth. Zacharel’s angel warriors are a bloodthirsty group and they don’t care if there are human casualties. Zacharel does care because his Deity takes it out on his hide, literally, if any angels kill innocent humans while taking down demons.
During the latest battle on Earth, Zacharel ends up at a mental institutional for the criminally insane. For some reason the demons want to get inside. When Zacharel enters the building, he comes in contact with a drugged woman tied down to a gurney. He thinks nothing of her until he notices the demons want to hurt her. She’s Annabelle, who was found guilty of murdering her parents when she was eighteen. Annabelle sees demons everywhere. They stalk her because she has been claimed by a powerful demon. She has no idea how or why this has happened. Zacharel decides to take her up to heaven and keep her safe in his cloud until he can figure out why Annabelle has been marked. Soon enough Annabelle breaks through his defenses and he starts developing feelings for her. He doesn’t know why he enjoys being with Annabelle and helps her train in defending herself, including the way his body responds to her. He’s confused and worried that if his feelings continue to grow for Annabelle, his Deity may punish him. But Zacharel can’t stop wanting Annabelle, and while she teaches him about love and trust, he in turn teaches her to fight back. Together they join forces and soon their lessons become passionate and all consuming where Zacharel will move heaven and earth to claim his Anna forever.
Wicked Nights is wicked awesome. Gena continually gets better with every book she writes. Annabelle is fierce, strong, no weeping hides in the corner, TSTL heroine. She fights back with everything inside of her. Her strength is what attracts Zacharel to her. Watching him fall for Anna is beyond delicious. Zacharel has never felt passion ever in the thousands of years he’s lived. Annabelle reaches deep inside of him and makes his heart beat, as well as bleed for her. Also Zacharel is a virgin (loves me some virgin heroes) and those scenes where he and Annabelle engage in heavy make our sessions and foreplay are full of sexy erotic fun.
I also love the idea of Zacharel’s home being a cloud that will grant you anything you want. This was shown in The Darkest Angel and Annabelle makes good use of Zacharel’s cloud. Can I have my own cloud with a side of Zacharel, please?
Wicked Nights is a total winning read for me and cements my belief that Gena Showalter is one of the best authors out there writing addicting paranormal romance. Do yourself a favor and read Wicked Nights ASAP. It’s one book you’ll not only read once and sigh over, but end up re-reading many times over.
April 25, 2019
This book was okay, not as good as the Lords of the Underworld but its okay. I adore Zacharel and Annabelle's story so much. Their story is so original. The fight scenes were well depicted.
The writing was amazing, I don't like the way the Angels were portrayed, am quite religious so it was blasphemous.
The writing was amazing, I don't like the way the Angels were portrayed, am quite religious so it was blasphemous.
June 24, 2012
Gena Showalter is one of my favorite all time authors. I own every book she's ever written and pre-order her books as soon as they are available. I was super excited to get an ARC of Wicked Nights and could not wait to read it, although I hesitated reading it for a few days because I did not want it to end so quickly.
Wicked Night's is the first book in Gena's new ANGELS OF THE DARK series, which is a spin-off of the LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD series.
We've met Zacharel, the hero of this book, in previous LOTU books and we know him to be a cold-hearted and ruthless Angel. Zacharel is in danger of losing his wings and falling. As punishment, his Deity has tasked him with leading a group of misfit outcast angels who are also in danger of falling due their lack of sympathy and care towards humanity. They are now tasked with protecting humanity against demon attacks. If a one of the Angels kills a human during the battle, Zacharel is severely punished for it. If Zacharel can't get his army to listen and follow his lead, they are all in danger of falling together. Only problem is, Zacharel thinks the same way as his Angels and cares not for humans. That is…..until he finds Annabelle Miller tied to a gurney in the mental asylum he and his Angels are tasked with protecting from the swarm of demons attacking it.
Annabelle, the heroine of the book has endured many horrors. She’s spent the last four years of her life locked up in an asylum for the criminally insane because she was blamed for the heinous act of violence on her family. Only Annabelle knows that demons are the ones that attacked her family on her 18th birthday, and that's because she's the only one that can see demons. She has spent the last 4 years of her life abandoned by her remaining family and friends because they believe she committed the crime. She has endured horrible abuse at the hands of the doctors and staff at the hospital and from the constant attacks on her by the demons, but her spirit and will to live never die. She fights with all that she has left and that's what make Annabelle a kick-ass heroine. She does not wine or cry. She always fights and never gives up hope.
Zacharel and Annabelle together are the perfect combination for the two balance each other. Zacharel has never felt much emotion and has never felt desire. Annabelle has an amazing survival instinct and her will to never give up despite the odds, impresses Zacharel. Zacahrel makes Annabelle feel safe and protected which is what she needs most right now. Being that Annabelle faced some sexual abuse in the asylum, their getting together sexually was slow in process but, the chemistry between the two throughout the book was electrifying.
I am also intrigued by all of the other Angels in Zacharel's army. I am looking forward to Koldo's book which is scheduled to be released in February 2013. And I can't wait to learn more about these tortured Angles.
If you're a fan of the LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD series you will be happy to know that Paris and a few of the other Lords make an appearance to help Zacharel, along with some of their mates.
Wicked Nights is a dark paranormal romance with all of the awesomeness that Gena puts into every book. It has strong alpha heroes, kick-ass heroines, smokin' hot romance, secondary characters that will leave you clamoring for the release of their books and a crazy twist of an ending that leaves you with your mouth hanging open.
Gena amazes me in how she has written so many books and they never get dull or boring. EVERY book is better than the last and she blows me away with every book she writes. She never disappoints me and I can't wait for the next installment of the ANGELS OF THE DARK.
I give WICKED NIGHTS 5 out of 5 stars!!
Wicked Night's is the first book in Gena's new ANGELS OF THE DARK series, which is a spin-off of the LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD series.
We've met Zacharel, the hero of this book, in previous LOTU books and we know him to be a cold-hearted and ruthless Angel. Zacharel is in danger of losing his wings and falling. As punishment, his Deity has tasked him with leading a group of misfit outcast angels who are also in danger of falling due their lack of sympathy and care towards humanity. They are now tasked with protecting humanity against demon attacks. If a one of the Angels kills a human during the battle, Zacharel is severely punished for it. If Zacharel can't get his army to listen and follow his lead, they are all in danger of falling together. Only problem is, Zacharel thinks the same way as his Angels and cares not for humans. That is…..until he finds Annabelle Miller tied to a gurney in the mental asylum he and his Angels are tasked with protecting from the swarm of demons attacking it.
Annabelle, the heroine of the book has endured many horrors. She’s spent the last four years of her life locked up in an asylum for the criminally insane because she was blamed for the heinous act of violence on her family. Only Annabelle knows that demons are the ones that attacked her family on her 18th birthday, and that's because she's the only one that can see demons. She has spent the last 4 years of her life abandoned by her remaining family and friends because they believe she committed the crime. She has endured horrible abuse at the hands of the doctors and staff at the hospital and from the constant attacks on her by the demons, but her spirit and will to live never die. She fights with all that she has left and that's what make Annabelle a kick-ass heroine. She does not wine or cry. She always fights and never gives up hope.
Zacharel and Annabelle together are the perfect combination for the two balance each other. Zacharel has never felt much emotion and has never felt desire. Annabelle has an amazing survival instinct and her will to never give up despite the odds, impresses Zacharel. Zacahrel makes Annabelle feel safe and protected which is what she needs most right now. Being that Annabelle faced some sexual abuse in the asylum, their getting together sexually was slow in process but, the chemistry between the two throughout the book was electrifying.
I am also intrigued by all of the other Angels in Zacharel's army. I am looking forward to Koldo's book which is scheduled to be released in February 2013. And I can't wait to learn more about these tortured Angles.
If you're a fan of the LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD series you will be happy to know that Paris and a few of the other Lords make an appearance to help Zacharel, along with some of their mates.
Wicked Nights is a dark paranormal romance with all of the awesomeness that Gena puts into every book. It has strong alpha heroes, kick-ass heroines, smokin' hot romance, secondary characters that will leave you clamoring for the release of their books and a crazy twist of an ending that leaves you with your mouth hanging open.
Gena amazes me in how she has written so many books and they never get dull or boring. EVERY book is better than the last and she blows me away with every book she writes. She never disappoints me and I can't wait for the next installment of the ANGELS OF THE DARK.
I give WICKED NIGHTS 5 out of 5 stars!!
May 30, 2019
Δεύτερη ανάγνωση και κατεβάζω ένα αστεράκι. Μου άρεσε πολύ, αλλά θεωρώ ότι έτσι θα αδικήσω μερικά άλλα από τη σειρά που μου άρεσαν λίγο πιο πολύ!
(Η παρακάτω κριτική είναι από την πρώτη φορά που το διάβασα αλλά δε θα την αλλάξω)
***********************************
I have to say that Gena Showalter knows how to keep my interest! ! This is the first story from the Angels of the Dark series and I’m sure that this series will be one of my favorites. If you expect something like the Lords of the Underworld, think again! I love LOTU but this book was something else. More dark and with more complicated characters this book was better from what I was expecting.
We knew Zacharel from the LOTU series but here we learn his story. He is an angel but very different from what we know about angels. He is a step before the Fall because he doesn’t care about humans and his Deity, in order to give him a last chance, make him leader of a group of other angels like him. It’s easy to realize that in this series will be too many tormented heroes! So, Zacharel at first is a cold-hearted bastard who wants only to kill demons and he doesn’t care if he’ll kill some humans in the process. Also, he is extremely arrogant and very fierce as a leader. But then, Annabelle comes to his life and Zacharel after thousands of years comes to know what love is. He isn’t cold because he is a bad person. He is distant because he lost a long time ago the only person he loved, his brother. I don’t want to say more because it will be a spoiler! The truth is the I really liked Zacharel. He is hard man to live with but he’s strong, brave and honest. He is determined to do the right thing and, although he doesn’t admit it, he wants the best for all the angels in his army. Also, I loved the way he learns to love Annabelle and how willing he is to learn about human relationships.
I liked very much Annabelle but I have to admit that she was a very unlucky person in her life so far. It’s not easy to be accused of murdering her parents and after four years in an asylum to learn that angels and demons exist and they are fighting for her soul. But it’s amazing how soon she recovered from the shock! She is a very strong person. She suffered a lot and she recovered fast. She is smart and witty and I loved that she is so different from Zacharel because this way they complete each other!
I liked the story! It was just as dark as I want a paranormal romance to be and the secondary characters are so interesting that now I want so much the next book! Koldo, Thane, Xerxes and Bjorn are some of the characters that I want to learn more about and I can’t wait for the next book!
(Η παρακάτω κριτική είναι από την πρώτη φορά που το διάβασα αλλά δε θα την αλλάξω)
***********************************
I have to say that Gena Showalter knows how to keep my interest! ! This is the first story from the Angels of the Dark series and I’m sure that this series will be one of my favorites. If you expect something like the Lords of the Underworld, think again! I love LOTU but this book was something else. More dark and with more complicated characters this book was better from what I was expecting.
We knew Zacharel from the LOTU series but here we learn his story. He is an angel but very different from what we know about angels. He is a step before the Fall because he doesn’t care about humans and his Deity, in order to give him a last chance, make him leader of a group of other angels like him. It’s easy to realize that in this series will be too many tormented heroes! So, Zacharel at first is a cold-hearted bastard who wants only to kill demons and he doesn’t care if he’ll kill some humans in the process. Also, he is extremely arrogant and very fierce as a leader. But then, Annabelle comes to his life and Zacharel after thousands of years comes to know what love is. He isn’t cold because he is a bad person. He is distant because he lost a long time ago the only person he loved, his brother. I don’t want to say more because it will be a spoiler! The truth is the I really liked Zacharel. He is hard man to live with but he’s strong, brave and honest. He is determined to do the right thing and, although he doesn’t admit it, he wants the best for all the angels in his army. Also, I loved the way he learns to love Annabelle and how willing he is to learn about human relationships.
I liked very much Annabelle but I have to admit that she was a very unlucky person in her life so far. It’s not easy to be accused of murdering her parents and after four years in an asylum to learn that angels and demons exist and they are fighting for her soul. But it’s amazing how soon she recovered from the shock! She is a very strong person. She suffered a lot and she recovered fast. She is smart and witty and I loved that she is so different from Zacharel because this way they complete each other!
I liked the story! It was just as dark as I want a paranormal romance to be and the secondary characters are so interesting that now I want so much the next book! Koldo, Thane, Xerxes and Bjorn are some of the characters that I want to learn more about and I can’t wait for the next book!
July 15, 2012
Amo al tipo de la portada. Punto.
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Sencillamente nunca he encontrado un libro de esta autora que no me guste, y este no fue la excepción, aunque sí se sintió algo flojo como la mayoría de los libros que comienzan una serie, no porque sean lentos, sino porque hay demasiado personajes que absorver y escenas que no acabas de comprender hasta que no llega el siguiente libro y hacen que se diluya levemente el sentido de la historia principal algunas veces. Sin embargo Zacharel y Annabelle pudieron mantenerme pegada al libro durante gran parte de la noche, y fueron lo primero que vi esta mañana jajajjaja y eso se merece mis cuatro estrellitas :D
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“Think I can flip without falling to the ground?”
“Of course you can. You can do anything.”
A laugh as sweet as tolling bells, echoing through the sky. “But I’ve already fallen three times.”
“Which means you now know what not to do.”
____
“So maybe I do ask a lot of questions. So what. Anyone in my position would do the same. Besides, I’m a girl and that’s my job. You’re a boy. You’re supposed to pound your chest with your fists and grunt, then do everything in your power to please me.”
____
“Really? You’ll let me, without pouting like a baby?”
“First, I never pout. I ponder, and probably quite sexily. <3
________________________________________________
Sencillamente nunca he encontrado un libro de esta autora que no me guste, y este no fue la excepción, aunque sí se sintió algo flojo como la mayoría de los libros que comienzan una serie, no porque sean lentos, sino porque hay demasiado personajes que absorver y escenas que no acabas de comprender hasta que no llega el siguiente libro y hacen que se diluya levemente el sentido de la historia principal algunas veces. Sin embargo Zacharel y Annabelle pudieron mantenerme pegada al libro durante gran parte de la noche, y fueron lo primero que vi esta mañana jajajjaja y eso se merece mis cuatro estrellitas :D
________________________________________________
“Think I can flip without falling to the ground?”
“Of course you can. You can do anything.”
A laugh as sweet as tolling bells, echoing through the sky. “But I’ve already fallen three times.”
“Which means you now know what not to do.”
____
“So maybe I do ask a lot of questions. So what. Anyone in my position would do the same. Besides, I’m a girl and that’s my job. You’re a boy. You’re supposed to pound your chest with your fists and grunt, then do everything in your power to please me.”
____
“Really? You’ll let me, without pouting like a baby?”
“First, I never pout. I ponder, and probably quite sexily. <3
June 25, 2012
His gaze drilled into her very soul. "What are you thinking about, Annabelle?" Huskily asked, a caress to each of her senses.
Like him, she couldn't lie. Not this time, the truth already proven by the softening of her lips. "Kissing you."
His gaze immediately dropped to her lips, his pupils gobbling up his irises. "Why?"
Because you think I'm a prize. Because, when you look at me, I feel cherished rather than leered at. "I believe you'll be familiar with my answer----because."
Wicked Nights is the dark and sexy debut new paranormal romance series by Gena Showalter featuring angels. These angels have been scattered amongst her Lords of the Underworld series, so I was ecstatic to hear they would be staring in their own series titled Angels of the Dark. Showalter does not disappoint, and from the beginning of the book I was fascinated and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
The story begins four years after Annabelle Miller witnesses a demon savagely murder her parents on her Eighteenth birthday while she helplessly fought to save them from death. She has been wrongfully convicted of murdering her parents and has been serving her time sentenced at the Moffat County Institute for the Criminally Insane, in the Colorado mountains. Unfortunately she is the only human that can visualize these demons that victimize her daily, and therefore leading to the further speculation that she is criminally insane, and no longer fit to be rehabilitated into a positive member of society.
It breaks my heart to read that Annabelle has not only been victimized by the demon that killed her parents as well as her dreams of a normal life but she is now a victim of a sleazy creepy doctor that she has nicknamed Dr. Fritzpervert that uses sedation to force himself upon her body daily. Finally an army of unruly angels have become aware of the demon infestation at the Moffat Institute and have now deemed it their responsibility to rid the demon festation and protect the humans at all costs.
This man could teach her, she thought. This heavenly man who appeared so devilish, like a dark, seductive dream meant to lure a female straight into midnight temptations.
Dangerous....Yes, this man is dangerous......
Zacharel is the brutally SEXY-Licious commander of these group of unruly angels that have been working together for the past three months since their Deity gave them one year to prove they are worthy of keeping their wings. None of these angels wish to become Fallen Angels and each of their behavior reflects on the entire group ultimately dooming themselves and Zacharel to life without wings if they fail. Ultimately upon meeting Annabelle he gives her a chance to be rescued away from further abuse, but she's going to have trust this ferocious warrior Zacharel if she expects to survive, or die trying.
Annabelle is fierce, feisty and so kind hearted with such a strong and courageous soul. I was instantly enthralled with how she stood up to Zacharel and challenged his every word, without even a desire to heed the consequences. It was riveting to watch such an aloof angel used to commanding orders without rebuttal yet, Annabelle such a feisty human questions and refuses even the simplest commands he gives her, yet he recedes giving her free will to do as she pleases.
"This is no way to speak to me, Annabelle. I am in a dangerous mood."
Zacharel is such a voracious warrior and I was fascinated with his tortured story. Sadly his past has left him a hardened shell of the carefree angel he once was before the loss of a loved one. His past has dictated his inner turmoil and his suffering leading to a life without love, and a focus on cruelty. Having kept himself closed off from romantic interactions for so long, I've found it endearing to watch his cold outer shell thaw into an angel with a desire for someone other than himself. Zacharel and Annabelle both from their first meet ignite such intoxicating passion and sexual tension, it wasn't difficult getting wrapped up in it.
"Very well. But I must admit, taking care of a female is more difficulty than even I imagined."
"Hey! I am not high maintenance. I'm spunky."
His gaze met hers for a protracted second. "To a man who has spent centuries seeing to only his own needs, you are indeed high maintenance, but I'm finding I do not mind maintaining you."
Together these two charmed their way into each others heart, as well as my own while they works together to discover the identity of the demon that has spent the last four years spending his minions to torture and injure Annabelle, ultimately putting a target on his back as an enemy of Zacharel. From the first time Zacharel met Annabelle he has a desire to protect her, and possess her heart, mind and soul, and with this demon interfering with her safety his defeat has now became Zacharel's greatest ambition, and those familiar with Zacharel know that ambition is not something he lacks.
" You were warned," Zacharel said before Annabelle had time to react. He smiled, but it was not the kind smile Annabelle could wring from him. It was the cruelest of all. His wings flared from his back as he grabbed him by the waist. "You don't care what I do to you? Well, let's see if I can change your mind."
As a Lords of the Underworld fan I was delighted to see appearances from a few of my favorite demons and their fiery women! I recommend Wicked Nights for fans of sexy, dark paranormal romance fans who find themselves fascinated with tortured heros and heroines. I LOVED Wicked Nights, and true to Gena Showalter form she will wrap you up in this story where you don't want to put it down, tug at your heart strings, excite you with a spicy romantic story, side characters your eager to get to know more, and world building that will you will desire to read the next book immediately. I'm already a huge fan of sexually deviant yet loyal Thane and selfless and tortured Kobo, and I'm hoping the next book will feature one of them. Wicked Nights is a must read for all paranormal romance fans, so you must read it immediately!
"You are mine," he rasped. "Only ever mine. I accept all that you are, and we can be together. "
4.5 Stars!!!
ARC provided by Author
You can also find my review here: http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com...
Like him, she couldn't lie. Not this time, the truth already proven by the softening of her lips. "Kissing you."
His gaze immediately dropped to her lips, his pupils gobbling up his irises. "Why?"
Because you think I'm a prize. Because, when you look at me, I feel cherished rather than leered at. "I believe you'll be familiar with my answer----because."
Wicked Nights is the dark and sexy debut new paranormal romance series by Gena Showalter featuring angels. These angels have been scattered amongst her Lords of the Underworld series, so I was ecstatic to hear they would be staring in their own series titled Angels of the Dark. Showalter does not disappoint, and from the beginning of the book I was fascinated and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
The story begins four years after Annabelle Miller witnesses a demon savagely murder her parents on her Eighteenth birthday while she helplessly fought to save them from death. She has been wrongfully convicted of murdering her parents and has been serving her time sentenced at the Moffat County Institute for the Criminally Insane, in the Colorado mountains. Unfortunately she is the only human that can visualize these demons that victimize her daily, and therefore leading to the further speculation that she is criminally insane, and no longer fit to be rehabilitated into a positive member of society.
It breaks my heart to read that Annabelle has not only been victimized by the demon that killed her parents as well as her dreams of a normal life but she is now a victim of a sleazy creepy doctor that she has nicknamed Dr. Fritzpervert that uses sedation to force himself upon her body daily. Finally an army of unruly angels have become aware of the demon infestation at the Moffat Institute and have now deemed it their responsibility to rid the demon festation and protect the humans at all costs.
This man could teach her, she thought. This heavenly man who appeared so devilish, like a dark, seductive dream meant to lure a female straight into midnight temptations.
Dangerous....Yes, this man is dangerous......
Zacharel is the brutally SEXY-Licious commander of these group of unruly angels that have been working together for the past three months since their Deity gave them one year to prove they are worthy of keeping their wings. None of these angels wish to become Fallen Angels and each of their behavior reflects on the entire group ultimately dooming themselves and Zacharel to life without wings if they fail. Ultimately upon meeting Annabelle he gives her a chance to be rescued away from further abuse, but she's going to have trust this ferocious warrior Zacharel if she expects to survive, or die trying.
Annabelle is fierce, feisty and so kind hearted with such a strong and courageous soul. I was instantly enthralled with how she stood up to Zacharel and challenged his every word, without even a desire to heed the consequences. It was riveting to watch such an aloof angel used to commanding orders without rebuttal yet, Annabelle such a feisty human questions and refuses even the simplest commands he gives her, yet he recedes giving her free will to do as she pleases.
"This is no way to speak to me, Annabelle. I am in a dangerous mood."
Zacharel is such a voracious warrior and I was fascinated with his tortured story. Sadly his past has left him a hardened shell of the carefree angel he once was before the loss of a loved one. His past has dictated his inner turmoil and his suffering leading to a life without love, and a focus on cruelty. Having kept himself closed off from romantic interactions for so long, I've found it endearing to watch his cold outer shell thaw into an angel with a desire for someone other than himself. Zacharel and Annabelle both from their first meet ignite such intoxicating passion and sexual tension, it wasn't difficult getting wrapped up in it.
"Very well. But I must admit, taking care of a female is more difficulty than even I imagined."
"Hey! I am not high maintenance. I'm spunky."
His gaze met hers for a protracted second. "To a man who has spent centuries seeing to only his own needs, you are indeed high maintenance, but I'm finding I do not mind maintaining you."
Together these two charmed their way into each others heart, as well as my own while they works together to discover the identity of the demon that has spent the last four years spending his minions to torture and injure Annabelle, ultimately putting a target on his back as an enemy of Zacharel. From the first time Zacharel met Annabelle he has a desire to protect her, and possess her heart, mind and soul, and with this demon interfering with her safety his defeat has now became Zacharel's greatest ambition, and those familiar with Zacharel know that ambition is not something he lacks.
" You were warned," Zacharel said before Annabelle had time to react. He smiled, but it was not the kind smile Annabelle could wring from him. It was the cruelest of all. His wings flared from his back as he grabbed him by the waist. "You don't care what I do to you? Well, let's see if I can change your mind."
As a Lords of the Underworld fan I was delighted to see appearances from a few of my favorite demons and their fiery women! I recommend Wicked Nights for fans of sexy, dark paranormal romance fans who find themselves fascinated with tortured heros and heroines. I LOVED Wicked Nights, and true to Gena Showalter form she will wrap you up in this story where you don't want to put it down, tug at your heart strings, excite you with a spicy romantic story, side characters your eager to get to know more, and world building that will you will desire to read the next book immediately. I'm already a huge fan of sexually deviant yet loyal Thane and selfless and tortured Kobo, and I'm hoping the next book will feature one of them. Wicked Nights is a must read for all paranormal romance fans, so you must read it immediately!
"You are mine," he rasped. "Only ever mine. I accept all that you are, and we can be together. "
4.5 Stars!!!
ARC provided by Author
You can also find my review here: http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com...
June 27, 2012
Gena Showalter is sure to sweep readers away with these sexy, bad boy angels in her new Angels of the Dark series, a spin-off of the hit paranormal romance series, Lords of the Underworld.
The coldly emotionless angel warrior, Zacharel, is on the brink of losing his wings unless he can learn the value of human lives. As punishment, his Deity casts upon him the duty to lead a ragtag group of angels who toe the line of goodness. There is a war coming and Zacharel must prepare his warriors but if he can’t get them in line he is the one who suffers the consequence of their actions. Every time they misstep, Zacharel receives punishment in their place. Each have dark, tortured pasts that have led them on this road to redemption and Zacharel is determined to see them all through it, when he runs across a human woman in the midst of demons though the ice surrounding him slowly starts to melt. But will she lead him to heaven or hell?
Annabelle Miller watched a monster murder her parents four years ago but no one would believe her. Accused of their murders she was sentenced to an institution for the criminally insane. But the monsters followed… Constantly attacked while being abused and drugged by the institution’s workers, Annabelle no longer knows what’s real or imagined. When an angel pops into her cell during a demon attack she does know one thing though, this is the one being that can save her. But Zacharel has demons of his own to face; does he have the strength to fight hers as well?
Always a fan of anything from Gena Showalter, Wicked Nights did not disappoint! Angels of the Dark had a whole new feeling to it then what we usually find in Gena’s Lords of the Underworld series, a lot darker and more descriptive. You’ll recognize the main character and leader of the rebel warrior angel army, Zacharel from the past few books if you’re a fan of the Lords of the Underworld series. But if you have yet to pick up a LOTU book (I’ll be nice and not hit you over the head with my Stridey) have no worries because Angels of the Dark can more then stand on its on feet as a separate series.
I loved delving into Zacharel’s character. From the LOTU books he seemed incapable of emotion, cold just like the snow that falls from his wings. But in Wicked Nights we learn that this emotionless state stems from the death of his brother and the snow on his wings is punishment for letting a human die in the crosshairs of a battle. Annabelle balances Zacharel’s serious side out superbly and their dialogue together adds some wicked humor to this dark and gritty story line, especially how Zacharel has the tendency to take everything Annabelle says literally. Annabelle was a captivating heroine as well, feisty and strong despite being a mere human. She has many demons to fight, quite literally, and isn’t afraid to face them head on.
Gena’s writing flows from the pages with intriguing characters and in-depth world building that makes the story fall into place and defines the series as a whole. Heart-stopping twists are woven into this Angels vs. Demons adventure that will keep you turning the pages for more.
LOTU fans will not be disappointed as several cameos are weaved into the story. However I did find in Wicked Nights that, though the passion was there, it was slow to develop and lacked the intense sexual spark that I’ve come to expect from Gena’s works.
All in all, another amazing read from author Gena Showalter and I can’t wait to get my hands on more of these sexy angels. I think I’ve found a new addiction! If you're a fan of paranormal romance then you simply must pick up Wicked Nights today!
"First, I never pout. I ponder, and probably quite sexily." ~Zacharel
The coldly emotionless angel warrior, Zacharel, is on the brink of losing his wings unless he can learn the value of human lives. As punishment, his Deity casts upon him the duty to lead a ragtag group of angels who toe the line of goodness. There is a war coming and Zacharel must prepare his warriors but if he can’t get them in line he is the one who suffers the consequence of their actions. Every time they misstep, Zacharel receives punishment in their place. Each have dark, tortured pasts that have led them on this road to redemption and Zacharel is determined to see them all through it, when he runs across a human woman in the midst of demons though the ice surrounding him slowly starts to melt. But will she lead him to heaven or hell?
Annabelle Miller watched a monster murder her parents four years ago but no one would believe her. Accused of their murders she was sentenced to an institution for the criminally insane. But the monsters followed… Constantly attacked while being abused and drugged by the institution’s workers, Annabelle no longer knows what’s real or imagined. When an angel pops into her cell during a demon attack she does know one thing though, this is the one being that can save her. But Zacharel has demons of his own to face; does he have the strength to fight hers as well?
Always a fan of anything from Gena Showalter, Wicked Nights did not disappoint! Angels of the Dark had a whole new feeling to it then what we usually find in Gena’s Lords of the Underworld series, a lot darker and more descriptive. You’ll recognize the main character and leader of the rebel warrior angel army, Zacharel from the past few books if you’re a fan of the Lords of the Underworld series. But if you have yet to pick up a LOTU book (I’ll be nice and not hit you over the head with my Stridey) have no worries because Angels of the Dark can more then stand on its on feet as a separate series.
I loved delving into Zacharel’s character. From the LOTU books he seemed incapable of emotion, cold just like the snow that falls from his wings. But in Wicked Nights we learn that this emotionless state stems from the death of his brother and the snow on his wings is punishment for letting a human die in the crosshairs of a battle. Annabelle balances Zacharel’s serious side out superbly and their dialogue together adds some wicked humor to this dark and gritty story line, especially how Zacharel has the tendency to take everything Annabelle says literally. Annabelle was a captivating heroine as well, feisty and strong despite being a mere human. She has many demons to fight, quite literally, and isn’t afraid to face them head on.
Gena’s writing flows from the pages with intriguing characters and in-depth world building that makes the story fall into place and defines the series as a whole. Heart-stopping twists are woven into this Angels vs. Demons adventure that will keep you turning the pages for more.
LOTU fans will not be disappointed as several cameos are weaved into the story. However I did find in Wicked Nights that, though the passion was there, it was slow to develop and lacked the intense sexual spark that I’ve come to expect from Gena’s works.
All in all, another amazing read from author Gena Showalter and I can’t wait to get my hands on more of these sexy angels. I think I’ve found a new addiction! If you're a fan of paranormal romance then you simply must pick up Wicked Nights today!
"First, I never pout. I ponder, and probably quite sexily." ~Zacharel
May 26, 2016
4.5 Stars 3/5 Hotness Rating
Wicked Nights is the first book in Gena Showalter's new Angels of the Dark series. This series is a spin-off of the Lords of the Underworld series and follows a group of warrior angels who are about to be kicked out of the heavens. Zacharel, whom we've met in the LOTU series, has been reassigned as the leader of this powerful army.
In The Darkest Seduction, Zacharel heads the cast of secondary characters. In that book we learned more about him including the fact that he was always snowing. In Wicked Nights we finally learn what's up with him. He had severely disappointed his Deity by paying no heed to human lives during his battles with demons and he was being punished for it. We also learn that though he'd never had a happy-go-lucky attitude, he had done something to himself that made him even more detached from emotion. Of course, that changed when he meet Annabelle.
Annabelle went through hell during her time at the Moffet County Institute for the Criminally Insane. She was abused as well as repeatedly attacked by monsters that nobody else could see. When Zacharel and his crew were dispatched to investigate why the institute was drawing so much demonic attention, he discovers Annabelle and is intrigued by her. He decides to rescue her even though he had no idea what he was going to do with her. He was about to get a crash course in human/angel interaction!
First off, I need to say that this book was darker than Gena's usual style. While there was some of her trademark wittiness in Wicked Nights, it didn't overflow with it. Though Angels of the Dark is a spin-off of the LOTU series, I think that this darkness helps define this as a separate series (but expect cameo appearances by the Lords *wink*)
Another thing about this book that I think is important to mention is the religious overtones. While obviously talk of some sort of heaven is expected with a novel about angels, the heavenly set up in Gena's world seems to parallel that of Christianity. I wonder if this is because of Gena's new found strength when it comes to expressing her own religious beliefs - you can read here testimony HERE
There was lots of passion in Wicked Nights. The sparks flew between Zacharel and Annabelle. She defiantly has heart or else she wouldn't have survived what she did. She was a spit-fire and I got a kick out of it when she, a lowly human, stood up to him and gave it to him good. And all her cutesy names for Zacharel the "Winged Wonder" were great. However, though there was a lot of passion in this book there wasn't a lot of sex. This could have been because of Annabelle's "readiness" but I'm not so sure.
Wicked Nights is a FABULOUS start to what looks like ANOTHER HIT SERIES by Gena Showalter. It has fantastic world-building and intriguing characters which together form a unique plot. It will grab your attention from the very beginning and will thrill you till the very end!
*A paperback edition of this book was provided by the author for an honest review
Wicked Nights is the first book in Gena Showalter's new Angels of the Dark series. This series is a spin-off of the Lords of the Underworld series and follows a group of warrior angels who are about to be kicked out of the heavens. Zacharel, whom we've met in the LOTU series, has been reassigned as the leader of this powerful army.
In The Darkest Seduction, Zacharel heads the cast of secondary characters. In that book we learned more about him including the fact that he was always snowing. In Wicked Nights we finally learn what's up with him. He had severely disappointed his Deity by paying no heed to human lives during his battles with demons and he was being punished for it. We also learn that though he'd never had a happy-go-lucky attitude, he had done something to himself that made him even more detached from emotion. Of course, that changed when he meet Annabelle.
Annabelle went through hell during her time at the Moffet County Institute for the Criminally Insane. She was abused as well as repeatedly attacked by monsters that nobody else could see. When Zacharel and his crew were dispatched to investigate why the institute was drawing so much demonic attention, he discovers Annabelle and is intrigued by her. He decides to rescue her even though he had no idea what he was going to do with her. He was about to get a crash course in human/angel interaction!
First off, I need to say that this book was darker than Gena's usual style. While there was some of her trademark wittiness in Wicked Nights, it didn't overflow with it. Though Angels of the Dark is a spin-off of the LOTU series, I think that this darkness helps define this as a separate series (but expect cameo appearances by the Lords *wink*)
Another thing about this book that I think is important to mention is the religious overtones. While obviously talk of some sort of heaven is expected with a novel about angels, the heavenly set up in Gena's world seems to parallel that of Christianity. I wonder if this is because of Gena's new found strength when it comes to expressing her own religious beliefs - you can read here testimony HERE
There was lots of passion in Wicked Nights. The sparks flew between Zacharel and Annabelle. She defiantly has heart or else she wouldn't have survived what she did. She was a spit-fire and I got a kick out of it when she, a lowly human, stood up to him and gave it to him good. And all her cutesy names for Zacharel the "Winged Wonder" were great. However, though there was a lot of passion in this book there wasn't a lot of sex. This could have been because of Annabelle's "readiness" but I'm not so sure.
Wicked Nights is a FABULOUS start to what looks like ANOTHER HIT SERIES by Gena Showalter. It has fantastic world-building and intriguing characters which together form a unique plot. It will grab your attention from the very beginning and will thrill you till the very end!
*A paperback edition of this book was provided by the author for an honest review
June 26, 2012
4.5 Stars
I have no doubt that Lords of the Underworld fans are going to love this one. It's got all the things that make a great Gena Showalter book: hot sexual tension, humor, great world-building, a strong heroine, and an alpha hero undone by his first feelings of love. --Oh, and did I mention the hero is a virgin? Mmm.
We first met Zacharel in The Darkest Secret, an angel sent to deal with Amun when he came back from Hell, dripping with demons. He's gorgeous and powerful, but seemingly void of emotions. The only person he has ever cared about was his twin brother, Hadreniel. The brother who begged for death after being tortured by demons. The brother he killed to end his suffering.
Zacharel's lack of feelings and general disinterest in humanity have him in trouble with his Deity. Too many times, Zacharel has considered a human to be collateral damage in his fight against demons. As punishment, he must lead a band of problematic angels on the cusp of losing their wings. He is responsible for their actions and together, they will either all be redeemed or they will all fall.
A demon killing mission leads Zacharel to the institute for the criminally insane where Annabelle is being held. She was accused of killing her parents years ago. But it was really a demon attack --and she has been plagued by monsters ever since. No one else can see or hear them, though, and that only makes her look crazier.
When Zacharel and Annabelle meet, he is instantly drawn to her. She is a fascinating contradiction. Strong yet vulnerable. Naive and jaded. In many ways, her spirit reminds him of the brother he lost so long ago. He ends up rescuing her from captivity and decides to help her figure out why she is a demon target and, later, to track down the monster that ruined her life.
There were so many things I liked about this book. I loved watching Zacharel's transformation. The way he discovers emotion and desire. I liked that it wasn't an easy path and that he makes mistakes. I loved, loved, loved the secondary characters in his band of angel warriors. Koldo's story is next, but I already have a favorite and I will be waiting with baited breath for Xerxes' book.
The events of Amun's book and The Darkest Seduction are referenced here and we do get appearances from a handful of the Lords and their mates. That was great for me, but I'm not sure how it would play for a new reader.
The sex is hot, but I felt like we had to wait a long time for it. I think I would have liked a little more payoff on Zacharel losing his virginity. My only other complaint was that I figured out the villain reveal very, very early on in the story. Maybe I've read too many Showalter books because I saw it coming a mile away. But I liked how it all worked out in the end. It was very sexy and satisfying. Definitely worth reading!
Rating: B+
*ARC provided by Little Bird Publicity for review
I have no doubt that Lords of the Underworld fans are going to love this one. It's got all the things that make a great Gena Showalter book: hot sexual tension, humor, great world-building, a strong heroine, and an alpha hero undone by his first feelings of love. --Oh, and did I mention the hero is a virgin? Mmm.
We first met Zacharel in The Darkest Secret, an angel sent to deal with Amun when he came back from Hell, dripping with demons. He's gorgeous and powerful, but seemingly void of emotions. The only person he has ever cared about was his twin brother, Hadreniel. The brother who begged for death after being tortured by demons. The brother he killed to end his suffering.
Zacharel's lack of feelings and general disinterest in humanity have him in trouble with his Deity. Too many times, Zacharel has considered a human to be collateral damage in his fight against demons. As punishment, he must lead a band of problematic angels on the cusp of losing their wings. He is responsible for their actions and together, they will either all be redeemed or they will all fall.
A demon killing mission leads Zacharel to the institute for the criminally insane where Annabelle is being held. She was accused of killing her parents years ago. But it was really a demon attack --and she has been plagued by monsters ever since. No one else can see or hear them, though, and that only makes her look crazier.
When Zacharel and Annabelle meet, he is instantly drawn to her. She is a fascinating contradiction. Strong yet vulnerable. Naive and jaded. In many ways, her spirit reminds him of the brother he lost so long ago. He ends up rescuing her from captivity and decides to help her figure out why she is a demon target and, later, to track down the monster that ruined her life.
There were so many things I liked about this book. I loved watching Zacharel's transformation. The way he discovers emotion and desire. I liked that it wasn't an easy path and that he makes mistakes. I loved, loved, loved the secondary characters in his band of angel warriors. Koldo's story is next, but I already have a favorite and I will be waiting with baited breath for Xerxes' book.
The events of Amun's book and The Darkest Seduction are referenced here and we do get appearances from a handful of the Lords and their mates. That was great for me, but I'm not sure how it would play for a new reader.
The sex is hot, but I felt like we had to wait a long time for it. I think I would have liked a little more payoff on Zacharel losing his virginity. My only other complaint was that I figured out the villain reveal very, very early on in the story. Maybe I've read too many Showalter books because I saw it coming a mile away. But I liked how it all worked out in the end. It was very sexy and satisfying. Definitely worth reading!
Rating: B+
*ARC provided by Little Bird Publicity for review
March 25, 2015
This is my first book from Gena Showalter, and I reeeealy liked it :) Actually I think this is my first PNR involving angels (as main characters), and I find I like that too :)
Aaaanyway, "up there" there are armies of angels who protect humans and fight against demons on Earth. Zacharel is in charge of an army of angels that nobody wants XD They don't follow rules, break them all the time, have no discipline, and are a second away from being expelled from "up there". This is their last chance to redeem themselves and not become fallen angels (lose their wings and live as humans "down there") XD
Zacharel is basically emotionless, after the death of his brother he lost his heart so to speak, he doesn't value human life as he should, and for that he is punished with the army.
Annabelle, wow she is great, she had a tough time in life and doesn't let anybody walk all over her. When she was 18, a demon killed her parents and claimed her as his own. 4 years later she is in a mental institution, was convicted of murdering her parents, and everyday fights demons who only she can see. And so comes Zach, he instantly senses a connection between them, and reluctantly frees her from the hospital.
And man, the first half of the book is so amazing! Zach fights his attraction, doesn't even understand it, and Anna fights with him all the time XD He's so funny, has no clue about anything hahah XD
The second half is still great, but you just lose all that cause there is demon fighting all the time. The ending was nice <3 Lots of characters introduced (I'm guessin' the angels for the next books) and I can't wait to read them :))
Aaaanyway, "up there" there are armies of angels who protect humans and fight against demons on Earth. Zacharel is in charge of an army of angels that nobody wants XD They don't follow rules, break them all the time, have no discipline, and are a second away from being expelled from "up there". This is their last chance to redeem themselves and not become fallen angels (lose their wings and live as humans "down there") XD
Zacharel is basically emotionless, after the death of his brother he lost his heart so to speak, he doesn't value human life as he should, and for that he is punished with the army.
Annabelle, wow she is great, she had a tough time in life and doesn't let anybody walk all over her. When she was 18, a demon killed her parents and claimed her as his own. 4 years later she is in a mental institution, was convicted of murdering her parents, and everyday fights demons who only she can see. And so comes Zach, he instantly senses a connection between them, and reluctantly frees her from the hospital.
And man, the first half of the book is so amazing! Zach fights his attraction, doesn't even understand it, and Anna fights with him all the time XD He's so funny, has no clue about anything hahah XD
The second half is still great, but you just lose all that cause there is demon fighting all the time. The ending was nice <3 Lots of characters introduced (I'm guessin' the angels for the next books) and I can't wait to read them :))
July 1, 2012
I enjoyed this book more than I thought . Not only Zacharel and Annabelle are likable characters also they are so incredibly believable. The author pulls all the right emotions, at just the right time. As you near the end, you never expect the final blows in ways that are so unexpected.I cant wait to see what happened in the second book!!!!
August 7, 2013
I didn't really like this book as much as I did the LOTU series, it has kind of a different vibe.
I don't think there's any "bad language" in the whole book,there was no sexual tension between Zacharel and Annabelle and barley any sexual encounters..I hear there is even less(only one) in the next book!
I read something about Mrs.Showalter making a lifestyle change.getting saved, finding Jesus..or something like that, but people are not reading paranormal romance for religious lessons..and from the reviews on Beauty Awakened that's all it was. I just hope this new style.doesn't affect her LOTU series!
So I'm on to the next book I really wish it was Thanes.but I have to wait for book 3 to get his story..I'm totally obsessed with Thane and his boys Xerxes and Bjorn also Axel..they need books like..yesterday!
Koldo seemed pretty interesting..I liked him..he has that whole damaged hero vibe..love that!
I don't think there's any "bad language" in the whole book,there was no sexual tension between Zacharel and Annabelle and barley any sexual encounters..I hear there is even less(only one) in the next book!
I read something about Mrs.Showalter making a lifestyle change.getting saved, finding Jesus..or something like that, but people are not reading paranormal romance for religious lessons..and from the reviews on Beauty Awakened that's all it was. I just hope this new style.doesn't affect her LOTU series!
So I'm on to the next book I really wish it was Thanes.but I have to wait for book 3 to get his story..I'm totally obsessed with Thane and his boys Xerxes and Bjorn also Axel..they need books like..yesterday!
Koldo seemed pretty interesting..I liked him..he has that whole damaged hero vibe..love that!
September 25, 2016
Aunque es una relectura me ha encantado, espero que tanto como la primera vez que lo leí. Ya sé que se supone que era mejor leerse primero los Señores de Inframundo pero no lo he hecho y tampoco es que lo necesites al menos yo no... Me ha encantado Zacharel y la actitud guerrera de Annabelle han sido geniales aunque sí hubiera extendido un poco más el final todavía sería mejor
February 6, 2015
It has started very well but then it gets less interesting.
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