Beauty Awakened
***Originally posted @ReadingDiva's Blog **
EVIEW: I am a sucker for a good love story, and as a big fan of Gena Showalter I couldn’t be happier to have to read the next book in her Angels of Dark Series. Back in 2012 when the first book of the series came out Wicked Nights, I was blown away by the intensity and fantastic carachters Gena had put together. This time around, Showalter brings us a story that touches our heart and melt our souls.
The thing I like the most about Gena Showalters’s writing is how she is capable of bringing us stories filled with passion and intense desire without sacrificing character development. We first met Koldo during an intense battle in Wicked Nights. The description of his character implanted a spark of curiosity that left me wanting to know more. Now on Beauty Awakened I was given the opportunity to learn more about this broken angel who only seek revenge but while doing so he is risking losing his soul.
The plot is quite interesting and raw, Koldo has suffer greatly and has sacrifice a lot since he was a child. Born from an Angel and a demon he knows what is to be different and what’s to be hated for it. His nature is to fight evil yet his heart has started to darken due to hate and there is the possibility that he ended up in hell because of it. While Koldo fights to control his anger he takes unto himself to defend a woman who is be accosted by demons while she succumbs to the agony of seeing her sister slowly dying.
I loved the story between Koldo & Nicola. They are both strong and fragile at the same time, perhaps not in the same way but both are vulnerable in matters of the heart. The author exploit their feelings, showing us their insecurities while also letting us savor their intensity. Both Nicola & Koldo had demons to fight, they were both forced into situations that didn’t allow them to seek options and perhaps that’s what I liked how they both seem to always come on top. Not because they found the easy way out of their troubles but because they fought with strong conviction, they felt the need to protect and trust one another. I enjoyed how nice their relationship developed, it was not something that happened and all of the sudden, their relationship seem to grow as their interaction increased but not without mishaps and conflicts.
The fight between good and evil has always being one I enjoyed, seeing these characters fight for what they believe to be right is something I look forward to. While I usually fall for strong heroines, I found in Nicola the balance I like to see between fragile and strong. I think Nicola was one of the kind, readers will be able to identify in may ways, from her love for her sister, the way in which she sacrifices herself in order to save the one she loves. Beauty Awakened is a beautiful story. The characters (other angels) were as usual, strong and sexy, but not without issues of their own. This series just keeps getting better, each book gives us a glimpse into what’s next for the angels and it seems Gena Showalter isn’t going to hold back. This story is almost a clean romance, the sexual intensity and innuendos are not predominant in this story, it almost reads as a sweet and clean contemporary romance, more than the usual hot, intense and sexual paranormal romance we are used to get from Gena and her LOTU.
Note: To some this story may sound preachy. The mention of God is common and at times repetitive. However, do not let that fool you, the story is one of love, romance and sacrifice. The author does not leave the fun and fights out, there is plenty action as well.
