The Warlord

Am I completely biased when it comes to Gena\’s books? Maybe. Does this mean I didn\’t love-this-book-so-much-my-heart-is-still-racing-hours-after-finishing-it? Absolutely not. I\’ve been a huge Gena Showalter\’s fan for many years, my first book blog was named after her Lords of the Underworld series, way before she even knew who I was. This woman never fails to blow my mind. The Warlord is the first book in her brand new Rise of the Warlords series, a direct spin-off and continuation of her LotU series. This book can easily be read even if you\’ve never read any of her other books, it\’s written for both old and new readers. I was immediately, from the very first quote, drawn to the story. It starts with a bang and just doesn\’t stop. I think this might be one of Gena\’s most daring book, she didn\’t hold back and I loved every single moment. Taliyah Skyhawk is a character we know and love so I was extremely excited to learn more about her Harpy self, and oh boy, did Gena not disappoint. Taliyah is exactly how I always wanted her to be: stone-cold. She will do anything for her people and her family, she\’s a warrior through and through and I loved that Gena didn\’t make her more soft or pliable. She also has secrets, yes, more than one, and they just made the entire story better. Alaroc \’Roc\’ Phaethon is one of Gena’s most powerful hero, absolutely ruthless and even a little scary. He\’s a brand new character and he also introduces a brand new species, the Astra Planeta. Roc is their commander, their leader. And let me tell you, they are not here to play around. I don\’t want to go into too much details because I think the synopsis does a great job of giving you exactly what you need to know before diving into this book, but I…wasn\’t fully prepared for them. That\’s not a bad thing though because I loved them and I loved Roc. That man has my whole soul. Gena threw me with this book, in the best way. I loved loved loved that she wrote something a little more bold and she did it perfectly. The sex scenes in this book were something else, and there\’s one in particular I need to go reread right now actually. For reasons. It also made my heart so happy to see some other characters we know and love, and I can\’t wait for more. The Warlord is a spectacular first book, it is nothing like you expect and it will literally blow you away.

I had trouble with this book, and by trouble I mean I couldn’t put it down and do all the things I needed to do. The Warlord is the start of a new series from Gena Showalter, but you’ll see some familiar characters from her Lords of the Underworld series (don’t worry you don’t have to read those to read this book, but I do highly recommend them). This novel was sexy, funny, made me cry and had me trying to find a solution to their problem.

I loved this book ! It\’s a great start to a new Rise of the Warlords series from Gena Showalter. This story was fantastic with amazing characters, loads of action, stunning depth of emotion, and wonderful humor. It was so easy to read with such a strong story that pulled me in from the very first page and kept me on the edge right up until the end. Another thing …. being as this new series seems to be set in the LOTU world and I loved getting to briefly catch up with a few of my favorite characters from that series which happens to be an all time favorite of mine. Talilah and Roc began as enemies trapped in a hopeless situation. Their relationship revolved around a big secret that Talihah had carried for her entire life, twists and turns followed, and many surprises were revealed along the way. Would time run out before they figured out a way to stay together and save everyone ? I loved the way this story flowed. It had me so engaged that I couldn\’t put it down. I can\’t wait for the next book !

Have you ever read a book on a whim that by the end seems like it had been written just for you? That\’s what The Warlord was for me. It checked all of my boxes and then some. It was like Gena reached into my head, plucked out all of my favorite tropes that leave me absolutely WEAK every time, and put them all into this book. The chemistry between Taliyah and Roc was EVERYTHING. And the humor that\’s woven throughout this paranormal romance is just… *chef\’s kiss* 11/10 – zero complaints from me. Needless to say, I\’m a Gena Showalter fan now. Time to go binge-read the entire Lords of the Underworld series to tide me over until the next Rise of the Warlords book comes out!

I enjoyed the book but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew nothing about the LOTU series. The Taliyah from the LOTU had a different personality than the Taliyah in this book and that colored my opinion of this one. As a long time fan of the LOTU, this book did not turn me away from the author, but I don\’t think I\’ll purchase anymore and just wait until available at my library. Showalter did this exact same personality switch with William\’s book, where the main character is vastly different compared to how they were in previous books, and this new spinoff series leads me to think fans may never get closure on the LOTU. If only she\’d focus on the LOTU series instead of continually starting new series and pushing random products (YA series I couldn\’t care less about, now defunct God of War series, journals and zazzle items that cost too much, e.t.c), then maybe fans could get more than 1 or 2 mediocre books a year.

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