Wicked Nights by Gena Showalter

Wicked Nights
(Angels of the Dark #1)
Gena Showalter
Release: June 26, 2012

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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?

"'First, it is not your strength or your speed that draws me. It's your. . . everything. Your laugh, your wit, your emotions and the the way they change. Your courage, your sweetness, your near obsessive delight for cookies. Second, you are indeed a prize. You've made me want what no one else ever has. A communion of bodies.'"

Gena Showalter's Wicked Nights kicks off her new spinoff series starring angel bad boys trying to prove their worth while serving their punishment.

I confess, this is my first Showalter book. Fans of paranormal romance everywhere just hit the floor fainting, I'm sure. But after reading this, I promise I will venture into her Lords of the Underworld series!

Okay, now that's out of the way, let's discuss Wicked Nights. I have mixed feelings about this book. While I understand the need to begin the series with Zacharel's book, since he is the leader of this thrown together army as well as the tie to the Lords of the Underworld series, I almost wish we could have read one of the other angel's stories first. Perhaps someone with more personality and charm. Zacharel was kind of stiff and cold for me. He is supposed to appear that way, of course, but it didn't make me lust after him like I wanted to. Even his inner thoughts were kind of cold.

There were times when we got to see Zacharel's personality shine through and I loved these moments - I wanted more of them.

"'Well?" Annabelle prompted. 'And don't think I was complaining. Your wings are very pretty.'

Pretty? The word should not have offended him, but it did. They were magnificent, thank you."

I also loved his surprised thoughts as he realized the feelings he was having for Annabelle. There was a slow and natural progression of his feelings, and really her feelings as well. For a PNR, there was certainly no insta-love and jumping into bed. I really could have had them jump into bed a little sooner if truth be told. The fact that Zacharel is a virgin keep them out of the bedroom for quite a while and when they finally get there it's a while before they have actual sex. This issue is really with me more than the story. It makes perfect sense for Zacharel and Annabelle to wait so long to get it on, I just expected a little more nookie a little sooner. *wink wink*

Annabelle is a very likable leading lady. She is both feisty and damaged at the same time and I liked how she didn't take any crap from Zacharel. She realizes she is attracted to his beauty, but she still pushes him away when he gets too. . . weird. He doesn't fully understand how to interact with Annabelle as someone he has a romantic interest in and he makes many mistakes along the way. At times Annabelle seems almost younger than she actually is. I enjoyed watching her growth as she slowly becomes a badass worthy of standing by Zacharel's side.

"'Understand something, Annabelle. While we have our. . . agreement, you do, in fact, belong to me. You will not be with another man. I will not share.' He waited, but she offered no response. 'I will now hear you concur.'

She leaned back, propping her wait on her elbows to have a better shot of him. 'I'm too busy reeling.'"

The plot of this story is interesting enough and held my attention, but it was drawn out for a little too long. I really wanted to know what was going on, and how Annabelle came to have these new eyes and this ability to see demons, but there were several parts in the story that were slow-paced. I found myself bored at times and it took me quite some time to finish this book. This could have been trimmed at least 50 pages. Some of the dialogue is also a little jilted and unnatural. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the revelations toward the end of the book and they caught me off guard in a good way.

The idea behind this new series is really great and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books, each from a different angel's POV. We get to know several of the angels in Zacharel's reluctant army in this book and they are each a tortured soul whose story I am excited to get into. We even get short parts of the book from some of their points of view and I enjoyed getting inside their brains. Koldo's story is up next and his back story is set up well in this book. I am most looking forward to Thane's story, as I'm sure many other readers are as well, but I fear we might have to wait a while for that one. Overall this was a good start to a new series, even with the problems I had with it. I am anticipating the next one!

Recommended for fans of: Lords of the Underworld, angels vs. demons, virgin heroes, and angsty angel armies