Beauty Awakened

Heartbreaking, Funny, Action-Packed and Sexy!

BEAUTY AWAKENED, the 2nd installment of Gena Showalter's Angels of the Dark series is finally here and it was so worth the wait!

The book starts off with a young Koldo at the age of 7 years old. This was by far the most heartbreaking chapter I have ever read. A little boy starved for his mother's attention and love and getting nothing but hatred and abuse in return. No matter what he did to please her, she hated him and punished him more. We finally learn what happened to Koldo's wings and I sat here with a box of tissues balling me eyes out through this chapter. We also find out who his father is and I just can't decide who was worse, his mother or father. I finally decided they were both show more just as equally horrible. Poor Koldo!

Koldo is a warrior in Zacharel's Army of Disgrace, a group of warrior angels that are in danger of falling. I loved Koldo when he was introduced in WICKED NIGHTS but now he has my heart forever. I'm a sucker for the tortured souls and we all know Koldo went through torture when we learned his wings were removed but in this book we learn the full extent of the hell and anguish he went through. Koldo was the warrior with few words and no emotions, but he does have emotions. He just covers them up and pretends to not care because he is scared of rejection. Through everything that he has been through he still fights for what's right and he's a hero which he proved in WICKED NIGHTS when he made huge sacrifices to save his leader Zacharel. When he learns to open up and discovers his feelings for Nicola he is also very possessive but in a sweet, melt your heart kind of way.

Nicola and her twin sister Laila were born premature and with underdeveloped hearts. They have lived their lives not truly living at all due to fear of overdoing it and having a heart attack. They both know they don't have long to live but they are too weak and scared to fight. Nicola isn't a kick ass hero like Annabell was in WICKED NIGHTS but she is awesome in her own rights. Nicola is the stronger sister, always looking out for and taking care of Laila who is the weaker more afraid sister. She's easy going but not a doormat and she's not afraid to stand up for herself and let anyone push her or her sister around. She's kind, good hearted and funny and I really enjoyed her character.

Koldo first notices Nicola while on a mission in a hospital. He finds Nicola leaning over a very sick, almost dead Laila. He notices right away that they are both being poisoned by demons who are shadowing their every move and are filling them with toxins. They feed on their fear, sadness, pain, doubt and any other negative emotions and the demons are slowly killing them both. Koldo takes an interest in Nicola and decides he's going to teach her how to get rid of the demons and keep them away for good. Because to have any shot at living, they need to keep the demons away for good.

A lot of the healing Koldo teaches Nicola and Laila was all about the power of positive thinking. Some people may be put off by this but I truly believe that positive thinking does help. If you think negative thoughts then those thoughts will start to bring you down. We may not have demons sitting next to us feeding us negative thoughts and toxins like the sisters do, but to me negative thoughts and words are toxins. If you think negative about yourself you start to believe it and live it. I love how Gena incorporated this into her story.

This book is NOT full of steamy sex scenes like some of Gena's other books. There is pretty much one full on sex scene but there is plenty of sexual tension. Both Koldo and Nicola are virgins and Nicola needs to take things slow otherwise her heart can give out. This book has just the right amount of sex and tension for these two characters and I think Gena told their story perfectly! Honestly, I get tired of the hero and heroine jumping into the sack by the 100th page of books. It takes a talented author to write a romance book with only one actual sex scene and keep it sexy but if anyone can pull it off its Gena and she totally nailed it!

We get to see a lot of Axel and Thane is this book. While Axel acts extremely immature, you can't help but LOL at his crazy antics and the absurd things that come out of his mouth. Thane was on a mission to take out the demons responsible for killing someone they all cared dearly for. AND....for all you Lords of the Underworld fan girls out there, William makes an appearance! Squee!!

Overall this book was incredible! It was heartbreaking at moments and LOL funny the next. It was sexy without a lot of sex and full of non-stop action. BEAUTY AWAKENED book pulled me in from the very first page and consumed me to the last.

*ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

I give BEAUTY AWAKENED 5 out of 5 skulls show less

5 Stars! Gena Showalter did it again!

A wingless angel and a girl tormented by demons. Is there redemption?

"BEAUTY AWAKENED" pulled me in from the very first page and consumed me to the last. I'm in love with the Sent Ones “Angels of the Dark”. Gena Showalter is an amazing author and knows how to tell a story that keeps you entertained and intrigued. What we get with “Beauty Awakened” is positive thinking, action, sexual tension and a little humor in this book.

The healing Koldo teaches Nicola and Laila is all about the power of positive thinking and if you think negative thoughts then those thoughts will start to bring you down. “You speak what you believe, and you believe you’re doomed. If there’s one thing I’ve learned show more throughout the years, it’s that what you believe is the impetus for your entire life.”

The sexual tension is just right between the main characters and we get one full on sex scene. It takes a talented author to write a romance book with only one actual sex scene and keep it sexy and Gena nailed it! We also get to see a lot of Axel in this book. While Axel acts extremely immature “he adds the comic relief in this book”, you can't help but laugh at his crazy antics and the absurd things that come out of his mouth. We also get an appearance/snippet of William from the "Lords of the Underworld” series.

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Well, now I am worried. If Gena is going to be using the AotD series to preach her religion, I'm not going to read the series. I just hope that LotU doesn't go this route! If Gena keep going for the Christian-inspired romance, I'm done.

This book was just way too prosthelytizy. I mean, given the steaminess of her other books, it feels weird that there are like two sex scenes that come at the end of the book and only after the couple is married. And they're super super vague! No actual descriptions of sex happen in the book, just vague references to it.

The book is clearly just a vehicle for talking about god. The whole message is about the importance of faith - and unbelievers are punished. Laila has too much fear and not enough faith show more in "The Most High and His Divine Brilliance And Love And Perfection, etc etc" so she dies. All of the battle scenes and messaging about demons, it's all about preaching Christianity. So disappointing. If I want to be preached at, I will read specifically Christian romance - which is what this should be shelved under. I won't be reading more of this series (unless someone tells me the next isn't preachy) and I can only hope she doesn't ruin LotU by using it as a platform to push her religious views on her readers.

Also, honestly, her world-building here has just gone haywire as well. The end, with Nicola becoming a Sent One, seems random and poorly explained or justified. There's a lot of moments when I felt like she decided she wanted to make a point and reconstructed the world to fit that, rather than having things develop organically based on the way the world had already been designed. I guess there are just a few things that felt manufactured or forced or lacking context... Not sure how to explain it really, just some stuff felt flat. show less

Well, now I am worried. If Gena is going to be using the AotD series to preach her religion, I'm not going to read the series. I just hope that LotU doesn't go this route! If Gena keep going for the Christian-inspired romance, I'm done.

This book was just way too prosthelytizy. I mean, given the steaminess of her other books, it feels weird that there are like two sex scenes that come at the end of the book and only after the couple is married. And they're super super vague! No actual descriptions of sex happen in the book, just vague references to it.

The book is clearly just a vehicle for talking about god. The whole message is about the importance of faith - and unbelievers are punished. Laila has too much fear and not enough faith show more in "The Most High and His Divine Brilliance And Love And Perfection, etc etc" so she dies. All of the battle scenes and messaging about demons, it's all about preaching Christianity. So disappointing. If I want to be preached at, I will read specifically Christian romance - which is what this should be shelved under. I won't be reading more of this series (unless someone tells me the next isn't preachy) and I can only hope she doesn't ruin LotU by using it as a platform to push her religious views on her readers.

Also, honestly, her world-building here has just gone haywire as well. The end, with Nicola becoming a Sent One, seems random and poorly explained or justified. There's a lot of moments when I felt like she decided she wanted to make a point and reconstructed the world to fit that, rather than having things develop organically based on the way the world had already been designed. I guess there are just a few things that felt manufactured or forced or lacking context... Not sure how to explain it really, just some stuff felt flat. show less

In this Angel series I noticed while there is a love story the "heat" has been turned down a bit. Can't say that I don't enjoy it. A refreshing change so that you get more of the love story and the bonding of the Sent One and his mate.
Koldo....I love the thought of this big, bad warrior being "brought to heel" but a tiny fragile woman. One who shows him true strength using love, forgiveness, and respect. He might have been sent to protect her and help her heal but as anyone who loves knows, love heals all who feel and cherish that love.
Nicola, admire the fact with all that she has been through she can still find the beauty in life and the world. Her twin, Laila, is giving up and yet she won't let it drag her down or give up on her show more sister. From the sounds of what Koldo is physically most folks would probably run the other way yet all she could see was his beauty and heart. (Slight nod at the "don't judge a book by it's cover" lesson there Mz. Showalter?)
Now there were some very interesting things revealed about other characters we found in the LOTU series...William the Ever Randy, who would have thought that would be his secret? (Won't spill the beans on the grounds that's something that you need to discover for yourself, and what it does to your perception of William) Axel...who is he and just what is his deal? Also the sighting of Kane in NYC...what is that foreshadowing...more Lords visiting this series?
So yes, this more a story of the angst of falling in love and trying to be worthy of the love than a hot romance with action. show less

Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Audiobook Purchase
Reviewer: Me



As I sit here and write this review, I am feeling very apprehensive. I am a HUGE Showalter fan, and you can usually catch me tooting her horn on a daily basis, however, after reading Beauty Awakened, I feel somewhat disappointed. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a beautiful love story and epically written as only Showalter can, however for those fans who are accustomed to her over-the-stop sexiness I feel this novel is lacking it. Was it a shock? Absolutely. Does that make Beauty Awakened any less awesome? In my opinion, no. It just makes this novel….different.

The story centers around Nicola and Koldo, two very, show more very, very, different people. Nicola is about as frail as fail can get and she is probably one of my least favorite of Showalter’s heroines (SN: if you want to see a strong heroine, check out Anya from The Darkest Kiss). Nicola and her sister, both have serious health conditions, which cause them to lead very limited lives. You can’t help but feel sympathy for the pair and at times you may even want to shake them a little and force them to wake up! However, over the course of the story, we are able to see growth within Nicola. And this growth is very specific, it’s spiritual. Basically, the entire story consists of strengthening oneself in faith. This in my personal opinion forced the novel to move away from sexual tension and epic descriptions to, vague encounters and dodgy language. It made the reader focus more on the overall story than the Will-They or Won’t-They.

I can honestly say, I wasn’t attracted or attached to Koldo in the least (which is a first!). The moment I meet Showalter’s alpha males, I am usually head-over-heels drooling nonstop for them. But I didn’t get butterflies. And I didn’t get any sort of, omg-he’s-freaking-awesome brewing inside of me. Instead, I felt like I was reading the story of someone I would consider my brother or a good friend. But – yes there is a but – Koldo is a strong character. Broken, but strong. He’s a fighter, a survivor, and very gentle underneath it all. He’s someone you want in your corner when all heck is about to break loose.

Overall, Beauty Awakened was as I said…extremely different. I haven’t read any reviews (but I am as soon as I post this) so I don’t know how others will perceive it. The general story is sweet, maybe too sweet – although Koldo sure is put through hell from time to time. I loved the first novel, Wicked Nights, which was less about faith, and more about soul mates finding steamy hot passionate love. Will I continue the series? You bet! Nothing, will stop me from reading Showalter, and with the next installment of The Lords of The Underworld coming up, I am hoping and reverently praying I will get the smexy Showalter I am use to, or even better, a mix between the new and the old one. I recommend Beauty Awakened to those of you looking for a dark romance, with sweet undertones, and don’t mind a lack of descriptions in your love scenes. show less

Born with a weak heart, the heroine is slowly dying by the demon's attached to her. The hero has suffered unimaginable pain and suffering but when he sees the heroine at the beside of her dying sister he's compelled to help her. He kills the demons infecting her and offers to help her battle her fear and stop them from coming back. He's honest to a fault and despite never feeling attraction to a female before, finds himself instantly drawn to the small human female. The heroine gets over her skepticism very quickly in a bid to save her life and her sisters life. She agrees to do whatever he tells her to do and is submissive without being a push over. When it's revealed that the hero is suffering from his one demons and keeping his show more mother chained in the dungeon to make her suffer, she tells him to free her. He taught her all these lessons and yet he's ignoring them in his own life. She doesn't turn her back on him, but allows him time to get his shit together. The chemistry between the characters practically burned through the pages. They fit together soo well. The girl with her selflessness and kindness, the hero with his loving protectiveness and adorable insecurities, they matched each other perfectly. The one flaw with this story is that it's very religious. I suppose it has to be if the guy's an angel but the authors message was don't ever be afraid because someone will save you no matter what...Sorry, that's not true and it's a little screwed up that she's telling people to always rely on someone else. show less