ARC Review: Wicked Nights by Gena Showalter

Don't hate me, but I didn't love this book. I really want to love it but for some reason I just couldn't really connect with it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this story a lot and I liked the world and characters Gena introduced us to, I just felt like something was missing.

Zacharel is a cold, calculating warrior angel who has spent the last several hundred years emotionally dead inside. He has no feelings towards anyone else and does not care who he hurts in his attempt to banish the world of demons. Because of his ruthlessness and his disregard for human life he has been given one more chance to prove himself worthy of being an angel. He must take a army of misfit angels that are all on the cusp of being thrown out of the heavens for their rebellious and bad behavior and train them which isn't an easy job. Any mistakes and it's Zacharel's wings that are on the line.

Annabelle Miller has spent the last four years locked up for a crime she didn't commit. When she was eighteen she witnessed her parents murder at the hands of a demon and no one will believe her. She now resides in a facility for the criminally insane. She knows she isn't crazy and she had nothing to do with the death of her parents, but ever since that horrific day Annabelle has been able to see demons that no one else can and because of this she has spent the last four years defending herself against demon attacks. She has no idea why the demons attacked and killed her parents or even why they come for her now. When a chance meeting with Zacharel she finds she may finally get her answers.

Zacharel can't help but be intrigued by Annabelle. She has awakened something in him that he hasn't felt before. She is feisty and strong and will fight to the death if she must and he can't help the strong attraction he feels towards her. He quickly decides he wants to help keep her safe until they are able to figure out just what exactly is going on.

I really liked Annabelle and I thought that she is unbelievably strong. She has been through hell and back and she doesn't let it defeat her. She continues to fight tooth and nail and doesn't take no one's crap. I liked that she stands up to Zacharel and doesn't cower in the corner waiting for someone else to save the day.

As for Zacharel, it took me awhile to warm up to him. He was never my favorite and I always found him a bit cold and uncaring. But once I got a feel for him and started to understand the reason why he's the way he is he started to grow on me. He's got a lot of burdens to bear and the way he copes is by shutting himself off from everyone. I enjoyed watching him learn to care and to feel emotions.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Annabelle and Zacharel. Neither walks on eggshells around the other and they are both pretty blunt and to the point with everything. They didn't dance around one another or play any games. I actually really enjoy the beginning of their relationship because there was a bit of back and forth arguing going on that is very reminiscent of her LOTU books.

This was a good opening to what looks to be another great series for Gena. While I might not have liked this books as some of Gena's previous works, I did enjoy it and still found it hard to put down. Gena just has a way with creating a world full of interesting characters that you just want to know more about. She introduced a few characters that I can't wait to see more of. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment in the Angels of Dark series. I give this book a high 3.

**ARC copy provided by author**

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