Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark #2) [Koldo & Nicola] by Gena Showalter

So here is the review of the second book in the series. I've really enjoyed reading this one (and the previous one), I think this series is going to be great! As I wrote in the first one, it's more innocent sex-wise, I mean, in this book and the previous both main characters are virgins and the sex comes in quite "late" in the game and it's not explicit. So I think it can be suitable to a bigger span of readers.

That being said, The book does deal with rough situations I nearly cried just reading the Prologue! (and did infact shed a few tears later on) Koldo's story is heartbreaking, and it's clear that as much as Nicola needs him, HE needs HER even more. He is tormented by his past, what both his parents did to him. His mother was an angel but his father, well, I won't spoiler, I'll just say his kind are considered the "good guys" in any sense of the way.. In the previous book we've learnt that the woman who cut off his wings was in fact his own mother which no matter what we find out about her, I hated her with a vengeance, his father is no better but you know what, in a way he IS better, when someone is wicked that's who he is (especially in these kinds of books when you can categories good vs. evil quite easily by species), but her? I don't buy her "excuses" for being THAT cruel. 

So in this book he has his mother, Cornelia, captured (he took her and Jamila from hell after Annabelle killed Unforgiveness) but he doesn't really know what to do with her. He wants to torment her, make her go through what he went through, make her suffer. His difficulty in harming her doesn't really have to do with the fact that he WILL get punished for it, but more of what it does to him to be that cruel. Yeah, he did horrible things when he was growing up with his father but he does want to put that piece of himself in the past, especially as he gets to know Nicola and be a better person for her and with her. I'm not sure I'm pleased with how the situation with her concluded in this book. Maybe we'll get more in the next books so I'll be more satisfied.. 

Koldo meets Nicola in the hospital where he goes with his new partner Axel to get rid of a demon tormenting a human patient. While being in the hospital Axel is the one seeing the demons following a young woman. Intrigued they follow her and find she has a twin sister on death bed. They both have a heart condition but her sister - Laila - condition deteriorated and there is nothing the doctors can do. What both Axel and Koldo know though is that it's not really the heart condition as an organ as the heart's condition as the soul. Laila has a demon inside her that torments her and makes her lose faith in life, in getting better, achieving anything. As the demon's influence grows, her body weakens until the toxins made by the demon inside her and also by his fellow f(r)iends who keeps following her AND Nicola gets the better of Liala and puts her in the bed she is now with a few days at the most to live. 

Koldo, seeing Nicola decide that since he can't really help her sister in the situation she is in, he at least wants to teach her how to get rid of the demons inside and around her. He appears to her and makes a deal with her, she will do his bidding (pursuing joy) and he will buy a little more time for her sister. She accepts and here goes the romance :) What I liked about this one was the fact that unlike other books in the genre were the hero hides what he is, or avoids the subject, Koldo pretty much tells her what he is and what to expect. He tells the truth no matter what (an angel.. after all..) and he doesn't allow HER to lie as well (not even jokingly). The only "for" Nicola has on her sister and on "regular" people that she, as a child, used to see the demons so it's more easy for her (I guess) to believe in what he is saying. 

I really loved their love story. Both Nicola and Koldo are so innocent in a way, both never had this kind of relationship before and both of them need each other so much. Nicola has no one BUT her sister, she hasn't had for a while now and her sister is mostly someone she takes care of now, she isn't someone she can really confined with (anymore) and well, she knows that her sister isn't going to be here in a short while leaving her truly alone in the world. Koldo hasn't had anyone all his life. All he had was vengeance against both his parents that should be coming to an end now. He actually never had someone who feels deeply for him, who wants to take care of him and be there for him, someone that can listen to him and observe his heartaches. NIcola is perfect for him in this sense. She has a purity to her love, for her sister, for him. She is exactly what someone like him needs and she does it naturally. She cares for him because this is who she is, and add love to the mix you get a prefect match for a guy (yeah, well, and angel) like Koldo who was never loved by anyone. 

More than get Nicola, Koldo also get a true friend in Axel, the angel Zacharel partners him with. He's a really funny guy and there is something in his past that connects to one of the characters in Lords of the Underworld (that guy also has an appearance in this book), can't wait to hear the whole story! Wonder where we'll get to read about it, in this series or the other one.. Well, anyway he sounds like a jerk in the beginning but he is really a good guy, Hope we'll get his book soon!

We got to see Jamila again but since we don't get her POV we don't really get to know her better. There are also two brothers Malcolm and Magnus that we get a small glimpse of and there are more angels mentioned in the Army of Disgrace that we didn't hear of before but I liked that it was only a small glimpse to know "they're there" and not more than that to get us all confused with too many characters.. They might be the Army of Disgrace each one of them with his sad story, and yet when it gets to protecting each other and being there for one another they do it and expect nothing in return. Yeah, they say they get a "favor" but you get the feeling that they say that to cover their "macho" side not because they really expect compensation. 

We have a little of Thane's POV with a short side story about him and a phoenix and a little bit more than that but that's the basic of it. Probable to get us into his story since he's the main character in the next book - which will be released next week on the 29th of April - YAY!!

Another small and stupid thing I had to write! I have an obsession with the color blue. It started a few years ago when I had to choose a name for my first Blue Great Dane. I had to choose a name in the letter U (as the breeder asked me) and found Ultramarine which is the color of the Lapis Lazuli stone. From there on I started being interested in all the names and shades of blue and the color in general. I always say that if something is blue it's a good thing and I tend to grab objects in that color whenever possible no matter what we are talking about. My Kindle's cover is naturally blue as well, looking around my house I see blue IKEA bags around, a blue dustpan, blue towels, blanket, sheets, and well the couch is actually blue as well, also Eric's bed is half blue but that's luck .. getting one THAT big isn't a picnic.. ;) So yeah, I'm obsessed and these are just the items I see "laying around".. So this book brought me another blue word I didn't know about -Cerulean. I find that I really like this word. I have to think how I can use it :)

I think that's it actually :) I'm loving this series and can't wait for the next one! I'll have to have a short break for now and will be reading the Insider's guide to the Black Dagger Brotherhood while waiting for the next one to be out. I'm glad that with all the disappointments in the beginning of the month I'm closing the month with a smile and a new great series! 

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 448 pages, 23-26 April 2014 / On GoodReads

 

 

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Angles of the Dark is a Paranormal Romance series by Gena Showalter. It's a spin off to her "Lords of the Underworld" series telling us of Zacharel (whom we met in "The Darkest Secret") and the "Army of Disgrace" he is in charge of. Basically a bunch of Angels that were up to no good. Each has his reasons for being near the point of no return - in heaven it means getting close to falling. In each book, as in LotU, one Angel finds his HEA. A special woman who helps him find himself again.

You don't have to read LotU before you read this series its a complete stand alone series. There are a few places that the two groups meet but even then, it doesn't matter if you know the characters or you don't. Unlike LotU the Angels are introduced to us quite slowly which makes it easier to remember who is who.. 

Books:
1. Wicked Nights [Zacharel & Annabelle] (published 26 June 2012) ★★★★★
2. Beauty Awakened [Koldo & Nicola] (published 26 February 2013) ★★★★★
3. Burning Dawn [Thane & Elin] (published 29 April 2014) ★★★★★