First of all, thank you to both NetGalley and HQN Books for this review copy. The following review is an honest review.

Woooooow. Lol! Once again, Gena Showalter has written an amazingly spellbinding story. Already being a super fan, I expected nothing less, but it still amazes me how Gena can craft an entire world from scratch and blend it into an cohesive and thrilling read. It's a feat in itself to write a contemporary novel, creating characters and situations that will keep the reader enthralled. It's another thing entirely to be able to write a paranormal romance novel where you've created, not only characters, but entire species, realms, and plots, that all come directly from your imagination. I will honestly never understand how she manages to do it.

The two main characters for this book are Roc and Taliyah. He's the commander of an intergalactic band of tight muscled warriors, stuck in a never ending battle with Erebus, a phantom creating plague on the universe. She's a harpy that's also part phantom (surprise!! Erebus is her Daddy) and part snake shifter (she got it from her Mama lol). She's a tough as nails she warrior, in a bid to become the next General of the harpy army. Roc and his men have come to Harpina to find him a wife. Well...technically a bride, because he doesn't plan on keeping her alive long enough to enjoy the fruits of him marriage. You see, Roc, along with each of his warriors are stuck in a never ending loop, where they must each complete the same task over and over. If everyone does, they get a blessing from a God. If even one fails, the blessing goes to their nemesis. Roc's task...find, wed, and murder a virgin. Except...this particular virgin just happens to be his gravita (his fated mate). Will he do his duty, honor his men, and kill his new bride? Or will he forsake the God's blessing, kiss off his men's futures, and protect his fated woman??? You'll have to buy the book to find out. ;)

I'm rating this book 5 stars because Gena would never write anything less. This is the first book of a new series and I'm already drooling at the idea of some of the other warriors getting their own books. I need their stories! Which, in my opinion, is the mark of a good author. Thanks for everyone taking the time to read this review. At length, all I can say is...buy the book. You won't be disappointed. :)

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

The Warlord is the first book in Gena Showalter's new series Rise of the Warlords. Like her Lords of the Underworld series? You'll love this book! One of the leads in this story was a favorite regular character in the LOTU, but she never got her own HEA. Apparently she demanded to be THE heroine in The Warlord; no secondary character for her this time around!

Since birth, Taliyah Skyhawk knew she would become Harpy General; she wouldn't allow otherwise. A requirement was to remain a virgin, but that was no problem; no man was awesome enough to be given that prize anyway. But then the Harpies lose a battle to the Astra Planeta, the brutal warlords led by Alaroc (Roc) Phaethon. In order to save the Harpies, Taliyah must marry Roc. Oh, and she would be killed by him in 30 days as a virgin sacrifice to his god Chaos. Roc has been sacrificing brides for centuries, but he never had one like Taliyah. No female was equal to him, until now. Soon the violent battles between the two become something more... But what good can come of anything, when one of them will die at the end of 30 days?

This story was crude, had much graphic sex, was hysterically funny and even brought tears to my eyes. Yes, this was pure Gena Showalter at her best! This series is apparently the rightful spin-off of the Lords of the Underworld. Taliyah made multiple appearances there, but never got as much story time as she deserved; I'm glad that was rectified here. She was a brutal fighter, a steadfast friend and the equal to any man. She'd be just as glad to rip out someone's throat as to have cocktails with them. Being Harpy General was everything to her, before she met Roc. Roc was her perfect foil - he was the leader of his brethren and was fearsome in battle. He had bad memories of his past and had no trouble sacrificing brides before Taliyah. These two spent half the book attempting to kill each other; the other half they were having passionate steamy times. VERY steamy times! Yet throughout the violence and trying to resist the other's, um, charms, you could feel the emotional intimacy growing between them. I couldn't see how these two could ever manage to be together, and it was breaking my heart. At the same time, their dialogue and actions had me laughing out loud. Ms. Showalter has a gift for turning unlikable, brutal characters into, well, ones you cannot help but fall in love with and cheer on. I'm on pins and needles waiting to see which warlord gets his HEA next!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Really enjoyed this story, Taliyah is a SUPER heroine, absolutely loved the back and forth between her and Roc. I haven’t read any other books by this author, so I didn’t understand some of the context of situations in the story but that didn’t stop me from throughly enjoying the story. My only complaint is the editing, which I assume will be fixed, whatever was going on with words starting with fl was annoying.

I really liked The Warlord. It's actually my first Gena Showalter novel that I can remember, and I'll be continuing to read her books. I really liked the banter between both main characters and how funny it was. I loved how sweet Roc was after a while, too. And I loved how kind of nuts everything is.
4.3 stars, rounded up because it was just what I needed.

Another great Showalter installment! I do so enjoy her series' and this was a great introduction to a new one. Loved the chemistry between Taliya and Roc from the start. I really wasn't ready for the Lords of the Underworld to end but this was a great continuation and really hope to see more of the "Lords" throughout.

The Warlord is a strong start to Gena Showalter's new series. The characters exist in a world that bumps up against, and occasionally meshes with, her Lords of the Underworld universe. That connection comes in the form of Taliyah Skyhawk, a harpy whose sisters (Kaia, Gwen, and Bianka) played key roles in three Lords books.. Taliyah has spent centuries shaping herself into a future leader for the harpy nation, and her greatest challenge will be going head-to-head with Roc, the Commander of the Astra Planeta, a group of warlords that travels through space, conquering planets as part of their unending quest to gain power and serve their god.

Both Taliyah and Roc have a lot of rough edges; Roc, in particular, has done some pretty heinous things to fulfill his quest. However, ultimately both characters' motivations--they primary goal of protecting their people--leads readers to sympathize with them and root for them to find a way to end their conflict without giving up their dreams. They are a well-matched pair, both independent and driven to overcome all challenges. I was honestly on edge, wondering how Showalter was going to wrap things up with a satisfying ending.

In the end, Showalter does a nice job of wrapping things up and tying off loose ends, while also hinting at the next story in the series. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

Taliyah is a Harpy who strives to become Harpy General, and one of the requirements is remaining a virgin. Roc is the commander of the Astra, and he needs to marry a virgin and sacrifice her after 30 days in order to ascend. Roc all but forces Taliyah to agree to become his bride, knowing the consequences of their union, but he never expects to develop feelings for her.

Taliyah is everything you expect in a badass Harpy. Fierce and fiery, she never backs down. The epitome of strength, she’s a great match for Roc. Rock is so hard and ruthless and vicious, and because of some of his actions at the beginning of the story, I wasn’t sure that I would like him. However, there’s more to Roc than his fearsome exterior, and, as the story progresses, you begin to understand some of his motivations. Of course, the way he feels about Taliyah and the way he treats her further in the story adds to his appeal. His pride and respect for Taliyah are fantastic!

I love how Taliyah and Roc challenge each other. They go head-to-head more times than I can count, and neither is willing to relent. They are both leaders and accept nothing but exactly what they want. They also work really well together, which surprised me, considering they are both natural alphas. Their constant battle of wills (and wits) makes for a ton of sexual tension and really spicy, explosive sex scenes.

Action, suspense, romance, betrayal, gods, Harpies, Phantoms, shapeshifter, and more, this book has it all. I was so intrigued by the different types of supernatural characters, their worlds, and their stories. There’s also a ton of action, suspense, and twists. Plus that romance!! I’m still fanning myself!

This is the first book in Showalter’s new series Rise of the Warlords, and it is a spin-off of her Lords of the Underworld series. Though you don’t need to read the Lords of the Underworld series to read this one, I think it would provide great context and deepen the reader’s understanding of this world and the characters. Several characters from the Lords of the underworld series make an appearance in this story, which readers of LotU will also love. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Harlequin, and Gena Showalter for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I was very nervous to read this since I did not enjoy "Shadow and Ice" which is the newest adult book that I had read by her, but THIS BOOK WAS GREAT!

This book is typical Gena. Steamy, adorable, sometimes frustrating, with a couple of nice twists and turns. And it was nice to see cameos from other characters, like the female MC's sisters and consorts. :)

So I have a guilty obsession with books with warlords so one of my autobuy authors comes out with a series about them I’m ecstatic! That cover though will look absolutely gorgeous on my shelf! The blurb though makes me lose my mind because no one writes harpies like this author! NO ONE! If you’ve read the lords of the underworld series then a few of them have harpies as mates so this already makes a great spin off for me!

What did I like? When they say love is like a battle ground that explains everything in this book. We are talking eighty percent of this book that Roc and Taliyah are engaged in epic battle pitting everything they know against each other. Roc shows his insecurities early but Taliyah is probably the most blood thirsty Harpy yet.

Would I recommend or buy? I will definitely be buying this for my shelf! This is a fantastic new series and if your fans of the underworld series then you will love this. I was absolutely amazed to receive a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review!

Taliyah Skyhawk is a badass Queen. The eldest Skyhawk sister never accepts the picture of defeat. Becoming Harpy General is all she has ever wanted, she just has two more stars to earn but her plans are derailed by the Astra Planetae. A group of ancient warriors with their own agenda.

Roc is the Commander of the Astra and he wants Taliyah as his bride so he can sacrifice her after 30 days to Chaos and ascend. He has never been tempted by a bride before but he has also never met anyone like Taliyah.

Taliyah and Roc’s chemistry is through the roof hot! Both are perfectly matched in and outside of the bedroom. Neither is willing to bend or give up. The stakes are high and one of them has to lose.

I love Taliyah’s attitude. Her bravery, her confidence, her compassion and her love and loyalty for her family and people. She drives Roc crazy and he loves every moment. This was an amazing start to a new series and I cannot wait for more Astra!!