Cover Image: Ruthless

Ruthless

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I didn't expect this book that I usually do whenever I read Gena Showalter books. She typically writes spicy fantasy books. And yet, this book was more fantasy than spicy, which took me in a surprise. I just had to readjust my expectations, so keep that in mind.

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Ruthless by Gena Showalter

Viori is an interesting character in book two of this paranormal series by Ms Showalter. I found Viori to be fierce in her convictions but on constant guard against those who are enemies. When Viori shows up in the Camp of Micah, he is at a loss, trying to figure out what he should do, for himself and his kingdom. The heat between the two is fire and the story is well written. For those who like paranormal reads, this one will keep you entertained as it is full of action and monsters with a purpose.

Rating 3.5
Linda C

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I loved reading this book! I love her writing, and I loved the first book, and I was excited to read this of Viori and Micah, given the roles they played (or weren't there to play) and I couldn't wait to read their romance! And it didn't disappoint!

Viori carries an extreme amount of guilt over her parents death, things that Kaysar hates her, and she needs to make it up to him. And when she's in a position to spy on Micah-when their truce ends in 5 weeks, well, she jumps at the chance.

Micah saw Viori as a teen, and kinda has been obsessed with her ever since. And things are complicated by the fact that he's not like other fae. So the fact that Viori is connected to both of the foes that he fights, even if he didn't know that at the beginning, I really enjoyed watching that story unfold!

In the back of my mind, I was wondering how the throne situation was going to work, since Kaysar and Cookie claimed the palace that Micah built. I knew there was going to be a happy ending, I was just unsure of how it was going to play out. And I enjoyed the solution that they found

This was another really great romance, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here!

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This series is brilliantly crafted, viciously funny and a wild and crazy ride as we cheer once more for the antihero(es). The thing about this series is that each character is multi-faceted. There's no line between good and evil. Everyone is a little (or a lot) of both!

Ruthless is out of the ordinary and uncomfortably beautiful in its design with vivid scenery and wicked imagery and a whole heap of tomfoolery! Don't take my word for it, experience it for yourself! I'd recommend you read the Book 1 in the series--Heartless--first so you can get a lot of the backstory.

The Immortal Enemies series is paradoxically delicious!

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This action-packed and steamy fantasy romance follows Micah the Unwilling, a fae king who will do anything to reclaim his land, and Viori de Aoibheall, a monster whisperer with a dangerous secret.
Micah is a fierce and disciplined warrior who leads his soldiers with an iron fist. But when Viori unexpectedly enters his life, his focus is shattered. The feral beauty is ill-prepared for Micah's brutal nature, but the attraction between them is undeniable. However, Viori's allegiance lies with her brother, Micah's greatest enemy, and she must choose between her heart and her duty.

Showalter has crafted a captivating world that immerses readers in a rich and vibrant setting. The characters are compelling and authentic, driving the story forward with their unique personalities and struggles. Micah and Viori's romance is both passionate and turbulent, with sizzling chemistry and heart-wrenching obstacles.

The plot is fast-paced, full of action and suspense. Showalter keeps readers on the edge of their seats as Micah and Viori navigate their way through a dangerous and unpredictable world.
Showalter's skillful storytelling and engaging characters will keep readers fully immersed in the world of the Immortal Enemies series.

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This is the second book in the Immortal Enemies series. I would recommend that you read "Heartless", which is the first book in the series, because this book starts up about 11 months after the truce that was called between Micah the Unwilling and Kaysar the Unhinged and his wife Cookie the Uncrumbled. A mystery that carried over from "Heartless" is what happened to Kaysar's younger sister Viori. In this story we find out she has raised herself in the woods. Viori's fae power is to create elemental beings, but her creation take a toll on her and she falls into a deep sleep after bringing them to life. Micah found Viori when he was a teenager.

Viori mistakenly believes that she was wronged Kaysar, so she joins Micah's camp as a spy. It is during this time that they begin to get to know each other. They grow closer as they discover who they each truly are. The end give amazing battle scenes. We are introduced to new characters and get to see some of our old favorites. It is a satisfying ending that leaves just enough uncertainty to lead into the next book in the series. Viori and Micah were strong characters who also provided some sweet and sexy moments.

I would highly recommend this book.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review of the material.

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Ruthless is the second (and possibly last?) book in the Immortal Enemies series. I think the world that Showalter created for this series is fascinating but unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of it in this book. In this story we are following Micah who is a powerful ruler gearing up for war with the cruel Kaysar from the first book in the series. Our heroine, Viori, is not only someone Micah stumbled upon when he was younger and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about, but she is also Kaysar’s long lost sister.

The connection between Micah and Viori was the strongest part of this book. Their connection jumped off the page and I appreciated how Showalter paced their relationship. It made them ultimate getting together so rewarding and I looked forward to scenes with just the two of them. But while the relationship between the two was well balanced the rest of the story wasn’t. I was expecting this book to have the same pace as the first book but it is definitely slowed down and I wanted more action. I also think the conflict that happens at the end of the book could have been built up a bit more.

The biggest aspect of Viori and Micah’s relationship is that Micah doesn’t know Viori is Kaysar’s sister. So we get a lot of internal dialogue about how Viori is keeping it a secret and what her plans are. It felt a bit repetitive at times even though I understood why she wasn’t telling Micah. Another huge part of the story is Viori’s powers. I found them to be intriguing, unique and at times surprising. I think if I was to have any supernatural powers I might want to have Viori’s.

Overall, the Immortal Enemies series has been a fun time with engrossing characters and an enchanting world. I previously tried to read one of Showalter’s other fantasy romance series and couldn’t get into it so I think it speaks a lot about these books that I flew through them. Once I finished this one I went searching to see if there were going to be anymore and while I couldn’t find any information I do have my fingers crossed that there will be.

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I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what the author releases in the future.

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Anyone want to take a guess about which book I read in the Immortal Enemies series first? I’m on quite a “reading out of order” streak, but in the case of Ruthless, I think it gave me an entirely different reading experience than if I had read Heartless first. Not that I’m recommending that anyone else follow my bad example, but not meeting Kaysar and Chantel in Heartless before reading Ruthless made things…interesting and a lot harder to tell the “good” guys from the “bad”. Of course, when you’re dealing with the Fae, it’s never easy to tell.

Vi and Micah had a complicated relationship – even before they officially met. They both had their secrets, that they each had good reason to keep. That, among a host of other things, made a relationship between this unlikely pair almost impossible. Honestly, even after reading Ruthless, I have no idea how it happened – there was just so much stacked against them.

Enemies disguised as allies and allies disguised as enemies – it became hard to keep track. That along with magic and a heated romance definitely kept the pages turning. I’m kinda hoping that there’s more to come, but in the mean time, I need to go back and spend some quality time with Kaysar and Chantel in Heartless.

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I truly wish Ruthless had worked better for me.
The first in the series, Heartless, had this OTT nonsense plot with the FMC being a paid gamer and the world she portals into being basically the same as her fave game. Plus a sassy grandma and a ridiculous back and forth with the MCs.
This one isn’t funny at all except for the parts where the FMC from book 1 is on page and I don’t buy the two of these MCs together. The characters aren't physically together until about 70% through and it's not that I needed there to be tons of sex, but there wasn’t any chemistry for the first half of the book and it felt forced by the time they got there. I never forgave the FMC for what she did and worst of all, it wasn't done with the kind of glee present in the first book. Instead, she's just kind of miserable the entire time, they both are.
I got to the end and still didn't want the MCs to be together, which is absolutely not the goal of a romance novel.

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I am never disappointed by anything this author produces and I sure wasn't with this one!! If you like your heels hot and tormented and the love story even hotter , READ THIS BOOK!

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Very fast paced, lots of enjoyable tropes and definitely not for the faint of heart! Gena has knocked it out of the park once again! I enjoyed this second installment of her new series and was so happy to get my hands on an ARC and enjoyed it from front to back without really being able to put it down! Looking very forward to the next book and storyline!

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This was a nice book.
Nothing extremely difficult to follow story wise and that read very quickly.
It's not a book I thought much of after reading it, but it wasn't bad either. I would recommend if you want to read and not think too much while not having to stress about a super complex world.
There really isn't much I have to say about it, apart to go into it not knowing more than the blurb.

2.75-3/5 stars
Bookarina

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Gena Showalter brings immortal enemies together in Ruthless. Thrilling action and romance between Micah the Unwilling, fae king of the Forgotten and Viori, the sister of his greatest enemy. Viori can animate trees and other inanimate objects and was living on her own in the wilderness as she had killed her parents in the attempt to save their lives. What could go wrong? Read this sequal to The Immortal.

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E vamos de livro da rainha do sobrenatural? Eu amo os livros da Gena Showalter e esse lançamento me ganhou de cara.



Micah é um estilo de fada chamado kimera, por possuir duas habilidades ao invés de uma só. Feito para a guerra ele foi declarado rei e está em disputa com Kaysar e sua esposa, outro rei fada poderoso e que pretende conquistar as terras de Micah e seu povo. Quando era mais novo, Micah se deparou com um ruiva dormindo na floresta e se apaixonou perdidamente. Essa fada ruiva era Viori, que desde cedo conheceu a solidão, depois da morte dos pais ela se perdeu do irmão e vive sozinha e isolada com os monstros que criou através de seu poder e que lhe fazem companhia, os chamados belua. Séculos se passam e Viori acaba no acampamento de Micah, que ela descobre ser inimigo de seu irmão. Ela então resolve ficar e ver como faz para acabar com o rei.



Esse sim é um enemies to lovers de fada que se respeite! A dinâmica entre os dois é maravilhosa, Viori e Micah tem diálogos que vão te deixar na ponta dos pés. A escrita da Gena é fluida e envolvente de modo que você não vai querer largar o livro.



Viori sofreu desde cedo, achando que matou os pais e depois com o afastamento do irmão, que ela acha que a odeia. Com o tempo ela criou monstros para protegê-la e para serem sua família. Quando ela vê Micah ainda jovem também acaba se apaixonando por ele. Mas nem tudo é simples, depois de séculos Viori acorda e acaba no acampamento de Micah e fica em um dilema, pois tudo que ela quer é se reconciliar com o irmão. Vemos ela em dúvida e depois apaixonada e querendo ter tudo, o irmão e o guerreiro que ama.



Micah, por sua vez, é um guerreiro que fica doce perto de sua ruiva, para quem construiu um castelo e por quem luta para recuperar tudo que perdeu. Ele quer domar a fera e depois que descobre que ela maquina contra ele não consegue nem se vingar.



Esse livro é para maiores de dezoito, então temos sim cenas hot entre Micah e Viori, mas não são muitas considerando que o livro tem mais de 400 páginas. O que vai te deixar querendo mais, igual a mim.

Confesso que também fiquei com vontade de ler o primeiro volume da série , pois eu adorei o irmão da Viori e a esposa dele, me proporcionaram muitas gargalhadas.



É um livro bastante divertido e eu espero ler mais da autora em breve.

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Ruthless by Gena Showalter is a PNR that took my reading world by storm. I love the world that was created and the enemies to lovers trope was spot on. I highly recommend reading the first book in the series, as there is so much back story. I haven’t read paranormal in a while and this was such a refreshing re-entry into that world!

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Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I read the first book, Heartless and wasn't a fan of that one either but I was curious as to what happened to Viori and I really liked Micah's character in book one. Unfortunately it just fell flat for me and the characters motives felt very erratic and nonsensical. I love paranormal romance and have read quite a bit of the genre from various authors and some I really enjoyed while others fell flat and unfortunately this series falls into the latter category for me.

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✦Review: RUTHLESS: A Novel (Immortal Enemies Book 2) by Gena Showalter https://bit.ly/3vQwhzw
Publication Date: August 9, 2022
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Cori
Rated 5 Stars

Loved RUTHLESS! This is the second book in Gena Showalter’s Immortal Enemies Series and features characters introduced in book 1. Kaysar’s sister, Viori, and Kaysar’s enemy, King Micah. I was immediately swept up in their story. Romance, mystery, humor, heat, and action kept me flipping the pages all night long. Gena Showalter has created a unique and exciting new fantasy world with new characters for us to fall in love with. I’m totally wrapped up in this series and can’t wait for more! I highly recommend this series for paranormal romance lovers and if you haven’t read any of her books this series might be a good one to start with because there are only two books so far. Then you can pick up her other series once you become obsessed. She’s one of my favorites and on my automatic buy list.

*Review copy provided by Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

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Kindle https://amzn.to/3l25SIV

✦ HEARTLESS (Book 1) ➢ Kindle https://amzn.to/2MOhSjt | Review https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-bQl

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I sm SO obsessed with Gina Showalter's stories. I really loved Viori and Micah after reading about Kaysar and Cookie in Heartless. This story had passion, angst and was full of push and pull between the hero and heroine. I was on the edge if my sear the entire time. Ruthless was also darker which I appreciated. All in all, this was an AMAZING second installment in the series. 5 stars! ~Ratula

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review

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Gena Showalter has created a fascinating world for the Immortal Enemies series, and as I typically suggest with any fantasy, I would advise starting with the first book to get all the layers of this world and its inhabitants. Speaking of, the characters are developed, and even though this is a fantasy world, they feel real. Obviously, they're quite colorful and not at all believable in most cases, but the author does a great job of making them feel believable. There's a good deal of angst in this one, and the story is a little dark, which works well for the storyline and characters. I'll stay away from the details, so I don't spoil anything. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed Ruthless and I'll be interested to see what this author does next.

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