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Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark #3)
Gena Showalter
Published: April 29, 2014 (Harlequin)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review Source: Copy purchased by reviewer
Reviewed by: Candace
Rating (out of 5): 5 stars
He LIVED sex. Breathed sex. Ate sex.
He was sex.
Those are the first two sentences of Burning Dawn, thus giving me the feeling of dizzying giddiness that I felt when I found out Han, Luke and Leia would be back for the next Star Wars installment and hopefully, (please God) there would be no more Jar Jar Binks.
Showalter’s books underwent a transformation. The throw your mate up against a wall and make them scream out an orgasm mere minutes after beheading one enemy and ripping the heart out of another was the mood for her earlier books. It’s what drew us all to a Dragon, a Nymph King and a broody, secluded vampire hell-bent on self destruction in Atlantis. It’s what drew us to cursed warriors with butterfly tattoos. Let’s just face it, Gena Showalter could write a brochure detailing the muscle structure of a hummingbird’s wing and fans would race to read it.
So, when her foul-mouthed warrior’s language all but took on a G rating, and the sex significantly tamed, she still wrote bestsellers. But some long-time Showalter fans (myself included) missed the menace, the anger, the tension…and the cold-shower-inducing sex. The language, mind you, is not necessary. Personally, I could conjugate every form of profanity twice before breakfast, so when one of the female characters says earlier in Burning Dawn “eff” something instead of the other word, then it was just fine.
In case you aren’t familiar with this world, the Angels of the Dark are protectors. Not quite held in as high regard as other angels, which is fine. These guys are badass, and none more so than Thane, Xerxes and Bjorn. Thane’s fans have wanted this story since we found out about his cave of chains. And, boy, did Showalter deliver.
Thane needs rescuing from the Phoenix who have held him captive. This brings us to Elin Vale, who is basically a slave/servant/captive of the Phoenix. She is Thane’s only hope, and, as we see later in the story, his potential downfall as well. Think something along the lines of Lachlain and Emma from A Hunger Like No Other.
Burning Dawn is classic Showalter literary genius. Snarky females capable of bringing a worthy male to his knees, the male with the MINE! mentality, the undeniably-hot sexual tension, and a couple that you want desperately to win. Snark, humor and knee-weakening sex, Showalter delivered on every level and did Thane and Elin some serious justice.
Sexual content: Graphic sex
