The Immortal by Gena Showalter is Second Book in Rise of the Warlords series and it's so fascinating. This Paranormal Romance will grip you from first page and you will hooked.

I Cannot Recommend it enough to all readers.

The Immortal brings us another harpy and warlord pairing in Gena Showalter’s extended universe. It makes me wonder if all the FMCs will be harpies. This wasn’t a bad read, there just wasn’t anything about it that made me want to continue the series at the time.

I really enjoyed Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series, but I started reading when the series was almost finished. even though I devoured those, I haven’t found myself able to get into her more recent releases. I think I enjoy her books enough to read them back to back, but they don’t stick out in my brain enough to read as they release and wait between books.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for my copy to review.

Steamy paranormal romance. Interesting characters with well developed romance and external plot. Recommend for a spicy good time.

I realized when I was writing the review last week for The Phantom, that I hadn't written a review for this book! This is the second book in Gena Showalter's Rise of the Warlords series and I loved it. Imagine a Paranormal Groundhog Day (as I write this on Groundhog's Day).

Ophelia is cursed to relive the same day over and over, with each day ending with her death, and each death bringing her closer to a day she won't wake up. And Halo is doomed to be the one who kills her.

Halo is one of the Astra Planeta. These almost-gods have conquered the Harpy Homeland and with that conquering, they are tasked by the gods (Chaos, Zeus, etc), to certain tasks. This Herculean effort for Halo has become more than just a task to complete, because this time, the heart he didn't know he had, is on the line.

If they do not complete these tasks, they suffer immeasurable loss for 500 years. However if they complete these final tasks, they ascend. The tasks are impossible to complete without hurting someone. Or are they...

I loved the Groundhog Day repeat trope these two experienced together and my all time favorite scene is one where a big, tough, scary Astra is sitting down to a tea party with a little harpy girl. Seriously, Gena Showalter is a brilliant writer. The way she shows two characters who should be impossible to get together, not only win the day, but also earn their happily ever after is just amazing. I aspire to her level of plotting. She weaves the threads of the plot over here, and over there, and in places you don't even see until BAM happy ending and you're fully tangled up in the plot.

Ophelia for her part is handling her part in his curse really well. She's fun, she's snarky, she's pretty badass, and I think she made the book for me. I loved her hero, don't get me wrong, but she was the best heroine I've read in a while.

Their chemistry was ridiculously sexy and off the charts. Their banter, their page time, their fun...all of these factor into an intense page turner of a book where you love every minute of it!

***ARC courtesy of Netgalley

I live for Gena Showalter’s brand of banter. LIVE FOR IT. It Never fails to put a goofy smile on my face and keeps reading well into the night. And this book was definitely no exception. The Rise of The Warlords series has quickly become my new obsession and I eagerly anticipate each new installment. And while I really liked the first book in this series, I loved this one even more.
Every teacher, trainer, and superior has bemoaned your stubbornness.”
“I’m passionate about my belief that I’m right.”
Halo Phaninon is the ultimate tortured hero. This is a man who had his humanity and any and all emotion beat out of him when he was just a young boy. He feels nothing and kills without feeling. His only goal is the success of the Astra’s mission. Women are just a means to an end to him, until Ophelia.

I absolutely love Showalter’s heroines. The sass, fierceness, and banter they’re all chock full of just does it for me. And Ophelia the Flunk Out is all of the things. A harpy nymph, all she’s ever wanted was to prove herself, and she seems to fail at every turn. When she’s thrown into a loop of challenges with the cold and unfeeling Halo, things get seriously interesting. Halo’s goal is to win at all costs while on an unending loop of a repeat of the day. Her goal is slightly different. The chemistry between them? Unspeakably hot.

This was another fantastic addition to what’s become an incredibly addictive series. The banter, the chemistry, the twists and turns, all of it made for one page turner of a read. I loved seeing Halo slowly thaw for the sassy harpynymph. I loved seeing Ophelia slowly come into her own and become the fierce warrior that she was always meant to be. And the chemistry between them was just everything. I can’t wait for more in this world!

The queen of intense paranormal romance strikes again with the latest release in her popular Rise of the Warlord series.The Inmortal is an action packed adventure filled with thrills, chill, humor, romance, and most importantly...cameos from the LOTU series. Fans will gobble this one up and beg for more.

I finally finished this book! My fault. Lots going on. This is another fantastic read by an autobuy author! Readers of LOTU will gobble up this new series as we wait for the next installment. Happy reading!

This book was amazing. I absolutely had a blast reading this one. In fact, I think I enjoyed it way more than the first one which is saying a lot. I was a little worried when I read the blurb and I thought that the whole book happened in one 24 hour stretch but though it was one day it wasn't just one 24 hour stretch which really helped the characters to open up and grow past their insecurities. I loved the different twists on the tasks of Heracules as well. I thought that was an inventive challenge but I did kind of wish that they could have actually fought Erobus. That is coming though. I know it. Ophelia was hilarious and we all need to build ourselves up more as she does. Overall I didn't want this book to end and the book hangover was rough.

My first Gena Showalter - and I loved it! It took me a while to get into this, mostly a strategy error on my part. This is the second book in the series and I think I would’ve benefitted from reading the first from a world building perspective.
Halo Phaninon is an assassin who has been tasked with a challenge to kill monsters every day for 12 days in order for he and his team of immortals to be continued to be blessed in battle. But with this challenge comes a catch - every day he wakes up and replays the same day (think a bloody Groundhog Day). Ophelia, the female main character, is struggling to get her life together. She’s deemed a ‘flunk-out’ but she really wants to be general of the harpy army. When her and Halo cross paths during his challenge, she becomes tangled up in the daily replay. I won’t spoil the rest, but it gets twisty on all the best ways!

I ended up really loving both MCs, and their character growth throughout was really great. I enjoyed how strong Ophelia was and cheered when she learned how to get out of her own way.

Showalter never fails to create the most unique, fascinating worlds. With severe extremes of evil and good, her characters are forced to go through hell before ever finding their happily ever after. This is so true of Halo in The Immortal. His life has been harder than almost anyone could live through. He’s been forced to kill repeatedly and yet some how he’s not lost his humanity and ability to care. Lucky for Ophelia. To me, it’s always fun when the authors base their stories on ancient mythology and Showalter has done a great job of weaving Hercules’s labors in as Halo’s own challenges.

Halo is so hard on the outside but such a sweetie inside. Ophelia is completely misunderstood and her family is largely to blame. She’s alternately the irresponsible partier and hard core soldier working hard to be worthy of the role of general. The pair go through some serious trials, only survivable because they’re immortal. Or mostly immortal. The pair quickly fall for each other and that makes the challenges so much harder. Sacrifices are made, games played with new strategy all trying to ensure they make it to the end. The ultimate sacrifice is not off the table throughout.

The story is loaded with tons of excitement and action. The characters are complex and believable. The conclusion very satisfying. I recommend this book to all lovers of paranormal romance.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m new to Gena Showalter books, having only received this ARC through Bonkers Book Club - but this will not be my last! Definitely bonkers, but still hot and soooo immersive.

The Immortal is the second book in Gena Showalter's Rise of the Warlords series. I loved not only the humor and banter in this book but also the groundhog-day plot. The tension between Ophelia and Halo was wonderful and I loved Ophelia's energy in contrast to Halo's stoicism. The plot moved quickly and was definitely distinct from the plot of The Warlord. Overall this book sucked me in and once I started it I didn't want to put it down. It was plenty entertaining and very steamy. I'll definitely be reading more of Gena Showalter's books!

Thank you Bonkers Romance Podcast and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

An entertaining and gripping paranormal romance that kept me reading as there's a very interesting plot and a couple of fascinating characters (I rooted for them)
It's the first I read in this series and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I got this through the Bonkers Romance book club, and it isn’t something I would have normally picked. I hadn’t read the first in the series. This wasn’t really my cup of tea, darker and more violent than my tastes run to.

After reading The Warlord, I had been waiting in all sorts of agonies for the release of The Immortal and man oh man was it worth it!

Halo, yummy yummy, Halo was so perfect. And he meets his match in Ophelia, a young harpy trying to put her stamp on Harpydom. My God, this book was a ride! It was AMAZING! Getting to know these characters in more detail was so refreshing. Entering Gena's world is always a little magical. I just want to stay there.

Plot:

Now that Roc Phaethon has completed the first mission, Halo knows that it won't be long before it is his turn. So when the god Chaos appears to tell him that his task is to complete the twelve tasks of Hercules, he is overjoyed. Kill a few monsters? Easy!

What he doesn't realise is that he would also meet his Gravita and endure all sorts of complications. His mission is not nearly as it seems.

Ophelia simply wants to kill someone- just one! Imagine her excitement when she realises that she can help the Astra with his mission and maybe even steal a kill.

As the two work together to complete the missions, Erebus throws various obstacles in their way. Can the two outmanoeuvre Erebus and win the second challenge to ascend?

My thoughts:

If you couldn't tell from the beginning of this review, I LOVED THIS BOOK. The angst, the sexual tension, the banter was simply TO DIE FOR. Meeting previously loved characters again, Roc and Taliyah, felt a little like coming home. I just want to read more and more of this world. I need to know more!

Also, I have never been so turned on by the “chin pinch”. This book honestly takes things that one step further.

Gena Showalter is a QUEEN in this genre. No one does it better. Go grab your copy, you won't regret it.

Thank you Gena and Naomi for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

Gena Showalter's Rise of the Warlords series continues with "The Immortal." If you want to gain a full understanding of the world and the larger story at play here, I recommend reading the first book in the series, The Warlord, as much of the set-up for the series is explained there. But as briefly as possible, there's a group of 9 super-duper-immortal beings called the Astra Planeta, led by Roc (book one's hero), who each have to complete a ritual/task/quest thingy in order to achieve 500 more years of success on the battlefield. If they fail, they are cursed with 500 years of loss.

And wouldn't you know it, each one's task is derailed by the appearance of their fated female, and the warriors have to somehow find a way to keep their girl but also complete their task because if even one of the Astras fails to complete theirs, everyone automatically fails!

So no pressure.

I really liked Halo and Ophelia as a couple, and the storyline of the repeating day and the 12 Herculean challenges was super fun. I liked Ophelia's banter mixed with Halo's stoicism. Like day and night, hot and cold - it was funny.

And of course, with Ophelia being half nymph it didn't take long for her to warm Halo up!

Overall, this was really enjoyable. I maybe wouldn't recommend reading two of these books directly back-to-back like I did as you definitely notice the formula more starkly, but I'm interested to read the rest and see how the other 7 Astras each find their fated female.⁠
⁠
I'm going to give this one 4 stars. ⁠
★★★★
ARC was received by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"The Immortal" - the second installment in Gena Showalter's Rise of the Warlords series - takes the glorious foundation that "The Warlord" laid and expounds upon it in a way that is simultaneously ingenious, thrilling, and at times straight-up diabolical. The Groundhog Day meets The Labors of Hercules situation is clever and so much fun, and Gena's trademark humor, brilliance, amazing world-building, and heart really shine through.

The chemistry between our two mains - Halo and Ophelia - is positively white hot, bordering on nuclear. Insta-attraction has always been an exploitable weakness of mine, and its only made all the better when the people involved struggle to resist the pull. That trademark struggle only made the yearning and tension between Halo & Ophelia all the more exquisite. Their passion has the capacity to set fire to the pages at times, even when they're in the middle of seemingly formal negotiations (that scene was everything). Just that over-layer of roiling need that threatens to boil over at any second? Perfection.

The humor and banter in this book is also absolutely fantastic (which comes as no surprise to me because I've always vibed with Gena's sense of humor), and I love all of the engagements and teasing between the different characters. The tension, high-stakes, conflict, and drama also deliver in all the ways that matter. Erebus is one conniving villain. He is slimy and devious and clever - a very worthy opponent of the Astra Planeta. But what I absolutely LOVE about these books is how Gena takes these seemingly impenetrable warlords, throws them into impossible situations, and the only way out is for them is through some much needed personal growth, along with surrendering their trust to the women they love.... viewing them and treating them as the equals (and dare I say, superiors) that they are.

What can I say? That goodness makes me weak.

As is typical with a Gena Showalter book, too, there's plenty of amazing lines of dialogue, bits of banter, and memorable one-liners. The erotic elements are also nothing short of glorious. But the way she balances it all out with the feels... goddamn. This book really squeezes the life out of one's heart at times. Just the vulnerabilities we see with Halo and Ophelia especially... oof. So good.

This book is a more than worthy follow-up to its predecessor. It's funny, fast-paced, unpredictable, and absolutely delicious. "The Immortal" delivers and I can't wait for the next book in this series!

The Immortal is the second book in the Rise of the Warlords series by Gena Showalter. I do recommend reading the series in order for an understanding of the world and larger story line.

Halo Phaninon, assassin of gods, is as cold and merciless as a machine. For victory, he crosses any line. When tasked to kill twelve of mythology’s fiercest monsters in twenty-four hours, Halo eagerly accepts. Except, each morning he awakens to the same day, forced to relive new horrors. Only one other person retains their memory—the beauty who threatens his iron control. Ophelia the Flunk Out hates her disaster of a life. She’s the family disappointment, a harpy warrior without a kill and powerless—or is she? Nearly every night she’s doomed to repeat her own murder, but each morning she arises to spar with Halo, the ruthless warlord increasingly determined to save her and lure her to his bed. Halo’s insatiable desire for the stubborn Ophelia drives him wild, and he only craves more. If he remains in the time loop, they stay together. But if he escapes, they lose each other forever.

The Immortal started off good for me. I liked the introduction of Halo and Ophelia and the general set up of this story. I thought the individual issues that each of them have coming into the story were well handled and explored through the story. Similarly, the character and relationship development and growth was done well. I liked the creativity in using a time loop and Hercules's tasks, and the banter and several other aspects of the book really worked for me. However, I have to admit that there were several moments that I just got a little restless and eager to see things move forward quicker. Part of this is on me- like many others in these interesting times- I sometimes have trouble focusing on my reading. Was my trouble focusing on this read and staying engaged a pacing issue, a me issue, or as I suspect a combination of the two. It definitely might hit other readers differently, but for me it just did not meet the high expectations I have for this author.

The Immortal is a good continuation of this story.

To quote one of my friends who I was talking to about this book, "This didn't make sense and it wasn't my jam!"

But I do want to mention that I haven't read the first book in this series, so I'm not sure if it didn't work for me because of that, or because of things like the writing style and this particular story. At the end of the day, it did keep me engaged enough to keep reading because I wanted to see how everything would play out, so that's something!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5
Gena Showalter is a queen and anyone who doubts that just needs to read this book. She is in a league of her own for paranormal and fantasy world building and crazy kick ass characters.

Our hero and his men are currently occupying Harpina (land of harpies) while each undergo their own trials which will either lead to them all succeeding and being blessed or one failing so they are all cursed. Our hero’s trial comes in the form of a Groundhog Day where he has to perform Hercules’ 12 feats. It turns out he’s not alone in the Groundhog Day and the one person experiencing it alongside him is a harpy who may just be his mate.

Robotic, emotionally constipated heroes are my catnip and this hero is nicknamed The Machine- that is until the heroine melts him like a puddle and it was the best thing to read! I love how obsessed and all in he was from the start (even if he refused to admit it) and I loved how our heroine had a rough exterior but a super soft interior just wanting to find someone of her own! I LOVED this book and I need more stat.