[ARC Review] Ruthless by Gena Showalter
Viori de Aoibheall wields a terrifying ability to sing monsters to life. Having spent her childhood in a forest, raising herself and her frightening creations—the only friends she’s ever known—she’s ill prepared for the scarred royal and his fearsome brutality. Not to mention the ferocity of their connection and the carnality of his touch. But the real problem? Her brother is Micah’s greatest foe. And though the sensual king makes her burn, she must stop him, whatever the cost.
My thoughts: Probably my favorite thing about Heartless, the first book in the Immortal Enemies series, was the fact that there was no clear-cut good guy versus bad guy. Kaysar was vengeful and Cookie was just crazy. That notion of both main characters being morally gray definitely follows through into Ruthless.
Micah is just weeks away from the end of his truce with Kaysar. He will do anything to win back his castle and keep his people safe. He just wasn't expecting that "anything" would also entail falling in love.
Micah was an interesting, complex character. We only got to see glimpses of who he is in the first book, and Micah definitely has many layers that Kaysar's perception of him doesn't even come close to uncovering. I loved that Micah wielded a dual nature: one of a king, and one of an outcast.
A more grounding force against Cookie's tendency to be merciless and crazy, Viori is definitely my favorite of the two leading ladies we've met in this series so far. Having practically raised herself - with the help of the monsters she sings into existence - Viori is strong and independent and she knows what she wants. Unfortunately, the person she's falling hard for and her brother's greatest enemy just happen to be the same person.
Feelings are complicated pretty much from start to finish in Ruthless. In order to keep his people safe, Micah has to accept the fact that they don't see him as part of the group. I loved seeing Micah deal with those feelings of rejection, and how they shifted the more time he spent with Viori. Do Micah and Viori have the healthiest of relationships throughout the book? Definitely not. But they're definitely on a much saner scale compared to Kaysar and Cookie.
I particularly enjoyed how Showalter weaved Micah and Viori's internal struggles with the larger issues at stake. Micah knows the fate of his people hangs in the balance, and Viori knows this is her once chance to finally see Kaysar again. At odds in both love and politics, it's a wonder that both Viori and Micah could even find the common ground to fall in love.
I loved returning to the dangerous and alluring world of the Immortal Enemies series. Cookie and Kaysar are top-notch returning characters, and fans who enjoy their paranormal romance a bit darker will love Micah and Viori as a couple. Between Micah's complexities and Viori's scarily powerful abilities, Ruthless is a fantastic addition to this series.
[A huge thank you to Gena Showalter for having me on her review team. My position on the review team does not affect or skew my review. The above review contains my honest opinions.]
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Release date: 8/9/22
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: Gena Showalter's Review Team
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