[ARC Review] The Phantom by Gena Showalter

Publisher's synopsis: As the son of a war god, Roux Pyroesis has suffered unending pain—he’s caused it, too, dispatching his foes with alarming ease. Now he’s tasked with cutting out the heart of a powerful queen who rules an ancient prison realm inhabited by the most vicious immortal females in existence.

Blythe the Undoing is a decorated harpy warrior determined to annihilate Roux, the invader who killed her beloved consort. Nothing will stop her. Even if she must trap herself for eternity by sneaking into the brutal realm and taking the crown, pitting herself against the merciless male she’s sworn to despise.

Having never known desire, Roux is ill prepared for the stunning beauty who challenges him at every turn. For the survival of his army, duty comes first. Always. But what happens when the flames of Blythe’s hatred burn out and she craves him, too…but only one of them can live?  

My thoughts: The couples in the Rise of the Warlords series have been, so far, absolutely amazing to watch get together, and Roux and Blythe definitely kept me turning the page.

Readers first met Roux and Blythe - and the start of their relationship - in The Warlord, and The Phantom nicely picks up from that initial encounter. I really loved both of these characters; as the Crazed One, Roux has been a bit of a loose canon in previous books, but readers finally get a look inside his head in this book and it was well worth the wait. And Blythe the Undoing finally gets her moment to shine and take her rightful place at center stage. 

There were a lot of elements in this story that really pulled me in. I loved getting a better idea of who Roux is as a person to see if his Crazed One nickname was accurate. Getting to see inside his head during some previous events really added to his story as well as the overall Rise of the Warlords story. 

Despite the nature of their tasks, there was actually a lot of fun and/or cute elements to their relationship that had me falling in love with them even more. Blythe might be ruthless, but she's ruthless in an endearing way (which I didn't even know was possible). Their chemistry was there right from the start, even if neither of them wanted it or was willing to admit to it. 

Despite fate being involved, I loved that there were still questions of feelings and whether those feelings were true. Neither one was willing to just accept their destiny, both in love and in life. 

This is such a great series, and it just keeps getting better and more intriguing with each new book. I loved Blythe and Roux's story and I can't wait for the next task and the next romance in the next book! 

[A huge thank you to the author for providing an advanced copy for review to her review team!]

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Release date: 2/7/23
Format: eARC

eARC provided via: Gena Showalter's Review Team