Unwrapping: Review of KING OF THE DAMNED, a League of Guardians novel by Juliana Stone

The League of Guardians series by Juliana Stone is one of the most amazing paranormal romance series I've ever encountered. So when I got the chance to read and review the upcoming new release, KING OF THE DAMNED, I jumped at it. I was certainly not disappointed.

***eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for KING OF THE DAMNED:

For millennia the struggle between light and dark, between the upper and lower realms, has been policed by a secret group of warriors culled from every fabric of existence. They are both otherworld and human, male and female. They are light and dark themselves and known to each other as the League of Guardians. Their pledge, to protect the line between dominions and make sure neither side grows too powerful. If they fall, so shall the earth, the heavens and hell. And there will be no more.

With darkness all around him, The League of Guardians is his only means of redemption…

Azaiel, the fallen, has been given a second chance to atone for the sins of his past. With demons gathering and threatening the league, he must find out if their circle has been breached. What he doesn’t foresee is a woman—a fierce warrior—who will turn his world upside down and awaken his tortured soul.

Rowan James is a powerful witch out to avenge the death of her beloved grandmother, but she needs an ally. Will she be able to trust a man with secrets as dark as the sorrow in his eyes? Loving Rowan means risking salvation and yet Azaiel cannot ignore the hunger burning hot between them—his one last chance at happiness. With danger all around them, will these two desperate souls finally find love in each other? Or be forever damned…

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Rowan James comes from a long line of witches marked by a demon named Mallick. This demon is determined now to take Rowan as his and her power, which is exceptional, to give him the edge that will turn the balance of power in his favor. Rowan has no intention of being taken and after discovering her grandmother has been murdered is determined to avenge the death of the most dear person in her life. The night she returns to her home in Salem, Massachusetts, she encounters a man who she has no reason to trust but who claims to be there to help her avenge her grandmother's death. Will she be strong enough to bring her coven together, get beyond the events of the past that threaten to keep her family separated, and forgive her mother her own tragic past in order to bring them all together to defeat Mallick? What of this stranger and his otherworld friends? Have they truly come to help or are they there merely to make sure she doesn't fall into the hands of Mallick? With her fate set one way or the other, Rowan fights to protect her world, her life, all while attempting not to fall victim to the extraordinary pull she feels toward the stranger who she has learned is called the Fallen.

Azaiel, the Fallen, has lived a long time. He's suffered the depths of Hell and has been treated, for too long, with disdain for the evil he has done. Now having been given the charge of protecting Rowan James and avenging the death of a member of the League of Guardians, will he be able to redeem himself, gain the trust of a powerful witch and that of his fellow guardians, while ignoring the burning passion that is rising between him and Rowan? To have her, will he be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Extraordinary, filled with action, passion, and a dark intensity, KING OF THE DAMNED - book 2 in the League of Guardians series - by Juliana Stone is beyond good, it is incredible. Imagery that pulls you into a story that is amazingly real and terrifying - this is more than a romance, it's an adventure. A cast of characters, some of whom we've already met in both the League of Guardians series and the Jaguar Warriors series, takes this story to a new level. Whereas the darkness is deep and dark, Juliana has infused some wonderful humor that will have you laughing out loud at the images she creates. Fortunately for us, the gorgeous men in this novel, especially Azaiel, end up without their shirts on quite often but when poor Azaiel is left with only the strangest of costume, the image pulled from the reader's imagination is one that is priceless.

KING OF THE DAMNED by Juliana Stone is a riveting, passionate story about forgiveness, redemption, and giving up one's immortality (life) for true love. This is a story that everyone, who has even the slightest attraction to paranormal romance, should read. I was a bit worried that if you hadn't read any of the previous novels, you might feel lost but no! Juliana has written this story so well, so incredibly detailed that it works very well as a stand-alone. However, I highly recommend that you read some of her previous works just because they're all worth it.

I highly recommend the newest League of Guardians novel, KING OF THE DAMNED by Juliana Stone for to miss it would be such a shame as I cannot even begin to describe. Get it, read it and fall in love with the League of Guardians led by KING OF THE DAMNED.

Happy Reading Everyone!

KING OF THE DAMNED, a League of Guardians novel by Juliana Stone, Avon Romance, release date - November 27, 2012, available in print and ebook formats.