Gwen’s review of Ecstasy in Darkness (Alien Huntress, Book 5) by Gena Showalter
Sci-fi Romance released by Pocket Star 26 Oct 10
Original Review posted 24 Dec 2010

For the first chapter or two (or three) of this book, I was convinced I would hate the hero.  The heroine I loved – great dynamic between her and her BFF, and I was getting a kick out of how she treated the hero.  She’s someone I’d love to go to lunch with.  He was someone I wanted to pummel with a rotten fish. But then I kept reading…

Showalter’s Alien Huntress’ world always surprises me.  The stories are fun, the characters engaging, the dialogue a blast to read, and the romance hot and believable. Don’t let me forget to tell you that there’s almost always a twist to the story that makes it a boatload of fun to read. Ecstasy in Darkness is no exception to all these “rules.”

The hero, McKell, is introduced in earlier novels.  He’s is downright surly and nasty for the first few…well, for the whole book. BUT! But he grows on you.  I actually got to like him and, more importantly, I got to sympathize with him and love his romance with the “mere human” heroine, Ava.

I found myself many times cheering Ava on when she would yank a knot in McKell’s tail (Texas saying – let me know if you’re not sure what I mean here).  I also love – LOVE I tell you – how McKell would stop time so that he could punch the smarmy face of some dickhead who insults Ava, then start time again whereupon said dickhead would try to figure out how come his face hurt. HA!  I mean, how many of us have wished we could do THAT?!

The great thing about Showalter’s Alien Huntress books is she takes characters who would not typically get HEAs in “typical” romance novels and gives them the full treatment.  Her heroes and heroines aren’t always noble, upstanding citizens, but they’re still people (mostly) and, according to Gena, they still deserve that one, special love. And we deserve to read about them – thank goodness.  I have derived many hours of contented entertainment reading Showalter’s books. I don’t think I’ve been disappointed by her yet, and I’m a very unsentimental reader.

The pace of Ecstasy in Darkness is quick and fun, though the reader is never left in the dust.  It can be read on its own, but you’ll have a lot of fun reading the other books in the series and will understand more of the hero’s backstory.  The ending is a little abrupt, but I think there must be more to this story in the next few of the series (I can’t wait!).

I highly recommend this book to anyone following the series, fans of sci-fi romance, or just fans of quirky, action-packed romances. It’s a great story about a surprising couple set in a memorable world.  Loved it.

Grade: A

Read more information on this series by following its tag here.

Summary:

Growing up poor on New Chicago’s meanest streets, Ava Sans had two options: be the predator, or be the prey. No contest. Now, working for Alien Investigation and Removal, she’s been ordered to capture the biggest, baddest warrior of all—a vampire too beautiful to be real, with the ability to manipulate time. Once the leader of the entire vampire army, McKell has been deemed savage and unstable, spurned even by his own kind.

To McKell, humans should be nothing more than sustenance. Yet the petite, golden-skinned Ava is a fascinating contradiction—vicious yet witty, strong yet vulnerable, lethal but fiercely loyal. Against his better judgment, McKell craves that loyalty, and much more. When the chase leads to seduction, McKell and Ava will race to discover the truth about his past. But the answers will come at a price, even for a woman who thought she had nothing left to lose. . . .

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series: