From Gena Showalter, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lords of the Underworld saga, comes Frost and Flame, the second book in the scorching paranormal romance series Gods of War.Bane of Adwaeweth is the most feared immortal warrior in All War history. Possessed by a bloodthirsty beast, he will stop at nothing to win. Then he meets irresistible Nola Lee. He hates the power she wields … bloodthirsty beast, he will stop at nothing to win. Then he meets irresistible Nola Lee. He hates the power she wields over him, but she alone can rain vengeance upon his wife’s killer.
Unaware of her destiny to rule as queen of beasts, Nola battles illness, addiction and vulnerability. With Bane, however, she experiences pleasure for the first time, and only wants more. But being with him comes with a terrible price.
With enemies lurking around every corner, Bane and Nola must fight to survive. But time is running out, and neither can resist the sizzling attraction blazing between them. Will their romance save the beast and his beauty, or destroy everything they’ve come to love?
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Sometimes I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I’m read a different series by Showalter’s. I’m so use to the other series, Lords of the Underworld that I have to pause and think for a second. Ha! don’t you love when that happens? I’m sure as time goes on I’ll start seeing this series as it’s own.
If you read the first book in the series then you’ve been waiting on this one. Frost and Flame happen at the same time as Shadow and Ice. So at times, you have an overlap of the two stories. Love when that happens in a series.
Frost and Flame for me is slightly darker of a paranormal romance than Shadow and Ice was. I think you need to know that going in. Sure, it is just as good and Shadow and Ice, just heavier. You’ll understand when you read it.
Even though at times I felt that Bane is heavy-handed and closed off, I liked him. Weird, I know. I don’t know why but he isn’t that bad. It’s mostly on the outside, inside he has a softer more caring side that I enjoyed. He just needed someone to remind him of that softness.
I also enjoy Nola. She has so many health issues but carries on like a champ even when she’s not treated very well. There are layers to her that took Bane a while to pick up on. I liked the idea of him being in her dreams before they meet. It’s like their story was written in the stars. Their story was well worth the wait. I really enjoyed it!
Book 2 in this Gods of War series, which I really enjoyed and connected much more with the characters in this one. This is Nola’s story, the foster sister from Vale in the first book. This story runs parallel to the first book, which it is not necessary to read first as it is completely different, but it would help for the background to what the world is all about, so I would suggest reading this first.
Bane is sent as a competitor of the 103rd All War, like a gladiator trial, where the winner takes the planet for their King/Queen. Bane’s Queen is evil and nasty, having killed his wife in order to force him to compete, Bane is battling in the hope that he can get revenge on his Queen. His people contain a beast, which happens to be a dragon, which only the Queen can control. It turns out there are some hybrids on Earth, Princesses that can become Queen, and Bane is sent to ensure they are also killed.
Nola turns out to be one of these hybrids, she is one hell of a fighter struggling with lupus and fibromyalgia every day, battling with pain and goodness knows what else. This makes her weak in her eyes, unable to be loved or have a relationship.
Bane knows who she is and what she could become, but treats her badly at first, wanting nothing but revenge on his Queen, before he starts to realise just how strong her spirit and character really are. He feels drawn to Nola constantly, but battles with his feelings of guilt for his dead wife and tries to keep his distance.
I love the dynamic and chemistry between Bane and Nola, the banter and the quips were fabulous! I am really enjoying this series and can’t wait to read more from Gena.
A terrific second story in this new series by one of my favorite authors. Warrior gods from other realms land on Earth to fight for the planet and enslave its inhabitants. Well, humans don’t take it laying down! A pair of sisters find the warriors and needless to say love connections form. This story runs parallel to the first in the series and has enough background that it is a standalone. The sickly Nola has been abducted by Zion and separated from Vale, her sister, and her medication. But it’s the golden warrior Bane that she has a telepathic connection with and he has to get to her to avenge the death of his wife. He’s a force as a fierce dragon shapeshifter beast and so twisted up in his hatred for the Queen of the beasts and any challenger to her throne that it effects his true feelings for Nola. As they fight to survive against the other warriors and her illness their connection grows and the soon chemistry turns hot. Bane is torn between his old feelings and the new ones that develop for Nola as they grow closer. Spectacular writing and a thrilling storyline with action, danger, fierce battles, foes galore, twists and turns, and a sexy romance in true Gena Showalter style makes for a fantastic read. I can’t wait for the next story! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
To begin with the story of Frost and Flame runs parallel to the first book in the Gods of War series Shadow In Ice meaning that Vale’s story in Shadow In Ice is happening at the same time as Nola’s story in Frost and Flame.
So Nola Lee, the foster sister of Vale, is our heroine and she has lupus, fibromyalgia and an addiction to opioids. From the start I felt a connect because of I myself also suffering from fibromyalgia and found at the beginning Gena Showalter quoted perfectly at how it feels.
‘Her entire body ached, her fingers looked like sausages, fatigue rode her like she was a horse and her every nerve ending sizzled, mini-bolts of lightning zapping her again and again.’
Then we have our hero Bane, the Golden God. Inside him he posses a blood-thirsty beast, Drogo, just like all men of his race do. Like Knox in book one, Bane has been frozen in Russia for many years until Nola and Vale come across them. He has been battling the All War and will stop at nothing to win.
But his queen is also his wife’s killer and Nola Lee may be the only person with the power to help him finally take his vengeance. Nola learns of the secrets behind her existence, but most of all she learns of the passion that she can share with her Golden Beast. But being with Bane comes at a terrible price, one that may let Dark Nola out for good.
I absolutely loved Frost and Flame. Nola and Bane’s story has a lot of twists and turns but everything that they are forced to go through just makes Nola stronger and softens Bane’s hard heart a little more. This world is filled with Alpha males who are soon brought to their knees by the women that they come to love. This was an amazing and beautiful book and I cannot wait to read the next one.
Frost and Flame by Gena Showalter is book 2 in the Gods of War Series. This is the story of Bane of Adwaeweth and Nola Lee. I have read the previous book and it did help me enjoy this one as they seem to run parallel.
Nora struggles with a crippling condition that seems to be better when around Bane. Bane is a feared warrior who is out destroy which leads him to Nora but he finds her to be more than he thought.
This story is graphic, steamy and just a page turned as I have always found to be with Ms. Showalter books. Enjoyed it!
A great book in Gena Showalter’s newest paranormal series!
I really enjoyed Nola and Bane’s story, because as a woman that suffers from Fibromyalgia myself I could totally understand the pain and suffering that Nola goes through everyday, she is a brilliant character that no matter what she will never give up or give in. Bane as the hero of this story was a little hard to love at first but once he started to show his softer side I totally fell in love with his character and personality, he is a true and loyal soldier that follows every order he is given by his queen to a fault but he soon starts to realise who his true queen really is.
There was plenty of action in this book to keep myself as a reader interested in where the story would take Nola and Bane, they had great chemistry going on between them and great personalities that only made me like them more. The writing was very good, it flowed well and was easy to understand. Gods of War is turning out to a wonderful series with a very different twist on the paranormal theme. I can’t wait for the next book as i’m already hooked, addicted even and I need my next fix soon!
Frost and Flame is the 2nd book in the Gods of War series, this book is Bane and Nola’s story.
Frost and Flame has the same timeline as Shadow and Ice, but we are experiencing Bane and Nola’s side rather then Knox and Vale.
I think I enjoyed this story a lot more the Shadow and Ice, while a I loved Knox and Vale, but there’s just something about Bane and Nola. They made me fall in love with them more.
Nola is a really relatable character, she suffers with some different conditions and finds everyday life hard. But being with Bane makes life easier for her. She’s strong, loyal and stands up for what she believes in/wants.
Bane is a Adwaeweth fierce warrior, that can shift into a dragon. He is strong, protective and wants revenge on his evil Queen that rules his world back home. But feelings start to develop between them, something Bane doesn’t know how to handle.
I can’t wait for more books in this series. While I enjoyed seeing Bane and Nola’s relationship develop, I want to see how this story will progress and how they will handle the All War of Terra.
Gods of War is a series you must pick up!
Frost and Flame (Gods of War #2) is a brilliant sequel with all I had hoped for… and so much more. This PNR has excellent world-building, smoking hot romance, and fascinating characters.
Bane and Nola have fierce chemistry with each other even when they quarrel. You want them together and hope through their entire cat-and-mouse relationship it happens.
Gena Showalter is a masterful storyteller! Her words capture your senses, and attention, on the first page and keep you enraptured until the last.
This is the second book in this complex and intriguing series. Nola and Bane’s story had a lot of hate you-want you-hate you going on, which did become monotonous after awhile. Like many heroes, Bane started off as a bit of a jerk. He was filled with anger, fueled by his quest for vengence and racked by occasional feelings of guilt. He did grow and get better and I really liked that he admitted to his sins and tried to make up for them. Nola I thought was a pretty awesome character. This woman had a core of steel in spite of how things appeared from the outside. I felt the chemistry was good between these two and I enjoyed their steamy scenes. The storyline and world these characters inhabit is very complicated and I do admit that sometimes things could get a bit confusing. Still, I found this to be a very entertaining read and I look forward to more from this series.