Book Club: March - Ruthless by Gena Showalter

Okay, quick confession -- I have been on a reading blitz. Actually, I've been on an audibook-listening blitz, and I've got to say that this is one book that is totally enhanced by the audio.

Ruthless is one of those books that had been hanging out in my unread pile (unlistened) for awhile. This romantasy features Micah the Unwilling, king of the forgotten. Micah is a powerful fae -- a chimera whose magic abilities conflict. He is also involved in a war with his greatest foe - Kaysar.

When he was younger, Micah met Viori de Aoibheall, and he hasn't ever gotten her out of his mind. Although Micah doesn't know it yet, Viori has the ability to sing monsters into existence. The downside is, if she isn't careful with her song, she can also kill those listening to her song. When she was young, she accidentally killed her parents, and she believes her brother abaondoned her out of anger. Also, when she sings, it drains her of energy and puts her into a deep sleep that can last for decades.

Viori wakes up from one of these sleeps and stumbles into Micah's camp -- the attraction between them sizzles immediately. As the story progresses, they become closer. Micah has a code of honour that keeps him from acting on his feelings, so Viori does her best to become a seductess.

Of course, all the while there is the complication that Viori has a secret. Her brother is Micah's enemy. She knows who Micah is, but he does not know that Viori is Kaysar's family. She wants nothing more than to get back into her brother's good graces, and she thinks helping him win the war against Micah will do just that.

So, things in Ruthless are complicated. Also, this book is seriously funny. The character's are both sassy and arrogant in the way of super-powerful demi-gods. Viori's inner dialogue in particular had me laughing out loud. The battle of the sexes between them is also ridiculously amusing. Then, when they finally do connect, their sizzling chemistry explodes. This is a very fun book to read.

Gena Showalter also has this way of taking common modern idioms and adjusting them slightly so they are still recognizable but fit into the fantasy world she has created. I also laughed on multiple occassions at our modern world sliding into this realm of monsters.

For me, though, the very best part of this book was the narrator. Well, maybe not the best part of the book so much as the book experience. Gena Showalter definitely wrote the narrator a lot of good stuff to work with -- but oh my goodness. The way he reads their dialogue? The inflections and pacing he uses add nothing but gold to Ruthless. Check out a sample here.