There's a new nightmare of the Road to Hell!
One of my absolute favorite series, namely Gracen Miller's Road To Hell series is back with a new chapter.The FOURTH book titled Royal Parnerships is now officially OUT ! And I'm here to review it... or something like that. For those who are too lazy to read my review, let me sum it up quickly: I FREAKIN' LOVED IT, and don't you even think about passing it up.
Are you ready for the ride?
Can you handle the ride?
It’s good to be the Queen…Having ascended the throne of Hell, Madison Wescott is finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Though she has embraced her demonic nature, she has ensured the safety of everyone she loves. With both Micah and Nix at her side, she wields more power than she could have ever imagined.
But not even the throne is safe when you rule in Hell.
In the wake of a failed assassination attempt, Madison learns about a realm of the damned older than Hell itself. A fierce and powerful incubus vows to escape his imprisonment there — and his efforts are weakening the bonds that hold him and countless other monsters at bay. With no plan and nowhere else to turn, Madison contacts an unlikely source for help. But whose side is he really on? Will he help preserve her reign, or bring about Hell’s downfall?Choose your partnerships carefully…
Amid the rubble of defeat will Hell’s Genesis Queen dawn?
Title: Royal PartnershipsAuthor: Gracen MillerSeries: Road To Hell #4Publication Date: June 11th 2015
I'd like to send a message for Gracen before I start the review:
Seriously, I know how underrated this series is and it doesn't get the attention it deserves, so THANK YOU for not giving up on it thus making my life a little bit better.
Royal Parnerships is operating as a bridge between the original trilogy and the upcoming spin-off books (Zen & Elias -if we live long enough to see these :P). It provides closure as well as sets up new storylines. Also this might be the last book with mostly Madison's narrating, I'm pretty sure she will get some chapters in the later books too. Mads just showed her darker side in RP and not everyone is perfectly fine with it (*glares at Nix*). I feel a great disturbance in the Mic-Mad-Nix force, but I guess we just have to wait and see.
RP starts a little bit slow, bringing us up to date with our favorite hellish crew's life. Mostly it's about Madison's choice at the end of Genesis Queen and how others (like Nix's jackass family) deal with that. Also the old epilogue from GQ have been moved to as one of the plotlines in RP, clearing things up a bit (at least for me), but nothing new. However, this is only the first half of the book. The second half brings a helluva lot more exciting shit to the table.
First of all, there are new enemies. Some Angel just can't sit on their asses and are out for Madison's blood and they're bringing the big guns. Meaning: awesome new characters. A trio of total badassness, though I wouldn't have mind to see them in more action. And then there's a secret weapon, a new creature, basically the Ace in the deck which could be Madison's downfall. Whoever holds it has a serious advantage. Besides the Angels and their backup, Madison has to deal with one more enemy. A freakishly powerful demon who wants to unleash himself and his buddies on the world, and if you thought Micah's apocalypse plan was the worst thing that could happen to humans, well... let's just say this would be way worse.
But as good old Hippocrates said: "For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable." So Madison has to battle with her own self and her lovers, too, to do what must be done, to ask and accept the help of those none of them trust. Which brings us some very interesting and intense family reunions. And above all this, there's still an unnerving prophecy about someone close to her betraying her and at this point, it could be her mentor, friend and adopted brother, Zen, or even one of her lovers.
What made me love this book was that it was a perfect bridge between two era. It didn't feel like a waste of time, paper or money because it really gives the fans what they would expect from a novel like this. The characters, and along with them the story is moving forward, evolving and becoming bigger, better and more complex. I loved seeing Madison's bad side and that she finally acted like a total boss, a true Queen of Hell. We got to see more depth of some characters which helps us see their action more clearly and could even help to understand them more. I waited for so long for this book and I was anything but disappointed. I was excited, captivated, amazed, impressed and freaking happy (mostly for a certain character's return). The only bad thing about this book was that it was far too short and ended it on a cliffhanger! This series is TORTURE... like.."No one in the history of torture's been tortured with torture like the torture I am tortured with."
Royal Partnerships Excerpt:
“Collecting and torturing a soul is dangerous business, my sister,” Zen said.
“So was becoming Queen of Hell. What’s problematic about going with the flow?”
More of the same unblinking stare from him. “If you go rogue, Madison…”
Madison slammed against the window-wall behind her. Despite the pane’s solidness, she felt it shimmy when it received the brunt of her weight. Recognizing Zen’s new demonstration of power, she elevated her eyebrows at him. With a smirk, she rubbed her back against the glass. She palmed her dragon blade as she flung a ninja star. He leaned to the side, dodging the star with ease. Of course she missed.
“You can’t kill me.”
Only his creator could take him down.
Madison palmed her other dagger and eased away from the window. “Is this you coming for me, Zen?”
His one-shoulder shrug sufficed as an answer. The pounding on the door, followed by Nix and Micah’s yelling further answered her question. Zen had magically locked them out. That’d been why she saw his power flare for a brief second during their conversation.
She went for him. He blocked each jab and slash. Every kick and punch. She eyed him as they circled one another.
He toys with us, her demon remarked.
Of course he does, that was Zen’s way when they sparred.
“Have I not taught you anything?” He smacked her across the cheek in a whip-like move she hadn’t seen coming. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but the blow stung all the same. “You tire yourself knowing I’m the superior fighter. It’s like you sacrifice yourself to me. Too easy.”
They went at it again. She tripped over a rug, stumbled backward, and came up dead-footed with her spine against the windowpanes. He moved into her space. Eye- to-eye they stared at one another, her panting the only racket in the room.
“So this is how it all ends?” she asked as he elevated a hand and braced it against the glass next to her head.
“Maybe...”
The door practically throbbed from all the kicking, pounding, and magic thrown at it. “You’re scaring my men.”
“They should be terrified.”
Madison settled her hand on his arm. “I trust you.”
She chugged his magic harder than she ever had anyone’s, and screamed as pain slashed through her head. Zen’s eyes widened, silver bright, and he jerked away as his magic held strong, barring her husbands from the room.
Zen stumbled, his footing off, and he swayed a moment before going to a knee. Wincing as the pain receded, Madison circled him and secured her blade in its leather holster.
She threaded her fingers in his hair and pulled his head back. His shallow breathing surprised her, “Concede defeat?”
Learn more about the ROAD TO HELL series and the genius author behind it, Gracen Miller
Gracen is a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a “normal” person in southern society. When not writing, she’s a full-time basketball/lacrosse/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband of over twenty years. She has an unusual relationship with her muse, Dom, but credits all her creative success to his brilliant mind. She’s addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels and movies, Alabama football, and coffee...addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She’s convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and when blending coffee and writing together it generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her creative worlds are spawned from coffee highs and Dom’s aggressive demands. Gracen writes is multiple genres—paranormal romance, paranormal erotic romance, and contemporary romance. To learn more about Gracen or to leave her a comment, visit her website at www.gracen-miller.com.
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