It's been a while since I've done a Friday Read. I was in the throes of deadline hell finishing my book, so time for reading has been slim. But I got the chance on a recent trip to read a big one. If you've read anything by R. Lee Smith before, you know the books are GIANT and cross all kinds of genres. These books aren't for everyone. The heroes tend to be non-human and grotesque--which sounds bizarre, I know. I remember someone talking about the alien lizard hero in The Last Hour of Gann and I was like--uh, no. But then the buzz was too much to ignore and I picked it up. Turned out to be one of my favorite reads that year. (See my review here.)

So when I saw that Smith had a new book out and people were talking it up again, I knew I had to pick it up. This one is a mix of romance and horror and dystopian and a little science fiction? I never know how to label these books, lol. All I can say is that there IS a romance and an epic one at that. If you don't have patience for long books, this won't be for you. The story stays interesting throughout, but it's over 700 pages so you're signing up for a long story.

And I'm always short on reading time and have a huge TBR pile, so a big book takes a commitment from me. But when a long story is well-written, there's an epic factor to the story that I so enjoy. So that's what these books do for me. You feel so much more invested and the story stays with you because you've been with the characters so long.

These books aren't for everyone but they're filled with fabulous world-building, heartbreak, flawed characters, adventure, and romance. The Last Hour of Gann will remain at the top of my list as my favorite by this author, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. And even if this isn't your normal thing (it's not mine!), I suggest you give it a try.

About the book:

SHE WOULD DARE ANYTHING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM HIS RULE.

EVEN HIS BED.

He ascended from the darkness years ago—Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death—bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.

For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.

From the author of The Scholomance and The Last Hour of Gann comes a new vision of erotic horror! This book contains explicit sex and gore and is intended for mature readers only.

Buy the book: Amazon (This one's an Amazon only book and is also in Kindle Unlimited)

What are you reading? What good books have you read lately?