Review: The Darkest Seduction

THE DARKEST SEDUCTION
(Lords of the Underworld #9)
Gena Showalter
Adult Paranormal Romance
504 pages
Harlequin
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Possessed by the demon of Promiscuity, immortal warrior Paris is irresistibly seductive-but his potent allure comes at a terrible price. Every night he must bed someone new, or weaken and die. And the woman he craves above all others is the one woman he'd thought was forever beyond his reach…until now.

Newly possessed by the demon of Wrath, Sienna Blackstone is racked by a ruthless need to punish those around her. Yet in Paris's arms, the vulnerable beauty finds soul-searing passion and incredible peace. Until a blood feud between ancient enemies heats up.

Will the battle against gods, angels and creatures of the night bind them eternally-or tear them apart?

MY THOUGHTS
Perhaps the most highly anticipated of the Lords of the Underworld series given the length of time we’ve followed Paris and Sienna’s tragic courtship, The Darkest Seduction doesn’t let us fans of the series down, the moments we’ve spent physically aching for them every time we've received small snippets of their lives in the other Lords’ books more than worth it as we get their full story in gloriously rich detail. We’ve had to watch Paris, previously full of life and charm and always quick with a laugh, lose a little piece of that light and charisma with each book, his guilt over his role in Sienna’s death and subsequent undeath starting out a small dark blot on his heart and spreading with each page read until darkness and vengeance have almost entirely consumed him. As a result, we find ourselves spending long minutes just staring at the image of Paris and Sienna on the cover, desperately wanting to crack the spine but also utterly apprehensive to do so knowing the journey to happiness for them will be long and painful.

Paris, Keeper of Promiscuity, leaps from the pages in the very first book in a deliciously sexy blaze of glory, seeming to revel in the needs of his demon while verbally sparring with his fellow Lords in a way that makes him an instant favorite, taking possession of our hearts as easily as he does all of those he seduces. As the series progresses however, we see small glimpses of the burden he bears as the Lord of Sex, the broken hearts, tears, curses, and pleas for more he leaves in his wake piling one atop the other to create a mountain of self-loathing and shame so great we want nothing more than to reach in and assure him his deeds done to satisfy his demon do not define him as a man. In this, finally his story at last, we experience his every emotion along with him, his desire to find and save Sienna in a way he wasn’t able to previously as well as his fear that Sex’s wants—separate but absolutely linked to his own–will inflict on her wounds deeper and more agonizing than the ones he’s already caused churning our guts as much as they do his.

Sienna is everything we could possibly want for Paris, a woman whose ability to forgive all his real and perceived sins acts as balm to his turbulent soul, granting him absolution and bestowing on him all the love he’s adamantly denied himself. Where she could condemn him for his inability to remain faithful, she offers only understanding, repeatedly putting his health and welfare above any jealousy the idea of his being with someone else brings forth, and proving to him again and again that the fragile trust they’re building is what’s most important to her. While Sienna’s infinite understanding of Paris’s need to sleep with someone else should they be parted for any length of time could have been frustrating–our own inability to overlook repeated infidelity, however necessary, preventing us from being as understanding as she is–Ms. Showalter spares us the torture and torment of cheating in this tale, instead giving us two characters who from the moment they come together on the pages show one another nothing but love and respect.

The Darkest Seduction, in addition to being a stunning fulfillment of a desire a long time coming, is also a crucial book with regard to the Lords’ ongoing battle with the Hunters and the search for Pandora’s Box, giving us a beautiful relationship as well as some incredibly profound developments that will hugely affect all the characters moving forward. Overall, this installment is one not to be missed, a true delight to read and one we can’t wait to flip back to the beginning and start all over again.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: The Darkest Surrender

THE DARKEST SURRENDER
(Lords of the Underworld #8)
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Romance
426 pages
Harlequin
Available September 27th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY
Strider, keeper of the demon of Defeat and one of the Lords of the Underworld responsible for opening Pandora's Box, is big on winning. In fact, if he's challenged and loses–whether something big or small–he writhes in pain for days. To avoid this scenario, he tries to steer clear of people who might provoke his demon, but unfortunately the one person who challenges him most is a woman he finds himself unable to stay away from.

Kaia, a harpy and gifted fighter, wants a man who doesn't want her back. After being repeatedly shot down by Strider, she decides to turn all her focus and attention on the Harpy Games, a series of events where the different clans battle one another for supremacy and the honor of being the best and strongest fighters. Unfortunately for Kaia, she has an unpleasant history with her fellow harpies, a mistake as a child earning her the nickname The Disappointment, a moniker that's stayed with her for a thousand years.

When Strider learns Kaia is to fight in the games and would benefit from having a consort, a man who could support her and share blood with her in order to accelerate her healing, he lets his protective instincts take over and goes to her side. There, he learns that first prize is one of four artifacts that can destroy Pandora's box, and by extension the Lords themselves. Battling the desire to secure the artifact with his desire for Kaia, knowing stealing the prize would result in not only her banishment from her kind but very possibly her death, Strider enters into his greatest challenge yet.

MY THOUGHTS
The Darkest Surrender is the latest foray in the the realm of the Lords of the Underworld, a group of damaged and tortured alpha men so brilliantly executed their stories play out in crisp detail in our minds while our emotions are teased, tested, and tormented. Many times in a series of this length the books can become tired, following a set formula with characters and conflicts substituted in each installment, but Ms. Showalter manages to avoid this pitfall and keep us invested on every possible level. While there is the basic romantic formula of two characters with problems they must overcome in order to be together, each of the different relationships featured in this series feels unique, the romance progressing at a speed that suits both protagonists and their personalities, and the individual battles they fight forward the overall story arc beautifully. We are always left satisfied with the couple we've just read but are also undeniably craving the story of the next characters in line.

Kaia is perhaps one of the strongest heroines yet, her combination of sharp wit and even sharper claws with an underlying stark vulnerability making her a pleasure to read about. She doesn't play games or seek to hurt Strider through his demon as many a lesser woman might, instead making her feelings known despite the rejection she knows she'll face. She craves and desires him without ever crossing the line into pining, she supports him and his quest for the Paring Rod without smothering him or forcing her opinion on him, and she fights for what she wants while accepting the possibility that the outcome may not be in her favor.

Strider is a true match to Kaia in every way, meeting her strength and stubbornness with equal intensity and offering her the same blunt honesty she gives him. His truths are laced with a touch of unintentional insincerity, however, as he attempts to vehemently deny the depth of his attraction to her, thereby being truthful in mind while lying to himself in heart. The romance between the two of them is incredibly and deliciously slow-burning, the passion continually igniting and then being snuffed out with quickly exhaled breaths of fear on both sides until finally the flames begin to raze their impressive defenses, swallowing all the trepidation and hesitation with the incandescent burn of formidable love. As we read, we continually check the pads of our fingers for blisters the heat emanating from them is so strong, making the possibility of it manifesting itself physically through the conduit of the paper pages a very real one.

In addition to a gloriously tense and fully combustible relationship, Ms. Showalter also entertains us with her trademark sense of humor, forcing us to experience the gamut of emotions while reading as we laugh at their antics, ache at the emotional distance separating them, and then glory in the warmth of their happiness. Strider's continual self-adoration and mental ego-checks keep us giggling aloud as do Kaia's interactions with her hilarious sister Bianka, providing us comforting moments of levity in the midst of a very serious and dark world. A breathtaking cast of secondary characters rounds out this highly recommended read, giving us snippets of individuals whose stories have been slowly building book after book and are finally making the move toward center stage without ever overshadowing our leading couple.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: The Darkest Lie

THE DARKEST LIE (Lords of the Underworld #6)
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Romance
436 pages
Harlequin
Available Now

THE STORY
Gideon, keeper of Lies, is plagued with the inability to speak the truth. Instead, he's forced to voice the opposite of what he truly means, with only those closest to him understanding what he's trying to say.

Scarlet, a vessel for the demon of Nightmares, travels to Budapest to issue a warning to the Lords. Cronus, the new king of the gods, has issued a set of scrolls to the Lords with names of other beings who are demon-posessed. Scarlet's name is on such a list, so she demands the Lords not search for her in any way. Of course, the Lords cannot let someone as powerful as Nightmares loose in society, so they capture her and throw her in the dungeon.

Here she meets Gideon, a man from her past she is unable to escape, and a man she desperately wants to be part of her future. Gideon, however, is unable to remember anything of his history with her, and constantly struggles against his growing feelings while trying to get her to understand the convoluted language he has to speak.

The Titans, ever watchful and ever conniving, keep a close eye on both Scarlet and Gideon as the two of them explore their past life together. They continue to insert themselves in the Lords' war with the hunters, providing aid when necessary and refusing it when it suits them. Temporary allegiances are made, old enemies are remembered, and a new supernatural force continues to make it's presence known.

MY THOUGHTS
Gideon and Scarlet have a history together. They don't simply meet by happenstance and fall instantly into lust and decide to try and make a relationship work. In all the previous novels, the women have been strangers to the Lords, and I like that in Gideon's case there is much more present in their interactions than simple physical attraction.

Gideon himself is hard not to adore. He so badly wants to just once tell a woman she's pretty instead of ugly, call her "angel" instead of "devil", and scream at his enemies that he wants to kill them instead of kiss them. The Gideon Speak does take a little getting used to however. Trying to decipher what he's saying slows the plot down a little, and every once in a while you can't help but take what he's saying at face value and are left slightly confused.

Scarlet I find to be a little frustrating. I genuinely feel for her as her past is revealed, and empathize with her plight to find Gideon after they were separated when the Lords were kicked from the heavens, but her constant inability to commit to a decision lessens my opinion of her. She's extremely naive with regards to her feelings, and though Gideon has given her no reason to doubt otherwise, she refuses to believe he truly cares for her and therefore constantly pushes him away thinking his life will be better without her in it.

Because she continually recants on this decision and comes back to him, poor Gideon is forced to deal with the repercussions of having his feelings taken from one extreme to the other. She loves him and is going to stay, then she can't possibly stay because she's hurt him enough already, then she can't imagine her life without him, then she fears her staying will result in godly wrath so she must go. Gideon, as a result, is happy one minute and then constantly trying to make peace with her decision to go the next. Phew, that is a lot of decision making in a short period of time.

I still truly enjoy these books and will of course be continuing the series. Amun and Strider are next, so I can't wait to see what's in store for Secrets and Defeat.

Rating: 3.5/5