Paranormal Romance Month Review: The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter (Lords of the Underworld #3)

Publisher - Mira Books
Publication Date - 18th September 2009
Paperback - 384 pages
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 4 out of 5: I really liked it

Book Info - Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her - even defy the gods.

Danika is on the run. For months she's eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won't rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can't forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear....

My Thoughts - This is definitely my favourite book of the series so far. It tells the story of Reyes, the keeper of Pain, and a human female, Danika. We have had glimpses of their story in the previous two books (glimpses that have left me very excited for this book!) but this story focuses on them completely.

I absolutely fell in love with Reyes. At first I thought it might be strange reading about a man who needs to hurt himself to please his demon, and to feel any kind of pleasure himself. But because of the amazing character building by the author it was not strange at all. I was pulled into his story and I really felt for him. Out of all the Lords I have read about so far, he seems the most human. He accepts his demon and has come to accept his need for pain but his shame is obvious. He has taught his demon to be satisfied with self-inflicted pain so that Reyes does not have to hurt anybody else or pull anybody else into his situation by letting others hurt him. I couldn't help but feel for him - his isolation and shame, and the fact that he has to endure this for eternity. And when he meets Danika, the reader sees a softer side of Reyes, which made me go weak at the knees a few times.

At the beginning of The Darkest Pleasure, Danika is on the run from the Lords after being kidnapped by them in the first book. Her loneliness and desperation jumps off the page at the reader. As with Reyes, you can't help but fall in love with her. Her strength and courage are admirable.

Summary - There are many twists and turns in this book and many shocking revelations. These kept me gripped until the very end. Gena Showalter has brought together loveable characters, intrigue, mystery and romance to create an amazing paranormal romance novel.

Other books in this series:
0.5. The Darkest Fire
1. The Darkest Night
2. The Darkest Kiss
3. The Darkest Pleasure
3.5. The Darkest Prison
4. The Darkest Whisper
5. The Darkest Passion
6. The Darkest Lie
7. The Darkest Secret
8. The Darkest Surrender

Other reviews of this book:
Buggy's Book Blog / Maryse's Book Blog / Pedantic Phooka

Paranormal Romance Month Review: The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter (Lords of the Underworld #2)

Publisher - Mira Books
Publication Date - 18th September 2009
Paperback - 384 pages
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death--a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.

But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining...

My Thoughts - I found Lucien an intriguing character in the first book of this series so I was really pleased when I realised that this was his story. I wasn't disappointed and I loved reading about his history and his task of transporting souls to either Heaven or Hell.

Anya was definitely the highlight of this novel for me. She is funny, brave and strong. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing until she has got it.

The chemistry between Anya and Lucien is sizzling, but I did find some of the interactions between them to be pretty frustrating. For a long time they are not able to admit how they feel about each other. They put so much effort into hiding their feelings that they end up constantly hurting each other. At times I felt like screaming at them to drop the act and just get on with it!

Although I really enjoyed most of the novel, I did not like the ending. The way things end up between Lucien and Anya feels a bit too contrived and very rushed. I wish the author had spent a bit more time wrapping up this book so that it felt more satisfactory.

Summary - Despite my feelings about the way the book ends, I am still enjoying this series enough to carry on with it. Plus, book three is about the demon who most intrigues me - Reyes, the keeper of Pain. I can't wait to read his story!

Other books in this series:
0.5. The Darkest Fire
1. The Darkest Night
2. The Darkest Kiss
3. The Darkest Pleasure
3.5. The Darkest Prison
4. The Darkest Whisper
5. The Darkest Passion
6. The Darkest Lie
7. The Darkest Secret
8. The Darkest Surrender

Other reviews of this book:
Buggy's Book Blog / Pedantic Phooka

Paranormal Romance Month Review: The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (Lords of the Underworld #1)

Publisher - Mira Books
Publication Date - 18th September 2009
Paperback - 384 pages
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member -- a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction -- and a soul-shattering test of love...  

My Thoughts - The Lords of the Underworld are immortal men who are each possessed by a Demon Lord who escaped from Hell centuries ago. Maddox is the keeper of Violence. He often suffers from violent rages so he stays within the confines of their large home. He was also cursed by the gods because he killed Pandora, the keeper of the box where the demons were originally secured after their escape from Hell (yes, it's Pandora's Box). Because of this curse Maddox has to be killed every night at midnight in the same way that Pandora was killed - by being stabbed six times in the stomach. He has to spend all night in the depths of Hell, only to return to his body again the following morning.

One night he meets Ashlyn, who has her own special ability - she can hear all conversations that have ever taken place in any given area. When she meets Maddox she is stunned to realise that the voices stop whenever he is around. As seems to be fairly common in the realm of Paranormal Romance, Maddox takes Ashlyn captive believing that she works for a group of Hunters who want the Lords dead.

What drew me in straight away was the premise of the story. I loved reading about the way these men, who are all essentially good men, battle on a daily basis with the demon that lives inside of them. Maddox often has to try and keep his demon in check to stop himself from bringing destruction to everybody and everything around him.

Ashlyn is also an interesting character to read about. She is incredibly feisty and is not afraid of anything - not even the group of overly-muscled, demon-possessed men holding her captive. The romance between Ashlyn and Maddox holds some very passionate moments as well as some tender ones as she works to tame both man and demon.

My only complaint would be the insta-love aspect. The whole novel takes place over about three days and I just felt that it all happened too quickly between them. I really can't imagine any woman instantly falling in love with the demon-possessed man who is keeping her locked up.

Summary - Despite this problem I had with the speed with which the romance happened between Ashlyn and Maddox, I still found it a really enjoyable novel and I will be starting the next book in the series straight away. I can't wait to read about how the other men live with their demons.

Other books in this series:
0.5. The Darkest Fire
1. The Darkest Night
2. The Darkest Kiss
3. The Darkest Pleasure
3.5. The Darkest Prison
4. The Darkest Whisper
5. The Darkest Passion
6. The Darkest Lie
7. The Darkest Secret
8. The Darkest Surrender

Other reviews of this book:
Bailey's Dark Fantasy Reviews / Dear Author / Feeling Fictional

Paranormal Romance Month Review: The Darkest Fire by Gena Showalter (Lords of the Underworld #0.5)

Publisher - Mira Books
Publication Date - 16th April 2010
Paperback - 80 pages (this is a novella that is included in Dark Beginnings)
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 4 out of 5: I really liked it

Book Info - He is the guardian of hell, more monster than man.

She is the goddess of oppression, more angel than woman.

Together they will enter the flames to battle a horde of demon lords -- and discover a passion unlike any other...

Discover the origin of the dimOuniak and the demon spirits trapped within.

My Thoughts - The Darkest Fire is a novella that explains the origins of the Lord of the Underworld series. It tells the story of Geryon, the demon who is tasked with guarding the gates of Hell, and Kadence, the Goddess of Oppression, who has to make daily checks of the walls of Hell to make sure they are secure. They have to work together to ensure that a group of demon lords do not escape from Hell.

It is an enjoyable short story that gives a good background to the story of the Lords of the Underworld series. Geryon, despite being a demon, comes across as a very likeable character - he saves Kadence's life and he obviously takes his job incredibly seriously. Kadence seems very unsure of herself and it's not until later on in this story that she gains in strength and confidence.

There is a lot of chemistry between these two characters, but the romance between them is sweet and tender. The author's writing style had me hooked from the start and I really enjoyed the way she described the interactions between Geryon and Kadence. The ending is very heart-warming and leads nicely onto the first novel in the series.

Summary - Although it's not essential to read this story to fully understand what is happening in the other books in the series, I highly recommend it anyway. A very sweet love story set in the depths of Hell sounds like it shouldn't work at all - but it really does!

Other books in this series:
0.5. The Darkest Fire
1. The Darkest Night
2. The Darkest Kiss
3. The Darkest Pleasure
3.5. The Darkest Prison
4. The Darkest Whisper
5. The Darkest Passion
6. The Darkest Lie
7. The Darkest Secret
8. The Darkest Surrender

Other reviews of this book:
Dear Author / The Babbling Bookworm / The Wormhole