Gena Showalter - The Darkest Promise

Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn't allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairy tale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.
Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with a single unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him - until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile and seduce her into his bed.
As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they've forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever.

Comment: This is installment #13 in the Lords of the Underworld series by author Gena Showalter. This book has been published last year but only now I'm getting to it as I've waited for the paperback edition.

A repetitive rant now: I feel happy authors who have established careers/work/followers are given a recognition prize by having their books be published in hardcovers but from a pretty much anal retentive person's POV, to not have the sequence of books in the same format can be truly annoying! So, I wait for the format I want but that means longer periods between books. In stand alone stories or faithful authors who only have one or two series or who can deliver on time, fine. But Gena has several series so it can be too distracting to keep up with things and waiting just makes it all sem to lose a bit of investment interest.

Anyway, this is Cameo's story, one of the central characters we've met since book#1. She has her story start a few books ago, with hints here and there but in this book she was decided to not let her demon misery make her forget the happy moments in her life. To do this she pursues Lazarus, a man that has made her want to change her path in life. 

However, Lazarus suffers from a genetic condition that when the males in his family find their intended or mate, they turn into crystal, trapped and basically that is their downfall. Lazarus knows Cameo is his intended but he can't stop being with her and trying to use the time he eventually realizes is already limited with her. Will they find common ground and be happy?

Overall, this was a story that included the majority of what one would expect from the series and the situations often seen in this world created by the author, lots of adventures, crazy scenarios and HEAs done in sometimes difficult to imagine situations. From the POV that this is a paranormal story where things follow a certain set of rules, I think it was another successful book.

The main issue I had though, was due to the fact the plot was repetitive and too slow. If one analyzes things were pretty much all the same and nothing really happened to move the plot along.

Cameo and Lazarus have met, interacted in previous books. This has set up their story and a reader can gain a lot from having read the other installments. On one hand, this can be positive because the actions of this book aren't as "insta" flavored and we understand some complexity in their choices. On the other hand, this means the romance feels rather split, as if these are different episodes and we aren't tracking the same things from one point to the other. I tend to like scenes with more characters than just the protagonists in romances but in this book this aspect made me lose interest in cameo and Lazarus (again because their relationship didn't felt vital now).

This author is also one of those that presents multi POVs as well and I like that in general, like in Lucien's book the scenes from Paris' POV which led to my favorite part of the whole series so far. But now... I feel the characters aren't being developed as well, emotionally. Everyone is this and that but with lack of layers and personality. Even Urban and Ever, the children of Maddox and Ashlyn (couple from book#1) are portrayed as crazy and having personalities of grown-ups with all the sarcasm and irony and behavior, almost not caring about anyone else. It just feels silly and instead or enriching the novel, by providing contrast, they are just two more characters that need to prove their hidden goodness. They are little children! Oh well.

I think there's a decrease of balance in the stories. They now seem to focus more on incidents, of never ending situations, unsolved quests that lead nowhere and the characterization is losing its complexity. I want the feel and the tone of the first 5 or 6 books back. After that, even the ones I liked no longer offered the same complexity, which I felt was a great detail. Let's see how the next books are but I foresee much waiting time...

Grade: 6/10

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Torment

Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he's back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he's unable to withstand the touch of another and he's quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride just not his own.
Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she's taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she's plunged into a war between two evils with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.
But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she'll have to teach him to love or lose him forever.

Comment: This book was originally released back in May, in hardcover but I only got the paperback edition, first because of the price and second, because it will look much better in the shelf if all books in this series have similar sizes.

This is not the time but it does really bother me not to be able to have my books in the format I want because of publishing rules and such... publishers only think of money which is fine, many people depend on that to earn their salaries but from a reader's POV, it is very annoying and frustrating not only having to wait but to pay more if you can't wait. All editions should come out at the same time. Change the cover and such months after if you feel it can increase sales... sorry about the rant.

In this new installment (the 12th which is great, beloved characters always showing up) we have Baden's story. After his death, his fellow Lord friends have missed him and tried to honor his figure but recently we were told about the truth behind his death and how he was abele to come back. Now that he did return, Baden is too angry and suspicious and feels he might hurt his friends or their mates and is constantly thinking about a change but being with them makes him happy too. Trying to fulfill Hades' orders - as a way to stay alive - leads him to Katarina Joelle, a dog trainer, and someone who just married someone she didn't want to but was blackmailed. Using as a bargaining chip is one thing but falling for her wasn't in the plans. Would Baden be able to balance his emotions and wishes to the difficulties in front of him?

This is the type of story that belongs in a series that you need to have some knowledge of. Most books part of series can be read as standalone, but in this case, even if in terms of development it's possible, I don't advise it because so many things only make sense if we have all the other books' information in our awareness. Still, it's complicated because with so much time between books and so many characters, details and situations, it's hard to bear in mind everything and when it happened. Hopefully, as we read along, some things do come back to us.

I had fun reading this story, as always the author has included several elements and information about the Greek and Roman myths that bring to life all those ideas of gods and goddesses. The plot seemed intriguing enough, there are some advances on the overall plot as well but most of the focus is clearly on the romance between Baden and Joelle. I kind of liked them together but I have to say I do get bored with all the amount of attention that is given to the sex scenes. I'm not seeing it shouldn't be part of the books, it has always been, but the way the characters behave is so similar to all the others in the previous books, only the names change basically. I think the emotional aspect of the relationships, something I always found amazing looses points and interest because of the repetition of sex scenes and the evolution from getting to know one another to becoming an actual couple. Anyway....

Everything else seemed pretty normal for this series. I really like the mixing of mythology and contemporary ideas, the wonderful cast of characters that can look too much but with the time between books it doesn't seem that much. I like it how the characters have to deal with certain situations and that affects their actions and choices but... it also seems previous installments had this in a deeper level, I remember crying when Paris was faced with a terrible choice in the 3rd installment (The Darkest Pleasure) but I no longer recall anything like it in the books after. I mean, deep, emotional and heavy elements related to the characters' feeling. They still exist but not portrayed that complex way....I miss that despite enjoying seeing the characters conquering their problems.

Overall, this was a good book, interesting, had many things that appealed to me, that made me want to read. Others not as interesting but all books are like that. I think the author used a good amount of air time to all sub plots but I guess it depends on a personal perspective. I'll keep waiting for books in this series to come out and show us again the characters we've come to love. I'm still pretty much invested in knowing the whys and hows of certain things and the secrets behind two or three lifelong "mysteries" in the series...

Grade: 7/10

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Touch

Fierce immortal warrior. Host to the demon of Disease. Torin’s every touch causes sickness and death—and a worldwide plague. Carnal pleasure is utterly forbidden, and though he has always overcome temptation with an iron will, his control is about to shatter.
She is Keeley Cael. The Red Queen. When the powerful beauty with shocking vulnerabilities escapes from a centuries-long imprisonment, the desire that simmers between her and Torin is scorching. His touch could mean the end for her, but resisting her is the hardest battle he’s ever fought—and the only battle he fears he can’t win.  

Comment: I'm behind on some series and this was one of them. The next book will be released this year and I still had the previous one to be read since december 2014. Somehow it just got left behind. While organizing some titles to read this year, I've assembled three or four titles belonging to series I need to catch up to. Next TBR theme will be spot on for me!

Anyway, this month I went for Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underwold latest installment, The Darkest Touch, Torin's story.

 

Torin is the LOTU who bears disease, a tricky demon to own because of how limitative his relationships can be, even with friends. Following previous happenings, Torin's book starts with him in a cell just realizing a sweet human woman has died because she touched his skin. He can't save her, as usual, and it's another guilt source for him. In the next cell, there's another woman imprisoned, Keelycael, someone others call the Red Queen. Because of certain facts, Torin can get himself out of the cell and rescues Keely too. Their relationship is antagonist at first but while they try to get out of the realm where they were in, mutual respect develops.

As time goes by and their relationship intensifies, Torin starts to be scared of what it means because his demon will infect and kill her. Unless... there's a way to avoid that, but how?

 

First thing first: Although anyone can read the LOTU books as standalones, most installments require previous knowledge to follow the plots. I really don't advise people to read out of order because it gets confusing. I find some scenes confusing and I've been reading the series since the first book was released.

Personally, though, this one of my favorite things too, the way things connect to one another, how certain facts happen only because has happened already and how every plot line has a link to something else. I do love series like this, especially if I like the characters and their personalities.

 

It's a fact that there are things that annoy me and that is something also present in this book. That is why some parts just get on my nerves, namely the confusion in some books and how tricky it is to understand why some things are happening and also why there is such a highlight on the sexual part of the couple's relationship when it's not the best time...I mean, there's a plot going on...

On a secondary level, but also slightly annoying is how characters are speaking or dealing with a certain critical situation (or not that important but still) and for one reason or another they are interrupted and there's no explanation for that talk or anything as a follow-up. It's irritating to see this happen. I understand the need to propel the plot, to not end things right away, but from a reader's POV it's something one notices.

 

This book had good elements, like I said, there's world development, we see what is going on and what is suppose to happen in the future, we even have glimpses about possible, likely, future couples.

The author has a lot of imagination and I'm always curious to see how the paranormal side of things develops and why...

 

The romance wasn't as amazing as that, considering the amount of time poor Torin has suffered and before his book he seemed a bit more controlled and polite, somehow in his book he seemed more alpha than as described before. I get that, but it's weird anyway.

Keelycael is a great heroine, both fragile and strong when the scene requires but she, as many other heroines, has a certain wild side which can be very amusing and appropriate but not always what I wished to see, especially in more important scenes. I wanted her humane side more often. She's not human, but all the characters have a humanization to make us sympathetic. I just wanted to see this side of Keely more.

Of course there's a HEA in the end, quite interesting in its particularity, but not as game changing as it happened in other books.

 

All in all, a good installment and of course, there ideas about the next book and how, despite so many people not buying the hero, at least not yet. I'm curious to see what happens.

Grade: 7/10

Gena Showalter - Burning Dawn

A tormented past has left Thane with an insatiable need for violence, making him the most dangerous assassin in the skies.
He lives by a single code: no mercy. And as he unleashes his fury on his most recent captor, he learns no battle could have prepared him for the slave he rescues from his enemy's clutches—a beauty who stokes the fires of his darkest desires.
Elin Vale has her own deep-rooted scars, and her attraction to the exquisite warrior who freed her challenges her every boundary.
But Thane's unwavering determination to protect her means she must face her greatest fears—and enter a world in which passion is power, and victory means breathtaking surrender.

Comment: This is the author's latest installment in her spin off series with the angels. I've had this book to be read for a couple of months now and there's another book in the main series to be released late this year, so I started this one to keep the reading of her books spaced out well.

This story is about Thane, one of the angels of dark, the second on command after Zacharel, and how he finds himself a slave to a phoenix in their camp. He has the help of a human also bounded there and as a reward she wants him to free her too. Thane takes her to the clouds to work as barmaid. Elin only wants to reach her dreams but as time goes by and as their attraction gets harder to avoid, Elin starts to reconsider her goals and Thane realizes what he feared he couldn't have might be easier to catch than what he ever thought...

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. 
As any reader knows, each book is perceived differently by everyone. Some things are considered bad, others good and often, if not always, what some think is well done, others don't. I've seen some opinions, nothing deep or explained, just random words here and there about this book. Some say it wasn't bad, but not great, others said it was weak as her latest stories and others liked it. It can't be a hate or love book otherwise such different opinions wouldn't surface. But as every reader is different, also is every single book. The two combined create the perfect environment to produce a book that has an average feel, not too bad, not too great. I think this happens with this book, probably auto fans of the author or the story liked it a lot, others not so much but all this serves to say what works for some, might not for others. While reading, despite enjoying it, I could also see the parts where some people might not feel as happy with it. Although some things could have been better - don't we say this about almost every book we read? - I still think it wasn't so bad, for me. So, the story seemed good enough and I saw the elements that worked out for me to enjoy them together. Is this a bad book, I don't think so, but in a way, I can understand why some would be disappointed.

Thane is a warrior with many things to worry about. I liked his character and how he took care of those he considered family. I liked his interactions with the characters around him and how he started to understand the lesson he needed, that the right friends, the right people to be around can be not only helpful but solid to make his life matter too. I loved his dedication to his friends and how he wanted to protect them. We could discuss his maniac mind about sex and violence but this is PNR and both are more than expected in this world. He doesn't seem as easy to read or accept at first but his changing heart was believable enough.

Elin was a cute character, loved all the scenes she was in. She had dreams but those were more related to guilt than real hope and with time she came to terms about what her true feelings were. Especially funny were the baking scenes, as she is a terrible baker but wanted to succeed so bad. She helped Thane and she changed the way some people behaved because of her personality and take on life. I liked her.

I also liked the character's interactions, even with people from th main series with the Lords and hints about what is happening. I liked the little clues about who might come next and how everything was shaped in a way to make the reader interested in reading more.
The sex is too much in my opinion, or should I say, it's so random at times it lacks a bit of its purpose, which should be to bring the main couple closer and more intimate. Oh well.
The plot continues, some new steps are being taken to reach some sort of end, which I think must be the angel's redemption and realization that happiness and love are the best tools to fight evil and to have friends and a family. But it sure takes long and all the fighting, when not related to something pertaining like the expectation of some character's power or something, isn't that amazing as that.

All in all, not the very best ever by the author but for it worked well and despite some things here and there not as polished as I wanted to see, but still, for me and for what I think the series is aiming for, I don't think it was a bad effort at all.
Grade: 7/10

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Craving

Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him-a beast he's determined to kill, no matter the price.  Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy-her royal family-and Kane is her only source of protection. He's also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart...or die together.

Comment: This book is part of one of those series I can't ignore. Since I got the first three books all in a row, I never stopped getting the others in pre orders because I loved the world and the writing. Now, here it is, book #10 in the series and I'm still as eager about them as before.

This is the story of Kane, he is the keeper of Disaster and Kane has always been more trouble than help. However, he cares for his friends and vice versa and no one besides himself eve made him feel unwanted. As he story progressed, his role has been gaining more importance until we've reached his book. He's been trapped in hell, he's been suffering but we've known since last book someone would help him out.
Josephina Aisling is half fae. She has been in hell too, to pay for her sister's crime for she's the perfect princess. Josephina, on the other hand, is called servant and is humiliated. Therefore, she decides it's best to just die but for some reason she can't do it herself, so she saves Kane by making him promise he'll kill her after. But f course things don't work that simply...

I liked this book. I thought it had enough details to make it feel richer and more alive. The action has a life of its own, but as it happens with most series out there, it's bet if one reads the whole series from the beginning, as many little details and nuances can be better appreciated. But authors always keep in mind new readers or new book readers, people who see a cover and read without knowing about the other 999 books before and so things are set for the book to be read as standalone, more or less.

The plot has many details which I won't spoil, but rest assured we see things go towards an end. Yes, I had the feeling the author is tidying things up, or at least it sounds like it, because we saw scenes from both Cameo and Torin's POV and it looks like each one will have their own story and one of them is to be soon. I like this, when authors insert new POV's so the reader can start imagining what's to come and more important, who's to have a story next.

About Kane and Josephine, their story is interesting enough. It fulfills all the things needed to make it a good romance, there's doubts but trust and that little spark that tells them the other is special and the one. They have things to get over, people to ignore in order to achieve happiness but they get it in the end. Kane has his demon to overcome and the fear he's never going to the person he wants to, but his destiny is surprisingly positive. And Josephine has abilities that will help her become what the fae need to have balance and stability, so, all in all, a good enough fate for both of them.

Like I said we see more Lords and secondary characters, which also makes the impression the action isn't static. We see them interact and I always enjoyed seeing characters I like still around and not forgotten. It's always important to see them, even the ones who already had their story. It adds up more seriousness to the plot I think.

Once more, a good installment for the series and despite not having the tone of the first books in terms of a certain amount of angst, it's still powerful enough for me to keep waiting for more.

Gena Showalter - Beauty Awakened

His name is Koldo. He is scarred, powerful, his control legendary -- and he lives only for vengeance against the angel who viciously removed his wings. But if he yields to the forces of hatred, he will be eternally damned.
Nicola Lane was born with a defective heart, yet this fragile human shows surprising strength as demons stalk her every move, determined to end her. She is the key to Koldo's deliverance…and his downfall. Though he fights duty, destiny and his first addictive taste of desire, his toughest battle will be the one for Nicola's life -- even if he has to sacrifice his own….

Comment: This is another of the several authors whose work I try to read as soon as a new book arrives in my house. Although I saw a comment here and there about certain aspects not so brilliant - in those opinions - about this book, I was still quite eager to get to it.

This is the story of Koldo, another Sent One - an angel but not like the usual angels - of the Army of Disgrace that we've met in Wicked Nights. Koldo doesn't have wings since he was a child because someone took them from him. He grew up with difficult memories and experiences and now has much hate in his heart. till, he walks around trying to help others like angels do. One day he meets Nicola and her sister in a hospital and tries to help Nicola realize that being positive and wanting to feel better will help her put the demons that feed from her away.

Nicola has a heart disease as does her twin sister, but she isn't as sick and with the help of Koldo she starts to see the monsters around her and fights back.

When Nicola thought things were getting better, something bad happens and only with Koldo's help she can attempt to make things right.

I liked this book. It wasn't as sexy or focused on the sexual tension of other books - I'll come to that - but overall, I think is was a solid book anyway.

The storyline follows the things that happened in the last book and we even get a little mention of Kane, the hero of the next book in the Lord of the Underworld series, but as any fan could say, being this is a spin off, many characters from the main series are mentioned or show up here too.

The characters are intriguing as always. More so the secondary ones as we get tidbits about them but don't really see their inner thoughts a lot, so we get curious. I'm very curious about a couple of them and want to see where their paths are taking them, it's all very well done, we get hints enough to keep us wanting to know more, but not too many to ruin the mystery effect.

The romance was OK. It wasn't as sexy as the romances in previous books. I actually have the feeling the author has toned it down a bit. I think it could have been more explosive, but it was more in the warm side than the hot one..not that it's a bad thing, just...unusual.

Some people have said out there in the internet that Gena has found religion. I wasn't aware of that but I read this while still reading the book and from that moment on I was trying to see it through religious eyes and personally I didn't feel the book was a wake up call to readers to feel God is the key to the world or something. The way I saw it, religion and happy thoughts and as the author says, the Most High, aren't the only ways to be happy. It's not believing in God on its own that saves someone. I think the message was more about being confident in ourselves and that if we try to be happy, if we try to see the positive side of things, out lives become easier, more relaxed. 

But I also understand some people might see things as too heavy on the religious side, not that much, but more so because the previous books by the author weren't like that.

To be honest I don't think this was that special, it wasn't that obvious to make the reader feel conflicted...but it's just the way I saw it. It's true that the book had a very strong message about being positive to keep disease and unhappiness away and that the sex was more toned down, but there are many key elements in the book that are still the Gena we used to know and things work out in order to make the book her usual trademark...just a little bit less sexy.

In the end it depends on how each person sees it, I guess...

I liked it. It wasn't the very best by her, but I was eager to see Koldo and Nicole getting a HEA and like always, in the end amazing things happen that surprise us. Koldo did deserve happiness and I loved him getting it as well as love with Nicola.

Jeaniene Frost & Gena Showalter

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...
Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all--but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him - a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.


Leader of the most powerful army in the heavens, Zacharel has been deemed nearly too dangerous, too ruthless-and if he isn't careful, he'll lose his wings. But this warrior with a heart of ice will not be deterred from his missions, at any cost...until a vulnerable human tempts him with a carnal pleasure he's never known before.
Accused of a crime she did not commit, Annabelle Miller has spent four years in an institution for the criminally insane. Demons track her every move, and their king will stop at nothing to have her. Zacharel is her only hope for survival, but is the brutal angel with a touch as hot as hell her salvation-or her ultimate damnation?



Comment:These two books are the most recent ones by two authors I usually don't wait to read.
Once Burned is the story of Vlad a recurrent character from the author's Night Huntress series. In this first installment of a new series featuring Vlad we see him waking up when someone invaded his mind. The person who did was Leila, a young woman from a continent away who has the power to electrocute someone who might attack her with just one touch. The same touch can show her the person's worst sin and what's on their mind, so she avoids people in order to stop her power to activate. But one day she just couldn't help it and helped a woman from being killed by her husband. Somehow, some bad vampires found out about her powers and they want to know where Vlad is by forcing Leila to touch something of him and trying to see if she knows where he will be in the future. Leila is smart though and finds a way to alert Vlad. From then on, they meet and he tries to save Leila from the bad vampires by taking her with him to his place and they eventually start being involved.
The bad vampire who wants to destroy Vlad is a surprise and the story felt quite interesting despite Vlad's personality being a bit too alpha, because he had to have things his own way and seducing Leila was part of his agenda too. I liked him better in the other books where he showed up. I hope the second book is better in terms of personality development. I'm curious about them though, so I ended up enjoying the story a lot.

Wicked Nights is the first book in the author's new series about warrior angels, a kind of spin off from the Lords of the Underworld series. Zacharel is a character we know from some of the LOTUs series and this is his story. He's the appointed leader of a group of angels who must prove themselves or else they Fall. In this book, Zacharel saves Annabelle, a girl from a mental institute because she claims to see demons and acts strangely because she says she's defending herself from them. The reason why might be a spoiler so I won't tell, but it's related to a demon still in Hell, one of the High Lords (like the demons inside the LOTUs warriors). Anyway, Zacharel rescues her and gets to know her and starts feeling things and in the end they find out a truth I didn't see coming, so this book surprised me for that alone.
The writing remains the same and like always, we get to see other character's POV's and little tidbits that might be important to future plots. I was happy with the book and I'm very eager to see how the next protagonist will deal with his issues and who might be his mate. Besides I like the cover..it's very faithful to the character's descriptions and how happy I also was with that!

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Seduction

At long last, New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter unveils the story of Paris, the darkest and most tormented Lord of the Underworld….
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?

Comment: The latest installment in the Lords of the Underworld series. We finally have Paris and his HEA, after so many books where he seemed more and more desperate.
Paris has always been a character that longs for a special person because he had so many people and is tired of not being able to have someone always, someone who could be with him and he could love, so when amazingly he feels he can be with Sienna more than once, he's ecstatic but of course things go wrong and he spends a lot of books mourning and looking for Sienna.
Sienna remembers everything that has happened to her since she met Paris, although her situation has changed and she too has a demon now.
For a while it seemed these tow couldn't be together, with so many obstacles in their way, but in this book they find each other for keeps. I liked how we've seen Paris grow up since he met and lost Sienna for the first time. He went down because he didn't help her like he could but his feelings remained true and I liked that he tried his best to be faithful, if not in actions (because of his demon), then in thoughts. Sienna also surprised me in this book because I thought there we go, we must see her accept things etc, but no, she was already accepting and able to go after Paris and that something we knew bounded them. It was good to see them fall in love for real.
However, I think the best thing in this huge book (more than 500 pages yay) was how the author presented so many issues and tried, a step at a time, to update us to them. We see a little bit of everything that was on course and it kind of tidies things up a bit. No solving of course, but at least we know what's going on. Some things are finally happening like we see Ashlyn's babies born and amazing who (and how) helps with that...we meet more characters too...oh and the end is WTF material because I certainly didn't see that one coming! But it's not bad. Also poor Kane, I sure hope he can find his HEA too...he must be next apparently.
All in all a great book, full of things, many information and tidbits to think about and now we just have to wait for the next one.

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Surrender

Strider – Immortal Keeper of Defeat. Nothing comes between him and victory. Possessed by the demon of Defeat, Strider suffers unimaginable pain when he loses a challenge. For him, nothing stands in the way of winning. Until Kaia, an enchanting. Harpy, tempts him. Kaia must bring home the gold in the Harpy Games or die. Strider is a distraction she can’t afford, especially as he intends to steal first prize—an ancient magical artefact—before the true victor can be named. But as the competition heats up, only one prize will matter— the dangerous, addictive passion neither had thought possible.

Comment: I liked this book a lot, especially because we see many things happening. Not only do we have Strider and Kaia's romance developping, but we also see thingd from other's POV, namely the ones whose story is coming soon. These little tidbits are great because make us speculate and imagine things...it makes us salivate to read their stories and I, for one, can't wait.
About the story, we see Strider trying to avoid Kaia once more, but as the harpies are invited (more like summoned) to attend the fighting games, somthing the harpies do once in a while, Kaia really wants Strider to go, because he is her consort and would help her heal but he must be convinced first. But he does go because the main prize means a lot to him after all...
I think it was clever that the author included the games in the storyline because it allowed things to progress on both counts, on the personal level between kais and Strider and in the overall plotline. I'm very glad to have read this and to see that this isn't a series always at the same point. Things happen here and that's perfect.
I like this kind of books where things develop nicely and where we see characters interact. I hope she keeps going this way.

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Secret

Keeper of the demon of Secrets, Amun can manipulate the darkest thoughts of anyone nearby. But when new demons possess him, the immortal warrior must be chained and isolated to protect those he loves. Death is his only hope of release—until he meets Haidee, a fellow prisoner whose beauty and hidden vulnerability draw him into a reckless test of his loyalty….

Haidee is an infamous demon assassin, raised to despise Amun’s kind. Yet how can she hate the man whose touch sets her aflame? But to save him, she must give herself body and soul…and face the wrath of a powerful adversary sworn to destroy her.

Comment: The Darkest Secret is the last installment of the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter. This is a world populated with several kinds of demons and angels. It's pretty good and the author has managed to keep things intriguing by changing the character's atitudes and letting the reader think some believed bad guys can actually be redeemed.

The romance sizzles and the plot usually moves in an acceptable pace, not too fast and not too slow, it depends on the book.

Amun has the demon of Secrets and doesn't speak, otherwise his demon will expell all the sercrets he has inside and that would really hurt. So, Amun has always acted in the sidelines, not having too much of a front scene. Now his book has come and although it isn't close to my favourites, I still liked it, especially because of the tidbits we've learned about other things happening and because it sets up nicely the next story, Strider's. Haidee is a Hunter, enemy of the lords, but like always with this author, nothing is black and white, everything can change and exist in shades of grey and it was quite good to see how these two characters could change to be something better.

I'm still a fan of the series and while the author keeps delivering interesting, fresh things I'll keep buying. Can't wait for what it's to come....