Gwen’s review of The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld, Book 3) by Gena Showalter
Contemporary paranormal romance released by HQN 1 Jul 08
This new paranormal series from Showalter has been a very pleasant surprise – it has managed to stand out as unique and interesting in what has become a rather crowded field of contenders. And once again, the Cover Gods have shined a happy light on Showalter – isn’t this one yummy?
This is the third book, but the second one for me. One of these days I’m sure I’ll get around to reading the first and the prequel. Just as soon as I make it that far in my TBR (stop laughing, Sybil – it’s your fault ya know 😉 ). The series is based on immortal warriors who are possessed by demons who escaped from Pandora’s Box. It has taken these warriors hundreds of years to obtain control of their demons and now several of them are ready to try for happiness.
Well. A demon’s version of happiness.
In this entry the demon Pain and his host Reyes find their mate in Danika, a human introduced in the first novel. As with the other book in the series I’ve read (book 2), Showalter does an admirable job interleaving story lines for a few other characters. They’re all related to the main relationship with the hero and heroine, so I never felt like I was taken away from the reason I’m there – to read a love story. That’s a difficult thing to do with a large cast of characters – it seems like some authors tend to swing too far one way or the other when confronted with multiple characters.
Reyes and Danika are unique and both tortured souls. They find salvation in each other and the evolution of their relationship is interesting and very tender. I was very glad to see their HEA. I found both H and H to be very sympathetic and compelling – not something I felt in the first (for me) book.
The story arcs are nicely interleaved and the plot moves along smoothly. The erotic scenes are hot, action scenes are exciting, and the villains are suitably villainy. All in all, a very fun book to read. I will be reading book 4 (Sabin’s story), The Darkest Whisper, when it comes out May 2009.
I recommend this book for any fans of paranormal series and fans of Showalter’s work. It’s sexy, fun, different, and a great summer read.
Grade: B
Summary:
He can bear any pain but the thought of losing her… 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. . .
Read an excerpt.
Other books in the series – click on the Lords of the Underworld tag to see other reviews:
 |
 |
 |
And just because I can, here’s this cover in large format. Yummy, isn’t he?
