Danika Ford and Reyes, Lord of Pain
The Darkest Pleasure (Lord of the Underworlds book 3)
By Gena Showalter
Book Blurb: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..
I think I am done with the Lords of the Underworld series. The Darkest Pleasure was the last book in my Kindle bundle deal and I'm actually glad it didn't extend past book 3.
Where I was intrigued by the storyline, the writing just wasn't the style I enjoy. The constant over-the-top exaggerations were too much for me.
I did like Danika's storyline and the process on how she came into her powers. I did like the Greek mythology twist as well so it really did just come down to the writing style. I skimmed more in The Darkest Pleasure than I did in any of the other 4 books I read and I think it was because I was just anxious for it to be over.
Reyes was the hero in the story and his title was the Lord of Pain. Whereas he definitely represented the emotion of pain really well, I just didn't like the whole idea of cutting one's self for pleasure. I totally understood why he needed to do it, I just didn't like it. I did like that the author stayed true to the fact that Reyes was the Lord of Pain and that his demon's personality didn't just magically disappear or become soft just because it was his book. I just didn't like reading about self mutilation. Not my thing.
I did like the side stories that took place throughout each of the books but not enough to incent me with purchasing and continuing forward with the rest of the series.
Teasers: boy demon is actually a girl demon, Paris' big decision (just didn't get why it was such a big decision as it should have been a no brainer for me), leader of the Hunter's revealed
Anya, Goddess of Anarchy & Lucien, Lord of Death
The Darkest Kiss (Lord of the Underworlds book 2)
By Gena Showalter
Book Blurb:She has tempted many men...but never found her equal. Until now.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..
I don't think I am connecting with this series. However, The Darkest Kiss was better than the first two books I read. The Darkest Kiss is one of the books where practically everyone on my Goodreads friends list has rated it a 5 and I am scratching my head wondering what I am missing.
I admit that the story got better and better as I got further into the book. I also think that the writing in The Darkest Kiss was way better than the first two books.
Anya was not my cup of tea for a heroine. She was constantly rejected by Lucien but she kept going back for more. Even though Lucien was very attracted to her, he did not outwardly share his feelings toward Anya at all. Yet, through insults and rejection she kept coming back for more and more and couldn't seem to keep away from him. Urgh! That drove me crazy. She was like a love starved teenie bopper and not a thousands year old Goddess. Also adding my eye rolling moments was that she tried to dress sexier and sexier to get his attention. I do not like my heroines to be so desperate and sinking to lower levels to gain attention. I know that Anya liked to dress sexy to begin with but to blatantly bend over in front of him while wearing a thong and a mini shirt or to show up at an archaeological dig wearing a maid uniform was too much for me. It all just screamed for way to much for attention and desperation for my liking.
Lucien was a pretty good character and he didn't hold too much of a pity party on his behalf. I felt it was way over the top that he scarred himself because the woman he loved died. That seemed like some pretty deep emotions going on there. So it really bothered me that throughout the story there were constant references to "never feeling that way before" or "never loved like that before". I kept thinking to myself that the dude scarred himself and set him on fire on a daily basis so that certainly he must have felt that way for his first love. I think it was the exaggerations and the over the top descriptions that bothered me. Here is an example of what I dislike:
"Her nipples were so hard they were probably as sharp as her knives" Really? Nipples so hard they were sharp?
I'm also confused on when exactly Lucien is called to collect souls as the demon, Death. Thousands of people die everyday (every second) but for some reason he only has to escort a handful of people to heaven & hell. I don't get it. There was a slight explanation provided but it still seemed like a reach for me.
The storyline is now moving forward with a treasure hunt and enough tidbits are included in The Darkest Kiss about the other Lords to hold my interest but I don't think for too much longer. The Kindle Lords bundle that I purchased runs out after the next book so I guess I'll judge better after the next book if I keep going. I only hope that I start to connect more with the series. I love the whole Greek Mythos and meanie Gods so I am curious and want to continue.
Teasers: strawberry lollipops, Arctic treasure hunt, hidden paradise, curse incentive to remain a virgin
Ashlyn Darrow and Violence Maddox's book
The Darkest Night (Lord of the Underworld book 1)
By Gena Showalter
Book Blurb:His powers -- Inhuman...His passion -- Beyond immortal . . .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 trapp ed 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 . .
The Darkest Night was way better than the prequel story, The Darkest Fire but still a long way off what I would describe as an addictive series.
Maddox and Ashlyn were a great couple to read about but (and a big but here) there was so much that ended up being a head scratcher for me. For instance, there never really was an explanation offered on what caused their electric chemistry as clearly it was more than just an attraction. Their chemistry was described time and time again as literally being shocking with electric jolts. Why did the voices in Ashlyn head go quiet around Maddox? What was so special about their connection as I believe the reader was lead to understand that it was more than just a mutual attraction? I kept waiting for some sort of back-story to emerge to explain all of this information but nothing was shared.
It drives me nuts in a story when the male protagonist (that has been living for thousands of years) becomes so in love and protective of the female that in less than 24 hours from meeting her, he'd be willing to kill his best friends (that he has had for thousands of years) if they tried to harm her. It just didn't jive.
I still wasn't a fan of the writing style or the how the voices were written and I totally thought that Ashlyn's self sacrifice storyline was way out there on the ridiculous side. I fully admit to rolling my eyes.
One more thing that I didn't care for were the amount of characters that The Darkest Night introduced. Wholly smokes my head was spinning and I had started to take notes. I am going to list the characters after this review so I can refer back to them.
There are a lot of reference in this series to the Greek Gods & Titans. I found that part all very interesting and I still like the idea about searching for Pandora's box. I am going to continue on reading the series for now. It is an easy read that I can put down without hesitation.
Torin - Lord of Disease
Lucien - Lord of Death
Reyes - Lord of Pain
Aeron - Lord of Wrath
Paris - Lord of Promiscuity
Sabin - Lord of Doubt
Gideon - Lord of Lies
Kane - Lord of Disaster
Strider - Lord of Defeat
Cameo - Misery
Amun - Lord of Secrets
Anya - Goddess of Anarchy
Maddox - Lord of Violence
Ashlyn - when standing at a spot, she can hear any conversation that has taken place at the spot from the pass no matter how long time has passed.
The Goddess Kadence and The Guardian Geryon
The Darkest Fire (Lords of the Underworld Prequel book 0.5)
By Gena Showalter
Book Blurb: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 dangerous horde of demon lords -- and discover a passion unlike any other..
..
Don't miss this sizzling prequel to Gena Showalter's breathtaking new paranormal series, The Lords of the Underworld Though they carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive -- and unimaginably powerful...
A semi interesting back-story and I didn't care for the writing style. For some reason I had expected something way more intense since there seems to be so much buzz about the Lords of the Underworld series. To me the writing seemed kind of amateurish. I'm going to give the rest of the books a chance though because I did buy The Darkest Fire as part of a Lords of the Underworld bundle package and I am curious on the relevance of this prequel.
Regarding the hero in the story, as admirable as Geryon was, the description of hooves, fur and horns was a big turn off. I just wasn't feeling the draw at all. Even creepy as he seemed more animal than human.
The idea that Pandora's box was built from a Goddess' bones was really cool and I think that I may have enjoyed The Darkest Fire more if I had read it after the first book in the series, The Darkest Night. Perhaps I could have appreciated the importance of Pandora's box more. As for the The Darkest Fire being a stand alone little story; I'd not suggest reading it alone and then giving up. More forward with The Darkest Night and then make your decision if you liked it or not. Since I went ahead and read The Darkest Night right away, that moved my rating for this book from a 2 to a 3. (which is a big rating difference)
Teasers: cracked wall to hell, Lords of the Underworld, Goddess of Oppression, Guardian to Hell's Gate
