The Darkest Passion

This series never fails to entertain me. It is currently my favorite paranormal romance series. While I follow many different series, there is something about the Lords of the Underworld that just satisfies all my cravings when it comes to the genre. It's funny, has lots of great adventures, many unexpected twists, and the romance is always satisfying. While most other series have had their ups and downs, as good as they may be, the Lords of the Underworld has been consistently good so far. No bad apples in this series as of yet. Even if the writing has evolved and there are some characters that I prefer to others, there are no books in this series that I detest reading or had to struggle to get through. Most of the Lords have very inconvenient and challenging quirks to work through in order to make their relationships move forward, and it is always fun to see how Showalter manages to get everything to work out for them in the end. In fact, I have not been able to put any of them down once I started reading them.The Darkest Passion follows the story of Aeron and Olivia. Aeron is not my favorite Lord of the Underworld, although I really do like him. There are many of them, so there are plenty to choose from. He is a great character, however: a classic tortured soul and a strong hero. I just found that he had so many hang-ups when it came to his relationship with Olivia it made it difficult for me to cheer for him until he was able to get over them towards the end of the story. Olivia is not my favorite leading lady either. She is sweet and fights for what she wants, but at the same time parts of her personality were just too self centered for me to feel for her as much as some of the other leading ladies in the series. The whole issue with Legion was just creepy for me. The story also had a lot of side stories going, which although very interesting, took reading space away from the main storyline. I think if there would have been more space for Aeron and Olivia to develop their relationship more, it would have made the story better. It might have given the characters time to evolve past the hang-ups and immaturity in a more believable way so that the readers could understand them and their love for each other. As it is, I found it hard to believe they felt so much for each other so quickly at times, and while I though Olivia was a good match for Aeron, they needed the extra page space to get past their issues in a more satisfying way to the reader. I know that sounds strange since these are characters and not real people, but that is the best way I can explain it. Maybe Showalter could write a novella at some point giving us an update on these two that shows more about the dynamics of the relationship. In fact it would be nice to get updates on all these guys, since they have certainly not stopped having interesting lives since finding their leading ladies.Regardless of these character the flaws, the novel as a whole is excellent. Not only is the story itself entertaining, but it leaves us many possible future storylines to wait for. The ending presents twists which were totally unexpected but promise a bright future for the series in potential upcoming novels. I eagerly await Gideon and Scarlett's story next. I find his character much more interesting, and wonder how Showalter will work through his demon's quirks in order to write believable romantic moments which are an integral part of the series. His leading lady is unconventional, compared to what we have seen so far in the series as well. After that Amun is up for his novel, and there is another Lord with challenging quirks when it comes to relationships (The Darkest Secret). This particular book also hints at possible novels for William, keeps us updated on Paris (when will the poor guy catch a break!), and Strider came up so many times it makes me wonder about his near future as well since aparently his story comes after Amun's (The Darkest Surrender).If you have not read this series, you should definitely give it a try. While I cannot garantee that everyone will like it (not everyone looks for the same things in their novels after all), the series is a solid bet and most paranormal romance readers will love it.

For weeks Aeron has felt the eyes of an angel watching nearly his every move. For weeks he's had to deal with the periodic loss of his beloved Legion as she flees to hell to escape the pain of purity. He's getting downright sick of it and is more than ready for the angel to show itself so he can express that displeasure on the warrior of heaven itself. Instead of a battle, however, Aeron ends up with a stumbling, bleeding, wingless female who has been horribly tortured by demons. An enchanting female who cries out his name, begging for assistance and shelter. A gorgeous female oddly fascinated by sex, so long as it's with Aeron. A female angel who desperately clawed her way out of hell to try to reach him after the decision to spare his life made her fall from heaven.But it doesn't matter to Aeron how beguiling the female is, or how her cries and desire for him tingle his skin...and other parts. He is Wrath (uh...why is his demon purring?). He is strength of will incarnate (um...how can she make eating fruit THAT thrilling??). He is stoic...unmoved by her pleas, her pain, her need (She's his. His! His!!). He is......he is in SO much trouble.I love the Lords, I love the series, and I love Showalter! When it comes to sheer emotional impact, this book is a heavy hitter. I laughed, I teared up (okay...maybe I cried like a baby...but don't tell anyone!), I cheered and I raged and I cringed. On a strictly emotional level, the Darkest Passion, fifth book in the Lords of the Underworld series, was ultimately satisfying.I'm continually impressed by the deepening and broadening mythos in this series and the evolution of these often cursed and flawed characters. Showalter started to add layers to her plots a couple of books ago, pairing the evolution of the romantic pair with additional development of the other Lords in their ongoing and intensifying crisis with Galen and the Hunters, and I think that has added complexity to this paranormal romance series, elevating it to a whole other level. The imagination, skill, and dedication to this world she's created is truly amazing to experience.About those caveats, though... I have to admit, it took me about 20% of the book to even start to warm up to Olivia, and I wasn't horribly fond of Aeron at first either. My issues with Aeron quickly evaporated and I was thoroughly drawn into his character. I ended up loving him. For the first time, too, I was utterly enchanted with a Lord's demon. I thought Wrath was great...in a fuzzy bunny with a major jones for chaos sort of way, but still!The dichotomy in Aeron, the yearning family man hidden behind the warrior with an overabundance of guilt and an overdeveloped sense of duty, is very appealing. I felt for his pain and his guilt over the sense of pleasure he gets from letting Wrath have his way. I found him to be sympathetic and adorable and strong and proud. I wasn't so fond of Olivia. She grew on me, yes, so by the end, I didn't dislike her, but I had no real affection for her either. There were times she made me chuckle, though, and her thirst for sexual empowerment was cute.I think the relationship between Aeron and Olivia was at times overwhelmed by the goings on of the rest of the Lords. While I appreciate those plot layers, I think perhaps in this book there may have been one or two more than necessary, and the romance between Aeron and Olivia suffered because of it. I never really felt like they got a chance to really know and like each other as people. I have no complaints about the development of their sexual relationship, but again, had there been more allotted to their emotional development, I think I would have found that to be even more satisfying as well.The transitions in the narrative between Aeron's and Olivia's scenes and the rest of the Lords was very abrupt and sharply delineated, and while that's not a criticism, it left me feeling like Aeron wasn't involved in what was going on with the Hunters, the search for the new group of Lords, and the artifacts. That's a shame, because had he and Olivia been included in those plot threads, it may have allowed for more of Olivia's character development and the development of the relationship between she and Aeron. Also in this book, there were a couple of unanswered questions (how DID Aeron feel Olivia's presence before she fell?) that were specifically mentioned but never resolved.All that being said, I really only have one major complaint with this story: the ending. For the second time in a row, I felt the ending of a book in this series was a letdown, and I had a major problem with the final scene. I do not want to give spoilers, and so it's hard to really provide detail, but I will say this, I understand the sacrifice and the reward, but I wish it had been realized differently and instead of being told what happened and what was going to happen, I would have preferred having it written out (in fact, too many things through the whole of this book were told instead of shown, information being handed out like beads at Mardi Gras by angels and unspeakables and everyone else, but I digress). Because of the way the final scene played out it felt very abrupt and unsatisfying - one aspect in particular flat out broke my heart.One technical/formatting issue: I read on Kindle so I don't know if this carried over to print format, but the parts of the narrative that include text messaging between Lords was not formatted to differentiate narrative from text messaging dialogue and it made it very difficult to figure out what was being "said" between characters and what wasn't. Frankly, I'm still not sure after several rereads of those parts.Awesome twist in the mythos at the end, though. The potential is thrilling but the journey to that potential heartbreakingly poignant. Damn Showalter for being SO good at making me feel for her characters, because there were points in this book that just destroyed me. Even with the issues and criticisms, this book moved me and I really, really liked it. Her characters made me feel deeply for them and I can't wait for more.

I love Gena Showalter's writing style; the prose she uses, the pace of her plots, the twists and turns she takes us on and how she concludes the main romantic aspect and imminent threats while still leaving some tantalising threads that lure you to keep reading the series.I really liked how this book contained more than just the romance between Aeron and Olivia, there's the background story arc surrounding the Lords' arch ememy Galen and his Hunter's as well as other threads about different Lords. Every aspect of this story is there for a reason and propels the series forward.I ended up really enjoying The Darkest Passion, hence the 4 stars and thought the story was good, but for a large proportion of time it was a 3 star read and I just want to explain why.When reading paranormal romance, I need the female protagonist to be intelligent, resilient, resourceful, self-reliant and have plenty of gumption; throughout most of this story, there were a many aspects of Olivia's personality that really irritated me. As an angel, she was a beautiful soul, empathetic and loving but becoming human brought out idiosyncrasies - selfishness, agression, she became a bully - that plagued me and drove me to actually hate her. In my mind, she didn't deserve Aeron.Aeron was a male that ticked all my boxes and I already had a soft spot for him from the previous books; he was definitely alpha, loyal, had depth and deserved someone to love him. I love tortured, cursed heroes.Due to the explicit sexual content and graphic violence, I would recommend this book to adults who are not offended by scenes of this nature who enjoy romance stories about the complexities of relationships, about trust, loyalty and betrayal and of course, insurmountable odds and soul saving love.I am definitely engaged in the Lords of the Underworld series and I have already bought the next book in this series and can't wait to read more.

I absolutely love the Lords of the Underworld books and whilst I read this one when it was released last year I didn't get around to reviewing it so thought I would give it the review it deserves now. For anyone who has maybe not read any of the Lords of the Underworld series then I would one hundred percent recommend them and any Gena Showalter books. Whilst obviously having the romance side to them they also have lots of action, humour and a brilliant concept idea for the back storyline from the author Gena Showalter.The series is set around a group of twelve immortal warriors (and absolutely hunky ones at that!) who once served the Greek Gods. Zeus decided to give possession and protection of the dimOuniak to the immortal warrior Pandora (which is why the alternate name for it is Pandora's Box). The dimOuniak/Pandora's Box held all the evil of the world such as Violence, Death, Pain, Doubt, Wrath, Lies, Secrets, Defeat, Promiscuity, Disease, Misery and Disaster and all of their Demons were kept safely locked in the Box. Twelve of the other immortal warriors were upset that Zeus had entrusted the box to Pandora and not to them and therefore stole the box from her and subsequently released the demons into the world. Zeus was extremely angry over this betrayal and therefore cursed each of the warriors to hold one of the demons within each of them for all time.This is the fifth book in the series and tells the story of Aeron the keeper of the demon Wrath and the Angel Olivia. Olivia has been watching Aeron from her cloud up in heaven as she has felt a indescribable pull towards him (falling in love with him) for a while. When Olivia is promoted to become a warrior angel she chooses to fall from heaven rather than to carry out her order to kill him. Olivia manages to make it to the Lord's fortress and to Aeron however she has to compete for his attention and affection with his little demon Legion. Aeron views Legion as his daughter however Legion views Aeron as his and so begins a match for him between Olivia and Legion that sees a deal with Lucifer being struck.... The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld: Book 1) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld - Book 2) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Pleasure(Lords of the Underworld: Book 3) (MIRA) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Whisper(Lords of the Underworld: Book 4) (MIRA) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld: Book 6) (MIRA) The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld: Book 7) Dark Beginnings (Lords of the Underworld) (MIRA)The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld: Book 1) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld - Book 2) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Pleasure(Lords of the Underworld: Book 3) (MIRA) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Whisper(Lords of the Underworld: Book 4) (MIRA) (Mira Direct and Libraries)The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld: Book 6) (MIRA)The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld: Book 7)Dark Beginnings (Lords of the Underworld) (MIRA)

The latest in the LOTU series follows Aeron, the immortal keeper of Wrath, who knows every sin a person has committed when meeting them and is compelled to punish them - making friendships and relationships very difficult. Aeron was not one of the warriors i was instantly drawn too but I have to say I really enjoyed his story (though I must admit I wanted to shake him more than once!).This story was introduced in the short story "the Darkest Angel" in "Dark beginnings" and if you read this first you will understand the start of the book much more. Olivia is an angel, one who has been ordered to kill Aeron because he inadvertently freed the demon minion Legion from hell whilst under bloodlust. She refuses, having watched him and become besotted and chooses to fall so that she can be with him. Aeron however, is determined to get rid of her despite his growing feelings for her.Olivia is very different from the other leading ladies so far...or perhaps is a strange combination of them; she is very vulnerable like Ashlyn but can't take no for an answer like Anya. Throughout the book she throws herself at Aeron and he constantly rejects her but she carries on regardless. At the same time, the way her character was written made this reaction fitting for her. Strangely it didn't spoil the book for me that the heroine was a bit of a doormat(was gritting my teeth through a certain scene with Aeron and Legion though...and a few bits after when she should have had a bit of self-respect!).The situation with Olivia and Aeron was made much more complicated by Legion who definitely doesn't see Aeron the way he sees her and this results in a major twist which was so...ick! I kind of saw it coming but at the same expected more of the Ash/Simi type relationship from the pair; some parts just made me cringe but "in a make the book more addictive" kind of way.This book was packed full of action - the race was on once again with the hunters and the remaining artefacts, new powerful beings are playing games and Lucifer himself causes trouble. GS sets the wheels in motion for so much in this book; there is a major revelation about Cronus and a massive twist with Wrath that could change everything!I loved this book - it had me hooked immediately; it made smile, it made me cry and made me smile again. It was briilaint and I cant wait for the next one with Gideon and Scarlet!

OMG... This is by far the best book of the series so far. It had me crying at points that even my husband asked if i was ok it was that good.Ok first I should probably mention that you need to read The Darkest Angel (4.5 novella) before reading this book for a better understanding of both Olivia and Lysander.This novel gives you a wonderful insight as to the being that it Aeron. A wonderfully complex character that does anything for his friends - his family, never really thinking of himself. Showing how soft hearted he really is.Olivia is an Angel that has fallen as she had been watching over Aeron in fascination, but was unable to carry out her task in taking his life due to her conflicting feeling for him, even knowing that someone else would be given the job she could not do.Having liked Legion in previous books, I admit to having not liking her after her total bitch came out showing her utter jealous side, even though it had come out somewhat before.But the ending??? OMG. I am still reeling from that. I totally didn't see that happening. But hell, I LOVED it. I now have a little (ok big) Gena crush for giving me that ending.I so cannot wait to start the next book in the series. Especially as she has already given us a taster of Gideon and Scarlett, and I totally loved that blue haired hunk of man.

Overall I enjoyed this latest installment but it wasn't mind blowing. I've never really felt that with any of the LotU books but the on going plot is what keeps me reading. I really like where it's going and am interested enough to keep reading.In this one I didn't really warm to Olivia and Areon much. I liked them both (it was nice having a 'nice' female lead and not a bitchy, smart mouth for a change) but neither really captured me.As usual I liked the ground work for the next book, Gideon's. Sounds intriguing and i'm really looking forward to it.The action was good, the sex hot and the plot engaging. Once again, nice brain candy for when you want something fun to escape in. Fans of J. R. Ward, Lara Adrian, Kim Harrison, and other paranormal romance authors will probably enjoy this series.