One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of the Underwold, Book 10
Rating: 3 Stars
Length: 466 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: A copy of this book was provided to me by the Amazon Vine program. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




Kane has always been a walking disaster. Literally. The Lord houses Disaster, a particularly vile demon that revels in making Kane's life hell. Then Kane actually ended up in hell, suffering horrible torture and rape for weeks on end until he was rescued by a strange female with one particularly odd request for her assistance. She wants him to kill her.

Still lost in darkness from his ordeal, wrecked in a way he's having a hard time dealing with, one thing is absolutely clear to Kane. He's not killing the feisty, adorable half-fae Josephina Aisling. He's going to rescue her instead.

Then he's going to finally kill the demon inside him. Even if he has to die to do it.


I feel oddly ambivalent about this tenth installment of the Lords of the Underworld series. After Paris' book, which gave readers some much-needed resolution to the nagging problems of the Hunters and Cronus and Rhea, I figured this one would have to be a transitional book. Transitional books tend to not be my favorite books in a series for a lot of reasons, but I've always felt they were a necessary evil and dealt accordingly.

Had this book actually offered some transitional series arc plot development or given any attention to the lingering issues generated by the big battle that ended the previous book, I think I would have been fine with this one in that role. My problem is that it really didn't. In fact, Kane and Josephina's story didn't do much of anything to establish a new, Hunter/Cronus-free direction for the Lords and their allies for the series, nor did it do much to progress the plot line about the hunt for Pandora's box - though that did receive a bit of attention with the kick off of Cameo's story threads and the return of a character I was really hoping to see again in this series.

As for the romance, that didn't really wow me with character or relationship evolution, either.

I like Kane. I've always felt bad for the guy (pretty much the standard for the pre-mated Lords), even when he served as little more than comic relief at the start of the series. It was nice getting a closer look at how he deals with Disaster. I also enjoyed Disaster being given a far more sinister presence than the demons of the other Lords have been given. Disaster just seemed more actively evil than some of the others have been. Not a bad thing, either. I liked it.

We've had a couple of books now, seeing Kane's story unfold, and much of that was pretty horrifying, so I also liked that he got some happiness. What he didn't get, what none of the characters in this series get much of lately, is character depth and complexity or realistic character evolution, and that, along with my issues with the stories themselves, is bothering me a lot in this series.

Yes, Kane is tormented by his time in hell, and rightly so, but that seems to be the sole defining element of his character, and that's just not enough to make him well-rounded and realistic to me. Josephina, maybe because she's new to the series, got a bit more character definition, and I liked her more for that, but again, her role in her family was her defining characteristic and there wasn't a huge amount of depth to her beyond that.

But depth of character and complexity of internal and external conflict have never really been something this series has really offered, and I'm just now starting to remember that. Hellaciously sexy times, yes. Action and adventure, even breath-stealing emotion, yes. Summer-blockbuster-movie amounts of fierce battles and wicked villains, sure. And like those summer blockbusters, not a whole lot of coherent, well-written story surrounding it all.

On a brighter note, I thought the beginning of this book was awesome. I loved when Josephina tried to get Kane to keep his end of the bargain, then turned to Lucien and Sabin when they showed up. I love the idea that the fae were huge fans of the Lords, whose antics they follow as rabidly as the paparazzi dog the Kardashians. I loved Cameo's cameos and Torin's plague-filled drama. And there was other stuff that I truly enjoyed as well.

Kane and Josephina's extended time in the fae world didn't add to the fun. It bored me. And they seemed to spend an awfully long time there, because this was an awfully long book. That's a lot of boredom. Boredom mixed with perplexity, because for the two previous books in this series, several critical things were brewing relating to Kane's fate and the fate of the world, and those threads were just butchered in this book, with no justification or supporting development.

Kane was supposed to start an apocalypse...marry one of the Horseman or the woman who housed Irresponsibility. Or both. Josephina had nothing at all to do with one of those fateful threads and Irresponsiblity had almost nothing to do with the other. Not in anything but a completely transitory way. So what was the point of even having those threads in the previous two books if you're just going to pull in some extremely tenuous threads of suspect connection to go around all of it?

Not deal with it, mind you, completely go around it. Two very different things.

None of that worked for me at all, and all of it, including several threads of resolution, seemed way too convenient and contrived. And the end of the book, with the resolution, was all too typical of Showalter in this series. Completely unsupported by previous development and utterly abrupt. Not to mention repetitive. Seriously, how many books (out of 10) have had an angel (who I guess we're calling Sent Ones now) step in at the critical moment in the climax to flick his wings (or, you know...fiery sword...whatever) to solve all the problems for the main characters and expedite the HEA? More than once is too many. Three times is appalling.

And one other thing: I loathe the, "Oops, I was wrong," explanation to force feed a conflict resolution and fast track an HEA and Showalter uses it All. The. Time. Call it a deus ex machina, a plot contrivance, or whatever, it's that moment when you're reading a story that's been written into a very clearly defined corner only to have the author decide the room is really round so the problem is solved. Argh! Drives me absolutely bat-shit crazy.

The one at the end of this book was particularly heinous, too.

There are just too many things going wrong for me with this series lately, so many that I'm starting to wonder if the two year hiatus I took from the series between Amun's and Strider's books was, in fact, long enough. I'm starting to think it wasn't.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of the Underworld, Book 9
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 504 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle




He is the maestro of the hit-it-and-quit-it. Possessed by the demon Promiscuity, Paris is doomed to have sex with a new partner every day. Sound like a frat boy's idea of heaven? Try thousands of years of having to feed a sex demon every day or risk death. Of never being able to sleep with the same person twice, never having a relationship, never loving anyone or being faithful to anyone who loves you. And if you try to hold out, try to abstain, the demon you house strips away the final strands of your meager control so the sex is no longer your choice, let alone the partner with which you have it.

Until her.

Sienna was human and a Hunter, the group intent on destroying the Lords. Paris was captured by her once, slept with her once, and for the first time in his centuries-long existence, once was not enough. His body responded to her again. It was everything he ever wanted and nothing he ever dreamed could happen.

Of course, she was his mortal enemy...and then she died...but what's a little death between a sex demon-possessed Lord and his only hope for salvation?

Paris has been tirelessly searching for Sienna ever since. And he finally knows where she is. He has been working his way to her side no matter what it has taken, or who he has had to sleep with...or kill to find her. He'll worry about whether or not she still hates him, or blames him for her death, or still wants to kill him, when he gets there.


Finally! It took a few too many books spread out over I don't even know how many years, but I finally feel like there was some pretty significant progress made in the Lords vs. Hunters/Titans, et al series plot. The sort of progress, in fact, that could alter the direction of the series from this point forward and provide for even greater potential catastrophe for the beloved Lords. The lack of that progress has long been a complaint of mine in this series, so I have to admit, I'm pretty happy that I don't have that problem this time.

Oh, yeah, and Paris finally gets some Happily in his Ever After, too.

I had reached the end of the line with Paris in the previous book, my well of sympathy for him had run dry, so I was a little uncertain how this book would play out for me. Showalter did a lot of good things in here with Paris and Sienna. A lot of good things. Was it enough to completely redeem Paris for me? Not totally, unfortunately, and I still have some lingering questions about the ambrosia issue given what Cronus did to Sienna, not to mention Paris' double dose of demon issue, but I was mostly able to set aside any lingering discomfort with his character and appreciate the story that was being told.

And there was a lot of story being told in this book. Maybe even a little too much, as I had been hoping for a bit more depth and dimension in the relationship between Sienna and Paris and a little less focus on everything else that tends to creep into each book. Something more like what Sabin and Kaia had in their book. Sadly, that didn't happen. Paris and Sienna didn't even share a scene until I was deep into the book and the evolution of their relationship was a little truncated for my tastes, with some less than pleasant - even perplexing, at times - elements, but at the very least it got the job done.

Sienna also wasn't quite as strong a heroine as I prefer. Kaia was a much nicer fit for my tastes in that regard, but I did like Sienna, and she was extremely understanding and gracious when it came to Paris' past. On that front I was satisfied, because Paris needed someone who could accept his past without letting it color their relationship. It takes a very special sort of person to be able to do that, and Sienna was that person.

She was just a little too good to be true, even though she's been housing Wrath for a while now. She's still naive and a bit innocent, and just a shade too decent for me, despite everything she's been through. She does have a big heart, though, and she had a strength of will and determination that I enjoyed, most notably when she's struggling to resist Cronus' myriad manipulations.

And Showalter broke my heart a little with Sienna's sister. That was damn tragic.

This was a bit of a darker book than its predecessor, and there was less humor in it. I like the humor, so that was a bummer, but the darker elements did fit with the downward spiral Paris has been on, so it maintained an organic feel. And the story also answered a question I've been wondering for years, so that was a bonus.

I can't say this was a be-all-end-all read for me, and the sheer bulk of the story was the largest problem. By this point in the series, there's just so much going on with so many different characters that giving each sufficient attention bogs down the story's pacing quite a bit. I don't know that I needed...or particularly cared for...Narcissism's introduction and the views we get from her point of view. Nor did I need quite so much time spent with Kane.

I can't help but wish Showalter would focus more on the featured characters and their relationships in their own books, because though we've known Paris and Sienna for quite some time in the series, there was a lot of room to add character depth and relationship evolution that was spent on highlighting other things. I know how important it is to weave several different elements into each book, but I think the romance arc lost out some in this one.

No doubt, though, the series is still going strong, and there are many positives that have reawakened my interest and investment in the Lords. Paris's book isn't a series favorite of mine, but it was a long time coming and I'm glad he finally got some peace and found the woman he loves. Though...she's still dead...and I'm not completely sure how that's going to play out given how the story ends. I guess I'll find out.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of the Underworld, Book 8
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 426 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle





Strider, keeper of the demon Defeat, isn't having the best few months. Though the Hunters who have made the Lords' lives hell have been quiet lately, it hasn't exactly been vacation time around the Buda mansion. Then there's the fact that he lost the woman he wanted to his brother in demonic possession, Amun, keeper of Secrets. That sucked big time.

If that isn't sad enough, Kaia, the stunningly beautiful and twice as aggravating harpy he doesn't want...okay, doesn't want to want, which is the same thing, really (or so he keeps telling himself)...keeps popping into his life, challenging him at every turn. Definitely not a good thing for the Lord who suffers unimaginable agony any time his demon fails to win a challenge. Problem is, he owes Kaia a debt, and when she collects, Strider will be forced to face his most terrifying challenge yet, winning the heart of a harpy.


It's been over two years since I last visited with Showalter's Lords, a break I needed after growing increasingly concerned with what felt like a lack of series arc progression in the preceding couple of books. In truth, I wasn't sure I was ever going to return to the series, a series for which I had once been a tremendous fan. Then, the other day, I got this huge yen on for some of Showalter's specific brand of writing and I dove back in where I left off. As it turns out, the break did me good and this book served as an excellent place to return to my beloved Lords.

Maybe because it's been so long I didn't find myself getting as frustrated with what I felt was another book that tread more water than it did progress the series arc. Or maybe I just loved Strider and Kaia so much, both individually and as the romance H/h, that the still-impending all-out war with Rhea and her Hunters didn't bug me as much for still being impending. Then again, maybe it's just that Showalter's writing is so obviously the pinnacle of the paranormal romance genre that I couldn't help but marvel anew at her sheer talent.

Whatever the reason, I liked this book a lot. I adored both Strider and Kaia and was extremely happy to have their relationship arc be given its due. Kaia is one of my favorite female leads in the series - actually, she may just be my all-time favorite, now that I think about it. Not just because she was a whole lot of awesome (and she is...just ask her), but because she was one of the more three dimensional and fleshed out of all the females in the series, with a wealth of issues and insecurities as well as a wildly colorful and intense personality. I really felt like her personal history and the bad rep she has with the harpies offered up a lot of very meaty story that Showalter wove with delightful ferocity.

The plot surrounding the Harpy Games was a lot of fun, and tying in one of the relics that the Lords have been hunting lent the story the necessary impetus for Strider and the Lords to take an active interest in those games. That pulled everything and everyone together into a nicely cohesive, well-populated bundle of great reading that I heartily enjoyed.

This is also one of the funnier of the installments, which is never a bad thing for me. Showalter has always provided her readers with a healthy dose of ribald humor in each book, but between Kaia and her twin, who are just hilarious, and Strider with his ego checks, this one really tickled my funny bone over and over. It was also wicked sexy (as per the norm), fun (ditto), and yet still managed to kick me in the gut a few times, too. Classic Showalter fabulousness.

My only real issues with the book were with the cut-away storylines for Kane and Paris. I have to admit, they bored me a little. Okay, a lot. Obviously, both of their books are imminent, so I can understand the groundwork that's being laid, but I have to confess...I'm totally over the angsty, damaged, and no longer sympathetic Paris. I know, I know - sacrilege. I'm sorry to say it, believe me, but between his ambrosia addiction and his wretched Promiscuity, he's fallen off the pedestal and I found myself not liking him enough in this book to care that the next book (finally) is his. And that's saying something, because there was a time when I ached for the man's plight every single time his name was so much as mentioned.

There just comes a point for me when a character's personality, attitude, and actions devolve to such a degree that I question whether or not he can ever be redeemed. I hit that point with Paris in this book. Showalter is tremendously talented, though, so I have to believe his book will have all the necessary elements to pull me back from the anti-Paris ledge. Well, I hope, anyway, or my return to the LotU series may be very short-lived.

I still really hope we're soon going to be getting to the Cronus vs. Rhea smack-down that so desperately needs to happen. I'm even more over those two asshats than I am Paris. Personally, I kinda miss the early days, when Galen and the Hunters were the Big Bads. Throwing in the pantheon of gods and screwed up Titans has (admittedly) added complexity and depth to the world, the mythos, and the conflict in the series, but it's also been a big headache for what feels like a really long time. I'm ready for a heavy dose of ibuprofen now. Maybe then I'll be good to go with Paris.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of the Underworld, Book 7
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 410 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Amun, keeper of the demon Secrets, is suffering unimaginable torture from the demons he absorbed in hell while on a rescue mission with Aeron and William to save Aeron's pseudo-daughter Legion. The voices and urges from hundreds of beings of pure evil are quickly driving him mad and putting him in danger of death from the cadre of angels sent to prevent those demons from escaping. No one can get close to Amun without feeling their sadistic influence. No one can stop Amun from tearing his own body apart in misery. No one, that is, except the one woman all the Lords loathe, a woman named Haidee. The Hunter responsible for their brother Baden's beheading.

She was alive, again, and driven by revenge to wipe the Lords from the earth. Forced to reanimate every time she died, Haidee had lived a thousand lives, hunting evil in its demonic form. Just recently she and her crew went after the demon Defeat in the Lord Strider. She didn't die, but she didn't win either, and now she was a prisoner in their stronghold.

When she hears a voice in her head cry out for her and tunnels her way into the room beside where she's being kept, she sees who she thinks is her brutally tortured boyfriend Micah and is driven by a deep, dark connection that was foreign to their relationship. Regardless, it made her determined to save him from the Lords and their heinous punishments.

Strider can hardly believe it, but the woman he captured, the woman who he beheaded a thousand years ago for the death of his friend, was not only somehow alive, but her presence seemed to soothe Amun as nothing else did. As nothing else was supposed to be able to do. No matter how much he may sexually desire the beautiful, deadly enemy, no matter how he resented her obvious and instantaneous attachment to Amun, he would give her to his closest friend. Until they found a cure for him. Then Strider would happily take Haidee's head once again.

As the truth of the their identities is revealed to Amun and Haidee and the bond between them grows as strong as it is inexplicable, they realize that both his friends and hers will do anything - give anything - to end their lives as soon as Amun's demons are released. Regardless that Haidee is the key to that release. And as he spends more and more time with her, Amun starts to wonder how he could ever conceive of letting her go, no matter that his feelings for the murderess could cost him his friends...and his life.

It's hard to believe that we're already reached the seventh book in the Lords of the Underworld series. Showalter is definitely one of the premiere paranormal romance authors out there. I've followed the series since the beginning, liking some books more than others, but throughout it all I have admired her writing style, her slick narratives full of mythology and series-born mythos, complicated plots, conflicting agendas, and sizzling romance. Showalter has a way of writing an exceptionally readable book that pleases my preferences for romance and offers yummy alpha males, ribald humor, and a bit of bloodshed to make it all matter.

In The Darkest Secret, in fact, the romance was once again the center of the book plot, and thankfully so, as the lack of same was one of my main complaints with the previous book. There were far fewer ancillary plot threads, far less muddying of the romantic waters. And there was all that hot sex that Showalter does so well. In that regard, the book was definitely one of the better installments I've read recently.

There's a flip side, though. There were aspects of the plot of this book that struck me as being a little too convenient throughout, like the fact that Haidee was the only one who could hear Amun talking in her head, or the bookbag that filled as needed and requested, or Micah's fate. Too many little conveniences like those made things seem a little too easily resolved whenever the crap started hitting the fan. Then there were the major conveniences that pop up at the end - but I'll get back to that in a minute.

Also a problem for me were some things that weren't very well detailed or explained, such as the Bad Man's identity or the full scope of Haidee's ice, or that struck me as treading dangerously close to being plot holes, such as why Haidee's "infection" seemed to initially affect everyone who had extended contact with her except for Amun, or why she returned to her cave when the angel said she wouldn't. There was also one particular pendulum that had swung a little too far in the other direction between this book and the last.

I felt The Darkest Lie suffered a dearth of romantic plot development but had a messy overabundance of secondary series arc plot development coupled with too many ancillary plot threads. The Darkest Secret went in the opposite direction. It had plenty of romantic development, but didn't seem to further the series arc at all. Ancillary plot threads that progressed the subplots of Promiscuity's spiraling self destruction and William's issues with Gilly, as well as those that introduced Defeat's forthcoming romantic arc were blended together well, but were very brief and largely superficial.

Despite all that, I was liking this book just fine for the strength of the romance alone, which I felt was the best all-around blend of appealing character and storyline since The Darkest Whisper. Then I got to the end and once again felt the same frustration I've felt to varying degrees for every ending of every book since and including The Darkest Whisper. And in this case, the frustration level was very high.

Not only did the resolution leading to the conclusion far too closely resemble an ending from a previous book, but a pivotal character acted in a manner that directly contradicted previously developed character definition for no reason other than some sort of  nebulous "I don't know why I feel this way but I won't tolerate it" bullshit that came out of nowhere. And to top off that rather distasteful set of issues, there was nearly an entire chapter dedicated to a most loathsome literary device, the told-not-shown synopsis of events.

When those issues combined, I found the last few chapters of The Darkest Secret almost painful and very frustrating. And I've got to be honest, my concern for this series is growing with each installment. I feel like we're treading water in the war between the Lords and Hunters, Galen and Sabin, and Cronos and Rhea until everyone hooks up with their forever loves, and while I'm all for romance, there has been extensive groundwork laid for a major conflict and final resolution for the Lords. I'd like to get to that eventually. Hell, by this point I'd settle for appearing like we're at least moving in that direction.

Disclosure: This book was provided to me free of charge through the Amazon.com Vine program for the purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of the Underworld/Tales of Atlantis Anthology/Companion
Rating: 3 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Containing three novellas and some behind the scenes companion information on Showalter's beloved Lords of the Underworld series, Into the Dark is full of good stuff, but unfortunately, much of it I'd read before. The novellas The Darkest Fire, The Amazon's Curse, and The Darkest Prison are all offered to Kindle owners individually, and I'd read two of the three of them that way, so I can't say that this book was all I was hoping it would be. I'd be more likely to recommend it for hard core LotU fans without a Kindle or those Kindle owners really committed to the few companion pieces of LotU that are offered here.

The companion information, a cute Q & A between Kresley Cole and Showalter - two obviously great friends, and the interviews of the Lords by William and the ladies by Gilly were amusing, but lacked any true hilarity. The camaraderie between Cole and Showalter was the brightest spot of the companion information for me. There was little other information of note - a FAQ and a narrative by Showalter about coming up with the series, a rundown on the Lords. Nothing much is provided that couldn't be had by reading the series or visiting Showalter's website, and that is where the true shame lies. This book falls in the LotU timeline between The Darkest Whisper (Sabin) and The Darkest Passion (Aeron), so reading this anthology will provide no new insight if you're current in the series, and reading it before the series will provide too many spoilers.

I do recommend the novellas, in whichever format you want to read them. I have also read Showalter's Tales of Atlantis series, so The Amazon's Curse was a nice surprise. It's the only one of the three I hadn't yet read. All three stories are meaty little gems with Showalter's flair for story telling. I especially enjoyed The Darkest Prison and I hope that some of the developments there are brought into the series, as there's ton of potential.

If I hadn't already read the novellas, I think I would have been far happier, but because I had, I was left feeling like the book contained very little that I hadn't already known or read before.

Novellas of Into the Dark:

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of the Underworld, Book 6
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


I've been a monster fan of Showalter's LotU series since first spending time with Maddox, but I have to admit, after book six, I'm a little befuddled. In The Darkest Lie we see the development of the relationship between Gideon, keeper of Lies, and Scarlet, keeper of Nightmares, plot threads with Galen (Hope), head of the Hunters, and Mnemosyne, Rhea's sister and Cronus' sister-in-law, not to mention the threads with other Lords, Strider (Defeat) in particular, but also a quest with Amun (Secrets), Aeron (formerly Wrath) and William (not a Lord, but still). I gotta be honest, as much as I totally love the series and commend Showalter on her imagination and originality, I felt there were way too many balls up in the air in The Darkest Lie, to the detriment of the development of Gideon and Scarlet as individual characters and together in their relationship, and this is the first book of the series that, as a whole, didn't quite knock it out of the park for me.

Believe me, I'm hesitant in saying that, because honestly, I liked the book, and there were parts that I enjoyed much better than in the two previous books (the ending in particular). I love Gideon - always have - and I enjoyed Scarlet's character very much (other than having a slight issue with the repetition of her inner dialogue in relation to Gideon). Showalter did an excellent job on her personality and the originality of her demon, though man, Showalter is tough on character backstory! The torment Scarlet has lived with through thousands of years would have demonized a lesser immortal, that's for sure. Still, she is fiery, contradictory, tenacious, stubborn, and strong willed, and I felt she was the perfect match for Gideon, who has always been one of my favorite Lords. I loved their scenes and all of their interactions - the pair were even one of the high points in the last book. The problem is that there weren't enough of their scenes or their development, and that's becoming a familiar issue with the series.

The trend of meeting a Lord's HEA character in books prior to that Lord's actual story is one that's not sitting well with me. I'm not sure what's niggling me about it, but it's making the romance aspect seem almost anticlimactic. It's also at least part of the reason that I haven't felt there's been enough development with the featured couple in their own books lately. It would definitely prevent a new reader from joining the series at this point. These are no longer and in no way stand-alone books, not that the first few would have been completely successful as such. Now, though, there's way too much going on to allow for enough exposition to bring a new reader up to speed. Hell, there's no time for enough exposition to remind readers already familiar with the series about what's going on.

Also, a couple of things started to wear on me while I was reading, most notably, the latter books are virtually unrecognizable from the earlier books. Does anyone remember the war between Hunters and Lords? Lately the series is more about godly politics and machinations - and I don't enjoy that as much. Plus, I'm all for a series growing and developing, but there are so many different characters and plot threads involved in The Darkest Lie that there was more than one point in the book that I had to stop and think about how everything is supposed to connect. And I failed to make some of those connections. Not to mention, while I was originally of the opinion that the addition of  the pathos of the Titans and Greeks was interesting, it's starting to weigh down the overall arc.

What did happen to the fight between the Lords and Galen's Hunters? There was a scene or two tossed in here, but it was more a nod given than actual story arc progression. And I think Showalter has started too many threads with too many characters that provide too many teasers without any sort of resolution. What is/was William? What is Ex? How will Gilly's issues with William be resolved? What's Sienna going to do now that she's burdened with Wrath? Will Atlas be joining the fray with his mate now that his name's been brought up, as was alluded to in his short story? What the hell is Strider (Defeat) doing making blanket decisions about the cloak?

Here's my big question: What happened to a paranormal romance book that introduces the romantic lead pair, develops their characters and their relationship, and gives them a hard-earned but deserving HEA in one book, with the overall series arc developing alongside, occasionally overlapping, but never overshadowing that relationship? That question is currently going unanswered in The Darkest Lie and the LotU series. I'm still a fan of the series. I still love Showalter and her stories. The book is well written in technique, with all the aplomb Showalter always exhibits. But if I'm to be completely honest, the non-relationship plot threads are overwhelming the relationships in these books lately, and it's lessening my enjoyment of the stories.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of the Underworld, Book 4
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle

4.5 Stars
Great Read ~ Best In The Series So Far

I have to hand it to Gena Showalter, I've always been happy with her romance and paranormal romance books and she keeps getting better with each publishing. The Darkest Whisper is no exception. I've been a fan of the Lords of the Underworld series from the beginning, though I've heard some readers be critical that the premise is very reminiscent of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series (and others). Honestly, that's true in that there are a group of mega alpha males working together (and have been for centuries) to fight against an almost unbeatable foe. That war spans the arc of the series with each book highlighting a battle or skirmish or development in the war and goes hand in hand with at least one main romantic pairing. It's not an original premise, but so what? I totally dig that type of paranormal romance series - which is why I read so many of them. And the series is not defined by its premise, by any means.

Showalter sets Lords of the Underworld apart in a couple of different ways that really work for me. I love the backstory on the Lords and think it's unique and imaginative. Showalter does really well whenever anything revolves around ancient Greek mythology - her knowledge and ability to modernize ancient history is superb. She also has an absolute smashing gift of making really good choices in her romantic pairings. I can't say that about all my favorite authors in the genre. In that regard, she's tops in the field.

Sabin (Doubt) and Gwendolyn the Timid are a perfect example of that. I just loved them together. I've always been fascinated by the idea of Doubt as a demon and was really looking forward to reading Sabin's story. I found it totally satisfying! Gwen is a half-harpy who starts out as a walking contradiction - timid, yet ferociously deadly - and really grows into her wings and claws. Sabin (Doubt) is a Lord whose entire life is destroying the enemy and now finding Pandora's box and he struggles with regret and...well...self-doubt...as he fights an attraction to a woman he respects and admires...while every other woman he's cared about has ended up dead or destroyed courtesy of his demon. I can't say too much without spoiling the story, but I found their romantic resolution to be particularly satisfying as it relied in parts on the very nature of them both, instead of being a more external force.

On a personal note, I wasn't totally thrilled with one scene in particular at the end of the book and wish it had taken a different turn. It was a choice I wouldn't have supported had I been housing a demon at the time, that's for sure. I thought it made the non-romance plot aspects end on a weak note. It was the only weak note for me though. Otherwise, the threads that Showalter are starting to weave into her books with growing complexity - Paris' continuing downward spiral; Aeron's feelings of being watched and struggling not to slip back into psychosis (I love Legion, and the idea of her waltzing around in a tiara is priceless), and anything to do with Torin (who I have the most sympathy for - but I adored the beginning of the crossover with Kresley Cole's character Nuckin' Futs Nix!!) - have added a rich and luscious depth and intricacy to the books that were missing in the first couple. Those threads are really elevating the quality of the books overall and adding what was once a needed dimension.

Overall, this is in my "must read" column, but you'd miss a lot if you don't start at the beginning of the series - I suppose you could read The Darkest Whisper as a standalone, there's enough explanation to give you a rudimentary understanding of what's going on, but you'd lose a lot of the atmosphere and feeling of the growing familiarity with these characters.

One caution to those who don't like a lot of darkness in their heros - the Lords of the Underworld are demons with histories that are lengthy and brutal, and The Darkest Whisper in particular had some scenes of brutality and torture that were written out and some just alluded to. Sabin can be a ruthless killer - they all can, but it's his book. I personally felt that this book was the darkest and most intently violent of the series. Not horribly graphic in description, really, but in tone. I don't have a problem with darkness and violence, but I know that some do.

Overall, I'd give The Darkest Whisper a 4.5 stars (I really didn't like that scene at the end, but the rest was so good it just detracted a little) if I could, but as we're limited to full stars it definitely gets rounded up. A must read for all paranormal romance fans!

Oh, and just one more thing...I can't help myself - I have to say I love the title of this book. It just could not be any more perfect.

Doubt is, after all, the darkest whisper.