I went away for a few days to distant wilds of Scotland and managed to read three books while I was there relaxing. All three were books in Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. I had already read the first book, The Darkest Night, so I read books 2, 3 and 4. I’m going to spread the reviews out over the next few weeks, and hopefully I’ll write some reviews for the two Lara Adrian books I read quite recently too. Today, I’m reviewing book two in the Lords of the Underworld series, The Darkest Kiss.
So here’s my candid review of this paranormal romance book by Gena Showalter.
The Darkest Kiss
Gena Showalter
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…
REVIEW
I enjoyed this addition to Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. The writing annoyed me at first, making me feel as though I was trapped in the mind of a child rather than an adult. I understand that Anya is supposed to be hip and whatever but I could have lived without the irritating internal monologue in the narrative. Thankfully, that aspect of the book soon faded, along with the repetition of how ‘foolish’ the hero and heroine and everything else was.
Lucien really saved this book for me. He’s luscious, dangerous, and has issues that would make the hardest heart purr for him. I did feel he could have been just a little bit darker though, but then I do love my men to have a side that is as black as midnight. Anya took a while to grow on me. Once we moved past the initial few chapters where her POV irritated me, she vastly improved. By the end of the book I almost liked her.
I liked their cat and mouse game, with Lucien’s resistance in his attempts to kill Anya and Anya’s attempts to kill him first, but never really felt the threat that they really would kill each other. It was always too easy for the other to escape at the last second, and became a little predictable.
The ending seemed a touch too easy for my tastes too. We’re supposed to believe that they could go to see a friend of Anya’s and head into the arctic in search of an artefact that could be anywhere on that vast landmass but happens to be just a day away and in the first spot they looked for it. I found that very difficult to swallow. A little more research turning up a location or a hint at a location would have made it more believable for me. The arctic is a huge area. Finding what you’re looking for in one attempt at one location is a miracle. I also didn’t feel the emotional pangs I should have at the end. The black moment lacked intensity when it really should have gripped me and torn at my heart. It just felt flat and quite emotionless. I like a good cry in a heart-wrenching moment. The writing didn’t move me at all.
I would still recommend this book though, and I know my review has focused on the bad rather than the good, so I’ll end it by saying that it’s worth reading for the luscious Lucien and the glimpses of the other heroes as they set up their own stories. Anya will grow on you if you don’t like her at first, and the plot is great until the last few chapters. There’s a beautiful sense of danger about the book, although I would’ve liked it a little darker. I guess I have to remember that I’m reading a Harly romance after all. Pick this book up if you like sexy immortal warrior heroes with serious complexes and a little danger to add spice to a relationship.
Read reviews of The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2498983.The_Darkest_Kiss
