The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter

Description:

Possessed by the demon of Defeat, Strider cannot lose a challenge without suffering unimaginable pain. For him, nothing stands in the way of victory. Until Kaia, an enchanting Harpy, tempts him to the razor's edge of surrender.Known among her people as The Disappointment, Kaia must bring home the gold in the Harpy Games or die. Strider is a distraction she can't afford because he has an agenda of his own-steal first prize, an ancient godly artifact, before the winner can be named. But as the competition heats up, only one prize will matter-the love neither had thought possible.

Review:

The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter

4 out 5

So this was a cute book, a way to pass the time, but it wasn't exactly my favorite one out of this series.  

The Characters:

Kaia the Disappointment... Wow, what a horrible title.  I mean, I though her sister Gwen had a bad title, but nothing is worse than being known as the Disappointment of the family.  I think the reason she received it is really a harsh punishment.  The fact that her mother gave it to her because of a mistake I think made it worse.  

Kane seems to be a great guy, but he seems to just be really lonely, and he needs a safe hug... No electric static shocks, no colasping ceilings or crumbling floors.  Just a nice hug.  

The Moirai are so crazy & disturbing, but I can't help but laugh at the whole situation.  And the way they talk in circles towards Kane is hilarious!  But their question of Kane... OMGoodness!  If anyone would be the one to be asked that question, I would have expected it to be William.  

Sienna kinda irritated me in this book.  I mean, I think it is great that she is trying to be strong against her demon & then plans to give her life up to be free of it, but I feel like she is just hitting her head against a wall for all the results that she is achieving.  

Paris finally seems to be getting out of his drunken stupor and is finally doing something!  Though, I'm not sure if he is going about it the right way. Which makes me wonder, am I going to like Paris by the time we have his story?  

Juliette is an uber bitch!  And I really feel that she deserved more than she actually got.  But, maybe the loss of her consort will be painful enough to serve as a punishment.  

Tabitha the Vicious truly lives up to her name.  Plus being full of secrets, she definitely adds to the intrigue of the story.  

Neeka is a pretty cool harpy.  Even though she is deaf, she doesn't let that hold her back.  Though I wonder what she's got that the phoenixes would want... Hopefully this will be answered soon.

The fact that Lazarus is a bad guy turned good guy being forced to do the wrong thing definitely makes a twist to the story.  And with his past, it is easier to believe that he really is the bad guy... So when he finally makes the sacrifice that he did, he really became my favorite character of this book. 

My Favorite parts:

The Harpie Games.  It sounds like a life-or-death Olympics.  Which kind of sounds pretty exciting, dangerous, and just plain entertaining.  I wish we had gotten to see more of it in the book.

Can I just say that when William puts together the fact that he is/was crushing on one of his great-nieces, it was hilarious.... I kinda giggled for a good few minutes about it.  

Other Stuff:

Wow... a marriage.... and it kinda is a big surprise, especially since one of them was unconscious.  I did find it interesting the end result of the marriage... Telepathic communication between the spouses.  Not sure if I'd want that.  

For me, this story dragged on a bit.  I felt that certain parts dragged on because it felt forced.  Then there were the parts that seem to skip over key points that would make the story better.  There was little to keep my attention during the down times, and while the action scenes were good, there was almost too much in the action scenes.  

Overall, this is a good book, but it is not my favorite.  I do recommend this series, and this book.  
Happy Reading!

Cana

The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter

Description:

In this sexy new installment of Showalter's bestselling Lords of the Underworld series, the haunted Amun meets a woman who tempts him like no other...

Keeper of the demon of Secrets, Amun can manipulate the darkest thoughts of anyone nearby. But when the immortal warrior is chained and isolated to protect those he loves, death is his only hope of release—until he meets Haidee, a fellow prisoner whose beauty and hidden vulnerability draw him into a reckless test of his loyalty.

Haidee is a demon-assassin, raised to despise Amun's kind. Yet how can she hate the man whose touch sets her aflame? But to save him, she must give herself body and soul...and face the wrath of a powerful adversary sworn to destroy her.
Review:

The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter

5 out of 5

The first few chapters weren't my favorite.  And let me tell you why.  I honestly didn't like the beginning of this book because Strider is an ass, Amun is darkly evil, and Haidee is trying to escape.  Ugh... But thankfully, I kept reading, and the story FINALLY got better and caught my attention in its delicious clutches and refused to let me go!

So, again, we learn something new about William... I really feel that we are suppose to be putting together a board of all the clues we get about him, so that by the time we get to his book, we'll have everything figured out.  But back on subject, the fact that William can see dead people is kind of cool... But what a horrible way to find out.  And poor Paris... Its so NOT fair!  Can we get to Paris' sexily-ever-after already?

Oh, this book is really about a lot of secrets!  With Haidee, her's is the biggest secret of all.  It explains so much though. And when you finally find out what the secret is and what it means, you will be surprised... I mean, I didn't see it coming!

Wow, another journey through Hell, and this one is definitely different from the first.  I mean, this one was a bit less dreary, a lot more wit and action occurred, and it was extremely more colorful.  

Discovering Hate and then finally meeting him was interesting... So glad everything seems to be resolved with him... I don't know how much more I would have been able to take of him.  

Favorite part of the book:  The prank call was hilarious!  Even though it didn't turn out the way the guys wanted or planned it, it was still pretty funny.  

Okay, the whole Strider part of this story was not my favorite (again!).  I mean, Strider just kept getting on my nerves.  I really wish that Kaia would just kick his ass.  And yet, thankfully, Amun did it and that made me very happy!

OOOOH, I want more of the Horsemen.  They sound so interesting and potentially hilarious!  Can we get some Horsemen novels, Ms. Showalter?  Please?   I promise to be a good reader and read them all!

I LOVE (pun intended) what happened in the end for Haidee... And for Amun.  They both need a happily-ever-after.  

Overall, this is an AMAZING book.  I highly recommend this book and the series!Happy Reading!

Cana

The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter

Description:

Forced to his knees in agony whenever he speaks the truth, Gideon can recognize any lie—until he captures Scarlet, a demon-possessed immortal who claims to be his long-lost wife. He doesn’t remember the beautiful female, much less wedding — or bedding — her. But he wants to . . . almost as much as he wants her.

But Scarlet is keeper of Nightmares, too dangerous to roam free, and a future with her could mean ultimate ruin. Especially as Gideon’s enemies draw closer . . . and the truth threatens to destroy all he’s come to love . . .

Review:

The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter

5 out of 5

Be warned:  None of this is in Gideon-speak.  You are going to get the cold, honest truth about the keeper of Lies & the keeper of Nightmares... And You are going to love this book!

So Gideon is scared of spiders... But what is hilarious is his little girl attiude and reaction to them.  It is interesting though how he has a fear of spiders but doesn't know why, yet Scarlet has been around them because of Tartarus and isn't scared of them... Could there be a connection?

The whole story of Steel is heartbreaking... And I am with Scarlet and Gideon for wanting revenge.  I kinda want revenge too!

I'm glad that we finally get an explanation on the age-reversal that Cronus and Rhea are going through.  Amazing what happens when a curse is reversed.  

Mnemosyne (NeeMah will be used the rest of this review... I'm sure you understand why...) is a real piece of work.  Ugh!  She got what she deserved, though she really deserved far worse.  Though, I still have a feeling that she had more secrets to reveal... Unfortunately, I don't think we would get any answers from her.

Wow!  What a twist in who's memory was screwed with!  Though, I have a feeling it was really both, and more, but still!  Talk about heartbreaking... But I think a lot of what Gideon and Scarlet learned & the new memories they created helped to balance out all the memory loss that had happened.  

Gideon-speak is fun until you have to double back a couple of times to figure out what he is really saying (because they don't always translate for you)... 

Wasn't a big fan of Strider's portions of the book.  Which is so sad.  I was so hoping for a bit more of a spark of happy or humor from him like we had had in the previous books.

I felt horrible for poor Amun.  I just really wanted his life to get better, but when you walk into Hell willingly, it really isn't going to get better.  

OMGoodness... The infamous Hadiee who has become Haidee.  It will be interesting to see where this will go for her. 

So we always knew that William had a lot of secrets, but in this book we learn exactly what some of those secrets are.  Through the  hints, about what they are, I know that he has a lot more depth and potential than a lot of the other characters that we've met so far... Though I would love for him to get with Gilly.  It might be nice for the bad boy to actually end up (and stay) with the good girl. 

Oh, and can I say that discovering the genders of Nightmares & Lies was just hilarious.  But Gideon's actual reaction was funnier.  

So, the big last fight scene was really cool.... Was definitely entertaining reading about Cronus with a bowl of popcorn.  I mean, I know it is a chick fight, but really?  Popcorn?

Overall, this was an awesome book, actually, it was really one of my favorites from this series.  I highly recommend this book & series!

Happy Reading!

Cana

The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

Description:

For weeks, the immortal warrior Aeron has sensed an invisible female presence. An angel-demon-assassin has been sent to kill him. Or has she? Olivia claims she fell from the heavens, giving up immortality because she couldn't bear to harm him. But trusting - and falling for - Olivia will endanger them all. So how has this mortal with the huge blue eyes already unleashed Aeron's darkest passion?

With an enemy hot on his trail and his faithful demon companion determined to remove Olivia from his life, Aeron is trapped between duty and consuming desire. Worse still, a new executioner has been sent to do the job Olivia wouldn't...

Review:

The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

5 out of 5

Olivia is such an interesting character.  She is almost the perfect mix of innocent and worldly knowledge.  And a lot of her moments made me giggle at her thought process... Like how she was going to seduce Aeron.  Also the fact that she is obviously a Disney princess (i.e. the animals) is hilarious!

Aeron is such a whiny baby.  He really needed an ass kicking to get his head on straight.  Especially when he challenged the gods to send him a woman who he would want to chase (be careful what you pray for!)... Still, that part was pretty funny.  His sacrifice to save his friends, Legion, & Olivia did make me like him more.  

Poor Legion... Making a deal with the devil is always dangerous.  But her behavior, her desire to have Aeron no mater what, makes her an unlikeable character.  I can't say that she got what she deserved, but I hope she finds her happiness and the love that she craves one day.  Though, what happened to her and Galen does make me wonder...

OMGoodness!  The fact that the Titans are also Lords... I was kinda of expecting that, but Ack!  What a huge ball of trouble that will be coming as they figure out who is what.

Awe, Ashlyn and Maddox are having *Slaps hand over mouth!* Sorry, no spoilers, but still, what you find out when you read this book about the pregnancy is very exciting.  It sounds like a very good thing!

Poor, poor Gilly.  We find out why she was a runaway (though I was expecting something like this).  The confirmation of what happened to her is still heartbreaking.  I hope that she is healing from her past, not just trying to ignore it.  

Scarlet & Gideon... OMGoodness!  I don't know if I should be excited or scared.  But I can't wait to find out!

Gosh, why can't Aeron and Olivia catch a break!  If it isn't one of them being difficult, it is an external source causing the issues!  Like more frustrating issues than any of the others had. Ugh!

Wow! So, it was nice to finally meet Pandora and Baden.   Though it wasn't expected, I must admit that I like Baden and I would like to get to know him better.  He seemed to be pretty cool.  But I do agree with Baden about Pandora.  She is a real bitch, and I hope she is stuck there for forever.  Oh, and what an interesting twist that Pandora points out to us... Makes you wonder where this is leading.... Hmmm

I was so glad about the ending.  I was kind of scared of what was going to happen.  But Ms. Showalter saved the day and gave us a wonderful happy ending.  

And the funniest thing in the entire book was when Aeron starts cracking penis jokes during sex... A bit creepy, but hilarious.  

Overall, this was an awesome book!  I highly recommend it and the series.  



Happy Reading!

Cana

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter

Description:

Winged warrior Lysander has been alive for centuries, and yet he's never known desire-until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of his enemy, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the untouched Lysander into temptation. He may try to evade her attempts, but even the most iron-willed demon assassin can resist for only so long.... 

Review:

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter

5 out of 5

So, I don't normally read a lot of short stories, primarily because they just frustrate me into wanting more!  But, I really did enjoy this one....

Lysander is an ASS!  And he really doesn't change that much through the story.  But I really did enjoy him groveling and apologizing to Bianka

OMGoodness!  The oil wrestling scene is hilarious!  Paris kinda perks up for the first time since the Sienna-is-dead part, and FINALLY someone tries to knock Lysander around a bit.  

What is Ashlyn's baby?  OMGoodness!  Why hint and then leave us hanging?  Why does Lysander hope they are ready?  What is wrong with it?  Argh!!!!!

I loved Legion during the wedding!  She is hilarious, and in a weird demonic sort of way, absolutely adorable.

I really liked Bianka.  She is such an interesting harpy.  From how she decides who to steal from to her decision to win Lysander, she has such an interesting perspective.  

Gwen being Bridezilla is hilarious, because I know exactly how her sisters feel... I just imagine that a harpy bridezilla is worse than my own human bridezilla sister is!

Overall, this novella is a cute filler between books.  Definitely leaves me wanting more, and I'm definitely going to read more of this series!  I highly recommend this short story!
Happy Reading!

Cana