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Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Lords of the Underworld story about an iron-willed sovereign and the somber beauty who melts him with a glance

Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn’t allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairy tale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.

Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with a single unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him – until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile and seduce her into his bed.

As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they’ve forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever.

3.5 🍁s

“Don’t try to stay ten moves ahead of your opponent. Stay behind him with a knife.”

MAJOR SPOILERS THROUGHOUT:
I liked this installment in the Lords of the Underworld series. It wasn’t the best and it certainly wasn’t my favorite, but I liked what it added to the story. I had been waiting for Cameo and Lazarus’s story for a long time and I was ultimately satisfied with it. Their relationship and its development wasn’t my problem, the pacing of the overall story was.

Cameo- I love Cameo and I really admire her. She is strong, brave, compassionate, devoted, and I empathize strongly with her need to prove herself because of the self-doubt she constantly carries. I have always felt bad for her character because she is inhabited by Misery and this book only reiterated that. I never knew how badly the demon affected her and how it brought her down day after day. I can’t begin to imagine what she has had to deal with over the course of her life and the small glimpse during this book is enough for me.

Lazarus- Lazarus was everything I had hoped him to be. He was snarky, badass, tough, and an absolute joy to follow. I loved discovering all of his abilities and learning more about his past. Plus, his constant power struggle with Cameo was the highlight of my reading. He is by far one of my favorite males in this series.

Viola- Viola played a bigger role in this book than I thought she was going and I am happy about it. I enjoyed every one of her scenes and I need more of her! I liked her before this book and I want to see her story play out with Brochan.

Ever & Urban- These two are constantly showing up and flipping everything on its head. They are going to be a source of trouble for many books to come, I can already tell. Viola actually mentions that she feels bad for whoever ends up with Ever and I am telling you right now, I am DYING for that book. I need it right now! I also have to add that Urban’s little crush on Viola is cute right now, but it could easily turn disastrous in future books.

Siobhan- Siobhan was an… interesting… surprise. I was not expecting her to show up at all and I was shocked when I got her point of view. I must say though, every time I was in her POV, I was on the edge of my seat. Is she a villain? A possible Hades love interest? A possible ally that will be added to the Lords of the Underworld family? I just don’t know! Plus, she mentioned William’s mate being out there for like two sentences and my entire world was rocked! I need more of her predictions and information pronto!

Rathbone- Umm… yes please? I want more information on him and while you’re at it Gena, can you smack him over the head with a love interest? Please? I need more of his banter and snark!

Axel- A possible William twin? Uhh… what? Gena completely shocked me with Axel’s character for like three paragraphs and then he was completely dropped?! Who is he and is he related to William?! Tell me!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t bad. I just felt like the pacing was slow for a large portion of it and I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have liked to. This book felt almost like a filler. A lot of future stuff was teased and left open ended. I spent more time caring about the unanswered questions than focused on Cameon and Lazarus’s relationship.

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

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Synopsis:

Can Beauty tame her Beast?

Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he’s back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he’s unable to withstand the touch of another and he’s quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride just not his own.

Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she’s taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she’s plunged into a war between two evilswith a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.

But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she’ll have to teach him to love or lose him forever.

🍁🍁🍁🍁

These people might be vicious and bloodthirsty, but they loved each other. Deeply. Madly. Their devotion was palpable.”

MAJOR SPOILERS THROUGHOUT:
I really liked this installment in the Lords of the Underworld series. It wasn’t my favorite, but it certainly wasn’t bad either. The pacing was good for the majority of the book. I was invested in the characters. Plus, the plot found a way to interest me which is always a positive for me.

Katarina- I liked Katarina and admired her dedication to her animals. Unfortunately, the decisions she made throughout this book ticked me off at times. I am all for a strong female character… but I don’t like ones that won’t ask for help when they need it because they don’t want to appear “weak”. That is the type of character that Katarina is and I don’t like the message her character sends. Everyone needs help every now and then. Asking for help shouldn’t be displayed as a weakness in literature.

Baden- I like Baden, but he got on my nerves a few times during this book. His hot and cold gave me whiplash some times and I wanted him to see the error of his ways quicker than he did. I loved Destruction on the other hand. I have always been a sucker for the morally grey/tough guy turned puppy when the right woman comes along trope. I actually enjoyed Destruction’s minor thought inputs than I did the majority of Baden’s.

Hades- Hades played a more prominent role in this book than he has in all of the others. And I must say… I love him. I said it above, I am a sucker for the morally grey male character and Hades turned into the ultimate version of that in this book. He starts out as this cold and heartless villain, but my eyes were opened to him in this book and there is no going back. I hated what Hades’s mom did to him and his backstory tugged at my heart strings. I need more of his character and some more development ASAP.

Taliyah + Hades- Uhhh. Did you really think I wasn’t going to mention the panties scene? I almost fell out of my seat when this popped up. I could not stop laughing and my brain immediately went to investing myself in this new ship. Please Gena give me a story about Hades and Taliyah. I would just eat that up!

The Hellhounds- I KNEW as soon as those dogs showed up that they were Hellhounds. Not a shocker, but I certainly enjoyed what they brought to the story. As well as their connection with Hades.

Cameo- Cameo’s whole plot in this book revolved around trying to find some happiness and finding Lazarus. I felt for her so much and I am fully in support of her decision.

William- Before I get into all of the ship drama and what essentially broke this fandom, I want to talk about William individually. He displayed some new powers in this book that I had no clue he had. I am excited to see where they came from/what they do in his book. Also, I have to say I felt more for William in this book than I did in all of the others combined. He became less of this unfeeling playboy and more of this heartbreakingly caring person.

William, Puck, & Gilly-
Now to get into the DRAMA. Let me start by saying that I see both sides of the argument here. I understand why people ship William and Gilly SO hard and why they ultimately became upset with the author during this book. I ALSO understand the other side and get why some people applaud her decision to put Puck and Gilly together.

I am kind of stuck in the middle here because I was fully invested in the Gilly/William ship. Have been for a while. I had heard before this book what would happen so I have been preparing myself for it for a couple books now. And, after reading this installment, I understand why Gena decided to pair Gilly with Puck instead. Here’s why:

At the end of the day, William was not meant for her. He is not equipped to properly handle Gilly’s PTSD and Gilly says it best herself. William needs sex and affection in his life and she could not give that to him which would have created resentment. This doesn’t make it any easier for me as far as knowing my ship has sunk, but I can reason with myself and come to terms with it.

And, to be honest, Puck isn’t that bad of a choice for Gilly. In fact, if the fandom hadn’t be so focused on William, I think they would have been perfectly happy with Gilly and Puck ending up together. I even ship them myself. This doesn’t take away from my support of Gilly and William, I just know I would have been fine either way. I am interested in seeing where this ship goes and I am going to go into their book with an open mind. Plus, if Gilly can’t have William, I’d GLADLY take him. Free of charge!

I also just had to add, the William/Gilly ship breaking apart wasn’t as crushing to me as it was for other people for one main reason… I am a proud supporter of the Sarah J. Maas fandom. I am used to my ships breaking up before the series is over and ending up with completely different people. 😉

Ever & Urban- These two are getting so big to have just been born a couple of books ago. I have a theory with them but I am keeping it close to my chest for now. It is slightly out there and I really don’t want to look stupid if I’m wrong. I’ll just say that it involves William.

Fox- Fox played a bigger role in this book as well. I am wondering if she is going to become a more solid presence in the future books, especially since there is still a lot of mystery surrounding her. Plus, I am REALLY wondering how she became immortal in the first place???

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. This world is so expansive and each time something new is introduced, I fall in love with it even more. I can’t wait to see what else Gena has in store for me in the next book!

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million ∴

Synopsis:

At long last, New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter unveils the story of Paris, the darkest and most tormented Lord of the Underworld.

Possessed by the demon of Promiscuity, immortal warrior Paris is irresistibly seductive — but his potent allure comes at a terrible price. Every night he must bed someone new, or weaken and die. And the woman he craves above all others is the one woman he’d thought was forever beyond his reach… until now.

Newly possessed by the demon of Wrath, Sienna Blackstone is racked by a ruthless need to punish those around her. Yet in Paris’s arms, the vulnerable beauty finds soul-searing passion and incredible peace. Until a blood feud between ancient enemies heats up.

Will the battle against gods, angels and creatures of the night bind them eternally — or tear them apart?

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

“By the way, only a real man can accept his feminine side.”
“I don’t know who fed you that line of garbage, but I can promise she’s laughing at you right now.”

MAJOR SPOILERS THROUGHOUT:
Well that was unexpected…
I have been putting this book off for months because I didn’t think I would like it. Paris and Sienna’s story has been unfolding for many books now and their story just hadn’t grab me as much as other couples’ stories did. I thought about skipping this book altogether, but I knew that I would miss out on a lot of the over-arching story line if I did. So, I took a break from this series for a few months and finally decided to pick it back up again…

And let me tell you: I feel like a complete IDIOT. This book was phenomenal! I have seriously no complaints. I started this book and I couldn’t put it down. Paris and Sienna’s story, as well as ALL of the side characters’ stories, had me enthralled. The pacing was spot on and I wasn’t bored for even a moment. I cried, I felt anger and frustration over what was happening to the characters, and I laughed my ass off. I forgot just how much humor was in these books.

Paris- I have always liked Paris. I felt bad for him because he had been watching all of his friends fall in love and he knew he could never have the same thing that they had.. Or so he thought. Sienna came crashing into the picture and he couldn’t let her go. I was so happy for Paris when he found her and my heart broke for him when he lost her. He spends many books doing nothing but try to get her back and in this book, we see the true lengths he will go to to have her in his life. I was in awe with him throughout this whole book and I have never loved him more.

Sienna- I never got the much of a read on Sienna’s personality in the previous books. She would pop up her and there but I never saw a steady development of her character’s personality until this book. I must say: I love Sienna. She had all of the components needed for a great female character and then some. She’s strong, yet knows when to ask for help. She shows her emotions but does not let them rule her every action. She’s just a flat out good person that wants to see the good in people and make the world a better place. She truly stole the show for me.

Zacharel- Just give me any and all information you have on him please. I’m dying here. Plus, getting a love interest smacked over his head would be nice.

Viola- I know a lot of people probably find Viola annoying and unnecessary, but I don’t. I actually quite enjoy her character and I loved what she brought to the story. That scene between her and Legion was one of my favorite scenes from the whole book.

Legion- I’m not gonna lie, I have had a rocky road with Legion. From loving her to despising her to wanting to protect her with all of my being. But… she truly shined for me in this book. The decision she made to go to Galen showed me how far her character has come and I have never loved her and appreciated her more.

Galen- I saw a lot more humanity in Galen than I ever thought possible during this book. He has a second demon!? I was shocked. Plus, he seemed to genuinely care about Legion and Gwen. Is it possible that he isn’t as bad as he had been made out to be? I guess I’ll find out since he is under the Lords protection for the next two years… That should be interesting.

Winter, Cameron, & Irish- I feel like I got barely ANY information about them, yet I am already hooked. I NEED more of these characters and I am praying to anyone that will listen that they are in future books.

Ever & Urban- I have NO idea what these two are going to do the story, but I know that it’s going to be great and flip this series on it’s head. Plus, did anyone else catch the fact that Ever made complete goo-goo eyes at William and glared at Paris when he tried to take her away? Just a thought since I know he doesn’t end up with Gilly.

Cronus & Rhea- I’m so glad their dead. No regrets on my end.

Overall, this was one of my favorite installments in the whole series. It was just so good and I hope that Gena Showalter can stay at this high that she seems to be on right now. Of course I will be continuing the series and I can’t wait to start the next book!

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million ∴

Synopsis:

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.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

The simple fact was, he loved her. Loved her with every breath in his body, every cell in his blood, every bone and organ he possessed. He loved her to the depths of his very soul. Had only taken five minutes after she’d walked away to realize it.”

I loved this book. As usual with this series, the plot was fast paced and flowed really well. I enjoyed seeing the old characters and the new. I got to be in Amun and Strider’s heads which was new but I really liked it. I love any glimpse of the Lords of the Underworld whose stories have not been told yet. I am very interested to see where their stories are going.

I liked Scarlet. I thought she was a little stubborn considering, in her mind, her and Gideon had already had a relationship. Why she was stubborn was understandable though so I didn’t let that affect my enjoyment of the story too much. Besides that, I thought she was extremely strong and brave. She never backed down from a fight even when the odds were against her. I enjoyed having a main character that was possessed by a demon but wasn’t one of the Lords. I found it really interesting and hope more main characters are like that in the future.

I liked Gideon. I thought that he was really honorable and loyal considering he was possessed by the demon of Lies. He was strong willed and I liked how he didn’t take no for an answer when it came to Scarlet. I will admit that one thing I didn’t like about Gideon was constantly trying to figure out what he meant. He can only speak in lies so I would have to decipher what he was trying to say every other sentence which got a little annoying.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I love this series and every time there is new character development. Whether that is with new characters or old ones. I will definitely be continuing the series. I am pretty sure Amun is next and I am excited to read his story after seeing what happened to him in this book.

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter