Release Date: May 25, 2010
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: Thumbs up!
Today I finished reading the fifth installment of Gena Showalter’s The Lords of the Underworld series, The Darkest Passion. Aeron wasn’t one of the Lords at the top of my list, and after being severely disappointed with the fourth book, it took me awhile to actually pick this one up.
Compared to the first book of this series, Gena’s writing has definitely changed. I’m not sure I’m as big a fan now as I was then…
First of all, I LOOOOOVE the idea of contemporary Greek mythology and romance. Without having ever heard of Gena, and a complete novice to the romance genre, when I read the excerpt of the first book, I just HAD to purchase it. That’s right, I said “purchase.” Not borrow from the library, purchase. One of the wisest decisions in my life. Instantly, I was in love with all the characters—at least all those who already resided in Budapest—and the world she created. Very original and inspiring!
Okay, now let’s move forward. The Darkest Passion‘s predecessor, The Darkest Whisper, really didn’t do much for me and I was severely pissed with how it ended, at least for Strider. (BTW, I’m glad that was mentioned by Strider in this book.) It wasn’t a romance novel, it had too much action and not enough lovin’ except for the obvious lust for one another, which turned out to be “love.” Let’s just say, I wasn’t convinced with that couple.
Aeron, who is the keeper of Wrath, and Olivia, who is an angel, really meshed well with each other. I expected Aeron to be crazy rough and wild, and a bit over the top, but he turned out much better. He was a very honest and troubled character. His main priority in life was protecting those around him, so finally having something, rather “someone” in this case, was difficult for him. This couple’s love for each other was very believable; it was gradual, they questioned if they did love each other, and their interactions weren’t only filled with extreme lust passion.
The ending nearly broke my heart. I cried so much, and now am drawn to read the next book—the way it should be, damn it!
Okay, now let’s talk about my concerns. Gena’s addition of Christianity’s good and evil is a bit much to be mixed with Greek mythology. In one of the side stories, an angel falls in love with a Harpy, which is a descendant of Lucifer. Which I definitely don’t have a problem with. The problem I have is it being rationalized as “being okay” and Lysander, the angel-dude, can stay in Heaven. They’re not married, and we all know Christianity, marriage comes before smex. So these two un-wed characters are shacking up in Heaven. Not really believable. So with The Darkest Passion, I don’t see the angels condoning Olivia being able to shack up with Aeron. Also, the whole inclusion of Lucifer into the story and actually giving him a character instead of just a passing mention is a bit much for me.
However, putting that aside, I definitely like the overall progression of the story. I’m now excited to read the next installment, which happens to be Gideon’s, keeper of Lies, story. And…I feel that there should be a third thing, but there’s not. I wonder if William will have a story of his own. Probably not since he’s not a Lord, but I’m curious of his relationship with Gilly!










