Review: The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underwold #6) by Gena Showalter

In this riveting new installment of New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series, Gideon, keeper of the Demon of Lies, fights to uncover the truth….

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 ...

From Goodreads

In case you were wondering what one of my "guilty pleasures" in reading is, this would be it. Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series is campy and fun with some serious sexiness mixed in. Even so, there is so much going on, and so many characters, that I sometimes have to really focus to keep up with the plotline. Although this is definitely one of those books where the plot is not the main point of reading the story.

Despite that, I enjoyed catching up with Gideon in this installment. Cursed with the demon of Lies, trying to keep up with what he really means is always a challenge. And the woman most likely to drive him batty with her staunch refusal to play by his rules is his supposed wife Scarlet. They aren't necessarily on the same side, but at least they aren't outright trying to kill one another...right now. What doesn't add up though is their backstory. There are so many holes & missed steps that something just smells wrong.

With all these red flags going off, it's amazing that they still find time to be attracted to one another. Even though it's been hundreds, if not thousands, of years since they've been in each other's presence, they are drawn together in a battle they won't soon forget.

Gena makes you want her characters as badly as they desire each other. From their behavior to their structuring, down to their vocabulary, if you enjoy macho, virile men for entertaining purposes, then these books are just for you. If you still like a bit of substance to accompany your bawdy tales, then this is even more perfect for you. The background that she uses, from settings to characters, is unique unto this series. While lots of other books use gods & goddesses, I don't think anyone has done it as singularly as Gena.

For fun, romance, and even so acceptable war-based violence, The Darkest Lie is a great addition to the Lords of the Underworld series. Enjoy!

The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter review

 May contain spoilerish information for previous books!

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...

From Goodreads

  Seriously, there has been someone's eyes glued to Aeron for a good majority of the time for several weeks. It's something so scary that it frightens his daughter-like demon Legion back into hell. She can't be around this invisible presence so naturally Aeron can't stand it. When his invisible stalker finally appears he's unprepared for what he sees.


Olivia is broken, bleeding, & crying out Aeron's name at the top of her lungs. Determined not to be enticed by her & truly believing her to be some sort of Bait (from the Hunters or from the gods) Aeron just wants her patched up & moved on. Unfortunately he doesn't take her seriously when she tries to explain that she is a fallen angel. Eventually the truth comes to light that she has chosen him & his company over her immortally blissful life as an angel. 


This doesn't mean that his assassination has been cancelled, the gods still want him dead for bringing Legion into a realm in which she did not belong. As the days pass many immortal beings interfere with Olivia's speedy exit from Aeron's life, providing them all the time they need to become rather desperate for one another. But who will pay the ultimate price? The piper must be paid & he's coming to collect sooner than they'd like.


This was one of the best Lords of the Underworld book I've read since the first one. Aeron has long since been one of the more intriguing Lords because of just how much he cares. All the Lords, being the Immortal warrior brothers they are, care deeply for their friends, but Aeron takes it much more personally. Possessed by the demon of Wrath, he feels compelled to punish others for their sins & crimes. With Olivia being an angel, she is free from any tainting that might have occurred in a mortal existence. 


The over-arching war storyline continues with some very distinct twists & turns. While we don't learn nearly as much about the warriors' female companions, we spend a lot more time in the field learning about the enemy. Even better, Gena brings some older characters back to the surface & allows their continued growth.


All in all, I'd have to give this one a big thumbs up! A reminder though, this is an adult series. There is cursing, questionable moral decisions (involving torture & murder) & quite a bit of sex. This is a romance book, so it's to be expected & honestly this is at least more tame than many other romance books I've perused. So if you're a fan of the paranormal romance genre, or even just looking for something steamer than your current reads, give this a shot!

Waiting on Wednesday: Perfect (Impulse #2) & Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

It's a Waiting on Wednesday double-header celebrating the ever-awesome Ellen Hopkins! She's actually got two books coming out in the next two months & I can't wait to get them both! Perfect (Impulse #2) is releasing on 9/13 & Triangles (an adult book) is releasing 10/18. I think I'm really going to enjoy Perfect because it sounds like one of the best books to put forward in my library for my YASaves display I'm planning. :D

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

From Goodreads

In this emotionally powerful novel, three women face the age-old midlife question: If I’m halfway to death, is this all I’ve got to show for it? Holly, filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Andrea, a single mom and avowed celibate, watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband? Then there’s Marissa. She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts. As one woman’s marriage unravels, another one’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s is reconfigured into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all three of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness before it is through.

From Goodreads

How AMAZING do both of those sound?! It looks like her adult novel is going to have the same style as her teen novels & deal with the same kind of pull & tug that I have come to relish in her characters. And Perfect promises to have the same roller coaster of emotions & experiences that make her books so unique. What are you waiting on this week?