Review: ‘The Darkest Fire’ by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Fire
by Gena ShowalterSeries: Lords of the Underworld #0.5
Published by Harlequin HQN on January 1, 2008
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance
Format: AudioBook, eBook
Pages: 82
Source: Purchased
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He is the guardian of hell, more monster than man. She is the goddess of oppression, more angel than woman. Together they will enter the flames to battle a dangerous horde of demon lords -- and discover a passion unlike any other....
Don't miss this sizzling prequel to Gena Showalter's breathtaking new paranormal series, The Lords of the Underworld! Though they carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive -- and unimaginably powerful....
The Darkest Fire is a good peek into the LOTU world, but it doesn’t line up with the full-length novels in the series. I still enjoyed it because Gena wrote it, and if she wrote it, I’m going to read it. It does give an explanation of how Pandora’s Box came to be, which is something I’ve been interested in since I started the series after this prequel came out.
The story to this one is a Beauty and the Beast take, and Gena is an author who always makes me fall hard for the character she writes. Geryon is the Beast in this prequel, looking more like a monster than a man, and he’s the Guardian of Hell, so he’s never known to feel loved because of his appearance. He doesn’t think a beauty like Kadence should give him the time of day, but she sees something in him. Kadence is the Goddess of Oppression, and she’s tied to the wall that prevents the demons from escaping, so she’s never known love either. These two have the same vulnerabilities and are looking to be loved, so they were meant to be together, but not without a price. I’m a sucker for characters like Geryon and Kadence and wish these two had a full-length novel because they deserve it.
I loved how quick and easy this prequel was to read, and you don’t really need to read it first to enjoy it. (I read this out of order since it was published after I started reading the series back in 2009). I give the prequel four stars and can’t wait to continue my reread of this series from Gena. Yes, I will forever recommend this series. This is one series I love to reread, that’s how much I love it.
NOTE: The Kindle Version of The Darkest Fire is currently $12.99, which is overpriced, in my opinion, for the prequel to the series. I recommend purchasing Into the Dark, which is an Anthology and includes The Darkest Fire (LOTU #0.5) and The Darkest Prison (LOTU #3.5). It also has The Amazon’s Curse, which is part of another series that Gena has written.
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About Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of nearly 100 novels. Most stories fall under the genre of romance, be they paranormal, fantasy, contemporary, or young adult. She’s also co-authored a (delightfully quirky) cozy mystery series as well as a nonfiction guide about how to write a book in a year.
Gena is a dedicated mother, grandmother, and fur-mom. A woman under construction, whose life took a few unexpected turns the past few years. But she’s learned a lot and firmly believes her best days are ahead of her, not behind her. Chances are good she’s writing her next novel and already in love with the hero.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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