Review: ‘The Darkest Pleasure’ by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Pleasure
by Gena ShowalterSeries: Lords of the Underworld #3
Published by Harlequin on June 24, 2008
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance
Format: AudioBook, Paperback
Pages: 407
Source: Purchased
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Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her—even defy the gods. Danika is on the run. For months she's eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won't rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can't forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear....
The Darkest Pleasure is the third novel of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. I first read this novel back in 2009 and loved it then, and I still love it after rereading it. The Lords of the Underworld series has always been a favorite of mine, and I’m doing a reread of it from the beginning because I’ve missed the Lords and this world.
This time, the book follows Reyes, the Lord, who is bound by the demon of pain, and Danika Ford, who used to be held captive by LOTU but now is on the run in order to save herself from being unalived by another Lord that has been possessed to unalive her. Reyes will defy the Gods and even the other Lords to protect and claim Danika, even though he shouldn’t, but he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since he first met her. He will do anything to protect her, even from his friend, the other Lord that has been possessed to unalive her.
Gena Showalter is one author who can write tortured heroes that you fall hard for, and that is exactly what happened when I read Reyes’s story. He is forced to hurt himself in order to feed the demon that it’s inside him. It’s even more emotional when Danika realizes the pain that Reyes has to go through, and even though she doesn’t want to give in to her feelings for him, it’s inevitable, especially when he’s willing to risk it all for her.
Gena is also one author who writes kick-butt heroines like Danika. She’s been a fighter since day one and doesn’t take lightly to people trying to harm her or her family. She’s grown a lot since she was introduced in the series, and I loved finding out her secret(s) in this book and why the Gods have targeted her and her family.
Gena Showalter has always been a favorite PNR author of mine, not only due to her amazing story-telling and epic world-building but also due to how she makes me fall hard for the characters. She also gives us not only the main characters’ POVs but also has other characters get their POVS, which leads up to the upcoming books in the series.
Reyes and Danika’s story gets a 5-star rating from me, and I wish I could give it more because they deserve it.
If you haven’t read Gena’s LOTU series, you are missing out, and I highly recommend you add this series to your TBR and move it up right away to read.
Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Steam/Spice: 🌶🌶
Would I recommend this book/series? Yes, definitely.
Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Paranormal Romance
Trope(s)/Element(s): Fated Mates | Enemies to Lovers | Kickbutt Heroine | Heroine in Danger/Heroine on the Run | Tortured Hero | Alpha MMC
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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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