The Darkest Warrior

A searing Lords of the Underworld tale by New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter, featuring a beastly prince and the wife he will wage war to keep.
He is ice...
Puck the Undefeated, host of the demon of Indifference, cannot experience emotion without punishment, so he allows himself to feel nothing. Until her. According to ancient prophecy, she is the key to avenging his past, saving his realm, and ruling as king. All he must do? Steal her from the man she loves—and marry her.
She is fire...
Gillian Shaw has suffered many tragedies in her too-short life, but nothing could have prepared the fragile human for her transition into immortality. To survive, she must wed a horned monster who both intrigues and frightens her...and become the warrior queen she was born to be.
Together they burn.
As a rising sense of possession and obsession overtake Puck, so does insatiable lust. The more he learns about his clever, resourceful wife, the more he craves her. And the more time Gillian spends with her protective husband, the more she aches for him. But the prophecy also predicts an unhappily ever after. Can Puck defeat fate itself to keep the woman who brought his deadened heart back to life? Or will they succumb to destiny, losing each other…and everything they’ve been fighting for?

The Darkest Warrior is the fourteenth novel in Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. This was one of the Most Anticipated books back in 2018, but I’m just now getting around to reading it. I was skeptical about reading this book back in 2018 when it was first released because Gena had changed direction on who William was going to end up within the series. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Gilly ending up with Puck, who is possessed by the demon Indifference. Gena did give a glimpse about the pair in Cameo’s book (The Darkest Promise) and why Gilly would end up with Puck, and she even recapped it during this book, but different POV. 

After finishing this book, I now understand why Gilly and William were never going to be an item. I was one reader who was happy about it because I always felt that William and Gilly were better as friends. William acted more like a big brother who was overly protective of Gilly, and these two would never make it as a couple. Puck was the better match for her because he didn’t treat her like a kid. Now, did I agree with him leaving Gilly after they bonded with his friends while he sought out William to help with taking out his brother, Sin? No, not really, but then Gilly actually grew during this time, becoming a kick-butt heroine. She grew so much since she was first introduced in the series and I was proud of her.

I actually ended up liking Puck, too, and learning his back story. He had been deceived by his brother, Sin, who you will learn about in this book. Puck is only married to Gilly to keep her alive and also for his own selfish reasons. He tries to fight his feelings with Gilly the whole time until he reunites with her and realizes he may have feelings for his wife, but unfortunately, he still has to take out his brother. 

Here’s the issue I had while reading the book, though, and I’m upset I didn’t like this book like I did the others. The pacing felt off and all over the place, especially when Puck leaves Gilly with his friends in another realm, while he does his own thing, and it’s hundreds of years later. Then, there’s William, who was a totally different character, and I found him quite annoying. He’s jealous of Puck being with Gilly, and William is determined to break the two up, even though Gilly tells him that she will never see him more than a friend. William definitely didn’t deserve Gilly, especially when he couldn’t accept the fact she had changed. 

Even though I didn’t enjoy this book like the others in the series, I still love Gena and this series. I am happy Gilly finally found her HEA with someone like Puck. Puck was definitely a MMC I’ll never forget. 

Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

Steam/Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Lords of the Underworld Series.

Would I recommend this book/series? Yes. I recommend this series to Paranormal Romance readers who love long series and enjoy reading alpha MMCs who end up with kickbutt, sassy heroines that put them in their place.

Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Paranormal Romance

Trope(s)/Element(s): Marriage of Convenience | Fated Mates | Enemies to Lovers/Hate to Love | Traumatic Past | Kickbutt Heroine

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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.

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FranJessca

Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
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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