Review: ‘The Darkest Whisper’ by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Whisper
by Gena ShowalterSeries: Lords of the Underworld #4
Published by Harlequin HQN on September 1, 2009
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance
Format: AudioBook, Paperback
Pages: 406
Source: Purchased
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New York Times bestselling sensation Gena Showalter returns with her long-awaited next installment of the Lords of the Underworld series...
He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world's about to be rocked.
Bound by the demon of Doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern ... until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.
Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she'd fall for a kind human who wouldn't rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora's box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love…
The Darkest Whisper is the fourth novel in Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. This time, it’s Sabin’s turn to get his book, and he’s one Lord I didn’t like at first until I read The Darkest Whisper. I knew whoever he was going to end up with would have to put the Keeper of Doubt in his place.
This is not my first time reading this book, and it was great to get a refresher because it had been years since I read Sabin and Gwen’s book. This is the book where we’re introduced to the harpies, which is what the FMC in this book is, well, half-harpy. Her other side will be revealed in the book, so no spoilers from me. One of the main reasons why I loved the harpies is because the Lords are petrified of them, and they should be because they are fierce, strong heroines who can handle their own. They also are friggin’ funny as Hell, and I loved the banter between them and the Lords.
Sabin ends up stumbling across a hunter lab where he finds Gwen, who is a harpy that the hunters managed to capture and hold captive for over a year. Sabin wants to bring her back to Budapest with him but the other Lords don’t want her around due to her being a harpy, especially when she has sisters that are very protective of her. Sabin knows Gwen could help them with the hunters with her harpy side, but Gwen doubts her harpy side and is able to control it. It’s up to Sabin to convince her she’ll be a great asset to the team to fight the Hunters, but he has to remind himself not to get too attached to her because he needs to focus on unaliving the hunters and not falling for Gwen.
There were some twists and turns in this book that come to light with the hunters and what they are up to and it puts the Lords at risk, which is why it’s apparent the Lords have the Harpies on their side. There’s also a bigger twist that involves Gwen, and this one could break her and Sabin up before they even get together.
I loved the chemistry between Sabin and Gwen when they finally gave in to their feelings for one another. Sabin was confused with Gwen, especially when it came to how his demon was reacting to her, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He definitely found his match, and I loved Gwen because of it. =)
I loved how Gena gives other POVs while also focusing on the main couple’s storyline because she is setting up the next Lord’s books in the series. For instance, Aeron, who is the Keeper of Wrath, has a little friend from Hell with him, Legion, who is an interesting character. There’s also Torin and Cameo, who are getting comfortable with one another but not too close because Torin carries disease. The one I can’t wait to reread his book is Paris the Keeper of Promiscuity. The poor guy is distraught about what happened to someone he cared about who was actually bait from Hunters.
The worldbuilding, action-packed scenes, and characters that feel like family are why I fell in love with this series years ago, and I’m so glad I’m rereading it. I’ve missed the Lords so much!!
Note: The giddy moment in this book for me was when Nix from Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series made an appearance.
Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Steam/Spice: 🌶🌶
Would I recommend this book/series? Yes. If you are a fan of Greek Mythology Retellings and Paranormal Romance, this series is for you.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Lords of the Underworld series and I recommend reading in order.
Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Paranormal Romance
Trope(s)/Element(s): Capture/Captive Romance | Enemies to Lovers | Slow Burn Romance | Forced Proximity | Alpha MMC | Demon Possessed MMC | Half-Harpy FMC | Timid FMC | Kickbutt FMC
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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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