Review: The Darkest Promise by Gena Showalter

Series: Lords of hte Underworld Book #13

Format: Ebook

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Borrowed from the Library (Overdrive)

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Harlequin

 

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

 
Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn't allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairy tale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.

Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with a single unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him - until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile and seduce her into his bed.

As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they've forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever

 

 Review

 

Cameo has been a kind of mysterious character throughout this series so I was eager to read her story. And I was quickly invested in her story with Lazarus. But I will say this series is getting a little too big for me. Generally, I'm enjoying myself, but I'm forgetting who everone is and their relationships.

The romance was a bit too sexual for me. I've been saying that a lot lately, so I'm starting to wonder if it's me. I could tell they cared about each other and was cheering them on, but I did wish they would talk about sex less.

Lazarus was kind of a nice surprise. He had shown up earlier, but he was really developed here. And I found myself excited for chapters in his POV. not, that I didn't like Cameo, because I did.

Speaking of surprises-Viola. She came out swinging in this one. I know I complained about this series being too big, but I do want a book for her. this book. With just what I got in this book, she seems to be an interestingly complex character. Ms. Showalter does seem to be good at leaving bread crumbs like that.

I'm glad I read this and it was better than the previous book. I'm curious to see what happens in the next couple books. But I think I'm going to just focus on the romances instead of trying to keep track of the larger plot lines, like the Pandora's box stuff.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Review: The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter

Series: Lords of the Underworld Book #12
Format: Ebook
Rating: 4 Stars
How I Got It: Borrowed from Overdrive
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Harlequin

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

 

Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he's back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he's unable to withstand the touch of another and he's quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride just not his own.

Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she's taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she's plunged into a war between two evilswith a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.

But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she'll have to teach him to love or lose him forever.

Review

I haven't been doing reviews of these. Mostly this is because I plan to do a series review on my YouTube channel when I'm done. But this one felt a little different.

Katarina actually didn't just fall all over Baden. Oftentimes instalove just happens with paranormal romance. This used to not bother me, but now it does. So, her determination to take care of herself was admirable. And it actually made me care more about them as a couple when they did get together.

And I love dogs so that was a nice bonus. It added extra dimension to Katarina's character. But I didn't like that she was trying to "train" Baden. I get it, but it felt kind of calculating.

This was actually one of the strongest books in the series. That's kind of weird becasue normally romance series get weaken when they become this big. I'm pretty excited for Cameo's book and am even interested in Pandora's story now-if that's a thing.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

February Wrap-Up (2017)

This was a rough month, but I was able to read ten books. Sometimes it was hard to read because I was too depressed. Othertimes, reading really helped me deal with everything.

I don't want to go into too much detail because that makes it worse for me. but I got bad news at work and had to put down my dog I've had for over 10 years. But that's the beauty of books-they can bring so much joy in sadness.

And my reading was pretty eclectic this month. There were audiobooks, ebooks, and physical copies. Plus, I read non-fiction, young adult, and romance. I'm making good progress with my series re-reads fo The Mediator and Lords of the Underworld.

Below are the books I read this month and the ratings I gave them.

Jouney's in English-3 Stars

Heartless-2 Stars

The Darkest Torment-4 Stars

Summer Days and Summer Nights-3 Stars

Argo-4 Stars

As Long as You Love Me-3 Stars

The Darkest Secret-4 Stars

Ninth Key-4 Stars

The Darkest Surrender-4 Stars

Dare You To-5 Stars

Thanks for reading!
Holly

January Wrap-Up (2017)

January was a very busy and stressful month for me. Mostly that was caused by work. I took on some extra responsibilites for most of the month that left me incredibly worn out and exhausted. But I was still able to read 8 books (or 7 books and 1 novella) and I'm incredibly grateful for that.

I've been re-reading a paranormal series I read while I was in college. So, I don't remember a lot but it also doesn't require a ton of my concentration or energy to read and enjoy. I do plan on doing a series review on my YouTube channel in the next few months.

Speaking of which, I'm actually getting more on top of my YouTube content. I've caught back on my posting which has taken a lot of the pressure off. I've also been focusing on posting ahead of time and taking my time with developing my content instead of bulldozing my way through.

All but one of the books I read got a 4 star rating so it was a fantastic reading month from that perspective as well.

These are the books I read and the ratings I gave them.

The Darkest Kiss-4 Stars

The Darkest Pleasure-3 Stars

Hard Hitter-4 Stars

The Grift of the Magi-4 Stars

The Darkest Whisper-4 Stars

The Darkest Passion-4 Stars

Roman Crazy-4 Stars

The Darkest Lie-4 Stars


Thanks for reading!
Holly

Review: Black and Blue by Gena Showalter

Series: Otherworld Assassin Book #2

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Pages: 387

Rating: 3 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

This one was a little “meh”. I actually struggled with my rating. It kind of feels like a two-star book, but I would consider re-reading it so that has to make it more of a three star book.

I don’t hate the story or characters, but there were a lot of things that took me out of the story. The biggest one is probably the world building. I get the impression this takes place in the future, but there’s an annoying amount of contemporary slang. It just really dates the book.

Blue and Evie are decent characters. But they were a little inconsistent and under-developed. It didn’t really bother me, but I would have preferred they be more well-rounded.

The romance-like the characters-is ok. I like a fighters to lovers romance and this one was done moderately well. Just like the characters it could have been better developed.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this to someone, but if you like Gena Showalter’s other books you might want to give this one a try.

Thanks for reading!

~Holly