The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld)

I've had The Darkest Lie since the day it came out but something just held me back from reading it until now. I thought The Darkest Lie was pretty good even though with the hero Gideon being possessed by the Demon of Lies, and only being able to communicate by speaking the opposite or what he really wanted to say, there was a there was a fair amount of repetition included to clarify his dialog. Pretty much every time that Gideon spoke, he or who ever he was speaking to would translate the passage in their heads, and even with that happening, I still had to think and translate for myself when he was talking - so while the idea of Gideon speaking only in lies was a fun one, it was also a bit odd to read.

Probably the part Gideon and Scarlet's story I enjoyed most were Gideon's attempts to get at the truth after Scarlet drops some bombshells about their past together. He struggles since he can't ask for the information straight out (due to his handicap) and Scarlet makes him suffer by selectively choosing to interpret his questions literally.

With this being the 6th or so Lords of the Underworld book, there are a lot of irons in the fire and the romance between Gideon and Scarlet shares the stage with past character cameos and the setups for future books. I am having a hard time remembering the names of all the characters, but Strider(Defeat) and Amun(Secrets) both get bits, but while Sienna(the new Wrath) also gets some screen time, Paris is notably absent. None of the 'previews of coming attractions' really grabbed me though - but then the stories I am waiting for are Torin's (disease - I hope Showalter comes up with a clever HEA for him) and Kane's (Disaster) - to me they are the more appealing of the remaining Lords - oh and though not a 'Lord', William too (you can tell that he's a fave of Showalter's).

When I first started reading this book I didn't think I'd like it very much. Every time I turned a page Olivia was crying again. I don't require my heroines to be emotionally dead, but come on, you're embarrassing me and I'm not even in the scene! I feared that she'd spend the whole book sobbing at the drop of a hat. That is definitely not the heroine for me. Luckily, Olivia bounces back pretty quickly. She's still a little bipolar at times, but for the most part she becomes well adjusted.

This book was a quick, light read. I know that they're supposed to be angsty and tortured with the demons and all, but that's not how this series comes across to me at all. They had some really funny parts in this book. I liked watching Aaron struggle with himself. He cracked me up when he'd cave to her pressure and compliment himself on what a great guy he was. I wouldn't have been surprised if his demon had slapped him on the back and congratulated him for taking one for the team (metaphorically of course).

Watching Olivia learn to be human was also entertaining. She had the right idea in making sure she experienced the most in life. If you're going down, you might as well make it worth it. The angel council seemed pretty harsh. I don't know whether humanity should be worried or not with these guys pulling the strings.

Legion, and Aaron's blindness toward her, got old really quick. What a selfish creature. I didn't enjoy so much page time devoted toward her and after her actions in the bathroom (trying to avoid spoilers) toward the end I wonder what part she's going to have in the future of the series. Also, Aaron's willingness to do that-thing-to-save-them-all (vague again!) was totally upsetting to my romance-reader heart. It was really depressing because I didn't see a way out of it. Even though he was upset about it, it still pissed me off that he even agreed. That's not the way it's supposed to happen! The author did choose the one route I didn't see him taking, so it all worked out. Sort of...

The events at the end kind of seemed to come out of nowhere. I thought Olivia's explanation for why she was able to help Aaron was pretty weak. You argued that? And it worked? Also, meeting that friend toward the end left the book with a somber note. You're happy for Olivia and Aaron, but you still can't help but feel bad.

It was a toss up between 3 stars and 4 stars for this book. I swung toward 4 because even though the end seemed really weird and out of place, I had a good time reading it and was entertained.

In the 6th installment of the series, Gideon, Keeper of Lies, is confronting Scarlet, Keeper of Nightmares. He wants answers, because at the end of Aeron's book, The Darkest Passion, Scarlet dropped a major bomb on Gideon: She's his wife!

Say what?

Gideon doesn't understand why he can't remember her, although he's had some sort of odd memory about her because they share a special tattoo. She is utterly pissed off that he left her in Tarturus and never returned. However, she can't deny her lust for him, and he certainly can't deny his yearning for her.

Gideon Speak takes getting used to, but it makes Gideon ever so likable. You see, he can't utter a single truth. If he does, his demon gifts him with immense physical pain. So Gideon has to always say the opposite of what he means. "I hate you", never "I love you"; "I want to kiss you" instead of "I want to kill you." "Devil", never "Angel." Can you imagine the frustration this poor man must feel? Thankfully, Scarlet understands his distorted messages, but they definitely do not start out their reunion on a happy note.

Scarlet is a fierce and feisty female who doesn't trust a damn soul. And you don't blame her once you learn about her past and the people who have completely betrayed and deceived her and treated her like dog poo. All due to a little thing called jealousy. [Who the hell holds that demon?] However, she pretty much beats down Gideon to an emotional pulp throughout the book, and you wonder how much more the poor man can take! Even though she's had it as rough as one can have it, I still feel Gideon is too damn good for her! She is definitely not a favorite of the LOTU females.

The Titan Rulers, Cronus and Rhea, have large roles in this book, as they are continually at each other's throat. Cronus aids the Lords, and Rhea aids the Hunters - the human fighters out to destroy the Lords. Gideon and Scarlet find themselves smack in the middle of the B.S. that Cronus and Rhea are constantly dishing out. The Goddess of Memory also plays a big role, and throughout the book you are wondering whose memory was really tampered with...

I thoroughly enjoyed the side stories of Strider, Amun, and William. William has quickly become one of my favorite in the LOTU universe and I so look forward to his story in the future. I don't have much draw to Amun, the Keeper of Secrets, but I am feeling serious pain for him and hope his book is all roses and puppies, and not more fire and brimstone! Strider definitely stood out for me during his parts and I am much intrigued by the Keeper of Defeat.

Conclusion: 3 / 5 stars. I did like the book but it did not speak to me like some of the others. I warmed up to the couple in the end when Scarlet finally showed true compassion and love without jerking Gideon back and forth. I also routed for their demon's reunion!

I really liked the storyline and relationship with Scarlet and Gideon, but there was way too much going on in this book. I alternated between bored, irritated, and exasperated as I read the storyline Amun, Aeron, and William starred in. I'm interested in seeing more of Amun and William (especially him), but I felt that way too much time was spent on them when this was Gideon's book.

I also wasn't that thrilled with the whole purpose of that storyline either. Ugh! The fact that Aeron would put his friends at risk for that. Obviously he learned nothing valuable in the last book.

I was very intrigued by the possibility that Scarlet and Gideon had been married. I was bursting with questions by the time I finally got to read this book. When were they married? Why did they separate? Why doesn't Gideon remember? What does "To Part Is To Die" mean?

Luckily, I got answers to all of my questions. I did not expect the answer, though. I can't believe it! Kudos to the author for really throwing me a curve ball. I did not see that coming. I felt so bad for both of them. I loved how Gideon didn't care what the truth was. He just wanted to be with her no matter what. I think he's my favorite Lord so far. I also found the scene where we found out the meaning of "To Part Is To Die" utterly romantic.

I loved Scarlet's character. She's had her knocks, but she keeps picking herself up. Very sad things have happened in her past, but she doesn't constantly dwell. She does give into her moments of anguish, but the fact that they are few and far between made them that much more touching. I loved how she would deliberately take Gideon's statements at face value just to irritate him. He would get so frustrated!

I really loved the big reveal about the relationship between Scarlet and Gideon's demons. I cracked up! I also saw more hints that Galen and she-who-irritates-me will have a future when Scarlet was in his dreams.

I'm kind of nervous about the future of this series. I keep giving high grades, but it's almost despite the events in the book. I don't like how more and more of the story seems to be slotted for storylines and events revolving around other characters. I want more focus on the romance that the book is purported to be about. I really thought this one would be focused exclusively on Gideon and Scarlet when he took her away, but no such luck.

This author has an extremely engaging style, but I'm afraid I'll have to give her up if she continues this trend. I don't want to feel like I'm reading two books anymore.

This is one of my favorites so far. I liked aeron because he's like the crazy, psycho evil since the beginning of the book. so I was excited to read his story with Olivia. :-) I read this online and would love to buy the book because it's a keeper! I love everything until the ending I guess... as what few people said - the ending was kinda rush.. I was like... "whoa! hold on! what just happened?!" and had to re-read the last scene over again. =/ I was also sad about Baden... omg my poor baden... so alone. T_T

anyway, the book is over all very good!!! alot of revelations in this book, from the Gods, new Lords, new characters, Baden, Sienna and many more!!! so I wouldn't miss this one out. :) I cannot wait to read Gideon's story! he's just one of my favorite lords! hehe!!

Beautiful, enigmatic Scarlet, Keeper of Nightmares, has been taken into custody by the Lords of the Underworld. Dangerous and lovely she's trouble with a capital T. This is only complicated by her past, a past that she claims involves a marriage to Gideon, Keeper of Lies. While he might be infatuated with and drawn to Scarlet he has no memories to support her claim. But when she uses her gifts from Nightmares to show him their linked past he will do anything to see those memories restored. Even take on the goddess of Memory.

Meanwhile, Amun, William and Aeron go to hell in search of Legion. The Lords have taken the artifacts into hiding and Strider faces off with an old enemy. Chaos and tumult are around every corner as the overall story arc of the series thickens into a really fine soup.

I have to sigh and shrug on this one. Gideon was always the Lord I looked forward to seeing in more scenes. He added a nice slice of humor because of his forced lying. Unfortunately I found myself so swamped in double-talk dialog I was falling asleep reading it from the brain strain. It's a fun element in small doses but for me there was just way too much dialog to unravel. Showalter does explain most of Gideon's double talk right after the line has come out--"I thought it was ugly." Meaning he thought it was pretty.--but after a while it feels like wasted words. I'm not sure if other readers would naturally try to twist it in their head before reading the second line but that was what happened with me.

Gideon's lie-based double talk aside the Gideon/Scarlet chemistry was a little dry. The reasons for their attraction and interest in one another are constantly put to the test by the events happening to them involving her past and his lack of memory of said past. I liked both characters individually but their romance felt a little bit contrived. I did love the "TO PART IS TO DIE" thing. It was romantic, sweet and a nice plot point until late in the book when certain things are revealed that I won't spoil for you. The bits between Lies and Nightmares was an excellent twist, the demons have always played bigger roles in the lives of their keepers so seeing their roles here was enjoyable.

As far as the other plot elements regardng the other Lords goes I wasn't very impressed. I realize we're setting up for Amun's book, The Darkest Secret, but the Strider parts were annoying to read. I've never been more bothered by him as a character as I was this time. Because Gideon and Scarlet's story involves the other Lords at such a minimal level the breaks with the other characters felt like they were out of place most of the time. I hope they won't be as trivial feeling in the next installment.

If you're a LOTU fan it would be hard to skip this one but I can honestly say it vies with The Darkest Night as my least favorite. Which sucks, 'cause Gideon was my favorite Lord before this book. I won't say skip this one because there are some key factors introduced here toward the overall storyline of the series but be warned, this one might be a hard sell with such brain melting dialog to unravel.

I have slowly been reading Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series since I am flitting around in the book world, but The Darkest Lie definitely was the hardest for me to get through. Like other reviewers, I agree that having to constantly reverse Gideon Speak got a bit trying, but it didn't deter me from enjoying the book. I do wish that more pages were devoted to Scarlet and Gideon's love story and less to setting up for Amun's book (the next in the series). Although I enjoy continuity between books as much as the next person, I found that by introducing Amun's story early on, the flow of Scarlet and Gideon was compromised. With that being said, Scarlet is one of my favorite female characters in the Underworld Series (aside from Anya). She kicks some serious butt and is not one to mince words. She also overcomes pretty much everything, which I find awesome. It was nice to get Gideon's story and see how their relationship played out, but I hope that in future books there is not as much set-up for the next in the series because it took away from the current couple's story (in my opinion).

Gena Showalter really ratchet's of the ante with this spectacular new edition to her The Lords of the Underworld Series.

In the Darkest Lie the author creates a story with a lot more complexity than any of her previous books as she flashes back from the main story between Gideon (keeper of the Demon of Lies ) and Scarlet (the keeper of nightmares) to the secondary story of the other Lords which includes trying to rescue Legion. As a result this book packs a lot of punch and is thicker than her earlier books. While I enjoyed reading about both storylines sometimes I did find it a bit disrupting since I preferred the main one between Gideon and Scarlet so I did find myself occasionally skipping the pages until I returned to their story. This book also had a lot of surprising twists and turns which really made me care for and even cry for the poor heroine who had suffered so much. (Talk about a dysfunctional family!)

This story was a little different from most books. This is because where usually the hero is the one tortured and suffering it is actually the heroine who is really mentally and physically abused. Scarlet was really self sacrificing and I feel she sometime steals the show from Gideon in this book. As a result I was amazed at her fortitude and really wanted her to be happy. This made their commitment to each other all the more meaningful to me. I was so glad and relieved when she and Gideon were able to resolve their problems which include a memory altering goddess and a vindictive and jealous mother who is also a powerful Titan. Scarlet's family is a nightmare! But while the book is serious the often fun interplay between the 2 main characters made it fun and entertaining, too.

Readers will definitely enjoy this newest addition to the series especially since it leaves more questions that will keep them wanting more! I really would like to know more about Legion.

Darkest lie
Gideon had a small role in the opening of Pandora's Box, but he still received a demon. He is possessed with the demon of lies and cannot utter a single word of truth or he will be in immense pain. He has learned to live with his demon over the years. Now with war with the hunters has escalated. He needs to keep his eye on the prize and continue to help his fellow Lords to find the remaining Item but he can't seem to take his attention away from gorgeous, or in Gideon talk ugly woman who has been brought to the fortress. Scarlet is the keeper of nightmares and claims to be his wife. Although he has no memories of this woman he is drawn to her but he is torn between his want to take free her and make love to her and his obligation to his family to keep his family and others safe from what this woman can do.
Gideon is very sweet I love him he has such an sexy style with his blue hair and lip and eye piercings. He is hot just like all the other Lords in his leathers. But he is so sweet, how he feels for Scarlet and wants to remember all these things she tells them about their past. Even though he can remember none of it he knows he belongs with this woman. I like Scarlet she is tough. She has had it ruff since she was born, she was the bastered child to Cronos and he wants nothing more than to see her dead and he mother would openly concur.
I though this addition to the series was very good there was a bit much going on at once for me at times but I enjoyed it. I felt that Cronos was a bit softer than I have ever seen him before, I'm not sure what his motives are. I liked that Amun was introduced some ill have to wait for his book to tell you how I feel about him so far he is a bit mushy for me he is the only one of the Lords who actually wants a mate and is openly lonely.. Well except Pairs and he was some surprises coming his way very soon. All in all I though this was a good addition to the series.

Author Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than twenty-four novels. Other titles in this series include: The Darkest Night, The Darkest Kiss, and The Darkest Pleasure. She also writes in contemporary romance and young adult.

In this sixth installment in the Lords of the Underworld series, we follow Gideon, Keeper of Lies, and Scarlett, Keeper of Nightmares. Gideon, who falls to his knees in agony whenever he speaks truth, can recognize any lie when spoken, except from Scarlett. When his team captures Scarlett, she claims she is Gideon's long lost wife. Except Gideon has no memory of her. Even more interesting, they share an identical tattoo which seems to point to Scarlett being right. He may not remember Scarlett, but his demon wants her, and so does he. On a race to find the truth, their enemies draw closer, and so does the truth, no matter how hurtful it may be.

I've followed this series from book one and Gena cannot write these fast enough for me. They are addictive in a very naughty way. I've been dying to get to Gideon's story, wondering how she was going to write out an entire book on a guy who has to speak in riddles to avoid truth. Oh, bravo. Well done. The reading was smooth, the dry humor present, the heat scorching, the understory deep, and the conflict spot-on. As I kept reading, wondering which was truth and which was lie, every chapter made me question everyone and everything. The only thing that felt off to me was this seemed a touch more sentimental than the other books.

Kelly Moran
Author and Reviewer

Description....
For weeks, the immortal warrior Aeron has sensed an invisible female presence. An angel--demon-assassin--has been sent to kill him. Or has she? Olivia claims she fell from the heavens, giving up immortality because she couldn't bear to harm him. But trusting--and falling for--Olivia will endanger them all. So how has this "mortal" with the huge blue eyes already unleashed Aeron's darkest passion?

Now, with an enemy hot on his trail and his faithful demon companion determined to remove Olivia from his life, Aeron is trapped between duty and consuming desire. Worse still, a new executioner has been sent to do the job Olivia wouldn't....

My Thoughts
I love this series! I think Aeron the keeper of Wrath and Olivia the fallen Angel are a great match. It is wonderful to watch these two fight love work together and conquer all that is put before them. It is truly a story of Heaven and Hell!~!
Where else can you have all that and have Legion the trouble making pink loving, tiara wearing scaley demon paint a warriors nails... there are some laugh out-loud moments. I very Much enjoyed this tale of Aeron's and Olivia's love story. Well done Gena.

I've read several of Showalter's books now and overall find them a lot of fun. She's managed to work some diverse characters together in plausible ways, and this one is no exception. The risks of inadvertently spoilering this story are high, so I'm not going into details about the plot whatsoever. Gideon (whose verbal gymnastics only get annoying occasionally) and Scarlet seem well matched. But one of the things that I like about Showalter's books also provides the biggest challenge. Juggling her immense cast of characters can become difficult, and her attention to side stories (while contributing to the epic feel) can also detract from the main tale. I've seen romances tie together into epics before, but never with as much of a bridge story as these.

If you've never read Showalter, here's what to expect:
*A very complex urban fantasy universe with an epic story arc weaving prominently through each romance, with its individual tale.
*A lot of passionate people, some bad language, some intense violence.
*A little bit of explicit sex.
She's something of a bridge between the classic romance and the modern paranormal genre, drawing elements of both. She has far more in common with Christine Feehan than Julia Quinn (in genre, I mean; I'm not comparing authorial skills, as I have little familiarity with Feehan).

If you've never read Showalter, you really shouldn't start with this book. Showalter probably does as good a job as anybody could of weaving details about her epic cast through the book, but the cast is vast and I suspect you'd be quickly lost anyway (yes, even though there's a brief character guide in the rear of the book). If none other, you really should at least read The Darkest Passion (Hqn), which sets up much of the secondary adventure in this book.

He was one of those who opened Pandora's Box freeing the demons trapped inside; his punishment, as with the others who joined him, is to carry a demon inside him. In modern day Bucharest, thanks to Paris the Keeper of Promiscuity, Lord of the Underworld Aeron has somewhat controlled the insane rages that his Wraith demon inside him caused.

Olivia the Warrior Angel has been directed to kill him. She currently hunts her prey who senses her nearness in spite of her invisibility. Pursuing her target, Olivia finds he is not the evil being she expected and cannot perform her direct order. Instead, she chooses angelic suicide by falling in disgrace. Her wings ripped from her, a severely injured Olivia turns to Aeron for help. He and Wraith are attracted to her from first lustful sight. However, Olivia's mentor Lysander the Elite Warrior Angel plans to bring her back under his wings and Aeron's Demon friend Legion has seductive plans for her "pal".

This is a strong Lords of the Underworld entry as the lead male has been an out of control lunatic so he distrusts his feelings because he knows how much Wraith's raging has affected his mind. Olivia is terrific as a fallen angel who gave up her lofty position out of love for a fallen warrior. Throw in Legion to the mix and that leaves readers with a super romantic fantasy as this series continues to be one of the best sub-genre recurring series.

Harriet Klausner

"The Darkest Lie," my favorite in the "Lords of the Underworld" series, because Gideon, if he was real, would be the man of my dreams or more like the demon of my dreams. He's tall, dark, with blue hair and blue eyes, and, of course, ripped with muscles. YUM! When he talks Gideon talk I crack up. His conversation with Olivia in "The Darkest Passion" was extremely entertaining. If you haven't figured it out by now, Gideon is possessed by the demon of lies. He can never speak the truth. Well, he can, but he has to endure excruciating pain.

While reading Gideon talk, I wondered how Showalter writes his dialogue. Does she write the truth first then covert it into lies? Does she get confused in the process of writing Gideon talk? Well, I think its fun to read and wish there was another Gideon book, because I could read and read about him for forever.

Well, The Darkest Lie was a bit different from the other books. I say this, because the girl was different. Scarlet may just have beat out Anya as my favorite female in the Lords series. I like her, because she's possessed with the demon nightmares, so the girl is frightening. What a weapon for the Lords against the hunters! Plus, Scarlet had such a tortured childhood, it made my heart bleed for her. Rhea is one bitch of a mother. I'll be happy to see her downfall.

I'll try to not give too many spoilers in this review. But Scarlet's childhood was horrible. Her auntie and mother are pure evil. The fight between Mnemosyne (yeah I know that's a mouthful and I had as much trouble as Gideon saying it in my head) and Scarlet was hilarious. Cronus and his popcorn. And yuck, hot sauce on popcorn, no Gideon that would not be tasty, but he is a bit weird.

I really liked how the truth unfolds and have to agree it is the darkest lie or more like lies. How can I describe it without giving away the story? Showalter was creative in telling us Gideon's story by not basing the book on why he was partnered with lies, but about the lies that brought Scarlet and him together. Did I give anything away? Hope not!

Gideon has the same tattoo that Scarlet has on her lower back. He has a couple more tats that connect him to Scar. Gideon described this body art and how he wanted to lick the identical tattoo on Scarlet, yeah, I wanted to lick it, too. Showalter's erotic and vivid descriptions seduces the reader and puts us in the same lustful mindset as the charachers. What is this tattoo? You guessed it, read "The Darkest Lie" and the vivid description of it was explained a few times throughout the book.

I love Gena Showalter and I am a big fan of this series. I like some of the books better than others. This was one of the best I've read. I enjoyed reading this book as much as the first one in the series, which I didn't think she could top. Olivia's character's problems seem relatable and even though she's a fallen angel she's dealing with love and jealousy and desire in a way that makes the reader feel protective of her vulnerability and proud of her triumphs. The sex scenes are intense and real. I loved this book!

Gideon, a Lord of the Underworld, is the keeper of the demon Lies. This means he has to always say the opposite of what he means or he experiences great pain. In the "Darkest Passion", Aeron and Gideon captured a woman named Scarlet who is also a keeper of a demon, Nightmares. This means she sleeps very solid and when she saw Gideon, she told him she was his wife and let her demon visit his dreams so he had nightmares about spiders which he fears. Gideon doesn't remember getting married or knowing Scarlet but since she is beautiful, he feels drawn to know more about her, her demon and what she was doing the streets of Budapest near where the Lords have their fortress.

Unfortunately, Gideon's plan to take her away by himself is wrought with mishaps, danger, and enemies of both Gideon and the Lords as well as Scarlet's enemies. As Gideon learns more about Scarlet's earlier life and childhood, some memories of knowing her as a child do come back but it is a struggle. Luckily for Gideon, Scarlet can understand his "opposite" type of speech. But how will they overcome their enemies, find out the truth about both their lives and at the same time, help the Lords of the Underworld defend themselves from Galen and his Hunters?

There were in a way too many twists to this story. I felt it didn't live up to the preceding book, "Darkest Passion", and also too many plot threads left hanging.

Adventurous and romantic but not satisfying!

The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter

Gideon's story, the keeper of Lies. Everything he must speak is a lie or he faces incredible pain.
The entire novel was written in "lies" and it took me longer to read because you are translating every sentence in your head. Gena does a fantastic job of translating it all as well throughout the story. This had to be incredibly difficult to write and keep in character and she's done an exceptional job of it.
Fun. Awesome adventure. Complex. Another Lord has found his mate and hands his heart to her in love, honor and battle.

After forcing myself to read this book I have decided not to read anymore of this series. I have read 2 or 3 of this series and have decided to stop tormenting myself by hoping that the next novel will be interesting, exciting, funny ....anything other than monotonous. No insult to Ms. Showalter intended, but thats the way I feel. The characters and plot(?) are very forgettable. I will just have to " forget " to read anymore of these novels!

I have just eaten up this book. It was a long wait but worth it. Again this book creates more questions about the faiths of the lords and their search for pandoras box.

Aeron is the subject of this book. If you have not read previous books its a hard book to follow since much of Aeron pass is in previous books.

Olivia is an angel that has been sent to kill Aeron but she cant. So now Olivia is a fallen angel and she must adjust to her new life. She thinks she is meant for Aeron ... but he does not agree. Olivia must also compete with Legion for Aeron affect...

This book is great many of the other lords are in this book and we even get a brief update on Ashelyn and Maddox baby

Gideon's story. When the Lords capture Scarlet, an immortal possessed with the demon Nightmares, Gideon is shocked by her claims that she is his wife. He has no memory of marrying her, but feels a connection. In order to get to the bottom of this, he takes her away to question her. She is furious that he never came back for her, but the more time he spends with her, the more determined Gideon is to win her back. This continues to be one of my favorite series, but there were a few too many story lines going on. I felt like Showalter spent almost as much time setting us up for the next book as she did on the romance between Gideon and Scarlet. But, it was still a great story.

Aeron's story here. I like this series more and more with every new installment. I like Aeron as a character and Olivia, the fallen angel who is his love interest is awesome. I can't remember if we found out who she was at the end of the last installment or not, but here it is confirmed that she is the presence Aeron and his demon (Wrath) have sensed during the last book.

Instead of killing Aeron for his violation of the rules (he summoned Legion and now Legion is no longer bound to hell) so Aeron must be punished for this transgression and the only punishment that the "One Deity" can proscribe is death. So, Olivia, who was a "joy bringer" angel with her new found golden fluff in her wings (designating her a warrior angel) have been sent to kill Aeron. The only problem is that Olivia doesn't want to kill him.

Some of the bargaining that goes on between Olivia and Lysander and Aeron and Lysander is a little convoluted and I am still not sure where Lysander and Lucifer and the "One Deity" and the other angels all fall in the grand scheme of things - since I had accepted the greek god pantheon as being the religion we were working with in this universe. Instead, now, I am just all confused as to the pecking order of the greek gods versus the One Deity and are there now 2 different categories of demons - Lucifer and the christian ones and the demons that were in pandoras box, or are they all related? A little clarity here would be nice. But I gave up on that so that I could just enjoy the story.

I really like the inner dialogue that Aeron has with Wrath. It made me chuckle so often. And Olivia was great. Calling her make over the "slut-over" was great. And I love how she not only told herself that she was aggressive and assertive - but says it out loud a few times too - to convince others as well as herself.

One of the best things I think this series has going for it is the overall story arch that has the warriors seeking Pandora's box. Unlike the Brotherhood stories (and before you crucify me, I am a HUGE BDB fan) where the chapters about the enemy are skimmable, here they add to both the individual story each book concentrates on, as well as the overall story line. Without reading it, you would be missing quite a bit. I am wondering though here, how Hope survived Legion. I won't say more so as to avoid the spoilers, but I am eager to learn more about that.

As for Legion, wow. What a complicator to the Olivia/Aeron romance. It was a little disturbing given the fact that the reader has always been conditioned to look at Legion as Aeron's child. So, Aeron wasn't the only one taken aback by the transformation there.

The book was a great fun, quick read. The steaminess - well, 4 on a scale of 5. The scenes that there were - were intense and wonderful. But, there just didn't seem to be as many as there were in past books. I want more! :)

The end - was surprising. In so many ways. I won't give it away, but I thought the last 4 or 5 chapters were the best part of this book. I do wonder though about a number of new loose ends that this book put in front of us - but I guess that's how to keep me coming back for more!

I love this series, and this was definitely one that reminded me why. I will happily get the next one as soon as it comes out.

Fans that are passionate about New York Times bestselling author, Gena Showalter's Lords Of The Underworld series for HQN are going to love Book #5, THE DARKEST PASSION (June 2010) Long ago, a group of immortal warriors stole and opened Pandora's box, unleashing the demons bound within. As punishment, each warrior was cursed to carry one of those demons inside his own body. In present day Budapest, Aeron still struggles with the desires of his demon. Wrath craves vengeance against those around him. Always. Punishing humans for their sins is the demon's sustenance, and the only means of keeping Aeron sane. For this reason, Aeron has seen - and caused -- more death than any of his friends. He knows how quickly a human life can be taken and because of this, he will never allow himself to fall in love. With his little sidekick, Legion, he has found a sort of contentment with his life. Or rather, he had. Legion has been forced into hiding. She senses an angel, the only type of being who can destroy her, watching over Aeron. An angel sent to kill him. However, when the very same angel appears and cries out for his help, he can't resist rescuing her and bringing her to the Lord's fortress. Her name is Olivia, and her wings have been cruelly removed. Injured and bleeding, having just fought her way out of hell, she admits she gave up her immortality to be with him, refusing an order from the One True Deity to remove his head. The violet-eyed, heavily tattooed Aeron sizzles with awareness for her, is upset by her injuries, but refuses to let her stay with him. Hunters, his greatest enemy, are closing in, the gods are causing more trouble than ever, and the war between good and evil is heating up. He needs to stay focused, distanced, yet Olivia distracts - and tempts - him as no one else has ever been able. She even seduces his demon, quieting the beast and the violent urges he's endured for thousands of years. But in the end, he'll have to choose. Save his friends from certain ruin - or save Olivia from certain death. Gena Showalter has scripted another stellar installment in her Lords Of The Underworld series and her ingenious imagination just keeps on getting better and better! THE DARKEST PASSION adds fuel to the fire of this hot paranormal series and will leave readers panting for THE DARKEST LIE (Gideon's story in July 2010).

Originally Posted at: [...]

Long ago in the realm of the gods a Greek warrior opened Pandora's Box releasing the demons within. In the ensuing pandemonium each of those demons sought out hosts and chose the guards to the Gods themselves.

The warriors, still immortal, now exiled to earth still play host to those demons and became The Lords of The Underworld. The warrior Aeron and his demon Wrath are in a constant battle for supremacy, until Olivia, a heavenly angel, falls. What Aeron and Wrath discover about themselves from her and what she discovers for herself because of them can only add to the descension between the realms.

Gena Showalter in her expert storytelling brings us another tale of the Lords, and she does so with gritty detail and edgy dialogue. Her scenes can be from your worst nightmare or your wildest dreams and are displayed in vivid detail. Her characters, The Lords, are immortally unbelievable and yet she gives them very human wishes and fears. Her villains are undoubtedly some of the most sinister beings ever thought up.

Her hero Aeron/Wrath is portrayed as a haunted individual constantly battling to save the human realm and her readers will find themselves drawn to him and cheering him on. Her heroine Olivia is definitely not what we have been taught about angels. She has very human wants and yet is very innocent and angelic in her deeds. Gena's love scenes are immensely visual, intensely physical and undeniably sensual, and yet the love that blooms between Aeron and Olivia is incredibly sweet.

Gena Showalter gives her audience more bang for their buck with The Darkest Passion, not only is it a roller coaster ride of an action adventure, an edge of your seat mystery thriller, but also a page turning paranormal romance.

So if you love page turning, nail biting, spine tingling excitement dosed with a liberal amount of spicy romance, give this one a try. And even though this stands well alone, to get all the history and nuances of The Lords and their ladies I suggest after finishing this you go back and read the series in order, because believe me once you meet one Lord you'll want to get to know all of the rest.

I normally love Gena Showalter's novels. She has strong sexy/attractive heroes and heroines, and a lot of humor in many of her books, as well as great story lines. But in this book I don't know what she was thinking. I read another's review who basically agreed with what I'm about to say.

The hero of the novel is Gideon. He can't utter the truth unless he wants to suffer terrible agony. The demon of lies resides inside of him. So in order to get the truth out he has to phrase everything as if it's the opposite, thereby lying.

I made it to page 77 and could not take it anymore. This was so stupid and annoying, having to basically decipher everything the man was saying.

I have no clue as to why Ms. Showalter thought this would be entertaining, because let me tell you, I cannot finish this book not now, not ever. I will still read some of her others, because I am sure this is a one time thing. Unless of course this Gideon is featured in a sequel. Lol..

With the possible exception of Lucien & Anya, this is my favorite story. Extremely well crafted story telling. Legion drives me insane with annoyance yet she adds greatly to the plot.

I definitely recommend reading the short story/novella about Lysander & Gwen's sister Bianca titled "The Darkest Angel. It was excellent & the link can be found on Gena Showalter's home page. It's a story in the book "Heart of Darkness."

Lies' book is up next! Can't wait to read Strider's story... but it doesn't come out till July 2011!! >.<

I love Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series but this book was the hardest to get through.
I love how the female lead is actually another Lord... she's not your typical I'm-weak-so-save-me lover.
I love the concept of the story.
I do not love how hard it was to understand what the effff Gideon is saying, and having to read the same line multiple times.
We all know he LIES!
But the "HOW" is what gets me.

Example:
I am quiet.
I could interpret it 2 ways: I am not quiet ...OR... I am loud.

That's not an exact example but I know there were sometimes where I was thinking like that.

I have no recommendations and cannot imagine it any other way... I just wish it were easier to understand Gideon, but i know that's what makes Gideon......... Gideon. lol.

I am glad I took a break for Lords of the Underworld. I was reading it in order and then when I got to this book, I wasn't interested in Aeron's story and his relationship with Legion with creepy. With Darkest Secrets out, I thought I would try again. I am glad I gave the series a second chance. It is not my favorite but definitely glad I read it. It goes to show that no matter what appearances are you still are what you are. Olivia is still an angel even though she fell and tried to be slutty. Aeron is thoughtful and protective even though he is possessed with wrath. Legion is still a demon whether she has scales or silky skin.

I know its been said in the reviews but I didn't like the ending either. But I am one who loves epilogues.

I am a big fan of Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworlds series. It is my favorite of all of her series and the books keep getting better. Each novel adds more pieces to the story of the Lords and characters in prior novels reappear frequently, so if you have not read the prior books in this series, I highly recommend reading them in order.

Brief recap on the Lords: Once immortal warriors guarding the Greek Gods, the Lords opened Pandora 's Box and unleashed demons into the world. As punishment, each Lord is now a host to each of the demons.

The Darkest Passion is the Fifth Book in the Series and tells the story of Aeron, the keeper of the demon Wrath. When we last saw Aeron in book number 4, he had sensed an invisible female presence and was informed by Legion that the presence was an angel. In the Darkest Passion, we learn that Aeron's watcher is Olivia, the angel assigned to kill Aeron. Refusing to do so, she falls from Heaven and joins Aeron. The path to love is not smooth as the Hunters, Legion and even Lucifer make an appearance to wreck havoc on Aeron's and Olivia's romance. Olivia's character is well-drawn and is joyful in her innocence of human ways and emotions. The scenes between Legion, Aeron and Olivia in the later parts of the book are heartbreaking and lead the reader on an emotional roller coaster. All hope is not lost, however, and the ending will satisfy all readers.

This book also sets the stage for Gideon's story (The Darkest Lie) as we are introduced to his hea and past as a subplot in the Darkest Passion.

I'm not a huge fan of Showalter's books. The Lords of the Underworld is turning out to be a hit and miss series for me. The Darkest Lie is a miss. In this book we are given the story of Gideon, keeper of the demon Lies and Scarlet, the keeper of Nightmares who have a past together which Gideon can not remember.

The character Scarlet left me frustrated. She has a mean streak I loved and she shows to be a stubborn and strong character but too many scenes where she is insecure and the whole "he is better off without me" thinking was a bit too much for me.

The story of Scarlet and Gideon has a nice twist in it as Scarlet's past is revealed. When I first started reading the story I was worried that Gideon's way of speaking which is speaking in lies to speak the truth (confusing isn't it?) would make this story difficult to read but I am happy to say that is not the case. Showalter did a great job staying in Gideon's character and helping the reader out with a narrator to help fill in some of the gaps.

I would have like to have more of the book spent on Gideon and Scarlet in developing their relationship. Rather I feel the book is divided up between three stories with Gideon and Scarlet taking the chunk of the book but still not the majority.

Anyone who is interested in picking up the series should do so soon as more stories are being written the harder and harder it seems it will be to get into The Lords of the Underworld as the next book is introduced in the previous book.

So far the only hit for me has been The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld)

Love this book❤❤ It show that Aeron couldn't love a woman until Olivia came into his life. How he denied her at first and then he started to fall for her and even die for her. Best one i read so far and i havent read them all

OK. I have to admit I have some mixed feelings about this book. Our hero is Gideon and as one of the Lords of the Underworld, he holds the soul of a demon inside him. His demon is Lies, which makes him incapable of telling the truth without experiencing debilitating pain. This. Is. Utterly. Annoying. Every single bit of his dialogue is in this absurd reverse-speak, followed by a translation so we can grasp his meaning. It bugged me to such a degree that it almost ruined the book for me. And that would have been a shame, because outside of that, the book was really good.

Scarlet is the daughter of a goddess, and also carries a demon. Hers is Nightmares. When the Lords found her back in The Darkest Passion, they imprisoned her while they tried to learn about her. She calls out to Gideon in a dream and he comes to the dungeon to meet her. That's when she informs him that she is his long-lost wife. Gideon feels a connection toward her and has flashes of her in his mind, but can't remember any history together. So the book chronicles the couple as they try to sort out their own histories and what could have made their memories so different.

Scarlet is a wounded warrior. She is strong and fearsome, but her psyche is hanging on by a thread. The realizations that she unveils are utterly heartbreaking. I found myself crying at her memories. And her fear of her own feelings for Gideon is so poignant. Their love story is beautiful.

We've also got two side arcs in play. One where Strider takes an unexpected enemy captive. The other follows Aeron, William and Amun into Hell, where they try to rescue Legion from Lucifer. It's been tough to get to know Amun, since he doesn't speak. But it was nice to get a little insight into his character as we lead up to The Darkest Secret.

So as I come to the end of the review, I'm struggling to give it a rating. The story itself was really, really good. But the Gideon-speak was really, really bad. Grrr. 4 stars... I guess.

Full disclosure: I love Gena Showalter and her LOTU series. That said, something was missing for me in this one. For newbies, this book is amazing and a must-read. For those who are loyal readers of this series and have come to love the characters, this one may not be what you are expecting.

My first book was the Darkest Pleasure, so I fell in love with Aeron immediately. In fact, I hoped he and Legion would end up together. At one point, I laughed out loud and said "Gena, we get it. Aeron thinks of Legion as his daughter" as she made it very clear that Aeron did not think of Legion that way. I was okay with that though and Olivia had her strong points, but maybe it was too many subplots or something, but I didn't feel as connected to this couple as I expected. Also, Legion, who I have always loved, lost some points for me until we were in her head and feeling her heart break. If this book could have been longer, I would have liked more exploration and development of the whole angel and demon thing especially when comparing Olivia and Legion.

HOWEVER, let me say the subplots have me salivating for more. Gideon's next and his story with Scarlet should be no less than awesome! I have already re-read his scenes several times. Also, Legion and Galen - completely unexpected and such a hot scene. I cannot wait to see how this will work itself out. And, there's something about Strider that is so charismatic. I can't wait to learn more about him.

A couple of other things: 1) The ending. What!?! I wasn't sure if I read it correctly. What a twist. It happened so fast and not everyone had a happy ending. 2) The Sabin and Gwen show. We were reminded how much they were in love again and again, which is okay, but what about the others? 3) Sienna. C'mon, Paris deserves better, but maybe now it will get really interesting.

Can't wait for Gideon and Scarlet!

This is the first book by Gena Showalter I read and I'm lot disappointed.
I'm a huge fan of S. Kenyon, MJ Davidson, Feehan, K. MacAlister and S. Rowe and have read all their books. So I'm extremely excited to find another paranormal romance author I thought I could follow.
Unfortunately I found this book to be sorely unfulfilling. I really like the storyline it's trying to tell but absolutely not understand the indulgent raunchiness in the book.

Seems like the story wants to make sure there has to be something smutty in every third or fourth page. I have no problem with that as long as it's warranted. If that part of the story tells us the more about each character or each situation. But unfortunately they are just indulgent. Something sensual to throw in the book without any purpose.

And the lead female character on this book is unbelievably maddening. I can't believe that any "angel" would be that dimwitted. I want to like this character so much, but after pages after pages, she just read more and more annoying than anything else.

The lead male character is much better told. He is more believable but still not as well explained as lead characters written by other authors.

Overall I'm extremely disappointed by this book. I might try another book by Showalter just not this series.

I thought that Gideon's book would be a pain with all the backwards speech. But it was actually a very entertaining book and I got use to it quickly. A trend with her books is that the majority of it is their thoughts. Gideon's demon Lies didn't require him to lie to himself, thus the book made more sense. The incorporation of the other Lords was was well integrated and I loved Scarlett's character. The twist in the story was a nice touch. Enjoyed it!

Hated this book. The heroine, Olivia, is straight-up UNBEARABLE. She might be a series killer for me.
The moment she showed up, blubbering, clingy, burdensome and demanding, my heart just SANK. It's a series, so I feared I was just going to have to suck it up for the next 350 pages. And unfortunately, I was so, so right. It was AGONY. I wish I'd just skipped the middle 125 pages (which were the worst)-- turns out all the important developments therein are immediately summarized for you anyway. In less than a page, at that. Grr.

The big problem is, Olivia's the heroine, so she ought to be likeable. But she's simply an awful person: selfish, shallow, entitled, helpless, and immature, with brains that seem to come and go. Oh, and did I mention SELFISH?? It's appalling. I immediately found myself hoping she would die, like soonish. By page 100, I was literally grinding my teeth and considering abandoning not only the book, but the entire series. That's how unpleasant she is.

Her mantra is "be confident and aggressive," but for 200+ pages, this apparently means, "be an unmitigatedly self-centered b****." All that matters is what SHE wants, to the point where she's kind of a serial violator, actually. Her appalling interpersonal behavior is baffling, as she's a) an angel, who b) has been observing humanity and human nature for literally thousands of years. You'd think she might have picked up some manners at least. Instead, she's an unrepentant Peeping Tom; she can't seem to drop a "thank you" or an "excuse me" (even though her constant rudeness requires it); she barges into the bedrooms of strangers w/o knocking. She puts her hands on the pregnant belly of another complete stranger w/o asking-- even though she herself was physically assaulted just days before (bodily autonomy only counts for her, I guess? [and btw, her being assaulted was a really cheap, obvious, bad-tasting sympathy ploy on the author's part; yuck]). She seems to equate love and f***ing (pathetic AND infuriating); and she therefore spends half the book trying to get a conflicted/resisting dude to have sex with her, mostly through surprise nudity, constant badgering, and emotional manipulation. Never does she consider simply knowing him. Y'know, as a person.

Honestly, she's just plain gross.
[To be fair to Showalter, the whole "this horrible person is super awesome and loveable!" thing ("Jerk Sue") happens a lot in the romance genre. Still, I find it REALLY hard to take. It's... I dunno. Offensive, almost? But as noted, this is a series. *sigh* Just had to stiff-upper-lip it.]

The hero, on the other hand (Aeron, keeper of Wrath), is characterized by his selflessness-- his duty and his loved ones come first. This is why Olivia loves him. Her self-centered, unconsidered arrival sets in motion the complete FUBARing of his life, up to and including the threat of death for his loved ones (and even worse). When he's forced to make some VERY tough, barrel-of-a-gun decisions to fix it all-- for the good of everyone else, no matter what it costs him, because that's just how he is-- her reaction is basically, " wahh, how could he not choose me?! what a jerk!" Again: GROSS.

The last 100 pages aren't quite as bad (she just suddenly becomes less awful, but the damage had LONG since been done. At no time did I want things to work out for her. And when they did (and do they; everything works out perfectly for HER), all I could feel was pity for Aeron. An eternity with her? Jeez. Like he didn't have enough problems. None of which she relieves.

The only moment of awesome in this book? The invention of a whole new erogenous zone.
That... okay, yeah. That was hot.

Everything else? Ugh. Total bust. I don't even know if I can continue the series; I simply can't stand to see this character again.

Darkest Lie is much better than the last book in the series, Darkest Passion, because oddly enough it's far more believable with all the strife the main couple goes through. Gideon, keeper of the Demon of Lies is busy trying to grow his hands back when a female Lord, keeper of the demon of Nightmares, shows up professing to be his wife. Instantly attracted but utterly confused the two proceed to play a game of Are They or Aren't They? Have They or Haven't They? Will They or Won't They? Can they have an understandable conversation with out explanation?

With sexy scenes, a few rage issues, some unforeseen twists, and the intervention of several gods the book is never a dull read. Plus the reader gets to follow the adventures of a few other Lords. Aeron, Amun (Keeper of Secrets), and William (mysterious and over sexed immortal) are off on a jaunt to Hell to retrieve Legion. Strider, Keeper of Defeat, may be getting himself in over his head in a bid to not only win versus their enemy Galen, but to ensure even greater revenge for his dead buddy Baden.

And Galen, the bad Keeper of Hope, has his own issues to handle...A hefty 444 pages worth reading. Please give me some more!

The latest book about the LOTU is sooo much better than the previous Aeron's tale which I was honestly mildly dissapointed with. I loved Gideon's story he has been one of my favorite LOTU's since the beginning (heck who am I kidding they are all my favorites). The protagonists were so much more enjoyable as well as the side stories which definately are leading up to some more fabulous tales. Seriously I loved the character of Gideon and truthfully enjoyed his and Scarlet's nearly heartbreaking story. I hope this trend continues because I read this book in about two days and have already gone back to reread some parts. I look forward to Willy/Gilly's story' as well as Paris, Strider and Hopefully Legion, not to mention Amuns story which I suppose is next by the title, because of this recent installation to the series. It's fast-paced, heart-wrenching, funny and very action packed on top of all that some very fun super nail-biting lovin'!

I love Gena Showalter, her novels, and her deliciously delightful Lords of the Underworld. I must say she completely out did herself with 'Darkest Passion'. I thought the story line was more intense (and the love making hotter)! I laughed, I cried, I fell in love over and over in this fast paced novel. Oh Aeron, I think you just may be my favorite from the Underworld...for now. ;)

I recently became a fan of the Lords of the Underworld series. I think that Showalter's writing and plot developments have improved a lot since the first book. I'm loving the plot twists and setting up the plot for the next book with the other Lords of the Underworld. I realize this is a paranormal romance, but I think the plot developments are far more interesting than the incessantly whiny internal conflict of the female characters in this series or the excuses presented for another romp in the hay.

This particular book was a let-down, however. While I loved Gideon's character development, Scarlett was rather boring. The poor girl could have benefited from some serious counseling. Good grief! Her internal dialogue was so repetitive, I got the impression that even Showalter became bored with her. The book could have used some editing, too, not only with Scarlett's mind-numbing whine-fest, but also with several spelling and grammatical errors. Was Ms. Showalter under such a stiff deadline she did not have the time to perform a second draft on her novel? I hope the next novel is better than this one. Hopefully, she'll take the time to edit her material -- or at least hire a competent editor.

I am a huge fan of paranormal romance as such I love G.Showalter. Her formular tends to be the same or very similar,, but still its usually an exciting, super steamy with endearing characters read. This one was nice a little annoying (Scarlet)and confusing in some places (Gideon) but all togeter a good read there is a lot of back and forth you will go from sadness to romance to blood and gore in a flash but its all great escapism.

Darkest Lie is much better than the last book in the series, Darkest Passion, because oddly enough it's far more believable with all the strife the main couple goes through. Gideon, keeper of the Demon of Lies is busy trying to grow his hands back when a female Lord, keeper of the demon of Nightmares, shows up professing to be his wife. Instantly attracted but utterly confused the two proceed to play a game of Are They or Aren't They? Have They or Haven't They? Will They or Won't They? Can they have an understandable conversation with out explanation?

With sexy scenes, a few rage issues, some unforeseen twists, and the intervention of several gods the book is never a dull read. Plus the reader gets to follow the adventures of a few other Lords. Aeron, Amun (Keeper of Secrets), and William (mysterious and over sexed immortal) are off on a jaunt to Hell to retrieve Legion. Strider, Keeper of Defeat, may be getting himself in over his head in a bid to not only win versus their enemy Galen, but to ensure even greater revenge for his dead buddy Baden.

And Galen, the bad Keeper of Hope, has his own issues to handle...A hefty 444 pages worth reading. Please give me some more!

The latest book about the LOTU is sooo much better than the previous Aeron's tale which I was honestly mildly dissapointed with. I loved Gideon's story he has been one of my favorite LOTU's since the beginning (heck who am I kidding they are all my favorites). The protagonists were so much more enjoyable as well as the side stories which definately are leading up to some more fabulous tales. Seriously I loved the character of Gideon and truthfully enjoyed his and Scarlet's nearly heartbreaking story. I hope this trend continues because I read this book in about two days and have already gone back to reread some parts. I look forward to Willy/Gilly's story' as well as Paris, Strider and Hopefully Legion, not to mention Amuns story which I suppose is next by the title, because of this recent installation to the series. It's fast-paced, heart-wrenching, funny and very action packed on top of all that some very fun super nail-biting lovin'!

I love Gena Showalter, her novels, and her deliciously delightful Lords of the Underworld. I must say she completely out did herself with 'Darkest Passion'. I thought the story line was more intense (and the love making hotter)! I laughed, I cried, I fell in love over and over in this fast paced novel. Oh Aeron, I think you just may be my favorite from the Underworld...for now. ;)

I recently became a fan of the Lords of the Underworld series. I think that Showalter's writing and plot developments have improved a lot since the first book. I'm loving the plot twists and setting up the plot for the next book with the other Lords of the Underworld. I realize this is a paranormal romance, but I think the plot developments are far more interesting than the incessantly whiny internal conflict of the female characters in this series or the excuses presented for another romp in the hay.

This particular book was a let-down, however. While I loved Gideon's character development, Scarlett was rather boring. The poor girl could have benefited from some serious counseling. Good grief! Her internal dialogue was so repetitive, I got the impression that even Showalter became bored with her. The book could have used some editing, too, not only with Scarlett's mind-numbing whine-fest, but also with several spelling and grammatical errors. Was Ms. Showalter under such a stiff deadline she did not have the time to perform a second draft on her novel? I hope the next novel is better than this one. Hopefully, she'll take the time to edit her material -- or at least hire a competent editor.

Gideon and Scarlet have a history together. They don't simply meet by happenstance and fall instantly into lust and decide to try and make a relationship work. In all the previous novels, the women have been strangers to the Lords, and I like that in Gideon's case there is much more present in their interactions than simple physical attraction.

Gideon himself is hard not to adore. He so badly wants to just once tell a woman she's pretty instead of ugly, call her "angel" instead of "devil", and scream at his enemies that he wants to kill them instead of kiss them. The Gideon Speak does take a little getting used to however. Trying to decipher what he's saying slows the plot down a little, and every once in a while you can't help but take what he's saying at face value and are left slightly confused.

Scarlet I find to be a little frustrating. I genuinely feel for her as her past is revealed, and empathize with her plight to find Gideon after they were separated when the Lords were kicked from the heavens, but her constant inability to commit to a decision lessens my opinion of her. She's extremely naive with regards to her feelings, and though Gideon has given her no reason to doubt otherwise, she refuses to believe he truly cares for her and therefore constantly pushes him away thinking his life will be better without her in it.

Because she continually recants on this decision and comes back to him, poor Gideon is forced to deal with the repercussions of having his feelings taken from one extreme to the other. She loves him and is going to stay, then she can't possibly stay because she's hurt him enough already, then she can't imagine her life without him, then she fears her staying will result in godly wrath so she must go. Gideon, as a result, is happy one minute and then constantly trying to make peace with her decision to go the next. Phew, that is a lot of decision making in a short period of time.

I still truly enjoy these books and will of course be continuing the series. Amun and Strider are next, so I can't wait to see what's in store for Secrets and Defeat.

Rating: 3.5/5

I got into the Lords of the Underworld because I loved Ashlyn and Maddox's story. Ashlyn's self-sacrifice and Maddox's transformation was very touching, and it reeled me in. But with each successive book, the writing got cheesier and the plot got more holes. Olivia and Aeron's story in Darkest Passion restored my faith a little in the series, but this installment left me disappointed yet again.

The Lords are stronger together than they are apart, yet what do they do when the Hunters are poised to attack the fortress (yet again)? They scatter and leave their defenses slim. Granted, They should hide away the artifacts, but this story was poorly executed. Gideon picks the worst time to steal away and romance the truth out of his lady, and Scarlet is an airhead who flits from one decision to another, if she ever could make up her mind.

The Lords have realized that they need a resident doctor several books ago, not only for the vulnerable humans and the pregnant Ashlyn, but for emergencies like Gideon's hand-botomy or the Hunters having an unexpected weapon that could prove deadly to them, but an infinity later, they still don't have one. I suspect the doctor would be one of the Lords' mate at one point, but it seriously poses a gaping vulnerability. One that could easily be solved if they put the tiniest amount of effort into it. Surely Anya, William, and the whole slew of other immortals know of ONE immortal doctor they could call upon. But no, let's just leave it for now, even though we have a female who is about to give birth soon, as far as they knew, but thankfully has her due date delayed due to the unexpected news that she's carrying immortals that require a longer gestation period.

But don't worry! The author distracts the readers by the excessive mention of Robert Pattinson, as if the mere mention of the actor who plays the sparkliest vamp in existence is enough to make up for the story's shortcomings.

The only bright side is the promise of the coming stories from the other Lords and their respective ladies, but I just couldn't get through this book fast enough.

For paranormal romances that actually have a decent plot you can sink your teeth into, I recommend Kresley Cole and Kelley Armstrong instead.

This started out as a great premise but the tortured Gideon speak and emphasis on pain and suffering is just a downer. Also, the endless mention of the back story stops this story from every really taking off. There is hardly any tension between hero and heroine and not much that makes them interestingly otherworldly. Scarlet is a twit and the whole romantic misunderstanding and lack of intimacy just makes this another predictable romance lacking in tension and suspense or even sizzle. This series is getting more and more dull with each book but fans will have more to look forward to, I am sure.

Aeron and Olivia my second favorite couple in this series, my first being Maddox and Ashlyn. This story has plenty of funny stuff, I loved the penis joke:D Their love was intense for each other and was completely enjoyable. This is the first one of the series that made me cry...this was GOOD start to end, front to back, tip to top and every other way there is! BAM!!!!

The Awesome G.Showalter has a similar formular for most of her books and thats ok because it is a winning formular. This book is no exception it is steamy, erotic, yet sad, and exciting. You will experience various emotions and will be both pleasantly and unpleasantly suprised. This is a fun read with interesting sometimes great characters she has created a fabulous world-fun read.

Once again Showalter manages to kill LOVE and HOPE for a couple...Gideon is the keeper of Lies and Scarlett the keeper of Nightmares. In The Darkest Passion we discover that they were once married thousands of years ago and while Scarlett has her memories of that time, Gideon does not. He is drawn to her constantly and there is instant chemistry, admiration and HOPE that there is a deeper connection and love between a LORD and his lady, one with history. But, as in all of the LORDs books Showalter continues to kill HOPE for real deep and meaningful love, always keeping her characters shallow and held together by sexual chemistry and not true love.

The first half of the story started so beautifully as a tale of unfolding long lost and forgotten love..For the first time in the LORDs series there was the HOPE that a couple a a history of love, devotion, romance and even marriage. But for whatever reason Showalter once again manages to weave a tale that kills all HOPE for love between a couple...Showalter has become the master writer of the shallow relationship built soley on chemistry and sex. Too many confusing twists, too many polar conversations and emotions between the leads. Too many inconsistancies in other characters personalities from previous books in this one...e.g. Aeron and Oliva, they didn't work in their own book and once again don't work in this one...Goodbye LORDs, I am finished with this series :(

Everytime I start another book in the lords of the underworld book series I think I have it all figured out. And then it all changes .....always for the better tho. I was curious to see how the love triangle was going to play out and now im even more curious about legion and galen. And I absolutely can't wait to find out what happens with lies and nightmares

I have loved all of Gena Lords of Underworld books, I couldn't wait to hear Aeron's story. He was the scariest to me and most standoffish. Gena did not let me down.

I fell right back into the characters and the main storyline without missing a beat, there was a new character added, and some surprise appearances that I am sure we will be hearing about in her next release.

There is a few downsides to the storyline, I was anticipating a much bigger ending to make me look forward to her new release next month. But she did leave some things hanging that you want to find out what happens for instance I cannot wait to see how Aeron adapts to his new situation when he returns to the fortress. Olivia had some pretty cheesy moments and I was expecting more toward of a struggle when her voice of truth was taken away. And I can't wait to see what happens with Paris in the next book.

Aeron, keeper of Wrath, has been watched by an unknown presence for the past few weeks. Come to find out it is an angel sent kill him for a crime he wasn't aware he commented. But when Olivia refuses to complete her mission she falls from heaven and is now mortal. She says it is because she didn't want to hurt Aeron, but the reasons are far more personal. He tries to deny her and his growing feelings for her but his demon has already staked claim and will not simply let the warrior turn his back on her.

The hunters, lead by the demon possessed Galen, are gaining ground against the Lords. Aeron must continue his fight against his sworn enemies as well as the fend off unwanted sexual advances from his female demon, while trying to push Olivia away. Aeron must decide to listen to his head and send Olivia back from where she came from or listen to his heart and demon and claim Olivia as his own. Regardless of his decision, Olivia will not be the last sent to take his head.

This was one of the more emotional Lords of the Underworld books, at least it was for me. Aeron has been a favorite of mine for a while because of the strong bond and loyalty he has towards the other Lords and I really do want to see him happy with Olivia. But he believes the fewer people he cares for, the fewer people he has to worry about saving. He makes excuses for why he can't be with Olivia but she isn't backing down. One of my favorite qualities in Olivia is her determination. She gave up her immortality and her wings to be with Aeron and like hell is she just going to let him push her out the door. She does try to put it off as just sex which bugged me because it was obvious to everyone she isn't the just sex type. Aeron isn't the only opposition to them being together though.

His little demon Legion is not going to stand for an Angel coming in and taking her Aeron away even though he only loves her like a daughter and nothing else. Even when she is not present, Aeron uses her as an excuse to why Olivia needs to leave and does she ever cause a huge problem of her own involving the Dark Prince himself. In a way I do feel bad for Legion. She got her signals crossed with Aeron and just wants to be loved. Her jealous fits and childish games with Olivia made me want to shake her and tell her to grow up.

There were a lot of interesting things happening with the hunters. You find out that the Lords aren't the only ones who have a Titan helping them and Galen decided to handle the warriors in a different are more terrifying way that could give him a army of immortals. The enemies have gotten stronger in this book and it makes you wonder what else are they hiding up their sleeves. I know this sounds a little odd but I'm happy with the change. What fun would is it to read a story where the good guys always defeat the bad with ease? I think it takes the story to a whole new level and keeps it new and interesting.

Paris, who also has been one of my favorites since the beginning, is still morning the loss of Sienna. For those who read Into The Dark you know that Cronus has been keeping Sienna close to him and in The Darkest Passion you find out what his plans are for her. Poor Paris has only begun to hurt. Strider, whose book is next in the series, has some page time and you also get to meet Scarlet, a female from his past that he has no memory of but claims to be his wife. That was one of the several twists in this book that I didn't see coming.

The Darkest Passion is a great addition to an already wonderful series. It has everything you want in a book. Comedy, suspense, a love story (not the sappy kind either), twists you didn't see coming and action. I love that there isn't just vampires or warriors in this series. Even though it does lean heavily toward Greek Mythology (which is my favorite part), there is a bit of everything in it for just about anyone's taste genres. Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld is one of my favorite series and she definitely did not disappoint with her latest installment.

Okay, I am a huge fan of Gena's books, especially the Lords of the Underworld. I loved every single book in the series... until now. It kills me to rate Aeron's story this low, but I could not stand Olivia! She came off to me as a whiny, needy little girl. And obviously when she "fell" she fell hard. The way she acted sometimes throughout the book made it hard to believe she had ever been an angel. The end bothered me a bit too, and I wish things had ended better for "A Certain Someone"... On a brighter note, I did love Aeron in this book, though I don't see how he put up with Olivia. I also loved Paris, the Gideon/Scarlet combo, and the new William/Gilly situation brewing. I would still recommend this book to fans of Gena. Overall, I love this series and cannot wait for Gideon's story coming in July.

I really like Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series, but I had to put this one down barely 100 pages into it. Gideon, keeper of Lies, suffers unbelievable pain if he speaks the truth -- so he has to lie.

All. The. Time.

"I totally don't agree with that."
"In no way is that a good plan."
"Yes, I'd love it if you drove a spike into my brain. Do it right now."
"I absolutely won't make you regret that."

It was just too much. Gideon is a likeable character, and Scarlet seemed like a nice enough heroine, but I just couldn't take another page of this. The device of Lies was fine when Gideon was a tertiary character, but it was incredibly painful to try and wade through his dialogue. Sorry, Showalter, I'll check out the next one.

I did really enjoy this one but I was disappointed with the ending. I thought it was rushed. I would have liked to see the other lords reactions to him coming back. I felt really bad for Baden too.. hopefully we'll see more of him. and I'm glad Sienna has been brought back into it

Yes, the suffering hunky guy with a slight handicap (demon possession) is the lust object of the heretofore pure and lovely angel, who voluntarily nosedives out of heaven into hell in order to learn about lust and have some fun. All the frat brothers (other demon-possessed roommates) provide incidental humor and angst, as demon hunk and angel dance around each other trying to figure out what to do. Predictable? Of course! Cute? Yes. (Who can resist little girl demon Legion's love of tiaras and all things pink?) This is typical Showalter, which I enjoy.

Gideon keeper of Lies has no memory of Scarlet keeper of Nightmares, who claims to be his wife, but he feels a strong connection to her, meanwhile Aeron, Amun and William go to hell to try and save Legion for an eternity of torture and the rest of the Lords split to confuse the hunters.

This is more like a personal opinion than review but here it goes: after the lack of chemistry with Olivia I was really worried about this book's release so close to the one before, because that meant it was written back to back but I had to say I was pleasantly surprised it was so much better than The Darkest Passion. Scarlet is a great female lead, strong, charismatic, caring, etc. and Gideon is Gideon, I love every Lord but he's so funny, at first it was difficult to follow the lies but once you get used to it you don't even need the translation that Scarlet or himself make in their minds, together they made a perfect couple and the chemistry is undeniable, the steam is great, you have to have great steam with the Lords. I love the twists in the story, the reason of Gideon's "memory lost", and the thing about his "demon"; I even love Cronus when I had always hated him and his last interaction with Gideon is to die for I was laughing so hard that I may cause some wrinkles in my face.

The four things that kind of bother me are: one I hate the mate for Strider, hate her, hate her, hate her; two I like IAD and read every book but I think I'm not a fan of this interchange between books where we read a glimpse of IAD in LotU and vice versa is like a publicity stunt that's not really necessary; three I kinda understand that the girl comes before the friends for the Lords (kinda since I still hate Sabin) but Aeron did something awful to Amun for Legion and I didn't like it, isn't enough Olivia? He puts Legion second?; and four we had Sienna, Amun and Strider's POV, and the places where said POVs where introduced were kind of breaking the flow of the story, and even when I love to read about the other Lords I was really absorb in the main couple so it was a little distracting.

So all in all much, much better I'll still stick to the Lords, but it'll take a miracle for me to like Strider's book (without much spoiler he's had the same case than Paris but worse and that isn't Gideon Speak).

Spoiler alert: A little disappointed that in the end Aeron was parted with his demon but I guess it works since he maintained his immortality and strength. It will be interesting to see how Sienna's pairing works out and Paris reaction...

Wow! The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter was really amazing. Very complex story and many things happening at once...the plot was great, characters all very strong, intense action, awesome intimate scenes, and never a dull moment. I can't believe I haven't read Showalter before. I will definately keep reading this author's books. Great, great writing.

SPOILER ALERT!......................................................SPOILER ALERT....................................SPOILER ALERT........................................................................

OMG!!....I so totally dont know where to begin without giving too much of the story away! All the demon lords have a place in my heart, but Gideon!!..i luv this guy! him and Scarlet have the perfect pairing!!...
Scarlet has such a job done on her by her wicked family mainly her mom and aunt!! my heart went out to her.

oh,oh..ok..i wont tell, but i will say this...they're deomons' have more in common than we thought!

Although I dont care for the king Coronus, he came through the few times it really counted!!..

William......omg!!...wait till you all find out who he is!...but i would like to add i cant wait to read his story if one, and when gilly's all grown up, i hope they hook up!

oh my, pooor amun, all that he had to endure to save a friend(Aeron's) demon child(Legion)
I hope he finds love and comfort when his book comes out!

I WONT SAY ANY MORE!.......FANTASTIC READ!!...I ABSOULETLY LOVED IT and SO WILL YOU!!

Book 6 in Showalter's Lords of the Underworld was just okay for me. Scarlet is such a tragic character, who has endured too much pain and torment. It was just over the top. How can one person endure what she did (over thousands of years)without being insane, warped, or emotionally dead? I just wasn't buying it.

There was a cool twist in this book that kept things interesting, but really, it just added to the tragedy of Gideon and Scarlet's story. This book was in desperate need of comic relief.

Okay, so I read the reviews before purchasing and reading The Darkest Passion, though as a loyal follower of Ms Showalter I knew I'd buy it anyways. I wasn't expecting to like it too much from all the reviews of people who hated Olivia. But... I thought it was a great book. I really liked everything about it, it was hot, it was intense, story line was good as always. But I have to say that the absolute best part for me was the set ups she left us with for future novels. I'm still dying to get a story on Paris, the poor guy... and after this book I see a set up for his story as well as for Strider and oh I just can't wait! Great addition to a phenominal series!!

This was my favorite book of the series so far. I love the story of Gideon and Scarlet.
This book made my heart ache, sing and made me giggle and at times laugh out loud. I love the Gideon speak and the scene with Cronus and Gid watching the sporting event was hilarious!
Looking forward to the next book.

First off, I have to say, the book could have been better. Seriously.
However, I enjoyed the book.

Aeron is Wrath, fans of the Lords of Underwold series know this already. For those of you who don't- read the other books in the series. The only way to truly enjoy this book is by reading the rest in the series.
That being said, Wrath = killing spree once in a while and the ability to "see" sins that people have committed.

Olivia is Aeron's mate. She's an angel of the Warrior class and her first assignment is to assinate Aeron for unknowingly binding a demon to him. She refuses and becomes a fallen angel. I mostly liked her but there were a few parts in which I wanted to kick her butt! - the ending and escaping from the Hunters

First off, the transitions between the chapters/storylines wasn't as smooth as it could have been. I felt that as soon as Olivia came into the picture, Aeron wasn't as involved in the search for missing artifacts as the rest of the Lords, which made me feel as if he had isolated himself from the rest of the group. This of course is in direct contradiction with his actions in the beginning of the book and his thought processes throughout the book.

Second, I hated the ending! HATED! Yes, I know Showalter had to come up with some new ideas, but I really really did not like the ending. Olivia's supposed to be spreading joy and what not, and she can't help this one person and I felt so bad for him. So for the ending, I took off 1 star.

Third, I didn't like whole demon turned into woman thing and Lucifer talking to Olivia thing. The latter was just stupid. It wasn't even properly developed. Had it been, I'm sure it would have been interesting. Demon-turned-hot woman with huge breasts was, again, stupid. Obviously, Showalter was making a connection between Gavin and the demon but I really felt, it too, could have been better developed.

That being said, can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Ever since I started reading Lord of the Underworld, I have been interested to Gideon - The keeper of Lie. In this book you will love him more! He is just so adorable!!!! I think Scarlet is my favorite in all the heroine. Such a strong passionate woman, just right for Gideon. :)

I loved trying to decipher the meaning and actually found myself applying the knowledge in everyday conversation. Extremely unique and how the story progresses giving a glimpse into all the major characters. Gideon is by far my favorite as an in depth character with a fun twist compared to other books in the genre which have a rather mundane conversation compared to this plot.

Some of her books are OK like this one. I could finished reading .
Every think is very far fetch I Know is the fantasy , but still some are even gross those are the one I couldn't finish
I have read most of the Dark series & in Avg all is 2 to 3 star

I love this series!

I think they are getting better as the series goes along. Honestly I wasn't all that interested in Gideon's story... (give me Paris's story already!) but I ended up enjoying this novel and Gideon's story a lot more than I was anticipating.

Quite a few unexpected twists and turns in this one, and I really liked getting to see more about the world the Lords were apart of before they possessed their demons.

The only thing that I don't love about these books is the sometimes cheesy endings. Although this one wasn't as bad as Aeron's book... that was a little much. I mean I'm all for a happy ending but... do we really have to kill people just to bring them back.. ANYWAY! Gena's writing is just as great as always and I couldn't stop flipping the pages fast enough.

Can't wait for the next books!

I have read and enjoyed other Lord of the Underworld books and this one was good but probably not my favorite. There are so many story lines going on all at once that it got a little bit confusing. A couple of times I had to read back to remember who a person and how they relate to what I was currently reading. All in all, still a great book and Gena Showalter is an amazing story teller.

Okay I love this series by Gena Showalter but this one wasn't quite what I was expecting...
I found Olivia to be a bit two dimensional and a somewhat weak heroine. Aeron was full of angst as I had hoped but he was also not as complex as I had hoped. I didn't understand why his demon wrath was more a justice bringer I would think he would respond positively to illogical violence but that wasn't the case.
Legion's part was very interesting but not really explored. I enjoyed the book but its not my favorite which saddens me because I soooo looked forward to Aerons story.
However potential storylines that seem very interesting have surfaced including Gilly/William (whom I love), Legion/Galen which will be interesting to the future of the Lord's and finally Gideon whom along with Torin I can't wait to read their stories.
Overall good book but for the length I did expect more depth to the characters and a more intricate or moving plot.
Not my favorite but will definately keep reading!

My friend got me hooked on this series about a year ago now. We talk about it ALL the time. And this new addition to the series stays absolutely amazing. The heroine, Olivia, is amusing and likeable. She's a great example of a closet pervert, being the purest character the series has seen while simultaneously attempting to run so she can see the hero, Aeron, naked.

Aeron, the hero, is a great character that you get to know from previous books but, for once, you get an in depth look at in this book. If you didn't particularly like him before the novel, you will by the end.

As far as plot goes, I'm very much enjoying how Gena Showalter, the author, is weaving all sorts of plot lines throughout the book by planting the seeds of certain plots in this one, when you know there's still a couple more books until it becomes the focus. I also like how this book ends in a completely new way that I wasn't expecting that deviates from the past books. And some of the tiny aspects introduced in this book I can't wait to see how they develop in future ones.

For anyone who hasn't read the series book, go on up to that search bar and type in "The Darkest Night". You won't be disappointed.

I couldnt wait to get my hands on the newest story on the Lords. I absolutely loved Sabin and Gwen. Loved the introduction of the harpies. Showalter is one of my fav's. I read Lysander and Bianka so I had a little background info on Olivia.

Showalter stays true to Aeron's character and I was routing for him the whole way. I loved the handling of Legion's character and how she grows and we really get to learn about her. I hadnt given Legion much thought beyond cute sidekick and great for quirky lines here and there but boy did I have HUGE feelings good and bad about her in The Darkest Passion. Now she is so much more interesting than before.

Olivia, unfortunately not my ideal heroine or at least not for Aeron. I felt that her timid behavior and clingy-ness with Aeron was supposed to be similar to Gwen's personality but instead of loving her like Gwen, she annoyed me. Even her dialogue was annoying. I kept envisioning Mary Poppins. I know she was an angel and it wasnt her spouting goodness and positive energy that bothered me, I mean I liked Lysander. Maybe its because I dont feel like she really had a role in this story other than Help me Aeron, I love you Aeron and There is joy in the world. Aeron was fantastic through the book but what did he love about Olivia other than the fact that she fell as an angel because she lusted over him?

The ending also didnt endear me to Olivia. Everything works out in the end and she has good things to say because everything is now fixed thanks to her magic touch and pleading. Well for almost everyone. One person doesnt get any of the joy that Olivia is spreading around and I felt so bad for him.

This addition of the series does continue the ongoing plot and we see familiar faces. Gideon especially as he runs into Scarlet aka Nightmare.

Let me preface this by saying that I love Gena and I love the Lords! I really do, that is definitely not an issue.
That said... I don't hate Olivia like some of the other reviewers, though she was annoying at times. Mostly I thought Aaron and Olivia were wonderful together. And though I didn't fully understand why they loved each other (because all we know is that she stalked him and he got tingles when he looked at her) it was still a good match in my mind. Gena made it work as always and throughout the book I was laughing and crying and genuinely enjoying the story.
However, that all changed when I read the last few pages. In my mind the book progressed from 'good'- to 'better'- to 'awesome'- to 'what the heck'? Don't get me wrong, I love a good twist ending but not one that leaves me feeling like the world as I know it has become a dark and twisted place where happiness will never live again. Yes... that's really how I felt at the end of The Darkest Passion. I've come to expect a few things from romance writers in general and from Gena specifically. Notably, the tragic climax, leading to the seemingly last resort sacrifice/salvation, and ultimately followed by the happy ending. In this book the first two are absolutely present, even if the whole concept is a bit overdone. But then going into the last chapter a whole new set of circumstances are introduced. Circumstances that later turn a would-be happy ending into a heartbreaking parting of friends and the knowledge that a dear loved one is suffering a worse fate then a lifetime of hell. I actually had to re-read the ending several times and then call a friend to make sure that my book wasn't missing a chapter. I couldn't understand how any author (let alone one of my favorites) would think that ending was acceptable in any way. It was so rushed and cruel, as if the book was getting too long so she just stopped trying. So very sad.
There are only a handful of authors I trust completely to give me the happy, yet interesting endings I crave. Gena used to be one. Now I'm afraid I'll have to read the last chapter of The Darkest Lie before I start the book just to make sure I won't be upset. But I do still intend to buy her next book and I'm sure I will enjoy most of it. I just hope I can enjoy all of it.

I haven't been the biggest fan of this series. I think at one point I stopped reading them and only recently decided to pick it back up. Glad I did! I saw lots of promise with the last book, but it is this book that has made me a die hard fan. It was great!

I LOVED reading Gideon speak and how Scarlet would sometimes speak it back to him - especially towards the end.

Twisting story line with a lot of other stuff intertwined, but all the Lords of the Underworld books are...hence the need to sometimes look at the glossary at the back of the book.

I'd definitely recommend for continuing Lord of the Underworld fans. If you haven't tried the series yet, start at the beginning - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

this was my first time reading a book by this author. and I loved it!!! the right blend of sex, romance, comedy and violence. all of the characters were unforgettable. the only dislike was I finished the book.lol . I will definitely read more of this author.

I was initially scared that I wouldn't be able to read/enjoy this book because of the "gideon speak". In previous books I had trouble with his dialog. I did have a liitle trouble with this book. I had to re-read often to make sure I read correctly. The plot is amazing and heartwrenching; especially for Amun. I'm excited about his book coming next. As always, GEna Showalter, gives us an exciting read and makes us fall in loive with her characters.

I have been awaiting Gideon's story since he was first introduced, and I loved having a whole book of Gideon speak! He is everything a hero should be and more!! I like how even when he's not sure if he can believe Scarlet he still feels like an ass for not being there to protect her... And the way he reacts to the whole Steel thing.... Melts my heart... Only 4 stars because I feel like Scarlet could have had more oomph.

The secondary characters had a lot of face time in this book and the whole Lords story did move along quite nicely. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Gilly/Willy pairing and can't wait for their book!

I was lucky enough to get this book 2 weeks early from a local WalMart and have been anxiously waiting to write a review. This book was really good I loved the way Gena developed the characters. I especially liked the interaction between Olivia and Legion. The book is full of twist and turns and a nice intro look into the next book the Darkest Lie so I encourage everyone to read it. While this book was good it left me impatiently awaiting the Darkest Lie.

I've read all of the LOTU books and this is my first review, because I just can't stay quiet anymore. I love Gena Showalter, but she is no Kresley Cole. These books are becoming more and more cheesier with each one. Showalter seems to have an obsession with tattoos (as a lot of these characters seemed to be covered with them). Gideon and Scarlet's story is just beyond boring. And the sex scenes just don't deliver. The only interesting stuff in this book was the potential stories for some of the other characters ( William, Amun, and Strider going after a girl he calls 'Ex'? Once again-CHEESY!) Spare yourself and just wait for Cole's Demon from the Dark out next month, and even though she uses some cheese as well, it's not nearly as much!

Aeron keeper of Wrath finds himself with a fallen Angel who wants to have fun with him, and he doesn't seem to be far from that goal either, but he has to think of Legion the little demon he loves as a daughter and is afraid of Angels, besides Galen is still out there and in possession of one of the artifacts.

First I was really angry with the end of The Darkest Whisper, so mad that I was about to give up with the Lords, but then I read the Anthology of the Darkest Angel and fell in love again besides the premise about Olivia giving up her wings for Aeron, I love Aeron, well I love almost every Lord, but he is one who we got to know very well in previous books so I'm sad that he gets Olivia, she fell because lust and admiration, don't get me wrong admiration is good, but the most important thing here is that she fell for that, what about love, for an Angel she is dense, besides unbelievable in her transformation from childish whimpering to confident and sexy, but I guess make over in Angel terms comes with internal make over as well, and that's all I can say about her, because even when I just finish this book it's all that I remember.

Legion who I love in previous books was annoying here; I was rooting for beheading her, the end was a little redeeming but still.

The beginning was slow; I never took this long reading a Lord book and the conclusion rush to make the cheesy ending even worse.

Even when I liked most of Sabin and Gwen story, I hate them because of their ending, so I was annoyed every time that I read how Gwen is the most powerful being in the universe and Sabin a fearless wonderful leader (hate his reaction towards something that happen to Aeron at the end, didn't believe it even a little, after what he did, who is going to?) if we get to see old couples in the mix, why not Lucien and Anya, they for me are the example of great characters, I don't know how many times I've read The Darkest Kiss and I think that I will read it again just now to finish with my forgetting of this book.

What I like? The foundations for Gideon and Strider's book, Aeron... wow that's all, I will read Gideon's of course, is about to be release, but I think if this continues this will be another series cross from my list.

ok. I really have to agree with some of the readers. I Love Gideons story. But there are way too many story lines going on at once. What happened to just tell the couples story and just adding in a few of the others by lines and teasers for the next book? To Many Great authors are adding way tooo much at once in the books .. Just keep to the hero's story..

In the words of Gideon, "This is the best book I ever read". NOT! This is the first Gena Showalter book I ever read and it is definitely the last. The book was confusing and the characters were unbelievable. Don't waste your money on any of her crap. The real lie is that this book got 4 stars. Thats what I can't believe.

I have been awaiting Gideon's story since he was first introduced, and I loved having a whole book of Gideon speak! He is everything a hero should be and more!! I like how even when he's not sure if he can believe Scarlet he still feels like an ass for not being there to protect her... And the way he reacts to the whole Steel thing.... Melts my heart... Only 4 stars because I feel like Scarlet could have had more oomph.

The secondary characters had a lot of face time in this book and the whole Lords story did move along quite nicely. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Gilly/Willy pairing and can't wait for their book!

The Lords of the Underworld series is a fantastic series written by mistress showalter. This book was not as engaging for me as all the other Lords stories to date and mostly because of Gideons dialogue. It interrupted to flow of the story and although you knew that his demon "Lies" necessetated the backward speech (because if he told the truth Gid would suffer immense pain)it was at times confusing. I kept thinking of ways his dialogue could have been executed better as there was an excess us of Won't, Don't, wouldn't etc. and even thought half finished sentences would have been better as you kinda already knew what he wanted to say.

Gena has set herself a high bar and I found myself becoming disengaged with the story. I definitely recommend the LOTU series but as a first hit for any new LOTU readers I probably wouldn't recommend it.

3 1/2 stars

I was lucky enough to get this book 2 weeks early from a local WalMart and have been anxiously waiting to write a review. This book was really good I loved the way Gena developed the characters. I especially liked the interaction between Olivia and Legion. The book is full of twist and turns and a nice intro look into the next book the Darkest Lie so I encourage everyone to read it. While this book was good it left me impatiently awaiting the Darkest Lie.

I've read all of the LOTU books and this is my first review, because I just can't stay quiet anymore. I love Gena Showalter, but she is no Kresley Cole. These books are becoming more and more cheesier with each one. Showalter seems to have an obsession with tattoos (as a lot of these characters seemed to be covered with them). Gideon and Scarlet's story is just beyond boring. And the sex scenes just don't deliver. The only interesting stuff in this book was the potential stories for some of the other characters ( William, Amun, and Strider going after a girl he calls 'Ex'? Once again-CHEESY!) Spare yourself and just wait for Cole's Demon from the Dark out next month, and even though she uses some cheese as well, it's not nearly as much!

Aeron keeper of Wrath finds himself with a fallen Angel who wants to have fun with him, and he doesn't seem to be far from that goal either, but he has to think of Legion the little demon he loves as a daughter and is afraid of Angels, besides Galen is still out there and in possession of one of the artifacts.

First I was really angry with the end of The Darkest Whisper, so mad that I was about to give up with the Lords, but then I read the Anthology of the Darkest Angel and fell in love again besides the premise about Olivia giving up her wings for Aeron, I love Aeron, well I love almost every Lord, but he is one who we got to know very well in previous books so I'm sad that he gets Olivia, she fell because lust and admiration, don't get me wrong admiration is good, but the most important thing here is that she fell for that, what about love, for an Angel she is dense, besides unbelievable in her transformation from childish whimpering to confident and sexy, but I guess make over in Angel terms comes with internal make over as well, and that's all I can say about her, because even when I just finish this book it's all that I remember.

Legion who I love in previous books was annoying here; I was rooting for beheading her, the end was a little redeeming but still.

The beginning was slow; I never took this long reading a Lord book and the conclusion rush to make the cheesy ending even worse.

Even when I liked most of Sabin and Gwen story, I hate them because of their ending, so I was annoyed every time that I read how Gwen is the most powerful being in the universe and Sabin a fearless wonderful leader (hate his reaction towards something that happen to Aeron at the end, didn't believe it even a little, after what he did, who is going to?) if we get to see old couples in the mix, why not Lucien and Anya, they for me are the example of great characters, I don't know how many times I've read The Darkest Kiss and I think that I will read it again just now to finish with my forgetting of this book.

What I like? The foundations for Gideon and Strider's book, Aeron... wow that's all, I will read Gideon's of course, is about to be release, but I think if this continues this will be another series cross from my list.

ok. I really have to agree with some of the readers. I Love Gideons story. But there are way too many story lines going on at once. What happened to just tell the couples story and just adding in a few of the others by lines and teasers for the next book? To Many Great authors are adding way tooo much at once in the books .. Just keep to the hero's story..

In the words of Gideon, "This is the best book I ever read". NOT! This is the first Gena Showalter book I ever read and it is definitely the last. The book was confusing and the characters were unbelievable. Don't waste your money on any of her crap. The real lie is that this book got 4 stars. Thats what I can't believe.

I was lucky to find this book a couple days early at my local bookstore and couldnt wait to get home to read it. I just finished it yesterday and all I can say is...RUN to get this one!!! I LOVED IT. I love Aeron...sexy Lord covered in tattoos, keeper of wrath and I adored Olivia...the fallen angel. Paris and William are funny as always. It will be torture waiting for Gideon's story next month..which is introduced and so good in this story, and especially, the next two in the series in March and July 2011. THANK YOU Ms.Showalter for another great Lords of The Underworld!!!!

I wont bore you with the summary since its already been said. However, this book was awful. Simply horrid. The writing was great, the story interesting if I cared for it...which --according to the rating-- I didn't. '_' I didn't even finish; couldn't get through it.

I found Olivia to be a harlot. She 'fell' from Heaven because she wanted Aeron. She admired his deposition and wanted his body. Her desire to have 'fun' and to have Aeron made her seem no different than a common streetwalker. I found her behavior to be too lustful for an angel--even a "fallen". If all she didn't know anything of the pleasure of the body, why was she so bent on it? I didn't 'see' love on her part, it was nothing but hedonism she sought from him. Which is great in the right context.

Aeron was just blah. I cant really say if there is anything remarkably awesome about him. He could have easily been another 'hero'. Then again, I probably didn't get far enough to where he would have stood out.

This book compared to The Darkest Kiss was a poor man's version. There was nothing of the witty dialog, smoldering passion, internal struggle...*sigh* That was a cast of suburb characters

Darkest Passion is by far one of the best books in this series. Aeron is humble in ways that you don't see and Gena really gives him the depth that he deserves. For as many questions Gena answers, she creates so many more that makes you salivate for the next book. That, to me, is a mark of a great writer...

Baden...really?
Pandora...wha?
Legion...where?
Galen...how?

I cannot wait for Darkest Lie.

Gena Showalter NEVER disappoints, I loved this book and thought she did a great job with incorporating the other Lords while telling the story of Gideon and Scarlet. These two are one of my favorite charcter couples in this series. I love all of the books in this series and this one wasn't any different!

First I'll start by saying that I haven't even finished yet, but I can already tell you this book is less than impressive. I love Gena. She knows how to tell a story, knows how to create passion and angst, but I didn't enjoy much of anything about this book. Olivia is annoying and simpering. Aeron is sorta lame. The infusion of other characters and their back stories detracts from the novel instead of adding to it and it drags like nobody's buisness. This book isn't a keeper. I wouldn't even check it out at the local library. The author is still great in my mind, but honestly I think I'm over the Lords of the Underworld. Totally.

I loved this book and was very pleased that Gena wrote this book better than The Darkest Passion, (which I thought was ruined by Olivia.)

Anyways... Loved Gideon, loved William (as always) and loved the Lords. Cannot flippin' WAIT for Strider and Amun's stories next year!

I love the LOTU series, but the last two books have been absolutely amazing! This book gives you a different view on the Titan God King and his Wife! It was worth staying up late into the early morning hours!

I didn't like the book. The stories, brief and not well developed, were only part of the book. The rest of the book was suppose to be cutesy interviews and over-all a waste of my time and money. I didn't pay full price of the book for uninteresting interview of the author and characters. I found that I was very disappointed in the book. Really, was it just another money making attempt because the author didn't/couldn't make a dead line and so slopped together a book to sell to the mass market? The stories were okay but over-all I wouldn't buy the book.

I thought this book was a very good installment to the Lords of the Underworld series. There were a few twists which made it even more interesting; overall a really good read, and I can't wait until The Darkest Lie comes out!

i ve had this problem with other females in the lords books aka ash. i could not get past my dislike of olivia. i felt that she was selfish and childish and not good enough for aeryn who we have come to love from the other books. i consider anya and lucien the gold standard as far as couples go and aeryn and olivia didnt come close for me.

Wish I could give this book an honest review, but I never got it-says it was delivered, but never got it. Contacted post office and they said by tracking info it was left in my mail box, but again I never got it. the store's customer service sucks and cannot get anywhere with them, so it's no use to contact them. Will not order from the store anymore. A long-time very frustrated the store ex-customer that the store apparently no longer wishes to keep anymore, apparently as it appears in recent order history. Too bad they don't take into account all a persons past and present ordering history as they would see all the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ I've ordered from them!!!!!!!!!!