Review – ‘The Darkest Pleasure’ by Gena Showalter

Blurb 

Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her--even defy the gods.Danika is on the run. For months she's eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won't rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can't forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear....

Review 

This is my second time reading this book and I really like it. Reyes, the keeper of Pain, doesn’t want to love or even like Danika, a human whom his friend and fellow demon Lord, Aeron, has been ordered by Cronus to kill. Danika and her family are targeted for death and they’re on the run, trying desperately to survive, and they’re apart from one another. Against both of their better judgment, Reyes and Danika team up to fight the human Hunters out to kill them both, to stop poor Aeron who’s lost in bloodlust and to stop Cronus from killing Danika and her family himself. A lot was going on in this story as you can tell.

The sex scenes dragged for me but they were needed to show the physicality of the couple’s relationship. Reyes needs horrendous pain to feel pleasure; Danika is a gentle human with a temper. Do they mesh? Anyway, the sex scenes were just too long. I wished the couple talked more, but that would’ve caused less drama and tension between them. In my opinion, I would’ve preferred less drama between them so they could spend more time fighting the bad guys and not each other.

As always, each book in the LOTU series doesn’t just focus on one couple. All the brothers and their women are included with several scenes in their POVs.

I loved every scene with Paris, the keeper of Promiscuity. I haven’t read his book yet (book 9 – I’ve only previously read up to book 8) but I’m dying to know how he finally reunites with his beloved Sienna. The choice Paris has to make in this book is heartbreaking and sends him down a dark path.

The rest of the cast are cool as always. Torin and Cameo, the keepers of Disease and Misery respectively, grow closer than just friends and it’s exciting to see how their doomed relationship develops. We meet Gilly for the first time (yay!) and I can’t wait for the first time she meets William. William and Gilly is the couple I’m rooting for the most, other than Paris and Sienna. We also meet Legion and Galen, who will become major players for both the good and the bad in all of the Lords’ lives.

The pacing dragged about three-quarters of the way in but the book kept my attention for the most part. I’ve started to overlook the use of passive voice, it's normally a no-no for me, because it’s the author’s writing style and I understand all styles are different. I’m reading the series for the stories and the characters, not so much for how the books are written. Anyway, Reyes and Danika are one of my favorite couples. He’s protective, she’s ballsy, and they’re perfect together.

4 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.