The Darkest Pleasure is the third full length novel in the Lords of the Underworld series from Gena Showalter which follows a group of immortal warriors who host various demons after opening Pandora's Box many years ago. Each book in the series focuses on a different warrior; as well as the full length books, there are three (as of this moment) short stories that focus on various other warriors who are linked remotely to the demon possessed warriors.
Rating: 10
Recommended To: Those that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience
Favourite Characters: Reyes - more to him than the self-harming warrior
Favourite Part: He'd been with a woman. The knowledge was like being hit in the chest by a dozen arrows, all laced with poison. She thought of the last time she'd slept with a man. Sadly, she had to go back years. Even more sad, it hadn't been that good. Something had been missing. Reyes's kiss had promised that something. Or so she'd thought. The urge to slam her palm into his nose, shoving cartilage into brain, filled her, but she managed to stop herself in time. He'd like it. - Page 223
Good: Loyalty; love; Reyes and Danika's relationship; Danika's development
Bad: Sabin - didn't like him at all
The Darkest Pleasure focuses on Reyes who is possessed by the demon of Pain; he can only control the demon inside of him by pain being inflicted. When he was first possessed by Pain, Reyes savagely hurt anyone, inflicting a severe amount of pain, just to satisfy the demon who had control of his own body and learnt that he could satisfy the demon by hurting himself mainly, especially when he is with somebody. Unlike Maddox and Lucien who met their love interests during their book, Reyes met him during The Darkest Kiss when Aeron is assigned to kill Danika and her family for an unknown reason. Reyes falls for her because she shows a caring side but she despises him, or so she says, because he kidnapped her family without giving them a reasonable explanation.
The Darkest Pleasure focuses on Reyes who is possessed by the demon of Pain; he can only control the demon inside of him by pain being inflicted. When he was first possessed by Pain, Reyes savagely hurt anyone, inflicting a severe amount of pain, just to satisfy the demon who had control of his own body and learnt that he could satisfy the demon by hurting himself mainly, especially when he is with somebody. Unlike Maddox and Lucien who met their love interests during their book, Reyes met him during The Darkest Kiss when Aeron is assigned to kill Danika and her family for an unknown reason. Reyes falls for her because she shows a caring side but she despises him, or so she says, because he kidnapped her family without giving them a reasonable explanation.
What I love
about this book is the theme of loyalty that runs throughout between the
various characters and their relationships and that it was tested to show how
strong it was. All of the warriors
because they were a unit years before they were possessed and even afterwards,
they stayed together for a while until six of them wanted to retreat to
solitude while the others continued to flight their enemies (the Hunters). This meant that each group became even closer
as they protect one another which in turn can make them even more loyal to one
another because the amount of time they spend together. This loyalty is tested when Paris has to
choose between bringing back the woman he thinks he can be with forever or
Aeron, the man he's known forever and trusts with his life when he's not a
blood thirsty shell of his former self. This
tells me how important loyalty is for this series as Showalter wouldn't have
written this particular part to put the warriors' loyalty to the test. Even Danika has a test of loyalty when she
returns to Reyes as she has been used by the Hunters to spy on Reyes and the
others under the pretence that the Hunters will find her family; at that
moment, she has to choose between who she is truly loyal to as one could mean
her family back or the other could mean love as a certainty (and maybe her
family if she believes Reyes).
The theme
of love is another great point about this book, from love of family and friends
to passionate love. The love various
characters have for one another is clear in the prose. Danika even denies that she's fallen in love
with Reyes, it is clear that she has in the way she behaves and the way she
really thinks about him, truly thinks about him. When she finally accepts that she loves him and
embraces it, she wants to fully commit to love him and pleasing him just like
he does for her. The love all of the
characters have for others such as their friends and family implies a strong
bond and that this is important to the author as well as the series; for
example, all of the warriors are there to support one another in any way they
can such as hurting Reyes or allowing Gideon to lie constantly.
I love
Reyes and Danika's relationship because it isn't exactly the same as the
relationship between Maddox and Ashlyn as well as Lucien and Anya because of
Reyes restraining himself due to his demon.
However, their relationship is great because Danika fully accepts him
for everything that makes him who he is by willingly hurting him despite a part
of him that he tries to deny. Danika
forces Reyes to think past her being a vulnerable woman (which he may think as
being respectful) and think of her as an equal so he won't be as
overprotective.
Danika's
character development was extremely well written in comparison to Ashlyn and
Anya as she's going from being a relatively normal, quiet, young woman who
hasn't got a real care in the world (all things considered) to a strong,
independent woman who can kick ass when she needs and was almost accepted this
weird world that she has been brought into.
As Danika has grown more than any other female character is this series
from my point of view, I think this book has topped my favourite bookshelf as
of today.
While I loved
Danika's character development over the last three books, my absolute favourite
character was Reyes because he's not completely how I was expecting him to be
after he had already been established in the first two novels of this
series. At first he was just going to this
warrior who hurt himself as well as the woman he falls for (Danika). However, he truly cared for her and tried to
protect Danika from the chance of becoming like other women he's been with in
the past. By doing this, he proves more
than a self-harming immortal possessed by a demon who has an insatiable hunger
for pain; he is also a caring man who will protect his loves ones ferociously by
any means, giving them what they need from helping Aeron stay away from Danika's
family to arranging a studio for Danika to help her.
There's only one thing about this book I don't like and that is Sabin; I found him really irritating in this book because of his attitude. I understand that he's suspicious of new people because that's part of his character as he's fought for centuries against the Hunters but once Danika proved her worth to Reyes and even to Lucien (who used to lead Sabin when they were warriors together for Zeus many years ago) then he should have been more willing to accept her rather than acting like a complete dick, wanting to kill her before hearing her out. He even goes out of his way to interfere, using his demon to cause doubts to arise in Danika's mind. This makes me unfortunately dread his book which is the next full length novel in this series following a novella.
There's only one thing about this book I don't like and that is Sabin; I found him really irritating in this book because of his attitude. I understand that he's suspicious of new people because that's part of his character as he's fought for centuries against the Hunters but once Danika proved her worth to Reyes and even to Lucien (who used to lead Sabin when they were warriors together for Zeus many years ago) then he should have been more willing to accept her rather than acting like a complete dick, wanting to kill her before hearing her out. He even goes out of his way to interfere, using his demon to cause doubts to arise in Danika's mind. This makes me unfortunately dread his book which is the next full length novel in this series following a novella.
He'd been with a woman. The knowledge was like being hit in the chest by a dozen arrows, all laced with poison. She thought of the last time she'd slept with a man. Sadly, she had to go back years. Even more sad, it hadn't been that good. Something had been missing. Reyes's kiss had promised that something. Or so she'd thought. The urge to slam her palm into his nose, shoving cartilage into brain, filled her, but she managed to stop herself in time. He'd like it. - Page 223
I just love how it's the woman
being the jealous one in the relationship rather the man. It clearly hurts Danika to see Reyes even
being hurt by someone else for sexual gratification which was funny and quite
sweet in a weird way. I also found it
funny that she refuses to hurt him because she knows full well that he'd
actually like it.
After I finished this book, I looked
at my bookshelf (which I put in reading order so I don't get bored by reading
the same series for four books in a row), I have begun alternating between books
from Gena Showalter (including this series as well as another) and some other
books from other authors.
Predictions
1. When Sabin begins to fall in love, he doubts himself initially but
she subdues it
2. Aeron's little pet attacks his love slightly but Aeron stops her
3. Maddox and Ashlyn's child is completely healthy without any demonic habits
3. Maddox and Ashlyn's child is completely healthy without any demonic habits
Other Books By Gena Showalter
No comments:
Post a Comment