Publisher Spotlight Review: The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

Item: The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5)
Rating: 4
Author: Casee

Posted May 24, 2010 by Casee in Features, Reviews | 1 Comment

Publisher Spotlight Review: The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

Series Rating: four-stars

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?

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...

Aeron is the keeper of Wrath. I swear, just when you thought there could be no worse demon than the one before, the next book comes out. Maddox and Reyes were hard enough. But Wrath? To always feel the need to maim and kill? No thank you. Get a refund.

Aeron has been around since the beginning of the series. He was ordered to kill Dannika and had a heck of a time resisting. To try to help him, they locked Aeron away in the dungeon so they could figure out what to do with him. Aeron was pretty much out of his head during that time and he unknowingly summoned a demon named Legion. She was Aeron’s salvation and is the only thing that he cares about. She is the first being ever that calms Wrath.

There’s only one problem. Summoning a demon from hell is against the rules. Like majorly against the rules. When he summoned her, he bound her to him which means that Legion is free to roam the world. Olivia is an angel, one who has been “promoted” from joy-bringer to warrior. She has been tasked with punishing Aeron for his transgression. The punishment is death.

Angels can be in the mortal realm without being seen or sensed, yet Aeron somehow senses her. The more she watches him, the more distasteful her task is. So instead of doing her job and remaining an angel, she Falls—straight to hell. Olivia is a resourceful (fallen) angel and she claws her way out and to Aeron. Of course Aeron doesn’t want anything to do with her. She chased Legion away since demons have a particular aversion to angels.

I didn’t particularly care for Olivia at first b/c all she did was cry. And cry. There was some screeching, too. It got kind of old. Then I started liking her b/c she knew how short her time was with Aeron and she just kind of ignored anything he said about staying away from him. My favorite scene was where Aeron found Olivia crying on Gideon after getting drunk. HA. That was definite entertainment. A drunk angel.

Olivia then finds out that she has fourteen days to decide if she wants to be accepted back in the heavens. Olivia plans to use those days to live, laugh, and love. And she needs Aeron to do it. I found Aeron and Wrath’s inner dialogue amusing. Wrath wants to take, take, take. Aeron is more cautious. Then he decides to hell with it, he’s going to keep Olivia for his own.

First, he has to deal with Legion who made a deal with Lucifer. Second he has to deal with Lysander, Olivia’s mentor. In the end, he has to make a sacrifice to save all those he loves.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.