In this sexy new installment of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series, the haunted Amun meets a woman who tempts him like no other.
Keeper of the demon of Secrets, Amun can manipulate the darkest thoughts of anyone nearby. But when the immortal warrior is chained and isolated to protect those he loves, death is his only hope of release—until he meets Haidee, a fellow prisoner whose beauty and hidden vulnerability draw him into a reckless test of his loyalty.
Haidee is a demon-assassin, raised to despise Amun’s kind. Yet how can she hate the man whose touch sets her aflame? But to save him, she must give herself body and soul…and face the wrath of a powerful adversary sworn to destroy her.
Review:
I wasn’t sure what to think going into this book. I haven’t enjoyed the last couple books in the series quite as much as I had wanted to. They were good, but the secondary storylines took up way too much space and made me feel like the main relationship was getting shortchanged. I was thrilled to see that the main storyline got way more focus in this book!
I’ve heard some buzz going around recently about people being irritated that Haidee hooked up with Amun when Strider was interested in her first. Honestly, this didn’t bother me at all. I thought the eventual explanation for Strider’s attraction was a bit of a cop out, but at no time did I think that he should have taken Amun’s place. All Strider registered as (for me) was the vehicle to get Haidee into Amun’s vicinity. Besides, just because he was interested in her didn’t mean she was interested in him. I thought she got her feeling across very nicely in the last book with the sharp point of a knife. 
I was a bit concerned (and have been ever since I met him) about how Amun’s romance would develop when he couldn’t even talk. Finding a heroine that knows sign language isn’t exactly a snap. Luckily that was solved nicely. I was worried about how the author would explain the connection between Haidee and Amun, but I shouldn’t have been. Their (unexpected) past together helped make sense of a connection that would have otherwise seemed a bit too convenient.
I really enjoyed getting to know Amun. He has been mentioned often in the past books, but he never developed much of a personality. I was surprised to find out that he was an incredibly nice, caring, non-Alpha man. He paired perfectly with Haidee, who had seen such pain in her long life. Speaking of Haidee, the reveals about her were a complete surprise. Not just her past, but what she was. I really liked it and appreciate the author for coming up with new reasons for a character to be immortal.
I liked that Haidee’s involvement with the Hunters and her part in Baden’s death weren’t just ignored. It wasn’t dealt with quite as seriously as I was hoping, but it was at least addressed. I was pleased that Amun was able to see Haidee’s side of things. He really was a very sweet guy.
The secondary storyline in this book revolved around Strider. He is quite the show stealer when he’s on scene. That goes doubly for when we get to see him interact with his future heroine. We also got to see William and Paris along the way and learned quite a few interesting things relating to them. William is even more interesting than before and I’m really hoping he ends up getting a book of his own so I can learn more about who and what he is. Paris also seems to be gearing up for a very interesting battle. I’m very curious to see how that will resolve itself.
Although I did enjoy the book, I had some minor frustrations. One, what was the deal with Micah? A big deal was made of him and Amun looking alike, but then it just fizzled out. That was a big coincidence to just ignore. Two, the whole cheating vs. not cheating thing really bugged me. I’m glad Amun pointed out that it was all cheating. Three, the end was too neatly solved. It felt a bit too similar to one of the previous books for me.
Even though I found some things about the story too easy, I didn’t let it bother me much. I knew going in that the books in this series are light and fun, with characters and events that are usually over the top and that there’s rarely anything truly serious or angsty about them. That’s all right though, because they’re fun to read, sexy, and addictive. I’m already dying to read the next book!
One last thing before I finish up the review. I really loved Hailee’s tattoos. I’ve seen that idea before, but it has always seemed like an extremely clever idea in cases like these. Also, I hope we get more info on Zacharel. He seems very interesting and I am amused by Strider’s reaction to him.
Favorite Quote:
Hate. Huh. He’d never hated himself. If anything, he’d always liked himself a little too much. Once, a human female had even accused him of picturing his own face while he climaxed. He hadn’t denied it, either, and the next time he’d slept with her, he’d made sure to scream, “Strider” at the pivotal moment.
The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter
March 29th 2011 by Harlequin
Paranormal Romance
Series list
GoodReads Reviews
Author’s Website
Purchase Links: Amazon || Book Depository || Barnes & Noble
[hr]
We had the opportunity to ask Gena one question as part of her blog tour. We decided to go with something fun:
FVBR: You’re being held on a desert island by an evil sorceress who claims to be your biggest fan. She demands that you rewrite the ending of your current manuscript–killing off the hero and for once letting the so-called bad guy prevail or she’ll curse you to write instructional manuals for the rest of your career. How do you defeat her and escape with your career intact?
Gena: I would remind her that the bad guy usually does prevail in my books – sexy demon-possessed warriors who enjoy playing with knives and let nothing and no one cross them, end up walking away with the girl. And okay, yeah, by the end they’ve been tamed by true love, but they’re still demons. Meanwhile, my posse (Jill Monroe, Kresley Cole and PC Cast) would kick plan “Die Sorceress Die” into action. I’d tell you what that plan involves, but then the girls would kill me.
~~~Giveaway~~~
So who wants to win a copy of The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter? Thanks to Harlequin we have two copies to giveaway so there will be two winners! To enter, leave a comment here answering the following question:
You’re stranded on a desert island with Gena Showalter. An evil sorceress who claims to be Gena’s biggest fan demands that she rewrite her current manuscript so that the bad guy prevails or she’ll curse you both to grow tails and horns and you’ll become violently ill when you read romance novels. Do you:
- Tell Gena to rewrite the damn manuscript! You can deal with the tail and horns but no way are you giving up your romance novels
- Insist that Gena stand her ground against that bitch the evil sorceress while you secretly cross your fingers and hope her posse comes through with plan ”Die Sorceress Die”.
- Stare at both the evil sorceress and Gena like a deer caught in the headlights as sweat trickles down your temple and hope this is all a bad dream.
Giveaway is sponsored by Harlequin and open to addresses in the U.S. and Canada. Open until April 22, winner announced soon after.
About Catherine
B… for sure B all the way…
Ha…what a funny question…I would probably do the 3rd one and stand there like a scared little girl…but ideally I would like to be strong enough to do the 2nd one!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Katie
Katiewalthall AT ymail DOT com
Tell Gena to rewrite the damn manuscript! You can deal with the tail and horns but no way are you giving up your romance novels! I could never ever give up romance make me what u wish. At least then I can stay in doors and read my romance all ugly
who needs to look good when it comes to that?! Dhester23 at yahoo dot com
i would choose b. would not want her to rewrite her work. love gena’s work. keep writing the great books and thanks for the giveaway.
christinebails@yahoo.com
A of course. The bad guy can prevail, but that doesn’t mean the heroine can’t “influence” him and change the path he’s on. Must have my romance novels!
A) – because after we get off the island Gena can write the next book kicking the bad guys ass
!
I would definitely be answer choice (C) knowing myself but I would secretly be wishing I could react like answer choice (B). Lol
Please leave me out of this contest, I already have my copy. Gena is a must read for me. She was the first paranormal series that I read…so she has a special spot on my book shelf.
LOL, B but only after C
robin [at] intensewhisper [dot] com
A.Tell Gena to rewrite the damn manuscript! You can deal with the tail and horns but no way are you giving up your romance novels
(*You might as well just shoot me if I have to give up my romance novels!)
I just started reading this series, of course out of order. I will have stop reading them, and get all the issues so that I can read them in order.
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
I would want B. But in truth I would probably be a C.
bacchus76 at myself dot com
I’d go with “B” and hope that the girls come through for her!
A.Tell Gena to rewrite the damn manuscript! You can deal with the tail and horns but no way are you giving up your romance novels!!! Can’t live without my books!! What a fun question.
Must read book 1, what am I waiting for!?
I am safe and sound at the moment and feeling awfully brave. So, I choose B all the way. Until help arrives, Gena and I could encourage the evil sorceress to write her own story.
A, of course!
Sorry Gena, I vote for changing the manuscript!
I love this series so thanks for the great giveaway!
Definitely B. I have faith that her posse will rescue us.
I’d like to think B, but in truth I’m more like a C. Make it all go away! Great, funny question. I’d love to win the book
I’d definitely choose “C”. What do I know about these things? I’m just a lowly ready!
Tell Gena to rewrite the damn manuscript! You can deal with the tail and horns but no way are you giving up your romance novels. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com
I think I’d pick A. Tell Gena to rewrite the damn manuscript! You can deal with the tail and horns but no way are you giving up your romance novel. I would die if I didn’t have romance novels to read, so I’d do anything to prevent that.
Barbed1951 at aol dot com
I’d pick B even if it meant I could never read another romance novel again. But I’m pretty sure that her and her posse know exactly how to deal with an evil sorceress.
miarizzo at gmail dot com
B. No doubt!! Thanks for the giveaway
Hollybwright at comcast dot net
LOL too funny! I would definitely pick the second one because I would never give up and always have hope that the hunky Lords would come to our rescue and destroy the evil sorceress. Then have fun with them.
Thank you for this great giveaway!
Gena could make it work, no matter what. I would hope I would be the second choice, but it would more likely be the third.
C. Yep… I’d be C all the way. However, I’d want her to write it the sorceress’s way. Think about it… it might be an interesting book and the sorceress never said it couldn’t be a smexy romance too!
Great giveaway!! Thanks for the chance.
B. I love the writing too much for there to be any changes to the manuscript.
smccar1 at hotmail dot com
I’d go with A! Thanks for the opportunity!
C, or if I had to B.
Writing a book is like the birth of a new child to a writer, to alter it would be a sin! Although I can’t live without a good novel to read, I’ll go for B and take medication for the illness!!!!
Def B. With the imaginations of all the writers their plan would throw that sorceress off her feet.
Thanks for the review. I already own the book, but please do not enter me in the contest. I too was a bit disappointed with the last book, and while this one was better, I felt the “little things that bothered me” added up too quickly. I AM looking forward to Strider’s book – I think it’s going to be a riot!
B, definitely. I’d never ask an author to rewrite her work. That’d be like telling an artist to repaint the entire canvas because you wanted periwinkle blue instead of cerulean. Or something.
I haven’t read the LOTU series yet, but if they’re on audio, I’m thinking that’ll have to be my next addiction/distraction from work.
I’d love to win this one, since I’m currently longing for a print book in my hands again (in another phase where ebooks just aren’t doing it for me).
@twimom227: What were the little things that bothered you? I hope Strider’s book will be good. It definitely has potential.
I definitely would pick b.
marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com
I’ll probably go for B. I’m usually a pretty quiet person but threaten my romance and that bitch is going down!
Thanks for the giveaway!
whitewolfreads AT gmail DOT com
Great giveaway thank you so much I think I pick B! I can’t wait to read this book.
tishajean@ charter.net
I’d go with B. I’m thinking plan “Die Sorceress Die” would probably work out quite well.
answer B.
But, I don’t like when people mess with my friends, so I would probably be ready and willing to kick the witches bum!
Mrs. Kjovus
kjovus(at)gmail(dot)com
I hope I’d be strong enough for B…but in truth I’d probably choose A.
-Tessa
alyxandria_82(at)hotmail(dot)com
edit: Oh darn, I didn’t realize this giveaway isn’t open outside North-America. *sigh*
B of course! Don’t let that witch push you around! LOL
user1123 AT comcast DOT net
C -hope this is all a bad dream and vow never to eat chili and ice cream before bedtime again.
Oh my, B is the true answer-revenge is sweet> haha