"Grecian Gods, Titans, immortal warriors, hunters, oh my!"
Once upon a time, the Grecian Gods created warriors to
guard them. And these warriors were just as immortal as the
Gods who made them. Everything went swimmingly well until
the "box". You see, when the Gods gave the safekeeping of
the "box" to Pandora—excellent warrior she may have been—
our warriors became jealous and felt they should have been
given the honor. So, they decided to prove it by finding
and opening the box, thereby allowing all the demons
contained therein to escape. Not surprisingly, the Gods
were not pleased with this development and as punishment,
decreed the warriors would house the demons themselves
since the box was lost. Maddox—the hero of our story—ended
up with Violence and became the most dangerous of them all.
Lucien got Death and forever after smelled of roses. Torin
housed Disease and with one touch, could wipe out an entire
village, and so on and so forth. Well, with Violence inside
him, Maddox went a bit crazy and killed Pandora. And so he
ended up with another curse. Every night at midnight, Reyes—
keeper of Pain—would "kill" Maddox using the same method he
had with Pandora—a sword six times in his torso—at which
point, Lucien is forced to deliver Maddox to hell, where
his body would be consumed by flames over and over again
until the morning. When one of their number ended up killed
by a Hunter—mortal men who hunted them—the warriors split.
The group with Maddox ended up in Hungary in a castle and
this is where they live at the present time. Ashlyn Darrow, on the other hand, never had to endure these
types of torture, but that's not to say she's had an easy
life either. Her gift—or curse as she considers it—is to be
able to "hear" any conversations that have ever occurred in
the spot she is occupying. And she can understand whatever
is being said, regardless of language. At a very young age,
she was given into the care of the Institute since her
parents just couldn't handle her. Once there, she was
tested, poked and prodded and eventually came to work for
them. The only person she ever considered a friend is her
boss, Dr. McIntosh who read her fairytales when she was a
child in an effort to stop the voices in Ashlyn's head. So
Ashlyn grew up to become a very lonely adult, never having
friends or boyfriends, since they were afraid she
would "hear" something. On an assignment for Dr. McIntosh,
Ashlyn has heard there are either demons or angels in the
castle and she's decided to visit them and see if they can
help her somehow control the voices. So when covered in
blood, Maddox grabs her, Ashlyn is shocked by the silence.
Shocked and extremely pleased. Since it's close to
midnight, Maddox returns to the castle and his room, where
Reyes and Lucien end up chaining him to his bed and proceed
with the "curse". Ashlyn is horrified by what she sees them
doing and tries to save Maddox, only to wind up in the
dungeon. Is Ashlyn bait used by the Hunters? Will she betray the
warriors' location to them? The Gods have been overpowered
by the Titans. What are the Titans' plans for the warriors
now that they are in power? What are these feelings Maddox
has for Ashlyn and what will his demon do to her? Will
Maddox be able to keep Ashlyn, or will one of them—
including himself—kill her? THE DARKEST NIGHT is a fantastic, funny fantasy. Once
again, Gena Showalter firmly establishes why she's an auto-
buy author for me. Her ability to weave humor, sex and a
dangerous plot all together and come up with a good story
all ensure she will remain on this list. We have all these
warriors trying to reconcile themselves to living with
their particular demons—and all of them do suffer—plus the
additional curse Maddox, Reyes and Lucien have to endure
day in and day out. We have insane Hunters out to kill them
all. We have no idea what the Titans are planning. And then
we have Ashlyn, somehow trying to learn to control her gift—
something she still hasn't been able to do. She knows the
Institute won't give her up easily, but she really, really
wants to stay with Maddox—the one who gives her blessed
silence. The action is non-stop as I became caught up in
this story and couldn't wait to see how it all ended. This
is a series you do not want to miss!
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted April 25, 2008
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His powers -- Inhuman
His passion -- Beyond immortal . . .
All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member -- a man trapped in a hell of his own. Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction -- and a soul-shattering test of love . . . Though they carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive -- and unimaginably powerful . . . Don’t miss this incredible new paranormal series from Gena Showalter! Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
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