The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Lords of the Underworld – Book 10

About the book: Released July 30, 2013

Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him—a beast he’s determined to kill, no matter the price.

Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy—her royal family—and Kane is her only source of protection. He’s also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart…or die together.

Review:

I’m not quite sure where to begin with this review. To say I’ve been looking forward to Kane’s book would be a gross understatement. He’s been trapped in hell, literally, for quite a while. He endured horrible torture and was rescued, not by the Lords, but a half-human, half-Fae woman. Okay, she does have the power to absorb others’ powers, which makes her very powerful, if only for a brief time. And once she gets him out of hell, a couple of the Lords do show up and take him back to the fortress, only to have Kane obsess over the petite Josephina. His demon, Disaster, rebels when Kane thinks of Josephina as his, but that doesn’t quell his overwhelming feelings of finding her. Once he makes his decision (which is heartbreaking) to leave and find her, William decides to accompany him to aid in his quest.

There are a couple of factions in play. There is a Phoenix hunting Josephina (Tinker Bell or Tink as Kane has nicknamed her) and her Fae family. She has escaped the Fae realm with her own quest…..to die. And, Kane had promised to kill her when she rescued him in hell, but Kane didn’t count on developing feelings for her. Seems she is the one who has to take the punishment that her father, the king of the Fae, doles out to his other, “legitimate”, daughter when said daughter commits a punishable offense.

Once Kane, and William, find Tink and enter into the Fae realm, Kane discovers just how horrid she is treated there. The queen despises her due to the fact that she is the daughter of one of the king’s mistresses, who died a long time ago. Instead of having a life of luxury like her other siblings, Tink is a servant to the royal family and is shunned at every turn. That does not sit well with Kane. The Lords are revered in the Fae realm and Kane is treated like royalty. Once the king decides that Kane will marry Tink’s half sister, Kane manipulates the situation so that no more harm will come to Josephina and has her, basically, turned over to his care. Kane, at first, has every intention in marrying the king’s daughter, but soon decides that that will never happen. His growing feelings for Tink, and hers for him, have him scrambling for some sort of resolution. And, what a resolution it is.

I liked Darkest Craving. The rub with that? I usually LOVE Showalter’s books. I was so so happy that we got to see a lot of the other Lords and their mates in this book. And, William. He plays a big part in Kane’s story, as do his “kids”, Red, Black, Green and White. Loved the banter between he and Kane.

However, the banter between Kane and Josephina was almost juvenile. I don’t quite know how to describe it. It was just…..lacking. It did get better towards the end of the book, but I was so worn out by then, I was just ready for it to be over. Where I normally read a LOTU book in a night or two, it took me several to get through this one. There are subplots going on as well. Torin, keeper of Disease, and Cameo, keeper of Misery, have things going on throughout this book, and while I know that she did it to build up to her next book, it fell short for me. Literally left me scratching my head wondering what in the hell was going on. Showalter’s writing style has changed over the past year. Whereas I don’t read these books for the sex, the fact that they don’t consummate their relationship until page 316 didn’t work for me. You get used to an author’s writing and storytelling style, and when they veer off from that, it is a letdown. At least for me it is. Don’t get me wrong, there were some great scenes in this book and we get to see what’s going on with the others as well, which is always a plus in my book. But I just expected more from Kane after having been trapped in hell for so long.

All in all, it was a good book, but not great for me. It is a necessary read in the continuation of the storyline due to things that happen that can be a game changer for the others whom yet to have their story told. Showalter has a huge fan base, and I know that as some of you read this review, you’ll totally disagree with me. That’s the beauty of reviews, in my humble opinion. We all read the same thing and come away with something different. Unfortunately, I came away feeling slighted.

Reviewed by Vickie M.