The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld, Book 3)

This is the third in the Lords of the Underworld series and in my opinion the best so far. Reyes is the keeper of the demon of pain and every woman he's ever had sex with has he turned into a pain addicted shell of her former shelf. Danika is one of the Ford women who has been marked for death by Cronus(Titan head honcho)for no apparent reason. Reyes must find a way to be with Danika without hurting her and Danika must find a way to be with Reyes and still save her family. The story is well written and full of action and romance. If you liked the other two books you'll love this one as well. I highly recommend it!!

Ahh, the story we've been anticipating since The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld Book 1). (Ok, second most anticipated for me- I can't wait to read Torin's book!)

Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series centers around a group of immortals who are possessed with the demons who were once imprisoned in Pandora's Box.

In TDP, the story focuses on Reyes, The Keeper of Pain. Since the time that the former guards of the Gods killed Pandora and unleashed the demons of destruction each member has carried around their own personal demon. Neither can exist without the other. Reyes has lived with the urge to receive pain since the time the demon entered him. He can only receive pleasure through pain. As we've seen the first two novels- Reyes is constantly cutting himself to stay sane- the urge is that strong.

It goes way beyond that in this story. Not only does he cut himself, he commits violent acts of suicide on a regular basis- just to ease his torment. (Of course he's immortal so he never really dies, but you get the idea.)

He's learned that he cannot take a woman as well, because the urges the demon inside him inflicts on them leads them to inflict pain on those around them after he's gone from their lives.

Imagine his dilemma when he meets Danika- a woman he's been drawn to from the first time he lays eyes on her- no, even before that, because her scent had been luring him from the time she entered the Lords of the Underworlds' castle.

Of course he can't have her. To Reyes she is an angel he refuses to corrupt. And too, Aaron, one of his Underworld brothers and the Keeper of Wrath, has been ordered to kill Danika by Cronos, the newly made King of the Gods. Aaron has been driven insane by his desires and is no longer fighting the urge to kill, despite the fact he senses Danika and her family are innocents, and Reyes is torn between defending Danika or ending his friend's life.

No one knows exactly why Cronos wants them dead, least of all Danika- but by the end of the tale everything has come to light and Danika finds she is more than she ever dreamed she could be. In more ways than one.

I'm just having a blast with this series! Not overly complicated, they are like crack candy to me- irresistible, quickly consumed, and just as addicting!

I liked The Darkest Pleasure better than the last one (The Darkest Kiss), mostly because I liked the heroine so much more. (Danika's smart, vulnerable, and courageous- and though frightened she's determined to never be ill-prepared again.)

Be warned, what Reyes endures to receive his pleasure is almost icky- one scene in particular. But, thankfully, none of that really entered their bedroom- and he has some of the most romantic lines in the series thus far!

Gena Showalter just keeps on getting better and better with her extraordinary Lords of the Underworld paranormal series for HQN in Book #3, THE DARKEST PLEASURE (July 2008). In the Lords Of the Underworld's Budapest fortress, Reyes is always hurting himself since Pain is his constant companion. Centuries ago, Reyes and his fellow immortal warriors let all the demons of the world out of Pandora's Box and Reyes ended up being the Keeper of Pain. In Los Angeles, Danika Ford is in disguise, broke and working at a greasy diner to try to escape the Lords, who had previously kidnapped her, her sister, mother and grandmother in Budapest and then let them go. However, Aeron, the Keeper of Wrath, has been ordered by Cronus, the King of the Gods, to kill them because they might know too much. So Danika and her relatives were forced to split up and flee for their lives. Meanwhile, Reyes, who is enamored of Danika, has imprisoned Aeron so he will not murder her. Unfortunately the Lords aren't the only ones who are after Danika, since the evil Hunters want to find her to help them destroy the Lords. When Reyes hears the Hunters have captured Danika he goes to her rescue, kills some Hunters and brings her back to Budapest. Unbelievably Danika seems to have a calming effect on his Demon Pain. The only problem is Reyes can't make love without there being pain involved because his demon finds it pleasurable. In the meantime, the other Lords are out searching the globe for the three remaining artifacts: the All-seeing Eye, the Cloak of Invisibility and the Paring Rod, they need to find Pandora's Box that will put an end to their demon curses. Will Danika be able to save her family and still remain with Reyes and what about her strange visions and paintings she creates? And poor Paris, Keeper of Promiscuity, who has made love to countless women but is pining for the only one who has ever rejected him and is lost to him forever? THE DARKEST PLEASURE is the ultimate pleasurable paranormal romance not only for its amazingly clever plot twists, its delightfully witty dialogue but also for its infinitely touching love story between the dark tortured, Reyes and the angelic feisty, Danika, who's finally able to tame him and his inner demon!

I was so looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint. You know the main story so far so I won't give those. This is such a heart renching series of books and one of the best I've ever read. To me there is nothing sexier in a man when he is obsessed with a women that he cares about and will do anything to keep her safe and happy. Danika is running for her life and Reyes will do anything to keep her safe, even if that means locking up Wrath, which was sooo hard for him to do.
It was just so moving how much they both cared for each other and were willing to do whatever for the other, even if it was something really hard for them. Like she knew he needed pain even when they were being intimate and she didn't know if she could, but she wanted to for him. This is such a wonderful series and can't wait for Paris and the rest of the gang.

Great as a continuation of the series. Great on its own. Look forward to the next book........So far I have liked all 3 books in the series.