The Darkest Craving by Gena Showalter Also in this series: The Darkest Pleasure, The Darkest Kiss, The Darkest Whisper, The Darkest Passion, Burning Dawn
Series: Lords of the Underworld #10
Published by Harlequin HQN on July 30, 2013
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Fae, Demons
Pages: 472
Format: eBook
Source: Self Purchased
ISBN: 0373777752
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter is back with a breathtaking Lords of the Underworld tale about a warrior trapped by darkness and the woman determined to save him
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.
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
The Darkest Craving is the tenth book in the Lords of the Underworld series and you honestly can never go wrong with this author. I am not reading this in order of course because I still have a couple of books before this one I need to read but this was on sale on Amazon and honestly, of late, I have been such a mood reader and I was in such a mood for this goodie here. And Showalter always knows how to deliver a good story. And this book packed a punch at almost 500 pages. But if you have read this series or this book you know with the plot line, it needs that many pages for the story.
The Darkest Craving features two people who couldn’t be more opposite….Kane and Josephina. Kane is a Lord of the Underworld and carries within him the demon of disaster and has recently for weeks been under torture in some horrific ways even sexually in Hell. But then he is rescued by a fae princess who only asks one thing of him…..kill her. Now Kane has no intention of fulfilling that promise sensing the fear that lives within this woman who calls to him and is a threat to holding the key to destroying his demon. But when she is taken captive by her family and people, Kane will stop at nothing to protect her and bring justice to her after all the torment she has endured. Josephina may be a fae princess, her birth father being the king of the fae…..but her life has been hell. Her step sister is the one that is honored and every time she steps out of line ….she pays a heavy price for it. And now she just wants her torment and torture to end….until Kane has other plans for her.
He forced her head to tilt, taking more. Giving more. This time, bad memories were kept at bay. And there was no pain in the action—no pain at all, he realized, not that he would have cared. This woman…she chased the darkness away, showed him pleasure and light. Beauty.
The Darkest Craving is a WHOPPER of a read and its a heavy one, I am not going to lie. There are some difficult topics addressed such as rape and torture here so fair warning if those are triggers for you. If they are tread lightly with this one. But if you are familiar with this author’s work than you will have an understanding of why and how she implements these difficult issues in her books. But this is one of my favorite characteristics of Gena Showalter’s writing is how she portrays these elements and blends it so seamlessly into her stories. The Darkest Craving is a story that starts heavy ….you don’t get heavier in a story than the heroine wanting to die. And she is not an easy being to kill either. In fact, it’s fairly difficult to do so. But Kane sees something so worthy in her, something no one else ever has. And this is what instills a sense of hope for Josephina having been so tormented all of her life by her own family no less.
For the first time in her life, she’d felt alive. She’d had something to look forward to, something worth the hardships she faced.
I really found this story to be packed with so much beautiful raw material and this raw material is the romance. These two have NO clue what they are really doing or how a relationship will work. Kane is divided because he is drawn to Josephina and his demon wants her dead. She is the first woman to complete him and give him peace and is the first one he has ever known who could expel the demon from him. But he also has her volatile family to deal with and it might mean having a plan of deceit to save her. Now this isn’t your typical man saves the woman (although I have no issues with those plot lines) but both characters have such strengths and work together as a team and taking on the whole fae race is no easy feat. I was really captivated by this story because this pairing just won my heart so quickly especially when we see all that they overcome.
You, Tinker Bell, own me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. No line I wouldn’t cross. I love you so much I can barely see straight. I’m obsessed with you, addicted to you. I respect you, and I revere you
Overall I found The Darkest Craving to be a story a feels, packed with enough kick ass intensity to keep you on edge….and the perfect tones of sensuality to leave you breathless for more. True Delights!!!
About Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as young adult novels. Her series include White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, Otherworld Assassins, Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress and Intertwined.
Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated all over the world. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”.
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