Review – ‘The Darkest Kiss’ by Gena Showalter

Blurb 

She has tempted many men...but never found her equal. Until now.
Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of Anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death--a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.

But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining...

Review 

This is my second time reading this story and, like the first time, it’s not one of my favorites and I had to force my way through it. While I really the characters of Lucien and Anya (even though she can be  bitchy and not in a good way), I think the plot is a little boring and the pacing slow. There’s just too much globe-trotting and talking about unimportant things, not enough action, and the H/h are constantly lying and insulting one another. Lucien is covered in self-inflicted scars so he doesn’t think any woman will want him, so when Anya does want him, he doesn’t believe her and thinks she’s easy. The gorgeous and playful Anya suffers from a sex curse—she’s a virgin—but she acts easy so I understand why Lucien thinks this. Both characters have major insecurity issues and they don’t trust each other, but they argued more often than they made peace. It became frustrating after a while.

To me, the best parts of the book is when we read about the side characters, especially the bloodlust and pain Aeron suffers and how Paris meets his intended, Sienna. We’re also introduced to William for the first time and he’s one of my favorite characters in the series. Anyway, I cared more about these shorter storylines than the main plot.

Overall, it’s a good book with good characters, but the story is way too slow and hard to get through. The use of passive voice slows it down even more.

3 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.