Heart of Darkness (Includes: Lords of the Underworld, #4.5)

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Heart of Darkness (Lords of the Underworld #4.5)

by Gena Showalter, Maggie Shayne, Susan Krinard

4.07 · rating details · 2,364 ratings · 189 reviews

From the masters of paranormal romance, three brand-new tales of seduction...

"The Darkest Angel" by Gena Showalter

"A Lords of the Underworld tale"

An iron-willed demon assassin, the angel Lysander has never known lust--until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of Lucifer, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the pure-hearted Lysan

...more

Mass Market Paperbound, 336 pages

Published January 1st 2010 by Harlequin Books (first published December 15th 2009)

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Aug 16, 2011

Debbie rated it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, anthology, still-reading

Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
Part of the elite seven (Angels that destroy all those who break heavenly laws), Lysander was watching the Lords of the Underworld when he saw her. As Harpies went, Bianka Skyhawk was fascinating, feeling the need to keep her safe, keep her from doing anything that might make him have to destroy her, he whisked her to his home in heaven. Being trapped in a cloud was a new on Bianka, never been to heaven, but she had to get back to her sisters and being trap...moreDarkest Angel by Gena Showalter
Part of the elite seven (Angels that destroy all those who break heavenly laws), Lysander was watching the Lords of the Underworld when he saw her. As Harpies went, Bianka Skyhawk was fascinating, feeling the need to keep her safe, keep her from doing anything that might make him have to destroy her, he whisked her to his home in heaven. Being trapped in a cloud was a new on Bianka, never been to heaven, but she had to get back to her sisters and being trapped was not ideal because of the curse that Harpies had to live with, or in this case may die because if she couldn’t eat. Angel or not, Lysander was fighting himself on what to do with her and about her, but he never meant to harm her.
***** Love the Lords and this is one good short story to add to it. Gena Showalter has added the humor with the Harpies that some of the books have not had. Lysander is the perfect show of balance between good and evil, he is strong and knows what he is and how he should act, until he is confronted with who he really is and how he wants to continue.

Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne
A group of boys (Mark, David, Brad and Kevin) bored set out to do the town a ‘favor’ by getting rid of an eye sore. Burning down the Muller place ended with the death of Sierra Terrence, the girl David had always liked. Twenty-two years later, the boys had paid the price for their crimes but after Mark suffers a terrible accident all the boys get together only to learn that Mark believes Sierra is back to get them all. Terrible dreams of being burned alive sent Sara Jensen to the small town in Maine after she finds out that the house she has been burning in really did burn with a young girl in it. Not knowing who to talk to or what to say, Sara wonders the town, not meaning to hurt anyone.
***** Great story, this is the type that I wish was longer. There was too many characters for a short novella but they were all so good. Really wish this one was longer.
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Jun 16, 2010

Shawna rated it

Recommends it for: LOTU fans

Shelves: anthologies-novellas, gena-showalter, susan-krinard, maggie-shayne, pnr-angeldemon-fae-magic-witch-misc, series-lords-of-the-underworld, 2010-reads, captive-kidnapped-hostage-slave, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, firefighter-paramedic-emt, friends-to-lovers, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-addict-excon-lawtrouble-thief, hero-beta, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta, hero-or-heroine-exotic, hero-celibate-virgin-virginesque, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, heroine-kickass-spirited-strong, heroine-i-adore, humorous-at-times-or-fluffy-fun, i-read-no-longer-own-sold-swapped, offlimits-bf-likekidsister-jailbait, quick-read-romance, reunions-are-sweeter-second-chances, revenge-deception-secrets, scifi-futuristic-fantasy-misc-pnr, favorite-romance-series, small-town-lovin, exotic-wild-settings-survivor-lovin, historical-romance-victorian, hh-warrior, 4-stars, greek-egyptian-misc-mythology, paranormal-romance, brothers-sisters-cousins-family

4 stars – Paranormal Romance Anthology

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter is Lords of the Underworld story #4.5 that takes place between The Darkest Whisper and The Darkest Passion and tells the tale of innocent, pure-hearted warrior angel Lysander, a demon assassin, who finds himself led into temptation by naughty, fun-loving, bad girl Harpy Bianka. It’s only a 140 pages, but it’s a smokin’ HOT story with lots of laughs and a sweet HEA. It’s worth reading for the hilarious and se...more

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Mar 26, 2010

Wendy (V-Lishous) rated it

Shelves: gena-showalter, paranormal-scifi-romance, pub-2010, anthology, i-own, 2010-reads, part-of-a-series

I'm only giving this a 3 because it is an anthology.

Gena's story was very good. An Angel and a Harpy, how could it not be, but entirely too short.

Maggie Shayne's story was very good. I'd never read anything by her and I did enjoy her way of writing. The story pulled me in.

Susan Krinard's story just didn't do it for me at all. I understood where she was going with it but the way it was written was confusing. She had many characters that she would go back ...more

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Nov 27, 2011

Jessi rated it

I'll read anything in the Lords of the Underworld Universe (Gena Showalter), and the LOTUW short in this anthology didn't disappoint. Lysander was wonderful, and Bianka was mischievous yet vulnerable. I really enjoyed the theme of sin versus virtue and good versus evil. I read on in the series and then came back to this story. It was fine reading it our of order. I highly recommend The Darkest Angel.

But for me, the star of the Heart of Darkness anthology was Love me to Death. T...more

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Nov 14, 2011

Jill rated it

The Darkest Angel was the reason I read this book but actually my least favorite of all the stories in this anthology. This story is about Gwen's (from The Darkest Whisper) sister Bianka and Lysander the Angel. Lysander finds himself fascinated by Bianka and can't resist stanching her. He hopes a little time with her will cure him of his fascination but we all know that isn't going to happen.

The best part of this story is the introduction of Olivia who is the Angel that seem enthralled...more

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Oct 06, 2011

Monica Vidal rated it

I effing loved this book. Bianka is fun from the first page to the last. She is like a role model to follow: confident, sexy, beautiful, funny, confortable in her own skin and that kind of girl who knows who she is and embraces it. I LOOOOOOOVED her. Her romance with Lysander is so funny to watch, cause the angel struggles and try so hard to resist her, but ultimates cave in, cause, duh...who could resist Bianka?

And what to say about Lysander and Paris oil-wrestling dressed in loinc...more

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Aug 28, 2010

Monica rated it

Shelves: reviewed

The Darkest Angel
I have been feinding for a 'Lords' story for awhile now, and I definitely was not disappointed. Gena Showalter has a very specific writing style, I could recognize it even without knowing she wrote it, and that's an awesome thing, in my opinion. I loved this story, it was sweet, sizzling hot and just cute. I am glad Gena Showalter is expanding her characters as well...we now have sexy angels, and probably more demons to play with. Great story, loved the entire thing. ★ ★ ★ ...more

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Jun 04, 2010

Mιss •kαthєяίиє• rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, vampires, paranormal-books

It is not fair that in the book were included others apart from the darkest Angel by Gena Showalter, because my rating is far too much for them.

The Darkest Angel --> This book definately earns its place at the Lords of the Underworld series. The Story is about Bianka, Gwen's sister, and Lysander, an angel.
For Lysander, Bianka is his one temptetion, something that can lead him to his fall. So he thinks about the perfect plan to prevent his fall. To make Bianka fro a sinful ...more

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May 22, 2010

Emily rated it

Shelves: reviewed-books

Ooooookay. Let me start off with a little more information that will be helpful in deciding whether or not to read this or not. First, Gena Showalter's story in this book, titled The Darkest Angel, is a part of her Lords of the Underworld series and I'll admit was the big attraction to this book for me. The Darkest Angel was by far the strongest story in the book, so that's a good thing.

The Darkest Angel is the story of Lysander, an angel, and Bianka, a Harpy, who we met in the last ...moreOoooookay. Let me start off with a little more information that will be helpful in deciding whether or not to read this or not. First, Gena Showalter's story in this book, titled The Darkest Angel, is a part of her Lords of the Underworld series and I'll admit was the big attraction to this book for me. The Darkest Angel was by far the strongest story in the book, so that's a good thing.

The Darkest Angel is the story of Lysander, an angel, and Bianka, a Harpy, who we met in the last book. The story introduces us to Olivia and sheds some more light on the angel/demon side plot that started to pick up speed in the last book and looks like it will be taking center stage in the near future. If you haven't read any of the other Lords of the Underworld books then this is not the place to start reading since it's definitely assumed that you're familiar with the characters and their adventures from previous stories. That's not a bad thing, though, and except for a few occasional lapses into the realm of ridiculous it was all in fun and I enjoyed this story quite a bit. According to the page at the end, the schedule for release for the next few Lords books is as follows:
Into the Dark- May 2010
The Darkest Passion- June 2010
The Darkest Lie- July 2010
That's definitely good news, and will have to hold me over, because the other two stories in the book do not inspire happy feelings in my brain.
Grade for The Darkest Angel: A-

Story number two was Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne and was my first experience with Maggie Shayne's stories. While the writing was good and the setting for the story was well-developed for the short amount of space there was, I didn't find myself really caring about what happened in the story at all. It may be because ghost stories have never really rung my bell, but the whole idea of a group of dudes who were friends in high school, did time for supposedly killing a girl, and ended up being best friends in a community that pretty much welcomed them back with open arms after the whole debacle was finished just gave me the heebie-jeebies. There are some twists and turns that make the story slightly more palatable, but only slightly. I doubt I will be reading more from this author in the future.
Grade for Love Me to Death: C-

Story number three was Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard and it was here that the book really went for broke in the WTF olympics. The book is set in London in 1890 and features a duchess who believes she's the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian princess. Or is it a goddess? I needed a flow chart to keep track of what was going on this story so I can honestly say I have no idea. There's a scholarly dude who decides that he's going to "help" her since obviously everyone else thinks she's just nuttier than the proverbial fruitcake. Things get even more convoluted when it becomes apparent that (spoilers ahead if for some reason you care) they are all reincarnations of ancient Egyptians of varying levels of power and prestige. Some of them are reincarnations of bad dudes though, which means there are adventures before the story is finally over. Honestly, at this point I was struggling to finish the story. I found myself wonder if the characters had collectively hit their heads or if there was a gas leak or something. Squick.
Grade for Lady of the Nile: D

The nice thing about these story anthologies is that you can test-drive different authors and characters without investing in a full length novel or in a series. If you're a fan of the Lords of the Underworld series, get this book from the library and read Gena Showalter's story; leave the other two well enough alone.

Overall Grade for the book: C-

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Feb 26, 2010

Elyzia rated it

This was a great book, the three stories in it were really good.

The Showalter story, The Darkest Angel, was amazing. Lysander, an angel, a very powerful angel at that meets Bianka, which fans of Lords of the Underworld will remember from Sabin's book, she is Gwen's sister. Both of these characters were perfect for each other. They are both strong and very determined. The story is hot and non stop.... Even Paris, whom I love, makes an appearance, and there is a oil wrestling scene, yum...more

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Feb 11, 2010

Cindy rated it

Good anthology - I really liked the Gena Showalter story and the Susan Krinard story was a good read-once - but the Maggie Shayne story [although well written:] was not one I enjoyed.

The Darkest Angel is the story of the harpy Bianka [sister of the heroine in the last book:] who finds her consort, Lysander, who is a warrior angel. He sees Bianka as 'evil' since she does bad things - without realizing that she ONLY does them to bad people. Bianka sees him [correctly:] as a sanctimonio...more

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Sep 16, 2011

Deanna rated it

**ONLY REVIEWED THE DARKEST ANGEL BY GENA SHOWALTER, I WILL COME BACK LATER AND READ THE OTHER TWO STORIES**

Fast approaching the wedding of Gwen and Sabin (our lovers from The Darkest Whisper), Gwen’s twin sisters, Bianka and Kaia, are at home doing some of their favorite things, getting drunk and throwing themselves off icy cliffs. Little do either of them know they are being watched by the angel Lysander who’s mainly focused on Bianka. You see, Lysander has figured out that Biank...more**ONLY REVIEWED THE DARKEST ANGEL BY GENA SHOWALTER, I WILL COME BACK LATER AND READ THE OTHER TWO STORIES**

Fast approaching the wedding of Gwen and Sabin (our lovers from The Darkest Whisper), Gwen’s twin sisters, Bianka and Kaia, are at home doing some of their favorite things, getting drunk and throwing themselves off icy cliffs. Little do either of them know they are being watched by the angel Lysander who’s mainly focused on Bianka. You see, Lysander has figured out that Bianka is his one temptation that can end him as an angel and he has decided to make it his mission to save her wicked soul or end her life. So he abducts her and takes her to his home in heaven.

There were so many things that I enjoyed about this novella…Bianka is very feisty. I loved that she stayed true to herself throughout the entire book. She has mischief up her sleeve and I can completely see why her and Anya, the goddess of Anarchy, get along so well.

However, the main thing that hit my soft-spot buttons, in more ways than one, was our lovely angel. Oh Lysander, the innocent, sexy, muscular, angel. I loved him, he is the epitome of a virgin!!! He’s never desired a woman, he’s never pleasured himself, he’s never even had a hard on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was in shock. I have a weakness for male virgins. I realize that most people in our day and age are not virgins when they meet the person they are going to marry and spend the rest of their life with…but there is just something about an innocent man who rev’s my engine! Mr. Lysander however starts to desire Bianka and when she kisses him, in her attempts to be let go, he has his first real physical sensation of desire. Rawr.

These two play a lot of cat and mouse with each other. They are almost complete opposites always trying to get the other to be just like themselves. It’s like the never-ending battle. However, get these two in the bedroom and sparks are flying. I know my face was flushing reading their sex scenes, of course it went back to him being so innocent and having all of these first experiences with her. I liked how they both ended up claiming “mine” in their thinking process about each other, but I enjoyed how it wasn’t repeated over and over and OVER again throughout the book. While I love that about the Lords, if it was the same way in every book I could see that becoming a bit too much.

We actually get to meet the angel who has been watching Aeron. Legion had told him it was an angel who was watching him, and it is, and I can’t wait to see how his book unfolds…which is NEXT by-the-way!

The ending of the book was blissful for me! I had gone back and forth on what I should rate this but once that ending hit I knew it had to be a four star. If you are a fan of the Lords of the Underworld, check this book out! It was a fun read and a little longer novella so it fills up a bit more time and gives you some very nice smut…of course, you wouldn’t expect anything less from Ms. Gena Showalter, would you?!?!?!

P.S. Maddox and Ashlyn’s pregnancy was mentioned very briefly at the end of this novella. It was about the baby and it made me VERY nervous!!!! Please don’t let it be anything bad, I can’t stand the thought of something going wrong with this couples pregnancy…I care about them too much. (less)

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May 19, 2010

Vanessa theJeepDiva rated it

Shelves: 2010, paranormal-romance

The Darkest Angel gets 5 stars. Bridesmaids dressed as Southern Belles on crack, a demon with a tiara glued to her scaly scalp & Paris in a loin cloth oil wrestling need I say more. The story of Bianka & Lysander was sweet. I loves it when complete opposites get their HEA.

Love Me to Death gets 5 stars. A murdered teen gets her justice through another while bringing her into her soul mates life through dreams. The 5 teens who thought they were responsible find out after 22 years are r...more

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Jul 20, 2010

Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, anthology, lords-of-the-underworld

3 story anthology
"The Darkest Angel" by Gena Showalter - 4 stars - This was a fabulous tale set in Gena's Lords of the Underworld series. The primary characters are Lysander, a heavenly angel, and Bianka, a wicked Harpy. We met Bianka in a previous novel. Their story is fun! The romance is wonderful and the novella sets up some of the story line for her next novel. This is a must read for any Lord fans.
"Love Me to Death" by Maggie Shayne - 3.5 stars - This is the tale of ...more

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Aug 16, 2010

Sarah rated it

Shelves: 2010, vampire-supernatural, romance

I originally only bought this because it contained a short novella by Gena Showalter and I was curious to read Bianka and Lysander's story. And, it really didn't disappoint. I don't really like short stories since I like reading things in which the plot and characters really develop which is hard to do in a short story, but I think Showalter did an excellent job in overcoming that problem.

Maggie Shayne's story Love Me to Death was good too, but not as good as Showalter's story (thou...more

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Jan 08, 2012

Kathy rated it

Shelves: fantasy-romance, demon, mythologhy-base

look for susan krinard books, not on emedia though - have read them all

The Darkest Angel - Gena Showalter

a story of angels and demons, and grey areas. Lysander is One of the Elite angels - dispensing justice, serving the One True Deity, doing his job well... but he has found ihs one temptation, the one thing that can make him a fallen angel... Bianka Skyhawk, a minor demon (granddad is Lucifer)... she is beautiful, and Lysander can't stay away from her... He decides to k...morelook for susan krinard books, not on emedia though - have read them all

The Darkest Angel - Gena Showalter

a story of angels and demons, and grey areas. Lysander is One of the Elite angels - dispensing justice, serving the One True Deity, doing his job well... but he has found ihs one temptation, the one thing that can make him a fallen angel... Bianka Skyhawk, a minor demon (granddad is Lucifer)... she is beautiful, and Lysander can't stay away from her... He decides to kidnap her and trap her in his home in the clouds, to train her to do good... His home in the clouds is interesting - ask for anything and it will obey - and he order the house to give her what she asks within reason, but not allowingher to leave....but things don't work quite that easily... when he leaves her alone, and returns a week later she is starving - demons are cursed to only eat food they have stolen or earned - so he makes it clear that all the food is his, and any she eats she will have stolen... She realizes that he doesn't want her to touch him... so she does... they go back and forth, struggling for control, but getting closer to one another... and they finally marry... (she only steals from bad people who deserves it.) ahhhh

Love me to Death - Maggie Shayne
Background - 5 teenage boys, dumped by their girls, drinking on the lawn of the old Muller house... they decide to make a malatolf cocktail and burn down the house (so one of the boy's mother will stop embarrassing him as she has made =it her goal to get it restored)... they draw straws, and David is the one to throw it... at first it looks like it didn't work, but then a fire starts up and they run away... the next day at school, firemen come to school & say a fire was started and Sierra had run away and was hidden in the house and died in the fire... David fesses up... the other 4 do too... they spend a year in juvenile detention... and 12 years later they have made lives for themselves, have stayed good friends, all feel still feel the guilt of Sierra's death... David has become a firefighter...

and Sara Jensen, and orphan, an artist = has been having dreams, dreams of dying in a fire & 5 boys who are outside but don't hear her calling for help... and she draws the house she sees over and over... and one of her friends recognize it as the Muller home, so Sara goes to the town to investigate... Sara is apparently the carrying the spirit of Sierra, and looks just like her - she goes to speak to one of the 5, and he is scared, running out to the street and gets hit by a car - bringing the other 4 back to town... then out the window, another has a heart attack when he sees Sara (who is trying to get the nerve to knock on the door)... and David goes to track her...

And they figure out Sierra is calling out for resolution... her father killed her mother and buried her... and Sara can find the burial spot, they can go to the police, and all is wood.

Lady of the Nile
susan Krinard

A bit confusing of a story - as Leo & Tameri come to believe they are the reincaration of two egyptians who had volunteered to be enclosed in a tomb and part of a ritual so that gods spouses Asar and Aset can inhabit their bodies and fight the evil god Sutekh... but Sutekh interupted the ritual... and Leo & Tameri and Sutekh are incarnated in 1890, to try again to defeat Sutekh... and Tameri accepts her reincarnation more readily than Leo - but ... they join, the gods join them... and they do not need to surrender their whole identities - they cohabit in the 2 bodies. hmmmm(less)

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Mar 21, 2010

Elaine rated it

I have been trying to read Heart of Darkness, an anthology, for the last 10 days. I made it to page 38, and I'm calling it a fail. It has three authors: Gena Showalter, Maggie Shayne and Susan Krinard.

The first story is The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter. It is unbearably slow and boring. The lead hero (?) comes across as mildly retarded to me. I get it, he's an Angel and he's never had these kinds of emotions before, however, he has seen others have sex, but doesn't get his di...more

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Dec 15, 2011

Kelly rated it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, read-in-2011, physical-books

Anthologies are always hit or miss with me and yet I keep reading them. In this case, I had to read the Lords of the Underworld story. HAD TO. It's like an addiction. A dirty, shameful "have to read all the stories in a series" addiction. I'm actually okay with it. *nods*

So... The Darkest Angel. Quite frankly, I loved it. Bianka was fleshed out from the previous book and, lo and behold, she's not as terrible as you might have been led to believe. Yeah, she's feisty...more

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May 21, 2011

Samantha rated it

Shelves: anthology, paranormal-romance, hero-is-an-angel

This is a collection of three short stories. Overall, the only really good one was Gena Showalter’s.

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter is up first. This story takes place in her Lords of the Underworld series. It doesn’t have much to do with the Lords though. They mostly just had some cameos with a bit of explanation of what has happened to them in previous books. In fact, eliminating their presence in the story probably would have made it flow together better.

The actu...moreThis is a collection of three short stories. Overall, the only really good one was Gena Showalter’s.

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter is up first. This story takes place in her Lords of the Underworld series. It doesn’t have much to do with the Lords though. They mostly just had some cameos with a bit of explanation of what has happened to them in previous books. In fact, eliminating their presence in the story probably would have made it flow together better.

The actual plot follows an angel, Lysander, who falls in love with a harpy named Bianka. Lysander feels an attraction to Bianka that he has never felt before. This leads him to believe that she is his temptation to fall. So he kidnaps her with the intention of turning her away from the dark side. However, Bianka has no intention of letting an overbearing angel change her. So she does everything in her power to annoy the crap out of him until he decides to release her.

One thing that I really disliked about this story was how the conflict of Lysander being ashamed of Bianka was resolved. It came out of nowhere. We never saw any evidence in the rest of the story to support the turning point that Showalter inserts near the end. It made the ending feel rushed and like a cop-out. All in all though, I really enjoyed this story. The best part is how seamlessly Showalter merges Greek and Angel mythology together. Her world building for her angels was interesting and I only wish we could’ve explored that more.
Individual rating: 4/5

Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne is up next and it was by far the worst out of the three. This one bored me to death. It started off like a Stephen King story where a group of grown men get back together in the small town where something traumatizing happened to them as teens. That traumatizing event is that in high school they accidently burnt down a building resulting in a girl their age being killed. But now they’ve all been visited by the dead girl who each believes is her ghost out for revenge. If this was a King story the ghost would really be after them and the rest of the story would read like It. However this is a romance, so really it’s the reincarnation of the girl the boys killed. She’s been having dreams about her past life and comes to the small town for answers. Through doing this, she scares the crap out of the men and accidents occur until the hero of the story chases her down and demands answers. This story just really did not hold my attention at all. The characters were dull and the plot was extremely rushed. I have the feeling this could have been a much better full length story. Where Shayne would have had time to flesh out the characters and take her time drawing out the suspense of the mystery and ghost story.
Individual rating: 2

Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard is the last story in the series. It wasn’t bad, but it just felt out of place in this anthology. It’s a historical paranormal romance. Lady Tameri believes she’s the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian princess. Leo, an archeologist, is hell bent on saving her from her delusions. Leo’s reasoning for sticking his nose in Tameri’s business is that he had a relative who had similar delusions to Tameri who killed himself after being unable to convince anyone of his past life. Believing that he can save Tameri from that same fate, he sets out to help her under the guise of his willingness to be convinced that she really is an Egyptian Princess. This was a pretty smooth story. Krinard uses Egyptian mythology fairly well throughout and the characters are interesting. There’s also an interesting antagonist who keeps things from getting dull.
Individual rating: 3/5
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Dec 23, 2009

FictionVixen rated it

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter

Lysander, is a very serious, down to business demon slaying angel. He has never experienced desire or lust and that’s just fine with him. Things like that are messy, and distracting according to the warrior angel. Until the day he discovered Bianka, his true temptation.

Bianka is a spunky little Harpy who is unknowingly driving Lysander crazy. Naughty by nature she’s lusty, likes to get drunk, and has a mischievous personality.
...more

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May 27, 2010

Trissa White rated it

Recommended to Trissa by: Luvmyfamily

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 19, 2010

Leah, Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Yeah rated it

Shelves: author-gena-showalter, 5-stars, series-lords-of-the-underworld, scars-and-tats-and-piercings-oh-my, thats-some-funny-shit, anthology

Let me start out saying that all three of the stories in this anthology are incredible. I honestly didn't think I was going to like the Maggie Shayne and Susan Krinard stories as much as I did, but I knew that I was going to love Gena Showalter's story. All of the stories appealed to me in different ways, but in saying that, I have to say that Gena's story, "The Darkest Angel," was still my favorite. I love the relationship between Lysander and Bianka and loved watching it develop. The...more

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Jun 12, 2010

Rachel added it

True, by this time it was not a blank space any more. It had got filled
since my boyhood with rivers and lakes and names. It had ceased to be
a blank space of delightful mystery--a white patch for a boy to dream
gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness. But there was in it
one river especially, a mighty big river, that you could see on the map,
resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its
body at rest curving afar over a vast country...more

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Apr 06, 2011

marjorie rated it

wow i loved this story of lysander and bianka so much it made me want to go back through the LOU series. i would give this story alone 5 stars unfortunately it was paired with two other stories that didn't come close to being as good as gena's story. i do wish she would not put her stories in with other authors works that are so dissimilar to her own. i'm not saying the other two books weren't any good they were just so different that they were hard to swallow. they weren't the paranormal ki...more

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Oct 05, 2011

Elena *Phade* G. rated it

so this is based on the darkest angel. i didnt think i was gonna give it 5 stars at 1st but once i finished it, i couldnt give it any less than 5. bianca is hilarious as hell, and indeed very naughty. total role model material. well at least for me. and lysander, he is just hubba hubba yum. a lil uptight, but no worries. bianca fixes that. and lord have mercy, him and paris, draped on only loin clothes, covered in oil and wrestling?? *falls over dead* yeah, that was beyond hot. major props to bi...more

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Aug 03, 2011

Sarah Spiegel rated it

Shelves: paranormal, romance

Disclaimer: I only read "The Darkest Angel." loved it though- finally get to see Lysander away from his "job." We've had a chance to meet the Skyhawk sisters and learn their quirks and personalities but Lysander was largely an unknown until this. I love the way the short was written: battle of the wills leading to the inevitable realization of love between two vastly different people. Fun, quick read that helps supplement the Lords of the Underworld series.

Unless y...more

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Jul 28, 2011

Alisha rated it

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own

OMG, I really love this book, and it was really good.. I think Bianka was a little brat, about men that is for sure. Anyhow Lysander is a really good person and I think they can work there relantionship work out.. They are so good together, and they love each other.. I think it is funny that Paris and Lysander was oil wrestling it was really funny, that was really good part, I never in my life cryed and laugh at the same time.. really good book and I can't wait to get the others when they come o...more

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Aug 28, 2010

Lucy rated it

Darkest Angel, LOTU 4.5, is the reason I read this anthology. The other two stories didn't work for me, but I truly enjoyed this one. Lysander is an angel, and he is so stuffy and goody-goody that I wanted something to happen to him. Bianka, a harpy descended from Lucifer, is his temptation, and she is what happened to him. She is a wonderful character, lying, cheating, stealing, yes, but only from the "bad guys". He is so straightforward, and she thinks in curves. They balance e...more

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Oct 15, 2011

Melodie rated it

Shelves: paranormal, series, good-read

I've only read The Darkest Angel out of the entire book. Just because I love the Lord of the Underworld series and doesn't want to miss out on anything. I love this introduction to the angels which leads into the next story perfectly. The little titbits about Olivia made me want to cry for her and now I can't wait to dig into the book #5.

Lysander is absolutely adorable!! He is an angel and a fierce warrior yet he exuded this childlike naivety. Bianka is so wicked and funny that I just...more

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Feb 17, 2011

♥ Sarah ♥ rated it

Shelves: angels, gods-goddesses, anthologies, ilb, paranormal-romance

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter: (4.5 stars)
(Lords of the Underworld, #4.5)
Read February 16, 2011
This is a novella that takes place after book four, The Darkest Whisper, in the Lords of the Underworld series. I really like this series so this is why I picked up this small anthology.

In this story, an angel named Lysander has been watching Bianka. Bianka is a Harpy and Gwen's sister (from the previous book). Lysander is set out to take on Bianka as a "project"...more

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About Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27 and now, four years later, is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirteen books, with eleven more on the way in a thrilling blend of genres: breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy.

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The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld, #1)

The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld, #2)

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

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, #4)

The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld, #5)

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title link	preview: Heart of Darkness
avg rating	preview: Heart of Darkness Goodreads rating: 4.07 (2364 ratings)
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Heart of Darkness (Lords of the Underworld #4.5)

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