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

Gena Showalter

Start date: January 1, 2022

Finish date: January 31, 2022

Discussion: Challenges: What's the Rush

Why we're reading this: Part of our group series (re)read: Lords of the Underworld …more
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Challenges: What's the Rush

* 2025 Series Read: K.N. Banet's "Jacky Leon"
By Steph , Serious series addict · 103 posts · 33 views

last updated Sep 26, 2025 08:29PM

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* YEAR-LONG CHALLENGES
By Steph , Serious series addict · 1 post · 389 views

last updated Aug 17, 2010 11:14PM

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What Members Thought

Jun 05, 2010 AH rated it really liked it

Shelves: demons, first-in-series, zzread-oct-2010

I must admit that when I first started reading this novel, I absolutely hated it. I just could not get into this book. So I put it down, as cutie would say, in the time out corner for a few days.

I then decided to start over. After all, this book is highly rated by Goodreads reviewers. Everyone seems to love it. Well – I am glad I gave this book a second chance. Once I got over my initial confusion, I really could not put the book down.

The Darkest Night is the story of a group of warrior/brother ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2010 Mariya rated it did not like it

Shelves: pnr-romance, angels-demons

I really wanted to like this book, and I am upset that I wasted my entire day hoping that it could possibly get better, but no it didn't.

I had a lot of problems with this book, one being thatthe whole demon/monster thing inside of the hero. Is it me, or have you heard about this being used in a PNR already? I know I have. The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, in Rhage's book he has a monster inside of him. Also, Regina commented that Karen MArie Moning's The Dark Highlander has the same thing whi I really wanted to like this book, and I am upset that I wasted my entire day hoping that it could possibly get better, but no it didn't.

I had a lot of problems with this book, one being thatthe whole demon/monster thing inside of the hero. Is it me, or have you heard about this being used in a PNR already? I know I have. The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, in Rhage's book he has a monster inside of him. Also, Regina commented that Karen MArie Moning's The Dark Highlander has the same thing which I forgot. I am usually not too bothered with things being done already, but I this book I did because it just wasn't very interesting or kept my attention.

The hero and heroine. I didn't like them at all. I found the heroine, Aslyn annoying, I mean I have never been annoyed by a heroine in a PNR as much as I was annoyed by her. She drove me crazy. I mean she does to these warriors house and first meeting the hero, Maddox the voices in her head stop and its like no! I don't want to let go of her, I need to be near you and then even though she doesn't even know him she watching him die and gets all angry, this is a case of the heroine falling in love too quickly which I am not fond of in PNR. And then next thing you know when she meets with Maddox again she wants to leave, and you have got to be kidding me, a night ago she urged how much she needed to be near him and then oh, can I leave? And just things she has done made me think, is she stupid?

The hero, Maddox. Like other hero's in PNR. I was completely heads over heals in love, him, no. He wasn't seductive, attractive at all. It was kinda the same, he first called her woman, and then it;s like right away he is calling her beauty. All I am buying is that this couple is buying into their lust or something like that. I didn' find this couple appealing at all. Maddox was a bit too boring to me.

The other warriors. At the beginning, sure I loved them and wanted to know more about them, halfway into the story, meh! How is it I started out loving them to not loving them. I thought every single one of them were asses. I don't even care if they get they're happily ever after of not.

I am trying to think about it some, and find just one thing I liked abotu this book, but I can't do it. Looking back at BLack Dagger Brotherhood series, I thought that it was okay, I mean the first book and the second book I liked a lot better, it was just hard to understand the BDB world in book 1 and it went better in book2. Maybe I could understand the world better the Lords of the Underworld.

But out of these two series I choose Black Dagger Brotherhood and I am not really into BDB series, but I liked the characters a whole of a lot better! and the couples I could actually believe in and loved. It was just the world building I was having a bit trouble with it seems.

But as for Lords of the underworld I don't find myself continueing with this series. I thought maybe possibly, but warriors I can't really stand in the first book I don't think I would like reading about their happily ever after when I don't care if they even get one.

I'm more of an UF gal, and there is only one PNR I have read and been crazy about, so I am not really surprised I did not like it, but if you're a PNR you could possibly like it better than me.

More of my reviews at Mystifying Paranormal Reviews ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2010 Regina rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2010-reads, owned-kindle, can-t-recommend, i-just-don-t-care, paranormal-pnr

2.75 stars. I feel like I have read this story before. Not sure if I will continue the series.

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 16, 2010 Robin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, favorite-authors, paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. LOVED IT!!! You can't help but fall in love with sexy hot men who are warriors even if they have a demon in them, even when they're the baddest of the bad demons!

The series Lords of the Underworld is based on 15 Warriors who protect the Greek Gods. When they are betrayed, they decide to distroy Pandora's Box, letting out the baddest of all demons it held. When the Gods capture them they give each of the Warriors a demon from the box as a punishment for their actions.

In this 1st book of the seri LOVED IT!!! You can't help but fall in love with sexy hot men who are warriors even if they have a demon in them, even when they're the baddest of the bad demons!

The series Lords of the Underworld is based on 15 Warriors who protect the Greek Gods. When they are betrayed, they decide to distroy Pandora's Box, letting out the baddest of all demons it held. When the Gods capture them they give each of the Warriors a demon from the box as a punishment for their actions.

In this 1st book of the series, we get to know most of the warriors & who is keeper of which demon.
Each warrior keeps a demon, there is: Aeron, Keep of Wrath / Amun, Keeper of Secrets / Lucien, Keeper of Death / Gideon, Keeper of Lies / Kane, Keeper of Disaster / Paris, Keeper of Promiscuity / Reyes, Keeper of Pain / Sabin, Keeper of Doubt / Strider, Keeper of Defeat & Trorin, Keeper of Disease.
Maddox, the Keeper of Violense is the first warrior we meet. He is sexy, yummy looking, but dark, angry & almost always distroying something or someone. He's also cursed to be killed each night at midnight. I won't say by who or why, but he does return each morning to have another angry day!

When Maddox meets a beautiful woman who he is to kill preventing her from climbing the mountain to the castle in which the Lords live, he falls in love instead.
Ashlyn is instantly drawn to Maddox. He does something no one has ever been able to do for her, give her silence. (You'll find out whats & whys when you read the book)They have many challanges they have to overcome to find the life they both wish to share. Love between a human & a demon is not going to be easy when Maddox's demon may kill Ashlyn, the hunters want both of them, the warriors hate her & want her out. That's just the start of it, each warrior has demon problems & all have anger issues, the Hunters want to kidnap them all for testing & to keep them away from humans to stop them & their demons from spreading their curses to humanity. Maddox will do whatever it takes to keep Ashlyn. Tame his demon, defying his friends, killing Hunters & taking on death. Maddox & Ashlyn stand together & trust their love for each other to get that life.

I thought the book had great flow.GS does a wonderful job letting you get to know the charactors of the book & their struggles. It's a good use of the fairytale we've all heard of Pandor's Box & the Greek Gods.
I love Maddox, he wants to be a good Immortal, but struggles with hs demon to do it. Gena Showalter really did a great job in this book & I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series! ...more

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Mar 17, 2010 Larissa rated it really liked it

I don’t know why it took me so long to succumb to The Lords of The Underworld (LOTU) series, but it did. I love the Demonica series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood and the Midnight Breed series and Gena Showalter’s series has a similar structure and always attracted me in some level.

A while back i got the prequel, Darkest Fire, I liked it, but wasn’t that impressed. I started The Darkest Night back then too, but it didn’t really grab me so I gave it a break.

I got an ARC for one of the Series’ 2010 I don’t know why it took me so long to succumb to The Lords of The Underworld (LOTU) series, but it did. I love the Demonica series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood and the Midnight Breed series and Gena Showalter’s series has a similar structure and always attracted me in some level.

A while back i got the prequel, Darkest Fire, I liked it, but wasn’t that impressed. I started The Darkest Night back then too, but it didn’t really grab me so I gave it a break.

I got an ARC for one of the Series’ 2010 release, so i decided to read the rest of the books before digging into it. I just can’t read the 5th or 6th books of a series without reading the rest, does anyone else has that problem? LOL

Well, I am happy to say that this time around, The Darkest Night caught me good! I have been in a LOTU obsession these past couple days and I just can’t stop reading it. I’m on the third book right now and loving it =)

The LOTU series follows the PNR pattern of following a group of supernatural being and each book gives us the HEA (Happily Ever After) of each one of them.

The Lords of the Underworld were Immortal Greek Warriors that worked for the Gods of old, until one day Zeus left an important Box to be guarded by Pandora and the other Warriors felt cheated. They opened the box, releasing a horde of Demons onto the world and killed Pandora. As a punishment for their act, Zeus bonded each of them to a Demon and left them to fend for themselves for all eternity, banishing them from Mount Olympus.

Maddox is bonded to the demon of Violence and since he was the one to kill Pandora, he is cursed to die as she did every night and spend the whole night being tortured in hell and wake up the next day to start all over again.

Ashlyn has always been different, being able to hear whatever has been said at any given time, wherever she goes and has been raised in an institute and unknowingly been used for her ability by a group that has been hunting The Lords since ancient Greece, called Hunters.

I loved both Maddox and Ashlyn, they are such strong characters with such difficult pasts and different kinds of curses. Maddox is Violence, but Ashlyn calms him; whenever Ashlyn is close to Maddox the voices are quiet and he is her silence in midst torment.

"I love you, too. So much. I'm a violent man with violent emotions, but I do not want you ever to fear that I'll become violent with you. I can't hurt you. It would be worse than cutting out my own heart."

They are perfect for each other in every way and their love goes above and beyond any obstacles. The sacrifices they are willing to make for each other are humbling and were really beautiful to read about. They are also sexy as hell, with great chemistry and got me fanning myself whenever they got together!

The Lords of the Underworld is a very dark series where the line between Heroes and Villains has never been thinner, the LOTU are strong, cursed, damned and victims of the natures of the demons that inhabit them, but they are also honorable and fight their demons’ natures all the time.

I really enjoyed that duality and I am really looking forward to reading the stories of each lord. This is definitely a greats series to read if you are a PNR fan =) ...more

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Jul 03, 2010 Vered rated it liked it

Shelves: pnr, ab-to-c

3.5

PNR.... I prefer UF, yes, definitely UF. Somehow the characters seem more realistic (as realistic as vampires /werewolves/demons/Angels can be), as do the emotions, relationships and dilemmas.
PNR on the other hand are usually bigger than life, over the top romance. The heroine is usually a strong women yet in need of a rescue yet feisty, oh sooooo feisty (it's hard to be a heroine these days, you need to be a damsel in distress without being a damsel in distress). And the hero, tortured, bro ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 14, 2010 Wenj rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2010

I really loved the premise this book: the warriors who opened Pandora's Box are cursed to carry the demons they released by the gods. Which is basically why I started reading this series, the premise was clever and original and didn't disappoint!

Following Maddox, the keeper of Violence, it was interesting to see both man and demon charmed by a woman. Not to mention both wanting to protect and love said human. Overall, the characters were enjoyable and the story was nicely paced. Can't wait to re ...more

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Apr 01, 2010 Mistress SuckMyBlackDagger rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2010, paranormal, demons, own-book

Oh my oh my. Lets just say that I jumped my Consorte right after the full-on scene. Couldn't even wait till i finished the book. That hott! Loved it. Blows lots of the others right of the water! Yummy! ...more

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