I usually try and stay away from anthologies. The short stories tend to make me feel like there’s something missing, like maybe they’re being rushed. However, I’m a fan of Gena Showalter’s Lord of the Underworld series, so I decided to give Into the Dark a go.
The Darkest Fire—a Lords of the Underworld prequel
Geryon is the guardian of hell, more monster than man. Kadence is the goddess of Oppression, more angel than woman. Together they will enter the flames to battle a dangerous horde of demon lords—and discover a passion unlike any other.The Amazon’s Curse—a tale of Atlantis
Zane, a fierce vampire warrior, has been enslaved by the Amazons. Nola, a lovely Amazon soldier, has been cursed with invisibility. Now, these two stubborn enemies must overcome the pasts that haunt them and embrace a love that can set them free….The Darkest Prison—a Lords of the Underworld tale
Once, Atlas, the Titan god of Strength, was the Greek goddess Nike’s slave. Now, he is her master. And soon these sworn rivals destined to destroy each other will be forced to risk everything for a chance at love….
The Darkest Fire
The first of three stories in Into the Dark features Greyon and Kadence. He’s a beast/monster who sold his soul to Lucifer in order to save the woman he loved long ago, and now he’s forced to guard the gates of Hell for all of eternity. She is the goddess of oppression, forced to oppress Hell’s occupants by the other gods.
The story was pretty great. It goes into detail about how the demons that infect the lords escaped in the first place, I really liked getting the full back story. As for the relationship, I honestly tried, but I couldn’t get into it. The thing about this relationship isn’t that I have a problem with either of their personalities, their both okay in that regard. It’s just that Greyon is part animal, and the way he’s described I can’t help but envision a minotaur. He’s got the whole enchilada – horns, fur, and hooves. And the thought of getting busy with a minotaur isn’t exactly something that has me all hot and bothered. There are just some lines I won’t even cross in my mind, and that is one of them.
The Amazon’s Curse
I must admit, I’ve never read any of the books in Gena’s Atlantis series. So I had no inkling as to what to expect. This one peaked my interest into the series, and I think that I’ll have to check them out because of this story.
Now, I can’t say that this particular story blew my mind. It was a case of the story feeling incomplete and a tad rushed. Though this particular story is held in the middle of the series, so I’m probably missing something. But the main character Zane, a sexy vampire that’s being held captive by Amazon warriors, more than makes up for the rushed feelings I may have felt. Tall, dark, and handsome. Zane’s unwilling to be touched by anybody but Nola, who is at a disadvantage that she’s invisible, so she can’t protect Zane while he’s being tortured by her Amazonian sisters. I liked Zane and Nola together and their protectiveness of each other was sweet. So all in all, I liked the characters more than the story.
The Darkest Prison
This one was my favorite by far. It features the goddess Nike and the titan god Atlas. The story is held after the titans and Cronus have overthrown Zeus. Nike is a prisoner along with the other gods and goddess that served under Zeus. However, that doesn’t mean she has any real friends. She’s always been a bit of an outsider, and now that they’ve been stripped of everything, the other gods take to picking on her for entertainment. Her warden Atlas, the god of strength, was one of the prisoners under Nike. He’s now intent on making her life as miserable as his was when he was imprisoned. They both deny the attraction they have for one another, and this makes for some hot action once they finally give over to it. I loved how sweet Atlas was once he stopped being so vengeful, and how loyal Nike was to Atlas once she realized that he really did love her.
Overall, the bonus material was entertaining, especially when William decides to interview all of the lords. It was funny and made me really like William. There was even a preview of the newest Lords of the Underworld book The Darkest Passion that will be out May 21st. That and the stories definitely made Into the Dark a worthwhile read, and I think that this is something to check out for any fans of Gena Showalter.
Read Order:
Lords of the Underworld
The Darkest Night
The Darkest Kiss
The Darkest Pleasure
The Darkest Whisper
The Darkest Passion
Atlantis
Heart of the Dragon
Jewel of Atlantis
The Nymph King
The Vampire’s Bride
Also reviewed by:
The Bibliophilic Book Blog
Book Faery – The Darkest Fire, The Amazon’s Curse, and The Darkest Prison
All About {n}
Reading with Tequila
Thank you for the read order on those books! I am going to read them and that is very helpful!
Thanks for linking my review. I like how you do that! very cool. Thanks again!
Hey, I’ve read both series and the short stories. I think it’s sad that The Darkest Angel didn’t get into this book, it’s my favorite short from the Lords and probably would have forced me to buy this one. But I also liked The Darkest Prison.
I agree with you about Greyon, in The Darkest Fire, he does seem like a minotaur! Though it’s fun to know how it all began, this one also didn’t do it for me.
About the Amazon’s Curse, it’s actually more interesting after you’re read at least The Vampire’s Bride (the fourth book in the Atlantis series), because this story is tying the loose ends from the book. When you finish the Vampire’s Bride you question yourself about what happened to Nola and Zane, so I really liked it.
You said you haven’t read the Atlantis series and I have to say, I prefer the Lords of the Underworld but it’s not a bad series. It’s entertaining and has a really good background for it, the way the lost city is described among other things. Hope you get a chance to check it out.
Thank you for the read order on those books! I am going to read them and that is very helpful!