Smash Attack Reads...Where Smash Attacks Books!

Smash Attack Reads! http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/04/review-darkest-secret-by-gena-showalter.htmlThe story opens up with Strider, who had not caught my attention in previous books, but that has sure changed! We get a healthy dose of Strider in this book, probably because his book is next. (I am way excited for that HEA! What a serious courting process that will be.) If you recall from The Darkest Lie, Strider caught a Hunter known as Haidee who has caused much strife for the warriors in the past. Strider brings Haidee to the fortress so that she can be questioned.Amun, keeper of the demon Secrets, is still struggling from his trip to Hell. In fact, Hell is still with him because he absorbed a few hundred demon minions during his trip and they are causing him constant agony and torment. While Amun lay in misery, he calls out for help. If you recall, Amun cannot speak, lest he release all the horrible secrets he has heard. So, he reaches out with his mind. And Haidee hears him. And so starts the treacherous journey that the two must make in order to learn that they are destined for one another. There is serious bad blood between their kind, but in the process of working together to bring respite to Amun, memories reveal that all is not what it seems. We see some very tender moments between the two as they come to this realization. And quiet, mysterious Amun shows a very different side of himself when the Lords share their true opinion of Haidee.William gets screen time in this book, which made me extremely happy. He is another favorite of mine, and has been since he was introduced. I love a snarky, sarcastic hot piece o’ man, and he fits the bill beautifully. We get a small scene between he and Gilly, and learn a bit about his curse, which gives us great insight into his outlook on life and behavior. While William is not a Lord, I assume Gena will write his HEA because he is a very well-loved character. I will be very upset otherwise. :) Some of the best scenes in the book included Strider, Paris and William. I was roaring with laughter. Those scenes were gold. GOLD, I tell you. Between the text messages, the strippers and the ambrosia, it was pure magic. Fried Twinkies, FTW!The ending of this book was a bit odd and partly the reason I did not give it a five. The final showdown nor the situation that brought the characters together in the end felt unnatural, to me. It didn’t flow well. I also thought Haidee’s ability to come back from the darkness, so to speak, was far to easy. I wanted more struggle. However, as with any of the LOTU series, I expect smex (Gena teases us with sexual play throughout the entire book, but we don’t get the full shebang until much later. ), laughter and action, emotional struggles and vulnerability in otherwise threatening, aggressive warriors, and strong yet gentle heroines! The Darkest Secret delivered.