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The Darkest Touch (2014)

by Gena Showalter(Favorite Author)

4.45 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0373778910 (ISBN13: 9780373778911)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harlequin HQN

series

Lords of the Underworld

review 1: Originally Reviewed for Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy.It's been a while since I sank into a LotU book which is truly sad because it is such an exceptional series. Gena Showalter does an amazing job bringing these unique men and women to life. Each warrior carries a demon inside them and each has his own battle to fight. The Darkest Touch is book 11 and Torin's story. How can a man cursed with disease find a way to touch someone? How can he even chance it if he knows that whoever he touches he will distroy.. they will sicken and die and if they do manage to recover they will become a carrier and destroy all they touch. If they don't recover, they will pass on their illness to everyone they come into contact with and then die.. oh joy. What a burden Torin must ca... morerry. Forever alone, never daring to fall in love. Even his friends fear touching him.. So how does an author overcome such a fearful issue? It's a dilemma to be sure. And yet Ms. Showalter manages. *grins* did you really think I was going to tell you how?Keeley Cael, the Red Queen, the most powerful woman/creature on several planets. So powerful, even Hades feared her. Sold to Cronus for a barrel of whiskey by the man she loved, Keeley has become a woman of vengeance only one slight human woman has managed to breach her shell. Keeley has become a hardened soul yet Mari (her human friend) managed to find something to value in her. When Mari shows up dead, Keeley is determined to destroy the man who killed her. Who cares if he didn't mean to, if Mari orchestrated the entire thing, Torin, keeper of disease must die. Torin, Keeper of the Demon of Disease, untouched by friend and foe alike. Refused even the joy of battle for fear of spreading disease. Anyone he touches skin to skin sickens and dies of horrendous diseases. If by some miracle they survive they become carriers and remain cursed as Torin, unable to touch another living soul skin to skin because they too have become carriers. If they don't recover, well then they just spread their disease until they die. See win/win (she says sarcastically). When Torin finds himself in a cell opposite the Red Queen who has sworn vengeance on him, something shifts. His grief for killing an innocent is deep but his attraction to this powerful woman who someone has managed to cage.. well that overpowers everything. Time together only seals their relationship, Keeley learns that keeping Torin alive has it's perks *grins* can we say amazing eye candy? But more than that she discovers an amazing man who is in desperate need for human touch. Can she touch him and survive? And if not can they work something out? And if not... *grins* There are questions here..I enjoyed the premise, enjoyed Keeley and Torin but must admit it took a bit to warm up to this story. About 50% in I was finally captured. This book lacked the joy and laughter of Strider's book, The Darkest Surrender and the power of Kane's book, The Darkest Craving but it held hope. Literally, Galen is back and one has to wonder what his new purpose is. But aside from that I started to believe that somehow the Lords were going to find the box and find a way to escape their curses..Sometimes a book silently grabs you when you aren't looking. I expected fireworks and instead got a slow burn. I actually thought I wasn't liking the book until suddenly it was like wow.. what is happening here? I couldn't put it down. Now there's a gift! All in all, a truly excellent story.Shauni
review 2: First time I have been disappointed by any of Gena's LoU series - its one of my favourites. But this was quite tedious in parts.There was too much breaking up/getting back together "I love you but I can't hurt you" on and on. And as for Hades and the whole Persephone body thing for the Red Queen - it simply didn't make sense.Scene is set for William, Baden & Cameo. Team Gillian here we come. less

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