The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter
Published by: Harlequin
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Page Count:406
Rating: 4/5
Source: Gift
He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world’s about to be rocked.
Bound by the demon of Doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern…until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.
Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she’d fall for a kind human who wouldn’t rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora’s box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love.
“They were connected, one being, fused together. She belonged to him, and he to her.”
I haven’t known of Gena and her Lords of the Underworld series for long, but I can say, without a doubt, that she masterly carves out her own piece of paranormal romance and sets her writing above the rest.
Sabin, keeper of Doubt, constantly battles with his his demon, who likes nothing more than to break a person’s confidence. He prefers the battlefield over any bedroom. Instead of finding another artifact in Egypt, he and his fellow Lords discover immortal women who Hunters have kidnapped, raped, and impregnated to create hybrid children. There Sabin finds Gwendolyn the Timid, a harpy, who tempts him more than his own demon. But what they uncover is more sinister than they imagine, and their mission to find the other artifacts may lead them to more danger.
So you guys know I’ve been following Gena for the past few months. And within that time, I’ve basically created a road map of when I should buy the next sequels. In the past, I’ve not been a huge supernatural romance reader, but I can always make an exception for this glorious author.
The Darkest Whisper goes down a darker and grittier storyline. I wasn’t expecting this turn, but I’m glad Gena pushes this book that way. I have been hoping to see the sinister side of her world. Even though the Hunters blame the Lords for every evil in our world, the Hunters themselves may possibly overshadow these cursed immortal warriors. The Lords look for redemption, yet the Hunters commit appalling acts so they will achieve their need to eliminate this so-called threat.
In the last three books, you haven’t gotten a lot of scenes with the Hunters. They often stay in the background. In this instalment though, they play a stronger role when they recruit people, train them, corrupt them, and turn them into expendable cannon fodder. Gena perfectly illustrates the depth of human cruelty. These Hunters kidnap, sometimes mutilate, and rape immortal women so they will breed and eventually train a new line of warriors who will despise the Lords. Darkest Whisper gives off a slight X-Men feel to it, but it doesn’t detract from the overall storyline. Gena knows how to write an antagonist you love to hate.
Within all this darkness lies the love story between Sabin and Gwen. These two are polar opposites. I enjoy that quality in them though. I haven’t been a huge fan of Sabin, leader of the Greek faction. I thought he is too arrogant. But he, and his sarcasm, has changed my view on him. I don’t blame Sabin for staying away from women. Since his last relationship ended with the suicide of his lover, he doesn’t want to unleash his demon on anyone. That woman was the wife of Dean Stefano, a hunter sworn to avenge his wife’s death. This backstory plays heavily with Gwen and Sabin’s relationship. Gwen, a harpy descended from Lucifer, balances out this cocky bastard. Both character stand on their own but complement each other when together. The banter between Sabin and his demon, Doubt, will make your snort and laugh at the most awkward times. I know I did. And throughout the story, Gwen grows into her own.
I am dying to see what Gena offers up next in the her instalments. But since she hasn’t disappointed me yet, I’m sure to love whatever she writes.
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