REVIEW: The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter

In The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter, Baden is back on earth and out of purgatory after centuries of watching his beloved group of friends carry on without him, through good and bad. And now is an especially important time for him to be there with them, assisting in their battles as the war between Hades and Lucifer intensifying.

‘He didn’t want to hurt people, but a literal beast lived inside him and that beast craved bloodshed.’

But Baden soon finds out that even though he may be free from the demon Distrust, he is now plagued by a new burden named Destruction. It has ties to Hades that may throw him and his friends even further into the war. In an attempt to free himself of Destruction, Baden goes on a quest for a gold coin. What he finds instead is a woman he takes captive, a feisty dog trainer who has the power to bring the Immortal to his knees.

“I’ve done nothing to you. Say yes to your heart and let me go.”
Baden fought–yes. An actual grin. “You think I have a heart?”
Even Destruction snorted.
Adorable.

Katarina has had to make tough decisions before in her life but being forced to marry slimy crime boss Alexsander will likely haunt her for the rest of her days. But when badass Baden rescues her from her predicament, she’s not sure if he’s more of a threat to her than Alex is or not. And the more she finds out about the handsome but deadly stranger, the more complicated it gets. Thrown into a frightening new world of otherworldly beings, it will take all of Katarina’s coping and training skills to keep Baden and his beastly companion Destruction at bay.

“And Rina? You may be able to survive the world without me, but I can’t survive the world without you. We can’t. You keep us calm. You are our home.”

The Darkest Torment was everything I look for in a Gena Showalter Lords of the Underworld novel. It was dark and twisted. Sexy, brutal and funny. And of course it had our beloved Immortals with their blend of modern humor and old-fashioned ideals.

She shivered, then she gaped at him. “Wait. Let’s backtrack. Did you, a male, just admit to wrongdoing?”
“Surely not,” he quipped. “Such an unprecedented event would be marked by a chorus of singing angels.”

Now I know that some fans were not happy to find out that this was Baden’s journey instead of some of the other character’s stories we’ve been waiting for. (Cameo, William, Galen, etc) But I, for one, loved learning about Baden, his new beast of burden Destruction, and sassy Katarina. And fans need not worry. We still spent time with all of the cast getting updates, especially with William and Cameo. That being said, there is a bit of a learning curve if new readers try to jump in here at book twelve, but it could probably be read as a standalone, with some perseverance.

I’m always knocked out by how intricately woven Showalter’s plots are and that she can manage to give a macabre fight scene a humorous twist, making me laugh even while I cringe a bit at the gore. Not many writers can accomplish that. And there were quite a few of those scenes. While they may not be for the faint of heart, I think these battles are an integral part of this series. In Baden’s case it showed the level of ferocity Destruction was capable of as well as how strong in character Baden was. I grew to truly like him. Okay, so his notion of humans being feeble and weak wasn’t a good selling point. But thanks to Katarina he became a bit more open-minded. Possibly under the threat of violence on her part. 😉

Katarina was a fairly complex person as well. I loved that she was a dog trainer extraordinaire and thought that was a cool background for a character. Her connection to stray and abused animals warmed my heart and made me want to see things work out for her. Honestly, though, I wasn’t sure if she and Baden would be a good fit at first where they both fought their attraction so desperately. But it became clear to me that they were indeed soulmates who were stronger together than they were alone. And that’s saying something considering how fierce they were independently!

So much happened in The Darkest Torment, pushing not only the character’s lives along but also the war between Hades and Lucifer. I think this is one book that fans will not want to miss. Oh… And be on the lookout for two things: the hilarious chapter titles, which are quotes from different characters, and the informative Insider’s Guide at the back of the book. Thank you, Gena, for including that fabulous section for your devoted readers!

Book Info:

Publication: May 31st 2016 | Harlequin HQN | Lords of the Underworld #12

Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he’s back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he’s unable to withstand the touch of another…and he’s quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride—just not his own.

Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she’s taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she’s plunged into a war between two evils—with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them…and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.

But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she’ll have to teach him to love…or lose him forever.