What do you think?
Rate this book
Lords of the Underworld #4.5
Heart of Darkness
From the masters of paranormal romance, three brand-new tales of seduction…
The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
A Lords of the Underworld tale
An iron-willed demon assassin, the angel Lysander has never known lust—until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of Lucifer, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the pure-hearted Lysander into temptation….
Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne
Twenty-two years ago four teenage boys were convicted of a young girl's murder. Now, in the form of a beautiful woman, the "victim" is seeking vengeance. And only one man dares to dig into the past to uncover its secrets… and set her free.
Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard
Lady Tameri believes herself to be the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian princess, and Leo Erskine has set out to prove her wrong…never dreaming that the two of them are about to discover a prophecy that will bind them together forever.
The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
A Lords of the Underworld tale
An iron-willed demon assassin, the angel Lysander has never known lust—until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of Lucifer, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the pure-hearted Lysander into temptation….
Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne
Twenty-two years ago four teenage boys were convicted of a young girl's murder. Now, in the form of a beautiful woman, the "victim" is seeking vengeance. And only one man dares to dig into the past to uncover its secrets… and set her free.
Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard
Lady Tameri believes herself to be the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian princess, and Leo Erskine has set out to prove her wrong…never dreaming that the two of them are about to discover a prophecy that will bind them together forever.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2009
63 people are currently reading
5764 people want to read
About the author
Gena Showalter
262 books27.9k followersGena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over seventy books, including the acclaimed Lords of the Underworld series, the Gods of War series, the White Rabbit Chronicles, and the Forest of Good and Evil series. She writes sizzling paranormal romance, heartwarming contemporary romance, and unputdownable young adult novels, and lives in Oklahoma City with her family and menagerie of dogs and cats.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 375 reviews
March 25, 2015
*this review is only for the LOTU novella*
This is a shortie from the LOTU series about the golden-winged angel Lysander and a harpy named Bianka :)
I liked it, but it was nothing special, worth the read only for the little teaser for book five, and the oil-wrestling scene :D
Lysander forms a plan to get rid of his temptation, and that is to kidnap it and train it to become like him.
For an angel, the guy is uber-thick in the head ;)
His temptation is Bianka the harpy, and his plan backfires when he realises he can't change the way she is, she is too strong willed :D
Bianka wants to punish him for taking her to his cloud, but that punishment somehow ends up as a seduction :D
She was fun, but I can't really say I liked her :D
She kinda got on my nerves a lot :D Oh well.
I did love the scene when he made Lysander and Paris oil wrestle :DD
Best one in this novella :D
Lysander is one of the Elite Seven angels, he has golden wings and is from the warrior class.
He is tempted by Bianka, can't get he out of his head, and the only solution he can think of is to take her and train her to be good like him.
Brilliant ;)
He was petty great, but still kind of an idiot at the end ahahahha
“Are you an angel?” she asked when she was once again in front of him.
“Yes.” No hesitation. As if his heritage wasn’t something to be ashamed of.
Poor guy, she thought with a shudder. Clearly he had no idea the crappy hand he’d been dealt.
-------------------------------
She wanted to stab him the moment she saw him. Then set him on fire. Then scatter his ashes in a pasture where lots of animals roamed. He deserved to be smothered by several nice steaming piles.
This was an Ok read and I don't regret reading it because I learned more about angels and Olivia appears here, she's the heroine in book five :)
Can't wait to read it :)))
Btw one thing is kinda weird, listen to this:
1. Gwen is a harpy, a descendant of Lucifer
2. Sabin used to work for the Greek gods, now he works for the Titans.
3. Sabin is possessed by a demon
=
They get married in a chapel.
O.o Seriously?
bwahahahhahahhhahahahhahahahhahah
This is a shortie from the LOTU series about the golden-winged angel Lysander and a harpy named Bianka :)
I liked it, but it was nothing special, worth the read only for the little teaser for book five, and the oil-wrestling scene :D
Lysander forms a plan to get rid of his temptation, and that is to kidnap it and train it to become like him.
For an angel, the guy is uber-thick in the head ;)
His temptation is Bianka the harpy, and his plan backfires when he realises he can't change the way she is, she is too strong willed :D
Bianka wants to punish him for taking her to his cloud, but that punishment somehow ends up as a seduction :D
She was fun, but I can't really say I liked her :D
She kinda got on my nerves a lot :D Oh well.
I did love the scene when he made Lysander and Paris oil wrestle :DD
Best one in this novella :D
Lysander is one of the Elite Seven angels, he has golden wings and is from the warrior class.
He is tempted by Bianka, can't get he out of his head, and the only solution he can think of is to take her and train her to be good like him.
Brilliant ;)
He was petty great, but still kind of an idiot at the end ahahahha
“Are you an angel?” she asked when she was once again in front of him.
“Yes.” No hesitation. As if his heritage wasn’t something to be ashamed of.
Poor guy, she thought with a shudder. Clearly he had no idea the crappy hand he’d been dealt.
-------------------------------
She wanted to stab him the moment she saw him. Then set him on fire. Then scatter his ashes in a pasture where lots of animals roamed. He deserved to be smothered by several nice steaming piles.
This was an Ok read and I don't regret reading it because I learned more about angels and Olivia appears here, she's the heroine in book five :)
Can't wait to read it :)))
Btw one thing is kinda weird, listen to this:
1. Gwen is a harpy, a descendant of Lucifer
2. Sabin used to work for the Greek gods, now he works for the Titans.
3. Sabin is possessed by a demon
=
They get married in a chapel.
O.o Seriously?
bwahahahhahahhhahahahhahahahhahah
February 14, 2020
My review is only for The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter.
It is my favorite from the three LotU novellas (The Darkest Fire, The Darkest Prison).
Chronologically, The Darkest Angel is between Sabin’s book, The Darkest Whisper and Aeron’s story, The Darkest Passion. So we get a little bit from Sabin and Gwen, as well as an appetizer from Aeron and Olivia’s story.
But the best is Paris’ appearance. Oh, Paris, my favorite Lord! Normally I’m pretty satisfied with my imagination, but Paris and Lysander’s oil wrestling is something I definitely want to see for real. I guess I’m not the only one…
Okay, back to Lysander and Bianka…
Lysander is a warrior angel, one of the Elite Seven. As an assassin, his only goal is to destroy demons. His calm and sense of duty are unflinching. But as every angel, he has one potential downfall.
Bianka is the daughter of a Harpy and a phoenix, spawned from the bloodline of Lucifer. She is a thief, a liar, a killer.
Lysander’s plan is to hold her captive and train to be sinless.
Bianka’s plan is to drive him utterly insane with lust.
She is untameable, playful, and naughty. Soon Lysander’s iron control is cracked and Bianka realizes that she doesn’t really mind to be captured after all.
I loved their interactions, their bantering:
Their first time together is one of the finest, most perfect erotic scenes I’ve read so far. It is sensual, intimate, and full of emotions.
The ending is just perfect!
Love, love, love this story! Oh, and I do want my own cloud!
It is my favorite from the three LotU novellas (The Darkest Fire, The Darkest Prison).
Chronologically, The Darkest Angel is between Sabin’s book, The Darkest Whisper and Aeron’s story, The Darkest Passion. So we get a little bit from Sabin and Gwen, as well as an appetizer from Aeron and Olivia’s story.
But the best is Paris’ appearance. Oh, Paris, my favorite Lord! Normally I’m pretty satisfied with my imagination, but Paris and Lysander’s oil wrestling is something I definitely want to see for real. I guess I’m not the only one…
Okay, back to Lysander and Bianka…
Lysander is a warrior angel, one of the Elite Seven. As an assassin, his only goal is to destroy demons. His calm and sense of duty are unflinching. But as every angel, he has one potential downfall.
When they found this… thing, this abomination, they happily destroyed it before it could destroy them.
Lysander had finally found his.
Bianka Skyhawk.
Bianka is the daughter of a Harpy and a phoenix, spawned from the bloodline of Lucifer. She is a thief, a liar, a killer.
Lysander’s plan is to hold her captive and train to be sinless.
Bianka’s plan is to drive him utterly insane with lust.
She is untameable, playful, and naughty. Soon Lysander’s iron control is cracked and Bianka realizes that she doesn’t really mind to be captured after all.
I loved their interactions, their bantering:
She stuffed another scarf in her purse.
“Put it back, and I’ll give you a kiss,” he gritted out.
“Here’s a proposition for you. Steal something from this store and I’ll kiss you.”
Their first time together is one of the finest, most perfect erotic scenes I’ve read so far. It is sensual, intimate, and full of emotions.
The ending is just perfect!
“You have not committed an unpardonable sin.”
She gulped. “And if I do?”
“I will fall.”
Love, love, love this story! Oh, and I do want my own cloud!
July 15, 2016
Bianka and Lysander's story is the only one I really cared about and the only one I enjoyed. I feel like this story should have been longer since it introduced us to a new plot and new characters but what can you do.
May 28, 2012
What a fantastic story!!!!! Not only did this book give me an insight into the fascinating sister of Gwen, it also give me a firm understanding of what those eyes were on Aeron in the last book and it is obviously going to be a firm feature in the next book!
What laugh Bianka is, she is so naughty and just so funny and I love that Lysander turned out to be her consort - Karma!
Loved the book and I am itching to read Aeron's story!!!
What laugh Bianka is, she is so naughty and just so funny and I love that Lysander turned out to be her consort - Karma!
Loved the book and I am itching to read Aeron's story!!!
April 12, 2015
4,5 estrellas.
Por ahora este relato, que es el 4.5 de la saga, es mi favorito. ¡Adoro a las Arpías y sus locuras!. Espero que las otras dos hermanas de Gwen tengan sus propios libros o relatos, son personajes interesantísimos. Sus conversaciones y desvaríos dan un toque de humor a la saga.
Por ahora este relato, que es el 4.5 de la saga, es mi favorito. ¡Adoro a las Arpías y sus locuras!. Espero que las otras dos hermanas de Gwen tengan sus propios libros o relatos, son personajes interesantísimos. Sus conversaciones y desvaríos dan un toque de humor a la saga.
May 13, 2012
My review is just for the Gena Showalter story - The Darkest Angel.
This is the story of Bianka, a harpy and sister to Gwen from The Darkest Whisper, and Lysander, an angel of the Elite Seven. I still have a hard time with a harpy being a heroine, seeings as my boss is the High Priestess of the Harpies, but I am definitely getting over it.
This is a lovely story - 2 kinds of immortals that should never be together but their love transcends their differences like Romeo and Juliet. Bianka is all harpy - snarky, devious and alluring and Lysander is as pure as the driven snow. They shouldn't be together and Lysander kidnaps her to reform her but he falls for her, hard and Bianka realises that he is her consort.
It's beautifully done and very funny and we get a few glimpses into the world of the Lords - Sabin and Gwen are getting married, Gideon still has no hands and Olivia still can't bring herself to execute Aeron for rescuing his little demon from hell.
Very much looking forward to re-immersing myself in Gena Showalter's world.
Lysander and Bianka
This is the story of Bianka, a harpy and sister to Gwen from The Darkest Whisper, and Lysander, an angel of the Elite Seven. I still have a hard time with a harpy being a heroine, seeings as my boss is the High Priestess of the Harpies, but I am definitely getting over it.
This is a lovely story - 2 kinds of immortals that should never be together but their love transcends their differences like Romeo and Juliet. Bianka is all harpy - snarky, devious and alluring and Lysander is as pure as the driven snow. They shouldn't be together and Lysander kidnaps her to reform her but he falls for her, hard and Bianka realises that he is her consort.
It's beautifully done and very funny and we get a few glimpses into the world of the Lords - Sabin and Gwen are getting married, Gideon still has no hands and Olivia still can't bring herself to execute Aeron for rescuing his little demon from hell.
Very much looking forward to re-immersing myself in Gena Showalter's world.
Lysander and Bianka
January 26, 2010
5 stars for "Darkest Angel"
I loved Gena Showalter's "Darkest Angel" so much. the angel Lysander sees the harpy Bianka (Gwen's sister, remember her from Sabin's story?) and realizes that she is his one temptation that could make him Fall. So he tries to catch her breaking a heavenly rule so he has an excuse to kill her rather than be tempted by her, but when that doesn't work, Lysander gets the brilliant idea to kidnap her and force her to emulate his model angelic behavior. Like that'll work on a harpy. So she tempts him and tempts him and tempts him. She even somehow gets him to oil wrestle Paris in a loincloth! yum! finally he releases her but still can't stay away. So at Gwen and Sabin's wedding he vows his love and she hers and they off to his cloud to oil wrestle! :) Love Gena Showalter.
Meanwhile, Olivia, another angel, is stalking Aeron with orders to kill, but she can't bring herself to do it. It's alluded that she may take the Fall rather than kill Aeron. maybe the next book will be theirs?
The other 2 stories were good as well, the third one was confusing.
I loved Gena Showalter's "Darkest Angel" so much. the angel Lysander sees the harpy Bianka (Gwen's sister, remember her from Sabin's story?) and realizes that she is his one temptation that could make him Fall. So he tries to catch her breaking a heavenly rule so he has an excuse to kill her rather than be tempted by her, but when that doesn't work, Lysander gets the brilliant idea to kidnap her and force her to emulate his model angelic behavior. Like that'll work on a harpy. So she tempts him and tempts him and tempts him. She even somehow gets him to oil wrestle Paris in a loincloth! yum! finally he releases her but still can't stay away. So at Gwen and Sabin's wedding he vows his love and she hers and they off to his cloud to oil wrestle! :) Love Gena Showalter.
Meanwhile, Olivia, another angel, is stalking Aeron with orders to kill, but she can't bring herself to do it. It's alluded that she may take the Fall rather than kill Aeron. maybe the next book will be theirs?
The other 2 stories were good as well, the third one was confusing.
June 16, 2010
4 stars – Paranormal Romance Anthology
The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter is Lords of the Underworld story #4.5 that takes place between The Darkest Whisper and The Darkest Passion and tells the tale of innocent, pure-hearted warrior angel Lysander, a demon assassin, who finds himself led into temptation by naughty, fun-loving, bad girl Harpy Bianka. It’s only a 140 pages, but it’s a smokin’ HOT story with lots of laughs and a sweet HEA. It’s worth reading for the hilarious and sexy Lysander versus Paris loincloth, oil wrestling match...trust me! “So. Much. Fun.” 5 stars!
Love Me To Death by Maggie Shayne is a wonderful 93 page ghost/reincarnation short story about a young woman seeking vengeance and justice by uncovering secrets of a small town murder from twenty two years before where four teenage boys were convicted. This was a really captivating, touching tale and definitely made me want to read more by the author. 5 stars.
Lady Of The Nile by Susan Krinard was somewhat confusing and rather dull, especially after reading the other two exciting stories in the anthology, and I ended up skimming through it. 1 star/DNF.
So overall it’s a pretty good paranormal romance anthology that’s worth reading for the stories by Gena Showalter and Maggie Shayne. 4 stars.
The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter is Lords of the Underworld story #4.5 that takes place between The Darkest Whisper and The Darkest Passion and tells the tale of innocent, pure-hearted warrior angel Lysander, a demon assassin, who finds himself led into temptation by naughty, fun-loving, bad girl Harpy Bianka. It’s only a 140 pages, but it’s a smokin’ HOT story with lots of laughs and a sweet HEA. It’s worth reading for the hilarious and sexy Lysander versus Paris loincloth, oil wrestling match...trust me! “So. Much. Fun.” 5 stars!
Love Me To Death by Maggie Shayne is a wonderful 93 page ghost/reincarnation short story about a young woman seeking vengeance and justice by uncovering secrets of a small town murder from twenty two years before where four teenage boys were convicted. This was a really captivating, touching tale and definitely made me want to read more by the author. 5 stars.
Lady Of The Nile by Susan Krinard was somewhat confusing and rather dull, especially after reading the other two exciting stories in the anthology, and I ended up skimming through it. 1 star/DNF.
So overall it’s a pretty good paranormal romance anthology that’s worth reading for the stories by Gena Showalter and Maggie Shayne. 4 stars.
May 20, 2010
The Darkest Angel gets 5 stars. Bridesmaids dressed as Southern Belles on crack, a demon with a tiara glued to her scaly scalp & Paris in a loin cloth oil wrestling need I say more. The story of Bianka & Lysander was sweet. I loves it when complete opposites get their HEA.
Love Me to Death gets 5 stars. A murdered teen gets her justice through another while bringing her into her soul mates life through dreams. The 5 teens who thought they were responsible find out after 22 years are relesased from their guilt. Great short read.
Lady of the Nile gets 3 stars. This was too much info & not enough pages. Confusing events that should have been elaborated on (the role-playing cultish stuff in the warehouse?) There should have been more details on the history of the prophecy. I would have liked to have read more about Aset & Asar, along with more on the hows & whys of Tameri #1 & Maahes. I liked the concept behind this one, but it really needed a couple hundred more pages.
Love Me to Death gets 5 stars. A murdered teen gets her justice through another while bringing her into her soul mates life through dreams. The 5 teens who thought they were responsible find out after 22 years are relesased from their guilt. Great short read.
Lady of the Nile gets 3 stars. This was too much info & not enough pages. Confusing events that should have been elaborated on (the role-playing cultish stuff in the warehouse?) There should have been more details on the history of the prophecy. I would have liked to have read more about Aset & Asar, along with more on the hows & whys of Tameri #1 & Maahes. I liked the concept behind this one, but it really needed a couple hundred more pages.
August 17, 2011
Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
Part of the elite seven (Angels that destroy all those who break heavenly laws), Lysander was watching the Lords of the Underworld when he saw her. As Harpies went, Bianka Skyhawk was fascinating, feeling the need to keep her safe, keep her from doing anything that might make him have to destroy her, he whisked her to his home in heaven. Being trapped in a cloud was a new on Bianka, never been to heaven, but she had to get back to her sisters and being trapped was not ideal because of the curse that Harpies had to live with, or in this case may die because if she couldn’t eat. Angel or not, Lysander was fighting himself on what to do with her and about her, but he never meant to harm her.
***** Love the Lords and this is one good short story to add to it. Gena Showalter has added the humor with the Harpies that some of the books have not had. Lysander is the perfect show of balance between good and evil, he is strong and knows what he is and how he should act, until he is confronted with who he really is and how he wants to continue.
Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne
A group of boys (Mark, David, Brad and Kevin) bored set out to do the town a ‘favor’ by getting rid of an eye sore. Burning down the Muller place ended with the death of Sierra Terrence, the girl David had always liked. Twenty-two years later, the boys had paid the price for their crimes but after Mark suffers a terrible accident all the boys get together only to learn that Mark believes Sierra is back to get them all. Terrible dreams of being burned alive sent Sara Jensen to the small town in Maine after she finds out that the house she has been burning in really did burn with a young girl in it. Not knowing who to talk to or what to say, Sara wonders the town, not meaning to hurt anyone.
***** Great story, this is the type that I wish was longer. There was too many characters for a short novella but they were all so good. Really wish this one was longer.
Part of the elite seven (Angels that destroy all those who break heavenly laws), Lysander was watching the Lords of the Underworld when he saw her. As Harpies went, Bianka Skyhawk was fascinating, feeling the need to keep her safe, keep her from doing anything that might make him have to destroy her, he whisked her to his home in heaven. Being trapped in a cloud was a new on Bianka, never been to heaven, but she had to get back to her sisters and being trapped was not ideal because of the curse that Harpies had to live with, or in this case may die because if she couldn’t eat. Angel or not, Lysander was fighting himself on what to do with her and about her, but he never meant to harm her.
***** Love the Lords and this is one good short story to add to it. Gena Showalter has added the humor with the Harpies that some of the books have not had. Lysander is the perfect show of balance between good and evil, he is strong and knows what he is and how he should act, until he is confronted with who he really is and how he wants to continue.
Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne
A group of boys (Mark, David, Brad and Kevin) bored set out to do the town a ‘favor’ by getting rid of an eye sore. Burning down the Muller place ended with the death of Sierra Terrence, the girl David had always liked. Twenty-two years later, the boys had paid the price for their crimes but after Mark suffers a terrible accident all the boys get together only to learn that Mark believes Sierra is back to get them all. Terrible dreams of being burned alive sent Sara Jensen to the small town in Maine after she finds out that the house she has been burning in really did burn with a young girl in it. Not knowing who to talk to or what to say, Sara wonders the town, not meaning to hurt anyone.
***** Great story, this is the type that I wish was longer. There was too many characters for a short novella but they were all so good. Really wish this one was longer.
July 11, 2014
Only read the first story. The Lords of the Underworld one. Might read others later but moving on to next Lords book.
Okay so we have an Angel Lysander who is obsessed with the Harpy Bianka. He captures here and keeps her at his cloud determined to teach/train her to be good.
Ya if you've read the previus book with Bianka's sister Gwen you'd know how fun this is gonna be.
Bianka is awesome. I love her tricks and how they both try to minupluate each other.
Ohh and a highlight I have to share...loincloth mud wrestling between Lysander and Paris....
Okay so we have an Angel Lysander who is obsessed with the Harpy Bianka. He captures here and keeps her at his cloud determined to teach/train her to be good.
Ya if you've read the previus book with Bianka's sister Gwen you'd know how fun this is gonna be.
Bianka is awesome. I love her tricks and how they both try to minupluate each other.
Ohh and a highlight I have to share...loincloth mud wrestling between Lysander and Paris....
May 23, 2013
This rating is only for The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter..
May 8, 2016
My review is only for the first part of this anthology, The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter.
February 11, 2022
Αγαπημένοι άρχοντες του Κάτω Κόσμου! Με μπόνους άλλες 2 ιστορίες υπέροχα παραφυσικές!!! Αγαπημένη Gena! Ό,τι κι αν γραφεί αυτη η γυναικα το αγαπώ! Είναι 2η ανάγνωση αλλά το ίδιο συγκλονιστική και...ξέπνοη!
February 5, 2018
The Darkest Angel - Five Stars
Love Me to Death - Five Stars
Lady of the Nile - One Star (I had to force myself to read the entire story.)
Love Me to Death - Five Stars
Lady of the Nile - One Star (I had to force myself to read the entire story.)
May 20, 2018
I love this series! Lords of the Underworld is one of my all time favorite series. I was so excited that Lysander's story was told. I just wish it was longer.
February 20, 2022
I enjoyed the first two stories much more than the third. The book includes The Darkest Angle by Gena Showalter, Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne, and Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard. The Darkest Angle was by far my favorite.
January 9, 2012
look for susan krinard books, not on emedia though - have read them all
The Darkest Angel - Gena Showalter
a story of angels and demons, and grey areas. Lysander is One of the Elite angels - dispensing justice, serving the One True Deity, doing his job well... but he has found ihs one temptation, the one thing that can make him a fallen angel... Bianka Skyhawk, a minor demon (granddad is Lucifer)... she is beautiful, and Lysander can't stay away from her... He decides to kidnap her and trap her in his home in the clouds, to train her to do good... His home in the clouds is interesting - ask for anything and it will obey - and he orders the house to give her what she asks within reason, but not allowing her to leave....but things don't work quite that easily... when he leaves her alone, and returns a week later she is starving - Harpies are cursed to only eat food they have stolen or earned - so he makes it clear that all the food is his, and any she eats she will have stolen... She realizes that he doesn't want her to touch him... so she does... they go back and forth, struggling for control, but getting closer to one another... and they finally marry... (she only steals from bad people who deserves it.) ahhhh
Love me to Death - Maggie Shayne
Background - 5 teenage boys, dumped by their girls, drinking on the lawn of the old Muller house... they decide to make a malatolf cocktail and burn down the house (so one of the boy's mother will stop embarrassing him as she has made =it her goal to get it restored)... they draw straws, and David is the one to throw it... at first it looks like it didn't work, but then a fire starts up and they run away... the next day at school, firemen come to school & say a fire was started and Sierra had run away and was hidden in the house and died in the fire... David fesses up... the other 4 do too... they spend a year in juvenile detention... and 12 years later they have made lives for themselves, have stayed good friends, all feel still feel the guilt of Sierra's death... David has become a firefighter...
and Sara Jensen, and orphan, an artist = has been having dreams, dreams of dying in a fire & 5 boys who are outside but don't hear her calling for help... and she draws the house she sees over and over... and one of her friends recognize it as the Muller home, so Sara goes to the town to investigate... Sara is apparently the carrying the spirit of Sierra, and looks just like her - she goes to speak to one of the 5, and he is scared, running out to the street and gets hit by a car - bringing the other 4 back to town... then out the window, another has a heart attack when he sees Sara (who is trying to get the nerve to knock on the door)... and David goes to track her...
And they figure out Sierra is calling out for resolution... her father killed her mother and buried her... and Sara can find the burial spot, they can go to the police, and all is wood.
Lady of the Nile
susan Krinard
A bit confusing of a story - as Leo & Tameri come to believe they are the reincaration of two egyptians who had volunteered to be enclosed in a tomb and part of a ritual so that gods spouses Asar and Aset can inhabit their bodies and fight the evil god Sutekh... but Sutekh interupted the ritual... and Leo & Tameri and Sutekh are incarnated in 1890, to try again to defeat Sutekh... and Tameri accepts her reincarnation more readily than Leo - but ... they join, the gods join them... and they do not need to surrender their whole identities - they cohabit in the 2 bodies. hmmmm
The Darkest Angel - Gena Showalter
a story of angels and demons, and grey areas. Lysander is One of the Elite angels - dispensing justice, serving the One True Deity, doing his job well... but he has found ihs one temptation, the one thing that can make him a fallen angel... Bianka Skyhawk, a minor demon (granddad is Lucifer)... she is beautiful, and Lysander can't stay away from her... He decides to kidnap her and trap her in his home in the clouds, to train her to do good... His home in the clouds is interesting - ask for anything and it will obey - and he orders the house to give her what she asks within reason, but not allowing her to leave....but things don't work quite that easily... when he leaves her alone, and returns a week later she is starving - Harpies are cursed to only eat food they have stolen or earned - so he makes it clear that all the food is his, and any she eats she will have stolen... She realizes that he doesn't want her to touch him... so she does... they go back and forth, struggling for control, but getting closer to one another... and they finally marry... (she only steals from bad people who deserves it.) ahhhh
Love me to Death - Maggie Shayne
Background - 5 teenage boys, dumped by their girls, drinking on the lawn of the old Muller house... they decide to make a malatolf cocktail and burn down the house (so one of the boy's mother will stop embarrassing him as she has made =it her goal to get it restored)... they draw straws, and David is the one to throw it... at first it looks like it didn't work, but then a fire starts up and they run away... the next day at school, firemen come to school & say a fire was started and Sierra had run away and was hidden in the house and died in the fire... David fesses up... the other 4 do too... they spend a year in juvenile detention... and 12 years later they have made lives for themselves, have stayed good friends, all feel still feel the guilt of Sierra's death... David has become a firefighter...
and Sara Jensen, and orphan, an artist = has been having dreams, dreams of dying in a fire & 5 boys who are outside but don't hear her calling for help... and she draws the house she sees over and over... and one of her friends recognize it as the Muller home, so Sara goes to the town to investigate... Sara is apparently the carrying the spirit of Sierra, and looks just like her - she goes to speak to one of the 5, and he is scared, running out to the street and gets hit by a car - bringing the other 4 back to town... then out the window, another has a heart attack when he sees Sara (who is trying to get the nerve to knock on the door)... and David goes to track her...
And they figure out Sierra is calling out for resolution... her father killed her mother and buried her... and Sara can find the burial spot, they can go to the police, and all is wood.
Lady of the Nile
susan Krinard
A bit confusing of a story - as Leo & Tameri come to believe they are the reincaration of two egyptians who had volunteered to be enclosed in a tomb and part of a ritual so that gods spouses Asar and Aset can inhabit their bodies and fight the evil god Sutekh... but Sutekh interupted the ritual... and Leo & Tameri and Sutekh are incarnated in 1890, to try again to defeat Sutekh... and Tameri accepts her reincarnation more readily than Leo - but ... they join, the gods join them... and they do not need to surrender their whole identities - they cohabit in the 2 bodies. hmmmm
September 29, 2012
"4 Stars for Bianka and Lysander!"
"Temptation seeped past your defenses, changed you, made you long for things you shouldn’t."
What a sweet little Novella I really liked this one... wished it was loooonger!! :)
Bianka the beautiful, fun, free spirited, seriously naughty little Harpy (sister to Sabin's woman Gwen) is spirited away to Heaven by Lysander the very straight faced, honest and majorly uptight Angel. He found Bianka to be his greatest temptation (which is a sin... yikes!) so he takes her to his cloud (pretty lush cool place) so he can teach her to behave herself (HAH!!) but if he doesn't succeed then it will be "Off with her head"!!! *rolling eyes*
"When they found this…thing, this abomination, they happily destroyed it before it could destroy them. Lysander had finally found his. Bianka Skyhawk."
Well as you can probably guess things didn't go as planned he found himself questioning his intentions with her and just cannot get her out of his head no matter how much he screws with it ... I love she drives him mad! lol Sooooo anyhoots, he decides if he can make her a "good little Harpy" (not possible) then he could have her for himself (his greatest temptation ... gads!) So he tries all kinds of fun things to have her see things his way... nope not going to work and Harpy is a Harpy!
"To answer your question, you want me because I’m made of awesome." -Bianka
Long story short (leaving out lots of spoilers here) he learns that he needs to either let her go or love her for who she is and not be ashamed. I will let you guess which he chooses! ;)
I really loved this one only thing I would change would be that it was a full length book so we could hear things in more detail but alas this will have to do ... I'm not complaining... much! :)
"Temptation seeped past your defenses, changed you, made you long for things you shouldn’t."
What a sweet little Novella I really liked this one... wished it was loooonger!! :)
Bianka the beautiful, fun, free spirited, seriously naughty little Harpy (sister to Sabin's woman Gwen) is spirited away to Heaven by Lysander the very straight faced, honest and majorly uptight Angel. He found Bianka to be his greatest temptation (which is a sin... yikes!) so he takes her to his cloud (pretty lush cool place) so he can teach her to behave herself (HAH!!) but if he doesn't succeed then it will be "Off with her head"!!! *rolling eyes*
"When they found this…thing, this abomination, they happily destroyed it before it could destroy them. Lysander had finally found his. Bianka Skyhawk."
Well as you can probably guess things didn't go as planned he found himself questioning his intentions with her and just cannot get her out of his head no matter how much he screws with it ... I love she drives him mad! lol Sooooo anyhoots, he decides if he can make her a "good little Harpy" (not possible) then he could have her for himself (his greatest temptation ... gads!) So he tries all kinds of fun things to have her see things his way... nope not going to work and Harpy is a Harpy!
"To answer your question, you want me because I’m made of awesome." -Bianka
Long story short (leaving out lots of spoilers here) he learns that he needs to either let her go or love her for who she is and not be ashamed. I will let you guess which he chooses! ;)
I really loved this one only thing I would change would be that it was a full length book so we could hear things in more detail but alas this will have to do ... I'm not complaining... much! :)
June 27, 2012
Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
I only read the Gena Showalter & loved it, an Angel and Harpy pairing awesome. Bianca is Gwen's sister and a true Harpy. Lysander is an Angel who finds out she is his temptation so thinks he will make her into him so takes her to his cloud where she drives him batty, until he sees he was wrong to take away free will from her. I loved it that the hero was a virgin, a stranger to desire and even kissing. Both of them try to reform the other. Bianca realizes he is her consort and is willing to put up with the humiliation that will come when she introduces him to her family, but he isn't. I loved it when she said she wasn't willing to be a secret and she only stole from the wicked. A pretty good book about opposites plus we get so see Gwen and Sabin marry.
I only read the Gena Showalter & loved it, an Angel and Harpy pairing awesome. Bianca is Gwen's sister and a true Harpy. Lysander is an Angel who finds out she is his temptation so thinks he will make her into him so takes her to his cloud where she drives him batty, until he sees he was wrong to take away free will from her. I loved it that the hero was a virgin, a stranger to desire and even kissing. Both of them try to reform the other. Bianca realizes he is her consort and is willing to put up with the humiliation that will come when she introduces him to her family, but he isn't. I loved it when she said she wasn't willing to be a secret and she only stole from the wicked. A pretty good book about opposites plus we get so see Gwen and Sabin marry.
January 19, 2018
I'm only giving this a 3 because it is an anthology.
Gena's story was very good. An Angel and a Harpy, how could it not be, but entirely too short.
Maggie Shayne's story was very good. I'd never read anything by her and I did enjoy her way of writing. The story pulled me in.
Susan Krinard's story just didn't do it for me at all. I understood where she was going with it but the way it was written was confusing. She had many characters that she would go back and forth with. Some of the people that are part of the story now are actually a part of history before and she would call them by the history name rather than their names now.
Gena's story was very good. An Angel and a Harpy, how could it not be, but entirely too short.
Maggie Shayne's story was very good. I'd never read anything by her and I did enjoy her way of writing. The story pulled me in.
Susan Krinard's story just didn't do it for me at all. I understood where she was going with it but the way it was written was confusing. She had many characters that she would go back and forth with. Some of the people that are part of the story now are actually a part of history before and she would call them by the history name rather than their names now.
October 5, 2019
Ένας άγγελος που ερωτεύεται μια Άρπυια.
Μια κοπέλα που πέθανε πριν 22 χρόνια και μετενσαρκώνεται,προκειμένου να υποδείξει τον αληθινό ένοχο του φόνου της και να κλείσει τον κύκλο.
2 άνθρωποι στο Λονδίνο του 1890 που ανακαλύπτουν πως σε μια άλλη ζωή ήταν αρχαίοι Αιγύπτιοι και προορισμένοι να πολεμήσουν το Κακό,μαζί με τον Όσιρι και την Ίσιδα.
Εντάξει,η αλήθεια είναι πως βγήκε αβίαστα το βιβλίο,πολύ πιο εύκολα απ' ότι περίμενα και αποδείχτηκε ενδιαφέρον.Αρχικά το ξεκίνησα με σκοπό να το 'ξεπετάξω' από τη λίστα με τα αδιάβαστα,αλλά μπορώ να πω πως ήταν αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσες οι ιστορίες..Ειδικά οι λάτρεις του υπερφυσικού,νομίζω πως θα τις αγαπήσουν πολύ περισσότερο από μένα.
Μια κοπέλα που πέθανε πριν 22 χρόνια και μετενσαρκώνεται,προκειμένου να υποδείξει τον αληθινό ένοχο του φόνου της και να κλείσει τον κύκλο.
2 άνθρωποι στο Λονδίνο του 1890 που ανακαλύπτουν πως σε μια άλλη ζωή ήταν αρχαίοι Αιγύπτιοι και προορισμένοι να πολεμήσουν το Κακό,μαζί με τον Όσιρι και την Ίσιδα.
Εντάξει,η αλήθεια είναι πως βγήκε αβίαστα το βιβλίο,πολύ πιο εύκολα απ' ότι περίμενα και αποδείχτηκε ενδιαφέρον.Αρχικά το ξεκίνησα με σκοπό να το 'ξεπετάξω' από τη λίστα με τα αδιάβαστα,αλλά μπορώ να πω πως ήταν αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσες οι ιστορίες..Ειδικά οι λάτρεις του υπερφυσικού,νομίζω πως θα τις αγαπήσουν πολύ περισσότερο από μένα.
August 10, 2010
only read The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
May 31, 2010
My review is only for The Darkest Angel. Whew! One hot read! I'm still fanning myself. I wasn't too sure about having Bianka as a heroine in a story but I loved her. Showalter is such a great writer!
July 21, 2010
There are three stories in this book, each from a different author. I am new to reading Gena Showalter but enjoyed her story immensely!
January 31, 2016
Meh, I read this then took a substantial break from the series because it was all starting to read the same.
May 15, 2020
I loved this short story. Bianka is one hell of a woman!!!
July 1, 2014
Darkest Angel was great, it had me laughing out loud and receiving funny looks from passersby.
The others were OK.
The others were OK.
May 14, 2016
EL mejor libro de la saga. No hay manera, forma, situación o posibilidad de no reír con Bianka y amar a Lysander.
March 27, 2021
I grabbed this mainly for the Lords of the Underworld novella,which is first in this collection.
Showalter's Lords novella wasn't as good as her usual works for me. It felt overly silly and the characters seemed a bit too... juvenile. It was sort of fantastically unrealistic to the point of it being too much,too "extra" and just didn't capture my interest.
It deals with Harpy Bianka and angel Lysander. Bianka is just too...I don't know.. she's not really accessable, she's too bratty,too violent and too fanciful, she's not a character I could identify with well. Gwen,her younger sister from the previous novel,was more sweet and 'normal',I liked her better.
Lysander,I dunno,I liked his purity and innocence,being an angel and all and being tempted by his truly shameless Harpy captive. I haven't really read much where the guy is the innocent one who's seduced by a bad girl,so that was neat. However,he was a bit personality-less and wooden. I couldn't get excited about the vision of a dude in a flowy robe thing with sandals and long blonde hair. Farrr too feminine for me! He needed a more masculine outfit,like golden armour or something.
There was the frustrating "I like her,but I shouldn't." "He's hot but he thinks I belong in hell,I'm not good enough for him" inner battles with the obvious,they like each other,so kiss already! 😂 I get frustrated when it takes too long to listen to the heart.
Just felt too immature somehow for me. People wrestling in Cherry flavoured oil in heaven? Dude,what? There was some steam,but it wasn't that great.
Maggie Shayne Novella, This one was a huge disappointment,it wasn't even Paranormal romance!! It was like a contemporary mystery story. Reminded me of the kind of kid novels I read around age 12 with mysterious circumstances that end up aren't mysterious at all but they have a bit of adventure anyway. Not even very romantic at all.
Susan Krinard Novella, Didn't enjoy that one,skimmed it. I love historical romance as much as paranormal,but this was too historical,the language was so stiff,polite,old fashioned it was deadly boring. I'm used to the frou frou talk in the regency novels I generally read,but this just seemed truly painful.
The story didn't interest me,even though the idea sounded cool. A lot of extraneous stuff and descriptions of surroundings. Just didn't pull me in.
Showalter's Lords novella wasn't as good as her usual works for me. It felt overly silly and the characters seemed a bit too... juvenile. It was sort of fantastically unrealistic to the point of it being too much,too "extra" and just didn't capture my interest.
It deals with Harpy Bianka and angel Lysander. Bianka is just too...I don't know.. she's not really accessable, she's too bratty,too violent and too fanciful, she's not a character I could identify with well. Gwen,her younger sister from the previous novel,was more sweet and 'normal',I liked her better.
Lysander,I dunno,I liked his purity and innocence,being an angel and all and being tempted by his truly shameless Harpy captive. I haven't really read much where the guy is the innocent one who's seduced by a bad girl,so that was neat. However,he was a bit personality-less and wooden. I couldn't get excited about the vision of a dude in a flowy robe thing with sandals and long blonde hair. Farrr too feminine for me! He needed a more masculine outfit,like golden armour or something.
There was the frustrating "I like her,but I shouldn't." "He's hot but he thinks I belong in hell,I'm not good enough for him" inner battles with the obvious,they like each other,so kiss already! 😂 I get frustrated when it takes too long to listen to the heart.
Just felt too immature somehow for me. People wrestling in Cherry flavoured oil in heaven? Dude,what? There was some steam,but it wasn't that great.
Maggie Shayne Novella, This one was a huge disappointment,it wasn't even Paranormal romance!! It was like a contemporary mystery story. Reminded me of the kind of kid novels I read around age 12 with mysterious circumstances that end up aren't mysterious at all but they have a bit of adventure anyway. Not even very romantic at all.
Susan Krinard Novella, Didn't enjoy that one,skimmed it. I love historical romance as much as paranormal,but this was too historical,the language was so stiff,polite,old fashioned it was deadly boring. I'm used to the frou frou talk in the regency novels I generally read,but this just seemed truly painful.
The story didn't interest me,even though the idea sounded cool. A lot of extraneous stuff and descriptions of surroundings. Just didn't pull me in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 375 reviews