First off, I'll say I'm not an avid reader of adult novels, but there are a few that grab my attention, the Lords of the Underworld series being one of them. That said, this book is for 18 years of age and up!
This book introduces us to the Lords, men who embody demons unleashed from Pandora's box. Thing is, back in the days of ancient Greece, they were the ones that opened the box and this is a curse put on them by the gods. This fascinated me from the start; each of these men houses a demon, some worse than others (in ways). Torin, for example, who houses Disease, can't have physical contact with anyone lest he start a plague. Reyes, keeper of Pain, is overcome with the need to hurt himself, it's all he knows. Each of these men have their own cross to bear, so to speak, and while they're all strong physically, these demons are always at the edge of their minds, whispering, pushing, eager to get control and wreak havoc.
I'm not sure if it was because the men were from ancient times but I found the writing very formal. I noticed a lot of 'surely's' for example. Surely you don't mean...surely I can...surely this and that. Most of the time it was sort of awkward. Also corny. Are all romances like this?
The relationships also move very fast. Maddox and Ashlyn knew each other for a week, a week, and were already mentioning the L word. Their relationship was intense and lust filled from the start but it did have deeper meaning, especially for Maddox, whose demon also comes to care about her. It might've been unrealistic, but it was fun to read. Ashlyn was a strong woman with lots of self doubt so it was nice seeing her really grow into herself and experience these feelings with Maddox. And I'll be honest, their interactions were pretty hot!
I thought this was a good introduction to the series. We learn about the Lords but I definitely want to know more; what were they like in Greece? What happened when the demons were loose? The Hunters who are, well, hunting, down Pandora's box to reclaim the demons; how were they started? Will they be more badass? because they didn't seem that tough.
Each book will focus on one of the Lords so I am looking forward to delving into all of their hopes and fears and abilities and how they'll go about dealing with their (probably) intense love connections.
This sounds like a really cool series with a great idea, love the spin on the Greek mythology. The guys are hot, powerful, and, let's face it, they fight hard and they play hard. Great (adult!) paranormal-romance read, check it out if you can!
Review also here: http://allofeverythingforyou.blogspot.com/2011/04/adult-review-darkest-night-lords-of.html
