The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) [Amun & Haidee] by Gena Showalter

I can't believe this is the last book for 2013! YAY :) But I"m happy that this is the last taste of the year. I LOVED this book. It was built in a beautiful way. Even though we had the concept of a Warrior with "the enemy" or with someone they suppose to hate or mistrust, this book was somehow different because of the way both Amun and Haidee were presented and the way they learned who the other person are. 

Amun, keeper of Secrets have always been the more down to earth warrior, a calmer person - keeps to himself, doesn't resolve to violence or tend to violence as his bothers in arm tend to, yet inside lives the torment of all the people he stole the memories from, all the people he glimpsed their dark and terrible past. Amun can hear the thoughts of all the people around him, yet he doesn't speak because when he does, what comes out is the voices of the people he touched and felt their blackness. On the previous book he went with Aeron and William to Hell in order to bring back Aeron's "daughter" Legion. While there Amun consumed a huge amount of low level demons. The warriors as well as the warrior angels led by the annoying Lasyter didn't know what to do with him so they "contained" him in his room considering what to do, thinking how to purge him of the demons but mostly don't think there is a way to do it.

Haidee is who you remember her to be, the Bait who brought down Baden (keeper of Distrust) so many years ago. Strider found her in the previous book and was on his way to bringing her to Budapest. When Strider found her with her Hunter friends he was puzzled by the fact that her boyfriend (also a Hunter naturally) resembles Amun. and when Haidee meets Amun for the first time she confuses Amun with him and at times not sure who he is. But I'm getting ahead of myself..

Amun somehow senses Haidee in the room next to his and start to call her mentally. She reacts though she is very confused by this akward connection. Amun used to reading other people's minds is confused to not be able to read her mind but is able to send her his thoughts enabling them to talk (well, he projects his thoughts and she talks). As they spend more and more time together they feel a strange powerful connection between the both of them eliminating little by little the natural distrust they should have against each other (just thought about this - Baden, who was the keeper of distrust is what keeps them apart)

But the most important thing about their connection - somehow when Haidee is near Amun she subdue his Invading demons in a way that allows Amun to think clearly and behave normally. When the other warriors at Budapest realize that they let them spend more time together until the angel Zacharel (which you'll hate in the beginning, appreciate in the middle and love in the end) comes out with a plan to help purge the demons out (I just found out there is a spin-off series of the Angels! YAY! the first one called "Wicked Nights" staring Zacharel!). All the have to do is walk to hell together and hopefully come back minus the intruding demons.. 

I loved the romance between the both of them, loved learning who Haidee is, how she is and was misunderstood but also mistreated she has been. She doesn't have control over her life, she is quite lost but she tries to make what she can out of it (which isn't much until she meets Amun). I loved the way they were connected and what brought it over. I also loved her story which remained unclear up until almost the end of the book. Amun is who he is, and because of that, Haidee is the perfect person for him, she couldn't have bonded with any other warrior it was just right in every way. 

Unlike the previous books where we had a lot of sub plots and a lot going on with the Hunters this book was mainly Amun and Haidee's book. Which was a really positive change in my eyes. Since we had A LOT of them and didn't have to wait through the sub plots to see where they're going.

We basically have a little going on with Strider which is such a pity I'm coming to dislike (since he's in the next book) but since I LOVE Kaia (the harpy / Gwen's sister) and we see a little how she torments him I do hope she'll torment the heck out of him in the next one, make him pay for being a pain in the ass both in this book and in the previous one. we read a bit of the suffering Paris wanting and wishing for his Sienna (as it seems she is trying to get to him, maybe she will in the next book?) and William is determined to off Gillty's parents but sadly we haven't seen the blood on the walls - YET. I do hope we'll have a full chapter of him mutilating them! and we also learn a tidy bit about William - I must say it wasn't what I expected but we should beware if his curse (from the book Anya keeps from him) comes to pass - GODS HELP US!

This is my favorite book this far. I'm in a way "scared" to ruin it with the next one. I hope I'll finish it quickly because I'm REALLY waiting to see what happens between Sienna and Paris (in book #9). I don't know what to expect with Kane's book though. He's the only one we barely know. 

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 417 pages, 27-31 December 2013 / On GoodReads

 

 

ABOUT THE MC

 

Amun / Secrets [GREECE CONTINGENT]

Height: 6'6'' 

Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Butterfly tattoo: Right calf
Other distinguishing marks: Dark skin
Preferred weapon: Things of an exotic nature.

Demon culpability: The demon of Secrets fosters a lack of communication that contributes to individual issues such as the breakdown of marriages and global problems such as breaches of national security and the inability to achieve world peace. 

Notable background: Subject is unable to speak without the secrets of the world pouring out of his mouth—as I regrettably experienced first-hand at our Chicago facility. Also of note, when he speaks, you hear the voice of the person whose secret he is revealing.
Achilles heel: Subject’s fear of speaking might be utilized to our advantage.
Objectives: Capture and interrogate subject in the hopes of discerning the secrets he keeps and using them against the Lords.

 

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

Lords of the Underworld is a Paranormal Romance series by Gena Showalter which follows 12 warriors who carry inside them a demon. The warriors are "good" or rather, they aren't bad, but the demon they carry inside of them does it's best to try and do evil through them. In the past, when the warriors were just given the demons they couldn't control them but now most of them just want to live their lives in the peace they can have.  

In each book one of the warriors finds his HEA. Every woman has a special ability or have some special connection to the world around them. 

There is a global plot continuing as each book progressed. First there are the gods. This series uses both the Greek Gods as well as the Titans but there are more supernatural being out there (like Angels who appear in the spin-off series). Second there are "The Hunters" who try to destroy the warriors, blaming them for the troubles of the world (in their eyes committed through the demons that live inside them).

The world building of this series is amazing. There is a lot to learn about the powers that keeps the world at his balance. As the series progressed we learn more and more about them and the spin off series "Angles of the Dark" gives another angle of what happens in the heavens. 

NOTE - I stopped reading this series in the 11th installment. Up until this book this series was one of my favorites, but since that book was HORRIBLE I decided not to continue on. Later on there was a HUGE issue with the author with a rather strange decision in changing a promised and much anticipated coupling.

 

Books:
0.5 The Darkest Fire [Geryon & Kadence] (published 1 April 2008) ★★★★
1. The Darkest Night [Maddox & Ashlyn] (published 3 May 2008) ★★★★★
2. The Darkest Kiss [Lucien & Anya] (published 1 June 2008) ★★★★★
3. The Darkest Pleasure [Reyes & Danika] (published 1 July 2008) ★★★★★
3.5 The Darkest Prison [Atlas & Nike](published 14 July 2009) ★★★★★
4. The Darkest Whisper [Sabin & Gwen] (published 1 September 2009) ★★★★½
4.5 The Darkest Angel (in Heart of Darkness) [Lysander & Bianca] (published 22 December 2009) ★★★★★
--- The Darkest Facts (published 1 May 2010) ★★★★★
5. The Darkest Passion [Aeron & Olivia] (published 21 May 2010) ★★★★
6. The Darkest Lie [Gideon & Scarlet] (published 2 July 2010) ★★★★★
7. The Darkest Secret [Amun & Haidee] (published 29 March 2011) ★★★★★
8. The Darkest Surrender [Strider & Kaia] (published 27 September 2011) ★★★
9. The Darkest Seduction [Paris & Seinna] (published 28 February 2012) ★★★★★
10. The Darkest Craving [Kane & Josephina] (published 30 July 2013) ★★★★★
11. The Darkest Touch [Torin & Keeley Cael "The Red Queen"] (published 25 November 2014) ½★ (DNF 55%)