The Darkest Assassin
by Gena Showalter
Release Date: November 22, 2019
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc
Book #14.6 in the Lords of the Underworld series
Number of Pages: 184
Paperback
Source: borrowed from MelCat
Paranormal Romance M/F
Rating: NC-17
Read 4/12/21 to 4/13/21
Fox is a demon-possessed immortal with many talents.
–Ability to open portals—check
–Power to kill the most dangerous Sent Ones—check
–Scare away any man who might want to date her—mate
Now, the keeper of Distrust has been marked for death, a winged assassin with rainbow-colored eyes tracking her every move, determined to avenge the males she accidentally decimated. If only she could control the desire to rip off his clothes…
Bjorn is a fierce warrior with many complications.
–Tragic, torture-filled past—check
–A wife he was forced to wed, who is draining his life force—check
–Ever-intensifying desire for the enigmatic Fox—mate
Never has he hesitated to exterminate an evil being. Until now. The sharp-tongued female with a shockingly vulnerable heart tempts him in ways no one else ever has, threatening his iron control.
But, as Fate itself seems to conspire against the unlikely pair, both old and new enemies emerge. And Fox and Bjorn must fight to survive.
And learn to love…
I didn’t feel as though I knew Fox very well before this story. To me, she was super peripheral until the last book, The Darkest Captive, where we got to see Baden and Legion get their HEA. I mean, until quite recently Fox was considered a “bad guy” to those of us who love the Lords of the Underworld. As for Bjorn, readers of the LOTU universe got to know him in Burning Dawn when his “brother” Thane got his HEA. I have to admit, I’ve been waiting (impatiently) for Thane’s friends to get their stories told.
From other stories in this series, it’s known that the angels are usually quite literal in how they see things. They’re also not very forgiving. Although it’s really through no fault of her own, Fox killed a bunch of Sent Ones toward the end of The Darkest Captive. She is slated to die by the hands of Bjorn, end of story. While Fox anticipates the Sent Ones will be sending an assassin for her, Bjorn doesn’t anticipate his reaction to Fox or the fact that she readily admits she did wrong and must pay for her crimes. Though Fox knows she deserves punishment, she doesn’t believe that punishment should be death and she will not go down without a fight.
The chemistry between Fox and Bjorn is great. I can’t help but love a story where the characters are obviously drawn to one another while trying to fight that attraction for all their worth. Watching their walls start to crumble is always amusing for me.
Between the price on Fox’s head, the war between good and evil that has been brewing, and Bjorn’s vindictive and much loathed wife, this duo has a lot to overcome in order to find their HEA. And while they do eventually get through everything to reach that goal (of course, because this is a romance) there are some missteps along the way. Bjorn really does a 180 at one point that had me questioning if he could be redeemed. I still don’t know if he’s really found that redemption, or if he’s just darn lucky Fox is so in love with him.
All in all, this was another fun and intense ride from Gena Showalter. Next up, William’s story! I’m so excited and a bit scared for that one. Sometimes expectations for a book are a bit too high when it’s such a pivotal character in a series. Fingers crossed…
4 stars
All In Good Time 