The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9)

This is the most anticipated book EVER in this series. I think more often than not you will find a fan or reader of the series mentioning that they were waiting for this book. Why? Well for one Paris is the keeper of Promiscuity and he is destined to bed a different man or woman each time to stay alive. He could never bed the same woman or man, EVER, until he met Sienna. Unfortunately, Sienna was killed shortly after meeting Paris and he burned her body in a warriors funeral. Later he finds out that Cronus has her spirit trapped. Paris goes into a deep depression because all he wants more than anything is to settle down with one person. He loathes the fact that he has to bed someone different all the time. I can't remember when Paris and Sienna met because it was early on in the series and since then you see a rather pathetic Paris who has lost all hope and is just sad. Along the way he develops a dependency on ambrosia which is like crack for immortals. It's just been a real sad ride. Needless to say by the last book I was done with Paris and his whiny ways.

So now we are given this book! The cover has been revealed for a while now but in my hands I have a closer look. I actually start to worry! On the cover you have Paris and his butterfly tattoo which is the sign of the demon. You also have a woman on the cover straddling Paris. She has violet colored eyes and no butterfly tatoo visible AND she is stunning. Yeah I was freaking out thinking this is nothing like Sienna. Sienna is a regular kind of girl, not UGLY but definitely not the one on the cover of this book. I started off worried but calmed myself down enough to convince myself to not jump to any conclusions just yet.

Reading this book for the majority of the time felt like an out of body experience. I kept stopping thinking this book feels so foreign to me. I wasn't sure if it was written by the same author or if the author had had too big of a break between books and forgot the feel of this world. The characters didn't act like themselves at all except perhaps William. Paris and Sienna were pretty awkward for a while and Paris was just so different from the other books! He went from whiny to jack ass murdering immortal. Above all I just couldn't convince myself that Sienna and Paris would end up together at the end of the book. I know Gena Showalter had said they would on her blog but I just felt like it just might not happen. Oh and the never ending pages. It really could have been cut short a few hundred pages. Did I mention that these characters didn't act like themselves?? Yeah well, again, they didn't. There is a part in this book where Strider gives Paris crap for falling for Sienna and gives him an ultimatum. Why is this odd? Everyone in the house knew that Paris was looking for leads that would help him find Sienna. Furthermore, Sienna didn't kill anyone as the enemy and is being treated like a leper when one of the other girls beheaded their friend and was forgiven... WEIRDNESS. I so missed the love these warriors felt for one another and the understanding they had for one another.

So why the 4 stars if I was unhappy or confused for most of the book? The last third of the book. The money pot was in the last third of the book. HONEST to GOD! The author did an awesome job in turning some events around that NO ONE was expecting. She also did an awesome job in tying so many loose ends. You would have thought this was the last book in the series with so many loose ends nicely snipped and cauterized. The twins are finally born after a thousand years, J/K. Not too happy about their names but hey, they are finally here. There is a battle in this book that is completely awesome to read. By the end of the book I believed in Paris and Sienna's love and was truly excited about them. By the end of the book I once again believed in this world that Gena Showalter has created.

I would give it a chance if for nothing else so that you can read the great ending!