Review: The Darkest Passion

Reviewed by Jen
 

I'm a sucker for a tortured hero.  It's one of the reasons I loved Lucien's book so much. But Aeron... poor, poor Aeron. He always puts the needs of his loved ones first. He rarely seeks happiness for himself, because he doesn't really think he deserves it.  But Olivia knows better. She is angel tasked with killing him. His crime: rescuing his beloved Legion from Hell.  Olivia is given a choice... kill Aeron or lose her status as an angel.  But in the weeks she has been secretly observing Aeron, she has fallen in love with him.  So she makes the sacrifice of becoming human to give him a reprieve and to allow her a chance to meet him.  Becoming a fallen angel is excruciating. She comes to Aeron bleeding and broken.  He fights the pull he feels toward her. (Don't they always?) But she is persistent in trying to win him.

There is a lot going on in this story. Aeron is trying to protect Olivia, the other Lords, and Legion, who he sees as the daughter he never had.  But Legion wants Aeron to love her in a very different way. It was creepy and disturbing to watch the lengths she goes to.  We've got great advancement of the series story arc and a solid set-up for Gideon's story.  There is also a fantastic surprise ending that I never saw coming.

But as great as all that was, the very best part of the book was the absolutely amazing romance between Aeron and Olivia. It was both sweet and scorching. All hail Gena Showalter. 5 stars.