The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld 3) - Gena Showalter

The Book
Release Date:  1 July 2008

Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her--even defy the gods.

Danika is on the run. For months she's eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won't rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can't forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear....

My Opinion  5 STARS
In this book we have the story of Reyes and Danika of whom we were introduced in the first novel. Danika also had a cameo appearance in book two.

Reyes really is a tortured soul as his demon is pain and he is constantly cutting himself or throwing himself off buildings in order to feel as much pain as he can, as pain is his pleasure. He also cannot make love without pain.

Danika is a strong woman who has had dreams since her grandmother tried to kill herself. She paints what she sees in order that she can then forget, but she sees both heaven and hell, and later we find out the gods themselves. 

On the run from the demons her family have split and struggling to cope. Her wages from any jobs she gets go towards the few meagre items she needs and self-defense lessons. Confronted by to guys at work she breaks one of their noses and is promptly fired. After running she is tackled by the other where she promptly kills him with her pencil.

Waking up she has been kidnaped by hunters who ask her to help them, then is found by Reyes and the other demons and rescued. 

Reyes and Danika have a somewhat turbulent relationship until they learn that they can't cope without each other and Danika can calm his demon for pain, which the other members also notice.

Of course Cronus pops up here and there trying to manipulate the situation with the other demons and we also see Paris's pain of not having Sienna. the girl from Athen, the hunter he cannot forget.

Lots of twists and surprises in this book that follows our two main characters and some of the others in the most brilliant way. This series just gets better and better.