Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
No hate or shade to the author, but this is possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. It’s not even the writing, it’s the plot.
I think…. Paranormal Romance is not for me. I cannot overlook the plot holes and shoddy excuse for a magic system, etc. just to watch 2 characters who JUST MET, have sex. I literally do NOT CARE.
I picked up this book because a dear, sweet family member recommended it to me. Granted, she did not read this one, she read some later books in the series. So, I believe the series might get better, but I will NOT be around to find out.
* WARNING SPOILERS *
This book opens with some sort of Greek mythology plot, referencing Pandora’s Box. Okay, cool. There is a group of immortal men (warriors) who had to house demons inside of themselves when Pandora’s Box was opened. So now some of the warriors live in a castle in Budapest together, as tortured souls, dealing with their sins. Our main character is Maddox, who houses the demon of Violence. But then as the story goes on, NOTHING MAKES SENSE. (One of the men named Paris has a very rapey demon inside of him that turns women to jelly, and he somehow has to have sex with a new woman every single day, despite living in a secluded castle and only visiting one single town. How does he find new women? And Maddox is very rapey for sliding into his leftovers/victims while they are lust drunk off Paris’ demon.)
First of all, I cannot bring myself to feel sorry for these arrogant assholes. The only reason they’re infected with demons is because they were so prideful that a wOmAn (Pandora) was chosen to guard the box, that they sabotaged her and opened the box, thinking they would prove themselves as superior to her by conquering the demons. Epic fail.
Cue the entrance of the love interest, Ashlyn, the human with a power that is never explained, trained or utilized for anything useful at all. Insta-love ensues, Ashlyn becomes Maddox’s little bitch, blah blah blah. I was openly cringing at the sexual scenes. They weren’t even hot. No chemistry. During one of the scenes Ashlyn actually thinks “…she would never be able to think of herself as simply Ashlyn. She was now Maddox’s woman.”
Meanwhile an entire family of women is kidnapped in the castle because one of the immortals is supposed to kill them. These women are literally terrified thinking they’re about to be r*ped and killed. And with good reason, because wtf?
Meanwhile…. So many hours were spent on a random scene where Ashlyn drinks some of the immortal’s wine, which had something in it that made her very sick. One of the kidnapped women revives her with CPR, and then argues with one of the warriors about flying into the city to get Tylenol from her purse. At this point I was ready to DNF, but I pushed on. So yeah Ashlyn survives being poisoned by getting CPR and freakin Tylenol.
After this hardly anything happens. For like, a long time. Ashlyn finally starts getting some info from Maddox about what’s going on with him. He admits that he doesn’t want Ashlyn to find Pandora’s box because if she does, the demon will leave his body and he will die. SELFISH AF. Despite several emo scenes in the beginning where Maddox claims that if he could just kill himself to end the suffering, it would be worth it. Turns out he is a selfish ass.
There was a betrayal, a self-sacrifice and then a happily ever after. I’m glad they’re happy because I wasn’t.
I think…. Paranormal Romance is not for me. I cannot overlook the plot holes and shoddy excuse for a magic system, etc. just to watch 2 characters who JUST MET, have sex. I literally do NOT CARE.
I picked up this book because a dear, sweet family member recommended it to me. Granted, she did not read this one, she read some later books in the series. So, I believe the series might get better, but I will NOT be around to find out.
* WARNING SPOILERS *
This book opens with some sort of Greek mythology plot, referencing Pandora’s Box. Okay, cool. There is a group of immortal men (warriors) who had to house demons inside of themselves when Pandora’s Box was opened. So now some of the warriors live in a castle in Budapest together, as tortured souls, dealing with their sins. Our main character is Maddox, who houses the demon of Violence. But then as the story goes on, NOTHING MAKES SENSE. (One of the men named Paris has a very rapey demon inside of him that turns women to jelly, and he somehow has to have sex with a new woman every single day, despite living in a secluded castle and only visiting one single town. How does he find new women? And Maddox is very rapey for sliding into his leftovers/victims while they are lust drunk off Paris’ demon.)
First of all, I cannot bring myself to feel sorry for these arrogant assholes. The only reason they’re infected with demons is because they were so prideful that a wOmAn (Pandora) was chosen to guard the box, that they sabotaged her and opened the box, thinking they would prove themselves as superior to her by conquering the demons. Epic fail.
Cue the entrance of the love interest, Ashlyn, the human with a power that is never explained, trained or utilized for anything useful at all. Insta-love ensues, Ashlyn becomes Maddox’s little bitch, blah blah blah. I was openly cringing at the sexual scenes. They weren’t even hot. No chemistry. During one of the scenes Ashlyn actually thinks “…she would never be able to think of herself as simply Ashlyn. She was now Maddox’s woman.”
Meanwhile an entire family of women is kidnapped in the castle because one of the immortals is supposed to kill them. These women are literally terrified thinking they’re about to be r*ped and killed. And with good reason, because wtf?
Meanwhile…. So many hours were spent on a random scene where Ashlyn drinks some of the immortal’s wine, which had something in it that made her very sick. One of the kidnapped women revives her with CPR, and then argues with one of the warriors about flying into the city to get Tylenol from her purse. At this point I was ready to DNF, but I pushed on. So yeah Ashlyn survives being poisoned by getting CPR and freakin Tylenol.
After this hardly anything happens. For like, a long time. Ashlyn finally starts getting some info from Maddox about what’s going on with him. He admits that he doesn’t want Ashlyn to find Pandora’s box because if she does, the demon will leave his body and he will die. SELFISH AF. Despite several emo scenes in the beginning where Maddox claims that if he could just kill himself to end the suffering, it would be worth it. Turns out he is a selfish ass.
There was a betrayal, a self-sacrifice and then a happily ever after. I’m glad they’re happy because I wasn’t.
For a book that’s only 277 pages it sure felt a lot longer. I won’t continue the series.
Pretty enjoyable start to a romance series. I'll reserve judgment after reading the next one...
This book was good. The demons made things interesting, but to be honest, I had a hard time finding any of these guys attractive. There is nothing hot about having a demon in you, especially the demons in this series. Disease, Violence, Pain, etc... Not hot.
But I like the idea and tried to separate myself from the romance in the story. Kind of hard to do when most of the book was angsty love between the two main characters. I'm not sure if I'm going to read the rest of the books in this series, but this book was enjoyable as a fantasy novel.
But I like the idea and tried to separate myself from the romance in the story. Kind of hard to do when most of the book was angsty love between the two main characters. I'm not sure if I'm going to read the rest of the books in this series, but this book was enjoyable as a fantasy novel.
Such a fun concept... 12 warriors, jealous of the fact that Pandora is put in charge of guarding a box filled with demons, slay her and as punishment are required to house one of the demons within them, binding them to their own souls. This first novel in the series, Lords of the Underworld, is about Maddox, who houses the demon Violence, and Ashlyn, a woman who can hear all conversations that have ever taken place on that spot. In an attempt to seek refuge and guidance from the voices, Ashlyn meets Maddox and the story begins. This is definitely a romance but darker than most. It's filled with demons, angels, gods and goddesses. Definitely worth checking out!
I enjoyed this book but it's not one of my favorites. I really liked Maddox and Ashlyn. They had the instant attraction that can only happen in fairy tales. The whole saving each others tortured souls was a nice touch. I'm not sure about the rest of the story. It was a bit confusing with all of the double names for each Lord/Demon. I felt like I was playing catch up for much of the book with the bits about the gods and Titans.
I will probably read the next one because I liked Anya.
I will probably read the next one because I liked Anya.
3.5 stars
My first review of the year. My goal is to leave at least a short review of each book I read. I don't highlight as not all my books are ebooks and I normally write them as soon as I finish so they are fresh (if not impulsive).
Slight spoilers ahead...
I did enjoy this book. The writing was solid and the characters fleshed out for the most part. Parts were slightly predictable, but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the novel. The heroine was so naive at times, but not stupid, which I can forgive. Considering her upbringing, it fit, so it didn't bother me. The parts regarding Pandora irked me a bit. She was supposed to be a great warrior, so much so that she was entrusted with the box. Maddox admitted she was a great warrior, but then the way he was so remorseful for killing her, not because he betrayed a fellow warrior, but because she was a woman just didn't jive with me. It was like he contradicted himself. She can't be the respected warrior and the delicate woman you regret killing BECAUSE she is a woman. The attempts to kill Ashlyn over knowing of an affair and such seemed over the top to me also, manufactured to emphasize her loneliness. We get it. She has no friends. No one trusts her.
Even with these two things that bothered me, it was not enough to take away my enjoyment of the book. Will I reread it? Probably not, but that is just because there are so many other books out there I haven't read, increasing every day. There is also a finite amount of time I have to read them, so instead of a reread, I'll just move on to the next in the series.
My first review of the year. My goal is to leave at least a short review of each book I read. I don't highlight as not all my books are ebooks and I normally write them as soon as I finish so they are fresh (if not impulsive).
Slight spoilers ahead...
I did enjoy this book. The writing was solid and the characters fleshed out for the most part. Parts were slightly predictable, but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the novel. The heroine was so naive at times, but not stupid, which I can forgive. Considering her upbringing, it fit, so it didn't bother me. The parts regarding Pandora irked me a bit. She was supposed to be a great warrior, so much so that she was entrusted with the box. Maddox admitted she was a great warrior, but then the way he was so remorseful for killing her, not because he betrayed a fellow warrior, but because she was a woman just didn't jive with me. It was like he contradicted himself. She can't be the respected warrior and the delicate woman you regret killing BECAUSE she is a woman. The attempts to kill Ashlyn over knowing of an affair and such seemed over the top to me also, manufactured to emphasize her loneliness. We get it. She has no friends. No one trusts her.
Even with these two things that bothered me, it was not enough to take away my enjoyment of the book. Will I reread it? Probably not, but that is just because there are so many other books out there I haven't read, increasing every day. There is also a finite amount of time I have to read them, so instead of a reread, I'll just move on to the next in the series.
Fun fantasy romance. Writing was ok, characters were better.
We follow Maddox in the first book of this series of the Lords of the Underworld. What has happened that Maddox received his curse and eternal punishment? What is that punishment? Who is Torin? What exactly did the Lords of the Underworld do that earned the eternal wrath of the Gods? What demon does Maddox hold inside of him? There are no end to the problems that Maddox's personal house demon in his body cause him. Where did these demons come from? What demon do we find out that Torin has? I had to laugh when I read about Paris and his demon. What causes Paris to forsake his one duty to the other Lords in the house? Who is Aeron and what has happened to him? Torin is the man who keeps the safety of the home where the Lords live. What he sees outside and he brings Maddox in to show him causes Maddox to pause and think. To worry. Who is Ashlyn Darrow? Why is she in Budapest? What does she want with the Lords? When Ashlyn is stopped because of two bloody blades over her shoulders in a tree, what happens? Who else was out there and what is she told? What doe Ashlyn witness with regards to the other Lords and Maddox? Why is she so worked up? Will she listen to reason? When Aeron returns, what information does he impart to the other Lords while Maddox is in his own personal Hell and Ashlyn is locked away in the dungeon? Who is Danika? How does she end up at the home with her mother, sister, and grandmother? What happens to Ashlyn after eating her first meal there at the Lords house? What does Reyes refer to Danika as? What does he call her? You really need to keep an eye out and figure out why these bachelors suddenly have women showing up in their midst. It is funny. This is a very interesting Paranormal Romance with some Dark undertones. It was a book I could not stop reading, even as I re-read this. I own this series, am only missing a couple of books from the very end of the series. I love it and buy them when I find them on sale! Enjoy it.