The Darkest Lie

This is one of my favorite stories in the Lords of the Underworld series. Gideon, the keeper of Lies, meets Scarlet, the keeper of Nightmares. She claims to be his long-lost wife but he doesn’t remember her. Of all the heroines in the series, Scarlet is one of the strongest. Gideon is absolutely wonderful because he can handle a powerful, stubborn, determined woman without feeling a blow to his ego, unlike some of the other Lords if they were paired with Scarlet. Scarlet’s back story is a tearjerker. I think I teared up four times throughout the novel, maybe more. What she suffered is unbelievable, and at the hands of her own family makes it even worse. I mean, poor sweet Steel. And she believed Gideon betrayed her. Just so sad.
I show more loved all the scenes with Amun, Aeron and William. They traveled to Hell to rescue Legion and the blood, fights and torture they experienced, especially in poor Amun’s case, was riveting to read. We also learn a little about William, things he doesn’t want anyone to know.
Strider meets Haidee, a now-immortal woman who killed a Lord a few thousand years ago, and his arrogance irritated me. Strider is the keeper of Defeat and has to win at everything, but he made a mistake in arresting/kidnapping Haidee and he lost one of the artifacts to the Unspoken Ones.
We didn’t see Maddox and Paris in this story. Maddox is too busy taking care of his pregnant wife, Ashlyn, which is annoying because he’s not a kickass warrior as he used to be. Paris just wasn’t around, which means he’s off page getting drunk on ambrosia (though there was one scene with Sienna – yippee!).
There was waaaay too much sex in this book, at least four long scenes, and I skimmed them all. I don’t think the book dragged but I did get sick of hearing Scarlet’s reasons about why she and Gideon couldn’t stay together. I understand her reasoning, but it was repetitive. As I’ve said before with my reviews to the other books in the series, I’m not crazy about the author’s writing style but this story is superb despite my preferences. Great characters, lots of character development for the H/h and the minor characters (for the ones mentioned in the story), and great description that fit the story without bogging it down.
5 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. show less

Took me a while to get through this as I was down with the flu and then the scenes with other Lords and what they were up to threw me a couple of times so that I had to reread a few pages here and there.
But now I am healthy and have to say....GIDEON AND SCARLET ROCK!

Keeper of Lies meets Nightmares...could there be a better showdown. I love how quickly she learns Gideon speak and can actually joke with him and get him to laugh. And because he can not tell the truth without incredible pain she learns to trust and believe him fairly quickly. Gideon not remembering his wife and then his son...and when he learns the truth, his level of heartbreak and how he wants to protect Scar, slayed me. His vow to romance her and to make sure she knows show more how much he loves her. What a sweetie this Lord is, where's he been hiding all of that.

Now to the secondary stories...What the heck is Stryder up to? And Haidee...really, this should be interesting to see what develops there. Amun can not be lost to the Lords. Sure being in hell that long probably wasn't the best of ideas for him but he went wanting to help his friends. I absolutely love, love, love how Scarlet sticks up for Amun when the angels want to solve the "what do we do now" problem and tells them that the Lords will care and heal him. Torin is coming out up with some memorable one liners...loving it more and more.

Glad Gideon and Scarlet have their love story. Aeron will heal. Kane is just a walking prat fall. Amun will be fine, eventually. Torin...someone please love Torin. WIlliam and Gilly...is there something going on there that we need to pay closer attention to? Stryder, will he be the next Lord to find his forever love? show less

The Darkest Lie
4 Stars

Synopsis
Gideon, the Keeper of Lies, has met his match in Scarlet, the Keeper of Nightmares, for he cannot tell if her tales of their marriage are true or false. While they try to work through their questions, Scarlet and Gideon are confronted with threats from the past that may destroy the future they seek together.


Review
Surprisingly refreshing and engaging.

The "Gideon Speak" takes some getting used to but it becomes easier as the book progresses. In fact, it is the repetitious and unnecessary translation and explanation of his true meaning that almost ruins the story.

Gideon and Scarlet are a cute couple and their romance is rather sweet and poignant. Despite his language difficulties, Gideon is a wonderful hero show more - sweet, open and, yes, honest. Scarlet is a strong and powerful heroine, and the descriptions of her traumatic life in Tartarus are heart-wrenching. She is, in many ways, the most dangerous and fearsome of all the Lords, and she is far more likeable than Olivia.

The plot, based on the theme of truth and lies, can be difficult to follow but the compelling twists and turns are exciting. As soon as you think you have a handle on what's going on, everything is turned on its head.

The developments in William, Sienna, Strider and Amun's stories are also intriguing and provide a necessary respite from the confusion of Gideon's speech. Moreover, the insights into Cronus and Rhea's characters and their motivation - the petty conflicts and jealousies - are true to the conventions of Greek mythology and add another interesting dimension.

Given the nature of Gideon's demon and the themes in the book, the writing is simply excellent and Showalter does an admirable job of merging everything together into a cohesive whole that mostly flows smoothly.

All in all, a good addition to the series and the next installment should be interesting to say the least. show less

So far this has been my favorite book in the series. The Darkest Lie tells the story of Gideon, the keeper of Lies, and Scarlet, keeper of Nightmares. I simply adore Gideon. He is cursed to spend eternity unable to tell the truth without excruciating pain and I found that somewhat annoying in some of the other books; in this book I found it to be charming. It's kinda funny that you'll find more truth with the keeper of Lies than you will with anyone else and to me that makes him more trustworthy than the other Lords. Gideon, with his blue hair, piercings and tattoos is an open book and boy is he a hot, twisted, pervy mess.I know that others have had negative things to say about Scarlet but I have only positive things to say about her. I show more really liked her and if I were to be cursed with a demon I hope it would be Nightmares. Scarlet's demon is a bad ass! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and though misguided, Scarlet sets out to get her revenge on Gideon. Watching their story unfold was heartbreaking and beautiful. After seeing all that Scarlet had been through in her life I really wanted her to have a happy ending. It's the first time I've really felt that way about a heroine in this series. Don't get me wrong, I like the other girls; especially Anya, Goddess of Anarchy, but I guess I just connected more with Scarlet. The Darkest Lie set up the scene for Amun's story, The Darkest Secret and I can't wait to see what happens. April can't come fast enough. show less

Finally Gideon's story! I'd been waiting to read about him for ages. I loved the idea that he was married to Scarlet but didn't remember. There was a lot to love about this book. Gideon-speak became second nature after a few chapters and I found myself twisting everyone's words which made for some interesting reading. ;)

While Team Gidlet rocked, I felt their story was full of too much angst and godly manipulations. Honestly, my eyes glazed over whenever Cronos appeared. I wanted more of the badass couple wrecking havoc on Hunters. Scarlet was very frustrating. Her fear of commitment to Gideon continued throughout the entire book. Even after he'd declared his love she still found more reasons not to be with him. After a while I wanted to show more smack her. You don't want Gideon? That's ok. I'll take him!

Even though I found Gideon and Scarlet's story lacking, Strider and Amun kept me hooked on the Lords. Poor Amun! I'm really scared for him. Also, I can't wait for Strider's snarky ass to get blinded by love. That should prove to be a fun read. show less

Gena Showalter's "Lords of the Underworld" series continues on strong with this latest installment. This time the spotlight is on Gideon, Keeper of Lies and a personal favorite of mine. As you may recall from the last book, the Lords have recently acquired a prisoner, Scarlet, Keeper of Nightmares. She's dangerous, hostile, beautiful ... and she claims to be Gideon's wife from long ago. Gideon has no memory of Scarlet or their marriage, but he cannot deny the strange connection he feels for this woman.

Gideon and Scarlet are both delightful characters, and I was happy to see their story take the forefront, with the ongoing struggle against Galen and the Hunters playing a smaller role in the overall story. Some new developments in this show more centuries-old war do take place in this book, but I found those less interesting. It was much more fun seeing Gideon go toe-to-toe with Scarlet in a cat and mouse game of lust, love, and a touch of violence. This book is romantic, amusing, sexy, creative ... everything I've come to expect from this author.

As a bit of bonus, this story brought several of the Titans into play, especially Cronus and Rhea. We also see a lot of Torin, Amun, Strider, and William in this one. Showalter does a great job of developing this fabulous cast of characters a handful at a time, just enough to build the anticipation without overloading the stage. Six novels and several shorties in, this series has lost none of its momentum. show less

In the 6th installment of the series, Gideon, Keeper of Lies, is confronting Scarlet, Keeper of Nightmares. He wants answers, because at the end of Aeron's book, The Darkest Passion, Scarlet dropped a major bomb on Gideon: She's his wife!

Say what?

Gideon doesn't understand why he can't remember her, although he's had some sort of odd memory about her because they share a special tattoo. She is utterly pissed off that he left her in Tarturus and never returned. However, she can't deny her lust for him, and he certainly can't deny his yearning for her.

Gideon Speak takes getting used to, but it makes Gideon ever so likable. You see, he can't utter a single truth. If he does, his demon gifts him with immense physical pain. So Gideon has to show more always say the opposite of what he means. "I hate you", never "I love you"; "I want to kiss you" instead of "I want to kill you." "Devil", never "Angel." Can you imagine the frustration this poor man must feel? Thankfully, Scarlet understands his distorted messages, but they definitely do not start out their reunion on a happy note.

Scarlet is a fierce and feisty female who doesn't trust a damn soul. And you don't blame her once you learn about her past and the people who have completely betrayed and deceived her and treated her like dog poo. All due to a little thing called jealousy. [Who the hell holds that demon?] However, she pretty much beats down Gideon to an emotional pulp throughout the book, and you wonder how much more the poor man can take! Even though she's had it as rough as one can have it, I still feel Gideon is too damn good for her! She is definitely not a favorite of the LOTU females.

The Titan Rulers, Cronus and Rhea, have large roles in this book, as they are continually at each other's throat. Cronus aids the Lords, and Rhea aids the Hunters - the human fighters out to destroy the Lords. Gideon and Scarlet find themselves smack in the middle of the B.S. that Cronus and Rhea are constantly dishing out. The Goddess of Memory also plays a big role, and throughout the book you are wondering whose memory was really tampered with...

I thoroughly enjoyed the side stories of Strider, Amun, and William. William has quickly become one of my favorite in the LOTU universe and I so look forward to his story in the future. I don't have much draw to Amun, the Keeper of Secrets, but I am feeling serious pain for him and hope his book is all roses and puppies, and not more fire and brimstone! Strider definitely stood out for me during his parts and I am much intrigued by the Keeper of Defeat.

Conclusion: 3 / 5 stars. I did like the book but it did not speak to me like some of the others. I warmed up to the couple in the end when Scarlet finally showed true compassion and love without jerking Gideon back and forth. I also routed for their demon's reunion! show less