The Darkest Warrior by Gena Showalter

Read Dates: February 25, 2021 – March 12, 2021
Publication Date: June 26, 2018
Source: Owned paperback

Goodreads — Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

He is ice…

Puck the Undefeated, host of the demon of Indifference, cannot experience emotion without punishment, so he allows himself to feel nothing. Until her. According to ancient prophecy, she is the key to avenging his past, saving his realm and ruling as king. All he must do? Steal her from the man she loves—and marry her.

She is fire…

Gillian Shaw has suffered many tragedies in her too-short life, but nothing could have prepared the fragile human for her transition into immortality. To survive, she must wed a horned monster who both intrigues and frightens her…and become the warrior queen she was born to be.

Together they burn.

As a rising sense of possession and obsession overtake Puck, so does insatiable lust. The more he learns about his clever, resourceful wife, the more he craves her. And the more time Gillian spends with her protective husband, the more she aches for him. But the prophecy also predicts an unhappily-ever-after. Can Puck defeat fate itself to keep the woman who brought his deadened heart back to life? Or will they succumb to destiny, losing each other…and everything they’ve been fighting for?

“To save us all, wed the girl who belongs to William of the Dark…she is the key…” “Bring your wife to our lands and lead the dark one here after. Only the male who will live or die for the girl has the power to dethrone Sin the Demented.”

LOOK. I’ve seen a lot of people throw a whole lot of shade at this book because of Puck being a “goatman”. They say “aww Gena, you put Gillian with a GOATMAN?!” Everyone wants to see Gillian end up with William after all these books and their storyline running together all this time but listen… I’m about to drop a super unpopular opinion on ya’ll. I DON’T EVEN LIKE WILLIAM. Seriously. He exudes that big ego energy where he thinks women are a lesser breed. He can never take Gillian seriously. Not ever. Baden’s book. This book. It doesn’t matter. He thinks she’s so helpless even after she becomes a warrior QUEEN who can absolutely kick his butt. He was never worthy of Gillian. Sorry not sorry.

So anyway… this book was pretty good if you ask me. I really enjoyed Gillian finding her man. The one who will fight for her to the death and trusts her enough to fight beside her. The one who treats her as an equal and makes sure she’s always comfortable and her needs are met.

I’ll admit. There were times in the beginning of the book where I was getting really aggravated with Puck as he was treating her like a prisoner and telling her to get over herself. I had to keep reminding myself that this was the harsh reality of housing the demon of indifference. It makes sense and I get it. It just made me sad a few times.

I’ve never really cared for Gillian when I’ve encountered her in Gena’s other books. But in this one… she is finally able to become the person she’s always strived to be. She’s strong. She’s independent. She doesn’t take crap from anyone. I just really enjoyed her personality shift. I also really enjoyed her honesty. Her character cares a lot about honesty and doesn’t like being lied to. I love that when Gena gives a character a trait like that, she follows through and makes sure they uphold the same standards for themselves.

“It was a truth universally acknowledged that a married girl in possession of a dagger would eventually stab her husband,” Gillian muttered, hurrying to keep up with Puck.

Puck. Let’s talk about Puck. I don’t know why but I’ve always liked Puck. Since I met him in Baden’s book even. I’ve just always had a thing for him. Luckily I’m not so shallow as some of these other readers who write him off because of his goat legs… ughh. Whatever. You guys suck. Regardless of the presence of Indifference, he tries his best to meet Gillian’s needs and keep her safe while also acknowledging that she can take care of herself. He’s just such a breath of fresh air. I loved reading his chapters more than I loved reading anyone else’s. He may just be one of my favorite Lords thus far. I think Gillian made off better than pretty much anyone else, honestly. I mean… dang.

Congratulations, lass. You’ve defeated me.”

Anyway, if you’re a Gena fan and you’ve been reading the Lords series for a while and you were iffy on finding out about Gillian and Puck, I recommend finding out. It was a very enjoyable read and from here… I guess I’m going to go ahead and dive into ol’ Willie’s book. Not that I want to… because I really don’t. I’m telling you… I’ve never liked William. Maybe his book will redeem him for me. (I’m highly doubting it.)

“Be warned now,” Puck said. “Let there be no misunderstandings between us. I won’t let you go. I will do whatever proves necessary to keep you, and I will choose you over anything. Life will no longer be about what is best for others or me. Life will be about what is best for Gillian and Puck. We are a team. A family. I will trust you, and you will trust me.”