Seduce the Darkness

Written by Gena Showalter

Narrated by Justine Eyre

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter’s paranormal novel features the return of her sexy breed of alien huntresses.

Devyn is a warrior, and an unrepentant collector of women, able to charm anyone. Anyone except Bride McKells. Uneducated in the ways of the vampire, Bride is not even sure if other vampires exist. Seductive Devyn has the answers she craves, and he can take her to the dark underground of her people. But Bride's blood might hold the key to saving Devyn's friends, so he's loath to let her go. Especially when he begins to crave her more than he's ever craved another. Together they enter the seedy world of slave auctions, battle a powerful alien queen whose diseased blood turns humans into cannibals, and discover a passion unlike any other. But in the end, Bride must choose between the man she's come to love and the family she's always longed for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Feb 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781442369719

Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over seventy books, including the acclaimed Lords of the Underworld series, the Gods of War series, the White Rabbit Chronicles, and the Forest of Good and Evil series. She writes sizzling paranormal romance, heartwarming contemporary romance, and unputdownable young adult novels, and lives in Oklahoma City with her family and menagerie of dogs. Visit her at GenaShowalter.com.

Reviews for Seduce the Darkness

[candyadams03 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great series. Love the Strong Female Characters. Creative And wonderful Aliens. ❤️

[lillie davis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good story very entertaining I enjoyed every moment 5 stars

[madison_fairbanks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seduce the Darkness by Gena Showalter 4th book in the Alien Huntress series. Can be read as a stand-alone. I have read the previous three books but more than ten years ago so remembered nothing of the world building. I had no problems understanding the world environment. Paranormal sci-fi romance crossover. Bride is a vampire living alone in the human world. She doesn’t know her powers or any other vampires. When she runs into Devyn, literally, because he smells like an old friend she’s lost track of, she is confused. Bride is determined to backtrack his steps so bargains and cajoles and threatens. Devyn is amused and intrigued by the vampire. His work with AIR (alien investigation removal) makes him uniquely qualified to find out what makes Bride thrive. Bride and Devyn are amusing together constantly arguing and trying to one-up each other. They also have significant chemistry though they both try to deny it. The deep world building is creative and clearly explained even though it was started in prior books. I’m a little uncertain about the ending, resolution of one character. I won’t spoil it though while I move on to the next in the series. I loved the strength and power of Bride and the romance in the end for the two. All the secondary characters added a depth to the story and expanding need to find their stories in the other series books.

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seduce the Darkness
4 Stars (mainly for the romance)

Abandoned as a child, Bride McKell has survived on Earth by using her wits. As a vampire, Bride needs blood to survive and is desperate to learn more about her race. When she encounters Devyn, King of the Targons, he promises to be both a source of information and irritation. Devyn, a notorious womanizer, is used to getting his own way with the fairer sex, but Bride pushes every button he never knew he even had. As Devyn and Bride grow closer, an unexpected threat surfaces to tear them apart forever …

Bride and Devyn’s love-hate relationship is one of the sweetest and most endearing in the series. It is impossible not to enjoy their snarky repartee and having Devyn succumb to a female’s spell when he has vowed never to do so is exceedingly entertaining - the bigger they are, the harder they fall!

Unfortunately, the plot is one of the weaker elements. The pacing of the first 2/3s is on the slow side and the final third is exciting but lacks foundation and development. The Schon storyline is progressing but gets relatively little page time and is ultimately unrelated to the major plot points at the end.

All in all, worth reading for the romance and the characters, but adds little to the overall story arc of the series.

[emscape · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Devyn, King of the Targons, has had a lifelong goal to sample a female from every race and breed of alien and human. When he meets Bride McKells, he's not terribly interested, since he's already had a vampire, but as it turns out, he just can't get her out of his mind. Vampires are an interesting addition to Showalter's Alien Huntress series. She weaves them in nearly seamlessly, implying they are another race of alien, just one who's been here on earth much longer than the more recent alien immigrants. The action regarding the Schon and their queen is moved forward slightly, but almost as an aside, since it's merely a subplot to Devyn and Bride's story. The two heroes are more than a match for each other. The Targon's vast powers were going to be difficult to top, but Bride holds her own and more. Their humor and arrogance are also compatible. An excellent pairing, and much fun to read about.

[elie26reads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! another great story from Gena Showalter...I can't wait for the next book in the series!

[sedelia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been working on the Alien Huntress series for awhile now, and I love it for being such light reading. After reading textbooks and literary books, this was just the thing for me to sit down and relax with.We've moved on to Devyn's story in this one, and I love it so much! It's always fun to see a playboy fall in love and became a one-woman guy. I think Showalter does a good job in keeping it realistic. He's very confused about his feelings at first and refuses to accept it, but once he does, he doesn't completely change. He's still a flirt and still obsesses over one thing. (I'm sure you know what one thing playboy obsesses over.)And Bride is awesome! Not only for being a super-powerful vampire, but for being so self-assured and confident. I love her! I think she's going to be a great addition to the team. As always, this series builds up on itself very nicely. There's still the threat of the evil parasite-ridden queen who's planning on infecting Earth, and we get to know a little more about Macy, who was featured in Deep Kiss of Winter that also had a Kresley Cole story.I do think that some things that had the potential to be really cool were just thrown away. I don't think the solution to Bride's eating problem was ever resolved as nicely as it should have been. It was hinted that she'd seen/met Devyn before, but then nothing further was mentioned.Besides that, it was a good book. It kept me entertained, and it was a fast read. For those who need a break from more serious books or who love light paranormal romance, pick this series up!

[fantasydreamer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't read the previous books in the Alien Huntress Series, but I didn't have any problems keeping up with the story and I don't feel like it took anything away from the story. Although, there were times throughout the book, that I did wonder about one or two of the other characters' back story. So, to find out their stories you can be sure I'll be reading the previous books.This is a futuristic, paranormal romance set in Chicago, water is now a very precious commodity, so much so that people don't bath with it anymore. They use enzyme baths, a mist stray system that cleans you without water. Fruit and vegetables are synthetically reproduced. Bride McKells' has been on her own ever since she woke up on the streets of Chicago, not being able to remember who is or where she has come from. She has spent much of her time alone, trying to find out who she is and any information on vampires because she doesn't know a thing about either. As far as Bride know, she is the only vampire in existence because she has never met another. Bride needs to learn what she can about vampires, besides what she has read in books, because lately she has had a problem with the blood she drinks, after the first few drops, she gets sick. She is out one evening, contemplating drinking from a stranger when she smells a delicious, familiar scent in the air. A scent that reminds Bride of the only friend she has ever had and lost long ago. Bride follows the scent straight to Devyn.Devyn, King of the Targons, is an agent for AIR, Alien Investigation and Removal, with a voracious appetite for women and a very narcissistic personality. He is also a very sexy guy dripping with seduction, that turns heads where ever he goes. But he likes variety in his sexual conquests and doesn't like bedding the same species more than once. So, are your hackles raised yet about Devyn? When Devyn runs into Bride, he knows that she is not human but he's not sure what species she is, so he is intrigued by her and pursues her until he finds out she is a vampire. He's had a vampire before so he quickly loses interests, but yet he can't stop thinking about Bride. When their paths cross again, they find out Bride's blood is a cure to an alien virus, that was once thought to be a catastrophic, incurable disease. Now Bride is an even more a mysterious attraction for Devyn, which puzzles and worries him.Seduce the Darkness is told in the third person, so we get a glimpse into what the characters are thinking and feeling. Bride is loner, someone who is use to being on her own but she is also tough and doesn't let anyone take advantage of her. Devyn's character, at first you just want to hate, maybe kick a few a times because he is so full of himself and his own self worth. The sexual tension between Bride and Devyn is building thing. Devyn readily admits his attraction to Bride, while Bride tries fighting the attraction because she doesn't want to be another conquest and get her heart broken in the process. Of course, Bride's refusal of Devyn's advances is just more fuel to the fire, he's not use to getting turned down. Bride is forced to work with Devyn, because he knows answers to her mysterious vampire race and the where a bouts of her lost friend. And the only way she's going to get those answers is to put up with Devyn.There are a quite a few twist and turns in the plot that keep your interest piqued throughout the story. I like the different alien characters involved in this story, it gave a sort of a Star Wars type feel to it - I racked my brain trying to think of a show or movie to compare but I keep coming back to Star Wars. The banter between Bride and Devyn is sharp, witty and fun, as the story starts to develop you start to see how these two completely different personality types compliment each other. There is plenty of romance, and the seduction in the story is fabulous, when it final climaxes, you'll sigh in relief from the tension that has built up to that point. No pun intend. In comparing this story to the Lords of the Underworld series, I would say it was a lighter read not as dark. There is also a side story that subtly develops, so you get an idea of what the next book could be about but it doesn't over run the main story line. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a futuristic, paranormal romance that is fast paced, amusing and packed full of passion with a healthy dose of sexual tension.

[vampiregirl76 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ms. Showalter has created a wonderful futuristic world where humans and aliens or otherworlders co-existed. Maybe co-existed isn't the right word. They exist together it's just not all that peaceful. That's were AIR (Alien Investigation and Removal) comes in.Devyn is the King of Targons, a warrior race. He is self-assured and his one goal is to sleep with as many different species of women he can find. He never get jealous or territorial and he never sleeps with the same species twice. That is until he meets vampire, Bride McKell.I really enjoyed this story. Devyn and Bride work well together. They bicker and annoy each other. But they also can't get enough of each other. That always makes for a good story. Seduce the Darkness is a wonderful addition the series, steamy, with action packed excitement. If you want to escape to another world. This series/book is the way to go.

[cinnleigh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure what I was expecting from SEDUCE THE DARKNESS by Gena Showalter. I think I was expecting a good book, a fun and entertaining read. What I got instead, was a fantastic book with an absolutely wonderful story! I think I expected the passion in SEDUCE THE DARKNESS to take center stage with a plot line that moved the story forward but just added cushion to the romantic side of the story. Instead, the story was really quite wonderful with the romantic element acting as the icing on the cake.Bride McKells lives on Earth during a time after the great alien war when otherworlders and humans have learned to coexist in a peaceful but strained relationship. The world is vastly different than it was before, with real fruit, non-cloned animals and precious water extraordinarily hard if not impossible to come by. Bride McKells's vampiric memory of the centuries is quite acute and she misses the way things were before. Most of all, she misses the child that she befriended then mysteriously lost long ago. When she runs into Devyn, and smells her friend all over him, a game of cat and mouse is begun. Bride will do almost anything to find her friend and just might rip Devyn's head off once she finally does.Devyn is King of the Targons. He is a womanizer, specializing in having women from different worlds. If he has been with a woman from one world before, he has no interest in being with another from that world. Devyn has already been with a vampire. Two in fact. He has no interest in Bride; yet, why can't he stop thinking about her? Despite his convictions, Devyn can't seem to get his mind off this beautiful, dark haired woman. What will become of this proud man once he discovers that his heart might be the most traitorous thing out there.Amidst a plot full of romance, mystery and suspense, Showalter shows us what it means to live in a destroyed world and what love and passion are really about. As I mentioned previously, passion plays a large part in SEDUCE THE DARKNESS, but the story surrounding this is really great as well. As Bride and Devyn discover each other and the mysteries of their own lives, they also find themselves fighting a great danger. An alien race with a horribly infectious disease carried in their blood. If allowed to roam Earth free, their disease could infect the entire planet in a very short time, turning every human into a vicious cannibal shortly before dying.As you can see, Showalter does an amazing job of constructing a story. Usually, you can tell when a story is built to be a great romance and when it is built to be a great action story, full of adrenaline pumping plot. Showalter built SEDUCE THE DARKNESS in such a way, that the book encompasses both of these with really no discernible barrier between the two. As I was reading, I actually thought a couple of times, "Wow, this is a great romance. Wow, this is a great suspenseful read. Wait, which is it?" This is a wonderful book and a great story that flows well and creates a fantastic rounded story.I absolutely loved the character development in SEDUCE THE DARKNESS. Bride is, of course, my favorite character as I usually love the heroines the most. She is strong but not without her weak points. She has a fantastic personality and best of all she is quite witty with a great amount of humor. Showalter has created a very fun character that was a pleasure to read.When you've got the strong and witty Bride, you've got to have the unreachable and yet highly desirable Devyn. Despite her best efforts, Bride can't help but to find herself attracted to the tall, beautiful warrior. Why shouldn't she? Everyone else is. She refuses just to be another one of his conquests, however, and this irritates Devyn to no end. Dealing with his own demons, Devyn finds solace in bedding women but it's possible that his charm and fantastic looks might not be enough for Bride. As with Bride, Showalter has imbued Devyn with a great deal of complexity, adding multiple layers of depth to this character that makes him an absolute pleasure to read. While we get to enjoy the passionate side of him, we also get to learn more about his past and how he came to be where he is now. We get to watch him fight, love, learn and unravel the mysteries of his own past. He is a fantastic character on multiple levels and aside from the strong and passionate Bride, he is the reason this book is as great as it is.Somehow, Showalter has created the perfect duo between Bride and Devyn. Where their passionate relationship will end up I won't tell you. Be content with the fact, however, that you're in for quite a treat. Even though they are fictional characters on paper, Showalter has given them so much life that the sparks between the two can be felt just as if they were staring at each other across the room right in front of you. Her ability to create realism in her writing and make the story leap off the written page really helps to make her top notch.Just as Showalter adds depth to Devyn and Bride, she also has created a great deal of depth and complexity within the actual story itself. Multiple layers within the story and multiple side character plots flesh out the book. Really, if you like the Paranormal genre at all, it felt like there was something for everyone here.As you can tell, I really loved SEDUCE THE DARKNESS. This is the first book by Gena Showalter that I have read and I'm quite glad that I did. SEDUCE THE DARKNESS is an Alien Huntress novel, with other stories before it that follow related characters. While there are some previous books, I don't believe that not having read them will make SEDUCE THE DARKNESS any less wonderful. I haven't read the other books and Showalter does such an amazing job of discreetly filling us in with what has already happened in her world that SEDUCE THE DARKNESS really works quite well as a stand alone novel.

[thebooknerd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 After the first book, I thought this series took a downhill turn. The second and third books are fun, but not as good as the first. Then there's this book, 'Seduce the Darkness'. Perhaps I'm biased because I absolutely adore Devyn's character, but this book was fun, sexy, well-paced, and full of action. I also found that this book took a darker edge that was hinted at in the first book but not truly actualized until now, making this series stand out from Showalter's other work.

[bookwormygirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Seduce the Darkness is part of Ms. Showalter's Alien Huntress series. Due to a war between otherworlders and humans, Earth is barely recognizable but still habitable. Bride McKells is a vampire who secretly resides amongst the humans. She used to be hunted by fanatics but since the war she has been able to reside undetected... her only problem she has never met another vampire and she has many unanswered questions about her race. Then one day she meets Devyn, King of the Targons - he promises to have all the answers to her questions. He is a womanizer and has dedicated himself to sleeping with women of all races, he considers it his collection. And although he's been with vampires before, several at once even, he has found a match in Bride who does not fall for his womanizing ways. In fact, she is just as good looking, cocky and when they find that her blood is a cure for a deadly alien disease, she becomes essential to humans.This was definitely different as it dealt with aliens (a first for me). I fell in love with both Devyn and Bride - although they were both cocky and full of themselves, they were very likeable and quite funny. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things they would say and do. I also really liked Devyn's friendship and interactions with the men and women who were part of his alien hunting team. This is the first book that I read of Ms. Showalter's and it was loads of fun - with several naughty parts but the story was not overpowered by the steamy love scenes. There was plenty of action and character dynamic to keep your pique interested. There was even a twist or two that I did not see coming. Although this is not the first book in the series you can definitely start here and, like me, read your way back. If you like your paranormal romances steamy with plenty of action than this is definitely one you won't want to miss out on.

[risadabomb_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first Gena Showalter book and I did not know what to expect. I have to say the gorgeous man on the cover intrigued me and the story did not disappoint. This was a very sexy book and I really loved Devyn. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

[krau0098 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the fourth book in the Alien Huntress series by Gena Showalter. While I thought the first two books in this series were okay; I really didn't like the third book all that much. Unfortunately this book followed the third book as far as how much I liked it. I did really like her first book in the Extraordinary girl series "Playing with Fire".Bride is a vampire who lives on the Earth's surface. She has never met another of her kind and has, for some reason, started getting sick when she drinks blood. Devyn we have met in previous books; he is the womanizing Targon that tried to buy Eden in the second book. They meet when Bride recognizes the scent of her old friend on Devyn. Things get more dangerous when Bride takes the disease invested Nolan from Devyn to piss Devyn off. Now Devyn has to find where Bride is hiding Nolan before Nolan's queen arrives from her home planet. Someone is also trying to kill Bride and she doesn't know why.The plot in general was pretty thin in this book. I don't mind reading books a bit heavy on the romance, but I do like some substantial plot. The plot basically focused around Nolan and trying to get him to tell where and when his Queen would land; in an effort to stop the virus that Nolan is carrying from wiping out all of Earth. There wasn't much to it. Most of the book focuses on Bride trying to piss off Devyn and Devyn trying to get into Bride's pants. It was also a bit weird that there are all of these alien races on Earth and suddenly Showalter has to throw a vampire in there. I mean where did that come from? Was she worried about missing the current "everyone loves vampires" trend in books?Bride was very immature for a ages old vampire. Mostly she came off as a brat and was not likable at all. Devyn is an admitted womanizer and most of the time was a jerk. I think Devyn's character was supposed to add some humor to the book; mostly though he was just irritating. Devyn's sense of humor reminds of a hormone ridden teenage boy and really wasn't all that funny. I was actually looking forward to reading more about Devyn, but his back story ended up not being all that interesting.Showalter's story between Devyn and Bride mimicked the storyline of the previous books. Feisty girl meets arrogant alpha male. Male wants girl, girl resists. Girl can't resist anymore, male gets her then realizes he can't live without her. Boring. This could have been forgiven if there was tension between the characters or decent sex scenes. Unfortunately Devyn and Bride didn't seem to have much chemistry and the sex scenes were uncreative and boring.In addition to all of the above the scanty plotline about the Queen arriving is left wide open. If I had to hedge my bets I would say the next book in the series is about Dallas falling for the alien Queen...but that is just a guess on my part. I guess I will never know, because I don't plan on continuing to read this series. I don't like any of the characters and the world building (as well as the plot) is thin at best. There are better books out there for romance/sci-fi/paranormal. I would suggest Sunny's Monere' series for those interested in steamy scenes with paranormal races.

[littleflwers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Main characters are Bride and Devyn. This is her Alien Huntress series book 4. Bride has been a vampire living in New Chicago for over 80 years. She does not know any other vampires and fears she is the only one. She has learned her powers little by little over the years some with disastrous results. One evening she smells her best friend. The best friend disappeared many years ago and Bride has continued to look for her. She follows her scent and this is how she meets egotisical Devyn. A man tortured by his past. He had been taught that sex is dirty and disgusting by his cruel father. When his father dies he discovers that sex is great and literally beds whatever alien creature he can find. Devyn also has powers. Powers that he uses to find Bride, who in turn isn't such an easy catch. She is a determined self sufficient woman who has taken care of herself, not well but still has managed to remain among the humans without them knowing she is a vampire. This is an exciting story with plenty of action, mystery and sex. As always Ms. Showalter wrote another "can't put down till the end book".

[dasuzuki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am a little ashamed to admit that I could not put this book down even though it meant ignoring all the other things I had to do. It just caught my attention that much. Showalter creates another fascinating world that blends the everyday with the supernatural. A world where not everyone is human and everyone knows it. I loved Bride’s toughness and vulnerable side. Devyn was a little harder for me to like. In the beginning I did not like to see that he was willing to force Bride to do certain things against her will. Luckily he does manage to redeem himself and work his way back into my good graces. It probably helped that the chemistry between he and Bride was undeniable so of course you want them to end up together. Being a fan of Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series had me eager to read this book and I was not disappointed.

[em18966 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Seduce the Darkness by Gena Showalter from Pocket Books, and what’s more, I was even invited to participate in a Blog Tour promoting the book. From first glance, it was clear that the book was right up my alley. You know, fantasy, intrigue, mystery, steamy romance. All the good stuff that we look for in a great escapist novel. Not only were the internal ingredients all there, but the book has a great cover. (As you can see in the pic of the cover art, the cover flaunts a flexed, tatted bicep and rippling back muscles. Sure, you can’t see the fella’s face, but is that really even necessary??)Seduce the Darkness is Book 6 of Gena Showalter’s critically acclaimed Alien Huntress series, and it is the story of Bride McKellis and Devyn, the unwilling king of the Targon race. She is a vampire, and despite is sexual prowess (ahem…promiscuity), she is not his cup of tea. You see, while Devyn is a great lover of women of all shapes and sizes, colors and species, he is afflicted with a peculiar form of ADD. He cannot seem to get pleasure from bedding the same woman (or women of the same race) more than once or twice. As he so eloquently infers, he would rather do the job himself than go back for seconds.At their first meeting, the two do nothing for each other. While he is clearly attracted to Bride, when Devyn identifies her as a vamp, his interest wanes. And things are far worse from Bride’s perspective. She sees Devyn as not just insufferable, rude and arrogant; she finds that she cannot manipulate him with her voice as she can everyone else. That coupled with Devyn’s physical attractiveness and bluntly voiced attraction to her is enough to send Bride in the opposite direction as fast as she can go.Unfortunately, the two are destined to cross paths again. Devyn is hunting an alien fugitive who is carrying a terrible virus. (Think Dawn of the Dead or I am Legend and you’ll get the idea.) And, come to find out, Bride’s blood holds the key to the terrible diseases cure. This truth binds the two together tighter than anything else could possibly have done, and their fates are irrevocably intertwined.I fell in love with the characters in this one. Despite Devyn’s infallible knowledge of his own beauty and superiority he is charming, and he quickly grows on you. And Bride, she is his perfect counterbalance. Unbending and unwilling to be walked on and/or used like all of the women who came before her, she is clearly his destiny. I really enjoyed Seduce the Darkness, from the beginning (a sad scene from Devyn’s childhood that lays the groundwork for his adult persona) to the climax (which I will not spoil). All in all, I have to give this one four solid stars. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I haven’t even read the first books in the series. That is saying a lot

[bridget3420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bride is a vampire and as far as she knows, the only one of her kind. She's desperate to find someone like her so that she can understand herself. Her only true friend and the most special person in the world to her Aleaha, has vanished and Bride is on a mission to find her.Devyn, who has sex written all over him, runs into Bride and soon becomes obsessed with her. He's not one to be tied down so he's enamored with Bride and furious with her all at the same time. They are both stubborn and try to deny the mutual attraction.There is one slight problem. There is a Queen alien who plans to pass on her deadly infection to the people of Earth. Can Bride and Devyn keep their passion and tempers at bay long enough to save their planet?I'm a HUGE Paranormal fan. I don't know what it is about vampires, werewolves, etc., that excite me but I can't get enough. I did not want to put this book down! Gena's going on my list of author's I'm obsessed with. If you like Paranormal Romance, you should reserve your copy now.