I knew Strider was going to get to me, I just knew it! What took me by surprise was the effect that Kaia had on me. She literally broke my heart in this one. Who knew a Harpy could make my heart crumble, especially one as ruthless as Kaia seemed to be?Strider fought his feelings for Kaia from the start. Actually from the time that he discovered that she had slept with Paris. That was a challenge that he wasn’t willing to put himself through. Kaia was determined to win him for her own. Even though she was in a fight for her life. Watching these two battle against themselves and for each other was a great ride. There wasn’t a lot of down time in this one. The danger and action seemed to be non stop and this reader was really beginning to wonder if this couple would ever really be able to be together. *sigh*What broke my heart about Kaia? I don’t want to give anything away, but trust me, she is broken. Literally broken to bits and the fact that she needs Strider as much as she does and he fights her every step of the way just makes it worse. He doesn’t intentionally hurt her, but he’s got his shields up and can’t risk the pain surrendering to her would cause him. Gena Showalter stayed true to her strong female characters though. Even though Kaia was broken, she never lost her strength or her will to protect those she loved, fiercely. The pain just made her stronger.The Darkest Surrender also gave the reader some additional insight and helped you get to know the other characters a little better. The relationship between the Harpy sisters was a big part of this book, as well as the relationship between Harpies in general. One of the things that I like about this series is that the characters remain tied together, regardless of who is front and center. The side stories give you a break from the intensity and add to the page turning aspect. You just have to know what happens next, but you can’t skip past the drama that the other characters are going through. Trust me, there is a lot of side drama in this one.Kane, William and of course, Paris go through a lot in The Darkest Surrender and the drama with them doesn’t end when the book is finished. I’m torn between wanting to immediately pick up The Darkest Seduction and not wanting my LOTU reading to be over until the next book is released. I’ve gone through these books a lot faster than I thought I would, but I had no choice. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop.
