Rogue Rider

Nov 202012
 

Rogue Rider: Number 4 in series (Lords of Deliverance) It’s always sad when a series comes to a close and in particular when it happens to be an amazing one.  So while I was very excited to start Rogue Rider, I also felt some trepidation because I knew it would have a final ending of sorts.

Now the good news is Larissa Ione has confirmed she is adding more books to the Demonica series so I am *hoping* the characters I have grown to love in these stories will feature.  But either way, yay, more Demonica (and I can’t wait!)

It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did, I didn’t want to put it down.  It starts at a fairly gentle pace and ends at a wild gallop.  I also found it more emotional than the previous three (and I absolutely loved those!).  There are several ‘OH MY GOD!’ moments, one in particular had me shouting in a very unladylike fashion and then I wondered how I didn’t see it coming, it made so much sense.  I give the author a standing ovation for that one!  The others had a lot of impact but I think I was still stunned by the first.

One thing I have to mention is the consistency of Ione’s writing.  Every book I read of hers is well paced, exciting and gripping.  Even the sex scenes which could be so easily overdone, are just the right side of hot and not going over into tawdry and they have an emotional impact because it means something to the characters.  I find that is very important to me.

Her characters are so well rounded you feel like you know them and it was great to be back with the four horsemen of the apocalypse and their families again.  My heart bled for Reseph and it was hard reconciling him as Reseph and not Pestilence after the last book.  Jillian was another great female addition to the cast, different and interesting from the others.  I can’t say more than that or I would be in spoiler territory, but I will just say that I was seriously worried about how it would turn out, as it was the last one.

If you are looking for a brilliantly laid out and engaging paranormal romance, then I can’t recommend Larissa Ione highly enough.  A five star author, all the way.

Book Information
  • Author: Larissa Ione
  • Series: Lords of Deliverance (4)
    • Buy on Kindle (UK)Buy from Amazon (UK)

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Twenty shades of steamy stories!

Sep 252012
 

You don’t have to read Erotica to find steamy sexy stories!  Since 50 Shades of Grey exploded onto the book scene there has been a renewed interest in books from the erotica genre. A whole new group of people who may not have picked up a book in years, are now reading again. Anything that gets people reading has to be good!

What I want to bring to your attention is, if you are looking for a story where the sex is hot hot hot, you do not need to buy pure erotica to find it. Have a look through some of my reviews on this website and you will notice I refer to sex a lot in them – yes, I enjoy a good sex scene as much as the next person.

Devil's Bride: Number 1 in series (Bar Cynster) While I enjoy an erotica novel, I often find that the story line is not very strong and too often the book relies simply on sex. I do like a good story with sex which is where your more mainstream novels come along. Surprisingly historical fiction can be one of the best for steamy sex scenes and definitely leave you needing a cold shower to cool down; what those Regency men and women get up to behind closed doors – phew! Authors who I would recommend if you want to delve into this genre are,

If your tastes go a bit further afield, have you considered paranormal romance? This can involve anything and everything from vampires to fairies to werewolves to ghosts.  Authors I would recommend as having excellent story lines as well as excellent sex scenes are,

  • Sherrilyn Kenyon – Start with Fantasy Lover from her Dark-Hunter series!
  • Larissa Ione – Read her Demonica Series before the Lords of Deliverance.
  • J.R. Ward – I highly recommend her Black Dagger Brotherhood series – Dark Lover is the first book.

Dark Lover: Number 1 in series (Black Dagger Brotherhood) If you fancy branching out your reading check out the above authors book reviews on this site. we try to ensure there are no spoilers so should not ruin the book if you decide to read it.

Of course, mainstream novels do not generally go down the route of BDSM and group sex (well not the ones I have read anyway!) so if it is that aspect of erotica you are particularly interested in stick with it, otherwise consider branching out into territories unknown, you might discover a whole new world!

Larissa Ione Give-away update

Aug 032012
 

Lethal Rider: Number 3 in series (Lords of Deliverance) So Tuesday I spent a couple of hours sorting the books and then toddled to the Post Office with a bag of eight padded envelopes containing Lethal Rider!  They have been sent to their new homes but I imagine some will arrive more quickly than others depending on location ;) I do so hope you enjoy it!

Still yet to hear back from two winners, reminders have been sent so if you were on the winners list, please do check your spam folder!

 

 

 

 

Lethal Rider Winners!

Jul 272012
 

Lethal Rider: Number 3 in series (Lords of Deliverance) Thanks so much for the overwhelming response to our Larissa Ione give-away, the comments were both entertaining and insightful!

The winners have been randomly drawn and are :

Hannah Whitling
Christina Alpe
Pia
A Curtis
Mary Jo
Belva Serrano
Douglas Meeks
Heather Hoover
Ryan Martin
Vanessa N.

Congratulations everyone! I have sent you an email, if you could respond with your postal addresses as soon as possible, I can get your books sent off to you.

Sorry to those who didn’t win this time, but thanks for taking part!

 

 

Lethal Rider International Giveaway [closed]

Jul 192012
 

Lethal Rider: Number 3 in series (Lords of Deliverance) It’s give-away time again and courtesy of Piatkus, we have ten (yes TEN!) copies of Larissa Ione’s brilliant Lethal Rider to go to happy new homes.  Both Tracey and I reviewed it and we LOVED it!

We decided that our readers outside the UK needed some book love too so we are throwing this open internationally.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post and answer this question : What is the most important element for you, in a paranormal romance? Is a sexy hero/heroine a must, good sex scenes to tickle your fancy, maybe a strong storyline is what beguiles you into turning the pages.  Or is it something else entirely?

You must use a valid email address (we are the only ones who can see it and will only be used for the purpose of this give-away), or we won’t know how to contact you and then you won’t be able to read this book and will be sad :(

The give-away will run from today until midnight BST on Thursday 26th July.  Winners will be drawn randomly on Friday 27th July.

Good Luck! (And remember you MUST leave a comment to be in with a chance!)

NB: All comments are manually moderated, so if we’re currently asleep, your comment won’t show up straight away.  Don’t worry, you only need to comment once, and we’ll moderate them again in the morning, thanks for your interest.

Edit: That’s it – give away is closed, thanks to everyone who took part, we’ll do the draw tomorrow and e-mail the 10 winners to get addresses.

Irreverent Questions With… Larissa Ione!

Jul 192012
 

What can I say about this amazing author? I was only introduced to her work last year and I have fallen completely in love with her characters.  She has a huge amount of style in her writing that appeals to my heart and can make me laugh and cry with a few simple sentences.  As a paranormal romance author, I rate her as one of the best and if you like J.R. Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon then you will love her, I promise!  Start with the Demonica Series (Pleasure Unbound is book 1) and if you aren’t hooked by the end, well… I will find a hat to eat or something!

Anyway, enough wittering (I do that a lot!), on with the Irreverence!

What would you be or want to be (or still are), if you weren’t an author?
I’d go back to being a meteorologist. I really loved that job!

Do you have any rituals or processes before you can start writing?
Coffee! Oh, I need lots and lots of coffee, or no words will come…

Describe your working environment right now (desk, sofa, bathroom, etc.)
Ha! I actually work in two places — I have an office, but I usually only work in it when I need quiet and privacy (like when my husband is home and I’m on deadline.) Most of the time I work in the living room with my feet up on the couch. In the winter I’ll have a fire going, and in the summer, the windows will be open. My dog, Hexe, is always on the floor next to me.

How did you celebrate when your first book was published?
Champagne and dinner out!

Whose opinion matters most to you?
When it comes to my writing? My editor….and, obviously, the reader!

Do you get fully dressed to write?
My work uniform is my pajamas or sweats. I shower and get right back into pajamas.

What gets you in the mood or inspires you to write?
Often, music, but also a really good book.

Who would play you in the film adaptation of your life?
Honestly, I have no idea. But I do know it would be a very boring movie! :)

What is the weirdest comment you’ve had?
I once had a guy ask if I write while naked. And he was serious. Bizarre.

What is the best experience you’ve had with fans?
I’ve had so many that it’s impossible to pick just one, but I can say that when a group of readers bought me a birthday cake and brought it to a conference, it was one of the most amazing nights I’ve had with readers.

What do you value most?
My friends and family.

How do you deal with negative comments?
Honestly, not well. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and when they put those opinions in reviews, that’s fair. But when they make those comments to my face or on my Facebook page/blog/Twitter, I tend to see it much like someone coming into my house and insulting my cooking. I think it’s rude, and I’ll make that clear, though I try to be civil.

It’s movie night, the credits are just about to roll, Happy Ever After, Everyone Dies, Or…?
As long as there is closure, I don’t care. I just hate movies that end on a cliffhanger or that leave you to interpret what happened. It’s why I couldn’t stand Inception. Brilliant movie, but the ending killed it for me!

What do you do to relax?
I read, play video games, watch movies and TV, and I go to the lake to either play on the beach with my dog, or out on a boat.

Do you have pets, and if so, describe them?
I have a calico and white cat named Vegas who was abandoned by her owners when they moved out of their house and left her to fend for herself. Horrible. We took her in when we moved, so now she’s a fat, happy indoor cat. We also have a 100-pound King Shepherd named Hexe. She looks like an oversized, long-haired German Shepherd Dog.

What are your preferred conditions for writing, i.e. silence, background noise, TV?
Either silence or TV in the background. I can’t listen to music because I end up singing and not getting any writing done.

What is your favourite type of music?
I’m a country music fan.

Do you have any phobias?
I have terrible claustrophobia. I’m also terrified of spiders, but I wouldn’t quite put it at phobia level. Close, though!

Do you find the time of year makes it easier or harder to write, are you inspired by spring or delayed by the summer heat for instance?
Definitely harder to write in the summer, when I want to be out on the lake!

Slippers, socks or barefoot?
Slippers or socks – in the winter, both!

Many thanks to Larissa Ione for taking the time to answer our questions, and if you want to know more about the author, visit her Website, Twitter or Goodreads!

Pictures provided by and used with permission of Larissa Ione

Irreverent Questions is BookThing‘s fun, feature where we ask a series of random questions that popped into Grete’s curious head. If you are an author and would like to take part, please get in touch!

Lethal Rider

Jul 172012
 

Lethal Rider: Number 3 in series (Lords of Deliverance) Obeying the orders of her Aegi colleagues and deliberately getting pregnant by Thanatos (Death), seemed like a good plan at the time but now with only a month to go until the birth, Regan is having major doubts.  Not least of which is her fear of the baby’s father and his anger at her betrayal.  With the seals of Limos and Ares safe, Thanatos is the last chance for the denizens of hell to usher in the Apocalypse with the horsemen on their side.  With both good and evil fighting over Regan’s baby, she doesn’t know who to trust and she makes the mistake of thinking Thanatos won’t want his say.

Grete’s Review

I honestly didn’t know how this book was going to go, or even whether it would work.  Both Regan and Thanatos are closed off, prickly, haunted, and based on the events in Immortal Rider, couldn’t be more wrong for each other.  This is where Larissa Ione’s brilliant writing and devious mind comes into play.  She not only makes it work but it’s wonderful and believable and you can’t help falling in love with them.  The way they are together can be so funny as neither know how they are supposed to be with each other, despite their ages.

Larissa really ramped up the tension in this story, with so many things falling apart because of Pestilence and the ruling bodies of hell.  Right from the start it takes off in a breathless race, things happening left, right and centre with threads right from the first book coming in to play.  It’s an emotional roller-coaster as well, my heart was in my mouth so much of the time and even had me exclaiming out loud at certain parts, tears in my eyes at others.

We get pretty much a full cast of characters from both series at one time or another and I feel this was a pivotal story.  Maybe not for the last of this series, but definitely for the universe as a whole.  I absolutely could not put it down, read it in one day and by the end I was in tears of both sorrow and joy.  It had one hell of an impact on me, so much so, I am going to read it again straight away and waiting for the next one is going to be agony!

The best literary emotional roller coaster of my life and I can’t praise it enough!

Tracey’s Review

Wow this was amazing! Definitely the best one yet, even better than the Demonica books in my opinion and if you see my reviews for them that is saying something. There were so many twists and turns, we were blind-sided at every opportunity I did not see them coming. I agree with Grete about this being a pivotal book, do not read this until you have read the previous ones. Having every  character from the previous books featured at some point was great,  it’s always good to find out what previous characters are up to as long as they don’t detract from our main protagonists, which of course they didn’t.

The writing and characterisation was vivid and as always with the authors work I get sucked straight into the world, almost smelling as well as seeing it. As always the sex was hot – and in the warm weather we were having right now my temperature was through the roof!

I could not turn the pages fast enough but had to tear myself away from it because I didn’t want it to be over too quickly. I merely prolonged the inevitable by a couple of hours though and now I am desperate for the next one.

If I could, I would have rated it 6 stars, but unfortunately 5 is the highest we go!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information
  • Author: Larissa Ione
    • Buy on Kindle (UK)Buy from Amazon (UK)

 

Immortal Rider

Jul 162012
 

Immortal Rider: Number 2 in series (Lords of Deliverance) The second book in the Lords of Deliverance series kicks off straight after the events in Eternal Rider.  With Arik as the focal character, it doesn’t take long to fall in love with him, after only having seen him as a side character previously.  He is strong, honourable and downright sexy.  Limos is a complex woman, not just because she is one of the four horsemen, but because she was raised separately from her brothers in Sheoul (Hell) by their mother Lillith.  It wasn’t until she escaped and found her brothers that she realised the lies she had been raised with.  Her brothers taught her how to love and be loved but there was one major drawback from her former life.  She is betrothed to Satan and no man can touch her intimately without being injured by a set of interesting and very scary chastity jewellery. If her seal breaks, she becomes Famine as well as triggering the demonic apocalypse.  With a simple kiss, and the other side plotting against them, life drastically changes for both Arik and Limos, and only time will tell if it will be their downfall or their deliverance.

I’m continually amazed by how emotionally engaging I find Larissa Ione’s work.  Right from page one of each book I read, I’m drawn in and engrossed until the end.  The ‘good’ guys might not necessarily be completely scrupulous but they are trying their best to prevent the end of days happening.  The bad guys, well… they are so well written that you actively hate them.  The only exception is Pestilence/Reseph.  After the heart wrenching opening in the first book, you still feel sorrow for him, at what he has become and part of that is seeing how he used to be through the eyes and hearts of his siblings.

The pace is well measured and the action is explosive, bloody and vicious; no long drawn out battles here.  The romance is as complicated as the main characters, painful, often very sweet, and extremely hot and it all adds to the tension inherent in this story. There are several cameos from characters from The Demonica series and it’s always good to see them when they appear.

The plot for the next book is also started in this one, with Thanatos and Regan.  Ione has a wonderful talent for starting or maintaining other plot threads within the main story without it being confusing, it just makes you hungry for more.  The next book is Lethal Rider and I absolutely cannot wait to read it!

Paranormal romance truly at its best.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information
  • Author: Larissa Ione
    • Buy on Kindle (UK)Buy from Amazon (UK)

Larissa Ione Give-away Winners!

May 272012
 

Sorry the post is a little bit late, but we’ve consulted with Fizz the Book Guardian who has pulled the following two names out of her little cat-hat, in the Larissa Ione give away.

Sam – wins the first prize pack (all 5 books in the Demonica series)

Amanda J – wins the second prize pack (all 3 of the Lords of Deliverance series)

Grete will be in touch via e-mail soon to get your mailing addresses.  Sorry for those who didn’t win anything this time.  Congratulations to those lucky enough to be chosen at random!

Sin Undone

May 252012
 

Sin shouldn’t exist, she is the only known female Seminus demon ever born. She is also a master assassin and is determined to remain in charge of her own destiny – no one will ever again own her. A failed kill using her “gift” sets in motion a deadly plague with no cure, causing panic and violence among the werewolf community.

Con is a Dhampire – half werewolf, half vampire. The Warg council want to hold Sin to account for starting the plague which is threatening their species with extinction. Con has been asked to bring her in – but they shared a brief moment of passion and blood in the past and he wants more. Con cannot do it and they go on the run together while trying to help her brothers find a cure. Con soon finds out things are not that simple, everyone wants Sin dead and it seems if he is in the firing line then no one has any qualms about taking him out too.

This is the final book in the series and it did not disappoint. Every page was action packed and I had no idea what was coming next. As always with this series there were so many other things going on, not just the relationship between Sin and Con. There was a worry that with one of the main plot lines wound up in the previous book, that this one could have been a bit flat without that thread running through. Thankfully this was not the case as the story had been set up nicely in Ecstasy Unveiled, and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

While this series has come to an end, another one is just beginning and we were given an inkling of who is involved towards the end of this book. I cannot wait to read the Lords of Deliverance series and am really excited that it is set in the same world. Hopefully that means we will get snapshots of our favourite characters!!

I am running out of things to say in these reviews that is not repetitious but really this entire series has been one great book after another. I would recommend anyone to read them and having read them all in a week I can safely say they are impossible to put down!

This concludes Larissa Ione week and our reviews of her amazing Demonica series.  As you can probably tell, we liked them… a LOT, and we hope you will too!

 

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information
  • Author: Larissa Ione
    • Buy from Amazon (UK)

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