Thursday, October 18, 2012

Review: Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione

Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione
Series: Lords of Deliverance, Book 4
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance Rogue Rider Cover
Release Date: November 20, 2012
ISBN: 9780446574488
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N
Larissa Ione reading order: here

The threat of the demonic apocalypse has passed, but that doesn’t mean the war between Heaven and Sheoul is over. Good and evil are still clashing, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are still in play…

Jillian Cardiff moved to a remote mountain town in Colorado to escape the memories of a demon attack that nearly killed her. Jillian is happy — and safe — by herself, but her life takes a strange turn when she rescues an unconscious, naked man she finds in the snow. Aside from his name, Reseph has no memory who he is, but there’s something about him that draws Jillian to him. Yet even as she grows closer to the alluring stranger living in her house, hints of Reseph’s past begin to surface, making them both fear what they will learn about him when his memory comes back.

And they definitely have reason to fear. For Reseph was once Pestilence, the Horseman who nearly destroyed the world only a few months before. As more pieces of his past come to him, Reseph will have to prepare himself for the biggest fight of his life: the war within himself. If he cannot control his evil side, he’ll lose not only Jillian, but his sanity, as he wreaks destruction once more.

Before I started reading Rogue Rider I wondered if Larissa Ione would be able to make the final book in her Lords of Deliverance series as exciting, fast-paced, and intriguing as the first three stories, since the threat of the apocalypse had passed. I shouldn’t have worried. Rogue Rider is every bit the complex, high-octane paranormal romance Eternal Rider, Immortal Rider, and Lethal Rider are.

Jillian represents everything I love about Ms. Ione’s heroines: she’s smart, tough, feminine, and caring. Ms. Ione made me adore her from the very start, making it easy for me to become engrossed in Rogue Rider from page one. As for Reseph… To say that he’s a man with a dark past would be the understatement of the year. After his Seal broke, he became one of the darkest, most twisted villains I’ve ever read about. You’d think, given how evil he was, that it’d be hard to love his character in Rogue Rider. It isn’t. Reseph is quite possibly my favorite hero of Ms. Ione’s to date. When we see what I think of as the “true” Reseph (the man he is before he regains his memory), he’s charming, warm, a bit arrogant, true, but overall deeply caring, loving, and sexy-as-sin. Even when Ms. Ione shows all sides of Reseph’s character — the man he was before he became Pestilence, Pestilence, the man Jillian first meets, and the man he eventually becomes — it’s easy to see why Jillian loves him. And Reseph definitely needs that love. Just because he’s no longer Pestilence, it doesn’t mean what he did when he was evil is wiped away from everyone’s memory. He has a hell of a battle before him as he faces evil forces both in the world and within himself.

Talking about the plot of Rogue Rider without giving spoilers is nearly impossible, so I’m not going to. I will say that Rogue Rider has twists, turns, and revelations that will have you on the edge of your seat all through the book. Even the revelations I saw coming were thrilling because Ms. Ione is a truly masterful writer.

Rogue Rider is the fourth Lords of Deliverance book and though Ms. Ione provides enough information for readers new to the series to follow along, I highly recommend reading this series in order. Besides, Eternal Rider, Immortal Rider, and Lethal Rider are simply too good to miss. And while Rogue Rider is the final Lords of Deliverance book, the storyline does lead back to Ms. Ione’s Demonica series (which the Lords of Deliverance series is a spinoff of). I haven’t yet read the Demonica books, but you can be sure I will be reading them before Ms. Ione ventures back into the world of the Demonica with Reaver’s book.

A host of supporting characters, including Reseph’s siblings and the Horsemen’s Watchers, bring additional excitement to Rogue Rider. No matter who your favorite character in the series is, I bet you’ll be thrilled by what happens in Rogue Rider. I admit, I’ve been a very big (and very vocal) fan of the Horsemen’s evil Watcher, Harvester, and the scenes involving her in Rogue Rider had me practically screaming for more.

In my opinion, Larissa Ione is one of the best paranormal romance authors out there. She doesn’t shy away from dark, twisted, intricate plots or characters and the people and storylines in her books are always unique. Rogue Rider is a shining example of Ms. Ione’s talent. Reseph and Jillian will stay on my mind for a long time to come, which, for me, is the mark of an excellent book. I love Ms. Ione’s work more and more with each reading and I absolutely cannot wait to see what she has in store for Reaver!

2 comments:

Janne Swearengen said...

I could not agree with you more on Ms. Ione's writing. I have loved everything of hes I've read, which is, well, everything. Can't wait for Rogue Rider, but sure hate to see the series end.

Kimberly said...

I hate to see the series end as well, but there are plot threads that lead back into the Demonica series (not a spoiler since Ms. Ione has said Reaver's book is part of the Demonica series).

I hope you enjoy Rogue Rider as much as I did!