Review: Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

Eternal Rider (Lords of Deliverance, Book 1)
~Larissa Ione

Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 044657449X
ISBN-13: 978-0446574495
ASIN: B0047Y0F6Y

From the author's website:
They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

Eternal Rider is book one of the Lords of Deliverance series and is set in the Demonica world. While you don't have to have read the series, I would recommend it (trust me, it's not a hardship - the Demonica series if fabulous!) Lol, we met Ares in Sin Undone, and I thought he was some weird guy riding around on horseback- shows what I know :)

The Lords of Deliverance series is about each of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Ares is War, Reseph is Pestilence, Thanatos is Death, and Limos is Famine. Each horseman has a seal... it's something different for each one. Due to a series of events started by Sin (the heroine in Sin Undone), Reseph's seal has been broken, transforming him into Pestilence. If any other Horseman's seal breaks, it will start the Apocalypse. A fallen angel holds Ares' seal, but Pestilence is going after it as it will be the easiest to break.

Cara Thornhart is human but she's got an extra talent - she can heal animals. She hasn't used her talent in years though, since she accidentally killed someone who was attacking her. She freaked out, her relationship with her boyfriend tanked, and she pulled into herself after that. Then, she gets a knock on the door - a drunk neighbor brings her a dog he hit in the road. She takes the dog, pulls out bullets, and he starts to miraculously begins healing. She's rewarded with a big, doggy kiss. And then all hell breaks loose...

The fallen angel is attacked and transfers the seal to Cara, who's been having weird dreams about the dog she rescued. Now Pestilence is after Cara, and Ares has vowed to protect her. At first it's to protect his seal, but as he gets to know Cara, she brings out feelings he hasn't had in centuries - since his human wife and children were murdered and he swore never to feel again.

I really enjoyed Sin Undone - Larissa Ione is a wonderful storyteller who gives her readers engaging characters and complex plots, and Eternal Rider was no exception. I mean, come on, these are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and I genuinely liked them! (Well, except Pestilence, who was deliciously evil)

Ares and Cara had great chemistry, and they fought it hard. Once they gave in though - ohhhh! Loved it! And Cara's progression from a timid character to a more take-charge personality was good for me, I didn't think I was going to like her but I did.

I'm really interested in Ares' brothers and sister - I liked their characters and am looking forward to their books. I'm curious to see how their seals will be threatened, and Pestilence is one evil, evil guy - I can't wait to see if/how he is redeemed.

Cara's hellhound plotline was great - I thought Hal was awesome wanted to know more; thankfully Ms. Ione gave us much, much more.

I thought after she finished her Demonica series I'd be done with this fabulous world but I enjoyed Eternal Rider and can't wait to find out what happens to the rest of the Horsemen... Limos' book, Immortal Rider, is next - Limos' book - December can't get here fast enough!

My Rating:

This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.