Early Review: Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione
Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance #4
The prophecies were there but no one listened. Until now. They are the Lords of Deliverance and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride.The Lords of Deliverance, otherwise known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse aren't evil, but can fight for either the side of good or evil. It all depends on how the prophecies play out, and for now it seems like the evil side has now been thwarted. Stabbed in the heart by his brothers in attempt to stop the reign of terror Reseph was wreaking upon the world in his rampage as Pestilence, he was thrown in to Hell to suffer for all days. Yet, someone takes pity upon his misery and casts him out into the mortal realm with his memory stripped to give him a chance at redemption. Naked and delirious in the brittle cold of the mountains, he is rescued by a woman named Jillian. Despite his amnesia, he instantly feels at home in her presence and quickly wears her down in a budding romance. But Jillian has her own scarred past, his past may just prove to be a insurmountable obstacle for her to overcome despite her desires.
Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues - and falls for - a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man that Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man that can be very dangerous . . .
Reseph may not know his background, or why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian's neighbours are killed and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world with death and destruction, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?
I absolutely adored the romance in this book. Perhaps that was due to the more sweet nature rather than the hard and raw nature of the previous couples. Don't get me wrong, the chemistry between them was rather steamy and delicious, but I'd have to say it was more romantic for lack of a better word. There's just something about the fact that Jillian and Reseph came together and fell in love on human terms before any of his past was revealed. It was exactly the sweet and passionate nature needed to start the path of redemption for Reseph and make me fall in love with him all over again. I also really loved that they both were damaged, yet each had an underlying core of strength. Although, Jillian's was much more apparent than Reseph's, making her exactly what he needed. In fact, these two are probably my favorite couple since the very first ones, Tayla and Eidolon.
As much as I have loved all of Larissa's books, I have to admit that I was rather gun shy to read Rogue Rider. I just had a hard time believing that Reseph could possibly be realistically redeemed. I mean the guy was absolutely horrid, and a lot of his actions were unforgivable in my opinion. Granted, he was Pestilence at the time, but Reseph was still in there somewhere, and even if he wasn't he still looked the same whether he was good or evil at the time. I should have known that not only would Larissa give Reseph a realistic path of redemption, but also make him shine so very bright in the end. In fact, because of his incredibly dark past and perhaps in spite of, I felt that he deserved his happy ever after more so than any of his other siblings combined. Yes, each of them had their own obstacles and hurdles in life, but Reseph fell so very far that his journey to redemption was nothing short of miraculous and beautiful.
I have to admit that when I finished this book I was vastly disappointed as it left so many things open outside of Reseph and Jillian. (Don't worry they do get the expected happy ever after that is basically required for Paranormal Romance, I'm referring to other elements left open.) In fact, my exact reaction was "What about *BLANK* and what happened to *BLANK*? This really stinks!" I had assumed that since there were four horsemen and that this one featured the fourth one, that it would be the last in the series and wrap everything up. Well, you know what they say about assuming. After a good bit of searching I found a mention from Larissa on Twitter that she was currently writing Reaver's book. So in between my elation that there would be another book, I also feel rather like a heel for thinking Larissa would have left us hanging so bad at the end of a series. Now, of course the wait for that next book will be rather agonizing, but in the end I guess it serves me right for doubting in the first place. Putting that aside, Rouge Rider was an incredibly enjoyable read that only added to the already outstanding Demonica/Lords of Deliverance world. In fact, I loved this book so much that it sparked an audiobook re-read plan for both series as I just can't get enough of this world, and Larissa's writing. Trust me, fans of the series cannot possibly be disappointed with Rogue Rider.
(Received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley)
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Previous Books:
- Eternal Rider
- Immortal Rider
- Lethal Rider
