This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceacholic.

Expected Release Date: December 1, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Imprint: Forever
Author’s Website: http://larissaione.com/
My Source for This Book: Won in a contest/Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 2, Lords of Deliverance (a spin-off of the Demonica series)
Series Best Read In Order: Yes
Steam Level: Steamy

I was so incredibly torn with this book when trying to come up with a final rating. On one hand, it’s a favorite series of mine, so of course the underlying plot grabbed my by the privates and wouldn’t let me go. I also enjoyed Limos with all of her different faces — innocent, loving and loyal sister, warrior, liar, manipulator, and woman. Erik was wonderful as well, with not only his strength in refusing to break under torture but also his desire for revenge, and how he came to care for Limos despite his disappointment and anger with her. Then of course, there’s the byplay with Reaver and Harvester (and c’mon, I can’t be the only sick puppy who sincerely hopes they end up together in the end, can I?), and Reseph/Pestilence and the possibly futile hope that there may be a way to bring him back. The delicious sexual tension between two other characters was deliciously hot, and there was plenty of angst to be had.

On the other hand, there was the rape of a major character (though to be fair some readers may feel it was more of a case of “dubious consent”) — something that I truly want to rant about for several paragraphs but cannot without giving away spoilers. There was very little chemistry and sexual tension between Limos and Erik until the very end of the story. There was so much gore and horror and action and torture that I found myself becoming bored with major injuries instead of sympathetic or concerned for the characters in question.

So in the end, this was not a 5-star book for me, no matter how much I adore the series as a whole and am in love with Ms. Ione’s writing style and world-building. However, so much of the book’s positive points are a large collection of small things that I cannot mention them all without actually retelling the story or giving major spoilers. While it may, at first glance, appear that there are more negative points in my review than positive, that’s certainly not the case. The book absolutely sucked me in, chewed me up, and spit me out, leaving me begging for more. Despite any misgivings I may have had about a few points in this story, I am already anxiously awaiting the sequel, Lethal Rider, due out in late spring of 2012.

A solid 4/5 Stars