Series: Demonica

Review: Reaper by Larissa Ione

Posted November 4, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Reaper by Larissa IoneReviewer: Casee
Reaper by Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica #19
Also in this series: Azagoth
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: Author
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 325
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge, Goodreads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

THE DEMONICA SERIES RETURNS...

He is the Keeper of Souls. Judge, jury, and executioner. He is death personified.

He is the Grim Reaper.

A fallen angel who commands the respect of both Heaven and Hell, Azagoth has presided over his own underworld realm for thousands of years. As the overlord of evil souls, he maintains balance crucial to the existence of life on Earth and beyond. But as all the realms gear up for the prophesied End of Days, the ties that bind him to Sheoul-gra have begun to chafe.

Now, with his beloved mate and unborn child the target of an ancient enemy, Azagoth will stop at nothing to save them, even if it means breaking blood oaths and shattering age-old alliances.

Even if it means destroying himself and setting the world on fire…

Azagoth and Lilliana are happily mated. They also have a baby on the way. Both of them are pretty much deliriously happy. Then Lilliana faints and Azagoth knows he has to send her to Underworld General, a place that he can’t follow.

After finding out that she was poisoned, Lilliana knows that she can’t go back to Sheoul-gra. When she tries to leave UG, chaos ensues. There are Fallen Angels at the door and they are almost impossible to beat. Lilliana goes into the Harrowgate which will take her to safety. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen and Lilliana finds herself in hell.

When Azagoth is told about Lilliana, he is devastated and absolutely furious. His first instinct is to go after Lilliana, but he can’t. As the Grim Reaper, Azagoth has an unlimited amount of power, but only in Sheoul-gra. He also can’t leave Sheoul-gra. All he can do is call in his allies and prepare for war.

As a prisoner of a psychotic demon that wants Satan released, Lilliana doesn’t worry about herself. She only worries for her child. And Azagoth. Lilliana knows that Azagoth will not only never recover from their deaths, but revert back to the demon that she first met.

When Heaven decides the only course of action is to destroy Azagoth, things start going downhill. Still, Azagoth will do whatever it takes to save his mate. Even if he dies trying to get her back.

I really, really liked this book. Azagoth is sort of an anti-hero. He’s evil, but there’s goodness in him. He never expected to mate and it’s obvious that he’s thrown and is trying to deal with feeling so much for one person. Still, Lilliana an Azagoth somehow make it work. The action in this book is amazing. Larissa isn’t afraid to take risks. In Reaper, her risks paid off.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.



four-stars


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Sunday Spotlight: Reaper by Larissa Ione

Posted November 3, 2019 by Casee in Features | 5 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

I’ve been a long time Larissa Ione fan. I started reading this series when the first book came out. I’ve been hooked ever since. Reaper is about Agazoth, whom we have already met. I read and reviewed Agazoth back in 2016. I really, really enjoyed him and Lilliana. I think this book is going to be a great addition to this series. If you like a good, sexy paranormal romance, this is definitely the series for you. If you give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Sunday Spotlight: Reaper by Larissa IoneReaper by Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica #19
Also in this series: Azagoth, Reaper
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 325
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

THE DEMONICA SERIES RETURNS...

He is the Keeper of Souls. Judge, jury, and executioner. He is death personified.

He is the Grim Reaper.

A fallen angel who commands the respect of both Heaven and Hell, Azagoth has presided over his own underworld realm for thousands of years. As the overlord of evil souls, he maintains balance crucial to the existence of life on Earth and beyond. But as all the realms gear up for the prophesied End of Days, the ties that bind him to Sheoul-gra have begun to chafe.

Now, with his beloved mate and unborn child the target of an ancient enemy, Azagoth will stop at nothing to save them, even if it means breaking blood oaths and shattering age-old alliances.

Even if it means destroying himself and setting the world on fire…

Excerpt

Lilliana woke to someone tap dancing on her bladder.

Groaning, she rolled over and bumped into Azagoth. Pleasantly surprised that he was still in bed, she ignored her need to pee and curled up against him.

She’d missed this so much while she was gone.

“Good morning,” he murmured, his husky voice even more gravelly than usual.

“Morning.” She snuggled into his shoulder. “I’m surprised you’re not working.”

He yawned. “You wore me out last night.”

Smiling against his skin, she trailed her fingers along the hard ridges and deep valleys of his abs.

“I wanted to show you how grateful I was that you threw me a baby shower.” And she’d done it without getting too active. Eidolon couldn’t begrudge her one orgasm, right?

“Mmm.” He pressed a kiss into her hair. “You must have been very grateful.”

She slid her hand under the sheet and meandered her way to the curve of his hip. She might be a million months into her pregnancy, but her sex drive didn’t care in the least.

“I’m still grateful.”

He hissed as her knuckles brushed his shaft. “Not complaining.”

It truly had been sweet of him to gather together the denizens of Sheoul-gra for a big celebration of food, drink, and games in the traditions of people from the human, demon, and angelic cultures. She’d suffered two more bouts of intense nausea and some cramps, but they’d passed quickly. What hadn’t passed was Azagoth’s concern.

Which was probably why he was still in bed with her.

It was cute the way he hovered. Annoying at times, but cute.

“I just want you to know that you’re my life,” he said. “Without you, I’m a monster.”

“And what are you with me?”

He gave her a rare, boyish grin, made even more playful by his mop of bedhead. “A happy monster.”

“I’m very happy about the happy.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“Things are good, Lil,” he said. “I never thought much about being a partner, let alone a parent, but I want to do these things with you.” He settled his hand on her belly and smiled with wonder. “This will be my first child born without a predetermined future. He or she can be anything. Do anything.”

“Incredible, isn’t it?” She pushed up on one elbow and leaned in to kiss his chest. She’d kissed every inch of him last night. Maybe she’d lick every inch of him this morning. “And our baby will be born to parents who love each other.”

Determined to show him how much she loved him, she kissed her way lower. Her lips whispered over his nipple, but before she could taste him, a cramp wrenched her insides. She sucked in a harsh breath, her hand going to her belly.

“What is it?” Azagoth jackknifed up, his expression dark with worry. “Is it the baby?”

Fierce heat swelled beneath the surface of her skin as her abdomen tightened. “I think it might be Braxton Hicks,” she said between panting breaths.

“What?”

“Cara had them.” Closing her eyes to stop the room from spinning, she eased back onto her pillow. “They’re like practice contractions.”

She didn’t remember Cara complaining about being hot and sweating buckets, though. Another cramp streaked through her, and she moaned. Cara had said they were painful, as if someone were squeezing her intestines.

This was more like someone was driving a red-hot blade through them.

“You’re white as a ghost, Lilli.”

Something’s wrong.

No, nothing was wrong. She was being paranoid.

Azagoth rested his palm on her forehead, testing her temperature. “Are these Hicks things supposed to be like this?”

She heard the panic in his voice but not the words. Her ears were buzzing. Her head was pounding. And, suddenly, a wave of agony wrapped around her and squeezed so hard she screamed. Vaguely, she heard Azagoth call out her name as a warm gush spread between her thighs.

“Lilliana? Lilliana!” His voice droned in and out as the room began to tilt. There was shouting. More pain. Her thoughts fragmented.

And then, finally…nothing.

Demonica



Giveaway Alert

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Sunday Spotlight: November 2019

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About Larissa Ione

Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career in meteorology to pursue her passion of writing. She has since published dozens of books, hit several bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today, and has been nominated for a RITA award. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her retired U.S. Coast Guard husband, her son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhounds, a King Shepherd named Hexe and a Belgian Malinois named Duvel.


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Review: Azagoth by Larissa Ione

Posted March 16, 2016 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Azagoth by Larissa IoneReviewer: Casee
Azagoth by Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica #13
Also in this series: Reaper

Publication Date: June 4th 2014
Pages: 158
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Even in the fathomless depths of the underworld and the bleak chambers of a damaged heart, the bonds of love can heal...or destroy. He holds the ability to annihilate souls in the palm of his hand. He commands the respect of the most dangerous of demons and the most powerful of angels. He can seduce and dominate any female he wants with a mere look. But for all Azagoth's power, he's bound by shackles of his own making, and only an angel with a secret holds the key to his release. She's an angel with the extraordinary ability to travel through time and space. An angel with a tormented past she can't escape. And when Lilliana is sent to Azagoth's underworld realm, she finds that her past isn't all she can't escape. For the irresistibly sexy fallen angel known as Azagoth is also known as the Grim Reaper, and when he claims a soul, it's forever...

Azgoth is Larissa Ione’s novella that was published in 1001 Dark Nights, Bundle 2. I usually don’t read novellas because they are just too short and I don’t believe the author has enough pages to develop a story, let alone a character. Supposedly this one clocked in longer than your usual novella and I really like the Demonica series so I gave it a shot. I was right. There just aren’t enough pages.

Azagoth is literally the Grim Reaper. Once an angel with emphatic abilities, he couldn’t take the emotion of every person he came into contact with. As his power grew, so did his abilities and he didn’t even have to come into contact with anyone. So he Fell. Very, very far. As the Grim Reaper, he decides where the souls go in Hell. He also has sex with a lot of angels and it’s not until you learn his back story that you realize why.

After awhile, Azagoth decides he’s done serving as Heaven’s stud and he wants an angel mate instead. Obviously the angels can’t make him do much of anything, but they want to make him happy. So they find a disgraced angel for him. Not a Fallen Angel, but an angel that is in big trouble. Lilliana is given a choice to mate Azagoth or get her powers taken away. Her powers are what got her in trouble in the first place, but she still doesn’t want to lose them.

Azagoth can tell she’s going to be trouble the moment he lays eyes on her. He likes it. She doesn’t. She already has a plan to escape without losing her power. This is one of the times more explanation would have been nice. As a time traveling angel, I understood what she needed and how she was going to escape, but how was she going to escape punishment? You learn later in the book, but it’s only explained in half of a page.

I enjoyed parts of this book and parts I didn’t. I just can’t get behind novellas.

Rating 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars


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