ECSTASY UNVEILED

Author: Larissa Ione ISBN: 9780446556828 2/2010 PARANORMAL Publisher: HATCHETTE

A DEMON ENSLAVED Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master's assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister's life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission. AN ANGEL TEMPTED Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side, sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She's determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary-even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender. Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again-one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I am such a huge fan of the Larissa Ione Demonica novels.  I honestly can't decide which of the stories I like the best.  Lore is really close to being a favorite, though, if for nothing else than he is such a tortured soul, and I always root for the underdog. 

Lore is a Seminus demon who cannot have sex without killing someone.  He also cannot touch another being with his right hand without killing them.  He is half Seminus, half human, which means he doesn't have the same gifts as full-blooded Seminus demons, the killing right hand being an example.  His gift brings death, not life; it brings bad, not good.  He is also a slave, a "hired" assassin who cannot be free of his "contract" until he makes one final kill for his master.  In the previous books, Lore was assigned to kill his half-brothers (Wraith, Shade, and Eidolon) and failed miserably, so now this time he has to pay for his failure.  The way to pay for his failure?  By being forced to kill an extended family member of his brothers.  And not just any extended family member of the brothers, but one who Lore hates and who got Lore's girl in the last book.  And the bounty for this kill?  His sister's life. So, it seems a win/win right?  Wrong.  Lore hates Kynan, but doesn't want to kill him; he doesn't want to kill anyone, but for Sin, he will go to any lengths to see her freed. 

This is where Idess comes in.  She is an earthbound angel who is just waiting around for her ascension to Heaven.  She wants to be reunited with her brother Rami and wants to make him proud of her by finally being ascended like him.  Her entire goal on earth is to keep her charges safe.  If she doesn't keep them safe, she doesn't ascend.  Plain and simple.  So, when Lore shows up on the scene thinking he is going to kill her charge, she has a thing or two to say about that!  She is a beautiful, powerful warrior, and she is not going down without a fight.  As a matter of fact, with this Seminus demon, maybe distraction is a better way to go....  She is not above using her body as a distraction to keep her charge safe, as long as she can ascend when it's all said and done. 

But, nothing ever goes as planned in a romance novel, and things certainly get all mucked up for Lore and Idess.  They are at a rock and a hard place.  Lore can't complete his kill, and he needs to complete THIS kill.  It's not his life on the line anymore; it's Sin's.  And Idess doesn't know anything about the cost of Lore's failure, so she fights furiously for her charge. 

Everything about ECSTASY UNVEILED is perfection.  The love story is beautiful and grows right before our eyes.  It's definitely not a thin, shallow love, but one that encompasses many levels and one that feels tangible by the end of the book.  The love Lore has for his sister, his best friend who has been through everything with him, is a beautiful thing.  And the relationship that is growing between the siblings is monumental.  Once these brothers and sister team up, I don't think there is anything that can stop this family.  And Idess.  Her poor misconception on what is really going on in her own life brought tears to my eyes and made me really admire the strength of her character.

All in all, the Demonica novels completely rock my world.  There is not one complaint that I will, or can give about this series!  I'm simply so excited about Sin's book coming up, and I cannot wait to dig in!

Kristal Gorman