Review: Reaver - Larissa Ione

UK Cover

WARRIOR OF HEAVEN
Reaver is an angel with a past, a record and a less-than-heavenly attitude. Powerful enough to fight alongside the fiercest battle angels - and crazy enough to risk his wings on a one-way mission to hell - he's agreed to go where no angel has ever gone before . . . to steal the most seductive and dangerous prize of Satan himself.

ANGEL OF HELL
Harvester is one of the Fallen, a once-heroic angel who sacrificed her wings to work as an undercover agent in hell. But now her cover has been blown, and she's been doomed to an eternity of agonizing torture. Even if Reaver can snatch her away from Satan's lair, even if they can fight their way out of the underworld's darkest depths, there is one thing Harvester can never escape - her newfound thirst for angel's blood . . .

The Demonica Series:
Pleasure Unbound
Desire Unchained
Passion Unleashed
Eternity Embraced (Novella)
Ecstasy Unveiled
Sin Undone
Eternal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 1)
Vampire Fight Club (Novella in the Supernatural anthology or as a separate ebook)
Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 2)
Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 3)
Rogue Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 4)
Reaver
Azagoth (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 1)
Revenant
Hades (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 2)
Base Instincts (Novella)
Z (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 3)
Razr (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 4)
Hawkyn (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 5)
Her Guardian Angel (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 6, also part of the Masters and Mercenaries Crossover Collection)
Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe (Short Story Collection & Recipe Book, Demonica Underworld book 7)
Cipher (Demonica Underworld book 8)
Reaper (Demonica Underworld book 9)

For more information visit Larissa Ione's website

Review:
Please note that this review will contain spoilers for previous books in the series so look away now if you haven't read Rogue Rider! I absolutely love the Demonica and Lords of Deliverance books but although each book focuses on a different couple the stories are very intertwined and I think it is essential to read the series in order so you can follow what is happening in the wider world. This is definitely one of my favourite paranormal romance series though so I'd highly recommend giving it a try.

After the shocking revelations in the last book I couldn't wait to pick up Reaver and once I started reading I absolutely devoured it. This series really does get better and better with every book and once again Larissa Ione smashed it. Reaver had everything I hoped for - fantastic romance, super hot sex, action, danger, shocking plot twists and superb world building that introduces us to some fab new characters while still giving us a chance to catch up with some of our old favourites.

When I first found out that Harvester was going to be Reaver's heroine I wasn't convinced that I'd enjoy the story but that was before the revelations in Rogue Rider. How can you not root for a heroine who gave up as much as she did to prevent the end of the world? Yes she has done horrific things as part of her goal to infiltrate hell but she did it with the goal of protecting the Horsemen and preventing the apocalypse. One of the things that I love so much about this series is how the line between good and evil is so blurred. Nothing is black and white so time and time again we have seen "evil" characters do something wonderful and "good" characters who are anything but pleasant. There is a particular archangel in this book that I damn well wanted to punch because he was so nasty!

So anyway, we know that Harvester is an angel who chose to fall so that she could be a spy for heaven, she knew exactly what it would cost her if she was ever discovered and it was a risk she was prepared to take. That doesn't mean she's enjoying the torture though, she is suffering so badly that all she wants to do is die but that isn't an option for her. When Reaver goes to hell to attempt a rescue mission he does it against explicit orders from heaven, they can't risk hell being able to prove that Harvester was a spy or it will start the war to end all wars, one which earth will once again be slap bang in the middle of. Having just averted one apocalypse they aren't keen on starting another but Reaver can't leave Harvest to her fate knowing what she went through for his children. Reaver and Harvester have a much deeper and more complicated history than I could have imagined, I'm not going to go into details but trust me Larissa Ione will astound you with revelation after revelation and I'm sure you'll be as shocked as I was by some of them. It was absolutely fantastic to see this couple start to figure things out and get things back on track but there is just so much going against them - how can a relationship between one of the fallen and an angel ever work? You'll just have to read the book if you want to find out but buckle up and hold on tight because it's one hell of a roller coaster.

I loved the developments in the rest of the Demonica world too. We get to catch up with not just the Horsemen but also the demons from the earlier books and it was great to see how everyone is getting on now. We are also introduced to the next hero Revenant and going by the banter between him and the woman who I strongly suspect will be his heroine I'm going to LOVE his book too. I just can't get enough of these books and I wish we didn't have to wait so long for Revenant to be published!

Source: Initially received from publisher via NetGalley but I also received a print copy from Piatkus in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

US Cover

Paperback / Kindle: