Tori's Review: Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione

Released: May 22, 2012
Paperback: 464 pages
Price: $7.99
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Source: Netgalley 
Genre: Paranormal Romance 
Series: Lords of Deliverance 
Buy: Amazon


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They're here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Born of a match between good and evil, four siblings stand between hell's minions and everything they want to destroy. They are the Lords of Deliverance, and they have the power to ward off Doomsday...or let it ride...

LETHAL RIDER

Thanatos, the most deadly Horseman of the Apocalypse, has endured thousands of years of celibacy to prevent the end of days. But just one night with the wickedly sexy Aegis Guardian, Regan Cooper, shatters centuries of resolve. Yet their passion comes with a price. And Thanatos must face a truth more terrifying than an apocalypse-he's about to become a father.

Demon-slayer Regan Cooper never imagined herself the maternal type, but with the fate of the world hanging in the balance she had no choice but to seduce Thanatos and bear his child. Now, as the final battle draws closer and his rage at being betrayed is overshadowed by an undeniable passion for the mother of his child, Thanatos has a life-shattering realization: To save the world, he must sacrifice the only thing he's ever wanted-a family.

My Rating:

My Opinion:
You know when you get addicted to a series or an author, and you can't help but go crazy in anticipation for the next book release? Well, ever since reading Larissa's Demonica series, that's how I've been. First it was with those books, and now it's with her HOTA series.

My craving--a craving I didn't even realize I had, what with how swamped I've been recently with grad school pre-reqs--has been temporarily satisfied. Or perhaps I should say it's been reawakened? After reading LETHAL RIDER, I'm practically salivating for the next book in the series, and yet, at the same time, I'm eerily content.

I'm wary when an author kills off characters and then revives them. I used to be a Gena Showalter junkie. Ask Karen (@teamsheltie) how I acted at BEA whenever I had the opportunity to go to a Gena signing, and she'll tell you how starstruck I'd get. Well, after one too many angsty heroes, I finally gave up on her LOTU series. I feel that there is really no suspense anymore--especially when she kills and resurrects her characters as often as she does. I hate to say this, but whenever something dramatic happens, I can't help but feel like it's a joke now.

So of course, I was wary when we started killing characters in LETHAL RIDER, and I was terrified that the heartbreaking moments and all that suspense would suddenly shrivel away in the wake of these deaths. And of course, Larissa alleviated my fears by making each scene heartbreaking and... Suspenseful! I knew people would die eventually in a series where the Apocalypse is on the world's doorstep, so I don't feel like I'm spoiling anything by stating that. I just feel that it's important to point out when an author retains his or her ability to create a tearjerking scene--or when he/she loses that power and makes coming back to life an everyday occurrence.

The suspense in Than's book is great. The plot kept me guessing, and I was anxious to see more of Pestilence. In fact, I was kind of disappointed that he didn't have as much "screen" time as the other characters, but it was also nice seeing prior heroes and heroines making another appearance this time around. The emotional punches kept on coming, and I felt myself tearing once or twice while reading. Also, I wanted to shake Than and Regan equally, which I found refreshing since there's usually only one character in a PNR who I find to be annoyingly irrational. and, of course, like any Ione book, I was glued to the pages and was pissed when I had to put my kindle down to go to bed.

Two things didn't work for me:

1) the sex scenes. Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against pregnant women, and they can have sex all they want, but I just did not find myself emotionally invested this time around when things got hot and heavy. I suppose it had more to do with the fact that I kept wondering what positions wouldn't squish their kid, and then before I knew it, they were done. There wasn't a lot of emphasis on how unsexy Regan may have felt, but the comments on her swollen feet, etc, made me, in turn, believe that she was probably feeling unsexy. And that lack of sex appeal may have reflected on my reading when the two finally did connect. Plus, a part of me felt like Than was really attracted to her this time around because she was carrying his kid.

2) Regan didn't stand out as a character. I'm not exactly sure what it was about her, but I didn't feel the usual "omg what an awesome kickass heroine!" like I did with Ione's other heroines. I wasn't a fan of Cara either, but I think I liked her more than Regan because I felt like I got to know what made her tick. In comparison, we see the speedy version of Than's relationship with Regan in an earlier book, and then in LETHAL RIDER, the two just bicker like they're an old married couple. I saw brief glimpses of Than in the earlier books, which made me appreciate him more, but Regan felt rushed.

All-in-all, I think Larissa did a great job with the next installment of her LOD series. My complaints weren't, by any means, major. For some reason, I'm a lot pickier about liking heroines than I am about the heroes, so I don't usually take my complaints too seriously when I don't like one of the female leads. As for the sex? Well, I've never been pregnant, I don't plan on being pregnant anytime soon, and for that reason, there was a bit of a disconnect regarding the sexy times. And really, the sex plays such a minuscule part in my eyes. What's important to me in this series is the story, seeing how Reseph will eventually be redeemed, and then seeing my past favorites from the Demonica series.

Recommended? Obvs. But only if you read the Demonica series first!


Series Order:
1. Eternal Rider (Tori's Review)
2. Immortal Rider (Tori's Review)
3. Lethal Rider
4. Rogue Rider (coming soon)