My very fitting first post…..Review of Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione

It seems only fitting that for my very first post, I share my recent review of Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione.   It releases on November 20, so be sure to get it on your to-read list! 

 _______________

The prophecies were there but no one listened. Until now. They are the Lords of Deliverance and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride.

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues – and falls for – a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man that Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he’s also the kind of man that can be very dangerous . . .

Reseph may not know his background, or why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian’s life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian’s neighbors are killed and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he’s putting Jillian in danger. And once it’s revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world with death and destruction, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?

 ______________

 Before I begin my review, I have to tell you I am a bit biased when it comes to this book.  You see, I was the winner of the “name a character” prize Larissa had offered in a charity auction back in March of 2011.  Originally is was to name a minor character in either the third or fourth book in this series but Larissa, being the amazingly kick ass person she is, gave me the option to wait and name the heroine of this book.  After pinching myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming and jumping around my house while screaming like a loon, I obviously chose to wait…and picked my own name for Reseph’s heroine.  This book holds a special place in my heart, not only for having a truly amazing personal story behind it, but because it lived up to every possible expectation I had. And so, without further delay,  here is my review…..

This is the fourth book in Ms. Ione’s Lords of Deliverance series and is Reseph’s story.

Pestilence had finally been stopped.  Through the efforts of Reseph’s family, he had been ended with a fatal blow to the heart with Deliverance, a thousands year old dagger thought to be the only weapon powerful enough to use against the Horsemen.  Only Reseph wasn’t exactly dead.  Pestilence may be gone for now but Reseph was in Sheoul-gra trapped in a prison not only made of stone, but prison in his own mind being terrorized by the horrific memories of what Pestilence had done. Memories of death and torture, and knowing that his hands did it all, were proving to be to most horrific punishment imaginable.  A punishment that Reaver, their heavenly watcher, couldn’t stand to see.  Reaver knew Reseph and he knew that Reseph was worthy of a second chance….and he decided right then that he was going to give Reseph that chance no matter what the consequences were.

Jillian Cardiff is trying to get past the nightmare she left behind.  After a horrific demon attack that nearly left her for dead, and being let down by the man she loved, the solitary life she leads now was a welcome escape.  All she needed was her animals and the snowy mountains…until she literally stumbles across an injured stranger in the snow and decides that she can’t turn her back on him.

After nursing the stranger back to health, he awakens to find he has no memory of whom he is or how he came to be buried in snow in the mountains of Colorado.  Together they will have this mystery to solve and together they will have to heal one another of the emotional scars they both have endured and learn to be resilient once again.

I know what some of you may be thinking.  You’re thinking that there is no way Reseph deserves a chance at redemption and he should rot in Sheoul-gra where he belongs.  From the very beginning I disagreed with that and I knew that if anyone can change the minds of the naysayers, it was Ms. Ione.  From the very beginning of this story, we get to see the untainted Reseph, thanks to his amnesia.  The man who is playful and cheeky despite his lack of memory…the man who clearly would have never done anything that had been done when Pestilence had been at the wheel.  This is the man who his siblings had been fighting to save since the very beginning.  His journey has so many facets…self-loathing, retribution, self-discovery, acceptance and forgiveness.  It was both heart breaking and heart warming to watch his struggle.

Jillian’s journey was equally as fascinating.  She has had her share of heartbreak and despair that has led her to build up walls that no ordinary man will be able to penetrate.  Thankfully, Respeh isn’t ordinary in any sense of the word!

I cannot express how much I loved this book.  I finished it in 24 hours because I just had to see what happened next.  I laughed, I cried, I got weird looks at the dentist for my audible gasps.  Ms. Ione created such memorable characters and the moments that they share are ones that readers won’t soon forget.  The emotions from Reseph and Jillian practically leap off of the page. This was the absolute perfect ending to Pestilence…and beginning to Reseph.  Thank you, Ms. Ione, for an unforgettable story and for being the amazing author and storyteller that you are.