Synopsis:
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…
My review:
Azagoth is story number 10.5 in author Larissa Ione’s Demonica series as well as novella number 6 in the 1,001 Dark Nights Series and one of the books I have been dying for this year. As always, Larissa didn’t disappoint. Azagoth was every bit of the tortured, sexy, bad boy I was looking forward to and Lilliana was his perfect match.
Fallen angel Azagoth is notorious for his dark and powerful ways, running the underworld, sorting souls, and being known otherwise as the Grim Reaper. But he wasn’t always this way. He had been an angel before and had once been on the sunny side, so to speak. After all these years in the darkness and with that darkness slowly seeping into his very bones, he yearns for more. But who in their right mind would come down to this dark and desolate realm to date him…the freaking Grim Reaper? No one. Unless he could work some magic and ask for a heavenly favor. They did owe him, after all. Getting someone to take over this realm wasn’t exactly a job angels had been lining up for and now he would use the sacrifice he made to his advantage by asking for a female he could spend eternity with. He wanted more than the “scratch an itch” kind of relationship. Of course he never expected the beautiful and feisty angel they sent him. Lilliana was like no one he had even encountered. She was strong-willed, smart, beautiful and unafraid of him. And he immediately wants her with a passion that defies logic. Could she learn to love a man like him? In a world like this?
Lilliana knew she was in big trouble with the heavens and when she makes a deal that could get her out of that trouble and possibly save her wings and ability to time travel, she figures how bad could it be? All she had to do was go into the underworld, hang out with the Grim Reaper, Azagoth, and last a few weeks. Easy peasy, right? She knows she is strong enough to endure the darkness but as soon as she gets to his realm, she knows she’s in trouble. She may be able to ignore all the creepy crawlies and the darkness down in the underworld but there’s only so long she will be able to ignore the fierce attraction she feels towards Azagoth. Luckily, his reputation for being a surly bad boy precedes him and he doesn’t disappoint, being miserable and demanding at every turn. Unfortunately, Lilliana soon realizes she likes the banter they have and finds herself craving his company more and more. Would she really want to stay here with him forever? Would he want her to if he ever found out the deal she made to save herself?
They say that love will always find a way, but never before has love had such a hard road to travel. Will Lilliana and Azagoth be able to meet love halfway and complete the journey?
When you read as much as I do, there are a few authors that reading their newest work it feels like coming home. Larissa is one of those authors for me and reading Azagoth was like coming home. Her writing style is stellar and she has an amazing talent with the tortured hero making the reader want to hate him but unable to ever do so. Azagoth was one of those heroes. He is dark and brooding but deep down just wants some version of happiness. And my God, I wanted it for him. Lilliana isn’t going to cower to his demands, which is something he is very much unaccustomed to. It pisses him off all while exciting and intriguing him. Lilliana is just as intrigued and excited with Azagoth when she sees how he has lived his life and how deliciously and darkly sexy he is. He was unlike anyone she had ever met and that would prove to be a big check in the “stay in the underworld forever” column.
Lilliana’s gift of time travel is an exceptional gift and gives Azagoth a sense of joy he hasn’t felt in far too long. Seeing the simple joy on his face when they travel to see a landscape he hasn’t seen in hundreds of years gives a gift right back to Lilliana and before they both realize it…they have stumbled into a relationship neither one had ever dreamed of finding. I really can’t think of an adjective to adequately explain just how beautiful Lilliana and Azagoth are together. You’ll just have to take my word on this…and buy this book. You will NOT be disappointed.
Thank you, Larissa, for being you and for writing such remarkable stories.
Five Loves
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About the author:
Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. 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 U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.
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Great review, Jill! Your review makes it seem like this story is a great read. Seeing how paranormal romances are gaining ground is interesting. Would you read more stories like this one?