Eternal Rider: Lords of Deliverance #1

"You know I could crush you."
"I know you won't."
"Why, because I need to protect you?"
"No." She poked him in the breastplate. "Because you gave me a pillow."

Eternal Rider
Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance, book one
Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published April 1st 2011 by Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 978044657449
Author's site

They are here. They ride.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

Ares and his three siblings, Reseph, Thanatos, and sister Limos, are the spawns of the angel, Yenrieth, who after many decades finally fell prey to the succubus Lilith's pursuit. The boys grew up, and in need for vengeance against the demons destroying their families and homes, they encouraged humans to wage war against them.

From there, heaven intervened and soon a deal was struck with the devil. As punishment, the children of Yenrieth were charged with the keeping of Armageddon. Each was given a seal, and should they keep their seal intact until God's time, their souls would be saved. Should the seals be broken, they would turn evil and be forever known as Pestilence (Reseph), War (Ares), Famine (Limos), and Death (Thanatos).

Sin, a former bedmate of Ares', has launched a werewolf plague and in doing so Reseph's seal has subsequently broken. She has triggered the Apocalypse. And so begins Eternal Rider.

With just the right blend of fantasy and that very delicate topic of religion, Ione has woven one hell of a good tale.

You don't always have a book that's equally balanced in its violence and smut. Usually, one's written a lot better than the other. Not here. OMG. The war is rough and the sex is AMAZING... orgasmic... without a doubt, the best I've encountered. I have honestly never been so worked up by a moment where a guy asks if his woman is on her cycle. Ridiculous, right? *fans self* That shower scene certainly was. Strange thing is, it was a rather short scene.

So what's better than a band of brothers? Two brothers and a sister. Limos didn't do much in this book but the perceptions of her made for some good laughs. LOL'd at "Chick was weird." and of course, "Apparently, she was the ADD Horseman." Plus, she's a hoot when Reaver shows up.

They each have some rather incredible powers. Than's armor collects the souls of those he kills. In battle, he can call them out and if they kill for him they are granted their freedom. His humor had me in tears. "Never seen anyone hotter. He fills my dreams with his hotness." LMFAO! As far as the seals go... the breaking of Reseph's is triggered by an event. Ares, a person. Limos, a thing. And strangely enough, Than's revolves around his virginity. Can't wait to see how that one plays out.

And the ending of this one? How-after all that rock-your-world awesomeness-how did she manage NOT to disappoint me??? 5 out of 5 stars. And this is my first favorite read of 2011. Hot damn!

Footsteps approached, and he knew by the cadence that it was Thanatos. Knew by the heavy strikes that his brother was armored up.
     “I visited Lilith’s temple and there was no sign of Tristelle… and what the hell are you doing?”
     Ares cursed, long and loud. “I’m an idiot.”
     “Duh.” Than grinned, because yeah, he was a real barrel of laughs. “But what are you doing?”
     “Fucked up. This is so fucked up.” Ares slammed his fist into the wall and hissed through the pain. He never did shit like that, because if you ruined yourself, you couldn’t fight. Sure, the bones he’d just broken would be healed in an hour, but still. “She beat me.”
     “Did you like it?”
     “You’re still not funny.” Ares’s jaw was clenched so tight he could barely understand his own words. “She knows how important she is, and she called me on it.” Man, she’d shocked the shit out of him. Up until now, she’d been as timid as a mouse, afraid of someone saying boo to her, and suddenly, she’d sprouted some teeth.
     Probably because the agimortus had ripped his balls out and transplanted them into her.
     Thanatos laughed, and speaking of teeth, Ares wanted to knock his brother’s out of his head. “It’s about time someone got one up on you. And a female human at that.”
     “Fuck you.”
     “I can’t have sex.”
     “This isn’t a joke, brother.” Every one of Ares’s muscles twitched. “I want her.”
     Than arched a tawny eyebrow, the silver piercing catching the light. “Then take her.”
     “It isn’t that simple. She can’t stand me.” Ares kept pacing, his gut churning, his dick aching. “But then she looks at me with…” Lust? Too strong a word. Longing? Too wimpy. But shit, he could smell her desire, and the way her body would curve into his…
     Thanatos laughed again, and Ares’s hands curled into fists. “You can have any demon female in the underworld just by crooking your finger, and now you want a human, but you don’t know how to have her. This is good.”

The highly anticipated sequel is due out in December! And check out the wallpaper available on the author's website:

Ares & Battle