Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

Title: Immortal Rider
Author: Larissa Ione
Rating: 3.5 Stars


Synopsis: Betrothed to the Prince of Lies, the only horsewoman of the apocalypse, Limos or famine, will be forced into marriage if she succumbs to passion of any kind. Enter Arik Wagner who never thought that stealing a kiss from Limos would land him in Hell - literally!

Review: The romance and chemistry between Limos and Arik is an improvement on book #1 although there is still something missing in their connection perhaps due to the emphasis on lies and secret keeping; a trope that has put me off contemporary romance and it is out of place in PNR. Moreover, Limos and Arik are not exactly a power couple - he is pretty one-dimensional and nondescript and she is too self-absorbed to be a completely likable heroine.

The plot is also far fetched and disjointed. The descriptions of excruciating torture, rapid healing and death in large numbers is not only excessive and unrealistic (even for PNR) but also serve to desensitize the reader to the atrocities committed within the pages and to undermine the threat of the approaching apocalypse.

In addition, the subplots between Reaver & Havester and Thanatos & Regan, while better developed and more interesting than the primary storyline, tend to overshadow the search for Limos's agimortus - a supposedly significant plot point that takes back seat to all the secret keeping and angst.

As mentioned, the developments in the secondary relationships are the highlights of the book. Pestilence is a despicable villain and even though his redemption is obviously in the works, Ione may have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to make it believable.

Reaver and Harvester are another compelling "opposites attract" couple but once again, it is difficult to see how Ione will overcome the obstacles to their romance, particularly the fact that Harvester is almost as evil as Pestilence.

Finally, Thanatos and Regan are the most entrancing pair in the series. Yes, there is some controversy over their sexual encounter but to me it cannot be removed from the context of the Demonica world in which good and evil are not black and white but shades of gray nor can the mitigating circumstances and the issue of intent be ignored.  Nevertheless, the consequences of Regan's actions make the inevitable HEA with Thanatos particularly intriguing and I look forward to seeing what happens next.