Immortal Rider: Number 2 in series (Lords of Deliverance) [Paperback]

**Warning: As this is the second book in the series this review may contain spoilers for those who have not read the first one, Eternal Rider.**

Before I'd finished the first twenty pages of Immortal Rider I was already completely hooked on Larissa Ione's world of Horsemen, angels, demons, shape-shifters and gifted humans. This may be the first of her books I have read, but it definitely won't be the last.

Immortal Rider's cover is attractive and eye-catching. The black and white image is an effective counterpoint to the violets and oranges used for the title and author's name. The writing lures the eye in and the figures of Limos and Arik keeps it there. Two details stood out for me - Arik's dogtags and the tattoo of a set of scales on Limos' shoulder. Both of these details are important to the characters and tie in nicely with their story.

While Immortal Rider is the second book in the series, I didn't have any trouble following the story and I am definitely planning on going back to read the first book, Eternal Rider. This series is set in the same world as Ione's hugely successful Demonica series and I have to compliment her on the detail and texture she brings to her books. She manages to pull elements from paranormal romance and urban fantasy and weave them together into something new and worth exploring.

Larissa Ione writes with confidence and I was impressed with her ability to handle multiple characters and storylines without the reader feeling confused. It is a real talent and allows her to create plots that impact the world as a whole and not only one or two characters. It also means that characters from previous books in the series are not dismissed from the overall story once they have had their book. And considering the characters that Ione has created that is most definitely a good thing.

The two central characters in Immortal Rider are Limos, the Horseman who will become Famine in the Apocalypse, and Arik, a human soldier who belongs to a unit in the military specialising in the paranormal. I wasn't overly fond of Limos, but that was more of a personality "clash" than anything else. I could understand her motivations and actions, but I just didn't really like her much. But it is a mark of Ione's skill as a storyteller that that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I liked Arik from the first page - he's loyal, protective and caring. In many ways he is a balance to Limos. The relationship between Limos and Arik was layered and I always appreciate that - while physical attraction is important it can't be the whole basis for a relationship and Ione's shows us that there is more.

Immortal Rider is a sexy paranormal romance set in a rich urban fantasy setting and will leave fans and new readers alike smiling.

This book for me tops everything I've read by this author. It had it all, a great tale that was packed full of: lies, deception, guilt, humour, love, forgiveness, betrayal, a wedding, great characters, a baddy who I can't bring myself to hate, as I know he's going to get his come-uppance, in what should be a hell of a tale, and it's not all his fault, some hot sex, torture, and a wedding. Oh, and demons and hellhounds and vampires, so what more could I want?

It's a really fast-paced tale that takes place immediately after book 1 ends, and starts and ends with several bangs, mostly of the nice variety! What Arik goes through in the name of love makes him so deserving of his mate and his HEA, and I found this so much more emotional and romantic than perhaps all the other tales in this 'world'. On top, we get to see the beginning of the next tale in the series, which starts with yet another bang of the nice variety, which could have sweet but devasting consequences. From what went on in here between the leads of said next tale, and from the sneak peak that's included at the end, I have a feeling that that's going to top this one.

I always love it when you get to see characters from other books that have come before having their HEA, and LI does not disappoint, as we see Wraith, Runa, Shade, Kynan and catch up with what's been happening with them. On top, a couple more characters from previous books get fleshed-out, and so I'm hoping that when this quartet ends, LI will start another side-series with them.

This is a really great tale that I loved, and which is a contender for my fave book of 2011, the other being Succubus Revealed.

The saga of ‘The four horseman of the apocalypse’ fighting to save their souls and stop the end of the world continues. On this occasion to find a strong human male as the key hero was brilliant and in my opinion he definitely fulfilled the part to perfection.

A wonderful saga, and I would encourage anyone who loves this genera of fiction to purchase them all.