Review:

It makes me wonder how strong my motivation will be to try to kill my sibling. Lore is a half-breed Demon (he’s half human) who cares so much for his twin, he’ll willing to try and kill his brothers for it. That should have made me dislike him as a hero material, but it doesn’t. Lore is sensitive in his own bad-ass way. The heroine, Idess, is a great match for him. She’s strong and can take on just about anything. I have fallen in love with these new capable heroines. They’re so far removed from Julie Garwood’s ‘old’ romances. The ‘old’ heroines that I like are capable, but they’re also quite soft. At first glance, Idess seem far from soft.

It was hard for me to root for a winner because I like Lore’s brothers:
Wraith, Shade and Eidolon. I really didn’t want any of these people to die. I was worried (yes, I know it’s fiction) but I was worried if I’m going to believe how the story ends. I have to say that Ms. Ione did a wonderful job untangling these quandaries. The sex scenes and hot and heavy, and very, very compelling. I think this book should come with a warning. But, that is not the best part of the book. The best part is, the sex scenes is integrated seamlessly into the story so I’m not jolted out of the story line for an obligatory sex scenes.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal. If you want an author that’s similar is edginess, then J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood comes to mind. I can’t really say about Sherrilyn Kenyon. Her heroes and heroines have a different feel to them. However, all of these authors writes excellent entertaining books.

About the book:

Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master’s assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister’s life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he’ll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission.

Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side, sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She’s determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary-even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.

Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again-one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

Five Fun Facts.
Follow @LarissaIone on Twitter.
Check out the author’s website at LarissaIone.com

Giveaway:
Thanks to Anna of Hachette Books.
Winners will be posted on February 22.
Winners address must be in the US or Canada, no PO Boxes please.
There’s a maximum of 5 winners. But, the number depends on how many participants/comments there is. For every 10 comments, there will be a winner drawn.

There are several ways to win (8 ways):
-subscribe to my blog’s feed
-follow @LarissaIone on Twitter.
-leave a comment on your favorite paranormal author and book. (you can recommend up to 2)
-if you’re a previous winner to this blog and have a review posted of that book, link it here. (up to 2)
-what is the one burning question you want to ask of your favorite author?

(please leave comments separately so it’s easy for me to draw the winners via random.org using integer generator + string randomizer)

Tags: Anna Balasi, Hachette Book Group, Hachette Books Giveaway, Larissa Ione

True Evil: A Novel
by Greg Iles
Mass Market Paperback
Published in 2007

I was working all night last night, but it wasn’t long enough to finish this 15-CD audio book read by Dick Hill. Let me just say that I am officially in love with Dick Hill as a reader for blockbuster book. He reads Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series.

I started listening to any book solely because he’s reading it. He’s got this voice. It’s just so divine. When you couple great thriller books with his voice, you got some sleepless Mama because I just have to finish the story. And I did.

True Evil is written by Greg Iles. I can see it clearly in my head. I really think this book will translate into great movie staring Angelina Jolie as Alexandra Morse, and the evil villain, Dr. Eldon Tarver, will be Bruce Willis. This story is gripping. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I cannot wait for this book to be adapted into movie.

If you want to hear this book in audio, most public libraries have copies. Thats’ where I got mine.

Seventh commenter will get a paperback version of this book.

[Added 01-11-2010]

Sarah Emmerson is the winner! Congratulations!

According to Amazon:
Smooth prose, psychological depth and crafty plotting lift bestseller Iles’s latest suspense thriller, which puts a fresh twist on a familiar theme-the cat-and-mouse game between an FBI agent and a fiendishly-clever serial killer. One personal tragedy after another has struck Alexandra Morse, a rising star in the FBI who specializes in hostage negotiation: her father’s shooting death in a robbery, her mother’s diagnosis of advanced ovarian cancer, and a misstep on the job that left her face scarred and a fellow agent dead. Now Alex’s sister, Grace, lies dying in a Jackson, Miss., hospital after suffering a stroke. Alex arrives from Washington just in time to hear Grace say that her husband has murdered her. After Grace’s death, Alex learns that Dr. Eldon Tarver, a brilliant scientist in need of funds for research into developing a biological superweapon, has teamed with a Mississippi divorce attorney who offers select clients the opportunity to avoid a protracted court fight by arranging for their spouses to die. When Alex identifies the next intended victim, Dr. Chris Shepard, she goes undercover as one of the idealistic doctor’s patients and soon finds herself in a race against Tarver as well as her own superiors, who have not sanctioned her investigation. This pulse-pounder is sure to be another bestseller for Iles (Turning Angel).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tags: Dick Hill, Greg Iles

Passion Unleashed (The Demonica Series)
by Larissa Ione
Mass Market Paperback
Published in 2009
ISBN-10: 0-446-40105-6

Other books in the series:
Passion Unbound
Passion Unchained

The five winners are:

Patti
Pam S
carrie
Niyahlove
Jessica

And one international winner:

Frana – Croatia

Winners: You have 4 calendar days to contact me. Make sure to mention the book title you won and your complete mailing address. Thank you so much for playing.

If you didn’t win this time, I have more contest coming up. Just keep playing.

Tags: Larissa Ione

Passion Unleashed (The Demonica Series)
by Larissa Ione
Mass Market Paperback
Published in 2009
ISBN-10: 0-446-40105-6

Other books in the series:
Passion Unbound
Passion Unchained

Read some Fun Facts about PASSION UNLEASHED .
Visit Larissa Ione’s website at www.larissaione.com

My Take:
Move over Sherrilyn Kenyon and JR Ward. Make room for Larissa Ione. This is the first book I have read of Ms. Ione and I am suitably impressed. I’m a fan of Ms. Kenyon and Ms. Ward. I didn’t think I’d find another series as good. I was wrong and I am glad for it. Wraith is a demon with a quest to save himself from a fatal disease he has. His cure is Serena. The only problem is his life means death for Serena. This book is very exciting from start to finish. I like the secondary characters as well, and plans to read on them. I can hardly wait.

About the book:

Serena Kelley is an archaeologist and treasure hunter-and a woman with a secret. Since she was seven, she’s been the keeper of a powerful charm that grants her health and immortality . . . as long as she stays a virgin. Wraith is a Seminus demon with a death wish. But when an old enemy poisons him, he must find Serena and persuade her to give him the only known antidote in the universe-her charm. Serena begins to surrender to Wraith’s seductions and as Wraith senses the cure is within his grasp, he realizes a horrible truth: He’s falling for the woman whose life he must take in order to save his own.

“I experienced every emotion possible while reading Wraith’s story. The writing flows perfectly, the plot and sub-plots are thrilling, heartwarming, frightening and suspenseful, and the dialogue is witty as well as brilliant.” –Closet Writer

The Contest:
Thanks to Anna and Hachette Book Group.

You can win 1 of 5 copies. Drawing on July 5.

You must reside in US or Canada to win. No PO Box addresses please.

One international winner will win my slightly battered copy. International readers, make sure to indicate your country so I can have a separate drawing for you.

Make sure to subscribe to my blog feed to find out if you’re a winner.

How to win:
+1: Tell me about your favorite vampire/demon/fantasy-involving-vampire author. What’s your favorite book in the series? If not favorite, which book got you hooked?
+1: Subscribe to my feed (current subscriber welcome)
+1: bring a friend. Make sure to tell your friend to mention your name when they leave a comment so I can add another entry with your name.
+1: blog about this contest, or add a link in your sidebar
+1: What do you do when you can’t find the book you’re currently reading?

I’m asking because I was reading this really wonderful romantic book, and now comes the thrilling part and I can’t find the dratted book anywhere. I’ve turned my house upside down for it. I’m feeling positively despondent that I can’t find it. I had it last night, was reading it last night, and now it’s all gone! The horrible part? I can’t remember the title. I just really love it.

Tags: Hachette Book Group, Larissa Ione