Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

Eternal Rider
(Lords of Deliverance Book #1)
by Larissa Ione

Genre: Paranormal Romance | Dark Fantasy

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 has been around for over five thousand years, once a human man, now an immortal being who is one of four that will change the world one day - whether they're ready for it or not. Two destinies have been predicted, but no one knows which will come true in the end, thus Ares (who has a well-known Greek God named after him!) must continue the struggle to keep his seal intact. Each Horseman has a different secret key to protect, but Ares's seal has suddenly become more precious & delicate for his chaotic world of war & demons - a mortal women, Cara. Both are now thrust into a battle to keep Cara alive at all costs, but the closer Ares gets to her, the weaker he becomes. Now they have to learn to work together to prevent the Apocalypse, but their attraction to each other might be the most harmful thing of all.

I'm a fan of Ione's hot romances, always very steamy and well-written, but Cara Thornhart just flat out annoyed me. I never warmed up to her throughout the whole tale and felt much of her so-called growth or development within the story was just unbelievable and shallow. Overall, she was either too timid or oddly daring, no middle ground adjustments...thus her character was just too badly constructed for me to truly become absorbed in her journey throughout Eternal Rider. Ares on the other hand was quite interesting and carried much of the story himself. Be prepared for many past characters to resurface, which can sometimes become a little overwhelming but fun as well to catch up. All in all, I highly enjoyed Reseph/Pestilence best and found him the most entertaining Horseman who will keep the series on a dark edge for books to come.

Likes: From a historic perspective, I was fascinated with the immortal's hidden hideouts - secret islands with ancient temples, etc. Nice!

Dislikes: I felt a little sorry that Ares's "war" personality prevented him from interacting with crowds - i.e. no parties!