Review: Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

DEMON ENSLAVED

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. 

AN ANGEL TEMPTED

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.

If you've been following the Demonica series by Larissa Ione, then you know that Ecstasy Unveiled is Lore's story. Lore is the unknown half-breed brother introduced in Passion Unleashed, the last installment of this paranormal series about the Seminus demon brothers, Eidolon, Shade and Wraith. Lore and his brothers found out they were related while he was attempting to fulfill a contract to assassinate them -- not exactly the best way to endear yourself to your long-lost family.

I wasn't too sure I was going to like Lore, but his character was a wonderful surprise and I fell for him. He is half-demon, half-human, so the sex-demon qualities that made Eidolon and Shade so over-the-top sexual are not there. His sexuality, although present and definitely on the high end of the hot scale, is toned down enough that there's room for more. Lore's special gift is quite gruesome. It makes him the perfect assassin, but as we go along we find that it also makes him an isolated soul. His touch can kill, and although he needs to have sexual contact to survive just like his brothers, his release kills his sexual partners too. Up to this point Lore's isolation has been both physical and emotional, giving him a vulnerability not found in any of his brothers.

Lore is not an assassin by choice. He is enslaved to Master Assassin Detharu who has a hold on both him and his twin sister, Sin. They must kill their marks for Detharu or face punishment and torture. However, at the end of Lore's 100th kill, both Lore and Sin are due their freedom. In Ecstasy Unveiled, Lore is given that chance. His mark is Kynan, his brothers' best friend and now family through marriage. He has two weeks to fulfill the contract and if he succeeds, he and Sin will gain their freedom. If he fails, his sister Sin dies. Lore has no choice.

His pairing with an earthbound angel is perfect. Tough and vulnerable, Idess makes for a lovely heroine. A Memitim, she must protect the Primori, or human/demon she's assigned to in order to earn her wings and go to Heaven. Kynan is her Primori and that brings her in direct conflict with Lore. In an unexpected twist, Lore and Idess end together and as their attraction grows so does their dilemma.

I enjoyed both the sexual tension and hot erotic scenes in Ecstasy Unveiled. However, Ione also incorporated plenty of tender and emotional moments between Lore and Idess providing a nice balance to this book. The fact that both Lore and Idess are emotionally and sexually vulnerable was a nice touch.

Ione's world is still chaotic, just as they were in the rest of the books in this series but it still works. There are lots of crazy demons, Guardians, angels, vampires and wargs. The brothers and their families all make appearances in this book and family relationships seems to be the core of the story. Their crazy, humorous and, at times, dysfunctional relationship adds to the chaotic feel. There are new characters introduced, Sin and Con, who add to this book but don't take the focus away from the main characters. They're slotted for the next book and it looks to be a good one.

This is a paranormal series I'm still enjoying and I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment, Sin Undone. Grade B+

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