Reaver (Demonica)

I love Larissa Ione and am in the process of buying all her Demonica Underworld books. Reader did not disappoint and I'm happy he got his HEA...I just hope that's not the last we hear of Reaver and Harvester

Maybe the best book now since the riders!

Haven't had the time to read yet, but I have been looking forward to a single day to indulge into the world that Larissa Ione has created with this series. All her works are addictive for the imagination!!

Her best book yet. It felt like you riding a roller coaster with all the action in this book. Fantastic drama and romance too.

Harvester fell from Heaven to keep track of the four Horsemen, her only chance of working this was taking the angle of her dear father, to join Hell and work for the other side. Now that Dear Dad found out her betrayal, she is to suffer for eternity, tortured beyond what anyone can imagine.
Reaver can't stand for this, after all, she did it to protect his children, so he starts a rescuing operation. For an angel, to venture into Hell, is worse than a suicide mission, but he can's stop himself.
What he's just realized, is that he and Harvester share a past and a love. What will Harvester think or say when she learns the same?
And can he succed with his quest without bringing down war on both Heaven, Hell and Earth?
This is a series I've wanted to start for a long time, and jumping in at #5 was doable, but I can't wait to start from the beginning.
Angels, Deamons, smutty fluff and suspense in a great combo. Gruesome torture if you're a bit squemish (like me).

I absolutely loved Reaver! Larissa is an amazing author, and her work never ceases to amaze me and keep me wanting more. The only disappointment is the amount of time I have to wait for the next one. Lol happy reading!

My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
Review copy provided by publisher

Warning: If you have not read the Lords of Deliverance four-book spinoff series, and plan to jump into Reaver after reading Demonica book #5, Sin Undone, you will have missed significant events that relate directly to the telling of Reaver’s story. Plus, they are just awesome books, so go read them!! So with that heads-up, be warned that this review contains “spoilers” from previous books.

Reaver, once a Fallen-angel doctor at Underworld General Hospital who has no memories of his thousands of years of existence, turned world-savior, turned full angel, turned Horseman of the Apocalypse watcher, who recently found out that he is the father of said Horsemen, is fed up with not knowing the truth. Never having been one to follow the rules (and probably part of the reason why he was cast out of Heaven in the first place), Reaver is determined to save fellow Horsemen watcher, Harvester, from her captivity in the demon realm of Sheoul. Although Harvester has played for the wrong team as a Fallen angel for the past thousands of years, Reaver recently discovered that she did so in order to protect his children - the Horsemen - and save the world from the demonic apocalypse. Now the Reaver and Harvester will have to survive the evils of hell, and each other, if they want to make it out of Sheoul alive.

Confused? Don’t be! Ms. Ione does a marvelous job reminding readers of the complexities associated with Reaver and Harvester’s history without coming across as repetitive or an information dump. The brief opening prologue sets the stage, giving readers a glimpse at Reaver and Harvester’s angelic history, and it provides those of us with faulty memories enough recap to jump right into their story. I loved the prologue because it also gives the book an air of an epic romantic story in the making.

Reaver, going against direct orders, makes his way into Sheoul with the help of a few hired assassins, including a Sem demon named Tavin. Reaver wants to rescue her for a few reasons, one of which is to find out more about his forgotten past. Since Harvester knew Reaver before he fell, but doesn’t know Reaver is that same angel, he figures he can learn a thing or two from her. He also wants to have Harvester help him locate Gethel - the evil angel who is working with Satan. She has some big news that ups the anti in the war between Heaven and Hell, so finding her is critical to saving Heaven. But lastly, Reaver feels something for Harvester, and he wants to protect her from the torturous ministrations of her father, Satan. All of these pieces are critical to understanding the direction of the tale. It provides fierce motivation for Reaver, giving him drive to carry forward despite the hardships.

Reaver is magnificent. He is a powerful angel who isn’t above being a dad and grandfather. Having lived so much of his recent life as a Fallen, he respects and cares for humans and many good demons. This puts him at odds with the Archangels, and gives readers the ideal rebel hero. Reaver is not perfect, nor does he pretend to be. I admire that he must work through all of his baggage and doesn’t make excuses for his past actions.

Getting cozy with Harvester was a little more difficult for me. She’s done some really awful things over the course of the last few books, and getting past that is something Ms. Ione writes successfully. At the start of the book she is being tortured, and she recalls the numerous horrid acts done to her since her capture. While the scenes are not gory, they are gruesome and made me uncomfortable. It may be difficult to digest for some. But once freed, we read her transformation from what she’d been for the past thousands of years into something new - but definitely not the angel she was before she fell.

Reaver is a gripping read right from the start. Following Reaver and his assassin comrades into Sheoul is fun. I liked their back and forth banter. I also appreciated how the book didn’t spend a lot of time on actually getting to Harvester. Her rescue was immensely interesting to read from her POV, as she is deaf and blind at the time. This scene was one of many that paints the picture extremely well, allowing the reader to see and feel what is going on in the story.

So much happens during the course of the book that it was best for me just to sit back and take it all in. I could give you a play-by-play of the action and all of the key players, but I feel that would take away from your own reading experience. Even though there is so much to keep track of, the story flows fairly smoothly. We learn much more about the nature of Heavenly politics and see that the Archangels are not all as one would hope. I wasn’t completely convinced by the motives behind the actions of at least one of the Archangels, but his behavior made for exciting and tense reading. There were times while reading Reaver that I was really worried about the potential for catastrophic disaster, giving the story an edge of riveting suspense.

Back to Reaver and Harvester. I ADORE that the pair worked through all of their issues and that the truth of what happened between them thousands of years ago remained ugly. Ms. Ione stuck with grit, and their history is messy. In order to have their HEA, they need to accept the things that happened: the good, bad and ugly; embrace their differences and how they’ve changed - and Ms. Ione allows all of this to happen. It makes the story so much more substantial and emotionally satisfying. While it may not have been the sexiest book in the series, it was beautiful in many ways.

Reaver felt like a turning point. It really wrapped up the “Four Horsemen” (Lords of Deliverance) story arc, but the Horsemen are key players in the Demonica universe, and I don’t think they’ll be going away anytime soon. The book also began something new. There is a small subplot revolving around a female doctor, Blaspheme, who is hiding her true nature, and the demonic Horseman watcher, Revenant, who is the focus of the next book. Also important is the Assassin, Tavin. When Tav got injured in a fight, Reaver’s attempts to heal him lead to a big change in Tav… what happens next will hopefully play out in future installments. Finally, learning Reaver’s true nature and history opens up some of the inner workings of the Archangels, and I can see more coming from that.

Overall, I really enjoyed Reaver. The book has grit; it is filled with substantial action and plot development, coupled with the raw and painful, yet beautiful growing pains between a couple with a very long history. Once again, I will stress that a LOT happens during the course of the story. The whole archangel/heavenly politics is complex, and while I was pleased with the outcome, and I think I have it all straight in my head, it was a little difficult to follow at times. Ms. Ione is ushering in a new set of characters that blend seamlessly with the wonderful world she has created and nurtured over the course of ten titles. Now go out and enjoy all that is Reaver!

WOW!!! That's what I have to say about this book. If fans of L. Ione Riders series even believed for one minute this was the end of a saga. Well you're wrong. Not did our dearly beloved naughty angel kick ass he blew the top off a whole lot can worms/cobras… Only those who have already read will get my meaning. LOL!!

Well, as usual I will start with the writing/audio translation of the book. Yes, I cheated and couldn’t sneak in the time to actually read the entire book. So, I purchased the audio version from my favorite audiobook website ;-) I must first comment on how great this book was translated into audio. Helen Wick did an amazing voice acting in projecting the various characters (and I mean a lot of them) without confusing the voices, accents and attitudes. She has moved to the top favorite of my voice actors list. Jim F. you’re still my hero. But, wow H. Wick did an amazing job. L. Ione should be quite pleased with the results.

Well back to our favorite naughty angels Reaver and Harvester (“R&H”). As usual don’t expect any real reveals in my review because you need to read the book to find out what happens. Our two star-crossed lovers are truly that. Their history dates back when and then some. Because free will and all that business both of them had made their fair share of mistakes (some more than others) and the interferences by others R&H had to first come to terms with their discoveries before moving forward. These issues and only bit more are issues they dealt with throughout the book. Ending with a satisfactory conclusion, which if translated into a real life relationship would be something two individuals who realized their love was greater than the issues could overcome. Then we have the BIG reveal about Reaver’s history that really just blew my top off. Now, I won’t kid you and say I hadn’t figured his history was going to be a game changer… because I wouldn’t. I knew from the beginning that someone like him had to have a huge secret buried deep. Now that it’s all out… well let’s just say L. Ione will be one busy author for the next couple years. If by now you haven’t been moved to read the book yet, well get your lazy bottoms moving. You need to check it out.

The timing and flow of the story was just perfect. It will keep the reader on the edge of their seats until they're almost ready to either skip to later chapters or as in my case fast forward to the “good parts”. Don’t do it!!! The intensity will be lost and you will miss the opportunity to enjoy a well written book.

The long wait was well worth it. Definite must read book before the end of 2013.

4 1/2 Hearts
REVIEW:
Another great books by Larissa. I am so in love with the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance series it is not funny. I am really sad that it will be ending soon (I think only one more book :’( ), but back to Reaver. But a disclaimer first: If you have not read the first nine books in this series you really need to stop right here and start from book one. While I think you can read Reaver, I would not recommend it. There is so much that happens in the prior books that you might be lost. So that being said here is my review.

I love this angel even if he is at times an ass. But he is a good guy and wants what is best for the people around him. And Reaver is not afraid to break the rules to do so. And he sure breaks a few rules in this book
Harvester, so many readers hate her. Have hated her. And hate that she is Reavers chosen one. But I have been a Harvester fan from day one. I love this Fallen Angel. She is really a good person put into a horrible situation.
Reaver & Harvester are great together. They both have learned over the years to not trust, to not lean on people, to not expect that things will go right. But to get out of Hell alive they are going to have to rely on each other, which might be hard to do since they seem to hate each other. But there is a super fine line between love and hate. And what happens when one of them takes a leap of fate and crosses that line?
Will the find that the other is waiting with open arms or will the find the sharp point of a sword in their heart?
Guess you will have to wait and see.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you again Larissa for this opportunity!

First and foremost I have to say that REAVER was well worth the long wait! From start to finish I stayed on the edge of my seat waiting on what happens next, and I was not disappointed. Larissa throws in surprise after surprise throughout the entire book. In fact there were a few jaw-dropping moments! There is something always going on, but not in a way that overwhelmed me.

Ah…Reaver… I absolutely adore him! For me, Reaver has been the most anticipated paranormal character that I have waited to read about in years, if not ever. (And, believe me, I have read my fair share of paranormal romance books). He was everything I expected him to be, and more. His struggles with not remembering his past broke my heart. His duty to protect Heaven and Earth is astounding. His commitment to the Horsemen is total. His protection of Harvester is remarkable, honest, and complete, especially given what she previously put him through. The passion between him and Harvester is scorching and when they finally come together it’s slip-off-your-seat-in-a-puddle worthy.

Now, Harvester, she gave me mixed feelings through ¾ of the book. At times I wanted to crawl through the book and smack the crap out of her for treating Reaver the way she did. At other times I wanted to cradle and comfort her. And still, other times I wanted to give her a great big hug, a smack on the lips, a high five, and say “you go girl”. Throughout the times I had hateful feelings for her I still couldn’t totally condemn her because of everything she went through. To go through what she went through and still come out sane is a miracle and only a truly strong person could have managed it, even for an immortal angel/demon. By the end of the book she totally redeemed herself in my eyes, and in Reaver’s.

In the end I was left totally satisfied but intrigued and anxious for what will happen in the next book. Although there were many questions left unanswered, the questions pertaining to Reaver and Harvester’s story were cleared up, satisfactorily.

I give Larissa, Reaver, and Harvester a 10 thumps up, 10 star rating! I can’t wait to discover what Larissa has for us next! All I can say is, BRING IT ON!