Rogue Rider – Review

Rogue Rider (Lords of Deliverance #4) 
by Larissa Ione

Publication date: 20 November 2012 by Grand Central Publishing

ISBN 10/13: 0749955570 | 9780749955571
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Rogue Rider is the fourth and highly anticipated story of Reseph, Horseman of the Apocalypse, aka Pestilence, the horseman who went band and almost destroyed the world. Rogue Rider picks up soon after the events of Lethal Rider. Reseph wakes up naked in the snow with no memory of who his is or how he got there. Jillian is out preparing for a storm when she finds him. Living out in the middle of nowhere while recovering from a demon attack, Jillian is wary of Reseph but decides to take him in. While trying to figure out Reseph’s past, they start to fall for each other. But when a string of violent murders occur in the area, Reseph starts to suspect that he may be the one putting Jillian in danger.

The first half of the book focuses on Jillian and Reseph’s love story. I really liked Jillian. She’s a survivor. She made it through a vicious demon attack and, though she is still recovering, she is capable and knows how to take care of herself. And I liked that, even though Reseph wanted to take care of her in some instances, he also knew that she was strong and didn’t treat her like a damsel in distress. Reaver put them together so that they could help heal each other and I think they did. With Jillian, Reseph learned to be himself without all of the pressures of being a Horseman and without the knowledge of what Pestilence had done. And in Reseph, Jillian found a partner who admired her strength but who would also support her.

Of course things don’t just go right to happily ever after. After learning that their brother is alive and could possibly become Pestilence again, The Riders come for him, triggering the return of his memories. With the knowledge of the horror he caused as Pestilence, Reseph goes a bit batty with guilt and remorse. I think Ione does a good job showing how bad Reseph feels about what Pestilence did. He doesn’t expect anyone to forgive him – and they don’t, at least not right away. Ione really makes Reseph work for his redemption.

So why didn’t I love this book? Though all of the right elements were there – hot romance, characters I like, and action packed drama, I still felt there was something missing. The story was predictable and there were no big surprises. Even Reseph’s “fight” with Pestilence was anti-climactic. And my favorite part of the story, Jillian and Reseph’s romance, got a little lost in the second half of the book.

While I enjoyed this book and thought it was a good read, it wasn’t my favorite of the series. I do enjoy Ione’s writing though and it’s always fun to jump back into this world. I was happy to see some of my favorite characters again. And wow – what is going on with Reaver and Harvester? I am dying to know! I am so glad that the next book will focus on them.

*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.