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New Release Review and Excerpt: HADES by Larissa Ione (A Demonica novella/ 1001 Dark Nights series)

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Larissa Ione’s HADES! HADES is a novella in Larissa’s Demonica Series as part of the 1001 Dark Nights Collection and is exclusively available as Amazon Kindle and Paperback. Grab the latest installment in this sexy series!

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About HADES:

A fallen angel with a mean streak and a mohawk, Hades has spent thousands of years serving as Jailor of the Underworld. The souls he guards are as evil as they come, but few dare to cross him. All of that changes when a sexy fallen angel infiltrates his prison and unintentionally starts a riot. It’s easy enough to quell an uprising, but for the first time, Hades is torn between delivering justice — or bestowing mercy — on the beautiful female who could be his salvation…or his undoing.

Thanks to her unwitting participation in another angel’s plot to start Armageddon, Cataclysm was kicked out of Heaven and is now a fallen angel in service of Hades’s boss, Azagoth. All she wants is to redeem herself and get back where she belongs. But when she gets trapped in Hades’s prison domain with only the cocky but irresistible Hades to help her, Cat finds that where she belongs might be in the place she least expected…

 

Excerpt:

 

Somewhere outside Azagoth’s Greek-style mansion, a bird of prey screeched. Cat loved hearing it. Not long ago, Sheoul-gra had been a dead realm, a physical manifestation of Azagoth’s emotional state. Dark and dreary, the “Gra,” as it was sometimes called, had resembled a toxic wasteland that couldn’t support any animal or plant life that wasn’t straight out of Hell itself.

But Lilliana’s love had changed Azagoth, and with it, his realm.

Now, when Cat strolled outside the palace, the grounds and buildings surrounding it teemed with life, from the lush grass, leafy green trees, and sparkling water, to rabbits, birds, and even the occasional fox or deer.

Smiling, she put down her feathered duster and headed from Azagoth’s pool room toward the mansion’s entrance, and as she rounded a corner, she collided with a body.

A huge, muscular body.

Hades.

An instant, hot tingle pricked her skin as she leaped backward, crashing into something behind her. She heard something break, but at the moment, it didn’t matter.

This was the first time she’d touched Hades. The first time her ability to sense good and evil as a physical symptom on the surface of her skin had triggered. At least, it was the first time with Hades.

She’d always suspected he’d give off an intense blast of evil, but she hadn’t expected the evil to be tempered by a ribbon of goodness. She also hadn’t expected to be so…aroused by the vibes he gave off. Then again, merely looking at him aroused her, so why wouldn’t touching him do the same?

He stood there, bare-chested and wearing a skin-tight pair of silver pants that showed every ropey muscle and presented that impressive bulge at his groin like a gift. Criminy, he might as well be naked. She wished he was naked.

“E-excuse me,” she squeaked.

He looked down at her, one corner of his perfect mouth tipped up in a half-smile. Which was a first. Everyone seemed to get smiles but her.

 

Review:

“Thousands of years of loneliness was worth every second you’ve been in my life.”–Hades

If you’d have asked me a week ago, I’d have said that a guy with a blue Mohawk would not appeal to me. But now…

Hell, yeah!

Hades is both my first read in the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance series and from author Larissa Ione–but it definitely won’t be my last. I’ve already put holds on all of the audiobooks the NYPL has of hers, and will be checking with my library next. Ms Ione did an excellent job of giving just enough background in this novella so that a newbie doesn’t feel lost, and backed it up with some awesome characters that will have you 100% invested in their story.

And then she threw in a Princess Bride reference, and so help me, I was a goner! 🙂

Cat was a great heroine–a fallen angel who just might be the worst housekeeper the demon purgatory of Sheoul-gra has ever seen, her clumsy awkwardness, which increases about a millionfold when Hades is around, is totally endearing. The way she tries to make good on her mistakes (though at the same time not owning up to them until she has to) made her a relatable and easy to root for. Her internal dialogue was witty and fun, and once she got more comfortable around Hades she finally managed to give as good as she got. Loved. Her.

Hades was fantastic–irreverent, kick-butt, and fiercely protective of those who needed him. Even though he’s literally the Master of Torture, he’s also the guy who pulls pranks on other Unfallen and plays with hellhounds like they’re puppies.

Which they kind of are–only giant, man-eating ones.

Somehow the two of them manage to fall in love and save the world/Underworld in just about a hundred pages.

Bring on the rest of the series!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hades -cover

Amazon US Kindle ** Amazon Paperback ** Amazon UK Kindle

Larissa IoneAbout Larissa Ione:

Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

 

 

 

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HADES Review & Excerpt Tour

May 22

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