In the war between good and evil, sometimes the biggest battles take place inside the soul…and the heart.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Larissa Ione, comes CIPHER, a passionate and spellbinding novella from the Demonica Underworld Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Grab your copy today!
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Synopsis
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Larissa Ione comes a new story in her Demonica Underworld series…
It’s been seven months since Cipher, an Unfallen angel who straddled a razor thin line between good and evil, woke up in hell with a new set of wings, a wicked pair of fangs, and a handler who’s as beautiful as she is dangerous. As a laid-back cyber-specialist who once assisted guardian angels, he’d been in a prime position to earn back his halo. But now, as a True Fallen forced to use his talents for malevolence, he must fight not only his captors and his sexy handler, but the growing corruption inside him…before the friends searching for him become his enemies and he becomes his own worst nightmare.
Lyre is a fallen angel with a heart full of hate. When she’s assigned to ensure that Cipher carries out their boss’s orders, she sees an opportunity to take revenge on those who wronged her. All she has to do is appeal to Cipher’s burgeoning dark side. But the devastatingly handsome fellow True Fallen has other ideas — sexy ideas that threaten to derail all Lyre’s plans and put them in the path of an approaching hell storm.
Danger and desire explode, even as Cipher and Lyre unravel a sinister plot that will fracture the underworld and send shockwaves into Heaven itself…
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
Review
4 stars
This novella is #8 in the Demonica Underworld series, and as with all thing Demonica related, I cannot get enough!
The 1001 Nights novellas are promo’d as standalones, but given the complexity of this world, and the fact that this story is a continuation of the Demonica Underworld series, and Azagoth and Liliana’s story, I would not recommend reading this one as a standalone.
Following on from Hawkyn, this book picks up the story of Cipher – an Unfallen Angel who was dragged to Sheoul, instantly turning him into a True Unfallen. For years he straddled the line between good and evil, and now that he’s in hell itself, he’s just waiting for evil to truly penetrate, turning him into the monster he tried so hard not to be.
Cipher is the prisoner of one of the Underworld’s badguys, who wants him for his cyber-skills and the evil that his fall promises, and while he’s kept in captivity, he is assigned a handler – Lyre a fellow Fallen Angel who is a total badass with her own mission of vengeance.
Cipher and Lyre quickly realise that they can help each other out, and as they work on acclimatising Cipher to his new form, plan their escape and uncover the horrors of a new plot unfolding within the underworld, their attraction sizzles and they find themselves unexpectedly falling for each other.
It’s fun and adventurous, sexy and exciting, and the banter is so entertaining!
“Okay, try extending your wing.”
Nothing happened. He let out a frustrated curse, and then, finally, the wing shot out before
folding in again.
“It shouldn’t have taken that much effort, should it? Is this normal?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so? You’re a fallen angel, right?”
She jammed her fists on her hips. “No one is going to want to have sex with you if you’re snarky with them, you know.”
“What?”
Meanwhile, in Sheoul-Gra, Cipher’s friends are searching for him and looking for a way to release him from his captivity before true evil takes hold. And Azagoth is on a mission to track down his children and take out those responsible for endangering them. It’s all happening, and with Reaver and Revenant popping in to visit with warnings for the future (and some hilarious smartassery), and the long-awaited return of Lilliana, this book is a great lead-in to the upcoming REAPER as Azagoth’s story deepens and the battle between heaven and hell awakens once again.
The plot is building, and I’m so excited for more of this series as we prepare for the next generation to take the lead and have their stories told.
Loved this one – 4 stars.
For more information about the Demonica series – including series reading order – check out our Demonica / Lords of Deliverance Series page
Excerpt
Lilliana inhaled a shaky breath as she stood on the portal pad inside Sheoul-gra, the symbols engraved into the stone glowing hotly. A breeze swirled around her, rattling the leaves on the perpetually blooming citrus trees and bringing their tangy and sweet scents to her nose. Grassy lawns stretched for acres, broken by babbling streams and worn paths — and the occasional ancient Greek column or demonic statue that rose into the featureless gray sky.
Several yards away, a fountain that once ran with blood splashed crystal water onto pavers leading to outbuildings that housed dozens of Unfallen angels and Memitim. And beyond the fountain, Azagoth’s palace towered over all, its pale walls gleaming.
Relief sifted through her, temporarily replacing her nervousness. The realm was attuned to Azagoth’s moods, and she wasn’t sure what she’d have done if she’d come back to find the kind of decay and evil that had once held court here.
The Grim Reaper’s realm could be beautiful but disconcerting; look, but not too closely, touch, but don’t feel.
Her gut turned over, and inside her rounded belly, the baby stirred as if sensing the return of her anxiety.
Except that anxiety was too mellow a word for what she was experiencing. Really, she was flat-out terrified, mere moments away from seeing her husband for the first time in months. For the first time since she’d left him.
And he didn’t have a clue that she was pregnant.
She almost regretted telling Reaver that she didn’t need him to accompany her down here when he’d flashed her from Ares’s Greek island to the outer portal. She should have at least allowed Maleficent, a hellhound that had shadowed her everywhere on the island, to come with her. The hound had refused to leave her side until Cara distracted the beast long enough for Lilliana to get away. She was going to miss the moose-sized canine, but Cara assured her that Mal would find her if the hellhound had bonded with her.
Lilliana was going to have a hard enough time trying to explain bringing home a baby, let alone a pet that ate people.
Resting her palm on her baby bump, she stepped off the landing pad and started toward the palace, her heart pounding wildly. Azagoth would have sensed her presence by now.
Before that thought even faded, the skin on the back of her neck tingled, and she stopped in her tracks.
He was here.
He was behind her.
She should turn around and face him. But damn, she wasn’t ready for this.
Closing her eyes, she let out a long, ragged breath, and when she spoke, she could only manage a whisper. “Azagoth.”
About 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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