I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Legacy of Temptation
by
Larissa Ione
paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Blue Box Press on February 6, 2024 and has 392 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Desire Unchained, Pleasure Unbound, Passion Unleashed, Ecstasy Unveiled, Sin Undone, Eternal Rider, Immortal Rider, Lethal Rider, Supernatural, Rogue Rider, Bound by Night, Reaver, Revenant, Snowbound, "Bond of Destiny", "Z", "Azagoth", "Revenant's Epilogue", "Hades", "Razr", "Hawkyn", "Cipher", Reaper, Bond of Passion
First in the Demonica Birthright paranormal romance series (twenty-second in the overall Demonica universe) and revolving around the next generation. The couple focus is on Logan and Eva.
My Take
It’s an exploration of lies and bigotry. Ya can’t help but notice how much more loving those demon families are. Yeah, well, not all of them . . . eek . . .
That prologue is so cute, as Ione relates one of toddler Logan’s adventures with his bow and arrow as he and his mother take a walk. That happy moment is balanced by Logan’s demands of his parents near the end. Hoo, boy. I do love that Ione has carried on with everyone from Demonica. I love knowing how things are going in characters’ lives. Yes, yes, I know they’re not real, which probably why I enjoy it so much, lol.
Wow, I’m not going to any demon clubs. Too scary! Those clubs, however, aren’t nearly as scary as Lilith, Logan’s evil-beyond-evil grandmother. She’s certainly going to “liven” things up. Of course, the angels have their own issues. God would be so disappointed in them! Oy. That prison in which they confine one of their own, out of their own fears! That Zaphkiel has a lot of atoning to do.
Between The Aegis and the angels, it’s scary. Those hate-spewing Aegis agents make me sick. They’re such hypocrites!! Right. Along. With. The angels. Such envy and hatred! We know it all through third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Eva’s and Logan’s perspectives, as they argue about their respective “sides”. I wanted to hit Eva (and every other Aegis agent) over the head with truth.
I really do suggest reading the series from the start of Demonica, as there is so much background that will make Legacy of Temptation a much richer experience. At the very least, read Lethal Rider, 3 (D 8), for more detail on the legend about Logan.
Does this sound familiar? “The only good demon is a dead demon.” ‘Cause we all “know” there are no such things as good demons *eye roll* . . . well, there are in Demonica, anyway *grin*. As for “kill first, dissect later”, yep, humans, demons, and angels all jump on that one.
Oh, geez, it does sound like the human race with their “cavalier, let’s pass this down to the next generation attitude” because we won’t be around to see it. Humans have no monopoly on parents who get it wrong . . . and Mace invites Logan to join the club.
Lololol, Stryke is a jerk, but I did have to laugh at his attitude with a was-to-have-been buyer of his demon detection system! Yeah, you wanna be a jerk about our products, well now you’ll pay . . . bwa-ha-ha . . .
Talk about manipulation. The Aegis is constantly slanting the news. It seems almost all of their people epitomize the Aegis creed of sabotage and backstabbing. It is interesting that Eva believes that she’s fair and yet she’s fallen for Aegis’ brainwashing. Just look at Maja Weso’s actions. Jesus.
I love that the families of the Four Horsemen are so supportive and gather together to party so much. It’s a major contrast to Eva’s cold, manipulative parents. And I gotta agree with Reaper that the angels are making a dumb move antagonizing Revenant.
Hmm, I’m trying to envision Thanatos with a man cave and working crafts. Of playing catch with Logan and having a tea party with his daughter and her stuffed animals. How can you not love a guy who loves his kids this much?
It’s a character-driven story with additional impact from the one side’s demon natures and the other side’s ignorance and bigotry. It’s this last that creates the inciting incident that’s promoted by Aegis pushing their angle. Just another example of Christian charity . . ..
And, yeah, those characters. I got so lost and confused as to who was related to who and what any relationship was. Oy.
Action-wise, lol, yep there’s violent action and a whole lot more sexual action with plenty of pondering in between and too many unpalatable truths.
And Ione has left me with so many questions! Does Zaphkiel get some comeuppance? What does Eva learn about herself? How does that investigation, um, those investigations, go? How does Eva reconcile what her parents did? Arghh, inquiring minds want to know!
The Story
Eva Tennant, like everyone at The Aegis, hates demons. But she loves her job as deputy spokesperson for the global demon-slaying organization, and she’s excited to be in the running for chief spokesperson. All she has to do is not screw up the two-week exchange program with The Aegis’s rival agency, the Demon Activity Response Team.
But things go horribly wrong when a murder turns her into a fugitive from justice and puts a demonic target on her back.
To save his friend, Logan, son of the Horseman of the Apocalypse known as Death, is ordered to protect an Aegis Guardian responsible for the deaths of his friends. Really, he’d rather feed her to Cujo.
But when an old enemy rises from the ashes, Eva and Logan find themselves giving in to temptation even as they sacrifice the things . . . and people . . . they love the most.
The Characters
The very ambitious Eva Tennant, the deputy spokesperson for The Aegis, has a strong background in investigative journalism and would “kill” for the position of chief spokesperson. Tessandra and Charles are her parents and partners in a law firm, Tennant, Tennant, and Chesterleigh, in LA.
Thirty-three-year-old immortal Logan Matthews/Thanatos, is the son of Thanatos and Regan Matthews and can see souls. He’s in charge of the Spirit Management division at DART. Cujo is the hellhound who bonded with Logan at birth.
Logan’s friends, family, and age mates include Mace, a Seminus demon, who is Lore and Idess’ son (Ecstasy Unveiled, 4) and Talon’s cousin. And brother (Wraith is Mace’s biological father). Sabre, another Seminus demon, is Eidolon and Tayla’s son who works in UGH’s forensics lab; he’s also cousin to Mace, Talon, Blade, Rade, Stryke, and Crux.
Blade (special forces and a healer), Rade (interrogator), and Stryke (genius trillionaire recluse and major jerk who hates his family) are triplets while Chaos and Crux are/were twins, all Seminus demons, are brothers and cousins to Mace, Sabre, and Talon. Their parents are Runa Wagner, Arik’s sister and a werewolf, and Shade, a Seminus demon, (Desire Unchained, 2), who is a paramedic at UGH.
Draven, a vengeance demon, is happily engaged to Shanea and is on DART’s security team. He’s also been Logan’s best friend since elementary school. Martin is Draven’s father.
The Demonic Activity Response Team (DART) is . . .
. . . a demon control agency with teams of demons and humans who battle demons and prepare for the Apocalypse. Based in Brussels, Kynan Morgan is the director and wears Heofon, an amulet that gives him special protection. He’s married to half-human, half-Soulshredder Dr Gemella Endri, Tayla’s sister. Dawn, part Soulshredder, is Kynan and Gem’s daughter. Arik Wagner, the deputy director, is married to Limos (Immortal Rider, 2 (7)). Nikko Masters, an ex-cop, Chuck Verinn, and Stan Geardon are all human agents. Aaron, Noah, and Cyan, Shanea’s best friend, are also agents.
The Aegis is . . .
. . . a demon control agency of demon haters who battle demons AND DART. They see all in DART as traitors. Based in Washington DC, they are presided over by twelve Elders who include Maja Weso, Dmitri, Lukas Olsen who has never fought a demon and is the only son of the wealthiest demon antiquities trader in the world, Anthony Roffalone, Miguel, Philip, the humorless, tough Kell Hammond, and Deborah Johnson.
Jennifer, the chief spokesperson, is Eva’s boss in public relations. Stefani Hughes is a rival with Eva for Jennifer’s job. Willa Peters is the director of Public Affairs. “Volunteers’ for the work exchange program include the barely tolerated Sigfred “Sig” Olsen, the son of an Aegis Elder, who is an arrogant hothead; Keeley, an assistant personnel manager, has no filter; the intense Carlos Martinez, a former Navy SEAL, is tactical and security; Mason Devino is the deputy director of The Aegis’ School of Magic; and, Benjiro “Benji” Shimosaka is the head of Research and Development — these last two think they’re smarter than anyone else in the room. Tobey is a Guardian at the library. Lance had been an Elder over thirty years ago. Aliya, a Guardian, is also their hair and makeup person. Diana and Sam are more agents.
Scott Roman is in charge at the Pacific Northwest headquarters in Seattle. Craig Shaeffer is regional director in Boston. Robert Lynch had been one of Shaeffer’s.
The ambition of both DART and the Aegis is for humanity to survive the Apocalypse.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Thanatos, a.k.a. “Than” or “Thanny”, is Death and married to the pregnant-again human, Regan, who has spirit-defense abilities (Lethal Rider, 3 (8)). Styx is Death’s stallion. They live in a castle in Greenland. Amber is their too-empathic daughter and a bestselling author. Eli is one of their daywalker vampire servants.
Ares is War who rides Battle and is married to Cara who has hell-hound-whispering skills (Eternal Rider, 1 (6)). Hal is Cara’s hellhound. They live on a glorious island in Greece. Aleka, who works at the British Museum in London, has a doctorate in ancient demon civilizations and history, and Scotland “Scotty” are their daughters. The Memitim are angels bound to the earth who moved to an enclave on Ares’ island after Azagoth destroyed Sheoul-gra. Hawkyn speaks for the Memitim in Heaven (“Hawkyn“, 5 (D 16)).
Reseph is Pestilence and married to Jillian (Rogue Rider, 4). They currently live on an island in the Malay Archipelago.
Limos is Famine, their sister, who rides Bones, and she’s married to Arik. Leilani is their shopping-mad daughter.
Reaver, a Radiant Angel who had been a member of the Powers, is the father of the Four Horsemen and therefore Logan’s grandfather. He’s married to Harvester (a.k.a. Verrine, Satan’s daughter, an angel, and former Heavenly Watcher of the Horsemen), and they’ve been restricted to Heaven (Reaver, 5 (D 10)). Revenant, the current king of Hell, is their uncle (Revenant, LoD 6 (D 11)).
The teleport-capable Lilith is a very powerful and evil demon who happens to be the mother of the Four Horsemen and Logan’s grandmother.
Underworld General Hospital is . . .
. . . a demon hospital run by Eidolon, Logan’s uncle, who has a healing power, and four other siblings, including Shade, Wraith, and Lore. He’s married to Tayla Mancuso (Pleasure Unbound, 1), who works in DART’s Special Investigative Unit. Talon, a Seminus demon with one nasty girlfriend, is Wraith’s son, and yeah, a cousin to the boys above.
StryTech is . . .
. . . a Sydney-based company run by a brilliant genius of a demon, Stryke, who hates other demons including his family. StryTech leads the way in combatting, identifying, or using demons.
Demonovation is a rival company.
Sheoul is . . .
. . . Hell while Sheoul-gra is a region in Hell that had been ruled by Azagoth, the Grim Reaper — he destroyed it in Reaper, 9 (D 19), releasing billions of demon souls — with their memories intact, the Respawned. Raika is Azagoth and Lilliana’s daughter, tasked with hunting down the worst of the demons her father let loose on the world. Hades is rebuilding Sheoul-gra (“Hades“, 13 (LoD, 6.5; DU, 2)). Moloch is a demon merging of the twins Bael and Moloc in Reaper. The Gra Fugitive Database. The Intelligence Ministry of the Profane is Hell’s intelligence arm. Satan is imprisoned.
Thirst is a demon club, based in Sydney, Australia, owned by Nate, a vampire. “Beth” is a demon patron at Thirst. New Oubliette had been the Northern Territory in Australia. Queensland and New South Wales are ruled by Ufelskala Tier-One and Tier-Two demons. The different demons include Tempestus, impignus, Soulshredders, Neethuls, Shedim (who grow new bodies three times in their lifetimes), Nebulous (a Sobek hook can neutralize them), Nightlash, Seminus are incubi who need sex to keep from dying, Khepri, Blighter, and Ramreel. The Ufelskala is a scale that categorizes the intensity of evil in demons. Masumi is a species of sucubus who lives in a vase and needs sex from Seminus demons. The Gehennaportal is the equivalent of the Gaiaportal and can be used by Revenant.
Heaven is . . .
. . . ruled by the Council of Orders, whose leadership is supposed to change every few years. The Investigative Council is to make a determination about Revenant’s threat level and of angelic involvement in the destruction of Sheoul-gra. The angels are divided into different orders: Archangels (who consider themselves the best of the best), Thrones, Powers, Dominions, Virtues, Principalities, Guardian Angels, Seraphim, and Cherubim.
Zaphkiel is the First Celestial of the Order of Thrones, PiZeus is the First Celestial of the Order of Dominions, Lucinala is the Sixth Celestial of the Order of Virtues, Teleri is the leader of the Guardian Angels, Camael is the leader of the Powers, and Suroth is the head of the Order of Principalities. Jophiel is supposed to be Metatron’s friend. Metris is a battle angel from the Order of Powers.
Metatron is one of the two most powerful angels in existence; he’s also Reaper and Revenant’s uncle. Michael and Uriel are Archangels and prideful in it. Gabriel’s status as an Archangel is no sinecure. Jarvus, an angel, is a battle trainer who had worked with Logan. The Meadow of Azna is a place in Heaven. The Holy Grail is angel purgatory. Grace is part soul and part energy that fuels the angels. The Gaiaportal had been a gateway between Heaven and Earth.
Sheoulic is the language of demons. Lilith is also slang for smoking hot chick. In a treaty, Australia has been given over to the demons. Smiter is a demon-shredding pistol developed by StryTech. A Harrowgate is a transportation system allowing underworlders to travel anywhere. A decipula captures souls. Back in high school, Eva had had a crush on Tim McKinney, the hunky star basketball player. The World Council on Supernatural Governance is a global committee that oversees the funding and operations of DART and The Aegis. Professor Sheeron had taught a class on demon archeology. Molly Baker is a journalist with the BBC. Linda is a colleague of Aleka’s and specializes in ancient magic. William is the German chancellor’s idiot assistant. J.R. Chance is a werewolf movie star.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with a greenish turquoise gradating out from the lower center and glints of gold on the elaborately curled iron gates and some flashes of orange and yellow. The text is predominately white with the title centered on the cover. Below it is the series information (with a shadow of gold). An info blurb is at the bottom, just above the author’s name.
The title is an excellent choice for this first installment in the next generation of supernaturals, for they have inherited a Legacy of Temptation.
