Review: Cipher by Larissa Ione

I am so excited to share my review of CIPHER with you today!

Larissa Ione and Blue Box Press have reissued the Demonica Underworld books (previously published under 1001 Dark Nights) with new covers, bonus material, and updated content previously left on the cutting room floor.

The Demonica Underworld series is a spinoff of the Demonica and Lords of Deliverance series. 

Every book in the Demonica Universe is an exciting, dangerous, sensually provocative and highly seductive grotesquerie with exceptionally clever dialogue and thrilling storylines.

This series is not for the faint of heart, but it is for those who like their romance spicy and supernatural. 

This is a world where demons, werewolves, vampires, and angels exist. Where Heaven and Hell are real places. Where not all demons are bad and not all angels are good. And where there is a demon-run hospital that takes care of all types of demons, angels, and otherworldly beings. 

Oh, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are also real.

Are you excited yet?

CIPHER
Demonica Underworld Book 7

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About the Book

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…

My Review

OMG! Cipher is one of my favorite characters. He’s an Unfallen angel, an angel that was booted out of Heaven for breaking a law, losing his wings and powers. He is earthbound until he can either get redemption and win his wings back or enter Sheoul (Hell) and become a True Fallen angel and get hellish wings and evil powers. Hard pass. 

Cipher has been fighting for his life since his expulsion and has been safely ensconced in Sheoul-gra–Grim Reaper’s realm–where he’s been helping Azagoth (Grim Reaper), Hawkyn (his BFF), and the rest of the Memitim (Grim Reaper’s children). Cipher is a computer genius with unbelievable hacking/programing skills. He is a gifted asset, a tool for destruction and comic relief for many.

In the previous book HER GUARDIAN ANGEL, Cipher steps out of Sheoul-gra to earth to help Hawkyn’s sister fight a big nasty demon but just as they are declaring victory, Cipher is kidnapped by several fallen angels and dragged to Sheoul. It broke my freakin’ heart! 

Can Hawkyn and the gang find Cipher in time before evil fundamentally changes him forever or is Cipher doomed to serve a big douche canoe Fallen angel with delusions of grandeur and trapped in Sheoul forever? 

What a freakin’ good story! Cipher is so much fun to read about. His sense of humor is often his saving grace as he faces dire circumstances… until it isn’t. To reclaim some semblance of freedom, Cipher makes a decision that has irreparable consequences. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons still makes it wrong. Unfortunately, Cipher hasn’t learned that lesson yet.

Lyre is a True Fallen who’s not very powerful and not at all like most fallen angels. She’s not as cruel or as vindictive and she’s definitely not as jaded, despite her need for vengeance. Cipher thinks her “goody two-shoes” act is a ruse to get him to let his guard down, he’s been betrayed by a True Fallen before. They have no reason to trust each other and everything to lose by not. 

Can they find a way out of this prison while wreaking as much havoc as possible or will they be doomed to a fate far greater than death? I know which one I am hoping for!

Cipher and Lyre’s chemistry is explosive! They work well together, they “play” well together, and they kick ass together! 

Lyre is a quintessential badass. She thinks she’s pretty powerless but Cipher makes her realize that she’s stronger than she knows. I love an encouraging and supportive MMC!

CIPHER is an exciting read with strong characters, exciting storyline, and fiery love story worth fighting for.

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by Blue Box Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books

Kobo | Google Play

About the Author

Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career in meteorology to pursue her passion of writing. She has since published dozens of books, won numerous awards, and hit several bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling overseas or in her RV, playing on her VR headset, or watching Big Bang Theory reruns. 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 retired U.S. Coast Guard husband, her son, and her very own rescued hellhounds, a Belgian Malinois named Duvel, and a Belgian Tervuren named Draak. Learn more at larissaione.com

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