Releasing the Demons by L.D. Rose

You like superheros?  You like romance?  You like broken bad boys that need lots of fixing?  Well, here you go!

Title: Releasing the Demons
Author: L.D. Rose
Series: The Order of the Senary #1
Publish Date: August 19, 2015
Genre:  Paranormal, Romance
Source: NetGalley

Publisher’s Description: Blaze Knight has been through hell and back, but the nightmares aren’t over yet.

Five years after Blaze was maimed by Cyrus Chimola, a powerful vampire with a penchant for torture, he’s still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. As a genetically engineered mercenary with the ability to bend fire to his will and to see in infrared, Blaze’s mission is to protect what’s left of humanity. When Chimola and his crew return to the Bronx gunning for Blaze’s blood, Blaze is forced to face the demons of his past. Hell-bent on revenge, he seeks the help of Valerie Medeiros, an NYPD detective who manages to steal his heart and save his life in more ways than one.

Motivated by her sister’s gruesome death, Valerie has made it her life’s goal to bury every vampire in the ground where they belong. When she brings in Blaze Knight for suspected murder, she discovers he’s not only innocent, he isn’t a man at all—he’s a half-vampire hybrid working with a band of brothers for the U.S. military. Valerie has a hard time trusting anything with fangs, yet she quickly falls headlong into Blaze’s life, a life full of darkness and horror she can’t even begin to fathom. The bodies are stacking up, but Valerie can’t seem to let go of this hybrid, a beautiful monster filled with pain, rage, and passion unlike anything she’s ever known.

Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel (in other words, SPOILERS!)

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Nervous Nellie says…

At first I didn’t really like this story line.  The writing was good, the characters were good.  It was the situation that was really brutal.  This is a bit of a warning that I would have preferred.  Prepare yourself.  The main protagonist is  seriously damaged.  Mentally and physically.  He went through torture that I cannot fathom.  The torture was well described.  It was hard to read.  I know it’s just a story, but I can’t help it sometimes.  Sometimes, and this will sound crazy, but I never claimed I was sane, it’s easier to put the book down and don’t read about the bad things that happen.  Kind of like ostrich and sand.  I fully intended to put the book down.  Ignore Blaze’s pain and suffering.  Then the author wrote to me.  She must be psychic.  She asked if I’d read her book.  Aw, crap.  She’d asked so nicely, I felt like a wimp turning away from Blaze’s misery.  I picked the book up again bent on keeping my iron will strong against getting involved with these characters.

Yeah.  Good luck with that.

Blaze’s story is intense.  After I got through the initial heart wrenching torture, the megalomaniacal villain a/k/a Cyrus Chimola, ends up losing his prize possession, Blaze.  Blaze is a dhampir and also a scientific experiment gone wrong.  All his brothers are, but they are all fighting the good fight and trying to rid the world of nasty ass vampires.  For the purposes of this story, all vampires are strictly bad beings.  Cruel and evil to the bone.  It’s up to the Order of Senery to work in the shadows to keep people safe.  Now, these guys are hard to believe.  They are superhero material equipped with super powers.  I know, I know – this is fantasy and I can’t use vampires and believe in the same sentence without setting off roars of laughter.  I get that.  I got over it, ok?

Valerie has had a emotional roller coaster of a life.  Sister killed by vamps.  Mother nuts and father killed by cancer.  She’s held on to reality pretty darn well and is a homicide cop for the NYPD.  She is not a fluffy piece.  She doesn’t run hysterically screaming when she sees Blaze’s mark.  She’s pretty cool headed for a romance heroine.  She’s also a human that has human realistic limits.  Valerie’s characteristics made me like the story all the more.

I really liked this book.  It feels like it may be part of a series, but I’ve not got confirmation on that.  I guess what I want to say is, I’d sure like this to be part of a series – *hint hint* Ms. Rose?  Would you write Rome’s story next??

Other reviews…

• BTS Book Reviews
• Nerd Girl
• Us Girls And A Book

If you like this book try…

• Elder Races series by Thea Harrison
• Goddess with a Blade series by Lauren Dane
• Storm Chronicles by Skye Knizley