Review: Sin Undone

SIN UNDONE
Larissa Ione
Paranormal Romance
400 pages
Hachette Book Group
Available Now
Received from Rex Robot Reviews ARC Tour

THE STORY
Sin lives her life much in the way of her shortened moniker. She's the only female Seminus demon in existence, needs sex for her very survival, and works as a master assassin. She's convinced herself she has very few needs outside of carnal ones, and has closed herself off from all those that might make her believe she needs anything other than what her demon is known for.

Emotional attachment issues are the least of Sin's current problems however. Sin has a gift for creating diseases, having the power to conjure a disease and pass it to another human, shifter, vampire or demon. She inadvertently used her gift to create a plague that's spreading rapidly through the werewolf population with a 0% survival rate. Suddenly, lack of sex is not biggest factor that can kill her, but rather the assassins from her den who seek to eliminate her as master to snag the spot for themselves along with the members of werewolf council who want her to answer for the deaths of so many of their kind, take precedence.

Con, who's half werewolf, half vampire, is asked to bring her before the council for punishment. This is problematic for a variety of reasons, not the least of which his former intimate encounter with Sin. Con also has her four demon brother's to deal with, any one of whom would gladly rip him to pieces for hurting her. As he and Sin struggle to find a cure for the disease and a reprieve from punishment, it becomes clear that the hurt her brothers were so concerned about will not be physical, but emotional.

MY THOUGHTS
An absolutely brilliant end to the series. As I've said before, I typically have trouble relating to the heroines in paranormal romance novels, but Sin is a fantastic combination of strength and vulnerability. Her past was dark and bleak as she found herself adrift with a demonic essence she didn't know she possessed, forced to enter into physical relationships that had no real meaning beyond a moment of pleasure. As a result, she has an understandable aversion to any kind of significant personal relationship and keeps any manifestation of her feelings blanketed in an air of indifference. But unlike so many heroines, when the truth of her feelings is eventually asked of her, she doesn't spout half truths or give vague generalities that leave the thick-plated emotional armor untarnished, but rather lets that armor fall away and allows Con to see all of her. It's a beautiful thing to read.

Con, for his part, returns the favor and allows Sin to see his insecurities, his secrets, and his baggage so they are constantly on equal footing. He asks no more of her than he is willing to give, and their relationship is truly one of two alpha personalities joining to create something stronger, rather than an alpha male forcing his female to submit.

Ms. Ione does a superb job in crafting their delicate relationship, and when the inevitable moment comes when Con is forced to push Sin away to save her life, the venom lining his words is so intense the reader can't help but wince, hearts leaping from our chests and dropping somewhere in our guts. The words become more than words, morphing into shards of glass so sharp edged, we're in danger of slicing a finger open on the page, leaving a pain no longer vicarious in nature, but one as real as if Con had spoken directly to us.

In addition to two strong, intelligent and intense protagonists, there is also a very interesting and engaging storyline. Though the relationship takes center stage, it is fully supported by a war of the species, keeping the reader as physically engaged in the action as they are emotionally captivated by the relationship. There's not a page that passes by without passion or conflict, and I found myself reading the last page long before I wanted to be finished.

Sin Undone is a paranormal romance at it's finest and should be added to any romance lover's bookshelf.

Rating: 5/5