Deliver Me From Temptation: A Novel of the Paladin Warriors

By Tes Hilaire

There's only one thing worse than a human detective seeing the supernatural interfere with her latest case:

• Getting tangled up with an angel with a hero complex
• Falling head over heels in love with him
• Well, maybe there's a few things worse…

When things go bump in the night, Logan bumps back. Vampires, demons, succubi—you name it, he's fought it. His job as Paladin angel warrior is to protect humans. Not fall for one.

Detective Jessica Waters protects humans too—with her Glock and a good set of handcuffs. She doesn't believe in fate. But if anyone looks like a gift from the gods, it's Logan. And he clearly knows more about her case than he's letting on…

This magic-forged urban fantasy romance will have you believing in angels…and searching every dark corner for one of your own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Dec 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781402264382

Tes Hilaire

Daphne Award-winning author and former Tennessee native Tes Hilaire doesn’t remember how old she was when she wrote her first story, but she’s pretty sure it had something to do with a boy and a girl and a happily every after. Displaced at an early age to “the north country,” her stories turned darker as she started creating whole new worlds to escape the harsh, upstate NY winters. Now back in the South, her stories remain edgy, exciting, and bring a hint of dark fantasy to paranormal romance. Best of all, no one ever has to shovel snow. For more, visit her website at teshilaire.com.

Reviews for Deliver Me From Temptation

[susanbeamon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't read much romance, paranormal, vampire, or whatever, but lately I've been picking these books up to read during commercial breaks, and I can get a couple of pages read during those breaks. Speaks more to the length of commercial breaks these days than my reading speed. This was moderately spicy, with plenty of action and miscommunication. I found it an easy read with all the elements of a paranormal romance.

[blodeuedd_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this book in no time, the pages just kind of flew by. There was passion, there was drama and there was this ease over it all which I appreciated.

Roland then, he is your good guy, who is sadly bad, but does not want to be. While Karissa is your good girl, running from the baddies. And one of Roland's old buddies brings her around to keep her safe. Which she does not like, considering Roland is bad and all. They are meant to be and nothing can stop that.

I needed a bit of fated love where the man goes all mine! Where they are totally wrong but that pull of true love gets them together. Where things might be rushed, but hey, it's love. And here I liked it.

There was something light over the language here which worked well in this rather dark world. The Paladins, the good guys, do not seem that good when all comes down to it. And the bad guys, well they are evil. There were side-characters too around and I hope Logan finds love, I would like to see more of a certain vamp girl, and a certain paladin grew on me. I'd read more of this light yet so dark paranormal romance.

Conclusion:
It's a promising start to a new series. True love, evil vampires out to get you and secrets that will keep you entertained.

[anna2cade · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deliver Me From Darkness is the first book of debut author Tes Hilaire's Paladin Warriors series. And what a great start! Characters that may not be perfect but that you can be proud of. That have honor and strength. A tale of good versus evil and how the lines aren't always so clear cut. Surprising twists and a fantastic ending that had me biting my lip and my hands sweating I was so nervous one of the characters I'd grown to love might not make it. Writing that's easy and comfortable. Ahhh and a hero named Roland! I don't know why it gets me but I just love it! It's like Jo Davis' hero named Howard. Always cracks me up and Lord help me makes me giggle. But the Howards and Rolands of the world need love too, right? Well, I loved Roland from page one. I enjoyed Karissa and Roland as individuals and a couple. The whole start to the book when his well organized and simple life is getting thrown all to bits with the arrival of an unconscious Karissa kept a smile on my face. She really did a number on him, poor guy never had a chance. Roland's a little growly and grumbly. Struggling with his inner demons and being a fallen Paladin. It broke my heart that he couldn't see all the good in himself. Karissa's got a good bit of sass in her. She doesn't just lie down and take it but fights back with everything she has when she thinks she's in danger. I liked the back and forth between the two of them from the start and enjoyed how their relationship and bond progressed through the story. It never seemed rushed or forced and just felt right. The secondary characters were very nicely done as well and left me excited for the books to come. I can't wait to read about Logan, Alexander, Valin and Gabriella. Each of them a little more than what was expected of them. Men and women that decided to make their own decisions and do what they thought was right even if it went against the rules and would likely cause them in trouble. And how could you not love a vegan vampire? Yes, I'm just a little smitten with Gabriella and I hope we see more of her. I was jumping online as soon as I finished Deliver Me From Darkness to see who book two was about. Crossing my fingers and going "please be about Alexander, come on Alexander!". I'm looking forward to reading more from Hilaire and hope he gets his own book one day.

[vampiregirl76 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Roland is a former Paladin, a warrior of light. Now he mostly lives in shadows - treasuring his peace. That peace is disturbed when his friend arrives on his doorstep with Karissa - the last female Paladin. She and the temptation will be a test.A good, satisfying read. This is only my second time reading about Paladins. This premises seems a bit different than the other series I'm familiar with, but that is a big plus. Deliver Me from Darkness was a captivating read. Temptation and redemption play a big role. For me the story moved a long a bit slow. But it's still a worthy read. I thought Karissa and Roland were great characters. Their growing relationship is what kept me reading. Angel and vampire fans should definitely check this one out.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: An intriguing new take on Angels and Demons with a so/so plot but ultimately a story of redemption that just may pull on your heartstrings.Opening Sentence: Shouldn’t have opened the door.The Review:Roland was once a Paladin, a creature of light, but now he is a vampire. He has been a vampire for over 90 years. Roland is a recluse and has habits that border on OCD, until the night a passed out woman is brought to his door. He doesn’t know why his close friend Logan, a Paladin, has brought this human to him. In the beginning he is irritated that his home is the only safe place for her and wants nothing but for her to leave his apartment.Karissa wakes up in a strange place, only to find that she has been taken in by a vampire, one of the very people that she is running away from. The fact that he appears to be friends with a Paladin doesn’t calm her fears that she is someplace safe. Karissa is determined that Roland is evil and she treats him like the wicked vampire she thinks he is. Unfortunately for Karissa, now that she’s awake Roland is now determined to keep her by his side. Roland now believes her to be his soul mate, but how can that be when he no longer has a soul. Also, how can Karissa be a Paladin when there hasn’t been a female Paladin for almost one hundred years?Roland tries his best to prove to Karissa that he is not the big, bad vampire out to get her. He feels the mating bond early on. He wants her to believe that he doesn’t want to kill her or use her. Karissa has feelings towards Roland but they are slow to develop once she realizes that he isn’t evil. At first she believes that he is enthralling her before she realizes that they are her true genuine feelings.The Paladins that Ms. Hilaire has created are a little different for the paranormal genre. Each Paladin has unique powers. Paladin warriors were once created from volunteer angels by God. Time has depleted the Paladin numbers and mating with humans has thinned the bloodlines. It was once said that for every male Paladin there was a female Paladin destined to be their mate. That seems to be no longer true.Roland is a strong and tortured hero. He has a dark and tragic past, and he hates what he is. He does his best to live a good life even though he really feels like he doesn’t deserve happiness, especially happiness with Karissa. Unfortunately, Karissa is a so-so heroine. She spends a lot of her time weak or passed out. She does rely a lot upon herself to get out of situations but often has to be rescued in the end. Ultimately, I did like Karissa.There are six different points of view through this story. Surprisingly, besides Karissa, none of them are true Paladins. The other views are mainly bad guys, with the exception of a teenaged vampire who looks up to Roland. The action in this book is a little slow at times and there is some suspense buildup that helps the story along. The end battle was exciting and I was surprised by how this book ended.There is a religious undertone to Deliver Me From Darkness. For those readers who may be turned off by that, it is not that overwhelming. The Paladin are just thankful towards their creator. There is definitely no preaching going on, so don’t let that turn you off of this book.Overall, I found Deliver Me From Darkness a moving read. It was dark and tragic and I liked how it was ultimately about redemption for Roland. I look forward to the next book in the series and cannot wait to read Logan’s story.Notable Scene:“You know, you really disappoint me, Tom. I thought we had an understanding.”“Oh? And what’s that?” Tom took up position with the open alley at his back, settling down into a defensive crouch.He didn’t even get a chance to blink before Goth was on him, spinning him around and slamming him into the dumpster. “That you don’t rape women and I don’t kill you.”That voice. . . fuck, that voice. It was the one from his nightmare, the one coming from the mouth of the vampire just before he’d sunk his fangs into this throat. Before I’m through with you, you’re going to wish you’d been born without that dick of yours.No, oh God no. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real.Sharp teeth skimmed over the collar of his suit jacket, dragging across the clammy flesh of Tom’s neck. A sharp sting and . . .“Don’t kill me. Oh, please don’t kill me.”The Paladin Warriors Series:1. Deliver Me From Darkness2. Deliver Me From TemptationFTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Casablanca provided me with a copy of Deliver Me From Darkness. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[abookwormshaven · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw this book while looking through NetGalley one day and was intrigued by the summary. Tortured heroes always pull me in and I thought Roland would be no exception. I also liked the idea of reading about the Paladins because it is a mythology I had not read about in the past. A bonus was Roland’s vampire status mixed in there as well. I am always a sucker for vamps too, so I downloaded the galley and started reading. Karissa is special, she is thought to be the last female Paladin and because of that she is extremely coveted by the entire male Paladin population. They all want to claim her for their own and she is not even aware of just how far they will go to get her. These once proud and noble warriors have slipped a little on the honor scale when it comes to women. They would never really hurt Karissa, but she is the last hope for the continuation of their race and because of that they are all hoping to be the one to bond with her. This turns out to be a problem when Roland recognizes her as his mate, but cannot do anything about it since he has been cast out. Actually, most of the Paladins believe him to be dead. The only man who knows of his existence is the one who was supposed to kill him, Logan. Since Roland is a vampire, the other Paladins have turned their back on him. They think he is evil and want nothing to do with him, which is why they sent Logan to kill him years ago. Luckily, Logan spared his friends life and Roland has been trying to prove his worth ever since.I connected with this couple immediately. I cannot pinpoint the exact reason, but I was just as possessive of Karissa as Roland was. I started the book late one night, knowing I was not going to be able to make it through the whole thing, which was a mistake. I had to stay up until the first kiss between Karissa and Roland to make sure he had a little bit of an “in” with her. How crazy is that? I am not sure how Tes did it, but she created characters that I could not help but be very emotionally invested in.The romance is a slow build for these two because of all the obstacles they face. Roland wants Karissa, but he believes he has no soul since being turned into a vampire and does not want to ruin her life by bonding with her. This would be the tortured hero part I mentioned before. He is punishing himself for what he is, but I believe it is not what you are, but your actions that define you. Roland would argue with me I am sure, but I relished his emotional journey in this book. Karissa was a delightful character as well, she is fighter until the very end and I appreciated her kick butt and take names attitude. She is not a wall flower that will melt into the background. She will protect herself however she can until she has no breath left. She is initially distrustful of Roland because he is a vampire and she has been raised to hate them. Once she lets her gut instinct take over though it is a whole other ball game. She and Roland have to learn to trust each other and get past prejudges that threaten to keep them apart. There were so many action sequences in Deliver Me from Darkness, but they were all very concise and to the point. They were not drawn out and filled with unnecessary details. It helped keep the conflict so much more exciting and pushed the plot forward into hyper speed. There was never a dull moment in this book and I raced through the novel, desperate to know how everything would play out.I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book. I am not going to lie, Logan was irking me when he was trying to claim Karissa for his own, but he did eventually grow on me. He is loyal and tries to approach every angle of a situation before declaring it a lost cause. Roland is a prime example of Logan’s inability to give up on something. Logan is an honorable man and I hope we get to see more from him in the future. I also really enjoyed Valin. He is another Paladin warrior but contrary to Logan, he does not get along well with Roland. There are so many reasons behind the dislike they have for one another, but I cannot say too much without giving it away. He is sarcastic and resourceful and I totally gravitated toward him. I am hoping his book is going to be next because I would love to see more of his naked self running around. Oh didn’t I mention that? He has the ability to shield himself and others from being seen and other fun things, but it requires him being naked while doing it. Doesn’t that sound intriguing? Yeah, I thought so too, haha!Overall, I loved this book. It is a fantastic start to a new series! It has exhilarating action, a sensational new mythology and a romance that burns up the pages. I have not seen anything about another book, but I have fingers crossed that we have not seen the last of these Paladin warriors.