Customer Reviews

Desire Unchained (Demonica, Book 2)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Runa Wagner has wanted revenge on Shade, the Seminus Demon who broke her heart and left her life forever changed. But she never thought she'd end up imprisoned with Shade! Shade is determined to stay away from Runa because he fears she could be the one to trigger his curse... a curse that promises him an eternity of anguish if he falls in love. Shade and Runa will have to face a mountain of obstacles if love stands a chance, however, as deadly foes want them destroyed.

DESIRE UNCHAINED is a bit darker than the first book, PLEASURE UNBOUND. While it can be read as a stand alone, the plethora of characters and their various connections may be a bit overwhelming without the solid foundation of the first book. Characters from the first book do play pivotal roles in DESIRE UNCHAINED but Ms. Ione does provide sufficient background history for newcomers. I can't imagine not wanting to read PLEASURE UNBOUND, though!

Readers should be warned that Larissa Ione takes readers on a dark journey as Shade's world isn't an easy one. Don't let this deter you from reading DESIRE UNCHAINED, however, as Larissa Ione has so many diabolically clever plot twists in store! It took every inch of my spoiler-loving little heart to not peek at the ending as there were just so many moments I thought Shade and Runa were thoroughly doomed, only to see such a logical and splendid twist appear.

World building and character development are critical to the success of DESIRE UNCHAINED and Larissa Ione does a spectacular job with both aspects. Neither is sacrificed for the other but instead each enhances the other. Runa is a likable heroine, and her anger and feelings of betrayal are easily understood. Shade, on the other hand, would be a difficult hero to love but Larissa Ione portrays his dilemma so well that it's hard not to fall in love with him.

DESIRE UNCHAINED is a steamy but oh so intricately developed tale that should have cross-genre appeal. Larissa Ione shows that without a doubt she is one of the hottest authors out there. Her combination of a scorching romance, gut wrenching emotional punches, and superb characters all mixed together in a richly developed supernatural fantasy world is perfect. Highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Plot Summary: Shade wakes up chained in a dungeon with an ex-girlfriend who hates his guts. They've been kidnapped by ghouls, the faceless boogeymen who kidnap supernaturals in order to harvest their organs. Runa hasn't seen Shade in almost a year, since he dumped her after a month of incredible sex, but she's hardly forgotten or forgiven him. Their kidnapper has a personal grudge against the Sems brothers, and his punishment for Shade could activate a curse that would literally turn Shade into a living shadow.

I think these books have near perfect pacing, because this is the second Demonica novel that has entertained me beautifully with nary a snooze. I am never tempted to skip, skim, or speed through any of the passages, regardless of which characters are being featured, because they're all interesting. I am more than willing to pony up the dough to keep reading this series, which is definitely one of the highest compliments I can bestow, since I'm a disgustingly frugal book buyer.

While I liked Shade and Runa's story, I have to say that they probably won't be my favorite couple after I've read more of Ione's books. They have unique problems to overcome, but their chemistry never reaches that nuclear hot level I'm constantly hoping to encounter. As with her first novel, Ione blends in saucy sex scenes (including BDSM this time around), with great interpersonal dialog between Shade and Runa.

It's always a pleasure to spend an afternoon at Underworld General, the demon-run hospital serving all non-humans. I commend Ione for dreaming up such a unique setting for her paranormal world, and I love hearing about all the weird and wonderful creatures who get treated there.

I'm thinking that maybe Wraith's book, the next one in the series, will deliver the best romance yet, and the teaser chapter had me itching to buy it immediately. I showed some restraint, but I know that I'm getting it sometime this month.

Introduced in Pleasure Unbound, Shade is the brother with the brooding bad-boy manners and a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas. Branded with a love curse thanks to his Seminus Demon nature he can never fall in love, lest he fade away. When an evil figure from his past comes back to haunt him he winds up imprisoned with former girlfriend Runa Wagner. Once naive and sweet, his betrayal has left her jaded and with more than one bone to pick with her former flame.

Suffering under a curse of her own the last thing Runa wants is to fall in love with the man she blames for her curse. But when Shade's enemy bespells them, forcing the two into a mating that binds them eternally both begin to finds things in one another worthy of love. Shade has to find a way to break his own curse and defeat the enemy or fade away forever.

Oh how I wanted to love this one. The storyline was good. The villain was nicely brought in and made a terrific enemy for the brothers. Runa was a likable heroine, once timid and innocent she's become angry and bitter in a way most women who've been burned by love can relate to.

What didn't work for me and makes me actually feel a little guilty is that I don't like Shade. Didn't like him in Pleasure Unbound and don't like him any more now than I did then. I read somewhere that he is the authors favorite and I think to some extent maybe that is why I kind of felt like she was trying to put too many eggs in one basket with him. Originally I thought he was supposed to be the mysterious, brooding one and Wraith was supposed to be the bad-boy but it came across like she was trying to make Shade brooding, mysterious, charming, snarky, the bad-boy, the rebel, all of these things in one. If you are a Shade fan I think you'll love this one. Unfortunately he just didn't work for me and it's tough to love a romance when you wanna trade the hero for another one.

That said it sets us up nicely for Wraith's story which is the one I have been looking forward to. If you enjoy subcharacters and side stories there's more of Kynan and Gem's back and forth attraction and Luc (I love Luc!!!) pops up a little. If this series continues beyond the books of the three brothers it looks like there is potential for some enjoyable urban fantasy storylines with a romance blended in smoothly. I may not have loved this one but I definitely look forward to seeing where this series goes.

What can I say about this book, okay first it was mostly entertaining, second it was a little foolish in parts...It could of been a pretty fun read, but it got 3 stars from me because it was so frustrating i.e. the characters stupidity and lack of just telling it how it is. In order to keep the story going the writer went to great links to prevent the characters from telling each other the truth. This happned so often towards the end that there were times I had to put down the book.

Then there was the strange BMSM chapter between Shade and Runa where he beats her to submission while she confesses her dad was a drunk - weird and pointless. Thats just the truth...any one who thought that had anything to do with the story is crazy. If you read JR Ward you will find that the BMSM was very "Z" with out the skill, but for those who don't read that series no worries...if you like ball gags and whips then this is a good book for you.

What is great about the book and the sub-plots, there are some awesome charaters here. The writer has put together a detialed world that is easy to get lost in.

The 1st and 3rd book in this series where much better all and all.

I agree with other reviews that this book is darker than Pleasure Unbound. But to me it was still every bit as good as the first one. Shade is not my favorite brother, Wraith is, so I read this book with a more critical eye, as the first book was all so new, and this book wasn't Wraith's. Yet I still loved it.

As I read I kept thinking, what else can happen to these two? They had practically every calamity thrown at them. But as others have said, the genuine bond between the brothers really carried the book. I also love the growing friendship between Wraith and Kynan. Interesting.

Runa is an awesome heroine, very strong. I didn't connect that much with Shade, but that's not the author's fault, he simply didn't do it for me. But the storytelling is first-rate, the action fast but not over the top, and overall this series is a total auto-buy for me. In the crowded field of paranormal romance, this series is fresh and very, very involving.

I'm starting to wish I'd just waited for this series to come available in my local library rather than rushing out and buying all five books hoping they'd get better in time. It hasn't.

I struggled with this book. The only thing that saved it from less than 3 stars was the caliber of the writing. With that said, the second book in the Demonica series doesn't improve on the first. Although "Desire Unchained" is well written, the book fails with absurd twists, a spoiled plot and too much hair raking.

Admittedly I liked that the wronged girl gets the guy who crapped on her, but the development of the relationship and the characters and their motivations were just downright corny.

The hero has a BDSM chamber, but hates the thought of having to use it but gets off on rough sex?! Kynan, a secondary character, inexplicably ends up working in the demon hospital even though he hates demons, hunted them down and exterminated them, and his wife cheated on him with one. The heroine couldn't just be shy and weak-willed, she had to be a workaholic with a failing business, zero sex life, a sick brother, and tremendous guilt because she feels she caused her parent's divorce. Then pile that on with the fact that she was mauled by a wereworlf after witnessing the hero sleeping with someone else. But she doesn't become an ordinary werewolf, she's a super were manufactured by the U.S. Army! She can not only shift during the full moon, but she can do it at any time she wants and she can turn other supernatural beings, like demons into weres as well.

Can you lay it on any thicker? Oh but the author does with the villain's dialogue. It was so tripe I pictured him as one of those hunched over villains from silent movies who always ties up the girl on the train tracks. All the villain needed was a mustache he could pull on and a "mwah...ha...ha...ha" thrown in every now and then. Character dump as well. He couldn't just be wronged by not one, but two characters. He also had to be deformed, insane, burnt to a crisp without any genetalia to mate with his one true love, who's woefully unfaithful to him.

I also didn't care for the "guilt" scene between Runa and Shade. It just didn't make any sense. One minute her punishment was about her loving a man despite his maltreatment of her, then it suddenly turned into her guilt over her mother's death. Personally, the reasoning was weak and simply a set up to throw some BDSM into the book. YAWN

Finally, the crux of my review. Like in Book one, the author suffers from putting the cart before the horse. She always gives too much away in the beginning. What's the point of reading when all we're doing is turning pages to see how things will be resolved. It's like learning Darth Vader is Luke's father in the beginning of Episode 4. After that you're only turning pages and wondering why he's with Han Solo and Princess Leia as they try to get in each other's pants and not spending his time becoming a Jedi. The same goes with this book, it seemed like the author dumps all the nasty stuff out there first just so the hero and heroine can do the nasty most of the book.

Let me start off by saying that I love the Demonica series. But "Desire Unchained" was my least favorite. This 2nd book in the series features Shade, a paramedic and a Seminus demon. Like all Seminus demons, Shade is a man whore. He can't really help it. For him, frequent sex is a biological imperative.

The book starts off with Shade and his sister kidnapped. He wakes from his attack, chained up in a dungeon. Among the prisoners there, is his ex-girlfriend Runa. Back when they dated, Runa was human, but now she's a warg (werewolf). Their relationship ended badly... Runa had walked in on Shade in bed with two other women. His response was to invite her to join them. It was when she ran out of the apartment in tears, she was attacked by a warg and infected with lycanthropy.

***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***

It turns out that the kidnapper is Roag, Shade's brother, who he thought to be dead. Roag's alive, but badly burned and has serious metal problems. He wants revenge against the brothers he blames for his condition. And he wants to harvest body parts to reconstruct himself. (Gross.)

Anyway, Shade has a curse on him that says if he ever falls in love, he'll turn into, well, a shade. He will no longer be corporeal, alive only to feel unrelenting hunger and solitude for the rest of his existence. So clearly, Shade isn't looking for love. But Roag figures if he sets up Shade and Runa as mates, Shade will eventually fall.

All that is pretty interesting and I like Runa. Shade, not so much. It also seems that Shade has a "gift" where he can draw out a woman's deep pain with some BDSM. This is where they lost me. I'm all for people getting their jollies however they like them. Live and let live. But this did not appeal to me. The whole concept was a turnoff and the scene where Shade "helped" Runa made me cringe. I felt like Runa was testing her growing empowerment throughout the whole book. We saw her grow from a weak woman to this strong warg -and then all of a sudden, Shade needs to whip her to help her get over her mommy and daddy issues? Really?

Moving on. It was cool to see Kynan, our former demon-hunter, working with the guys at Underworld General. I want so much for him to return Gem's feelings. And I want to kick him in the man-jewels for how he has treated her. But I am captivated by their scenes and they are a great secondary story.

Roag is a great bad guy. The story is unique and intelligent. And the world building manages to be both clear and complex.

If you like the Demonica books, you can't skip this one. Despite the parts I didn't like, there are plenty of parts that really did work that make it a good read. 3 1/2 stars.

Note: The rating I gave for this was a B+/A-


Runa dated Shade one year ago. Being human, she had no idea what kind of life he really lived. What she did know? He was amazing in bed. Plus, the aftershock orgasms after they slept together were to die for.

Everything was great... until she walked in on her lover with two women, and not just any women. One of them had fangs and had been drinking Shade's blood. Was it just her, or did he have golden eyes too?

Fast forward one year and now she's trapped in a dungeon with the cheating bastard. Things can't seem to get any worse, until the two realize that they've been bonded. If she really understood what that meant, she would probably have freaked out, but as it is, Shade and Runa are going to have to work together to escape this hellish dungeon....otherwise they'll both suffer a fate worse than raging hormones and sexual frustration.


Ione really knows how to create kick ass females. Both Runa and Tayla did not take any of the garbage that Shade and Eidolon dished out. I found it hilarious how Runa would make Shade speechless. Here is a male obsessed with control, and this little female starts barking at him about how he has to make her do whatever it is that he wants. Runa constantly dispels this former image that her past lover had of her, revealing just how much of a backbone she's grown over a year's time.

What I didn't like: Wraith's antics at the end of the book and Kynan's little twist.

Wraith's story is the one I'm anticipating most, and I was somewhat disappointed to read about what he did. Despite my disappointment, I cannot ignore the fact that Desire Unchained promoted so much character growth. Initially, while reading Pleasure Unbound, I thought Wraith was annoying. He was damaged due to a tortured past--and I harshly labeled him as the typical damaged goods. However, as the plot developed in book 1, I soon began to realize that there was something more to this peculiar vamp. Then, upon reading Shade's story, I grew to adore Wraith's antics. He was a trouble maker--a source of entertainment while amid his tense and serious brothers.

Then there was Kynan's twist...which made me want to fling my book against the wall. Typically, I am torn when a PNR shifts its attention away from the leading male and female. The sexual tension betwixt Kynan and Gem is a nice little addition, but I feel as if their story draws my attention away from Shade and Runa's on more than one occasion. I admit that sometimes, it is nice when readers are granted another character's POV, but I felt that Kynan/Gem deserve their own book, not short snippets. That's just me though :)

Other than those two points, I absolutely adored Shade and Runa, maybe even more than I did Eidolon and Tayla. I have a feeling that Wraith's story (which I'm reading next!) will top both of these brothers. If you haven't started this series yet, it is definitely one you will want to add to your TBR pile, you won't regret it!

I love the stories of the Seminus demon brothers, but this one wasn't as good as Pleasure Unbound. While I found the dynamic between Shade and Runa totally hot, the storyline just lacked the flow the previous book. A lot of what went on was just plain odd, especially the BDSM scene - totally didn't get that. In any case, I was thoroughly entertained. Now I can't wait to read Wraith's story.

The second in the series, Shade is the brother that seems to get along with everyone. His laid back attitude sort of a shield to keep his heart removed from any kind of relationship he could possible fall in. His 100 years is almost up and he doesn't WANT to become the emotionless demon that is simply out to create little babies where ever possible. He would prefer to have a mate, but his curse prevents him from doing so.

This one was full of surprises as far as Shade's heartbreaking past, his emotional side that wants and needs love, and his inner turmoil of protecting those he cares about but helplessness in attempting to do so. I really have been enjoying this series of books. If you don't mind the heavy and hot sex scenes and the dark side of the brothers and the culture they come from, I would highly recommend you read them.