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84 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The first book in the enticing new Demonica series, July 3, 2008
This review is from: Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Tayla Mancuso was taught to believe that all demons are evil; there is no gray area. As an Aegi, she is sworn to protect humankind from these vile creatures and to dispatch them, no matter the cost. When Tayla wakes up in a demon hospital after a fight that costs her partner her life, she immediately begins scanning exits and remembering faces so that she can take the place down at the first opportunity. She doesn't expect to feel a healthy dose of attraction to her doctor, Eidolon, and she certainly doesn't expect him to start telling her things that make her question the entire foundation on which her beliefs are based. According to Eidolon, not all demons are evil, and in fact it's the Aegi who are exhibiting these qualities. He believes that her people are responsible for the deaths of a number of demons whose organs are being harvested, while the creatures are left to die. Initially believing that everything he says is a lie--who can trust a demon anyway?--Tayla eventually begins to question her beliefs. Would an evil, depraved race of beings help their sworn enemy when she was hurt in battle? But could the Aegi, a race sworn to protect, be responsible for the grisly deaths she sees as she explores Eidolon's truth? Eidolon is a doctor in a demon hospital who has sworn to heal and protect even the worst of his race. He is also a Seminus demon who is nearing his transition, a fact that doesn't bode well for the women around him. Seminus demons nearing the change will rut with anything in sight, long to spread their seed and impregnate every woman in their path, and will take a female by force if necessary. Eidolon fights the change on a daily basis, using his skills as a doctor to control his lust, so imagine his surprise when his passion surges to the forefront for a slayer who enters his hospital. Eidolon hates the Aegi and believes them responsible for his brother's death. There's no reason for him to feel any attraction to the little killer on his operating table, but despite that fact she makes his blood boil like no other woman has. And when he has her open on his table, he learns why--she's half-demon. Pleasure Unbound is the first in a new Demonica series from Larissa Ione, and this book and its characters are engaging, passionate, and hard to put down. I couldn't stop myself from reading it in one sitting, and I have a sneaking urge to read it again a second time already. Tayla isn't your typical romance heroine, in that she can take care of herself and she's got the battle scars to prove it. This is a girl raised in foster homes who was taken in by a society of slayers who were the first family she knew. She was trained to kill and raised to believe that demons are evil, so imagine her surprise when she learns she might be one of them. Her entire belief system is thrown into question when she learns her heritage, not to mention when she feels this startling attraction to an incubus. And Eidolon is a man who puts family first. His brothers are a part of him, and he wants to protect them from his transition and the threats to their race as much as he wants to protect himself. Fighting his maturity is a daily battle, one that becomes even harder when Tayla enters his life. And though she fights him tooth and nail from the moment they meet, eventually he knows that he will have to break down her walls or risk both their futures. I can't wait to read the next books in this series, and look forward to reading more of Larissa Ione's work in general. For those also jonesin for more of her stories, she also cowrites books as Sydney Croft. I'll be checking those out in the interim between now and March 2009 when the next book in this series is released.
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy have a meeting of the minds., June 28, 2008
This review is from: Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Finally! An author takes some of the best elements of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy and stirs them together to build a really enjoyable start for a new series. Mix romance and steamy sex scenes with the dark brooding bite of good urban fantasy and you get Pleasure Unbound. Welcome to Underworld General Hospital. Where the doctors are incubi, the nurses are vampires and the paramedics howl at the moon. This sanctuary where anyone can seek medical attention is headed up by hot doctor Eidolon. Someone in New York has been kidnapping demons and harvesting their organs for the black market. When the hospital's EMTs bring in a mangled demon and his would-be killer he's the only thing standing between the slayer and a quick death. Tayla Mancuso is a member of The Aegis, a group of demon slayers who call themselves Guardians. Not realizing she's not in a normal hospital or for that matter that she isn't dreaming she gets horizontal (and vertical!) with her sexy savior. When she comes around, however, she's shocked to find out she's not only in a demon hospital but that not all demons are evil. Rumor has it The Aegis is behind the organ harvesting but there are too many holes in that theory and Tayla and Eidolon, as well as his brothers Shade and Wraith are going to have to investigate more if they want to stop the killing. Complicating the investigation is the fact that Eidolon is going through his species' final sexual maturation phase and he's losing control of his body and his mind a little more each time he is drawn to Tayla. Worse yet, the brothers have discovered that Tayla is actually half-demon. Her demon side is trying to take over her body and is slowly killing her. In order to save herself she will have to allow the brothers to integrate her demon half and her human half. With these complicated issues and a mystery to solve this is one book you will struggle to put down. Wow. Let me just say it again... WOW. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I'd never read this author but the folks in Amazon's PNR forum had good things to say about her writing style so I took a chance. And I'm darned glad I did. This book could easily have been a pure urban fantasy if you toned down the romance and sex a bit. On the same token it could have been pure paranormal romance if you cut out some of the darker elements and added in more mushy parts. Ione managed to find a spectacular balance between the two that is rarely found in either genre. I very much enjoyed this book and will be quick to snap up the next two. Shadow Lover, Shade's story, and Eternally Embraced, Wraith's story, are due out next spring but dates can change so visit Ione's site or check Amazon later this year for the exact dates. If you like Jacquelyn Frank's Nightwalkers series, Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld or Lara Adrian's Midnight Breeds you should give this series a try. Think General Hospital meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer! hehe! Happy reading!
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Explore the Dark Side..., July 17, 2008
This review is from: Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I almost passed this book up. I needed a book to take with me on vacation and I practically had all the other books there. Demons seem to be the newest focus of the paranormal books I've been reading lately. We have Tayla, a slayer or member of the Aegi, a group of humans devoted to killing all demons. She is often called Buffy, as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On the other side, demon doctor Eidolon, an incubus who is on the edge of transforming into a seducer of females. Due to injuries, Tayla is taken to a supernatural hospital where the staff debates killing or helping her. The story progresses with Tayla and Eidolon being drawn to each other. We discover through a few twists and turns that Tayla is destined to Eidolon's destroyer or savior. There are also some unexpected revelations about Tayla's origins, such as her paternity, a sister, and who she really is. While the story is not exactly unique, her take on the demon world, Lucifer, and Hell seems to be different. This demon world is kind of like the inverted idealized world of heaven, formed by Lucifer. We don't have all drop-dead gorgeous demons who may be very good or very evil. There are some very repulsive creatures in this demon world, but then again who is to say that humanity doesn't also have its share of monsters. Very hot romance and the first in a series. I didn't notice any typos and the plot was fairly tight (unlike LKH).
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