Customer Reviews

Succubus in the City

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

(I really wanted to call this review "Succubus Blows" but it wasn't that bad.) On the surface, Lily has the perfect life. A job she loves as a fashion editor, girlfriends who are always there with dating tips and ice cream as appropriate, a killer wardrobe and immortality. The only down side to being a succubus for Satan is that Lily is sick of sleeping with repulsive men and turning them into ashes. She wants a real relationship, and mystery PI Nathan Cole might be the man for the job. Satan will give Lily back her mortality if she meets a man who knows what she is and still loves her.

If you've ever seen an episode of Sex and the City, you know what this book is about. Funny-coloured cocktails and girls moaning about men take up a large part of the book, with the action thread of the story taking a backseat to the romance thread. Lily is a lovely character, and Harper gives her a fascinating history as a succubus, but I did occasionally forget I was reading a novel populated with supernatural creatures, as so many of their concerns are simple, mundane issues, like where to eat brunch or what shoes to wear. And the action plot (men who know Lily and her friends are demons are hunting them down) never really takes off or goes anywhere. Despite Lily and her friends constantly complaining how threatened they feel, not much really happens to them. In fact, most of the plot is left unresolved. Lily reveals her demonic nature to the almost too-perfect Nathan, and even takes him on a spectularly well-written tour of Hell to prove it, but there's no resolution.

I suppose part of the reason for this is that there will be a sequel, and Harper wants to keep her twin narratives running into that. If so, good for her, I'm intrigued by the next book. I'm also irritated that not much really happened in this one, so I've no idea if I'll buy the sequel. However, it's a fun, fluffy read and if you're a fan of Richelle Mead and can't wait for Succubus Dreams, this might fill the hole.

Lilith "Lily" Ad-Hzar is much more than she seems. Over three thousand years ago she was a minor Princess of Babylon and a Priestess of Ishtar. Now she is a succubus, a servant of Satan. Even more, she is one of Satan's inner circle. (Satan is normally seen as a female mortal.) Lily seduces only the creeps around her, takes them some place quiet for a little bed action, and once the men have had their moment of heaven with Lily, they automatically turn to ashes and are delivered to Satan's realm for the reward they so richly deserve. Of course, this makes Earth a little safer for the mortal females.

Lily has three great girlfriends. Desi is a Desire demon. Eros is the Eroticism demon. Sybil is a Greed demon with the gift/curse of prophecy. (She makes a killing on Wall Street in more ways than one.) So Lily has it all. Three great friends, a sympathetic uberboss with impeccable style and no worries about her figure. (She can eat anything and never gain an ounce.) With all those advantages, any woman should be totally happy. But after three thousand years being beautiful, thin, immortal, and serving up bad boys, Lily is beginning to feel lonely.

Nathan Coleman is devilishly handsome. He is a P.I. in the area looking for Craig Branford, a pharmacist from Long Island who has disappeared. Nathan's search has brought him to Lily's apartment in New York. He claims that he only wants to ask a few questions about the missing man; however, ever since Nathan has shown up, Lily and her demon girlfriends have been attacked by a hunting organization called Knight Defenders.

***** A terrific first novel for a new series where demons are not always the "bad guys" (or girls). Be warned that this is NOT a stand-alone book. Nothing is really resolved at all and will be continued in future books. Speaking of this, the next book will be titled Succubus Takes Manhattan and the release date will be around November 25, 2008. But in my opinion, this series is destined to be a winner! Fun, imaginative, wild, and sexy, this is one author that I cannot wait to read more from. Brava! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Very enjoyable easy read. Love the world the author has created. Unique take on Satan and hell. It was a refreshing and fun read. Highly recommended but it!

"Succubus in the City" started out with a great premise: the life and trials of Lily, a succubus and one of the Chosen of Satan. She's a label queen and foodie, but of course, is a permanent size 4 since that is what is "attractive" now. (Just who decided that a 4 was the height of attractiveness?) I liked the fact that this was a new idea in the ever-growing horde of cookie cutter "human-vampire-werewolf love triangle" paranormal romance books.

Unfortunately, the story lost steam as it went on. Worst of all, there was no sense of loose ends being tied up before the pages ran out. The second book, "Succubus Takes Manhattan", isn't quite as enjoyable to start and leaves the reader with the same unfinished feeling.

Ms. Harper had some really good ideas, but it just didn't come together.

Plot Summary: Lily is a gorgeous lady with a glamorous job, and she lives in a nice Manhattan apartment with a doorman. Lily and her three closest chums also happen to be demons, or succubi, and in between Sunday brunches, shopping, and facials, they collect souls on behalf of Satan for Hell. Lily's job is particularly nasty, since she has to give her `johns' an orgasm before they'll poof into a pile of ashes, and her one `out' clause says that if she finds true love, she'll get her soul back. It sounds simple, except this mortal man must know her true self, including pesky details like her being a sex demon and all.

I suppose the title and cover art gave me a hint that the author was playing off of "Sex and the City," but I wasn't expecting the book to mimic the TV series quite so closely. We've literally got a quartet of beautiful, urban gal pals who happen to be demons, lots of cocktails and meals in chi-chi New York restaurants, and glamorous problems in the midst of trying to deliver their monthly quota of souls for Hell. The book even ends like the HBO series, where the main character, Lily (aka Carrie), is broken hearted over a guy and her friends do all the usual comfort moves -- ice cream, valium and a first class trip to Venice. Must be nice to have that kind of money.

Did it work for me? Not really. The idea of Satan as a benevolent, nurturing den mother (yep, she's a woman here), stretched my incredulity to the point of breaking. The prince of darkness loves her succubi, gives them vacations, and gently nags them when they don't deliver the souls on time. She's got to be one of the nicest employers I've ever met, and it's all wrong when we're talking about the Evil One.

Nina Harper's writing is fine, and it flows well, but somehow the charm that made "Sex in the City" endearing did not translate here. This book was clearly written by someone who loves NYC, and all the references to the city added credibility, but it would probably appeal most to people who live there.

If you read this for the romance angle, be prepared to wait. Lily and her love don't even get together till well past page 300-and-something, and the sex that Lily has with her victims is nothing to look forward to. The only thing holding this book together are Lily's relationships with her three best friends, and it's not nearly enough to pump some life into this story. I hate to nitpick, but there must've been about 100 references to the women eating ice cream (too bad I didn't read this on my Kindle, because I could have run a word search), and I don't think I'm exaggerating.

It should be noted that there is a sequel, "Succubus Takes Manhattan," which I'm guessing will give Lily time to gather the pieces and let her errant lover come around to the idea of loving a succubus. I'm sorry to say that I have no interest in learning what happens next.

I first saw this book at the store back in the summer looking for something new but wasn't sure about it. I saw it at the library recently and decided to read it for free. This might be the first time i thought of a book going it's boring then it got interesting, then slow and boring, and finally ok at the end. I really don't think the group of charcters were likeable. I'm questionable about reading the sequel because the only thing i'm curious about is what happens with Nathan and Lily.(btw i did find nathan to be a big dork) It's creative and not really confusing but find it at your library.

This book was, as the title says, just ok. I liked the relationship between the four friends, and I even like how Satan is depicted as a "Martha". But, the ending left me feeling - unfulfilled. There were too many unanswered questions. The ending felt unresolved, and there was nothing that alluded to a sequel. Now, I see that there's a second novel coming out in November, but I would have never guessed with the way the first one ended.

I know that most of you have at some point in time watched an episode of Sex in the City. The girls are always talking about fashion, sex, food, sex, men, sex, clubs, and sex. Well, this is the same thing just add a twist that Satan is your best bud and goes by the name Martha. You are a succubus, and have been one for several thousands of years and have never known true love. Your girlfriends include a goddess, a demon of lust, and a former oracle from Greece. All of you are servants of Satan, and have been targeted by a group of Satan hating men who wish to destroy you. Get the picture? This was an interesting take on the ideal of the succubus legend brought to life in modern day terms. I am curious to see where the author decides to take this series because she left us hanging at the end. At the bottom of this post, I will include the sequel to this book.

Someone did a lot of research for this book. You learn alot about the era the main character is born in but was expecting a light hearted novel. It's a good book, well developed characters, but I little hard to settle into. But I will most likely be watching for her next one.

The story takes forever to get to the point and then it has no real ending. I won't be wasting my money on the second book to see how it ends since this book was not worth the money