Customer Reviews

What A Demon Wants

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a Demon Wants is book four in Love's saga of New Orleans' supernaturals finding love. And here we get the first supe/supe pairing. The leading lady this time is authoress Ellina (Maksim's sister from book 3 Demon Can't Help It), a reclusive half demon half human crossbreed who maintains calm and control at all times because any type of excitement, including arousal, makes her literally 'horny'. You can imagine the crimp that's put in Ellina's love life, especially since she's attracted to humans and not other supes.

Of course Ellina just hasn't met the right supe yet. That all changes, when after several break-ins at Ellina's home, brother Maksim decides Ellina needs protection. Against Ellina's wishes, Maksim hires paranormal body guard Jude to keep Ellina safe. Even though Jude has a 'thing' against demons, the attraction between the pair is electric. But with Jude's reservations about getting involved with a demon - not to mention a client - in addition to Ellina's 'scaly little problem' - then to top it off, throw in Ellina's mysterious stalker - and it's not clear how things can work out between the pair. Not to worry though, HEA's always find a way, because as every bodyguard knows ... the best way to guard a body is up close - real close.

I liked What A Demon Wants. Both Jude and Ellina are quite appealing as leads and that goes a long way in making this a cute and sexy read. The background stalker story is not much of a mystery for us readers, but even though it was tossed off quickly at the end, I wasn't upset with the resolution of the stalker story line (I thought it was kind of funny). And while I liked the haunted Jude a great deal, his supernatural secrets aren't fully explored (What is he trying to win free of?) and, when adding this to the thin plot, What A Demon Wants ends up being a lightweight romance. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the book, because I was in the mood for something light, and now and then it's nice to read a book where your brain doesn't have to work to hard:)

So I thought What a Demon Wants was a nice, if frothy, addition to Love's series which includes: Any Way You Want It, I Want You To Want Me and Maksim's story (which is still my favorite though). Also I really enjoyed meeting Ellina's twin demon brothers, Pasha and Andry - one light and one dark and both mischievous. The brothers look to be promising candidates for future books, because yes, from the epilog, it's clear that Love's not done with her demons yet.

I usually love Kathy Love but found this book very disappointing. There was a series of let downs and unanswered questions for me. First of all the back cover said he was hired to kill her. That never happened. Why doesnt he sleep? Vampires and Werewolfs sleep. The part where she tells her brothers to stop and they do. Am I the only one that thought she was going to turn out to be more powerful than she knew? And the Big reason he has to take these jobs he hates... buy back his soul?...bring his kid back to life?... No.To open a restaurt???!!! Really??!! And the bad guy who wants to kill her so bad so boring since you kinda know who it is and the reason and resolution behind it was so dull. I hope her next book is better like the other books before this.

While the two lead characters are likable, in general, the story fails to fulfill the reader's need for believable conflicts and crisis, exciting twists and turns, satisfying resolutions. The set-up, while not original, is okay. Unfortunately, the plot develops with plodding and uninspired measures. The bad guy is easily defeated (the reader never really fears for the safety of the lead). The female's emotional insecurities are quickly assuaged by the lead male (you grow horns when you have sex--cool he says!). The lead alpha has lots of weapons, which never need to be used (what is the old clichéd adage about a loaded gun--it better go off by the end of the story? Don't count on it here). Even the love/sex scenes are blah. Why would the characters--who are supernatural, immortal, dynamic--apparently live in the rather tediously normal human world in which highest aspirations run to living quietly and writing books (which hardly leads to exciting fiction itself) and opening a little restaurant? Even the secondary characters' stories are resolved with boring regularity. This is a paranormal story on Metamucil.

In New Orleans, Ellina Kostova's older brother Maksin (see demon Can't Help It) explains to her he hired a bodyguard to protect her. She asks her sibling why would a demon, actually a half-demon, like her need a bodyguard though she has a résumé filled with violent encounters. He responds with to keep her safe from her unknown stalker.

Wannabe writer half breed vampire werewolf Jude Anthony moves into Ellina's home to her jubilee as he is a hunk. They are attracted to one another, but her reaction is humiliating as horns and scales appear on her body; he simply ignores his wants as she is a client not a sex partner. As each dances around their desire, the stalker turns dangerous.

This is an entertaining romantic suspense urban fantasy starring two likable individuals. The story line is fast-paced throughout although the romance supersedes the suspense and urban fantasy elements. Still readers will enjoy Kathy Love's fine tale and hope for more in the same setting with a deeper profound look into the emotional state of former mortals turned immortals while those whom you loved turned to dust centuries ago.

Harriet Klausner

Ellina looks like an angel, but when she gets turned on, she's a horny demon.....literally. That's right, in certain situations, Ellina transforms and she has no control over the process. Because of this Ellina has become somewhat of a recluse. When she fails to acknowledge that she's in real danger after several break-ins, her brother hires a half vampire/ half werewolf bodyguard. Jude feels the electricity between himself and Ellina from the start,but feels he must stay on the job despite his very strong misgivings. Someone wants Ellina dead, and with suspects ranging from her twin demon brothers to the many fans of her Jenny Bell novels, Jude is running out of time to save the woman he is falling hard for.
I forget how much I love this series until I pick up the next book. The characters are always intriguing, the plots complex, and the humor abundant. The love scenes sizzle off the page, although they could be just a tad more graphic. (yeah, I know, I'm a perv) The only reason this book did not get a 5th star is because I felt the ending lacked detail, in the whole disposing of the bad guy thing. Other than that it was perfect.

Reclusive author and demon half-breed Ellina Kostova has been beset by bad luck. Her home has been broken into three times in the past three months, books and research have gone missing, she's received weird phone calls, was almost run over by a car, and got stuck in a cat for several months. But really, besides that cat thing, which personally she blames on her trickster demon brothers, the rest can be written off as consequences of being a famous author and living in New Orleans. Her overprotective big brother, on the other hand, isn't quite so cavalier.

Guess that answers the question of why a demon...even a half demon...needs a bodyguard. Not that Ellina agrees. Not that her brother gives her a choice. Though, really, if she had to be stuck with a bodyguard, the sexy Jude Anthony isn't so bad. He's fun to look at, though that way leads to embarrassing hot flashes, scales, and horns... Yeah, that's a downer. So's the fact that the man's all about business, none too forthcoming about himself, and seems to have a distaste for touching demons. And people wonder why she's reclusive...or against having a strange man in her house loomi...er...guarding over her.

When she's attacked in a public restroom, however, disbelief in a threat all too real evaporates like so much smoke, and having Jude around doesn't seem like such a bad idea. When his seemingly icy behavior starts to melt, and his touch starts to turn from protective to possessive, though, a bigger danger looms large. Jude can protect her body...but who is going to protect her heart?

As a general rule, I don't like jumping into the middle of a series. I'm depressingly linear in my reading habits, and I don't like feeling lost in a book's previously established mythos and backstory. I can say that I didn't have that problem here. The reason for that, though, may be a bigger issue.

It's a perfectly entertaining read. For fans of lighter paranormal romance books, the characters are pleasant enough and their relationship cute enough to appeal. It entertained me on that level. Kathy Love has a breezy and light writing style I found pleasant. Ellina and Jude were likable. They had some nice chemistry. For a romance that was more fluff than substance, I enjoyed it.

That's a good thing, truly, because when I look for substance, it's in very short supply. I'm not sure what the series is like, as I went into this book cold, but What A Demon Wants was lacking on a lot of very critical issues. The world building was virtually nonexistent. There was no exposition about the created mythology, little framework for the world of the paranormals or preternaturals in reference to humans, and no explanation of what demons are, what they do, and what they're capable of doing.

Character development is similarly hampered. The fact that Ellina is half demon is briefly explained, as is her past, her career, and her family issues. None of which is really expounded on or awarded any depth (we're not even given details on that whole cat thing!). Neither is Jude's history, which is lengthy, so I certainly wouldn't expect the blow-by-blow, but it would have been nice to have a clearer idea of how he became what he is, as it's supposed to be impossible.

Plot threads were introduced, then left to dangle. Ellina's brother and his pregnant wife, Ellina's twin brothers, her father, all appear, initiate conflict or opportunity for some development, but are given nothing but cursory attention. The suspense subplot was the most evolved of all the threads beyond the romance, and that ended so abruptly and in such an anticlimactic fashion that I was almost agog. And agog isn't a good look for me.

I liked the romance, I really did. It was cute in an uncomplicated and simple way, with no real conflict or melodrama. A little sexy; a little fun. Everything quickly resolved and mostly feel-good. I appreciate that, because I'm a little burned out on melodrama at the moment. But I'm afraid if you focus on the characters in the romance, you'll notice they're very thinly developed, and if you look beyond the romance to the supporting plot threads you'll see too much potential that went unrealized. There just doesn't seem to be all that much story in this story.

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Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

Haven't read it yet - I will give it three neutral stars for now. I will read it, because I had fun with the rest of the series, but who chooses the cover art for these books?? If you've read the other books - in particular the previous one, "Demon Can't Help It" - you know that Ellina has DARK hair. Please!

Although I agree with others that there wasn't a great deal of conflict and action, I really enjoyed this book! It was a light paranormal romance that would be perfect for the beach, or before bedtime...certainly not a lot of gory scenes, creatures getting their throats torn out, or others being impaled by various weapons until bodily fluids soaked the attacker. I thought it could have done with a bit more planning of the plot so the threads came together more smoothly. Take it for what it is: a pretty decent paranormal romance without a lot of violence or gore. Call me chicken, but once in awhile, I really like something like this to take a break from the other novels which are full of the before mentioned. Highly recommended!

This is a placeholder, as I haven't quite finished the book, but so far, I'm really enjoying this and want to read more from this author.

Got this book for free on Kindle. Half demon Ellina writes urban fantasy books much to the dismay of her demon father. Ellina has closed herself off from the world due to her reaction when faced with strong emotions. Due to a series of break ins and crank phone calls, Ellina's brother hires a bodyguard, Jude, for her protection. There is an immediate connection between Jude and Ellina which they fight for several chapters.

Hot lead characters and steamy sex scenes are to be expected. But there is also an ongoing mystery to be solved. Various members of Ellina's family create an interesting background of secondary characters.