Review: Pleasure Unbound, Larissa Ione

Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1)
Author: Larissa Ione
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages

Summary: Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul...

I've been following Larissa Ione on Twitter for awhile now, and her Demonica books were recommended to me over and over. They sounded intriguing; the teasers say the first book involves demon doctors in disguise, and my husband is an RN in an inner city Emergency Department. I'm thinking a couple of the ER people I've met could indeed be demons in disguise. *snicker* Last weekend my copy of Pleasure Unbound arrived from Amazon. I was almost afraid I'd be disappointed because I had heard SO MUCH about this book.

Pleasure Unbound starts out with a scene in the Emergency Department of Underworld General Hospital. (Yes, that's UGH.) The demons aren't in disguise in this hospital because it's run by demons to treat demons, not humans. Right from the start we learn a few things:

All demons are not evil.

Demons tend to have sarcastic wits and quick tempers.

Demons love sex, some WAY more than others.

The book is fun and dark at the same time, but it's not until we meet all the main characters and start to figure out that all is not black and white in the Demonica world that we start to care about what happens to them. Larissa Ione's characters are complex and all is not as it appears to be. At first we see humans vs. demons; hatred on both sides with no room for compromise. The book is not a fast, fun read, but instead a sexy, dark, witty read that takes the reader through many emotions including anger, sadness, relief, frustration and titillation. (Webster defines as "to excite pleasurably" which fits perfectly.) Who IS the bad guy here? Will the plot be about finding a Happily Ever After too, or is this world too dark for that?

I really liked Pleasure Unbound, and it lived up to all the recommendations. Fans of J.R. Ward, Gena Showalter, Lara Adrian and Kresley Cole will love Larissa Ione's books. They each focus on the story of a particular male in the rich cast of characters, but there is also mystery, kick-butt fight scenes, and witty interaction. For me, when a series or book has a dark element , I need humor to offset the fight against evil. I love this exchange between Eilodon and Tayla:

"You eat fast food?"

"Only when there's a shortage of live sheep and small children."

Smartass. At least she hoped he was being a smartass. "I'm fresh out of those things, but I have stale marshmallows and oranges."

Pleasure Unbound has sarcastic, sometimes crude humor, erotic romance, studly demons and humans, but also cringe worthy evil demons, and humans who are just as bad. This book is not for the faint of heart; it's a gritty paranormal romance and dark urban fantasy rolled into one. I know I'll be reading it again, and all the books in the series.

Visit Larissa's website for excerpts, deleted scenes, writing tips and much more! She's here.

~Moonsanity

Pop Quiz: What Supernatural Being Are You?

Jill Myles, the witty author of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi is over on Ilona Andrews blog with a very cool quiz! I took it and lo and behold I am a:

Vampire

You're a VAMPIRE! Jaded and kind of tired of the stupidity of both your goody-two-shoes Serim brothers and the human race in general, you'd smoke, drink, and squander your Afterlife with hedonistic pleasures. That is, until the Queen gives you something to do.

The World of Jill Myles

Head on over to Ilona's place and take it yourself:
http://www.ilona-andrews.com/2010/01/22/pop-quiz/.

My Big Fat Book Order

I really tried to wait longer before buying more books, I really did. I waited through three blog tours, where I read the books and reviewed them. I was a good book blogger, so I rewarded myself. To justify my spending I used Bookcloseout for the biggest order. It's kind of like shopping at Sam's Club or Cosco; they don't always have the same thing, but you can find surprises if you look hard enough. The best deals are on trade paperbacks and hardcovers, and I found some cool books this time. I bought:

Birth of the Pack By Petru Popescu
A YA novel about Weregirls battling evil.

The Visitant by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear
Romantic Times said it was "a wonderful journey of learning and adventure".

Evernight by Claudia Gray
Paranormal YA Novel that I've heard good things about.

Love is Hell, YA Anthology
Melissa Marrr, Scott westerfeld and more

Vampirates, Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
How could I resist the title? It's a YA title.

Daughter of the Sea by Berlie Doherty
"She was a gift from the sea, but now the ocean wants her back..."

The DarkAngel, Book One by Meredith Ann Pierce
tag line: Can Aeriel Save the Vampyre's Soul?

Woo-hooo on these next two!

Another One Bites the Dust
Biting the Bullet
by Jennifer Rardin


I read book one, Once Bitten, Twice Shy and couldn't wait to read the next books in the series!


Last, but not least, for my almost ten year old I bought Clues for Real Life, The Classic Wit & Wisdom of Nancy Drew in hardcover. She is going to love it!

I also received a small Amazon book order this weekend. I now have:

Pleasure Unbound, Demonica Book 1, by Larissa Ione
City of Souls, Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4, by Vicki Pettersson
Madhouse, Cal Leandros series, by Rob Thurman

All three of these are series I've been reading, or as with Pleasure Unbound, heard so much about it I HAD to start reading it!

For my daughter I bought My Sister the Vampire #2, Fangtastic. We read the first one out loud (she's almost ten and reads to me.) and we are reading this one out loud as well. We started the same day it came in the mail. She LOVES these books.

~Moonsanity

100+ Reading Challenge

I joined the 100+ Book Challenge as my primary challenge. The basic rules are :

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts. What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.

For the rest of the details visit J.Kaye's Book Blog. I will update on this post as I read books, and link to my review of them if I have it written. I need to do better at adding books as soon as I finish them! I'm also reading two books on Kindle right now, but I haven't finished. The books below were all books, not ebooks, except for The Devil in Merrivale, which was a PDF file due to the publisher sending them out late for a book tour.

Books Read For 2010:

January Reads
1. Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin
2. Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles
3. The Iron Hunt, Hunter Kiss, Book 1 by Marjorie M. Liu
4. Bitten by Cupid (anthology)
5. Inked (anthology)
6. Veracity by Laura Bynum
7. The Devil in Merrivale by Jackie Griffey
8. Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
9. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (reread)
10. Firespell by Chloe Neill
11. Pleasure Unbound, A Demonica Novel, by Larissa Ione
12. Another One Bites the Dust by Jennifer Rardin
13. Biting the Bullet by Jennifer Rardin

February Reads
14. The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter
15. Truly, Madly by Heather Webber
16.Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
17. City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson
18. Madhouse by Rob Thurman
19. Stakes & Stilettos by Michelle Rowen
20. Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen
21. Night Life (Nocturne City, Book 1) by Caitlin Kittredge
22. First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost
23. Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
24. Pride by Rachel Vincent
25. Dead to Me by Anton Strout

March Reads

26.The Devil Inside by Jenna Black
27.Steamed by Katie MacAlister
28.Demon Possessed by Stacia Kane
29.Succubi Like It Hot by Jill Myles
30.My Love Eternal by Liz Strange
31. Crimson City by Liz Maverick
32. Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur
33. Bite Me by Melissa Francis
34. Evernight by Claudia Gray

The books with the links have been reviewed, ones without will be future reviews. Sometimes if it's a series I wait until I read them all before reviewing.

~Moonsanity

Gentlemen Prefer Succubi: Interview & Contest

Gentlemen Prefer Succubi
Author: Jill Myles
Publisher: Pocket Star
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages

Summary: Jackie Brighton woke up in a Dumpster this morning, and her day has only gotten weirder. Her familiar B-cups have somehow become double Ds, her sex drive is insatiable, and apparently she had her first one-night stand ever...with a fallen angel.

The UPS man brought me Gentlemen Prefer Succubi from the publisher, and I have to confess I went around the house repeating the title over and over because it was just so much fun to say. Try saying "Succubi Succubus" ten times really fast. It's not possible to keep a straight face. I'm so glad I signed up for this blog tour because I've been giggling since I started the book. Author Jill Myles has the best sense of humor, and uses it to it's fullest in her writing. When I start a book I always read the acknowledgements. I know many people either skip them or read them afterwards, but I love getting a little glimpse into the author's personality by reading their thank you notes. Jill, and I think she's so cool she wouldn't mind me calling her by her first name, is a hoot. Her enthusiasm in the acknowledgements had me smiling, especially her comment to the cover art team:

The bellybutton sweat on the model nearly did me in.

I flipped to the cover, looked at the guy's belly, sighed, and quickly read through the rest of the acknowledgement so I could start the dang book. I was not disappointed. Jackie, the main character, is a normal gal looking for normal things in life like a good job, a boyfriend and a happy life. So far she hasn't scored too high on the happiness meter, then she takes one night to drown her sorrows in booze and wakes up a succubus. Go figure. The reader goes along for the ride as Jackie's body does it's own thing, and "The Itch" does it's best to control her actions as she tries to figure out what happened to her, who did it, and what it means. Her new friends may or may not be on her side, and a world she didn't know existed is revealed detail by detail.

Gentlemen Prefer Succubi is a fast paced, action filled, witty read. The sex scenes are steamy, but the "almost sex scenes" are just as hot. Forget Team Edward and Team Jacob. Choose between Team Noah and Team Zane! (Note to self: have a Team Zane t-shirt made soon.) This book is a riot of paranormal fun. The author makes us cheer for the unlikely heroine from the first paragraph. The book has mystery, historical intrigue, plot twists and romance.

Fans of paranormal romance such as Chloe Neill, Yasmine Galehorn, Karen Chance and Gena Showalter will love Gentlemen Prefer Succubi.

Jill Myles graciously answered a few deep and compelling questions I had for her:

Any tips on how you learned to write those scorching love scenes? I'm wondering if you had trial love scenes that you wrote and they just didn't do it for you?

I wish I was that organized! It's more like the twelve-year-old girl inside me is shouting out ideas. "MAKE THEM DO IT IN THE CONFESSIONAL! TEE HEE!" Of course, I have no choice but to comply. :) As for writing tips, I think it's important to show how things make the characters feel. It might be as simple as touching a ticklish spot, but if it gets her engine revving, the reader will enjoy it if we realize that the heroine is, if that makes sense.

I have to say that I'm on Team Zane, do you have a preference?

I'm on Team Zane until I write a Noah scene, and then I plot ways to kill him off so Noah and Jackie can be together forever! And then I write a Zane scene and plot ways to kill off Noah so Zane and Jackie can be together forever! And then...well, you get the picture. I lean whichever way the hero drags me. :)

I love your take on vampires, succubi and Serim. Did you know right away that this is how you wanted to portray them or did you make changes along the way?

I knew that I wanted angels and vampires to be flip sides of the same coin, but I wasn't sure how to go about it, so I just started writing. More details came about as I wrote, and when I got to the end, I sat back, regarded it, and thought...people are going to think I'm nuts. No one is going to want to read about angels and VAMPIRES. Come on. But I'm happy to be proven wrong!

Succubi Like It Hot, the second book in The Succubus Diaries came out last week! I love the trailer Jill has for Gentlemen Prefer Succubi:



THE GIVE-AWAY

I'm going with simple again for this blog tour contest. The publisher has graciously allowed me to give away one copy of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi. Leave a comment for me answering this question:

Do you like paranormal romance? Do you like humor mixed in with the romance?

If don't have a blog make sure you leave me an email so I can contact you. The contest will end February 7th, and I'll announce the winner on Monday, February 8th, 2010.

~Moonsanity

Series Review: The Immortals After Dark

Immortals After Dark
Author: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Pocket

Summary: Every creature or being that was thought to be mythical . . . isn’t. They all secretly exist alongside humans and enjoy the gift of immortality. There are hundreds of different kinds: from Vampires to Lykae, from Furies to Shifters, from the Fey to Valkyries. These immortals call their world The Lore.

You may have had a brush with one of Lorekind already. The eccentric billionaire with hypnotic charisma—and an aversion to sunlight. The ethereal waif of impossible beauty—whose fingernails look more like claws. The Highlander with a seventeenth-century Scottish accent and animal magnetism—who can never be penciled in on the night of the full moon.

STORY ORDER
1. The Warlord Wants Forever (2006)(Novella) Nikolai & Myst
2. A Hunger Like No Other (2006) Lachlain & Emmaline
3. No Rest for the Wicked (2006) Sebastian & Kaderin
4. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night (2007) Bowen & Mariketa
5. Dark Needs at Night's Edge (2008) Conrad & Neomi
6. Dark Desires After Dusk (2008) Cade & Holly
7. Kiss of a Demon King (2009) Rydstrom & Sabine
8. Deep Kiss of Winter Novella: Untouchable (2009) Murdoch & Daniela

COMING SOON
9.Pleasure of a Dark Prince (February 2010) Lucia and Garreth's
10.Demon from the Dark (2010)

I started reading The Immortals After Dark Series last summer in my race to catch up with all the awesome Paranormal Romance authors I'd discovered after reading the Twilight books. Don't let that statement fool you into thinking this series is like Twilight, however. I guess you could say it's an erotic kick-ass version on steroids IF you had to go with a comparison, but even that doesn't begin to cover it.

I want to mention something about the reading order of the books. I had missed the novella that started Kresley Cole's series until this week when I read it as a Free PDF file that I downloaded from Amazon. (Go to THIS PAGE and the link is under the box where the edition of the books are listed. Click that link for the free complete novella and excerpts on the books, which comes in a PDF file that you can save to your hard drive. It wasn't available on the Kindle.)

In some ways the first novella and Kiss of a Demon King, which in #7 in the book order have many similarities. I think perhaps they are the most erotic of the books. If you are new to Paranormal Romance I would download the novella and read it first to get a feel for the style of the books. I really wish I had started with the novella instead of A Hunger Like No Other, only because it gives it some really great background on the Valkyrie, the Forebearers and The Fallen, which are the two factions of vampires. That said, let's get down to the nitty gritty of how I feel about the series.

The humor of the Valkyrie women; their love of slang, pop culture, and modern conveniences leave their warriors stunned and gawking. This line from the novella Warlord Wants Forever is a perfect example of this, as Myst "takes over" when brought to Nikolai's room for questioning. She heads straight for the shower, then opens the door afterwards to get the attention of the first person she sees in the hall, while Nikolai watches her in total amazement:

“Psst. Minion. I need these laundered. Very little starch. Don’t just stand there gawking or you’ll anger my good frenemy General Wroth. We’re like this.”

Each book features a soon to be mated couple, and yes, they are HEAs (Happily Ever Afters). Some are more of a fun read than others, depending on the characters and their situations. I'm sure every fan has their favorites. I found Kiss of a Demon more of a difficult read because of the agony Sabine and Rydstrom put each other through. Just when I thought it was going to get worse the last fourth of the book made it all worthwhile. The fact that Ms. Cole can make the reader feel uncomfortable during scenes that are agonizing for the characters is a good thing, because it means that later when there is light at the end of the tunnel we find ourselves cheering for the couple, finally understanding why they acted the way they did.

I think my favorites were the first book, A Hunger Like No Other, the fourth, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, and the sixth, Dark Desires After Dusk, which was about Cadeon Woede, a rage demon and Holly Ashwin, a math teacher with OCD. Can you imagine? I laughed out loud on and off throughout the entire book.

Who will like The Immortals After Dark Series? Fans of J.R. Ward, Laura Adrian, Gena Showalter, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. If you haven't read any of those authors and wonder if you will still enjoy them, then download the free novella I mentioned above. This series is not for the faint of heart. The sex scenes are erotic, the characters kick ass and take no prisoners, and sarcasm is rampant. I've kept all my copies and will be reading them again and again.

The Immortals After Dark Resources:
-FAQ from the Author
-Free PFD file of Warlord Wants Forever
-Kresley Cole's Forum

The Devil in Merrivale Contest & Blog Tour

The Devil in Merrivale
Author: Jackie Griffey
Zumaya Publications
Trade Paperback, 252 pages

Summary: Murder isn’t the usual order of business in the little town of Merrivale, Tennessee, so the brutal stabbing death of popular high school student Denise Davis sends a shock through the community. Sheriff Cas Larkin is determined to find the killer, and the last thing he needs is distractions like the increasing reports of missing cattle and other livestock.

I read The Devil in Merrivale as a PDF file because the publisher had a delay on the books, and I was too curious to wait for the book itself. Jackie Griffey has an easy going, down to earth, writing style that makes the reader feel comfortable, much like she's telling you the story in your living room while you share coffee and cake.

Jackie shared this with Pump Up Your Book last month:

We live in Cabot, near Little Rock, Arkansas with lots of great places to visit. Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, Memphis, TN, St. Louis and New Orleans are all within easy driving distance. My favorite thing in spring and summer is enjoying our yard, flowers, shrubs, azaleas, and a huge Magnolia tree Jim planted for me thirty years ago. All year long I enjoy shopping with my daughter, we cook and eat out and have a ball in or during the shopping trips.

Her book flows smoothly, and you have confidence that Cas Larkin, the sheriff of Merrivale, will find the killer and solve the mysterious happenings in his small town. I liked him from the first chapter. He reminds me of Sheriff Andy Taylor from Mayberry R.F.D., whom I loved as a kid.

I really liked The Devil in Merrivale because of the author's laid back style which made her book a fun and relaxing read. As a kid I loved mysteries, and Jackie's book reminds me of a grown up version of the books I read back then.

The Devil in Merrivale Contest
My copy did arrive from the publisher yesterday, so I'm going to give it away to one lucky reader! The details are as follows:

Leave a comment sharing with me your favorite mystery book, either as an adult or a kid. Leave your email address if it's not part of your blog profile. If you don't have a blog, that's okay too, as long as I can get hold of you. The contest will end on January 31st, 2010.

You can find more information on The Devil in Merrivale and Jackie HERE.

~Moonsanity