Pleasure Unbound
Title: Pleasure Unbound
Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica, Book 1
Publication Info: Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner), June 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Hot, Hot, and Hawt. Buffy meets E.R. in this completely addictive paranormal action-adventure, the first in a new series that is sure to be the next Black Dagger Brotherhood. I’m not kidding. I liked this book more than Ward’s crack-between-covers, and I’m a repeat offender
The Story
Demon-slayer Tayla Mancuso was taken in and trained by the Aegis after she saw her mother raped and killed by a demon. To the Aegis there is only one kind of good demon: a dead one. After a disastrous fight in which her partner is killed, Tayla wakes up into her worst nightmare. She is the captive patient of the world’s only demon hospital, which she describes thusly: “If Castle Dracula screwed a hospital, this would be the bastard offspring,” (p56). Underworld General Hospital founder and head doctor Eidolon is a rare breed of Incubi on the cusp of a maturation that will turn him into a lust-crazed monster unless he finds a mate. The other doctors want to kill the “Buffy,” but his oath to protect and heal won’t let him sacrifice the injured slayer. Someone is kidnapping demons and harvesting their organs, and the Aegis is suspected. Eidolon must convince Tayla that not all demons are evil, before his coworkers or her fellow slayers kill one or both of them. The clock is ticking as a mysterious illness slowly kills Tayla and Eidolon’s maturation speeds up. Can they learn to trust each other and find the organ-harvesters before time runs out?
World Building
Ms. Ione’s world building sucks you in with complex layering. Humans live alongside an untold number of demon species, which include vampires, werewolves, and incubi. Each species of demon has its own ruling council that manages the accepted number of human kills per capita. Most demons live deep under the Earth and can travel via a hell-gate to the surface. Humans are protected from this evil by a society of warriors, The Aegis. At the risk of comparing Pleasure Unbound overmuch to the BDB, what I liked better is that unlike the Omega-Scribe Virgin conflict, the demon-Aegis conflict is not black and white, good versus evil. Ms. Ione delves into the shades of grey that speaks to the heart of the human condition. What is evil? Nature or nurture? What if evil is necessary for survival? Pleasure Unbound only begins to address these questions, and I look forward to peeling off more layers in future books.
Characters
Ms. Ione has crafted a strong cadre of secondary characters that both enrich Pleasure Unbound and provide for future book heroes and heroines. I’m already salivating in anticipation of Shade’s book, coming up next. The hero of Pleasure Unbound is Eidolon, the Chief archetype. His brothers Shade and Wraith are the Charmer and the Lost Soul, respectively. The heroine’s sister Gem will (hopefully) get her day in the sun too. She’s got spunk and a dash of bad girl, and we already know where her heart lies. I love Eidolon. He’s handsome and smart, sweet and protective. His expletives are funny, since as a demon his mythology centers around the evil half of the coin. I especially liked Shade’s “Hells Bells!” Yum!
Love, True Love
Yes, Oh YES! And hot too.
A huge THANK YOU to the Book Binge for their interview with Larissa Ione and contest, in which I won a copy of this book. I luvvvvvved it. I can’t wait for Demonica Book 2: SHADOW LOVER comes out in March 2009. Read the excerpt here.
Tags: "romance novels", Book Binge, demon slayer, Demonica, Demons, incubi, Larissa Ione, Paranormal Romance, Pleasure Unbound, vampires, werewolves
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
July 9, 2008 at 5:18 am
Dammit Ciara! I DO NOT need another series to lust after.
Darn you and your excellent review skills. HUMPH.
:wink:
July 9, 2008 at 6:08 am
I didn’t read your review, because I literally just sat down to write mine (which I was supposed to be doing last night but SOMEONE got me hooked on Twitter….). But I did peak and see that you gave PLEASURE UNBOUND 5 hearts!! So psyched because I do, too! My new fave paranormal romance series!!!! WOOT!
… I’ll be back when I write my review…. ;)
July 9, 2008 at 6:25 am
Okay, I caved and read the first paragraph and just had to comment that you echo my exact same sentiments. Even ask Katiebabs… I even discussed with her on the telephone how this was series is my new BDB. That its what we all craved from Ward, but better! :D
July 9, 2008 at 8:24 am
Wow. I’ve been fondling this one in the bookstore but hadn’t quite convinced myself to pick it up yet.
This puts me over the edge, for sure!
July 9, 2008 at 8:54 am
Christine is pimping this book hardcore.
As for me I am about 50 pages in and still on the fence. I must say these characters, demon, vamp or otherwise are some horny peeps.
July 9, 2008 at 5:27 pm
How refreshing to hear about a series where the evil isn’t black and white. I think authors shy away from doing that, but I’m interested.
July 9, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I bought this book, but haven’t read it yet. I’ve been going thru kind of a book slump, so I don’t want this book to get bogged down in it. Will wait until I’m feeling more cheerful. Makes me happy someone likes it though! Yay! :D
July 9, 2008 at 7:58 pm
MK – hehe. But since you’ve got me hooked on so many great ones, I can only hope to pay you back!
Christine – So glad you like it too! We should chat. I really liked the greyness of “evil” and “good” and how the hero was up front with being an evil demon, but that evil is not all evil. My strict stance on “consent” bumped the first time they “bumped,” but I still really enjoyed it. Maybe it was okay Because he was evil? I don’t know. I look forward to your review!
Nicola – DO IT. You know you wanna!
KB – why??? what is there to be on the fence about?
CJ – I hear ya. black and white is easy to write. Shades of grey are much harder, but much much more interesting.
Kaitlin – I know what you mean about letting moodiness interrupt a good book. SOMEONE likes every book that gets published, even the bad ones. At least three someones – the author, the agent and the editor. Someday SOMEONE is going to like my book too. I just wish that I could write one that someone lurves as much as I lurved this one!
July 9, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Ciara — next book binge I go on, it’s MINE.
And it’s your fault.
July 9, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I really need to stop procrastinating and get this book. Most all of the reviews have been glowing. Next time I’m in the bookstore I’m picking it up.
July 10, 2008 at 5:38 am
Ciara: I think I have issues with Tayla. And that sexual problem she has sucks! But the demon doctor is yummy. Right now on page 150…
July 10, 2008 at 11:02 am
And another gets added to the ever growing ME WANT pile. *sigh*
July 10, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I just got this one in the mail this morning. I’ll start reading once I finish reading The Road to Hell.
July 11, 2008 at 3:15 am
Oh noes. Not another series for me to dig into! I managed to stay away from the crack, but I am very inclined to give this one a go.
July 11, 2008 at 3:23 am
Came back to say that I just bought it. Now, to find the time to read will be the real problem LOL.