Demonica Book 1
Grand Central Publishing
July 2008
ISBN-10: 044640103X
ISBN-13: 978-0446401036
I got Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione - at a Book Fair for The Terry Fox run. I picked it up because the cover was yummy. It sat on my book shelf for awhile because I have this habit of not starting series till I have at least 3 books from that series. I finally was able to get the rest of the books published so far in the series so I started to read.
I really didn't have any expectations about the book. I've read a few reviews and knew a lot of people loved her books on Amazon. Needless, to say, I was blown away. It has been said before that her books are a combination of General Hospital and Angel. This comparison is quite true in many aspects except the fact that Ione's men are hotter and kick bigger ass. The men were tall, hot, tattooed and in the medical field.
The fact that Pleasure Unbound starts off in a whole new world not seen before is what hooked me in. Who knew demons could be so hot and fascinating?. I kept reading because I wanted to learn more about the different breeds and species of demons. The story of Eidolon and Tayla sucked me in. Eidolon is the hot Doctor that created and runs Underworld General Hospital. It is definitely not your normal hospital. It is run by demons, humanoids, vampires, weres and some humans for demons. Demons don't like humans and the same can be said for humans about demons.
Tayla is a slayer and a part of an elite group of humans called the Aegis. They exist to fight and kill demons. Tayla ends up in the UGH after her body does something strange and she's not able to fight up to par. Her partner Janet is killed in the melee. Eidolon is the Doctor that is on call and after tests realizes that something odd is going on with her organs. She is later found to be part-demon. Her father was an evil demon and her mother a human. Eidolon thinks that Tayla and the rest of the Aegis are part of a ring of humans that are selling demon organs and parts on the black market. The story revolves around Eidolon and Tayla trying to find out who is involved in the ring. They reluctenly work together and end up falling for each other in the process. Tayla comes to terms with who she is with help from Gem.
I really enjoyed this book because the main characters and secondary characters were smart, sassy and able to handle their own. Shade, Wraith and Gem were secondary characters that even though they were demons were likable and very engaging. Their back stories added to the story as a whole. You could tell that Ione took the time to integrate the secondary stories with the main story.
Tayla as the main heroine was in no way typical. She could kick ass in 5 seconds flat. The fact that she was strong and independent made her so much more likable. I did not like Eidolon's name. I think it is mostly because I couldn't pronounce it.
The sex scenes were hot and not at all generic. You know its going to be a hot book when there is a sex scene before page 50! Eidolon and Tayla could not keep their hands off of each other even though they hated each other at first. Their attraction was instantaneous and smoking hot from the beginning.
I would definitely recommend this book to paranormal fans as well as urban fantasy fans. Yes, it has more of a romantic element than most urban fantasy novels but the fact that Ione was able to seamlessly integrate the demon world with the real world would makes it a pleasure to read. I would give this book
It will definitely be a book I will reread.
This is the first review I have ever written. I had fun writing it and hope that those who read it enjoy it. Please leave comments on how I did and how I can improve it.
