And there’s always Elena Deveraux, the Guild’s best vampire hunter. I could talk about how refreshing it is to see a heroine who is truly that, a female hero. She’s strong and amazing and clever and all the things you’d expect a vampire hunter to be. Plus, she’s feisty and sassy and feminine and… well… you get the picture.
Maybe I should rave about the unique, incredible world this author has managed to create in a genre so saturated with books that coming up with anything different is nothing short of miraculous! I could tell you about angels and how when I think of them, especially archangels, I imagine winged beings seated on heavenly thrones on high, halos shining brightly and harp music being played in the background. Well, let me tell you, these angels and archangels are nothing of that sort. In fact, I find them to be more on the devilish side of the spectrum which really blew me away! From the foods they eat to the places they live and the people they take to bed, they are very decadent beings who enjoy pleasure in whatever form they can find it. Theirs is a dark world, one of greed, lust, and power plays. Real life politicians have nothing on the backstabbing maneuverings of these angels!
And what a supporting cast of secondary characters! I’d love to see any one of them have their own books, even Michaela who I’d love to see slowly and painfully killed in hers.
So which of these things do I talk about when telling you how much I love this book? I don’t know, but I will say this – if you don’t already own this book, buy it now.. If you own it and haven’t yet read it, read it now! I’m certain you won’t be disappointed!
5/5 stars
And while I did enjoy seeing Shade and Runa’s relationship grow from one of anger, bitterness and suspicion into one of joy, devotion and trust, I most loved learning more about Wraith. I despised him in Pleasure Unbound and while I felt the same way about him for most of this book, by the end my heart was breaking for him. I love it when an author can make me go from one extreme to another in the way I feel about a character. I’m very much looking forward to his story now! And Kynan and Gem… what a tender and heartbreaking story theirs is. I’m quite anxious to see how things work out for them.
As I said, there was so much to enjoy about Desire Unchained, but what I didn’t like about this story will probably raise some eyebrows, but here goes:
‘***SPOILER****
It bothered me the way Shade’s sexual “nature” and BDSM was portrayed. Now, I know that BDSM isn’t everyone’s cuppa, and I get that, but normally in books like this, BDSM would be something of a lifestyle choice. Something enjoyed by the hero and heroine. But that wasn’t the case here, and to take something that was sexually such a big part of the story, and make it something that Shade hated, not only seemed off to me, it seemed… wrong. I understand that he hated that part of his “nature,” and said so repeatedly, and yet was compelled to give women what they wanted, no matter how dark that was… and well, that just didn’t set well with me. I didn’t find it hot, didn’t find it sexy, it was just… uncomfortable and disappointing in the way it was portrayed. I can’t be more specific than that, it’s just the way it made me feel.
***END SPOILER***
The bottom line – I really enjoyed this book. I think the Demonica series is a great one, with amazing characters and a unique, exciting world. As I said, I’m really looking forward to the next book, Passion Unleashed, Wraith’s story.
4.5/5 stars
I found this story to be very refreshing, in that Dominic was so patient, and not borderline insane with the need to turn Solange fully Carpathian… I mean, he was and yet, he also loved her for who she was and worried about how much of herself she might lose during the transition. He understood her needs to remain connected to her cat and truly, truly wanted her to keep that part of herself and not just because it was the “enlightened male” right thing to do, but because he loved her for everything she was. That really had an impact on me because very often in this series, and series’ of this nature, the males are so over the top alpha it’s almost annoying. That is not the case with this book.
I had completely forgotten about Solange from the previous books, but the references to her past were just enough to help me remember the sad, angry, mistrusting soul that was this beautiful female had become. Like Ivory, in Dark Slayer, Solange was a strong, honorable, determined female and despite her worries about Dominic’s desire for her, and her fear of allowing herself to become vulnerable and controlled by a male, she learned to trust him fairly early in the book which made room for a great story, without too much relationship drama.
I’ve noticed a trend in the last few Carpathian novels, one that, as a reader, I really appreciate. The life-matings aren’t one sided anymore. Both the hero and heroine are truly just that – heroes and heroines. They complement one another with their strengths and weaknesses, making them great couples, with truly believable and wonderful happily ever afters.
I’m going to share a couple of my favorite quotes from the book, and yes, they are very Feehan-esque in their prose.
This quote was a thought running through Dominic’s mind when he realized that Solange was embarrassed by her body. She wasn’t fashionably thin, and she had many scars, and was constantly trying to cover herself:
“She had no idea of her beauty of her appeal to him. Carpathians saw what was inside. The body was simply a shell. Perhaps because they could shift into any form they chose, the outside mattered little to them. But he could see into her heart and mind, and he’d fallen deeply in love. Solange was exactly the woman for him, with her fierce loyalty, her unfailing courage and her natural sensuality.”
And then this one, when Dominic answered Solange’s question about where his home was:
“I have traveled all over the world and gone to the highest peaks, and the densest jungles. The Carpathian Mountains will always be my homeland, but my home is a woman. Solange Sangria. You are home to me. You’re body is my home. Your mind. Your heart and soul. It matters little to me where we are.”
I repeat, they are very Feehan-esque, and whether you love or hate her books, you know what I mean by that. As I said before, I love the way she writes. The dialog, which I hear so many people complain about, is truly in keeping with these ancient males who were born and raised in the Old Country. I wouldn’t expect them to talk as though they’d just walked off the streets of Caldwell, NY – and some of you will know exactly what I’m talking about – but their language, their mannerisms, their hearts and their souls are exactly what I would expect from these amazing Carpathian males.
I’m very much looking forward to the next book, and hoping with all my heart that it’s Zacarias’ story.
5/5 stars
You know, we all have our fears, our worse nightmares. For some of us, it’s the Bogey Man, for others it’s Bloody Mary. What takes place in this book is one of my own fears. Now, it’s not a horror novel in the ghost, demon, vampire, or “I’m going to kill you and eat your parts” sense of the word, but this book made me cringe more than once, just the same. A cross between Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalkers and t ...more This book scared the buhjeezus out of me! And I loved every minute of it!!!
You know, we all have our fears, our worse nightmares. For some of us, it’s the Bogey Man, for others it’s Bloody Mary. What takes place in this book is one of my own fears. Now, it’s not a horror novel in the ghost, demon, vampire, or “I’m going to kill you and eat your parts” sense of the word, but this book made me cringe more than once, just the same. A cross between Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalkers and the TV series, Heroes, it’s a story about people with too much power and money, who will stop at nothing to gain more of both. And call me a crazed conspiracy theorist if you want to, but I believe the very things portrayed in this book are taking place, somewhere in the world – and it scares the hell out me that anyone can have such little regard for human life.
I read and loved Skin Game, but wow, I never saw the storyline take the turn that it did in Skin Tight. Addison Foster was one nasty piece of work in that book and I couldn’t imagine how I would ever come to see him as a hero, but I was wrong. Mia Sauter didn’t strike me as a woman I could accept as a strong heroine, either, but I was – one again – proven wrong. I found both to be very compelling, sympathetic characters and it didn’t take long for me to be cheering them on in their shared mission to find and “exterminate” the bad guys.
Seriously, I could go on and on and on, but if I do, I know I’ll end up giving away too much, so I’m going to force myself to stop now, other than to say that the Skin series by Ava Gray is one of my best discoveries of 2009/2010 and I anxiously awaiting the next book, Skin Heat, due to hit the stands on January 4th, 2011.
***Spoiler***
Knowing what Gillie’s ability is, I wish things could have turned out better in the end for Lexie, but as is often the case in the real world, we don’t always get the happy endings we want. But that knowledge didn’t stop me from sobbing like a ninny when her end came, without the happiness.
***End Spoiler***
Reading order and book covers because they are just so sexy looking I can’t stop myself from posting them:
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I’m not going to go into a lot of plot detail, because honestly, there are already so many wonderful reviews out there, so I’ll just briefly share my thoughts on this book which is an awesome start to a great series.
The underlying story line of good vs. evil, with a very gray area defining them, has been done over and over by many authors, but very few have done it this well! And I was more than a little surprised because it can’t be easy to carve your own niche in a genre where everything’s been done to death, but Ms. Ione has created a world unlike any other, and I’m thrilled to have finally taken the leap into that world known as Demonica.
Saving the lives of demons, vampires, werewolves and any other number of species, is all in a day’s work for Eidolon, the head of Underground General Hospital. A demon himself, he knows what a bad rap his race has gotten, and so he tries to be fair in his treatment of everyone, including Tayla Mancuso, a demon-slayer who has been brought into Eidolon’s hospital, barely alive. Torn between saving her life or killing her, or saving her life so his brothers can kill her, Eidolon finds himself drawn to her at the most inopportune time in his life – just as he’s about to go through a horrific transformation that will make him one very dangerous Seminus demon.
Tayla Mancuso is a demon-slayer who takes her work seriously. Having witnessed her own mother’s murder at the hands of a demon, Tayla has made it her life’s mission to rid the world of as many of the monsters as possible. But as luck would have it, she’s landed in a hospital - a demon run hospital at that - and all she wants is to get out of there as quickly as possible. Oh, and to have wild monkey sex with her doctor. There were several laugh out loud moments in the book, like this one when Tayla has been unconscious and is finally coming out of it. Though her mind is foggy, she’s been admiring the doctor who has been working to save her life and says, "I'll bet you could make a woman throw out all her toys." Had she said that out loud? The cocky grin on his face told her that yes, she'd verbalized her runaway thoughts.
As I said, I’m not going to spend a lot of time on plot details, so I’ll close with another favorite snippet, a quick exchange which also takes place between Eidolon and Tayla:
She had a feeling he was messing with her, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t take the bite. Not until she asked the vital questions that had been bugging her since she woke up.
“So, uh, where am I exactly? And what do you plan on doing with me?”
“You’re at Underground General Hospital. As you can probably guess, we specialize in nonhuman medical care. Our location is secret, so don’t ask.”
“UGH? Your hospital is called ‘ugh?’ Oh, that’s precious.”
The bottom line – If you enjoy PNR and are looking for something a little different than what we usually find in this genre, I would encourage you to give this book a shot.
Where can I find an "I LOVE LIAM" bumper sticker?
Pride Mates was a great start to a new series! The introduction into the Shiftertown world and hierarchy was interesting and never boring, which is no small feat for the first book in a series. The way the characters were developed and introduced into the story made me feel like I was meeting new friends, and not reading a who’s who of the Shifter world.
I loved Liam! I loved him so much that I want an I LOVE LIAM bumper sticker. He was such an awesome alpha, but also a wonderful man. Dylan, Sean and Connor will be excellent heroes in upcoming books, there’s no doubt about it.
My biggest problem with this book is that, as I said, it’s the first book in the series, and the only book of the series currently published. When I found that out, I was a tad miffed. Why can't these authors write faster?? Oh well, what’s one more series to have to wait impatiently for?
Talk about yummy goodness. I'd love to trace each and every one of this angel's feathers with my tongue.
Twice.
