A Review - PLEASURE UNBOUND Demonica, Book 1 - Larissa Ione (Hachette Forever 2008) Read and then go buy SAVAGE DRAGON. Thanks.

Larissa Ione can come sit at my place on my *I Love* shelf beside my effigies of Michele Hauf, Christine Feehan, and my shiny new one of Anna Hackett. :)

I love her stuff.

The Demonica Series is a Very Big Thing.

Check some of the comments I've found...

“Very dark, very sexy, and very creative. Ione’s Demonica series will have the most jaded paranormal fans perking up!” –Emma Holly, USA Today bestselling author of DEMON’S FIRE
“What a ride! Dark, sexy and very intriguing, this book gripped me from start to finish. I can’t wait to read the next in the series!” –Nalini Singh, NYT bestselling author of MINE TO POSSESS
“A heroine with attitude and a hot-blooded demon make for a dangerously erotic, wonderfully satisfying read. Ione knows how to make your blood boil and your heart race as you devour each and every page.” —Cheyenne McCray, New York Times bestselling author of DARK MAGIC

Yep, I reckon so, too... Not too shabby, eh?

I was thinking about what makes a memorable, appealing hero in paranormal stories. One of the unpubbed pieces I judged recently had a yummy hero - but he was just too, ah..., nice.

I like bad boys, but I do like them to have some kind of conscience. Enter Eidolon, hero of PLEASURE UNBOUND. He's bad (check - he's a scorching hot Seminus demon, ), he's responsible (check - he runs Underworld General, demon hospital), but he's okay to break the rules (check - falling in love with the woman who wants to kill him and all of his demonic buddies).

Check this, from FB:

Emily just took the "Which Demonica Brother Is Yours?" quiz and the result is Eidolon.
Eidolon is logical, loyal, and highly intelligent. He's extremely patient, with a dry sense of humor and a cool, calm manner that is hard to ruffle. Once he's ruffled, however, he's lethal, with few regrets once he takes action. As a doctor, his work ethic borders on obsessive, and if he were an RPG character, he'd be Lawful Neutral. He loves rules, but is willing to bend them for those he loves. Once he has given his loyalty, it is for life. Don't cross him.

Eidolon's mine? Deal.

But I will share with Tayla Mancuso, Aegis demon-slayer. Mainly because she could kick my spongy a$$ from here to the outer reaches of space. Another excellent, strong Ione heroine.

I've said it before, but I'm gonna say it again... Ione's world building is just fantastic. Her characters are complex, sexy and confronting and her storytelling is mesmerising.

There's a very titillating (always wanted to use that word...) hospital bed scene. You'll know it when you get to it :)

My writing buddy, Anna Hackett (whom one must mention because her Nocturne Silhouette Bites SAVAGE DRAGON is out in a matter of hours! Yippeedoo!), read this book, after hearing us talk about it at Embrace the Shadows (a great blog/yahoo group for PR readers/authors), and then promptly had to go and get the next two on her Kindle and read those. Put her 50K in 30 days in some jeopardy! But of course, because she has a will of steel, she will do it. :)

I'm yet to read Book 3, PASSION UNLEASHED, Wraith's story. He's an interesting character. More bad than good. I am dying to read it. Might follow Anna's example and get it eBook... This is how much I can't wait.

So here's the blurb for PLEASURE UNBOUND Demonica Series Book 1, by Larissa Ione:
Someone is killing demons–someone other than the Aegis demon slayers, anyway. Now Eidolon, a doctor at Underworld General as well as a demon whose instincts to mate are growing stronger, must pair up with a sexy Aegis Guardian named Tayla Mancuso to learn the truth behind the killings. But Tayla has her own agenda. Her assignment is to find a way to destroy Underworld General. When she falls for Eidolon, who has shown her erotic pleasures she’d never dreamed of, she must face the horrors of her past and choose between becoming one of the very creatures she’s hunted–or death.

Finished reading? Great. Thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed. Now, hit the link up there and go get yourself some Anna Hackett...

PS - Went to the post office today and found a package of books that the gorgeous Michele Hauf had sent me. We did a trade - one Aussie KISS ME DEADLY for one of her choice. And she sent me three of her US releases. Three. All signed and cool stuff like that! *Bliss*. I <3 Michele Hauf. Will review after Anna's. And acMason's. Phew.

On Presale@HQ - Anna Hackett's debut "Savage Dragon" - Silhouette Nocturne Bites

Excitement factor is hitting warp-speed here at the laptop.

Anna Hackett's Bites - 'Savage Dragon' is out on pre-sale.

I've read some of Anna's work - and it rocks.

She writes fabulous, solid stories in excellent worlds, with sexy, strong heroines and dead-yummy heroes to die for.

But I haven't read 'Savage Dragon' and I really want to. I've bought it pre-sale at the eHarlequin eBook store because I want to get it as soon as I can... Then I'll go buy it at eReader for the iphone. Chill, E. Only a few more sleeps... :)

Here's a taster...

They call him the Savage Dragon: Rordan Sarkany, knight of the Order of the Dragon, charged with tracking and destroying those who let their dragon blood turn them into beasts. In the wilds of Hungary, Rordan hunts one such creature—along with fellow warrior Kira Bethlen.
Both Rordan and his inner dragon desire Kira...and she can't resist Rordan's dangerous allure. But even if she succumbs to their attraction, can she ever forgive him for slaying her beloved brother?

Buy it here. Check Anna's webbie, or her blog. The blog is great - sometimes you see elove there!

Keep an eye out for Anna's 'WindKeeper' series - coming in September...

Harlequin/Silhouette (Intrigue) Nocturne on Australian Shelves...

Got a bit excited. After I got bummed - because I have heard on the eHarlequin Forums that LUNA won't be available in Australia in print any more. I looked LUNA up at eHarlequin.com.au and got this. As all good Aussies would say - Spewin'.


The excitement bit started when it also came to light that Harlequin is, however, bringing Nocturne to us! Yay! So, that did lessen the gut-wrenching disappointment. And hey, Nocturnes are cheaper. Double yay! AND it's what I'm writing. Triple YAY! Okay, time to sit down...

This might not be a new thing. But there are only a few titles available at eHarlequin Australia.


So, I went and bought one. I saw 'Hauf '- and I bought it. Familiar Stranger. The first LUNA I ever bought was Seraphim (loved that one!), so Michele Hauf, in the immortal words of Harry Connick Jnr, "It had to be yoooouuuu!"


Now, I am seriously in love with the Nocturne covers that one gets on one's eBooks when one downloads them. Both the Nocturnes and the Nocturne Bites are very pretty. Check this one for Familiar Stranger:
BUT, because Nocturnes are being brought out under the Intrigue banner in OZ, you get this:

What do you think? Not so pretty, eh? Smacks loudly of Intrigue. Well, duh, it says so, right up there...

But, speaking of pretty - check the UK version:

Ain't that lubbly? Still says 'Intrigue' but it's not so hard-line. You'll notice, too that the Oz one has the Harlequin Mills & Boon logo on it. I wonder if this is useful or not. Maybe to a newbie Nocturne reader, someone picking one up for the first time, but not if you're used to the other covers. I wonder what the covers look like elsewhere? EDIT: These are called "Super Nocturnes" in the UK. Stumbled across that nugget at the Nocturne thread...

Hey, and sorry about the dwindling sizes. I could fix it, but, meh...

I miss my curliques.

Just sayin'.

Yesterday, I won an a.c.Mason eBook - Aequitas I - Betrayal. I love winning books! I promised Mason I'd review it soon. I think that's a very fair trade. The cover is eyecatching - it's from Lyrical Press.

Another first for me week - I got plugged at a blog! I know, very cool!

And what made it cooler was that it was Anna Hackett, whose first Bite is coming out very soon. I haven't read this one, but I've read other pieces of Anna's and she is very, very good. A great story teller. So check out her blog, and her webbie. Then when you're done at her blog, you can click the link to me, and come back here! Do it all day long! ;)

I baked all day yesterday. I like to bake, but I was on a deadline which makes it way less fun. We had Devonshire Tea at a Kindy meeting (it was my idea *slaps forehead*) so I made 40 scones, then I had the greater part of my eldest child's class and their respective parents over TO MY HOUSE for 40 more scones, 60 mini pizzas and those fabulous things: Honey Joys. I love to recipe swap, so let me know if you'd like me to post these...

If you ever see me up the street with a rolling pin, take it away from me and crack me over the head with it. E: Never, ever, EVER bake 80 scones in one day again....

Thanks for dropping in. Have a fan-fairy-tastic week...

Scone, anyone?

I'll take it, but I really wish I could fly...

Your Superpower Should Be Manipulating Fire

You are intense, internally driven, and passionate. Your emotions are unpredictable - and they often get the better of you. Both radiant and terrifying, people are drawn to you. At your most powerful, you feel like the world belongs to you. Why you would be a good superhero: You are obsessive enough to give it your all Your biggest problem as a superhero: Your moodiness would make it difficult to control your powers

What Should Your Superpower Be?

A Review - 'Desire Unchained' Demonica Book 2 (Hatchette Livre, 2009) - Larissa Ione

I have to thank Nocturne Bites Author, Barbara J Hancock, for bringing this fabulous author to my attention. I would have got to her eventually, but I'm grateful to Barbara for hastening the process! I won this book off Barbara's blog when she first started it. And she mailed it all the way to Oz. Awww!

Loved it. Super premise, fabulous characters, complex plot, wonderful worldbuilding.
And my fave: Hot, Hot, HOT! They have to have sex, like, all the time... It's very nicely done heat, too. Demon love should probably rate fairly high in ick factor, but it soooo didn't.
This is actually Book 2, but it's okay, I read Book 1 later (yay, again!) and I'll review that soon-ish. If you're up for hot paranormal with smokin' hot men (aka demons) and some very tight conflict and worlds, get these books, asap.

Others in the series include: Pleasure Unbound (Book 1) and Passion Unleashed (Book 3).
The cover blurb:

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . .
Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn't resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy.
A Seminus Demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he'd seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever.
As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts-or succumb to a madman's evil plans.