PLEASURE UNBOUND

Author: Larissa Ione ISBN: 9780446401036 7/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: GRAND CENTRAL

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life… She’s a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure—but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life. Two lovers will dare to risk all. 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 desire 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.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

A sexy new world filled with demons that will have you rethinking your previous notions of good and evil is what readers can look forward to when picking up Larissa Ione's PLEASURE UNBOUND, the first novel in her Demonica series.

Tayla Mancuso is in the business of hunting demons. It is during a hunt that her partner is killed and she is severely injured. But the last thing she expects is to end up in a hospital full of the people she has committed her life to killing. And even worse is the knowledge that she just might be one of them herself.

Eidolon is in charge in the ER when Tayla is brought in. He treats her even though he knows she is out to rid the world of his kind because that is what he took an oath to do. But he has seen too many demons right in his ER suffering deaths because of the "work" that Tayla does, so he isn't exactly open to having her there. Yet, Eidolon cannot deny that there is an attraction between him and his newest patient. And he will take the time while she recovers to find out more about Tayla and whether or not she is to be trusted.

This is a wonderful world that Larissa Ione had created and thankfully, there will be more books to come in the future that feature secondary characters from PLEASURE UNBOUND. Below the streets of what we see, another world exists where those far from being human exist. Not only do we have demons, but there are different kinds of them so that each brings something different to the table. Eidolon is a sex demon who needs to find a mate—fast. And from the beginning, it is in question whether or not Tayla is also of the demon variety, and that is one of the side storylines throughout the novel. Both of the characters are strong-willed and passionate, though each about different things. They find they must work together in order to solve the mystery of Tayla's lineage as well as who, or what, is needlessly killing demons.

This was a great paranormal story and the beginning to a series that I will definitely be following. The characters are interesting and Ione puts a new twist on the question of good versus evil in the way she portrays demons. Often times, one paranormal romance can flow into the next, but this was definitely a new spin on things. As for the level of sensuality in PLEASURE UNBOUND, the title does not lie and there is more than enough heat between Eidolon and Tayla to keep the fan running high as you read this story.

Maame Kanbi