Pleasure Unbound (Demonica Book 1)- Larissa Ione

Pages: 339

Reading Time: Approx. 7 hours

Free on KU?: No

Rating: ★★★★★

Whew!

What a book!

I’ve been a big fan of Larissa Ione’s books for a long time. The first book of hers I ever read was Eternal Rider, the first book in her Four Horsemen series, which is connected to her Demonica series. I ate it up, couldn’t get enough. I got my hands on the Demonica series after the Four Horsemen series, and I was a goner.

Let’s talk about Pleasure Unbound. I won’t lie and say this is my first time reading it, because it isn’t. Nowhere near the first time, really. There is something about a smoking hot demon doctor I just love, and make it even spicier when he’s also an incubus, with two equally hot brothers. Our devilish doc is named Eidolon, a Seminus demon with a lot on his mind with his upcoming hundredth birthday, which marks the day he will go through the “s’genesis”. It will change him into a ultra-horny shapeshifter out to impregnate any female demon he can, unless he can find a good mate who’s willing to settle down for the next 600 years. Eidolon is decidedly not excited for this for obvious reasons. All Seminus demons are born male, and very few of them reach adulthood. The ones that do are generally brutally killed by other demon males, and don’t last very long, either.

Enter Tayla. She’s an Aegis Guardian with a bone to pick with all demons and the fighting prowess to back it up. After a nasty fight in a sewer, she comes to in a demon hospital, being treated by no other than the good doctor Eidolon. Now, we all love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, and Pleasure Unbound hits that mark spot on. The romance and feelings stuff might be a little slow burn, but the passion and spice definitely are not. Eidolon can’t help but be attracted to the fiery slayer, despite the fact that they’re supposed to be mortal enemies. Now, not to give away too many spoilers here, but Eidolon is running out of time and he wants Tayla against his better judgement. Tayla tries to deny her attraction for Eidolon, but she’s as lost as he is. In the middle of a war between the forces of good and evil, lies, corruption, and betrayal, the two have to quickly figure out who the real enemy is or risk everything they’ve worked hard for, and the intense romance blooming between them.

All in all, I loved this book the first time I read it, and I still do. I love the world-building, the different and varied demon types, and the lore behind the Aegis. Larissa does a fantastic job with her storytelling, and gives you a glimpse of what’s going on with other characters in the background. Even in a book about Eidolon and Tayla, you get a great introduction to Gem, Kynan, Wraith, Shade, and even Luc, all of which have their own love stories later on. There’s a villain that doesn’t quite make themselves known just yet, but it’s obvious they’re moving behind the scenes and starting to kick off the really problematic stuff that our beloved character cast will have to battle later on. Since I’ve already read the majority of the series, I won’t spoil it, but know their problems turn into wayyyy bigger problems in the future for other main characters to deal with.

There was very little I didn’t like about the book, but allow me to gripe some here. Tayla is a frustratingly stubborn character. Now, this does, in no way, mean I won’t give this book a 5 star rating. Tayla’s character being annoying in some places doesn’t diminish from the book at all. She’s young, grew up without a family in and out of foster care, fighting to survive on the streets, so of course she’s a bit abrasive. As an Aegis fighter, she’s basically part of a cult-like movement that trains young adults to risk their lives fighting demons “for the good of mankind”. Of course she’ll be resistant against Eidolon, who is by her summation, the worst type of demon there is. The girl is seeped in trauma and angst, so of course she’s going to be stubborn and question him constantly about his “evil” motives, when the man genuinely just wants to chill at his hospital and take care of his people. The beauty of Tayla’s character is that she can take accountability for her actions, and realizes what she was taught was pure and simple propagandist brainwashing to get the Aegis warriors to ruthlessly slaughter any demons they came across. And that’s pretty much the only complaint I have.

I highly recommend the Demonica series if you like a dark, gritty world, steamy passion, and eternal bonds.