Desire Unchained

Wow! I loved this book. After finding the first one good but not great I didn't have high expectations for this one but since so many of my bookie friends love this series I was looking forward to reading it. So glad I did!

The Good Stuff: Sometimes a book and it's characters speak to you. This book did that for me. I liked Shade and worried over him as if he were real. I appreciated Runa and the strong woman she was. I'm not sure if I'd have liked her as much if I "met" her prior to her becoming a warg because she sounded a bit like milquetoast but I'm so glad I got to know the person she became. Not only did Ione do an amazing job at fleshing out her MCs, her supporting characters were great too. I'm really looking forward to reading show more their books as well. As far as the plot goes, I was so engrossed in it I read far later into the night to make sure my H/h were going to be OK. Oh and Larissa does an amazing job of continuing her world building. I love the setting of the demon hospital!

The Bad Stuff: While I didn't mind any of these things I think others might so I feel I should include them as more of a warning to other readers. Runa runs hot and cold and then hot again in regards to Shade. She hates him. She loves him. She wants to rip his clothes off of him. You get the picture. Shade has a "torture chamber" in his bedroom. That's right folks. Shade is way into BDSM. Not a deal breaker for many but some might have issues with the punishing of women who "need" it even if they leave his lair completely satisfied. Some people might find this bordering on abusive. Speaking of Shade, since he has no plans to ever fall in love he has a history of lovin' and leavin' and cheating isn't beneath him.

In a Nutshell: Despite some obvious issues with the characters I still loved this book. I will definitely move on to book 3 in the series. Thanks to all my bookie friends who "forced" me to read this series. show less

Quick & Dirty: A delightful romp with gripping world building, fully fleshed-out characters and pulse-pounding action.

Opening Sentence: “He’s gone. Let’s call it.”

The Review:

Runa Wagner will never be able to forgive Shade for what’s he’s done to her. His betrayal haunts her and now she’s out for vengeance. Unfortunately for Runa, on her mission to bring Shade down a peg or two, she ends up caught in a dangerous game of revenge fueled by Shade’s darkest enemy. Shade thought that he dodged a bullet when his relationship ended with Runa the first time around. Between his curse and his demon nature, he didn’t have the time to get tangled up in a relationship with a mere mortal. This time around things have changed. show more Something about Runa has changed, and when Shade wakes up to find himself shackled to Runa in a creepy dungeon, all hell break loose. Shade and Runa need to fight their way out to escape their captor, and try not to kill each other in the process. The story continues with a journey to discover more about the black market organ harvesting, demon torture and ultimately love.

Desire Unchained, the second installment in the Demonica series, continues to captivate readers with a fascinating demon world. Shade’s story takes center stage in this installment, which is worthy of high praise. Ms. Ione delivers another incredible romance with witty banter and explosive sexual chemistry. Desire Unchained is a well-written, fast-paced story that will have your heart racing. Ms. Ione does a fantastic job crafting characters with such passion and courage. You’ll be on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

I really enjoyed reading Shade’s story. He’s not as “agreeable” as his brother Eidolon, but I like the fact that he’s rough around the edges. His brothers mean everything to him and he will do anything to protect them. Runa and Shade share such great chemistry. They connected in such a beautiful way, even when you were ready to count them down for the count. Their conflict is real and heartbreaking. I also like the fact that nothing comes easy for any of the characters. Nothing about this world is picture perfect.

I was continuously surprised by the twists and turns in this book. The big bad is a stroke of genius. I love it when an author completely captures the essence of a villainous character. Meaning their goals and motivations were purely evil, and not some trumped up or poorly constructed conflict/plot device. It also helps when the villain actually does something evil, instead of skirting around the issue. The main villain brings so much excitement and fear to the story.

Overall, this sophomore effort delivers on every level. The characters are highly sensual, complex, and have great emotional depth. The plot remains riveting, and these demons prove that they aren’t controlled by their desires, but their hearts.

Notable Scene:

He burst out the side entrance and braced himself for a confrontation with the Nightlash and Seminus he’s seen earlier. No doubt they’d have hellhounds as well, and those beasts loved a good fight. Well-trained Carceris hounds wouldn’t kill their target, byt they’d fall just short of it. Worse, they were perpetually horny, and what they did to a demon when it was down amounted to a lot more than a little leg-humping.

With Wraith and Eidolon on his heels, he charged down the path to the south side of the cliffs where the waterfall met the pool, not bothering with stealth. Ahead, in the clearing, Runa lay on the ground, her body crumpled next to a tree.

“Son of a-” Something struck him in the head, and pain exploded in his skull. He wheeled toward the source, a slimy Drec demon holding a cudgel.

Wraith struck with the bullwhip. How he’d managed to grab the thing while on the run was a question for later. His brother wielded it as if it was an extension of his arm, and the Drec’s face split open, sending blood and teeth flying.

A massive four-winged creature dropped in front of him. A demon he’d never seen before, a hideous black beast that smelled-and looked-like rotting flesh. Its head was little more than a gaping mouth full of rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The Demonica Series:

1. Pleasure Unbound

2. Desire Unchained

3. Passion Unleashed

4. Eternity Embraced

5. Ecstasy Unveiled

6. Sin Undone

FTC Advisory: I purchased by own copy of Desire Unchained. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site. show less

For the second time this month, I finally picked up the second book of a series of which I loved the first book, but then took a long absence before continuing with it. Coincidentally, both series were written (or at least co-written) by Larissa Ione. And once again, I was rather appalled by the fact that it’s taken me four years to get around to reading Desire Unchained, book #2 of the Demonica series. But I can honestly say that it was worth the wait, even if it was an unintentionally self-imposed wait. This series is very unique and different from most paranormal romances I’ve read. The types of characters and situations in which they find themselves, in some ways, reminds me of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but Demonica still show more has it’s own flavor. A large part of the story takes place at Underworld General, a demon hospital, which is a very unusual setting. The world-building is quite detailed and engaging with plenty of side characters to make it even more interesting. There’s also lots of action and adventure to keep things fast-paced and exciting. The Demonica world is one that I very much enjoyed inhabiting and hope to get back to soon.

Shade is the second of three demon brothers who share a close-knit bond and who either work at or are often seen at Underworld General. Shade happens to be a paramedic. He’s a specific breed of incubus known as a Seminus demon. This breed comes into their full maturity and becomes fertile at 100 years of age when they go through s’genesis. If they’re bonded to a mate, their desire is for their mate only, but if they’re not mated, then they develop a single-minded focus on procreating. Since there are no female Seminus demons, they will try to get their offspring on any female of another demon species by any means necessary, sometimes including rape. This can cause them to lose touch with their emotions until they go mad and become mindless killing machines. Shade is very close to going through s’genesis and has no intention of getting mated before it occurs. Years ago he was cursed by a warlock to a fate worse than death if he ever falls in love. Shade knows that he wouldn’t be able to help falling in love if he were mated, so he plans to stay single, but fate has other plans in store for him. Shade was a great hero. He had a soft spot for Runa when he was with her a year earlier in her human form. Because of his incubus nature driving his libido, he rarely had sex with the same female more than once or twice, but he stayed with Runa for about a month. Granted he did cheat on her, which is what broke them up, but it wasn’t entirely his fault, and once they get back together, he finds himself slowly but surely falling for the “new and improved” Runa. I love Shade’s protectiveness and although he may outwardly fight the falling in love initially, he doesn’t really in his heart, even though he knows it will eventually lead to his doom.

I ended up liking Desire Unchained a little better than the first book of the series, and I think that’s in large part because I related to Runa better than the heroine of the previous book. In her human life, she was a sweet, but rather unremarkable young woman, who’d been through a lot of difficulties in her life. Then as she was running away from finding Shade in bed with two other females, she was attacked by a werewolf and turned into one herself. With the help of her brother, Arik, who works for a secret branch of the Army known as R-XR that fights supernatural creatures, she got through the transition, was given a special serum that makes it possible for her to shift at will, and started working for the R-XR herself. When she was assigned to find a rogue member of R-XR at Underworld General, she sees it as an opportunity to get revenge on Shade as well, since she holds him responsible for what happened to her. But when they’re both captured by Shade’s evil older brother, who was presumed dead, and forced to enact the mating bond, Runa quickly realizes that she never stopped loving him. I liked Runa, because she’s every bit as protective of Shade as he is of her. She’s a kick-butt heroine, whose werewolf side is extremely strong, but she has a somewhat softer side as well that made her easier for me to relate to. I love how she embraces Shade and his life, promising to stay with him and fulfill his sexual needs even though her part of the bond didn’t take, which would have left her a loophole to leave him.

Desire Unchained boasts a fairly large cast of secondary characters. Shade’s older brother, Eidolon, and his mate, Tayla (Pleasure Unbound) are seen again. Eidolon is a doctor and the head of Underworld General. He’s always there for his brothers, doing whatever it takes to keep them together. Tayla is a slayer and a regent with The Aegis, a demon-hunting organization. She comes to the rescue when the brothers are in trouble. Shade’s younger brother, Wraith, is an intriguing character. He’s a deeply tortured soul, who tries to pretend that he doesn’t care about anybody, but his actions speak louder than words. Right now, he’s a confirmed bachelor, so I’ll be very interested to see what kind of female it takes to bring him to heel in the next book of the series, Passion Unleashed. Then there’s Kynan, a human, and Gem, who is Tayla’s sister and half-demon. Both are doctors at Underworld General. They share an intense attraction to one another, but Ky fights it for all he’s worth. Even though he works in a demon hospital, he harbors prejudices toward demons, because he caught his wife in the arms of one right before the demon killed her. The sexual tension between these two is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and I look forward to seeing what happens next with them, as it appears their story will be unfolding as secondary characters in the novels. Shade’s presumed-dead older brother Roag, is evil incarnate and proves to be a very formidable foe. Then there are a whole host of other lesser characters, human, demon and other supernatural creatures that round out an impressive cast.

Overall, Desire Unchained was an excellent read. There were two little things that bothered me just a bit. One was a scene in Shade’s playroom involving whipping that made me a little uncomfortable. I more or less understood the why of it, but it just wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. The other is that a little more tenderness in at least some of the love scenes wouldn’t have gone amiss. They’re all pretty intense and sometime a bit rough, but I’ll allow that there was enough tender feelings and romanticism outside of the love scenes to make me believe that Shade and Runa were falling in love and would indeed live HEA. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the story. The author gets some extra points for keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout and for writing such a creative world, so I still gave it the full five stars. I very much look forward to Wraith’s book, and will have to try harder to get to it sooner than four more years from now.:-)

Note: This book contains some BDSM themes. Shade has a fully outfitted dungeon playroom, where he admits to having brought many females both pleasure and pain. There is one scene involving some light bondage and flogging intended for pleasure and another involving whipping that was more for pain, all of which could make some readers uncomfortable. show less

Hot damn! Just when I thought things couldn't get hotter in the world of UG here comes Shade's story. Ione has done it again in creating a hero and heroine that you can't help but root for. I loved getting Shade's background. Adorable goth girl Gem is back along with conflicted Kynan and we see plenty of E and a little Tay too. The relationship between the three brothers is further explored and explained and I found myself loving them even more. Those who've read Pleasure Unbound know that Ione will kill off characters suddenly so be forewarned.

Warning for BDSM. If you don't like it there is a scene or two that you should skip. My main problem with the BDSM element was that it seemed confused. At first Shade seemed to enjoy being a show more Dom. Then he hated it. Then he had to do it because Runa wanted him to. I didn't get it. For once I'd like to see an author have a couple engaging in play that just did it because they enjoyed the exploration of boundaries and not because of some childhood issues that the hero or heroine had to get over.

Anyway, the four stars says it all. I love this series and can't wait for more. show less

Re-read: 3 stars

I don't even know where to begin. Desire Unchained was absolutely fantastic! Ione's second effort in her Demonica series was even better than the first. The story is about Shade and Runa. Runa was a human female that Shade was involved with in the first book. They come together again through the machinations of a psycho demon. Shade learns that Runa was attacked by a warg (aka werewolf) and has become one. Runa works for the government and is sent to learn about the demon hospital that Shade and his brothers run.

Though dark at times, I loved the relationship between Shade and Runa. They both had some serious issues to deal with, but the resolutions were deep and true. Their attraction to each other was fierce and hot. show more This author brings a level of realness to her paranormal world and I was sucked in from the beginning. There was so much suspense, action, humor; you name it, this story had it. It was extremely difficult to put this down and I highly recommend it. I cannot wait to get my greedy little hands on the next one. 5 stars show less

When I received my copy of Desire Unchained in the mail, I literally stopped, right on my doorstep, and did a dance. Yes, a dance! I know, that sounds so odd and childish, but ever since I read the first novel, Desire Unbound, last year, I've been hungry for more! And believe me when I say that Desire Unchained delivered on all accounts!

In the first book, we were dropped straight into Ione's world, modern Earth, except for we're not alone. Shapeshifters, Witches, Demons, Vampires, and all sorts of other fantastical characters live in our world. For the most part, humans know about them, but they still don't flaunt themselves. Instead, they stick to the "Underworld's" of the area, tunnels and such below the city or hidden from the show more humans. The hospital that Shade and his two other brothers founded exist in one such area, hidden from the prying eyes of humans.

While the plot line, the intriguing characters, and the complex story development are a great part of the book, it's not the only part that made my fall in love with the series. It's also the very intense, sometimes graphic, but always satisfying *no pun intended, of course!*, sex. Along with the equally tender romance. Don't get the wrong impression-- it's not ALL about the sex in their relationship, though that part is definitely a big part of it. Personally, I enjoy the more erotic touches like this in my romances, but I know that some do not. If you fall into the later category, I'm sure that you could still enjoy this book, even if you have to flip through a few scenes.

The romance is fantastic, but it's not the only element that sticks out. There's a plot to it, a point besides just watching the H/Hr have hot sex 24/7. The suspense and action makes the reading interesting, not just sexy. I'm anxious for the next book, not only to find out Wraith's fate and story, but also to see what more could happen in this compelling paranormal world that Ione has created. I promise you-- just when you think that you have the story 100% figured out, nothing could possibly surprise you, a new twist in the story pops out, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very end. And even then, it will only let you go, but it won't leave you entirely. You'll still find yourself thinking about the story, the characters and the world, anxious to return to it, but upset that you have to wait until the next book to do so.

4.5/5 stars! I can't stop raving about this amazing book! Heck, not just this book, but Ione's entire series! They're sexy, passionate, mysterious, action packed, humorous... I could go on and on! In short, they have everything you could possible ask for in a romance! I can't wait for her future books-- Ione is definitely an automatic author in my book! show less

Really enjoyed this second book in Larissa Ione's Demonica series. The world-building is really great in these. I enjoy the background between the brothers, the fact that they have grown up with different mothers so have very differnet experiences to draw from, but feel that bond through their shared father makes for some interesting storytelling. Runa was a heroine a liked, although maybe a teeny bit less than Tayla from the previous book. But I loved all the werewolf lore stuff, and her relationship with Shade was intense, as was the search for Rogue. Very explicit scenes, and the writing is steamy and hot. I also love the setting at the demon hospital, and all the drama between coworkers. It's kind of like watching old episodes of show more ER with demons! Looking forward to book three!

Trigger warnings: graphic violence show less