by Larissa Ione
ebook, 150 pages
September 12th 2015
September 12th 2015
by Riptide Publishing
As a Seminus demon, Raze’s life literally depends on having sex with females. The problem is that he doesn’t desire females, and it’s physically impossible for him to be with males. Thankfully, he and his best friend, Fayle, have an arrangement that keeps him alive . . . if lonely. He finds some solace in his work as a medic at Thirst, a vampire club known for its rough clientele. But his carefully structured world turns upside down when he meets a mysterious male who makes him want what he can never have.
Slake is an assassin used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is Raze. But he also wants to earn back the soul he sold when he was a much different demon. All he has to do is capture a runaway succubus named Fayle and hand her over to her family. What he doesn’t count on is being caught himself by a web of lies—and his attraction to Raze.
Raze and Slake must navigate a dangerous world to be together. But as Fayle’s jealousy of their relationship turns deadly, they find themselves embroiled in a battle not only for their love, but their lives and souls.
As a Seminus demon, Raze’s life literally depends on having sex with females. The problem is that he doesn’t desire females, and it’s physically impossible for him to be with males. Thankfully, he and his best friend, Fayle, have an arrangement that keeps him alive . . . if lonely. He finds some solace in his work as a medic at Thirst, a vampire club known for its rough clientele. But his carefully structured world turns upside down when he meets a mysterious male who makes him want what he can never have.
Slake is an assassin used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is Raze. But he also wants to earn back the soul he sold when he was a much different demon. All he has to do is capture a runaway succubus named Fayle and hand her over to her family. What he doesn’t count on is being caught himself by a web of lies—and his attraction to Raze.
Raze and Slake must navigate a dangerous world to be together. But as Fayle’s jealousy of their relationship turns deadly, they find themselves embroiled in a battle not only for their love, but their lives and souls.
For all the Ione fans out there...this is a gay romance. I repeat, m/m. I am a fan of Ione's (OMG sexydemonalphamales) Demonica series and I'm a fan of gay romance so I was tickled to find Base Instincts. It is published by a gay romance publisher, Riptide Publishing, so this story is aimed at a new audience that isn't familiar with Ione's Demonica series. There is a lot of basic world building info added along with meeting some of our favorite Demonica characters like Eidolon, Wraith, and even Revenant makes an appearance. Since it has been so long since I've read the Demonica series it was a nice refresher course.
One thing Ione does well is take two tortured characters in impossible situations and mash/mix/blend/crush them together into a happy ever milk shake of goodness. In the case of Base Instincts I honestly didn't know how she was gonna pull this one off...but that clever girl...I didn't see that twist coming.
Ione has taken on some important social issues with this book. One I can't talk about because it is the big plot twist, but kudos to her for putting it out there. The story is typical Ione and yummy going down. The sexual parts are pretty tame so if you were thinking about giving a gay romance a try then this might be a good place to start.
I think Ione needs some more experience writing m/m, but she does a fair job of it. It did feel like a hetero romance was written and then the girl was swapped out for the guy...kind of hard to explain unless you've read lots of m/m.
I would give the story plot and romance 4 sheep, but the m/m aspect 3 sheep...so you get an average of 3.5...fudge a little because the writing is well done...and I think I will settle on
3.75 Sheep!
I think Ione needs some more experience writing m/m, but she does a fair job of it. It did feel like a hetero romance was written and then the girl was swapped out for the guy...kind of hard to explain unless you've read lots of m/m.
I would give the story plot and romance 4 sheep, but the m/m aspect 3 sheep...so you get an average of 3.5...fudge a little because the writing is well done...and I think I will settle on
3.75 Sheep!
SharonS
About the Author:
Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She has since published dozens of books, hit several bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today, and has been nominated for a RITA award. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.
