Base Instincts by Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica #11.7
Published by Riptide Publishing
Published on: September 12, 2015
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 152
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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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.
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I’m a little late to the party on this book. I’m a huge fan of the Demonica series. I have no idea how I missed this arc, but that’s okay. I was willing to purchase this book because I love Larissa Ione’s writing so much and the Demonica series to be specific.
This story is about Raze, a Seminus demon. For people who are not familiar with the Demonica series, they are a form of incubus. They are sex demons and must have a lot of sex to survive and it must be with a female. There’s just one problem for Raze, he as no interest in females. He is gay. Can you see the problem here? If he doesn’t have sex with a female, he will die.
Raze has been working at UGH, Underworld General Hospital. Seminus demons also have a great ability to heal. Fayle is a succubus who has befriended Raze and helps him with his sex problem. They are able to both get the sexual needs that they both need without the excess attachment and emotion. Raze and Fayle are both seem content with their life on the move and just existing. That is until Raze finally finds a job that he enjoys and wants to stay at UGH.
Slake is a bounty hunter. He has one last job on his contract. He basically sold his soul to a devil and he had to complete all of his jobs or he would lose his soul to the guy. Bringing back Fayle was his last job. He decides to get close to Raze to get to Fayle. You can see where this goes wrong. Slake feels more for Raze than he intends to, which makes this job much more difficult than it should be.
The way that Ione brought about the the happily ever after in this story was truly unique. I had no idea how she was going to pull it off. I thought it worked really well. It was nice to see Raze, a gay sex demon who thought he would never be happy, finally get his happily ever after was really a fun twist.
This was a fun story, as all of the Demonica stories are. This is the first M/M story in the Demonica story, but not the first one I’ve read by Ione. I’ve reviewed one by her under her other pen name Sydney Croft, which I really enjoyed too. You would think with one of the main characters of this book being a sex demon, this book would be heavy with sex. Yes, there is sex, but there isn’t tons of it. I thought there was about what you would expect in a PNR novella.
We do get to see several characters for fans of the Demonica series. Wraith, Eidolon, Gem and Revenant all make appearances. If you haven’t read the series, do worry, you can read this as a stand alone. I would recommend that you pick up the whole series though. It is one of my favorites. With the Seminus demons and the spinoff Lords of Deliverance series which follows the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, it is a very fun paranormal romance series.
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  My Review |
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I’m Melanie and I live in Ohio. I have two horses and a dog. I’m an animal lover, avid book reader and audiobook listener. I like to live vicariously through fictional characters. I enjoy reading and listening to mostly fictional books in the paranormal genre, including Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Horror. My favorite paranormal creatures are shifters, doesn’t matter the flavor.
I won a Larissa Ione book in a giveaway ages ago, but never got to read it. I’m glad to hear it’s not too sex-heavy – I don’t mind some smooching, but I do want some story as well. Great review, Melanie!
Celine recently posted…Happy New Year! & 2015 Wrap Up
These books do have sex in them, but there is a ton of story as well. I wanted to make sure that with this being about a sex demon, they didn’t think that the entire book was about sex. It is a fun series. Lots of humor. I hope you try it.
Melanie recently posted…Audiobook Review: Alienated by Melissa Landers (@Mollykatie112, @Melissa_Landers, @TantorAudio)
I am behind too! I need to pick this up. It keeps coming up in my recommended on Amazon. I need to pick it up soon!
Tanya recently posted…Bookish Life Budget ~ 2015 Wrap-Up
I just love this series to pieces. It was great to see this novella. We get to see so many of the old players. Even if this novella features new characters. It was a fun story. I hope that you enjoy.
Melanie recently posted…Review: Last Dragon Standing by G.A. Aiken (@mlsimmons)
I have to confess that I have read only one book by her an it wasn’t any of the series you mentioned-a newer one with a name that escapes me actually. I have so many series that I need to finish, or even read the first one in my tbr pile, I just can’t take on another one. But it does sound good 🙂
Lorna recently posted…Audiobook Review: Alienated by Melissa Landers (@Mollykatie112, @Melissa_Landers, @TantorAudio)
That is a goal of mine is to finish or get caught up on series that I’m currently reading. I’m trying my best not to start any new ones. We will see how well that holds out. This is a fun series, so I hope you get a chance to try it one day.
Melanie recently posted…#FitReaders: Committing To Exercise in 2016
I did read the first book a long time ago, and didn’t really like all the sex in it. Now I am more used to it, and I am determined to give this series another try. But I don’t think I will read this one as I am just not into gay romance at all.
This is the only book in the series that is gay and it is just a novella, so easily skipped. I loved the snark in this book. It reminded me a lot of the early BDB books, but their demon brothers and doctors in a demon hospital. The relationship between the brothers were a lot like BDB.
Melanie recently posted…#FitReaders: Committing To Exercise in 2016
She has so many books
blodeuedd recently posted…Carole’s Sunday review: Forever Hers – Caroline Carirn
She does. There is really two series in one here. It starts off with the Demonica series and then spins off with The Lords of Deliverance (Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) in book six, then merges back together with the final two books. I also included novellas above. There was a total of 11 full length novels if you do the entire series. You can start with just the LoD series and not be lost, but I recommend starting at the beginning because I love all the books.
Melanie recently posted…#FitReaders: Committing To Exercise in 2016
Egads! There are so many books in this series. I’m going to have to unearth Pleasure Unbound because I know I one-clicked it at some point. I like the sound of this series and this book in particular. You have me curious as to just how Ione gives Raze his HEA, Melanie. 😉
There are 11 full length novels, the rest are novellas. There are 5 that start the Demonica series before the Lords of Deliverance series spins off. Then there are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in that part of the series. Then they come back together with Reaver and Revenant. The demons are in the LoD series, but not as much as the last how. It is such a fun series.
Melanie recently posted…Early Review and Giveaway: City of Light by Keri Arthur (@kezarthur, @SignetEclipse)
I haven’t read her two newest books yet and I really need to because dang but I love her books.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Happy Raturday!
These last two were so much fun. I loved Hades. This one was interesting because it was M/M with a sex demon that must have sex with a female. The way she worked that out was creative.
Melanie recently posted…#FitReaders: Committing To Exercise in 2016
I loved this installment, Melanie, because it just made the intrigue more intriguing that a sex-demon had to fight his nature that way, and I loved how the story unfolded.
You almost made me want to re-read it.. alas too many new books on my shelves these days 🙂
Lexxie recently posted…Review and Giveaway : Anything For You – Kristan Higgins
I know, I’ve read other people’s reviews of some of my favorite series and it makes me want to go back and reread all the series. I could spend a year just revisiting loved series, but then I wouldn’t get any new ones in.
Melanie recently posted…Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Vampire by Sara Humphreys (@Mollykatie112, @authorsara, @Sourcebooks)
Holy cow. I didn’t realize how far behind I was in the series! Last I read was Reaver. Gah! Must fix this. Glad you enjoyed it, Melanie!
anna (herding cats & burning soup) recently posted…4 stars–Wicked Lust (The Wicked Horse #2) by Sawyer Bennett
There is only one more full length novel. The rest are novellas. Revenant, is the end of the series. After that, to my knowledge, she is just doing these novellas. She might be doing a new spinoff based on a question from her Facebook page.
Melanie recently posted…Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Vampire by Sara Humphreys (@Mollykatie112, @authorsara, @Sourcebooks)
Holy cow! I really lost track of this series, I can’t believe it’s already 11 books in. I think I stopped reading the books after the 3rd or 4th one, but this is making me want to pick-up the series again. Since this can work as a standalone, maybe I’ll just skip ahead to this one.
Samantha recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish and Blogging Resolutions For 2016
If you stopped after books 3 or 4, you never got to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They were a nice addition to the series. I hope you pick back up this series. It is so fun.
Melanie recently posted…#FitReaders: Committing To Exercise in 2016
And I’m late to the party on reading your review! Didn’t you enjoy that she kept the mythology of Sem demons in tact but made it all work out?
I was worried how she was going to handle that when I saw a M/M Sem demon, but I think she handled it very well.
Melanie recently posted…Review: Mercy Thompson: Hopcross Jilly by Patricia Briggs (@mlsimmons, @Mercys_Garage)