Desire Unchained

Demonica, Book 2

By: Larissa Ione

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon....

Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn't resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy.

A Seminus Demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he'd seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever.

As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts - or succumb to a madman's evil plans.

©2008 Larissa Ione (P)2011 Hachette

Narrator

I did not really like the narrator's interpretation and she kind of creeped me out but the book was good

Fascinating and addictive...

Another great addition to the Demonica series. I never expected to like this series so much but the rich complex world of underworld general hospital with all the demons, angels, werewolves, vampires etc is just addictive. The way this author writes and how she gives you a main romantic couple along with several intense secondary stories just keeps you on the edge wanting to know what will happen next.

I didn't particularly like Shade in the first book but he was completely redeemed here. He ended up being a passionate adorable demon. Yeah sounds weird but that's how it is. And he happens to have a playroom (hello BDSM) which was a pretty hot unexpected twist. And I loved how the heroine Runa evolved significantly in this story. She went from a shy doormat to a badass werewolf who stood her ground and won her hero's heart.

Narration: Hillary Huber does a perfect job narrating this book. She adds the intensity and suspense to the story and definitely narrates a great love scene. Five star plus narration and a five star plus story make for a very enjoyable listen.

What a Great Series!

This is book 2 in the Demonica series, and Larissa Ione does not disappoint! I recommend that you read the books in order, as it makes the books so much more enjoyable. Larissa is a great writer, and the story is compelx, interesting and unpredictible. Shade, the main male character, is a totally hot Seminus Demon (ie a sex demon) who falls for Runa, a wearwolf. There is a bit of BDSM in the book, so be prepared, but in the context of the book, it works without being offensive. There is also a side romance in the book between Jem and Kiinan, 2 characters from book 1, which is also interesting and hot. Overall - great book and totally worth the credit!

I love Runa and Shade!

First, let's just say that Larissa Ione is fantastic when it comes to worldbuilding. Everything is so clear in your mind as you're listening or reading.

The main lead male is Shade, and he's got some... issues shall we say. He's got this uncontrollable desire to give every woman he's with their deepest, darkest fantasy. He's a strong lead, and it's easy to fall in love with him. When he meets Rona, he takes her back to a cave that no one knows of as he finds a way to protect her.

This book holds a twist, and an enemy that are perfect! I loved it!

Lily S. Thomas - Author of the Ice Age Alphas series

Love the books

I would love to hear this series read by Jeffery Kafer. His voice would add a whole new dimension to the characters

A love cursed Demon & a human forever changed!!!

Shade is Seminus Demon with a love-curse and a whole lot more to him than expected. In book 1 we are led to believe that he is a just a typical Seminus Demon who likes things rough, often, and with many, usually at the same time. We learned that he had a fairly long relationship with Runa Wagner but that she walked in on one of his escapades and did not appreciate his offer to join them.

I really was not a fan of him in Please Unbound. Here though, we see new sides of him and what drives him. When he is captured, shoved in a cell with Runa and tortured we not only learn Runa’s new curse but that Shade cares, and cares a lot.

Their journey to love is steamy hot, action packed and will leave you breathless.

Good but, not as good as Pleasure Unbound

Shade didn’t really do much for me in Pleasure Unbound so I was skeptical about how much I’d enjoy learning about his story. Desire Unchained didn’t blow me away like its predecessor did but it’s still a good read. We finally get to learn about the curse that kept coming up in the first book. The reveal was a tad anticlimactic in my opinion. For me, Gem and Kynan sort of stole the spotlight too. I think I enjoyed their interactions more than what was happening between Shade and Runa. Oh well!

The first half of the book is great. I’m particularly fond of Runa. She went from being a weak, love struck human to a don’t-mess-with-me werewolf. Shade didn’t expect his ex lover to come back for him with a vengeance (and claws!). I liked how every time the seminus demon would try to pull the same stunts he used to pull on the wolf; she’d push back and put him in his place. You don’t survive a werewolf attack without growing a backbone! I enjoyed seeing a character learn from her mistakes for a change. Runa was on the verge of falling into her old habits with Shade more than once only to realize what was happening and then she’d conscientiously take steps to change directions. I admired her knack for dealing with Shade and the way that she overcomes being a victim.

The big bad wasn’t much of a surprise, in fact, his name is mentioned several times in the blurb which I found a little disappointing. Larissa could have played up the mystery a bit more and the same thing goes for Shade’s curse. After finishing Pleasure Unbound, I was definitely curious to learn more about it but I found the truth to be somewhat of a let down to be honest. Ione’s characters and her Demonica world are so well-developed that I expected something similar with regards to these two elements. I just found that she gave the information up either too easily or simply didn’t elaborate enough on them. Maybe I’m just nitpicking but I’d expected more.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some tender moments between Shade and Runa because there are. In fact, I was on the verge of tears more than once which never happened while I was reading about Eidolon and Tayla. Gem and Kynan are amazing in this novel. With the way that things end between them in Desire Unchained, I’m really hoping that they get a book of their own, or a spin-off, or a novella, or… something! Because their story is just begging to be told!

Desire Unchained has many of the same elements that made me fall in love with the first book of this series but on a more subdued level. It’s good but it’s just not terrific. Although, many of my fellow reviewers seem to disagree with my point of view on this; which is fine, to each their own! Wraith’s story is up next and I hope that Larissa nails this book because I think it has the potential to be pure gold. Fingers crossed!

Decent Second Installment

I was definitely more drawn to Eidolon and Tayla’s story but this was a good continuation to the series, and I’ll be reading the next one to see what else is in store for the brothers and their mates. Hopefully more is said about the relationship forming between Gem and Kynan in the 3rd book as well, because I was almost more interested in that than what was happening with the evil brother.
I was surprised to find redeeming qualities to Shade’s character early on as well. The author did well to make Shade more than just the mostly abrasive brother from the first book. And Runa definitely brought out what was good in Shade.
If you liked Pleasure Unbound (the 1st in the series) this is a good follow up!
Be warned about some BDSM themes in case your not expecting it.
The narrators voices for different characters could have been stronger, especially for Wraith, but overall wasn’t terrible.

Great story and awesome narration

Loved the narrator. She did a great job transitioning from male to female characters. Your credit won't be wasted here!

Loved it!

I forgot how much I loved this series! Especially Shade and Runa. It was a great story and fantastic romance.