Title: Pleasure Unbound
Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica #1
Pages: 353
Pleasure Unbound was one of the first enemies-to-lovers stories I remember reading. This also was one of the first paranormal romance series that I read featuring demons, so there is a lot of nostalgia for this series.
Tayla Mancuso is an Aegis demon-slayer who is determined to kill all demons. When she is injured and brought to a demon hospital she finds out the truth about demons, and her heritage. Eidolon is the head doctor of the Underworld General and is determined to get information out of Tayla about the slayers, but instead he finds himself falling for her.
These two have a very rocky relationship because they are both going against everything they believe in. Tayla is struggling to understand that not all demons are evil and that she has killed a lot of innocents because of it. She is also struggling with the truth about her parentage. Tayla is a dangerous woman but she also has a lot of trauma she has been pushing aside. I liked her a lot and understood her confusion about opening up to Eidolon.
Eidolon is a Seminus demon and is close to going through his final maturation cycle, s’genesis. He is also a very good doctor who is determined to help his patients, even the deadly ones who deserve to die. I liked his dedication to his work and his brothers. He really has a caring soul, even if he can also be ruthless.
Eidolon and Tayla’s relationship was filled with a lot of ups and downs. They struggled to get past their fears and prejudices about each other. Tayla also had PTSD from her mother’s murder that prevented her from opening up to men, especially demons. So there was a lot of baggage and struggle for these two to work though. I actually really enjoyed their relationship and the struggles because it actually felt like two enemies trying to work it out. A lot of enemies-to-lovers romances feel easy because they never really come across as enemies. I am pretty sure this book was the one that made me like enemies-to-lovers stories.
This book also had some fascinating side characters. Eidolon’s brothers Shade and Wrath are both fascinating, damaged, and deadly, which means I can’t wait to learn more about them. Overall, this was a great start to a series. I really love this world and all the different demons within it.
Trigger Warnings: Death, violence; rape and death of her mother; death of a sibling; PTSD; sex work; homelessness. Mother was a drug addict.
Red-Haired Ash Reads 