Tag: Richelle Mead

Guest Review: Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead

Posted April 12, 2009 by Ames in Reviews | 3 Comments


Ames review of Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead.

Some days, a girl just can’t catch a break…

…especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there’s her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It’s not just that they can’t have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge. Seth’s obsessed with finishing his latest novel, and Georgina’s under demonic orders to mentor the new (and surprisingly inept) succubus on the block.

Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Georgina seeks answers from Dante, a dream interpreter with ties to the underworld, but his flirtatious charm only leaves her more confused—especially as the situation with Seth reaches crisis point. Now Georgina faces a double challenge—rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again…

You can read my review for Succubus Blues (book 1) here and Succubus On Top (book 2) here. As this is the third book in a series, my review will contain spoilers for books 1 and 2.

Summary: In Succubus on Top, the relationship between Georgina and Seth evolves emotionally. But due to Georgina’s succubus powers and the fact that Georgina does not want to shorten Seth’s life, their physical relationship is stagnant and Seth has to live with the fact that Georgina has to sleep with other men to survive.

The dynamics for this relationship plays out further in Succubus Dreams. Georgina is feeling guilty for what she has to do and frustrated that she can’t be with Seth physically. Plus the ribbing she gets from all her demonic friends doesn’t help. When the one who made her shows up with his latest succubus and demands that Georgina train her, it’s like adding vinegar to the mix. Because she knows the demon who made is not up to any good.

To make this potent mix of frustration and paranoia even more explosive, there’s something sucking up Georgina’s life force. That’s her job and she’s supposed to be immune to life suckage.

My Thoughts: I loved Succubus Dreams. In fact, I cried. Yes, a book about a succubus punched me in the gut. Why? Oh man, it’s a doozy!

SD is told from Georgina’s pov and I have no problem with that at all. We get to experience what’s going on in her head and we’re left to piece together the paranormal mystery right along with her. First person pov also works well in this case in regards to Georgina’s humanity/immortality. One of her friends is an angel who drops some very cryptic messages and we’re right there with the character trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

And it puts the reader in Georgina’s shoes emotionally – which is very important. Because although she’s been a succubus for almost two thousand years (or something to that effect), Georgina still has a lot to learn about humans. And how they can hurt each other.

The cast of characters around Georgina are as interesting as ever and I cannot wait until June for Succubus Heat to come out. The mystery as well kept me guessing almost until the end.
4.5/5 (A-)

This book is available from Kensington. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Guest Review: Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead

Posted April 20, 2008 by Ames in Reviews | 7 Comments

Guest Review: Succubus on Top by Richelle MeadReviewer: Ames
Succubus On Top by Richelle Mead
Series: Georgina Kincaid #2

Publication Date: July 26th 2011
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 352
Add It: Goodreads
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five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy writer she's been dating, she'll drain his life force. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks of a succubus are terrific, but it's completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can't get down with the one mortal who accepts her for who she is. . .

It's not just her personal life that's in chaos. Doug, Georgina's co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects something far more demonic than double espressos. She could use an assist from Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, but he's giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one-and fast, because soon, Doug's life won't be the only one on the line. . .

You can read my review for Succubus Blues here.

Ok, Succubus on Top is a sequel to Succubus Blues, so I may have some spoilers in the review. 😛 Ye’ve been warned.

Succubus on Top picks up after the events of Succubus Blues. Georgina is now Demon of the Month and she’s still managing to date a human, hottie author Seth. Things are progressing well for them, except for the fact that they can’t even kiss, or Georgina will steal years off of Seth’s life. Ahhh…the love life of a succubus.

Things get interesting for Georgina when a couple of her friends start having trouble. First is her incubus friend Bastien. He’s really desperate about his latest take-down and he enlists her help. Second is Doug, her coworker at the bookstore. He’s been acting very strange lately – and it’s up to Georgina to get to the bottom of why.

You may wonder why it is up to Georgina. She’s kind of coming across as a busy body – but she knows there’s something supernatural about the way Doug’s been behaving. And her human friends (minus Seth) don’t have a clue about Georgina’s true self. Or that there are even supernatural beings running around town.

Finally – Georgina is extremely frustrated. LOL Not being able to kiss her boyfriend is really screwing with her. And she’s wondering, is she in love? How is this relationship going to work?

Ok, the good stuff. My thoughts on this book: I think it’s a great follow up to Succubus Blues. Richelle Mead has created a great character in Georgina. She’s smart, witty, and attracts trouble like honey calls to bees. Her supporting cast is great as well. And these books are written in first person pov which usually bothers me, but it doesn’t in this case. It’s good to be inside Georgina’s head – like I said, she’s a great character and what’s inside her head is some good stuff. LOL

I also really enjoy Richelle’s style of writing. It’s very fresh to me. I also laughed out loud a couple times while reading this (at work too), which did cause a couple of coworkers to question what I was doing in my cubicle. hehe

Now – Chantal is the one to get me hooked on these books. But she had some concerns about SoT that made me hesitant to pick it up for so long. And the thing Chantal had an issue about, doesn’t really bother me. It may bother some of you – but Georgina is a succubus and she’s not perfect. Nobody is. So in an odd way, it made sense to me. And it also works as a good plot further-er. I believe what happened needed to happen so Georgina would know her true feelings about Seth, and his about her. Because as an immortal, an immortal that needs energy from sex to survive, she was really struggling with having a relationship. In the end, what did happen wasn’t enough to turn me off.

A great series to sink your teeth into. Succubus on Top is getting an A- from me. I can’t wait for Succubus Dreams, which is sigh not released until October.

five-stars

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Succubus Blue by Richelle Mead

Posted February 1, 2008 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 3 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance

Succubus (n) – An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men.

Pathetic (adj.) – A succubus with

great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants. The wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess get-up complete with whip and wings. And she can’t have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy’s life. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore—free books, all the white chocolate mochas she can drink, and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny…

Chantal reviewed it first. Then Ames reviewed it. Both of them did great reviews.

First of all, this was an e book I had. You know I don’t read e books. I can’t curl on the couch or get comfy in bed to read. I don’t have a lap top or an e reader, so I’m stuck reading e books on the computer. Not comfy.

I meant to read a chapter or two. Next thing I know I finished the book. I could not stop reading. My shoulders, neck and back hurt but it’s ok. I loved this book.

I loved Georgina. I loved her two suiters. Both were equally great guys and it was hard to figure out which one to root for. Loved her friends. Two which are vampires. I was laughing out loud at this scene:

“Well, you know how they’ve got those computer programs in salons that will show you what you’ll look like with different colors and cuts? I was thinking you could be like a living one. You could morph into me and show me what I’d look like with different hairstyles.”
Silence hung in the room for a full minute as Cody and I stared at him.
“Peter,” I told him at last, “that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”
“I don’t know.” Cody scratched his chin. “For him, it’s not bad.”
“We have too many other issues to deal with right now,” I warned, having no patience to humor Peter with niceties. “I’m not wasting my energy on your vanity.”
“Come on,” pleaded Peter. “You’re still brimming from that good virgin guy. You can spare it.”
I shook my head, slinging my purse over one shoulder. “Succubus 101. The farther a transformation takes me from my natural form, the more energy it expends. Cross-gender changes are a pain in the ass; cross-species ones are even worse. Playing salon with you would burn through most of my stash, and I’ve got better things to waste it on.” I eyed him dangerously. “You need some serious counseling for body image and insecurity, my friend.”
Cody regarded me with new interest. “Cross-species? Could you, like, turn into a Gila monster or …or … a sand dollar or something?”
“Good night, boys. I’m out of here.”
As I departed, I could just barely hear Peter and Cody debating if it would take more energy for me to change into a really small mammal or a human-sized reptile.

This is a must read.

Grade: 5/5

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