mx_remy's review
5.0
I haven't read much of this steamy romance type stuff, but this collection is definitely my favorite. Granted, the stories are somewhat hit or miss, but I think on average the book still warrants 5 stars. After all, if all of the stories strongly appealed to me, then odds are none of them would have appealed to someone with different preferences. The way it stands now, I think the book has something for everyone; provided, of course, that you're already in the niche of people reading saucy m/m demon fiction.
Absolutely Magic might be my favorite. I don't know how you go from gay demon smut to loose cannon cop comedy, but it was a brilliant move. Somehow having the (demon) tail chasing romantic lead also be a plays-by-his-own-rules, smart-aleck lawman works really well.
I liked Reasonable Force as well. I wasn't completely enthralled by the whole modern order of demon hunting monks thing, though. I love the urban fantasy of all the stories in general, but it doesn't play out as well in this one. However, I think it's more than made up for by the bawdy scenes. Daniel and Korim have this extremely competitive relationship in the bedroom (alley, restroom, abandoned warehouse...) that really works.
The mechanics of the demon from Hungry were not my cup of tea. What I mean to say is, Rafael is too far from an archetypal demon for my tastes. He's like the Twilight-style vampire of demons. I understand it's completely acceptable to deviate from the standard representations of things, but it really didn't seem warranted here. On the plus side, the story itself was great. I loved the naive and adorable cops, and all the raunchy bits, for instance. It just would have been that much better without all the extraneous background information.
Cool Heat was OK. The concept is decent, as are the characters, etc. It's just the actual writing that's lacking. Everything is too direct, there isn't enough finesse. Sometimes when you read one of these things, you get a very clear impression of what sort of story the authors themselves must enjoy. I tend to see that as a problem.
A Calling for Pleasure is the main story that vies for the top spot, in my opinion of course. It stands to reason; I liked Absolutely Magic, and in this similar story the comedy has been upgraded to buddy cop. The plot is great, to the point where I'd read it without the titillating parts. Rael might be a little over the top, but that tail! Yes, please! What good is being a demon without an extra appendage or two? I don't know how some of these other authors don't get that. It's like they're thinking "You know what would be sexy? If my demon character had absolutely no demonic physical features!" Beefcake Lars is super cute too, and really well written.
Screamin' Demon is the third contender for my favorite story. Exactly the right amount of background info to make the characters work, with no unnecessary details. Sexy as hell, literally in this case. The icing on the cake is that on the surface, Mick and Azarian hate each other. They, of course, wind up in bed anyway. That is a trope I truly enjoy.
Probably my least favorite story was A Perfect Target. You really cannot help but imagine the whole thing belongs in the middle of a bigger story that you haven't read. Too many characters are mentioned in passing who could have been elided. Even some of the characters we are introduced to are of no consequence to the story. Finally, this yarn, like Hungry, makes much too liberal use of the concept demon.
Not too much to say about The One Who Comes in the Night. It's the exact sort of thing someone in the protagonist's actual position might wish would happen to them. I'm not the biggest fan of this sort of wish-fulfillment fiction, even if my life is equally as pathetic as Drew's.
I have no idea how to rate Payday. I know I liked it better than some, worse than some others. There were some implacable things about this story that kind of threw me off. It was otherwise not bad.
Absolutely Magic might be my favorite. I don't know how you go from gay demon smut to loose cannon cop comedy, but it was a brilliant move. Somehow having the (demon) tail chasing romantic lead also be a plays-by-his-own-rules, smart-aleck lawman works really well.
I liked Reasonable Force as well. I wasn't completely enthralled by the whole modern order of demon hunting monks thing, though. I love the urban fantasy of all the stories in general, but it doesn't play out as well in this one. However, I think it's more than made up for by the bawdy scenes. Daniel and Korim have this extremely competitive relationship in the bedroom (alley, restroom, abandoned warehouse...) that really works.
The mechanics of the demon from Hungry were not my cup of tea. What I mean to say is, Rafael is too far from an archetypal demon for my tastes. He's like the Twilight-style vampire of demons. I understand it's completely acceptable to deviate from the standard representations of things, but it really didn't seem warranted here. On the plus side, the story itself was great. I loved the naive and adorable cops, and all the raunchy bits, for instance. It just would have been that much better without all the extraneous background information.
Cool Heat was OK. The concept is decent, as are the characters, etc. It's just the actual writing that's lacking. Everything is too direct, there isn't enough finesse. Sometimes when you read one of these things, you get a very clear impression of what sort of story the authors themselves must enjoy. I tend to see that as a problem.
A Calling for Pleasure is the main story that vies for the top spot, in my opinion of course. It stands to reason; I liked Absolutely Magic, and in this similar story the comedy has been upgraded to buddy cop. The plot is great, to the point where I'd read it without the titillating parts. Rael might be a little over the top, but that tail! Yes, please! What good is being a demon without an extra appendage or two? I don't know how some of these other authors don't get that. It's like they're thinking "You know what would be sexy? If my demon character had absolutely no demonic physical features!" Beefcake Lars is super cute too, and really well written.
Screamin' Demon is the third contender for my favorite story. Exactly the right amount of background info to make the characters work, with no unnecessary details. Sexy as hell, literally in this case. The icing on the cake is that on the surface, Mick and Azarian hate each other. They, of course, wind up in bed anyway. That is a trope I truly enjoy.
Probably my least favorite story was A Perfect Target. You really cannot help but imagine the whole thing belongs in the middle of a bigger story that you haven't read. Too many characters are mentioned in passing who could have been elided. Even some of the characters we are introduced to are of no consequence to the story. Finally, this yarn, like Hungry, makes much too liberal use of the concept demon.
Not too much to say about The One Who Comes in the Night. It's the exact sort of thing someone in the protagonist's actual position might wish would happen to them. I'm not the biggest fan of this sort of wish-fulfillment fiction, even if my life is equally as pathetic as Drew's.
I have no idea how to rate Payday. I know I liked it better than some, worse than some others. There were some implacable things about this story that kind of threw me off. It was otherwise not bad.
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