Review: Demonic

Demonic by Sheri Whitefeather

Publication Date: August 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Erotic Romance/ Paranormal
Pages: Paperback, 256pp
ISBN-13: 9780425241417
ISBN: 0425241416

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Heat)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Sheri Whitefeather on the WEB: website, blog, facebook

Excerpt from Demonic Warning: This excerpt may not be appropriate for readers under 18 years of age.

Synopsis:

A fantasy so shocking, so deliciously dangerous, only one thing could be hotter... the reality.

Writer Jane Brooks enlists her two friends, Emily and Suzanne, to help research an article by combing an underground sex club where patrons masquerade as supernatural beings and engage in the most bizarre games imaginable... and unimaginable. Then three men disguised as demons convince Jane and her friends to become more than spectators. How can they say no to such powerful, demanding, and desirable strangers?

Jane's man is a hypnotist, as evidenced by his uncanny sensual bondage that has her begging for more. Emily has found her dream man, too... a reclusive artist with a thirst for bloodred wine and a touch that drives Emily wild. And Suzanne's seducer is a musician who prefers to expose their wicked sex secrets in the most public of places.

Yet right from the start, the women are made aware of a rumor: one of these demons-in-disguise is the real thing, guarded by his two mortal friends. At first it seems too unbelievable to be true, but as details emerge, danger prevails, and they have no idea how far the fantasy will go, or how dark the next erotic game will be. Or what will happen if one of them falls irrevocably in love with a demon...

Thoughts:

Author Sheri Whitefeather takes on the huge task of writing a book based on three main couples as opposed to one, in her latest erotic romance, Demonic. Whitefeather's ability to blend all three romances into one tale was well done. Readers who are like their romances with a hint of the paranormal will enjoy the mystery of whether or not the men in this book possess supernatural qualities or whether they are just superhuman!

Jane Brooks is a writer for L.A. Underground, a magazine that keeps people informed about the more sensual and erotic side of the city. When Jane decides to write an article about a sex club shes heard about called, Aeonian, she enlists the help of two friends to check it out. They've heard stories that the patrons of the club, dress as supernatural beings from vampires to demons and participate in all kinds of kinky and exotic sexual games. The ladies intend to be voyeurs, watchers, while not participating, but that all changes when they meet three friends disguised as demons...

Whitefeather takes a big leap of faith, trying to fit the story of three couples into one book. It's a bit of a stretch even for an erotic romance. The story is fast paced and though each couple gets a certain amount of time, I think the author could have spaced this out more and made a trilogy out of it. There is so much more we could have learned about each couple. That's not to say that I didn't like the book, I did! It had a lot of good points and that's probably my only criticism. I just wanted to know more about these interesting characters. Perhaps she will write another book featuring them in the future.

Each couple had a specific dynamic. With Marcus and Jane it was BDSM. He was obviously a dom and wanted Jane to express her submissive side. I was happy that the author didn't allow Marcus to take this aspect of his relationship with Jane too far. There is just enough to keep it spicy and interesting, while not making the reader uncomfortable. I think some erotic romances take this way to far and I was glad it wasn't the case in this one. I liked Marcus as a character. He was strong and mysterious, but he also had a very soft side which comes out in the way he felt about his family and how he treats Damian and Jake. Jane makes a good sub and it's apparent that this is something that really turns her on. She was intelligent and intriguing and I think readers will like the combination of these two.

Suzanne and Jake have a different MO. Jake is definitely not a voyeur. He enjoys watching, participating in a very public way is what gets his motor running. As a musician he is used to people watching him play his music and enjoying him and he takes that a step further in his sexual appetites. He encourages Jane to explore her inhibitions and become more of an exhibitionist. Jake was very sexy and charming. He was a take charge kind of guy, being the first among the trio to make his move. But as with Marcus, there are other sides to his personality as well. Suzanne is the kind of woman who doesn't realize she's looking for someone to settle down with and when it keeps coming into her mind with Jake she tries to push it aside, but it just won't rest. Can a relationship based on sex ever be more than just a game?

Emily and Damian are again a totally different kind of couple. Emily is very repressed sexually and it's up to Damian to get her to loosen up and explore her sensuality. He is an artist, a kind of renaissance man with an old world kind of air about him. He's very intriguing and passionate. Damian was my favorite of the three men. Emily was kind of hard to get into at first, but when she finally let herself go, she got a lot more interesting. It was almost like she had never experienced those kinds of feelings before. The relationships she had, had with other men were obviously not great and I think she learned a lot about herself that she didn't know before. Whitefeather did an amazing job of describing each set of characters.

The mysterious aspect of the book dealt with the fact that one of the three men who introduced themselves to the women as demons, could possibly be a real demon guarded by his human friends. That's where the paranormal kick comes into play. I liked the overall idea and kept switching my opinion of which one of them it could be often as more is revealed about each one. One of the things I found most interesting was the camaraderie and real friendship that existed between Marcus, Jake and Damian. It was nice to see men, who were loyal and really cared about each other. The ladies have a good friendship too, but there seemed to be a deeper bond between the guys. Whitefeather keeps readers guessing, until she's ready for the big reveal.

The sex in this one isn't overwhelming. It is certainly a big part of the book, but it doesn't overpower the story. Whitefeather does a good job of switching back and forth between the couples and revealing just enough information to keep readers guessing throughout. It's fast paced and easy to keep up with. I thought Whitefeather's descriptions of the club atmosphere as well as the men in their own homes was interesting and I had to wonder at what kind of research she did, to get her details right, LOL! I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to erotic romance readers. It has just enough of a paranormal bent to draw in some supernatural enthusiasts as well. This is however an erotic romance and not appropriate for readers under 18-years of age.

Demonic is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




Sheri WhiteFeather is a national bestselling author. She has won numerous awards, including reader's and reviewer's choice honors. She writes a variety of romance novels for Harlequin Books. She also writes erotic romances for Berkley.

Sheri has become known for incorporating Native American elements into her stories. She has two grown children who are tribally enrolled members of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Sheri is of Italian-American descent. Her great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy through Ellis Island, originating from Castel di Sangro and Sicily.

She lives in California and enjoys ethnic dining, shopping in vintage stores and visiting art galleries and museums.