I've been seeing these books around the blogosphere, and after hearing the main character, Jackie Brighton. is caught between both a vampire and a fallen angel? Well, you should all know by now those are two of my favorite things. Of course I had to read them! And I was super excited to find them both while shopping around on Wednesday. Oh yes, I inhaled these books in less than two days!
First off, the disclaimer: I, the reviewer, purchased these books on my own. No books, or money, were given in exchange for a review.
From the back of "Gentlemen Prefer Succubi": " Jackie Brighton woke up in a Dumpster this morning, and her day has only gotten weirder. Her familiar B-cups have somehow become double Ds, her sex drive is insatiable, and apparently she had her first one-night stand ever... with a fallen angel. All she remembers is gorgeous Noah's oddly hypnotic blue eyes... and then a dark stranger whose bite transformed her into an immortal sire with a sexy Itch. With help from Noah, Jackie begins to adapt to her new lifestyle - until she accidentally sends Noah into the deadly clutches of the vampire queen and lands herself in a fierce battle for an ancient halo with the queen's wickedly hot right-hand man. Who just happens to be the vampire who originally bit her. How's a girl supposed to save the world when the enemy's so hard to resist? "
Well, as I stated previously, I inhaled these books. I loved them, and was so engrossed in Jackie's story, that I stayed up way past my bedtime so that I could finish reading the first one. And it took everything I had to not start the second one right afterwards. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved the way she became immortal, and I loved the differences in the two guys. What? Oh.. you want details of why? Sure, sure that makes sense. Let's go into each one on it's own.
First off, the idea of how she became a Succubus. In Jill Myles' world, where these wonderful characters meet, there are vampires - fallen angels that made deals with demons, and therefore have to feed on blood, and fallen angels - those that at least try to stay pure, but have been cursed (due to their fall) to be required to have sex and pleasure someone at the full moon.. and nearly every other time of the month. And to become a Succubus, one must be fed on by both a vampire and a Serim (fallen angel), oh.. and then die for about two days. Jackie was lucky enough to be that girl, and after waking up in a dumpster, she started noticing some changes. Which fascinated me just about as much as her. I mean, really, I was so into the story and the dynamics of her change that I might have missed some things because I was reading so fast, so I will definitely re-read these... maybe now. Oh, alright, I'll wait til I finish the review.
Now on to the contrasts between two of the characters, Zane and Noah. Oh sure, some might think it cheesy and overdone to have Noah, the Serim, be a blonde god, the good guy, always there to fall back on should Jackie need help. And in contrast, Zane is the god of leather and chains, dark hair, the bad boy you just can't trust. But it's perfect. What makes it even more perfect, is that you know both men have their opposing moments, ones where Zane can be the good guy, can do what's right, and where Noah can be almost frightening. Part of Jackie being a Succubus means she is tied to both these men, and I can see why should would have a difficult time picking one to be the recipient of her complete loyalty.. well, that, and the fact that both men can command her to do anything. The guys, in my opinion, were perfectly done. I loved them both, despite their issues and flaws, and I knew they were all the more perfect characters for having them. And then there's Remy, a fellow Succubus, and Jackie's new best friend, as well as mentor. She's.. flighty, to say the least. But you can tell she's fully embraced the fact that she's a Succubus, and decided to have fun with it, which isn't terrible. The only thing I had an issue with is that Remy's masters never appear in these two books. Maybe Jackie just got lucky, with two masters that want to keep an eye on her, as well as even care for her, but I would want to keep Remy close, if I were her master. Well, that sounds dirty...
As for the plot itself, I can see why some people might find the fact that Jackie just keeps getting herself further into trouble annoying. And maybe, for a second, I did too. But then I realized, if I put myself in this characters place, I think I would have had the same problem, if not made it even worse. Like in much paranormal and fantasy fiction, you need to be careful what you say, because you could make a promise that will end up getting you hurt, or killed. And when Jackie is tossed into a world where favors and promises, and keeping them, could mean the difference between life or death for either you or someone you care about... yeah, you're probably going to get yourself in trouble too. Luckily, Jackie has some amazing fellow leading characters to back her up - Remy, Zane, and Noah.
As I said, I loved these books. I want... no, I NEED more of them. I need to know what happens to Jackie, Noah, Zane, and Remy. As for a rating, is it really a surprise that I'm giving "Gentlemen Prefer Succubi" and "Succubi Like It Hot" a FIVE out of FIVE? I didn't think so. I love the plot, I love the character dynamics, and I want my own Zane. And Noah. Actually, if either of them want to give up Jackie and want to make me a Succubus, I'd be all for it. I mean, really.
Well, Happy Reading! And definitely check out both of these wonderful books by Jill Myles!
~!~ Morning Glow
