Her Soul to Take
by Harley Laroux
Leon
I earned my reputation among magicians for a reason: one wrong move and you're dead. Killer, they called me, and killing is what I'm best at.
Except her.
The one I was supposed to take, the one I should have killed - I didn't.
The cult that once controlled me wants her, and I'm not about to lose my new toy to them.
Rae
I've always believed in the supernatural. Hunting for ghosts is my passion, but summoning a demon was never part of the plan. Monsters are roaming the woods, and something ancient - something evil - is waking up and calling my name.
I don't know who I can trust, or how deep this darkness goes.
All I know is my one shot at survival is the demon stalking me, and he doesn't just want my body - he wants my soul.
Spice Level: 5/6 | Story Score: 8/10 | Rating: 4.5/5 |
This book has been sitting on my TBR for a long time. I like the cover and I just kept coming back to it and the trigger warnings had me scared, but I love demon stories and…ugh. Now, I’ve never read “horror erotica,” so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I don’t particularly do horror at all, even though I read a lot of demon romances. Unless you are EASILY (VERY EASILY) triggered, this book isn’t going to be a problem. I will break them down in the spoilers section.
This blurb is…somehow both accurate and misleading. Lol.
Leon is a demon that has been held captive (with magic) by a family for 100 years. He’s been forced to serve them and kept in a concrete room anytime he wasn’t serving them. This family is at the center of a cult dedicated to unleashing an ancient god, the Deep One. With a little luck and a little help, he is able to get free.
Only to be summoned by Rae, a girl who is a ghost hunter and awkwardly obsessed with paranormal things. She wasn’t even exactly TRYING to summon him. She was just trying to get more views on her vlog and thought faking a summoning would be good enough. Turns out that Rae is also a needed sacrifice by this cult. Luckily for her, Leon likes her.
The rest of this book is Leon trying to keep Rae safe while Rae specifically tries to not keep herself safe. Lol.
There’s also a cat named Cheesecake. I appreciated that.
Hmm, characters: I loved Leon. He was protective (swoon) and nice (thank you) and he was willing to give Rae every dark fantasy she had (fuck yeah). Leon is obsessed with any and all things being done willingly, which I adore. Rae was…fine. I didn’t DISLIKE her even though she was dumb a lot. I didn’t enjoy her fascination with ghosts and paranormal things, but mostly because it felt…off. Can a person feel like a poser even if that’s not the goal of the author? I dunno. It just felt disingenuous a lot. I think she was only into that because the author needed a reason for her to believe so easily in Leon, but I don’t think it was necessary. I think she could’ve just been a curious person.
Typically, I don’t do dark romances. Dark stories, sure, but I require a certain level of kindness between my main characters. This book was FABULOUS about this for me. Rae was presented as a woman with dark/kinky/taboo desires BEFORE her and Leon start getting it on. He didn’t have to lead her into that and he didn’t have to teach her anything, and that alone made everything so easy for me to stomach. This might be one of the easiest-to-read stories I’ve encountered with darker kinks. Rae WANTS and LOVES the pain and humiliation/degradation. She craves it. Knowing that she was into it before he ever touched her made it entirely fine in my head and I didn’t cringe or sit the book aside for any scene. I normally cannot handle erotic punishment in books. Not because of the pain/humiliation aspect, but because I don’t feel like a person you’re having sex with is entitled to absolve you of your sins. I do not believe that another person can be your priest, god, or judge and jury. This book showed me that I do not actually believe that as a blanket statement and sometimes I think it’s entirely understandable. I love books that make me think and even alter my perceptions. Love them.
(I understand some people have much darker tastes than I do and honestly, this book would probably be too gentle for you.)
I did have to put the book down though. I had to sit it aside and calm myself down for a part that had nothing to do with sex. I’ll also put it below in the spoilers.
In general, I think this book is good. I think it’s GREAT for someone who likes PNR and is interested in exploring the darker side of kinks without diving into some of the darker things. This book was a thousand percent easier for me to stomach than others I read (i.e. The Stroke of Midnight) and I think it’s honestly a great demonstration of consent and play. I enjoyed so many of the passages (I highlighted 28 things), picking a quote was difficult.
Kinks to be mentioned will be the first thing in the spoilers because I’m not sure if it’s something that is necessary to know beforehand.
-SPOILERS-
Kinks that AREN’T in the trigger warnings: Praise, toys, he’s obsessed with eating her out, making her orgasm more than once and quickly, squirting, and he has a forked tongue (but a demon one and not a body modification one so it’s much more dexterous). Is screaming a kink? I feel like it should be, lol. He loves hearing her scream (but they’re always the sexy kind).
Trigger warning breakdown: CNC/Breath Play/Choking: Yes. It is in the book. It is what it is. She’s consenting to being forced and if that’s a trigger for you, at least two scenes of this book will be hard. He enjoys his hand around her throat and so does she. One of the times is different from the others (more angry than sexy, I think) but at no point is the choking…out of hand?
Blood Play: he has claws and they cut her (intentionally) and he licks it up. HE IS A DEMON. Honestly, it’s one of the least shocking blood play scenes I’ve ever read. It’s almost sweet.
Spit: I’m pretty sure he spits into her mouth…twice? It’s not focused on. It’s done and the next thing is happening and whatever. Lol.
Needle Play: I was scared here. Lol. But he pierces her nipples while making her ride a dildo. I mean…yep. If that’s a trigger for you, avoid. Lol.
I don’t remember the public play…unless they’re talking about him fingering her while his friend is there. Also a demon.
Impact/Pain Play: this chick loves pain. At not a single point, in her point of view, does she hesitate for it. He uses his hand, a belt. Uh, he has a giant dick, so that’s always a bit painful. He slaps her (at her request).
Fear play: He loves scaring her. Usually by showing his demonic side or sneaking up on her.
Bondage/Restraint: He uses demonic powers to make her feel restrained and points out that if she WANTED, she could move at any point. She never does. I think he may also hold her hands at one point?
If I have forgotten one, I apologize.
My biggest issue with this book wasn’t any of the listed triggers, lol. My issue is that Rae is a selfish bitch. Leon, who has told her he was kept captive by this family, trusts Rae enough that he finally tries to rest. He’s just protected her AGAIN and he’s hurt and he just needs to sleep. Rae (I’m so mad about this) puts him in a damn binding circle and TRAPS HIM AGAIN. He’s told her that all he wants is to just be free. And she traps him again. I feel like that breach of trust was so much worse than any sexual trigger in this book. I couldn’t breathe for the way she violated him.
Which leads me to my enlightening moment.
Once he’s free, he punishes Rae. She feels awful (whatever) and he punishes her to get them past it. And I’m torn. Because she violated HIM, so HE has the right to (consensually) punish her to help them both move on. It makes sense. He’s the one that has to forgive her, so if it’s enough for him, then it should be enough for anyone else.
However, I don’t understand how that rebuilds trust. Lol. I didn’t feel like that proved that she wouldn’t do it again. I don’t understand that mindset and I realllllly wish I did because I hold grudges and worries for so long and it would be wonderful if I could just spank someone and be over it. Then again, when my 4-year-old says something mean or does something wrong, after we discuss it and she’s punished (usually by a time out), I let it go. So maybe it’s truly the most genuine form of love to be able to do so? Also not something I thought about until now and that’s a mindfuck for me, honestly.
Book #1 in the Souls trilogy Standalone | 493 Pages | Trope Challenge: Demon Hero |
He looked at me like I was nothing more than a toy, but when he lowered his voice and spoke again, there was reverence in his words. “Your mouth is perfect. Your body is perfect. Your mind, that damned curious mind, is perfect.” His hold on me wasn’t gentle, but the kiss he laid on my forehead was. “You’re mine, even if you don’t believe it. And I treasure what’s mine. Now, open your fucking mouth.”
- Leon, Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux
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