Fearless Desires

Immortal Love #1

by Stacey Espino

Delius never asked for his fate, but in a world that placed all its faith in prophecy, he would be a fool to challenge it. He felt like a parasite, forced to live off the fear of humans. From the first time Delius became trapped in Selina's mind and seduced by her provocative thoughts, he was drawn to her. She was a mystery that turned into an obsession. Yet, for them to have a life together, Delius would have to go against his own race that demanded he fulfill his destiny. One that did not include Selina.

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Erotica

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2010

About the author

Stacey Espino resides in Canada with her husband and children.

She enjoys writing erotic romance that will have you squirming in your seat. From hardcore cowboys to alpha shifters, she has you covered!

Stacey also co-writes with author Sam Crescent.

Website: http://www.staceyespino.com

Reviews

[Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delius and his five brothers are Fear Demons. But in Ms. Espino’s world, demons are not hideous creatures from hell. The Demons (Fear, Lust and Aggression) are immortal beings that look like humans (good looking ones, albeit) and feed off human energy. They (rarely) hurt humans, but they (are not supposed to) interfere with human activities.

Delius has never been happy with his lot in life - feeling like a leach and always witnessing the “evil” humanity has to offer. He is sent to investigate a human that doesn’t project fear, and as soon as he sees Selina, he is drawn to her. She is an enigma, but it’s more that the mystery that attracts him. He cannot help but feel possessive and the desire for both blooms. Soon, Selina is pulled into the unknown world of Demons, where faith in prophecy rule above all and an impending Demon War is looming.

This book was like CRACK for me. I seriously could not put it down. I was reading while at work, in my car (not while driving), while making dinner, in line and the grocery store, etc. It started with the unique and engrossing mythology. Then I couldn’t resist the smokin’ hot sex scenes. But Ms. Espino reeled me in with the love story. Delius and Selina are a great couple. They come from different worlds and they struggle to find their way together. They try to figure out if love can conquer all... can one choose love that is forbidden? What if it is not fated? What if choosing love means war and death? Their scenes were touching, heart-warming, and at times heart-wrenching.

I did get a bit annoyed with the brothers’ and Selena’s critical thinking abilities. There is no question that Selena is different, but when they all jump to the same (and wrong) conclusion about her origins I wanted to scream, because it was obvious that they were wrong! But luckily, they all figured out who is what and who belongs to whom in a fairly timely manner.

And in the middle of all of this hot romance, mating and action is a mystery. There is a rogue Fear Demon killing humans through nightmares (which is against the rules). It was fun to try and put together all of the pieces and watch them unfold (I was wrong with my guesses!) This story is a wonderful mix of paranormal fantasy, erotic romance, action and mystery. I cannot wait to read Ms. Espino’s follow up book, Fearless Love (which I will review next month).

My Rating: 4.5 stars: Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)

[Janna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre & Keywords:
M/F, Paranormal Romance, Demons, Destiny

Series:
Fearless Desires is the first book in the Immortal Love series and follows demon Delius. He's the only brother that isn't content with his heritage. He feels like a parasite to humans. The second book, Fearless Love, focuses on Javen, the most ruthless Highland brother. It will take a special woman to tame him. The third book has yet to come out and will be about Loukas, another one of the Highland demon brothers.

~~~~~
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2.5 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

Why I read it:
I received a review copy from the author

Quote from Stacey Espino:

“I'm a HUGE paranormal romance fan!!! When I started this series, I wanted to create a unique world, so my Fear Demons (Lust and Aggression, too) were born. I wanted fear to have a body, to be more than just an emotion. If a Fear Demon loved you, what else would you have to be afraid of?”

My thoughts:
I’m not an experienced paranormal romance reader but as far as I can tell the world building in the Immortal Love series is definitely unique, it’s highly original and deliciously complex and clever without it getting too hard to grasp. There are three types of demons in this world: Fear Demons, Lust Demons and Aggression Demons.

The Highland brothers are (very powerful) Fear Demons. Delius, the hero of this first installment of the series, lives in a big house with his 5 brothers: Aquila, Rune, Javen, Loukas and Gemaro. All have their own characteristics, although I’m sure there’s a lot more to these brothers than we learn about in this first book, which concentrates mainly on Delius and a smaller part on Rune as well.
As Fear Demons they have to ‘feed’ on humans’ fear. And Delius is the only brother who isn’t content with this fate, he hates the parasiting. Most Fear Demons don’t care, but nevertheless they live by the moral not to hurt humans physically. So when it’s rumored that one of the Fear Demons is using humans up to the point of death, all hell breaks loose in their world, with Lust Demons declaring war to Fear Demons. And this is only the beginning of Ms. Espino’s compelling world building!

At the same time there’s this intriguing woman, Selina, who has caught the attention of one of the brothers because she doesn’t seem to have feelings of fear. Delius is sent out to investigate this woman to make sure she isn’t a threat to their world. It turns out she is, but in a completely different way than they thought. And what a delicious threat she is to Delius’ world! When the two of them get together in the same room, the air starts to sizzle.

Ms Espino certainly knows how to convey her protags’ feelings of heat and attraction. The love scenes between Delius and Selina are smokin’ hot! It was more than convincing that they found their mate in the other person. There’s no denying it. Yet, they do just that, of course. ;)
Honestly, the not willing to see their destiny part got a tad annoying. It started to irritate me that they all (brothers included) chose ongoingly to see the wrong ‘solution’ to their ‘riddle’ (I don’t want to give away too much). It felt as if the right ‘solution’ was right in front of them, pointed at with neon lighted arrows and all, and they still refused to see it, but rather stepped around it, lol!

The above especially made me feel disappointed in Selena. While in the beginning of her acquaintance with Delius she seemed to grasp on to the highly unknown demon world very quickly, even using ‘insiders’ words as ‘mate’ without being told about them. So, I expected her to see the right ‘solution’ rather quickly and at least to discover it herself. But stunningly enough it was another character, a Lust Demon, who had to point it out to her (and the others).
All in all, Selena felt a bit off and she’s just not my favorite type of heroine. On first sight she seems a tough, kick-ass chick but the longer I ‘knew’ her the more she became unstable, not as a person, but as a character. For example, near the end of the book, she’s doing one of her kick-ass things after which she can point out the murdering Fear Demon who caused all the trouble to begin with. The problem I have is that I can’t remember that she has ever met that killer before, yet she points him/her out by mentioning his/her name. How could she recognize him/her? Or does my memory fail me? (very well possible, I admit…)

Delius, on the other hand, is coming close to my favorite type of hero. His inner conflict about who he is and the fate he can’t escape is tugging at my heart. His firm resoluteness relating to his feelings for Selina is making my heart beat faster. And his utterly sexy and sinful looks are setting my heart on fire. So yeah, he’s a hero after my own heart. ;)
It’s a big bonus that Delius is part of a family with several other hot brothers who bring engaging dynamics with them. And I’m very much looking forward to each of their stories, to start with Javen’s in the second book, Fearless Love, which I’ll be reviewing next month. The world that Ms Espino built in this first book of the series offers endless possibilities for future installments. And that’s certainly something to look forward to.

[Wicked Lil Pixie (Natasha) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fearless Desires follows Delius, a fear demon. Delius can get into a humans mind and make them relive their greatest fears, while that fear sustains his immortality. When one of his brothers meets Selina, he asks Delius for help because he can’t sense fear in her while she was witnessing a brutal assault on one of her friends.

Selina has always felt she was weird and didn’t really belong but she never understood why. Delius wants to crack the mystery that surrounds Selina, but he may have to go against his own race or even worse, die for Selina.

I have to say before anything else, I loved Delius and his brothers (the Highlands). What a great set of characters! On top of the storyline between Selina and Delius, a second one is woven with one of the Highland brothers. I can’t tell you which, because it would ruin the story for you and we can’t have that.

I had a few issues with Selina’s background, I could tell right away how the storyline involving her was going to go, and it was sort of a disappointment that I guessed correctly. I love being surprised. I also didn’t like how fast Selina was to believe everything Delius told her without freaking out even a little bit. I mean, someone tells me their a demon…I’m going to be a bit more freaked out, even if he can’t sense my fear. I’d be a bit more “whoa”.

Overall, it was a good start to a series that holds promise with so many wonderful brothers to chose from. I hope the next female is a little bit more shell-shocked though.

3.5/5

[LynnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angelique’s Review

When I picked up this book, I had no idea what I was getting into. The first couple pages were confusing, but once I figured out what was happening, I was hooked until the end. Ms. Espino definitely has a way with words, making the reader feel like they are watching the book unfold right in front of them!

The heroine, Selina, was the right blend of action and emotion. She held her own during the story and was a great balance to the hero Delius. As a reader, I could feel the disappointment the Highland Brothers felt for their compassionate demon brother. He could have been a little more ruthless and the sex a bit rougher.

I was pleasantly surprised by a second storyline that expertly wound around the relationship between Selina and Delius. The theme of the story was relevant, but not overdone. I walked away with some things to think about in addition to the surge of warmth brought on from the well-crafted love scenes.

Overall, I was very pleased with this read and I think Ms. Espino has the beginnings of a great series here (hint hint)!


4 1/2 Tea Cups!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fate has never been kind to Delius. He is a fear demon - feeding on humans fears, creating terrible nightmares for sleeping victims. He is the boogeyman in the closet and he detests every minute of it. When he becomes trapped in Selina's mind, it is too much. He can't pull away. She's too tempting with her seductive thoughts. But for them to truly be together Delius will have to abandon his race and give up his destiny....

This is the first book in the Immortal Love series and one that I enjoyed. A curious story of demons and nightmares. I found the whole concept interesting. As demon stories go, I thought this one was unique. Fearless Desires is a compelling story. Full of passion and destiny, very seductive. I loved Delius and his brothers. Stacey Espino has written a delectable tale - that takes you away.

[Jennifer Salaiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very beginning of this story I was sucked into the world of Delius and his brothers. I can't tell you how captivated I truly became by the storyline. I don't want to go into too much for fear of giving it away, but I'll tell you this. It's a MUST read!! I look forward to reading the second book. :)

[Jan Bowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stacey Espino, weaves an original tale of demons and dark desire.

This story grabbed my attention from the very first page.

Stacey has a fantastic way of taking the reader on an exciting journey. She has a great imagination, and a lovely fluent writing style.

I would recommend this book to anyone.

Well done, Stacey.

[Sabrina Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so interesting and engaging, that I read it all in one day.

It kept my attention to the very last page.

Stacey Espino is a highly talented Author, and all her books make exceptional reading. Stacey has come up with an original paranormal. I'm looking forward to her next book in the series.

I highly recommend this read.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Stacey is a very talented writer! For me I normally like a lot of action and the woman saving the day. With this story, it played out well with a little action and it still kept me interested the whole time.

[Gale Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stacy creates emotional characters and a good plot as well as wonderfully written sexual encounters.

[მოყ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first half of this book. The world was interesting and new and fun, then everyone went stupid. Things that should have been glaringly obvious were ignored, and people jump to ridiculous conclusions. I had to push myself to finish this one, and that's a real bummer because again I really did enjoy the first half. It had so much potential