Personal Demons [Paperback]

FINALLY - a book with heroine that's far from being goody-two shoes! I have been waiting for one which so blatantly shows a heroine's flaws, without me being actually annoyed by or disliking the aforementioned heroine, and after a long wait, here it is! Personal Demons. Boy do I love it. I think this book might probably be a bad boy on its own, but I love it all the more for being so!

Let me start with the characters - Frannie, Luc and Gabe. Like I mentioned, Frannie is a character I feel I've long waited for, and she is fun to be with - she is easy to admire, but she is also easy to correct. She's unique, surprising, and whether girls out there admit it or not, we're all a bit like Frannie inside! I love her.

Speaking of characters I love, let me start with Gabe and end with a very gushy, explosive sigh over Luc. Gabe is truly heavenly and someone you'd want to devote yourself to. I did not feel he was a major character in the book; his role seem to only develop Luc more. And Luc? Luc is sinful and hotter than hell. He's sizzling both inside and out and really made me blush while reading. Yep, I like this guy.

As much as I love Frannie, I'd have to say I loved every word in Luc's narration. He's hilarious and unlike any demon I ever imagined. Though seven millennia old, he retains his teenage boy mind and sometimes act immaturely that it's difficult to differentiate him from his real, breathing earthly counterpart. He amused me to no end and spiced everything up. Have I mentioned he's hot? Or that I'm definitely, loyally Team Luc?

Now one of my issues about Personal Demons is the slight confusion behind the whole celestials against infernals tug of war. It dips immediately into Luc's perspective and since only he and Frannie alternately narrate the whole book, it is only really Luc who refers to the background and back story. However, he does not explain this quite well enough, which was why I kept wondering who some characters were, what certain words mean and how things generally work out. Perhaps a general prologue about the background of the whole celestial and infernal war and the tagging of souls would have been a better introduction.

I'm not sure how much this flaw affected the plot, but I found the book more romantic than suspenseful - not that I have any complaints about that. While I was not too bothered about Frannie shifting back and forth between Gabe and Luc, I felt the reason behind this was not thoroughly explained. I would have liked a little more elaboration about why Gabe is too irresistible for her (Luc, I can completely understand) - is it part of what he is?, etc. Perhaps this is because only two characters narrate the story, so I'd look out for the sequel in the hopes of discovering more and clearing out some of these issues.

Having said that, there's no reason why this book should be missed. It's sexy, it's hilarious, and IT HAS LUC. Full stop.

Luc is a demon and his job is to tag Frannie's soul for Hell. He has lived for thousands of years and was born in Hell itself. He is not a good guy. However, when Luc meets Frannie, something about her changes him and eventually he has to choose between being damned to torture in the Lake of Fire for all of eternity, or walking away from Frannie and letting her seek comfort in the arms (not to mention wings) of her angel protector, Gabe.

(As a quick "aside", The only thing I actually didn't like about this book was the naming of some of the characters. Lucifer "Luc" Cain is the demon, Gabriel is the angel, and Mary Frances, a.k.a Frannie, is the human whose soul hangs in the balance. I thought the names were just a bit too pointed...Actually, I thought they were about as subtle as being slapped in the face with an anvil!)

So, Luc or Gabe? It seems like an easy choice, right? Both want her, both end up loving her, but whereas Luc needs to damn Frannie to Hell, Gabe can offer her Heaven. It should be easy, but DesRochers works the narrative so that you can't help but want all the wrong things for Frannie, even though the result of her choosing Luc seems like a damnable mistake.

I found myself completely enthralled in Frannie's confusion and, as a reader, I didn't know what I wanted for her! The two male leads, Gabe and Luc left me feeling off balance and I therefore empathised with our heroine. That's not to say that she didn't piss me off royally at times! Okay, she has an angel and demon manipulating her feelings and overwhelming her raging teenage hormones, but still... keep it in your pants, girl! She seemed a little flakey at times and I just wished she'd make a decision and stop basking in the attention. Then again, if I had the likes of Luc and Gabe lusting after me (though I suppose only Luc is capable of lust...it being a sin and all), I'm not sure I'd want to cut either of them loose either.

I felt so torn reading this book that I now feel I need to read something easier on the soul! Pun intended.

I'm a BIG fan of the audiobook and, as such, I'm a member of audible.co.uk. Every month I get a credit to use on an audiobook of my choosing. This month, a lovely librarian friend of mine (@asamum on Twitter, or you can see her website at www.asamumbooktopia.com - follow her!) recommended I try Personal Demons, by Lisa DesRochers. Being a trusting soul I promptly spent my credit on the title and set about listening. This review will talk both about the text itself and the Audible Productions recording. As I listened to the book, I apologise for any misspellings in the names that might appear.

The book is divided into two distinct narrative voices, those of Luc and Frannie. Michael Nathanson narrated Luc's narratives and Sara Barnett voiced Frannie's. At first I thought they had cast too young a voice for Frannie, but Barnett's expression and emotional clarity quickly won me over. She made DesRochers' writing take on an extra dimension. Michael Nathanson's narration was actually kind of swoon-worthy. I think I could listen to that guy read the phonebook and I'd be quite content. So it was extra swoon-worthy as he had such a vivid character and voice to portray.

Luc is a demon and his job is to tag Frannie's soul for Hell. He has lived for thousands of years and was born in Hell itself. He is not a good guy. However, when Luc meets Frannie, something about her changes him and eventually he has to choose between being damned to torture in the Lake of Fire for all of eternity, or walking away from Frannie and letting her seek comfort in the arms (not to mention wings) of her angel protector, Gabe.

(As a quick "aside", The only thing I actually didn't like about this book was the naming of some of the characters. Lucifer "Luc" Cain is the demon, Gabriel is the angel, and Mary Frances, a.k.a Frannie, is the human whose soul hangs in the balance. I thought the names were just a bit too pointed...Actually, I thought they were about as subtly as being slapped in the face with an anvil!)

So, Luc or Gabe? It seems like an easy choice, right? Both want her, both end up loving her, but whereas Luc needs to damn Frannie to Hell, Gabe can offer her Heaven. It should be easy, but DesRochers works the narrative so that you can't help but want all the wrong things for Frannie, even though the result of her choosing Luc seems like a damnable mistake.

I found myself completely enthralled in Frannie's confusion and, as a reader, I didn't know what I wanted for her! The two male leads, Gabe and Luc left me feeling off balance and I therefore empathised with our heroine. That's not to say that she didn't piss me off royally at times! Okay, she has an angel and demon manipulating her feelings and overwhelming her raging teenage hormones, but still... keep it in your pants, girl! She seemed a little flakey at times and I just wished she'd make a decision and stop basking in the attention. Then again, if I had the likes of Luc and Gabe lusting after me (though I suppose only Luc is capable of lust...it being a sin and all), I'm not sure I'd want to cut either of them loose either.

The sequel to Personal Demons is called Original Sin and it will be out this year. I'm both thrilled and dismayed by this. I'm thrilled because I adored the first book and loved the characters. I'm dismayed because I'm not sure I can take any more bumps in the road for Frannie! I felt so torn reading this book that I now feel I need to read something easier on the soul! Pun intended.