Hiya peeps, we have Larissa Ione popping in today with her newest release Base Instincts, we have a great excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and Shorty’s review, so enjoy the post and leave a comment (with a way to be contacted) <3 ~Pixie~

Base Instincts

Larissa Ione

As a Seminus demon, Raze’s life literally depends on having sex with females. The problem is that he doesn’t desire females, and it’s physically impossible for him to be with males. Thankfully, he and his best friend, Fayle, have an arrangement that keeps him alive . . . if lonely. He finds some solace in his work as a medic at Thirst, a vampire club known for its rough clientele. But his carefully structured world turns upside down when he meets a mysterious male who makes him want what he can never have.

Slake is an assassin used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is Raze. But he also wants to earn back the soul he sold when he was a much different demon. All he has to do is capture a runaway succubus named Fayle and hand her over to her family. What he doesn’t count on is being caught himself by a web of lies—and his attraction to Raze.

Raze and Slake must navigate a dangerous world to be together. But as Fayle’s jealousy of their relationship turns deadly, they find themselves embroiled in a battle not only for their love, but their lives and souls.

Larissa Ione!

Hi, everyone! I’m so excited to be on the Base Instincts blog tour. Raze and Slake’s story was a labor of love for me, and while theirs isn’t the first m/m story I’ve written, it’s a first for the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance series. If you’re curious about how it all started, be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win the first two books set in the Demonica/LOD universe, and for more information, head on over to www.LarissaIone.com!

Excerpt

Sure, the same could be said of any night at Thirst, but between the vampires feeding from the humans and the fights breaking out between all species as the moon hovered on the verge of becoming full, Raze had been one busy, exhausted medic. He’d been on duty for nine hours with only one slow period, and as he watched a heated argument break out at the bar, he knew it was time to gear up for another patch job.

Too bad, too, because that dark-haired male sitting alone in the far corner intrigued him. Intrigued him enough that for the first time in years, Raze was tempted to give in to a desire he rarely indulged in.

The argument escalated into physical violence, swelling from the original three instigators to eight, no, ten guys. One of the bartenders, a lion shifter named Lexi, shouted for the bouncers, who were already on the way. They started pulling people apart, but it took the club owner, Nate, and the manager, Marsden, both vampires, wading into the fray and tossing the fighters aside like rag dolls to break it up.

As Raze gloved up in preparation for treating injuries, most of the participants slunk away like beaten dogs to lick their wounds, but one hairy, horned dude got the boot out the side door. Another, his hand pressed against a gushing wound in this thigh, was dragged, cursing and growling, into the clinic and plopped onto the exam table.

Marsden and Lexi both gave Raze a look of sympathy and got the hell out of there before Raze could recruit them to help.

“Thanks, guys,” Raze shouted after them. “Next time you cut yourself while you’re slicing up limes, don’t come crying to me.”

Lexi cast him a saucy grin from over her shoulder while flipping him the bird with a freshly bandaged middle finger. Mars did the same, minus the saucy grin and bandage.

Laughing, he turned to his patient, who, if his sneer was any indication, didn’t have the same sense of humor as Mars and Lexi.

Damn it, Raze shouldn’t have answered the phone when Thirst’s number popped up on his caller ID this morning. This was supposed to have been his day off from both the club and Underworld General, not that he’d had any exciting plans. There weren’t even any good new movies out.

The patient bared his teeth at Raze, his slightly elongated fangs indicating that the dude wasn’t human. From the musky stench of him, Raze was going to guess he was some sort of animal shifter or were-creature, but given the approach of the full moon and its effects on weres, Raze was going to go with the latter.

“What’s your name?” Raze asked as he pulled the tray of first aid equipment toward him.

“Bite me.”

Oh yeah, this was going to be a good time. “Okay, Bite Me, what species are you?”

Bite Me narrowed his eyes. “Why the fuck does it matter? You gonna treat me different if I’m something you don’t like?”

Apparently, Bite Me was not only a mean drunk, he was one of those fun people who made everything about themselves and their personal views. “It’s important because every species and breed is unique, and each one has different medical needs and reactions to treatment.” Bite Me didn’t seem to be convinced, so Raze elaborated. “Dogs can take aspirin, but it’s toxic to cats. Oni demons will burst into flame if exposed to hydrogen peroxide, but it affects Sora demons the way alcohol affects humans.” He gestured to a suture kit on the equipment tray. “Some species can’t tolerate my healing power and need more traditional methods to close wounds. So stop being a prick and tell me what you are.”

Hatred rolled off Bite Me’s body as he locked gazes with Raze in a bold challenge. “Guess.”

“Well,” Raze drawled, “given your overdeveloped canines, foul stench, and sparkling personality, I’d say you’re a werewolf.”

“It’s warg, you Seminus scum,” the guy growled.

Raze’s hand jerked in surprise, not at the word—“warg” was what werewolves preferred to be called—but at the fact that the guy knew what a Seminus demon was. He kept his expression neutral, unwilling to let this unibrowed meathead know he’d struck a nerve.

“Congratulations,” he said flatly. “You have correctly identified an extremely rare breed of sex demon.”

The guy’s upper lip curled. “That’s because I’ve killed two of you bastards.”

Raze inhaled deeply, willing himself to stay calm. People killing Seminus demons happened too often, and unfortunately, much of it was deserved. Raze didn’t even want to think about how, if he didn’t bond with a female by the time he turned a hundred, he’d go through the second of two maturation processes: gaining fertility, a facial marking, and an unholy, uncontrollable need for sex. In fifty short years, he’d become a beast whose primary instinct was to reproduce, and any female within dick’s reach would be a target . . . willing or not.

Males of all species killed mature Sems on sight, which Raze figured was pretty understandable. Especially given that all offspring from a Seminus mating were born male Seminus demons—no matter what species the mother was. Raze’s own mother had been some sort of cave-dweller demon, but DNA tests performed at Underworld General hadn’t been able to identify the exact species, let alone the breed.

“Well, good for you,” Raze said, as he not-so-gently slapped his hand over the werewolf’s wound and activated his healing power. Stinging energy flowed through the markings on his arm, lighting them up like molten iron. In his mind, he saw the torn vessels, veins, and tissue in the wound begin to knit together. “Not everyone can go up against a Sem and survive. So . . . you gonna tell me your name? Or would you rather I keep calling you Bite Me? Because I’m fine with that.”

“I’m Heath, you demon parasite.”

“Parasite? That’s a little harsh. And unoriginal.” Raze sent another wave of power into Heath’s leg—but not to heal. This one was made of pain. Heath yelped, and Raze smiled. “Don’t fuck with the guy who is patching you up, asshole. I can just as easily kill you as heal you, and my boss is good at disposing of bodies. Keep that in mind.”

Heath leaned forward, teeth bared, canines elongating. “I’d rather die than let a filthy demon heal me.”

“Fine with m—”

In a sudden burst of fury, the bastard snared Raze by the throat and hauled him off his feet. Dude was strong, but then, werewolves were known for their strength. And their bad breath.

The werewolf stood, lifting Raze with him, his fingers squeezing Raze’s windpipe in a bruising hold. “One of you fucks stole my woman.”

There was nothing more cliché than a thick-skulled werewolf vowing revenge against an entire species because he’d been humiliated.

Raze would have said as much, but merely breathing took effort—talking was out of the question. He glanced over Heath’s shoulder and saw Marsden moving in to help, his broad, tall form shoving through the crowd like a bulldozer. Raze met his gaze, gave him the Back off, I’ve got this blink, and in a quick surge, he powered up his healing gift and jammed his fingers against Heath’s temple. Instantly, the power Raze normally used to heal ripped skin and flesh apart at a cellular level.

The werewolf shouted in agony and dropped Raze to the ground. Spinning, Raze clamped his hand around the back of Heath’s neck and frog-marched the idiot through the rear of the club toward the back door. Marsden trailed behind like a shadow, content to let Raze handle his own messes, but when Mars slipped into the security office, Raze knew he’d be watching everything through the state-of-the-art surveillance system.

Raze shoved open the door and gave the camera overhead a smirk as he shoved Heath outside. The meathead took an awkward swing the moment they stepped out into the pouring rain, and yup, Raze’s patience meter had pegged out. With a hard shove, he sent the guy stumbling through the puddles in the alley.

“You’re banished, asshole,” Raze growled.

“Fuck you.” Clutching his head in one hand, Heath wheeled around and slammed his fist into Raze’s jaw.

Raze hit the closed door in a crunch of spine, and damn that hurt. Pain radiated across his back and through his rib cage with such force that even taking a breath stung. Lightning flashed as the werewolf came at him again, but Raze ducked and spun, barely avoiding a blow that would have broken a lot of bones in his face.

Son of a bitch. This fucker needed to be put down like the rabid dog he was. Raze had never liked werewolves, but this one was a special kind of stupid, stubborn jackass.

With a roar, Raze charged the guy, nailing him in the gut with his shoulder. Heath oofed and stumbled backward, but he managed to bring down his fist like a hammer on the back of Raze’s neck. Raze hit the wet pavement in a crack of kneecaps, his ears ringing and his eyes blurring. He thought he heard a high-pitched whine followed by another hefty oof, and when his vision cleared, he caught an eyeful of Heath the Dick, his mouth smashed in a bloody mess, spitting blood, teeth, and . . . a marble?

Before the guy could recover from the injury that had shattered his grill, Raze readied his power and leaped to his feet. Thunder ripped through the air as he threw a right hook that laid the werewolf out hard, putting him facedown and unmoving on the pavement.

He shook out his fist, knowing he’d feel that punch in his knuckles later. Then, out of the corner of his eye . . . movement. Slowly, he shifted his body around, and there in the shadows, casually leaning against the brick wall of the building across the alley, was the leather-clad male who’d been eyeing him inside.

And in his hand, bouncing in his palm, was a small, glowing ball the size of a marble . . . just like the one the werewolf had spit out. Whatever it was, it was one hell of a weapon. But as Raze took in the stranger, whose dark eyes were gleaming with an eerie silver light, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he realized that as dangerous as the little glowing projectile was, its owner was far, far more lethal.

For more excerpt click here: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/base-instincts

About Larissa

Larissa Ione is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran and former EMT, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion for writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge . . . just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her US Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a tote bag with swag and signed copies of Pleasure Unbound and Desire Unchained, the first two books in the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance series!

(Don’t forget your email so Riptide can contact you if you win!)

Review

Title: Base Instincts

Series: A Demonica Story, # 11.7

Author: Larissa Ione

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novella (139 pages)

ISBN: 978-1-62649-308-7

Publisher: Riptide Publishing (September 14, 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts

Reviewer: Shorty

Blurb: As a Seminus demon, Raze’s life literally depends on having sex with females. The problem is that he doesn’t desire females, and it’s physically impossible for him to be with males. Thankfully, he and his best friend, Fayle, have an arrangement that keeps him alive . . . if lonely. He finds some solace in his work as a medic at Thirst, a vampire club known for its rough clientele. But his carefully structured world turns upside down when he meets a mysterious male who makes him want what he can never have.

Slake is an assassin used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is Raze. But he also wants to earn back the soul he sold when he was a much different demon. All he has to do is capture a runaway succubus named Fayle and hand her over to her family. What he doesn’t count on is being caught himself by a web of lies—and his attraction to Raze.

Raze and Slake must navigate a dangerous world to be together. But as Fayle’s jealousy of their relationship turns deadly, they find themselves embroiled in a battle not only for their love, but their lives and souls.

Product Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/base-instincts

Review: I was not sure how I would feel about this book once I read the blurb but I was amazed by the story. Raze is a Seminus demon who can only have sex with females but he is gay so that leaves him hungering for the one thing he thinks he cannot have. Slake is a very rare Doucos demon and wants Raze.

What I found intriguing was Raze and Slake’s past and the circumstances surrounding them both. The mystery of Slake was riveting and I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about him. It shocked me about his kind of demon and I was impressed with all the details in the story that lead to a satisfying conclusion.

I absolutely could not stand either Dyre, Slake’s boss, or Fayle, another demon, who tricked Raze. Both of their actions were despicable to say the least. Absolutely fantastic story that will have you reading nonstop to find out what happens.

I loved everything about this book except for the sex between Fayle and Raze which was very brief.

Highly recommended.

Check out the other blogs on the blog tour