Series: Georgina Kincaid – Book 2
Author: Richelle Mead
No of Pages: 314
Release Date: 1 January 2008
Georgina Kincaid’s job sucks. Literally.
Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy, incredibly gifted Seattle writer she’s been dating, she’ll drain his life force. Georgina is a succubus – a demon who draws her power from other men’s pleasure. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago. But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can’t get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is…
It’s not just her personal life that’s in chaos. Doug, Georgina’s co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behaviour, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work. She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star – and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one – and fast because soon, Doug’s life won’t be the only one on the line…
My Thoughts:
Although I am not quite sold on the romantic storyline yet, the mystery, comedy and friendship dynamic in this story are amazing.
Georgina Kincaid is Seattle’s top succubus. In keeping with her promise to her demon boss she has been corrupting good souls left right and centre, so much so that she has even earned an award. Although the succubus part of her life is going well, the rest is a bit more complicated. She can’t touch her boyfriend for fear of sucking out his life force, her work colleague and close friend Doug is acting strangely, not to mention work in general has been all consuming of late. So when her old friend Bastien the incubus arrives in town Georgina rejoices at the prospect of some old time fun, until she finds out he wants her help too, in seducing a religious zealot.
Georgina provides one comical situation after another in this book. She once again infatuated me with her quirky way of thinking, her sense of loyalty – especially when she gets riled up over the thought of someone messing with one of her humans – and her occasional social awkwardness even though she is supposed to be a master in the art of seduction.
What kind of got me with Succubus on Top was the Seth/Georgina relationship. I don’t understand the point. Sure they’re doing it for love and this may just be my cynicism kicking in, but why voluntarily go through the kind of torture they’re putting themselves through? Sitting in a room playing scrabble when all they really want to do is jump one another’s bones. Seth seems to rein himself in quite a bit better than Georgina does, but then it’s Georgina’s head we’re in so we get her personal torture all laid out for us.
I am a firm believer of sex not equalling love, but taking it out of the equation entirely, when both parties want to do it, why do that to yourselves? Georgina spent most of the book wondering if she really loved Seth, and if she could even feel love anymore. If you’re not that far in yet and there is already a problem that you are having huge difficulty living with, on top of that there is no foreseeable cure. GET OUT NOW.
Why stay and put yourself through that? For love? There will be another and another and most likely being immortal, another one after that.
Perhaps this is why I am continuing this series, I want to see what Georgina does to fix this mess, or if she gives up. Perhaps she thinks loving Seth is a good enough reason not to give up, perhaps I am just too jaded to see the point. The relationship doesn’t work for me though; friends would be fine take the sexual component away completely. But I don’t see the point in self-inflicted torture, considering the fact that she has to sleep with other men constantly to get a power fix.
On to other topics brushed in this book, the addition of Bastien however brief was absolutely marvellous. A succubus and an incubus together, two beings who completely understand each other’s nature makes for a great pairing, especially when they have to go to work together. Bastien was like the egotistical male version of Georgina and together on the page they had me in stitches.
Unfortunately many of the other characters kept to the background in this book, but it was Carter’s – the angel that hangs around with a bunch of demons – presence once again that had me sighing every time he appeared, if however briefly. His contrast to the cast of demons is so touching that it makes his angelic goodness seem all the more amplified, yet he is still so cool which can sometimes be lost in stories like these where demons reign supreme.
Mead swept me up in yet another fantastic book; Succubus on Top has left me wanting more. Although I am conflicted on where I stand with Georgina’s relationship, her world has me entranced and I must read Succubus Dreams as soon as possible.
Succubus Blues
Succubus Dreams
Succubus Heat
Succubus Shadows
Succubus Revealed
