On November 27th, 2022, the 8,000th article was added to the SuccuWiki!
Guilty Pleasures (eBook)
| Guilty Pleasures | |
|---|---|
 Guilty Pleasures eBook Cover, written by Alana Church | |
| Author(s) | Alana Church |
| Cover artist | Moira Nelligar |
| Series | The Succubus |
| Publisher | Boruma Publishing |
| Publication date | September 29, 2016 |
| Media type | eBook |
| Length | 67 Pages |
| ISBN | 9781370183838 |
| ASIN | B01M0MN5SA |
| Preceded by | Forbidden Fruit |
| Followed by | Passion's Price |
For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).
Guilty Pleasures is an eBook written by Alana Church. It is the seventh work in the Succubus series by this author. In this work the character Althea is a Succubus who becomes involved in the life of Rachel Wainwright, influencing her life and sharing her succubus powers with her.
Overview
- Title: Guilty Pleasures
- Author: Alana Church
- Published By: Boruma Publishing
- Length: 67 Pages
- Format: eBook
- ASIN: B01M0MN5SA
- IBSN: 9781370183838
- Publishing Date: September 29, 2016
Other Works in this Series on SuccuWiki
- Idle Hands
- The Devil's Playthings
- Dark Reflections
- Bright Shadows
- Sacred Sins
- Forbidden Fruit
- Passion's Price
Plot Summary
The tides of fate are swirling. Althea, the immortal succubus, knows the time for the final confrontation with the demon-spawn is nigh. As she prepares herself, she is haunted by memories of the past. Will the love of her new family sustain her? Or will she succumb to despair? No matter what happens, there is still time to indulge in some...Guilty Pleasures!
Book Review
The following review was originally published by Tera on her Blog, A Succubi's Tale on October 14, 2016
Althea knows three things. Duty, family and light. Combined within her, they are what grounds her, gives her purpose, drives her onwards. But there’s something else which is the hidden fourth cornerstone within her. Her past, her experiences. What she’s lost, who she’s lost. We all have burdens that play upon our souls. Facing them can be freeing, but also can be more, if given the chance.
The work is best described as a pause in the series. A means for the characters to catch up with all that has been, what they face. Throughout the series, each character has been developing a piece at a time, and in doing so that development has been reflected against all of the other characters. But even so, the one character who’s thoughts have been somewhat blurred has been Althea herself. We know what she is, we know her purpose, but the telling of her past, of her family hasn’t been really delved into deeply.
The telling of some, not all by far, of Althea’s past revealed depths within her that, for me, brought Althea to being one of the most captivating succubi characters I have encountered. The mixture of religion, theology and history, all of which I enjoy, was wonderfully wrapped together and made it possible for Althea’s past to be more than being told in rote. She relives her past, recalls the pains and joys. The emotional void that has been simmering within her finds a means to be expressed, to be formed fully and when it comes together, that changes Althea for the better.
There’s a difference in her by the time this work closes. A sense that she’s opened not her mind, but rather the heart and love she’s kept hidden for so long, to being able to live again. That turning point brings with it a change in tone for her. There’s been hints, at least within Althea’s mind, that something hasn’t been quite right. She finds the key and then what I think of as the true Althea comes to the fore.
The depths of theology than come out appealed to me, in many cases I couldn’t help the smile I had when Althea’s thoughts were expressed to other characters. Some moments of joy, outside of passion and pleasure, were delights and gave that little extra push to Althea’s own transformation.
While the work pauses, setting up the next, and sadly for me, final work in the series, there’s no lack of story telling. All of the characters have their moments, their realizations. There are passions, but also understanding and acceptance among them all. Story matters here, dearly so, but hand in hand comes some light erotica which simmers along the way. It doesn’t overcome the story, rather adding that little bit of heat which makes some of the revelations that much more delicious.
I do wish there would have been more told about Althea’s parents, her past, perhaps telling of her first encounters with humans and otherwise. But what is revealed tells something important that has always been with Althea, whether said or not. She needs. More than pleasure, she needs the emotional connection of having someone close. That then, is the point. Coming to see the truth and accepting it completely.
A needed pause for all that has been in the series so far, but not leaving out the heat and story. The story offers much to ponder, which I loved, but also it gave rise to some very important questions about Althea, Rachel’s family and most of all, where Yasna fits into things as a whole. Yasna’s presence, her thoughts, suggest something vital and where that goes I think will be telling for all involved.
Lovely writing, the characters are everything that I expect them to be. The heat is there, the story is told. The moments of collecting one’s thoughts have come and gone, now what comes next is the question to be answered.
Four and a half out of five pitchforks.
A well thought out pause in the series which allows the characters to reflect, but also to find themselves. It develops all of the characters into being more than they have been, opening them towards a stronger and brighter whole. For me, that development, being able to fit the pieces of their lives together and see a path forwards was as captivating as the erotica, if not more so.
Being able to see inside of Althea, to know what she is thinking, reflecting on, gives depth to her character that I think brought her more fully into the story. Not from the perspective of acting within it, but rather in expressing her motivations, her fears and her needs. She might not have revealed everything, but a piece of her was missing and now she’s whole.
The family is gathered, they look forward with concern, worry. They know the future is uncertain, but in spit of this, they also know that there is hope. That in itself is a powerful thing and should never be discounted by those that cannot see that themselves. Not all weapons are those of being physical. Many times the ones within our own minds are the sharpest of all.
The final work in the series, Passion’s Price, appears today… The story of Althea approaches the climax… I’ve dearly loved every work in this series and I have every expectation that what comes next will be as wonderfully written by far…