When I'm in the mood for a good paranormal romance (heavy on the romance) Gena Showalter is always at the top of my list. Her name is synonymous with the genre and I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've read from her long list of books. Honestly, I've been negligent and haven't read her most recent releases. The Pleasure Slave is an older release but I thought I would work my way through her books by starting with her earliest ones.
As a title, The Pleasure Slave does sound quite raunchy, but by recent standards, it's relatively tame. Tristan has been cursed into a life of servitude, captive of a jewelry box when not actively owned by anyone and a slave when a woman becomes the owner said jewelry box. Cursed for thousands of years to please any whim of his current owner, he thought he would remain a slave, for the rest of eternity. Until his new owner, Julia Anderson changed everything.
As an antique dealer, Julia was drawn to Tristan's jewelry box, but honestly, I don't think she was quite ready for the surprise she got. Julia has always considered herself plain and shy, never worthy of a strong and beautiful specimen such as Tristan. With Julia, Tristan discovers that not all owner are selfless. For the first time in thousands of years, his owner actually cares about his feelings and tries to not order him around. Because of the curse, he's obligated to follow any small order, whether it be sexual or not. With Julia, everything seems different. She's different. I really enjoyed reading the development between the two characters. How Julia slowly begins to trust Tristan as a man, after being hurt so long ago. How Tristan slowly begins to trust Julia with his heart, something he thought would never be possible.
The dialogue between Tristan and Julia is excellent and fun. Despite this being one of her first books, I can already see Gena distinctive writing style. Personally, I loved the Julia character but I can see how she could be a little up tight and reserved for some readers. The evolution she goes through during the book is fun to watch. Honestly, who wouldn't be able to come out of their shell with a hot teacher like Tristan?
There were just a few discrepancies in the paranormal aspects in the book. I wish the paranormal elements could have been a little more elaborate. Julia and Tristan are both mortals, and don' t possess any magic themselves, but their story is definitely dependent on magic. Tristan comes from the planet Imperia where mortals and Druinns (sorcerers/witches) try to coexist but don't always do, as is it evident when Tristan is cursed by his spurned Druinn lover. Honestly, I thought it was a little weird that he was from a different planet because usually that makes me think of spaceships, and not magic. Another thing that bothered me is the fact that Tristan has been a slave for thousands of years, but only a few years have passed on his planet, when he gets transported back and forth between Julia and his home planet. It's something the author could have elaborated on but for some reason, I didn't really care whether she did or not. I just wanted to read more about Tristan and Julia!
Overall, I was satisfied with Julia and Tristan's story. You're always guaranteed a happily ever after in paranormal romances and I honestly loved the way this book ended. There could be more to the series since a few things were left unresolved, but unfortunately, this is the last book of the series. It wasn't my favorite Gena Showalter book, but in general, it filled my need for a romantic love story.
It reminds me a bit of my first Sherrilyn Kenyon, Fantasy Lover, where he is locked in a book.
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