Damned If You Do: The Complete Collection

Damned If You Do #1-4

by J.L. Merrow

Some sins are worth the price. Sexy male succubus Rael has an insatiable appetite for men that gets him into all kinds of trouble. And he’s just found his favorite hunky blond detective Lars Thornsson. When those cool Nordic looks combine with Rael’s smoldering dark charms, all Hell could break loose. Lars’s job at the Paranormal Enforcement Agency means he’s supposed to be policing demons, not falling in lust — or love — with them. But there’s something about this feisty little sex demon that hits all his buttons. With no shortage of deadly sinners in his city, from serial-killing succubi to drug-dealing demons, all Lars can do is try to keep his private life from interfering with his work. But Rael has a knack for getting mixed up in cases that threaten both their domestic harmony and their lives. This boxed set features the following four - A Calling for Pleasure (Damned If You Do, #1) - A Blast from the Past (Damned If You Do, #2) - A Wish Too Far (Damned If You Do, #3) - A Glutton for Punishment (Damned If You Do, #4)

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Fantasy, Romance, Anthologies, Humor, Mystery

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2013

About the author

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through was a 2013 EPIC Award finalist, and her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy. Her novel Relief Valve is a finalist in the 2015 EPIC Awards.

JL Merrow is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow

Reviews

[Nova]

DNF

Strange. I usually love JL Merrows books, but it seems like I have a problem with her paranormals.
I really liked the idea of this series, but I didn’t like the characters. :(

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love me a good saucy incubus. The things they can do with their tails. Anyway, this is a grouping of several shorts with the demon Rael and his half Valkyrie lover Lars. Lars is a cop who is pursuing demons and Rael always seems to get involved, whether it's a vindictive ex or his mom being called up to provide info. Lars' snarky tiny partner and her later predicament is fun to watch and overall, I just love these stories. Light and fun. Fans of the couple will enjoy them all in one place.

[k reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

These stories are lightweight tales that are best read separately or over a period of time. There is not much to them. They are like twinkies. One every now and then is a nice little treat but too many at once and you start to notice there is little substance to them.

[Fangtasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not as good as other stuff I've read by this author. Maybe it was the (failed) effort at making it sound American? Definitely, if you haven't read anything else by Ms. Merrow, don't start with this one. Go for Muscling Through, you'll thank me for it.

[Sunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, fast paced, sexy (ups...tail), imaginative. A cute collection of really likeable shortstories.

This is a great review for it:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This is going on reread when I'm feeling in the mood for funny and sexy.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now these were great short stories. There were real plots, not just sweet boring contemporaries where the couple gets to know each other. There was suspense and intrigue, action, danger—peril even—superb humor and a beautiful romance at the core. I enjoyed every single story. (You really need to read them in order because the later stories reference previous ones.)

There was a lot of diversity. One of the MCs is very dark skinned and he has to be a human color because people don’t know he’s a demon right away. Lars’s work partner is a woman and another pair of detectives are a lesbian couple, one of whom is Black. There were “cross-dressing” characters, one of whole was straight which was super cool, and Rael dresses like a woman so he will look like he’s a close friend of that person and Lars (and others) think he’s really sexy.

Great story, glad I finally read it!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different ride of the Valkyries

This was a lot of fun. At times it slipped even a bit into ridiculous, but with a self awareness of that which made it entirely enjoyable regardless. The cases tended to end differently than expected all because of the involvement of one little demon and his willingness to look at the situation a different way. In a lot of ways, each story more served to reinforce the idea that love is a bit different for everyone, but always worth it. This was a great light read to have on the go that never failed to make me smile!

[Earl Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read a paranormal romance before. When I discovered what was going on in this novel, I almost retreated but then decided to stay with it. Let’s say I learned a lot. I also had a good time. A lot of LOL moments. Merrow writes very intelligent stories. Also very funny. And, as it turns out, quite sexy. The moves invented for the main characters love making are very sly. Social norms in this universe dictate that our heroes not be together. Well, they go ahead anyway. And we find that these paranormals are not so far from being human after all. In a good way.

[H.K. Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books - playful, sexy and uplifting. Definitely one for the comfort-read pile.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing, but has unfortunate background homophobia, transphobia and sexism that detracts from it's good points.

[Deena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light read - but still not as god as Tom & Phil...

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of the four novellas (A Calling for Pleasure, A Blast from the Past, A Wish Too Far & A Glutton For Punishment) in the series with the same name. Each of these stories are worth 4 stars on their own, and together a definite 4.5. The stories feature Paranormal Enforcement Agent Lars Thornsson and colleague Chelle Rochelle, investigating crimes with a paranormal connection. During their first case in the series they run into Sexy Succubus Rael, a sweet second-level demon who has ended up in a sticky situation, and Lars and Rael fall head over tail in love with each other. During the course of the four stories the reader gets to follow a number of different Paranormal Investigations, most of which Rael manages to stick his illegally housed nose into, and also gets to see how the relationship between Rael and Lars, but also Rael and Chelle, develops.

I read the first story in the series almost two years ago, and fell deeply for sassy Rael then, so it was a treat to get to read all four stories back-to-back. He is a bit intense and doesn’t hesitate to pull out the ‘sweetie’s and ‘sugar’s and ‘honey’s, but I didn’t find it at all as annoying as I thought I would. Lars isn’t particularly “special” in any way, other than in his immortal part-Valkyrie status that is, but he is sweet in his fondness for his demon lover. Chelle is a tough tough lady, and I’m not sure I know how she looks, other than that she’s really short. But that could just be a fault on my part, since I don’t often remember visual details about secondary characters. She’s incredibly acidic and the biggest cynic you’ll meet, but she has some hidden depths and fun quirks. The various demons they come across are among my favorite things about this story, they’re imaginative and a lot of fun.

Rael and Lars fall in love as soon as they see each other, but their story involves so much other factors that I didn’t find it disturbing. Instead it was rather refreshing that there wasn’t that much internal conflict in their relationship. There were a few sex-scenes, and due to Rael’s *ahem* slightly different anatomy they are fun, but I wouldn’t read the stories just for the sex.

There’s just something about J.L. Merrow’s writing that resonates with me. It works even when faced with a few paragraphs stacked with the most ridiculous metaphors and similes in existence. It’s sometimes crazy, but also so much fun. The format of these stories makes sure a lot of the story happens between the lines, but I still liked this a lot. Recommended.

I got a free copy of this book via NetGalley. A positive review was not promised in return.

[Becky Condit · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this entire book I have to say I’m really disappointed. Lucky, you might find yourself asking, why would you be disappointed by it? Well let me tell you…the title of the book depresses me. “Damned If You Do: The Complete Collection”

Noooo. I want MORE Rael and MORE Lars! Their adventures are funny, sexy, and a heap of fun. I don’t want this collection to be complete because that means no more. And that gives me a sad.

As first meetings go, I have to say there’s just something special about “I saw the man blowing another guy and I knew I’d found love”. Okay, that’s not exactly how it went, but pretty much how Rael and Lars met. See, Rael is a male succubus, he lives off the sexual energy of others. Lars is special. He’s got so much sexual energy that Rael could feast forever on this man, and that’s just what he intends to do.

As the title suggests, this is the complete collection (whimper), and contains four novellas:

A Calling For Pleasure: Introduce Rael and Lars. Seems that a succubus is draining men dry (literally!) and Lars, along with his partner, have to find the demon responsible for it. This brings Rael into their sights.

A Blast From The Past: Someone is scorching buildings in the city. Rael gets himself mixed up when he finds out what Lars has done and he’s determined to put things to right. Unfortunately, someone else from Rael’s past is looking for him and things get ugly.

A Wish Too Far: Someone is handing out pills that grant wishes. Literally. Wish for the bumps on your face to be gone? Bye-bye nose. Wish for a million dollars? Yeah, but how you get it might hurt. When fingers point to a friend of Rael, he decides to check it out. And, surprisingly, finds himself in over his head.

A Glutton For Punishment: Rael has a knack for cooking (and you thought he could only get into trouble!) While on television helping out the host of a popular cooking show, Rael is drawn into yet another spot of trouble when said host disappears. Secrets get revealed. Decisions are made. If this is indeed the end (Please say it ain’t so!) this ending satisfies.

(Wonders to self how to get the author to write more about these guys…perhaps if we start with a circle of salt…)

Lucky's 5 sweet pea review appears at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....

[Lindie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look at that cover! Naughty demon with a prehensile tail, you guys. It takes a stronger person than me to resist that. And a pretty book it was too, Riptide Publishing did a real good job on the design, with little horns and pitchforks throughout.

I found the premise incredibly intriguing. Male succubus? Interesting. There is a very clear distinction made that he is in fact a succubus, and not an incubus. Oh man, how happy I was that they used succubi as the plural. The word succubusses (or incubusses for that matter) make me want to weep. What kind of bus, you say?

There are a lot of similes used, but they are all so unusual and downright amusing that it keeps it from getting old. Amusing is a good word for the story. It’s funny in parts and cute in parts. Sadly, it also reminded me why I don’t like short stories much, it gives rise to too much insta-attraction and insta-love. I’m a slow burn kinda girl.

I liked Rael, he’s the adorable kind of demon. Who just wants help out and cook the man in his life a good meal. And perhaps own a pet or two that kind burn down the house.

The way the characters speak grated a little for me. It tries to be too authentically… southern, I think. And the use of the endearment “honey” could have been cut by 50%. Perhaps if you read these stories as standalones it’s not as noticible, but when you read all of them back to back, the “honey” gets a little cringe-worthy.

Overall, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It was a fast, fun read.

[Lois - Who Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just fun! In the course of his work as a detective with the Paranormal Enforcement Agency, Lars meet Rael, a demon who should not have been summoned from hell. Rael is a sexual succubus and is the prime suspect of the case Lars is working on. Once Rael, and his prehensile tail, have had a taste of Lars there is no going back; Rael quickly becomes a one-man succubus and that tail is almost a character itself.

Rael manages to get himself in trouble in all four of the short stories that make up this book, but each time he really is just trying to help. He just is not very good at looking innocent. Unfortunately, Lars fellow detectives, Dum and Dumber, keep running into Rael when he is trying to help and they would like nothing more than to banish him back to hell. Although there is that one time that involved cross-dressing that confused Dum a great deal (and it was hysterically funny).

If you are in the mood for a fluffy read, this is the book for you.

[Cole Riann]

I'm excited to read and review this collection. I loved the first three books in their first incarnation as the Lars and Rael series, and according to Jamie the books have been majorly overhauled with some new stuff added and lots of re-editing. I'm actually glad that she said that, not only because it's great that these books can get better than they were, but because I enjoyed reading them so much the first time around, it gives me an excuse to re-read them for review :)

Plus, there's a new fourth book!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad way to pass the time.

This is a collection of a few short stories, and while they were fun reads, there definitely didn't seem to be a ton of substance. I thought the relationship between Rael and Lars developed way too fast, and most of the characters just seemed like too much, like they were sort of distilled down to a single attribute, and then that attribute was turned up to 1000.

Like I said, not unenjoyable reads, but I probably wouldn't have been less pleased if I'd bought them, and hadn't just checked them out for free from the library. Decent enough writing, though.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild, zany romp to romance. When a male succubus and a half Valkyrie half human paranormal detective get together, sit back and watch the fun begin. A collection of the four Rael and Lars stories that work best when read together.

Read my full review here http://wp.me/p220KL-1gx

For more of my reviews of J.L. Merrow stories, visit http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! Sexy, fun, and entertaining! I loved Rael and Lars along with Rochelle and Kitty :) Each of the short stories in the collection were complete unto themselves and highly enjoyable. There is even some tail play for those who are into that :)

[Thomaidha Papa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Hearts for the entire collection.

Read and reviewed for MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Review to follow.

[Sahsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish the complete collection came as one anthology, rather than 4 separate books.

And that it was longer.

Much longer.

[J.B. Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, hot fun. This is a light-hearted mystery romp, comprised of four different stories. Recommended.

[Solange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original premise, fun read, but felt like something was missing. JL Merrow's books always have a lot of heart, but this one didn't quite hit the spot.

[ms.beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light weight amusing paranormal. The incubus/succubus gender bender was a hoot.

[Wende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read. Loved the back and forth dialog. Oh my Rael tail. I laughed so hard. It was great to read a book and enjoy it.

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

If you like funny and sweet this book delivers it. Lars and Rael make a fun couple. It is a series of short stories.

[Daesy · Rating 3 out of 5]

See review on each book

[Tailtiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought Rael was a great character in these stories. And that tail was something else, really hot.