Love Tokens

Trice City Lovers #1

by Megan Derr

Chanda is the Lord of Honey Flower House, which caters to those who have a taste for the paranormal between the sheets. Being an incubus makes him all the better at the job, even if it also leaves him lonely.

Then a demon appears on his doorstep in search of a missing person, and Chanda is quickly reminded why he prefers the relatively quiet life as master of a pleasure house—but also reminds him of a bitter past he's tried to leave behind, and dreams he gave up on a long time ago.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Magic, Demons, Mystery

ebook

First published October 30, 2012

About the author

Megan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.

meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr

Reviews

[Drusilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great but mean. Evil book, edges you all the way through and then you don't even get the satisfaction.
Hmm, an incubus and a demon that gets pretty possessive. Biting and blood play. A nice fantasy world. The mystery was a bit predictable, but still really well done. And the perfect gift for a loved one.

"Hungry," Azar rumbled, biting at his lips, lapping at the blood before nipping at his jaw, down to his throat to suck at the bruises that still throbbed. "I like you hungry, incubus. I want to see you when you hold nothing back, want to know what it's like to be at the mercy of an incubus determined to leave me an empty husk." 🖤🖤🖤

[Mandy*reads obsessively* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.65*
This is different from other stories I've read by Ms Derr, darker and more violent I guess.
Chanda is the owner of a brothel and an incubus, one of his employees is being sought by a demon Azar.
Chanda had a very bad experience with a demon and doesn't want to fall for Azar, but the demon really, really wants the incubus.
He was very possessive and very forceful in his claiming and marking, it was a bit much for me, but I guess he's a demon and that's how they are, but what do I know? lol
I was also a little confused, Bitter and the prince are in love, but he was to marry the princess?
As usual the world created is vivid and interesting .
And the title, well..I will definitly have a different picture in my head of love tokens now! ( really bad pun)

[Cole Riann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted at The Armchair Reader.

I think just about everyone knows how much I love Megan Derr by now. I finally got to meet her at GRL and she was so sweet. This story is similar in a lot of ways to her other stories and enough of a divergence from the shorts I'm accustomed to reading from her (mostly in tone) that it was a surprise and delight to read.

Chanda is quite an old incubus, but nowhere near in age to the unusual demon that visits his brothel, the Honey Flower House. The demon intrigues Chanda from the start -- even though he has good reason to avoid their kind forever. He must have been summoned by an incredibly powerful man, because even if he doesn't look it, the demon is the most powerful that Chanda has come across in all his centuries. And that makes Chanda nervous, even though the demon tries to woo him, however forcefully.

Aside from his games, the demon has been summoned to find a young noble who has fled before his arranged marriage. Yet, if Chanda understands who exactly the demon and his summoner is searching for, then something else must be going on other than simply running away from a charmed life. To get to the bottom of the mystery, the demon will need Chanda and his particular brand of lustful magic. Unfortunately for the demon, Chanda has no desire to fall for him. And it is a key phrase -- "fall for" -- because unlike most other beings of lust, Chanda wants to fall in love more than anything.

Megan Derr really has the short story down well. She has a certain style in the short format and this story does all those things again, quite well. There is enough plot, characterizations, and world building to take this story much further, but the quick pace and the lack of backtracking to give a lot of the history that we often see in fantasy shorts means that the story really seems well planned and plotted beforehand. It makes for a smooth read where the format and length work perfectly with the story. And if you can end a story and think that pretty much the only thing you would have wanted differently was more time with the characters, then the author can really work within the limitations of a short. It is difficult and errors and problems are much easier to spot in the short form, we all know this, so that's why I appreciate this author and the fairly large amount of short stories she produces.

The real meat of this story is the sexual tension and emotional and physical chemistry between Chanda and the demon. Even though we get the story from Chanda's point of view, he holds everything close to the vest, even away from the reader. So the release of information about him is selective. In many ways the demon acts in a classic way, or at least to my expectations of the behavior of a demon -- he is aggressive, wily and deceiving, and has a unique moral compass. Together, though, I felt as if they tempered one another and there is a bit of a power struggle that comes into play between them. The demon's acts of dominance (yet earnestness) and Chanda's obstinacy (yet willing submission) betrays the roles they play in seduction. It was nice, seeing them strip those away as they get to know each other through their search. It adds a bit of enemies to lovers style flair to the story.

This story probably doesn't stand up there among my favorite Megan Derr short stories, but it is still memorable and well written. I particularly liked the evolution in tone from quite dark in the beginning to almost fairy tale happiness in the end. The best Halloween Rent Boys story that I've read yet. Recommended :)

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want a demon lover who will bring me love tokens like this. Is this really too much to ask??

[Natalie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but one of my favourites from this author. Chanda a broken hearted incubus and Azar a possessive demon trying to find a missing person whilst dealing with their chemistry. It was fun and enjoyable.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cole definitely wrote a better and more insightful review of this story than I.

It's not one of my favorite Megan Derr's shorts -- I'm not too fond of the demon's possessive attitude. It's a nice thing to have, but at the same time it is also a bit overused (shifters stories, mostly). Also the flow of the story (moving back and forth from Azar's possessiveness and attraction to Chanda -- to the case that they have to solve) is a bit rocky; it's not as smooth as the stories I love from her.

Still I always love Megan Derr's ability to bring a different nuance, a different tone, to her stories, even the short ones.

[BR11 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me.

[Ava]

Eh, not for me.

Also, I think Megan Derr's short stories/novellas are generally not for me. Love some of her novels though.

[Merrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Megan Derr is one of those authors who I enjoy from time to time, but not for long. Love Tokens was cute, little thing, that was exactly what I've expected. It had quite predictible plot, and not-really-developed characters. None of the characters was much more than few adjectives, and mostly they were described by narrative, not by their actions. Which is a pity, because the premise of the story was really good.
I really liked Megan's take on incubus - making them intelligent, and a bit more than always hard sex addicts. I would love more of Chanda and Azar, as the hint of the dynamic between them was interesting.

And, you know? I totally approve of this particular love token. :)

Recommended if you need something easy, short and enjoyable for one evening. Less so, if you look for well developed character and complex plot.

I've received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only Megan Derr would gift wrap a demon in a cute little package. Chanda, an incubus, is the owner and proprietor of a pleasure house and is getting by just fine when his life is interrupted by a demon looking for a runaway noble. Sparks fly between the two, especially when the demon in question, Azar, stakes a claim without so much as a by your leave. Unfortunately for him, regardless of the attraction, Chanda has a no demons policy, even if he's finding it difficult to follow through with it.

I enjoyed the characters in this one and don't want to say anything else for fear of giving too much away; I will say that I adored the "love token", however, which makes me wonder whether there's a little demon in me somewhere. If you enjoy paranormal stories and are looking for a quick enjoyable read, this might just be for you.

[L-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be biased, but I just can't read a Megan Derr story that I don't like. Chanda is a demon and the lord of a brothel. When another demon barges into his life, searching for a missing person, Chanda reluctantly assists. Although the story was short, there was an amazing amount of character development and I could really feel the connection between the characters. A well-written, entertaining short story.

[Mara Ismine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this copy

Loved Azar's romantic love token for Chanda. I'd like to see more of this universe, just a tantalising glimpse in this short story.

[Ashley Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and steamy read, though I wanted more of it. It doesn't seem as if the story is entirely resolved (at least on the romantic aspect). I would love a full length novel with these two!

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chanda is the Lord of Honey Flower House, a brothel that brings the paranormal to their clientele. He's an incubus who's given up on love, ever since his demon-who-won't-be named boyfriend did him wrong--a long long time ago.

One morning Azaz, a demon with a mission turns up at Honey Flower House to find a missing bridegroom--someone supposedly posing as a prostitute. Chanda's furious, and determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. Meanwhile, Azaz decides to claim Chanda as his own. As they collaborate to find the missing man, Chanda confesses his deep shame regarding his ex--and Azaz reveals his extreme power, and extreme dislike for Chanda's ex. Little surprise when the missing groom is found and Azaz gets to make Chanda's ex into a (gruesome) love token.

This on is a bit short on the details, and I didn't really get into it the way I have with other of the author's short fiction. It's okay, but lacking steam and context for this strange and wonderful world of the paranormal.

[ARIST MAROULLAKI · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well... Okay?

I mean, it is a short book by Megan Derr so one expects to read something that is, well... short, but has a plot, a reason for things to happen. But I have to admit this one just didn't do anything for me, which is quite unusual, since most of the times I love Megan Derr's writing style with a passion. Here though... there was a kind of BAM - instant attraction, not based on anything other than appearances, their first intercourse happened after they exchanged to significant number of... well, maybe five sentences? with each other, and even after that went to hell - jezz I wonder why, it couldn't possibly have something to do with the fact that they never talked? - they were more interested in talking about previous lovers and misconceptions than anything meaningful. I had read the Toymaker's Hoard first and I really liked it - it pains me to say that this one wasn't nearly as good though.

[Megan | The Mood Read Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...I'm feeling generous, I suppose. The cover is obviously abysmal, the plot and character development are severely underdeveloped, but hey, I read this because I was reading one of Derr's epilogue collections and wanted the full story before I read the epilogue.

As most of my reviews of Derr's shorter works go, this story could easily have been served better had there been any real background of the world, as well as some legitimate time for plot and character development. I could see this as a much longer piece, easy, and I don't think expanding it would be too difficult.

The characters were interesting, but I was operating on so little information about the fantasy world that I just accepted I was going to be confused most of the time. Alas, three stars is most definitely too kind of me, but I didn't hate it, so I don't feel like I can do less.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.com review

for the full review visit : http://wp.me/p220KL-9PY on 3/4

From that review: " Really, its Megan Derr and her ability to whisk me away to whatever world she has created that keeps me coming back again and again to her wildly imaginative stories and tales of wonder. Love Tokens, a fantasy novella, is no different. Chanda is an old succubus and the owner/proprietor of the Honey Flower House which is basically a paranormal whore house for upscale clients with unusual tastes. Chanda has his own painful past and that clashes with the demon sent to his place of business on the hunt for a missing person."

For all our reviews, author interviews and such, visit us at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...

[Jojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story from Megan Derr that I was this NOT INTO. I liked the character of Chanda well enough, and thought he could have been interesting. The plot was okay, not fabulous but okay. The glimpses of world building were good but not really fleshed out in a story this short. I did like that the story was darker, more violent than most of her work. I could be into that.

The real problem here was the so-called romance. It didn’t work. Azar repeating “You’re Mine” until the other person agrees is not a romance. It’s actually just kind of creepy and not in a good way.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read like a first draft with a lot of potential. The setting was intriguing - and I would have like to learned more about it. A few of the rushed sex stuff could have been sacrificed for more world building to establish more about how everything works. I liked the cast of characters - and the obvious way each paranormal type stood in for real world issues (incubus obs = bisexual here, and fighting all the bi stereotypes) - and, again, would have liked more development of the cast.

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this amusing tale and, wow, that token of love is no joke, especially when flowers or candy would do. :D The plot was mysterious, since we don't know too much about the person they're looking for, and the writing was well done. I just wish that there was a bit more when it came to Chandra and Azar as a couple. Other than that is was a fun and imaginative read. :)

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, just a snippet, not a fleshed out story. Cutting it short before they even slept together seems unfair. It should come with a warning. Tempted to remove a star for being tricked into spending money on it, except the world building was well done and what little there was was spicy and promising. I’d really enjoy a longer complex version of this story idea.

[Tigress62 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars for me! I loved Chanda and the overall setting, but the book is roughly drawn and is in bad need of some further editing and proofreading. Things move a bit too fast and in the end are resolved a bit too quickly for my taste. I also would have loved to know if Chanda ever made good on his promise to Azar "not to hold back" 😉

[Kaye Draper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost perfect

As usual with Derr, the world building is wonderful. I loved the characters and their...quirks. But I always fesl robbed when we get only a hint at a closed door scene at the end.

[MaelleMaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chanda & Azar
This was exotic and entertaining. It was an original fantasy with a truly interesting MC. I loved Chanda with his revealings tatoos and his hunger for romance. More of this world please? 😁
🌹👹✨❤️✨👹🌹

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy love story

This is a mad little story about a demon and his incubus, who meet when the demon is asked to find a missing person. I love the fantasy world and the different types of characters who live there.

[Trefoil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish it was longer. I feel like we barely got to know the characters and barely any character development. It was a good start though and the sequel was really enjoyable. This was dark in a way that I'm not used to with authors works. I liked it.

[Relly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Entertaining story from Ms Derr but not my favourite of hers.
I wanted the Tory to be more fleshed out. I liked Chanda and even Azar, his possessiveness was full on right from the start, but wanted to see more from them. It was a little too instalove.

[Kassu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Possessive demon, instalove, violence. I liked the potential of the story - being a bit from the darker side - but it ended to soon. With something more about the budding relationship this would've been a 4 star book, perhaps even a final sex scene might have done it.

[Justyna Małgorzata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, because it's different. Both the protagonists were likeable, but I'd enjoy some more development of their relationship and some more hot scenes!

[Manlove · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars