A huge honking pile of meh. Lucinda kinda bored me. With Mona Lisa the heroine became such an over the top Mary Sue it was fun to go along for the ride. Lucinda, the demon princess was a more rounded out character but she didn't really move me in any way. Stefan is supposed to be her great love but much of the book is spent on the other rogue Monere Nico and the Flouradeur Talon. I kept wanting the story to go back to him and Lucinda but it went everywhere but. Characters kept telling me Lucinda and Stefan were in love but I really didn't feel the love since they spent so much time apart. Lucinda showed more concern over Nico than her so-called beloved Stefan. The pacing felt uneven and the POV whiplash made this an exhausting read. It's first person Lucinda. Then third person Talon. Then third person Stefan. I like multiple POV's but don't think it worked in this tale very well.

Think I'll stick with the Mona Lisa series. ( )

Like Lucinda a lot. Liked her when she showed up in the Mona Lisa books. Hope there will be more seen of Lucinda! ( )

Hmmm... where to start with this book?
First off, I would dearly like to know what Anne Bishop thinks of Sunny and her work, as Sunny incorporates many aspects of Bishop's Black Jewels world building into her story. The rest of her story is filled in with "Laurel K. Hamilton style" action, including lots of sex and a paranormal menagerie of creatures. So, while stylistically Sunny has much in common with LKH, as a reader, I found the Black Jewels type elements to be more jarring. This is probably because Anne Bishop's series and world building was so unique, and being a fan, I've developed some loyalty. In fact, I almost feel like I can't appreciate the book on its own merits without knowing the back story in its creation. Is Anne Bishop okay with this inspired work?

I also think that Sunny could have changed many of the Black Jewels-esque details in her story to add her own personal stamp, without it affecting the overall story or logic of her world building. For example, she could use some other title besides High Lord for the ruler of Hell. And stating that the High Lord of Hell looks almost exactly the same as his son, the High Prince of Hell is just too similar to Saetan and Daemon in the Black Jewels series for my tastes. In case you think I'm being petty, these are just a couple examples out of the numerous world building and character details that are similar between the two series.

As this review indicates, I was so caught up in the similarities that I found the actual story to be less than memorable. Sure, its readable and fast paced; short and sweet. The titular character, Lucinda, is a demon-dead princess who can kick butt, but unfortunately also came off as a bit of a Mary Sue. The supporting characters were better, especially Nico. However, Stephan, the love interest, was boring. There was no sexual tension between him and Lucinda. They hop into bed right away and fall in love. There was no intrigue. The book is also set up to be a series, so there were lots of details that weren't tied up at the end.

Anyhoo, to summarize, I guess I'm just one reader who is having trouble judging this book solely on its story due to the similarities to another series. But even on its own merits, I found it to be pretty forgettable. ( )

I really enjoyed this book, then again anything Sunny writes is ...enjoyable...Can't wait for the next Lucinda book!

Princess Lucinda is demon dead. In life she was a Monere Queen and in death she is a guardian who brings back demon dead who have escaped or Monere who have left their Queen's to become rogue warriors. She also feeds off the Monere, both their blood and their sexual pleasure. The Monere are a race that started the vampire mythology as they feed on blood and can only really survive at night time. They Bask in the moonlight of their Queens who rule groups of males often killing them when they become more powerful than them.

Lucinda accidentally stumbles across rogue warrior Stefan and his mixed blood ward Jonnie. She saves them both when they are attacaked by humans who believe them to be vampires. She feels something for Stefan she has not felt since she was alive and he is able to give her pleasure she has not experienced in many centuries. She has to leave to return another rogue, Nico, to his Queen and in her court meets Talon who is a floradeur (a flower of darkness). Talon is a very rare creature from Hell who was stolen by another demon and hidden on earth with a Monere Queen.

I have to say I adored this book. One of my favourite series is The Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop and this was very similar in style and content, but with enough differences to make it more than just a clone. Talon was my favourite character and I look forward to learning more about him hopefully when the next book (Lucinda, Deadly) comes out in 2009. It was a lot more sexually charged and erotic than Anne Bishop's writing which is more sensual than explicit like this was. I look forward to reading her Mona Lisa series and learning more about the Monere. ( )