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Alex always knew romance would be complicated. When love came into his life with wings and horns, he knew those complications would be a little unusual. Four months after meeting Rachel and Lorelei, Alex finally has a handle on divine visitations, supernatural enemies, and the echoes of reincarnation. He might even survive bringing an angel and a demon home for Christmas with the family.
He might not survive what comes next. A favor for friends brings Alex into a heated feud among Seattle’s sorcerers. The lords of Hell aren’t pleased with the chaos wrought by Lorelei’s escape, and they’re looking for payback. Worst of all, her angry ex-boyfriend has blown into town…and he just happens to be the Angel of Death.
Warning: Personal Demons contains explicit sex, explicit violence, explicit language, explicit use of implications, open relationships, polyamory, blasphemy, sacrilege, heresy, paganism, sorcery, portrayals of matters divine and demonic bearing little or no resemblance to established religious canon, prejudice, murder, mass murder, singular murder, alley murder, conspiracy to commit murder, regicide, treason, dismemberments, impalement, arson, defenestration, racially charged ‘Nam flashbacks, trash-talking, smuggling, mansplaining, spoiled Christmas surprises, numerous state and Federal firearms violations, organized crime, transnational crime, avian conscription, disturbances of the peace, paranoia, Doomsday preppers, illegal immigration, party fouls, public endangerment, underage drinking, human sacrifice, destruction of cell phones, false identification, consumption of alcohol, mayhem, attempted kidnapping, mass vehicular collisions, reincarnation, conspiracy to commit sexual promiscuity, threesomes, assault and battery, banditry, reverse banditry, eye-gouging, cultural misappropriation, trespassing, lies, innuendo, intrigue, foreplay under false pretenses, bribery, political corruption, spiritual corruption, misuse of military facilities, a blanket fort of ill repute, home invasion, warfare, espionage, mercenary activity, consumption of sentient beings, panhandling, lingerie, cohabitation outside of marriage, missed homework assignments, too much pizza, toxic masculinity, abbreviated sex scenes, fully descriptive sex scenes, romantic sex, casual sex, mild dom/sub play, mystic servitude, stalking, knife-throwing, weaponized alcohol, weaponized furniture, weaponized human remains, drone strikes, slavery, eternal damnation, mind control, carjacking, spitting, biting, vandalism, gossip, sexual objectification, immolations, feminist solidarity, zombie terrorists, pissy ex-boyfriends, too much information from Grandpa, and a flagrant narrative disregard for common standards of decency.
A quick note on other versions: Right now it’s showing up on Amazon-US and KU, so other markets will follow shortly. I’ll get the ball rolling on paperback versions tonight. As for audio, my regular contact at Audible is out on leave until next week so that decision is a bit delayed right now, but I’ll do my best to make that happen!
I am excited that a new book is out but I am hesitant to read it after what happened in the second book. The inconsistency in the characterization of the main characters, namely: Alex and Lorelei is somewhat jarring. The first book emphasizes the loving relationship between these two but all that goes out the window in the second book. As one amazon reviewer noted, ” By the end of the book she has broken both “rules” he established in the 1st book.
No sleeping with other men and No harm from said actions.
His response when she slept with another man was ” oh well, might as well give him your card so next time he is in town you can get together again”. Sounds like true love to me… I just hope that this third book is more consistent with its characterization and story. I really want to read the third book but I remain cautious.
She didn’t cheat. They talked about it in the beginning of book 2. Alex started out a little overwhelmed by being in a non-traditional relationship, but he doesn’t want it built on double standards.
This is, ultimately, a love story. Series. Whatever.
I never said that she was cheating. My argument is that the characterization of the protagonists are inconsistent. The first book made it seem like Alex was all Lorelei ever needed and was missing in her life. It was a very romantic and deep relationship. Then comes the second book where it seems like having Alex isn’t enough for her. She actively promotes Alex to hook up with other girls while she can be with others. As for Alex, I find it odd that based on his past memories which are filled with pain, strife and betrayal, that he would be able to tolerate more of that same pain. You would think a guy with those kinds of past memories would be traumatized and would want to avoid those same emotions. He even stated in the first book that he felt uncomfortable with the idea that Lorelei was with other men. Then in the second book, he is suddenly content with idea that she can be with many other men despite his past memories because he doesn’t want the relationship to be built on double standards? Moreover, when Alex finds out that she is with another man at the end of the second book, he has a surprisingly indifferent response. You would think he would be somewhat perturbed by it based on his history and Lorelei, being his first true love. It is this sudden change in characterization that bothered many readers like myself.
A) Alex x Lorelei is clearly not a traditionally rigid two partner relationship. This is pretty obvious from the beginning.
B) The books (Lorelei mostly) drops *constant* hints about Alex allowing Lorelei more freedom in the future when he’s a little more secure with the relationship. They both discuss it and Alex acknowledges that it’s unfair to her with the heavy subtext that it will change in the future.
C) Can I point out the part where he finds out she was with another man was about 10 minutes AFTER BEING KIDNAPPED BY THE GOVERNMENT, ASSAULTED BY VAMPIRES, ANGELS AND WEREWOLVES INCLUDING BEING TRAUMATIZED BY HIS PAST MEMORIES?
This is just a wild guess but I think your first reaction after learning that your bisexual polyamorous had sex with another man IN AN ATTEMPT TO SAVE HIS LIFE immediately after having vampires literally try to cut his head off is not, perhaps, explosive rage, betrayal and jealousy. Reacting in a jealous rage would just be massively stupid regardless of how in character you feel it would be.
The book even goes on to show that he’s a little unhappy and disturbed by it but realizes that real life is goddamn complicated and you might have to adjust ideals a little to fit in the real world. So he gets the fuck over it.
P.S. Why does everyone keep bringing this ridiculous thing up? It’s a damn near harem book in the first place, pretty sure monogamy was never going to last for long.
Hey Robert. Thanks for the response. I realize what you’re saying is totally reasonable and it has made me re- examine my feelings and thoughts regarding Book 2. I probably had different expectations after reading book 1 since it was so focused on three characters and their developing relationship. The characters are so well-written that its easy to forget that this is a book that started out on the literotica site. I became attached to these characters that I probably overreacted to the events in book 2 when it didn’t turn out the way I expected it to. Personally, I tried to skip all the erotic passages because I wanted to know what happened to the characters and the story. I realize that I approached the book with a different perspective and as a result, it has obfuscated my feelings and thoughts. In the end, you’re right. It is a ridiculous thing to bring up since this book was always an erotica filled with polyamory which had some semblance of a story. If I had approached the first book with those expectations, I am sure I would view it differently now. At the time of discovering the first book, I was looking for urban fantasy books with a male protagonist which aside from the Dresden series, is surprisingly rare. Most tend to be paranormal romance books with a female protagonist. Anyways, at the time I didn’t even know I purchased a book that started out on a literotica site until I started to read it. I apologize for my earlier rant and I realize that in the end, that this not the kind of book for me. Anyways, enjoy the third book everyone!
Succubus… Succubus,.. We’re talkin about a Demon Succubus here, Not a person. A Succubus!
I would just like to say people who think this way don’t understand what kind of corner Elliott painted himself in at the end of Good Intentions. No matter how he progresses half the story should (not partialy but fully) fell apart and become window dressing. In point of fact, I expected a lot more questionable behaviour just to maintain a reasonably believable dichotomy between the fantasy world and the sappy love story elements. He did better then I thought was possible. He fucking pulled it off.
ps Nice Cover! Fits in with others Perfectly; same artist?
pls- the opening line was inspired by the infamous Alan Iverson rant 🙂
Well maybe the fact that he pulled it off so well is what mortify so mutch about it, really this relationship of the three is at first so balanced showing why the three need each other and what they bring to the other, but after the first book it has been show slightly that Alex is more in the back seat of the relationship that in the copilot with the Demon and Angel.
Oooooh book 3 is out!!! I will definitely check it out. In all seriousness, I kind of agree with David in regards to characterization. It was disappointing to see Alex react or not react to the way things unfolded in book 2. As for Lorelei, she seemed more manipulative but i guess that is what a demon girl is like. However, Alex was changing Lorelei for the better in book 1. I don’t know if its just me but I also felt that Alex became a side character in book 2 when compared to the first one. I hope book 3 is more like the first one.
When can I get a print copy? I have no problem with reading it on kindle (just bought it) I just need a print copy for the shelf.
I’ll be loading the print info up to CreateSpace tomorrow. We’ll wind up doing a little back-and-forth with formatting and getting a physical proof, so it’ll probably be a couple weeks.
Hey awesome! The third book is out! Just wondering if you’ll release it in .epub format at some point?
Can’t wait to read it 🙂
Love the trigger warning:P
Man, I was all excited to read this book (like, seriously excited, yelled and woke up the dog excited) but now I’m hesitant to read it because…
Nah, I’m gonna go read the hell out of this thing. Best news all week!
And I really like the cover. Rachel reminds me a bit of Donna Moss from The West Wing, and she has long been one of my fictional crushes. Along with CJ from The West Wing. And Abbie Bartlett from The West Wing. Maybe Ainsley Hayes. Mallory McGerry. Andrea Wyatt. Man, that show had some kick-ass women.
In my writer-imaginings brain, Ainsley is one of the faces I tend to think of when I write Rachel. Ultimately, Rachel is strongly based on someone I know, so she kinda takes precedence in the casting call in my head, but Ainsley is another image that matches.
Andrea from the Poor Man’s Fight series is my brain amalgamating CJ and Mandy from Season One.
The West Wing is in general one of my big inspirations. So good. CJ and Charlie are probably my favorite ongoing characters, but I love almost everyone. Although I gotta say Donna deserved way better than Josh. Like almost everyone else she dated was better for her. Josh was entertaining when he wasn’t with Donna, but the way he interacted with her really made me dislike him.
Hey, Josh and Donna are meant to be together! Like Xander and Willow! I will hear no arguments otherwise.
That said, most of my Josh/Donna love comes from the multitude of excellent fanfic. If we’re going just by the show, yeah, dude’s a mostly unredeemed asshole who, to be fair, is generally trying to do the right thing.
So this was easily one of my top5 books I was waiting on this year, super stoked, and I just finished reading it, and well, I was a little let down. It’s hard to live up to hype and this isn’t a review site and I don’t want to spoil it at all so I’ll be vague and brief.
In the future (if there is) I hope the series moves back towards being more focused on characters and relationships, with or without erotica. There’s lots and lots of other series where I can read about groups of humans shooting demons (oops, spoilers, there are demons) but not many with the kind of relationship dynamics the first two books struggled with.
Personally I would have much rather read about Taylor and that frat guy we’re told about instead of many, many, uh, action scenes. At the end of the book it felt like none of the actual characters had changed during the entire book, unlike the massive character changes in the first two books.
I agree that this installment was much more action than character development, though that was also present. It didn’t bother me at all, but I also would love to see the pendulum swing back towards more character stuff in the future.
The Taylor stuff struck me, too. I assume (and certainly hope) it was setting up for more on her later on, but given that it’s likely to be months, at least, before we get to that “later on,” it bugged me a bit. If you’re planning more shorter stories, I’d love to see one with her in a starring role.
I guess I’m a counter-point to Robert, because I LOVED the action scenes! 🙂 I prefer story and action over erotica.
Just to clarify, I was trying to speak more towards character development than literal erotica/romance. All the characters did basically the same thing they did in the last book and I’m not sure we learned anything new about any of them. But now I’m just getting negative. Like I said, lots and lots (and lots) of books where humans bash demons, not so many where they actually have complicated relationships and backstories going on at the same time.
Heck, one of the best action sequence that I have read are from the author, so yes there is no way not to love his action sequence, primari the way hi makes Alex figth desperately making you feel the chaos but at the same time collected like veteran. I loved the characters that developed in the series, but my heart ache with the conclusion of Lorelei and the crown, somehow I feel like something important to the relationship was lost.
I’ve really enjoyed the series thus far and am excited that there is a new installment. Any idea when the audiobook will hit Audible?
Mr. Kay,
I think we may disagree politically, but you write some very fine books. I enjoy the adventures, the comedy, heck I enjoy the angst and all the rest. In short, I am glad to throw the cash your way. Best of luck moving forward, I hope you are able to keep at it.
v/r,
Gene
And… Another great book. Thank you for a couple more hours of escapism, it was well written and enjoyable.
The series has turned from feminist romance into FemDom romance.
You should definitely have warned the reader.
I like the book.
I think you have an iron problem. Most high rise buildings contain iron. Practically all weapons contain iron. And cars. Locks would usually contain steel.
In a world with magic, the hand grenades would be made of either cast iron or iron filings. Bullets would be iron ingots with drive bands made of polymers (plastics). Drive band = the stuff that touches the barrel.
If you want the idea that a nail in a pocket protects against magic to protect against magic, you need to explain why guns, swords, cars and structural steel does not protect.
After a far-too-long wait, I was delighted when “Personal Demons” appeared.
Though others have complained that the story line has changed, I found it to be a well-written bridge novel, introducing not only new adversaries but changes in the love triangle that promise interesting books to come.
One factor that was especially enjoyable was the larger independent roles given to Drew and Lorelei. I’m hoping that Jason, Taylor and Wade will have their day in the spotlight, as well. I have wondered about Wade’s mysterious military past.
Alex is developing nicely, although I do think his comeuppance in the Middle East was a bit heavy-handed. Perhaps some allowance should be made for a fish so completely out of the water.
My one and only significant complaint deals with spelling. You have used the word “woah” since “Good Intentions.” The correct spelling is W- H-O-A.
FYI: I did leave a review on Amazon.
Hi, read the entire Good intentions series and loved every second of it. Will there be more in the series? If so can’t wait.
Has there been a update with audible. Will they produce a audio version of the book?
Yep! It’s in the works now. I’ve been in contact with Tess and she was just working on the last 25% or so yesterday. I don’t have a release date yet but I’ll definitely pass it on as soon as I know.
I love your stories, but I like them more when Tess reads them to me. 😉
I bought Personal Demons on kindle but man I got spoiled with the audio-book versions of GI and NC. I’m going to wait to read and listen at the same time. Keep up the good work Mr. Kay! I just need to finish this one and the Days of High Adventure to have finished all of your books! Hopefully not to long left on Tess’s part plus editing Q/C etc.
Mr. Kay,
I just wanted to thank you for creating some wonderful characters and an great story. I have a couple of really fanboy questions for you. If you never thought about them or don’t have an answer I completely understand.
1. Which VNV Nation song did you imagine Lorelei fire dancing to?
2. Was the inspiration for the hotel Alex and Lorelei/Taylor/Rachel stayed at the Hotel 1000?
3. How many Lives do you think Alex had. Battle of Marathon being the Starting Point 490 BC, roughly about 2500 years at 20 years per life makes it 125 lives. What do you think? or did he spend a couple of years in line waiting?
4. Ever considered talking to HBO or Showtime about a Show? These stories would fit right in with what they are showing these days. Each book is worthy of 2 seasons
I enjoy your work immensely . Please keep going.
Jason
Sorry it took me forever to respond to this! I have to manually approve comments sometimes to control spam, and sometimes I let it lapse for a while ’cause I don’t think anyone’s been commenting.
1. Farthest Star, probably.
2. My thoughts on the hotel were pretty generic, to be honest, but now that I look at their site Hotel 1000 totally fits.
3. I figure the frequency of getting new lives is variable. Sometimes souls wait in line longer than other times, basically. I think we’ve seen most of Alex’s lives either illustrated or hinted at, but there’s room for more. And I figure he’s never gotten further than 25, but often fallen short of that.
4. If somebody wanted to hook me up with a conversation with them, I’d totally jump at the chance, but I have no idea where to start with that myself.
Thanks!
Ok! Got it, read it! You can’t just leave us hanging too long!!!!!
Action was grest, not enough sex, but some REALLY good character development, some neat new characters, and hints iofa really good fantasy series in the making. Not enough of the well described sex though….
Can’t wait for the next!!!