"Mystery, Mayhem, Murder, and Romance. This installment of Silver's Dark Fantasy Saga is pure Gold!"
I am a big fan of Eve Kenin's award winning SHOMI futuristic
romances so when the publisher sent me the latest Eve Silver
dark fantasy paranormal romance (same author, different
name) my reaction was YES!!!!!! I was not disappointed. This
is the second book in the Compact of Sorcerers series and
there were references to the earlier story but not so much
that the book couldn't stand on its own. I will definitely
be picking up the first book, DEMON'S KISS, right away
though. Vivian Cairn had a lot of personal baggage. Her father had
abandoned the family when she was two, her mother was at
best indifferent, and her high school boyfriend had died
tragically following an argument between the two of them.
But Vivian had taken her lemons and made lemonade becoming a
highly respected forensic pathologist who gave other
families closure. Lately though she has begun to suspect she
was losing her mind. Recently she had begun losing
significant chucks of time and had no memory of where she'd
been or what she'd done during the blackouts.
It had just happened again right before her doorbell rang. Dain Hawkins is member of the Compact of Sorcerers, long
lived magical beings whose responsibility it was to maintain
the integrity of the barrier between the human and demon
realms. Recently Dain's mentor had betrayed the group and
now was in league with a demon. The Compact had recently
closed a demon in the portal between worlds, but a charred
foot bone had remained on the human side. Dain needed
Vivian's help to analyze the bone. Upon arriving, Dain and his two comrades detect the presence
of Hybrids in the area surrounding Vivian's home. While the
other two sorcerers do reconnaissance, Dain speaks to
Vivian. He notices that she has a small collection of red
velvet gris gris backs similar to ones he and his friends
had taken off of other Hybrids. The Compact suspects that a
plot is afoot to reanimate a long deceased demon summoner in
order to bring the demon back through the portal. The
contents of the bags may provide a clue. Vivian is stunned by the affect Dain has on her. Her libido
had been non existent since the death of her high school
boyfriend but now she was ready to jump a total stranger.
Truly she was losing her mind. Before Dain can get all the
answers he needs, Vivian is attacked by a demon. The demon
is thwarted but Vivian's house is burned to the ground. Dain is shocked by his reaction to Vivian which appears to
be as strong as hers to him. He has baggage of his own
having loved and his human wife and child to a demon attack
many years ago. He has no intention of making that mistake
again, but nevertheless shocks his friends with his
possessiveness with regard to Vivian He will allow no one to
watch over her but himself. Try though they both might to
deny their feelings, their desire for one another is
undeniable and insatiable. Supernatural activity of the evil variety seems to be
stalking Vivian dividing Dain's attention between her
protection and his duty. The Compact has other problems.
There had been a recent rash of grisly serial killings and
the M.O. suggested a succubus (female counterpart). When
Vivian's strange lapses persist, her behavior raises
uncomfortable questions among Dain and his brethren. Could
the woman he has fallen head over heels for be cold blooded
killer? And if so, how would he choose between duty and
love. I was mesmerized by this tale. Not for one moment did I
wonder if Vivian's heart was less than pure, but the
unfolding of the mystery surrounding the succubus crimes was
superbly handled. The romance was hot! Dain is a hero to die
for. Sexy and loyal he relies on his instincts when all
evidence points to the contrary. And because the diabolical
demon plot has not yet been resolved, one simply cannot wait
for the next installment to find out what happens next. Oh
yeah, there are several sexy sorcerers still unattached too.
Yum. Eve Silver is a truly versatile writer and I can't wait
to see what she tries next.
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted January 31, 2009
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