"Not your everyday carnival!"
This anthology is about a carnival, but not just any
carnival. See, Carnivale Diabolique protects humans against
demons and has been around for a long, long time. In our first story, MISTRESS OF THE BEASTS by J.M.
Jeffries, we are introduced to the new head of the carnival
Delki Okello, just arrived in America. She never thought
she would become the Mistress of the Beasts in America.
Instead, she always felt she would remain in her native
Africa. Of course, her first assignment is to destroy a
shohar demon, which can't be killed until it inhabits a
host—a child. Unfortunately, the child this particular
demon seems interested in is the sheriff's son—the man
Delki is attracted to. Will Delki be able to kill a child to destroy the demon?
What if the demon does choose the sheriff's son? What will
happen to the budding relationship between the two of them? In the second story, THE SHARPEST EDGE by Seressia Glass,
we have Cam, who has been able to see demons. In fact, due
to her ability, Cam has never settled in one place but
spent most of her life running—until she hit Elberton,
Georgia. Now, Cam not only owns a diner, but she also
inherited a house when her friend, Miss Bessie died. Miss
Bessie had "gifts" too and took Cam in when she first
arrived in town and taught Cam what she could before her
death. Of course, Cam has noticed there have been more
demons around since Miss Bessie's death. When a huge,
handsome, hunk of Maori covered in tribal tats walks into
her diner with a demon, Cam feels very let down. The Maori
is exactly the type of man to interest Cam, but the fact
he's accompanied by a demon...well, the less said the better.
Eventually, Cam is talked into going to the carnival that
evening. After watching her Maori's—Anaru—performance, Cam
is escorted to the RV of the Mistress of the Beasts. This
is where Cam finds out Miss Bessie guarded a demon portal
and always intended to have Cam take over upon her death. Will Cam take over as guardian, or will she run again? What
of Anaru? Can they have a relationship? The last story, THE GOOD SIDE OF EVIL by F.D. Davis, deals
with Vulcan and Bodie. Three years ago, Vulcan and Bodie
were lovers in love, until Bodie—demon hunter—found out
Vulcan was a demon. Now both of them do everything in their
power to make the other's life miserable. From Vulcan
flaunting his women in front of Bodie, to Bodie making sure
Vulcan goes on suicide missions. Unfortunately, they both
still love the other. When Vulcan finds some major demon
activity, they are forced to put their personal feelings
aside in order to overcome the demons. Why is Vulcan fighting others of his kind? Is there a
chance for a relationship between Vulcan and Bodie? Will
they overcome the demons? CARNIVALE DIABOLIQUE is a thrilling collection of stories
of good versus evil where the lines between the two
sometimes become blurred. The authors all told action-
packed romantic tales of a very unique carnival. If you
enjoy stories of demons and those who hunt them, don't miss
this one.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted December 25, 2009
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