Sproingg...thud. That was the sound of me jumping on the "Eve of Darkness" bandwagon. S.J.Day has penned a fascinating tale twined around the ultimate legend regarding good and evil--the story of Cain and Abel. Of course, in Day's version the Bible didn't quite get the whole story...and so far neither do we. But I got enough hot sex, mythological mystery, and rumbling action to keep me glued to the pages.

Eve lost her virginity to a rock-star, handsome and sexy stud on a Harley. Then he disappeared. Although it's ten years later, she's never forgotten him. When she catches sight of a man that closely resembles him when leaving a job interview, she's stunned by the almost magical sexual pull. Though she knew better, she couldn't seem to help herself...and now she's been given the mark of Cain. Her new job will be to take out Infernals (demons, werewolves, and a multitude of other assorted evil critters) under the guidance of a kind of heavenly corporation run by angels. As if that's not enough to blow a girl's mind, Eve has become the bone (HAH HAH HAH) of contention between two brothers...rather famous brothers actually--Alec Cain and Reed Abel.

I loved this story. I'm guessing the author has probably received a fair share of nasty-grams from the Moral Majority--unless they're too uptight to read paranormal romance! I personally found her twisted take on the age-old story riveting and very, very clever. Poor agnostic Eve, thrown into the middle of an ancient rivalry of Biblical proportions. She's attracted to, feels for, and is torn between the two brothers whose enmity is total and unending. It's very easy to identify with Eve. A normal woman with a normal childhood who gradually grew away from organized religion is now suddenly faced with a reality she can barely grasp. God and Satan exist, and so do Heaven and Hell, not to mention the factions of the heavenly host and satanic minions living here on Earth, trying to keep the eternal battle a secret from humans.

"Eve of Darkness" begins with the ending in a way. The rest of the book smoothly unfolds the story so far and the action is mostly non-stop. While there IS an ending, readers should know that reading this first book will only make you drop whatever you're doing to rush out and buy the next to continue with Eve's story. That's what I plan to do first thing tomorrow. S.J. Day's entry onto the paranormal romance/urban fantasy scene gave me a thrill and a hunger for more. ( )

S.J. Day is a new author for me. In the sea of urban fantasy, I thought that this book had a pretty original spin: Evangeline Hollis has been Marked as one of God's warriors and is caught in a romantic triangle with Cain and Abel (yes, the biblical brothers). Eve of Darkness, the first book in the series, tells her origin story - how she came to bear the mark of Cain and how this changed her life.

I was intrigued by this book for a couple reasons: first, it's been blurbed by a couple of authors I like - Patricia Briggs and Jeri Smith-Ready - and second, the protagonist is Asian, which appeals to me since we don't often see Asian protagonists in urban fantasy and I'm part Asian myself.

Eve of Darkness is a good book. Not the best thing I've ever read but the story has a good pace, the characters are interesting if somewhat predicatable, and I really like the biblical spin on things. That was really novel. I'm not entirely sure that I'll rush out to pick up the second book in the series but it's definitely something I'll keep in mind for later.

Originally published at http://ireadgood.wordpress.com ( )

I received this book as an Early Reviewers copy. I read quite a bit of paranormal/supernatural urban fantasy, but I just could not get into this one. The storyline was overly complicated and the theology was confusing. The sex scenes were also, in my opinion, more gratuitous than hot. I was unable to finish it, and won't be looking for more from this series. ( )

This is a fun read, that really stands out from the rank and file of urban fantasy novels, although the premise does remind me a little of the television show Reaper. Eve is a Mark, a hunter of the supernatural and damned, who is torn between two brothers, the biblical Cain and Abel. As a recent recruit, she is busy learning the ropes while dealing with Infernal creatures such as the tengu and the Nix. When Infernals start appearing with no scent or sign of their identity, is Eve way over her head?
This book, the start of a new series, has a lot going for it, and most of my criticisms have to do with personal preference more than anything else. Eve is a strong character, and I like that, although receiving her Mark gives her superhuman abilities, it's often her intelligence that gets her out of trouble. I tend not to like books that use Bible stories, demons and angels as plot devices---a preference that the agnostic Eve herself might understand. However, the world here is multi-cultural, with the Infernals being creatures out of various world myths, and I like that, and I also like the notion of the archangels as Mafia kingpins----it's just amusing.
What I didn't like about the book: the first chapters of the book are very, very steamy, and I found myself wanting to skip over all the sex scenes. I'm not a romance reader, and I dislike both Alpha males and love triangles, particularly when they involve two men fighting over a woman. (Yeah, it may be flattering, but to me it always seems to rob the woman of choice.) So I really liked Eve better than Alec Cain and Reed Abel, who seemed both condescending and somewhat superficial; sure Eve was talented and intelligent, but the brothers were initially drawn to how hot she was. As the book moved on, however, the sexual content was a bit toned down, and I found myself being curious about how the brothers came to be rivals. (There are hints throughout the book, borne up by the brothers' personalities, that the Bible doesn't tell the whole story). So I do plan to read the next book (of which I also have an ARC, whee!), because I think the story has real potential and I'm eager to spend more time with Eve! ( )

As a consequence for sleeping with the wrong man, the life Eve's created for herself has been ripped away. Finding out if she's strong enough to survive what her life has become, is the stuff Urban Fantasy dreams are made of.

Humans ignorantly co-existing with creatures of good and evil. Uniquely fierce and amusing Baddies not down with G.O.D. Heavenly hierarchy taking shady corporate rat race shape, where even Angels have gray or dark motives. Just enough old testament nuggets to add heft and substance without going into preachy snore territory. Full fleshed out characters and motivations. This book is sexy as hell, but it doesn't detract from the story quality. Day weaves the tension and action like a pro, so it adds depth and texture to the motivations of the players in this drama. ( )