Personal Demons

“Yes, my enormous sexual appetite tends to scare men away. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my dinner date.”

I bumped this one up a bit because I was intrigued by Megan's job as a radio host, after reading about Kitty in Kitty and the Midnight Hour and how fun her radio programme ended up being. This one sounded cute and fluffy but different enough to work.

Unlike Kitty, Megan's radio programming takes a small role in the book. Besides the beginning with the one session, it's not really mentioned again. Instead Megan discovers right away, a little unrealistically so, that she has done some harm to her reputation from her one radio broadcast about demons on the shoulder. It's confusing half the time whether she is being show more recruited or protected. The romantic interest is a little unrealistic too, because there is an almost instant bond I don't fully get - still, there's some steam and I felt the chemistry sizzle through the pages anyway.

As expected there's some humor and quirkiness, particularly in the three bodyguards who were probably the best thing about the book. The journalist was an interesting character with a few tricks up his sleeve and ended up being a strong support for the story, not just an enemy or danger like the back synopsis reads. Megan herself is okay as a lead, not bad but not someone I fell in love with either. There's some humor here and there, but not as fluffy as I feared on all angles. The plotline is an interesting one but its a little loosely contracted. There's holes you could dig apart if you wished to.

Overall a fun way to spend a few hours, but nothing to get overly excited about. Stacia Kane is an excellent author, but I prefer her stuff with the Downside Ghosts series so far. show less

Overall, I thought it was a humorous, light horror/paranormal romance. It's located in the science fiction section of my bookstore, which makes me think the publisher classed it as urban fantasy -- I don't see it myself. Maybe because of the scary parts? Or maybe Megan is going to go the endless bed-hopping route in future books? (please no!)

The story reminds me a bit of Katie MacAllister's Aisling Grey books. The humor is less punny though and the heroine (so far) is less dithering. Actually, I'm really looking forward to getting to know Megan - the few references to her childhood that come up sound pretty harsh and it's obvious she's fought her way through some tough situations before, even when she was afraid -- as she does here. I show more also enjoyed her interactions with Greyson and all the interesting secondary characters (especially her 3 guard-demons). show less

Personal Demons
3 Stars

Superficial world building and characterization but the plot has potential and the climax and resolution are riveting.

Megan is an appealing heroine with an independent streak and a snarky sense of humor. Unfortunately, her smart mouth fails her when she needs it the most and ultimately comes across as weak willed and lacking backbone as she allows almost every other character to bully her - her boss, her lover, her colleagues, the tabloid reporter and the villain. Her backstory is insufficiently developed which detracts both from her character and the plot.

The hero, Greyson Dante, is your typical alpha male who just happens to be a demon. Of course, he has a heart of gold despite forwarding his own agenda. He and show more Megan have some great chemistry although it is never really clear what he sees in her.

The rest of the supporting cast are a mixed bag. The villain is obvious from the start (although there is a slight twist at the end that contributes to the suspenseful climax) and the demon bodyguards are simply wonderful. The character that stands out the most in his obnoxiousness is Brian, the smarmy tabloid reporter. He treats Megan with an inappropriate sense of familiarity bordering on stalkerish, turns into a prejudiced, hypocritical git and finally does a 180 and becomes a savior in disguise leaving the reader scratching their head in confusion.

All in all, this is an OK read but if you are interested in a truly excellent world with intriguing demon characters then I recommend Larissa Ione's Demonica series. show less

Therapist Meg has a new radio show as “the demon slayer.” Unfortunately, Meg is psychic, and real demons are convinced she’s targeting them—so they plan to get her first. A hot (literally!) stranger shows up to protect her, along with a meddling reporter, and other threats. To survive, Meg’s going to have to figure out how to control her powers—and her anger. There was plenty of worldbuilding and explicit sex, and Meg’s anger at bad things happening to her was never treated as wrong, just in need of tactical refinement. Still, for whatever reason, this series starter didn’t grab me with the urgency of Kane’s Churchwitch books.

I picked this up at the library in one of those "I need something that's light and short to tide me over until I get home" moments (I read and walk, it's a terrible habit and it takes me 20 minutes to walk home). So I was looking for something fun, frivolous and not particularly intellectual. I received exactly what I wanted (except that it then began to rain and thus I could not read it while walking... *sighs*). This book is an entertaining read. It's predictable in some ways (sexy guy with esteem turns up early in book, you kinda can guess where that's going to go) and unpredictable in others (no spoilers!). Dante is kinda sexy, if you like arrogance and a mild lack of empathy. The plot is intriguing and kept me amused until the end. show more And I would be curious to read more. show less

It's kind of fluffy if you look at it from the UF side but pretty good if you think of it as a Paranormal Romance. It's not quite the latter because the love interest spills over into the next book but the love story is pretty central to the plot. I have no idea how you'd classify it.

It's fun, though, and the way it plays out is original. The characterizations are excellent as I've come to expect from Kane. Dante is fun and hot in more ways than one. ;) there's more men rescuing her and her not as strong but that improves and by the next book that changes really gets better. The brothers are wonderful and hilarious and really make the story. .

There are some research issues here as usual with Kane: the main character is a psychologist show more who thinks a minor thing is unethical but doesn't notice things that would cause a shrink to lose his license. it doesn't occur to her that a female caller on the show who hears voices is probably schizophrenic or bipolar and just tells her there's always hope and gives her the number for a crisis line with a suggestion to call back next week to let everyone know how she's doing.

I also think she trusts Dante way to readily (and the "Dante"? Really?) but overall enjoyable.

Think of this as Stacia Kane (who writes the heavy and gritty Downside Ghosts series and one of my favorite authors) light. show less

To Megan "slaying your personal demons" is a stupid tagline she gets stuck with by her boss at the radio station, to the personal demons it's an announcement of intention. From there on in life suddenly gets more complicated the mysterious Greyson Dante is shadowing her steps, group therapist Art Bellingham is oddly insistant that she come to his creepy group therapy sessions and reporter Brian is frankly one more unwanted complication.
This is a fun book, i'd like to see her radio and practice developed more but Megan is likeable, stubborn and fun without being stupid, Greyson is delightfull sexy and the Misters Brown are just adorable. In a lot of ways this book is amusing fluff, but Kane also draws in genuine tension with a few breath show more holding moments as well as characters that are easy to become attached to. show less