Loved this book. Great plot, great characters. So wonderful.
Note of caution: Intense language, so if you don't like that sort of thing, i wouldn't suggest reading this. ( )

Pretty competent paranormal romance. I like the complexity of the protagonist's relationship with the main demon in the series. ( )

uhhhh that escalated quickly.

In my ongoing quest to escape my twitter feed, Facebook feed, and news in general (in a vaguely responsible way), I picked up the first book of this series (and am on the waiting list for the subsequent titles). I'm interested enough to continue reading but holy crap! I'm all for women being empowered over their sex lives, by all means, have safe fwb and one-night stands ... but demon lord is MAJORLY CREEPY ABOUT SEX. GAH. ( )

This is a stronger UF than I would have guessed from my other impressions. It's very much a police procedural with demon summoning thrown in the mix. I was actually rather surprised that it felt a little bit like a burgeoning romance, too, but there it is! Demon lovers, unite! :)

I was getting the whole Kim Harrison vibe here for a while but I was pleased to see that this is very much its own beast.... or demon. An uber-powerful demon slumming it, a serial murderer, and a mystery. Pretty simple, but I don't mind. I had fun! It's an easy popcorn read and I'm curious to see just where the blood will go. :) ( )

Mark of the Demon
4 Stars

Alongside her day job as a detective with the Beaulac PD, Kara Gillian is also a demon summoner. Now her two vocations are about to collide when the Symbol Man, a dormant serial killer, returns with a vengeance and marks his victims with demonic symbols. Kara will need to use both her wits and her powers to combat a killer bent on accumulating power.

Excellent amalgamation of of paranormal elements with forensic investigation.

The serial killer plot is well-written with numerous twists and turns and several red-herrings cleverly woven into the story line. It is possible to follow the clues to the villain’s identity although my guess was incorrect. The story builds slowly but surely, and the climax is fast-paced and exciting.

Kara is an engaging heroine. Socially awkward and professionally insecure, Kara nonetheless stands her ground with her chauvinistic male colleagues and works diligently toward solving the crimes. She does have one or two TSTL moments but that is not unexpected given her lack of experience.

The two male leads are comprised of Ryan Kristoff, the suspicious FBI agent who gets off on the wrong foot with Kara, and Rhyzkhal, the seductive yet dangerous demon lord who has his own agenda and reasons for coming to Kara’s aid. At this juncture in the series, it is unclear where Kara’s relationships with these two very different men are going. As someone who really dislikes love triangles, I sincerely hope that they do not develop in this direction.

My one issue with the writing is Rowland’s excessive and unnecessary use of vulgarity. This is not something that typically bothers me when it is used effectively and in appropriate context, but here is is simply out of place and jarring.

Liv Anderson’s narration is adequate if somewhat slow, which led me to listen at 1.25 speed. Her tone and inflection are decent and her voices are quite distinct although there is a decided lack of Southern accent, which is a pity as the story is set in Louisiana.

In sum, a promising beginning to the series and it will be interesting to see what happens next. ( )