Chelsea S. (PengQueen) reviewed on 5/1/2010 + 114 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I don't really know how to feel about this series. There's nothing blatantly awful about it, but at the same time there isn't much to make it stand out from the numerous other paranormal romance novels I've read. The word average sums up this book perfectly--a mindless, predictable, but not unpleasant read.

In the continuity of the series, the "Others"--that is, vampires, werewolves, fae, and all manner of supernatural beings have made the choice to reveal themselves to the human populations, and are still fighting for equal rights etc. Rule is a demon--but demons in this series are for the most part counted among the good guys. Rule in particular makes a living protecting his world and the human world from the dark, dangerous, and more or less evil fiends. Abby is an ordinary human who ends up possessed by a fiend, Lou. Lou is in hiding because he possesses knowledge of a spell that could give power into the hands of the most sinister of all fiends. Abby is quickly taken under the protection of rule and his friends--a band that includes many Others introduced in previous books.

What made this book passable was the fact that with the possible exception of Abby, the characters are pretty likable. Problematically, I found myself focusing on and wondering more about the other couples--Graham and Missy, Tess and Rafe, etc, then the main couple. But at least they kept me reading. The central conflict and premise was really good--I liked the concept of the possession and the fiend hiding out in a human host.

The problems begin with Abby. She's incredibly frustrating--selfish, whiny, childish, kind of helpless. I thought on more than one occasion that the story would have been twice as entertaining with a more well rounded and/or more appealing heroine. For Abby, the logical choice would be to accept protection where its offered, seek out information, and cooperate with the obviously stronger and more knowledgeable characters to come up with solutions. But Abby decides to defy at every turn, whine about what has happened to her, ask all the wrong questions, and generally cause more problems for everyone. This slows the plot to a crawl as we wait for her to quit complaining and get her act together. Her terrible personality is further demonstrated in her relationship with Rule. She knows she should accept his help, respect him, and appreciate him, but she repeatedly acts against him. She drags the book down and is just plain too stupid to live.

I do actually plan on continuing with this series, despite my complaints, because I liked the other two books well enough. With this book thrown in I feel that the series is just average, but I'd recommend trying it anyway. Wolf at the Door and She's No Fairy Princess are very decent reads.

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