Review: 4.5 Stars – A fast-paced, suspenseful, emotion-packed ride!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2013
Tegan Ashton suffered an attack four years ago and her assailant has never been found. She has tried to rebuild her life, learning martial arts and self-defense skills to be able to protect herself, even opening her own dojo, but her emotional scars have never healed. After spotting her attacker while watching the beach on a local motel’s webcam, she decides to hire a PI to help her find him and help bring closure to her attack.Gabriel V.H. Smith, Licensed PI and paranormal investigator, is not your average private investigator – because of his Van Helsing (V.H.) bloodline, he is also a Demon Slayer. Gabe is also haunted by tragic events of his past, having witnessed everyone that he has cared about fall victims to the demons that he hunts.When Tegan hires Gabe to help her find her attacker, he immediately recognizes that the scar she has is actually from a demon bite, and he knows he has to help her. He also can’t help the attraction that he feels for her, which only grows as he gets to know her and sees her inner strength.“He’d never met a woman like Tegan Ashton. She had moxie. She also had lips that drove him to distraction, not to mention those dark-brown eyes shadowed with wounds no one should have to carry, and so much fight and courage that it twisted his gut.”But he knows he cannot risk caring for Tegan since history has proven that if he does, it will only result in her getting hurt.Although she too feels the attraction toward Gabe, she is still too emotionally scarred to act on it. The more time she spends with Gabe though, the more he helps her begin to heal.“You told me you weren’t a victim… Don’t let that attack hold you back from living.”When the history of Tegan’s own bloodline is brought to light, Gabe and Tegan must work together to unravel the mysteries and stop the demon who has targeted Tegan, all while trying to manage the attraction that is growing between them.I really enjoyed this story and the lore that surrounded the demons. With so many books being written about vampires and shifters (which I do love!), it was refreshing to read a story with a different paranormal creature in the starring role – especially one that was the bad guy and really had no redeeming qualities! Tegan was totally kick-ass, using all her martial arts skills to be able to fight side by side with Gabe. I loved watching her begin the emotional healing process throughout the story, drawing on the strength and support from Gabe, but also finding her inner strength. Gabe was such an alpha-male, but when it comes to Tegan he is so supportive and caring. He has his own emotional demons to slay, and I found it refreshing that he put his emotions out there for Tegan and didn’t keep them bottled up or try to protect her. I also loved Tegan’s father – although he didn’t have a huge role in the story, his character was integral to the plot and he was quite colorful.I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced, suspenseful story with some heat and romance. Kudos to Lisa Kessler for creating such a great story that takes you along for a fast-paced, suspenseful, emotion-packed ride!I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.