I had just finished reading a beautifully written book on loss and grief – and needed something brimming with energy and naughtiness with oodles of humour and sassy rejoinders. And I got exactly what I was looking for when I turned to this offering…
Addy Corwin is a florist with an attitude. A bad attitude, or so her mama says, ’cause she’s not looking for a man. Mama’s wrong. Addy has looked. There’s just not much to choose from in Hannah, her small Alabama hometown. Until Brand Dalvahni shows up, a supernaturally sexy, breathtakingly well-built hunk of a warrior from – well, not from around here, that’s for sure. Mama thinks he might be European or maybe even a Yankee. Brand says he’s from another dimension. Addy couldn’t care less where he’s from. He’s gorgeous. Serious muscles. Disturbing green eyes. Brand really gets her going. Too bad he’s a whack job. Says he’s come to rescue her from a demon. Puh-lease. But right after Brand shows up, strange things start to happen. Dogs talk and reanimated corpses stalk the quiet streets of Hannah. Her mortal enemy Meredith, otherwise known as the Death Starr, breaks out in a severe and inexplicable case of butt boils. Addy might not know what’s going on, but she definitely
wants a certain sexy demon hunter by her side when it all goes down. . .
This is not my normal fare – I freely admit it. But this was just plain fun. While the insta-love was more about insta-lust, I was prepared to go with the flow as Addy is just so much fun. I enjoyed the fact that she was still concerned about what the neighbours thought and was very mindful of her mother’s opinion even after all the life-changing adventures. Meanwhile, she plays with the trope of the good Southern girl, looking for a husband, concerned with her appearance and intent on putting on a good front for the neighbours.
While behind all that, she has a wicked wit and a lovely turn of phrase that had me grinning throughout and reluctant to put this one down. That said, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it if the story had been a crock – and it isn’t. Granted, there isn’t a lot of explanation about the other dimension, or much backstory about why the small town of Hannah seems to be such a hotspot for demons, but then this is the first book in a series, so presumably we’ll get more answers in future books.
The supporting cast are also great fun – I loved the talking Labrador and Addy’s hapless older brother – the scene at the funeral parlour was hilarious. Overall, this is an amusing farce with plenty of action and fun, some steamy sex scenes all applied with a zingy coating of witty one-liners.
8/10
Brainfluff 