Monday, February 09, 2015
Series: The Vessel Trilogy
Author: Juliette Cross
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance
Rating:
**Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided to me by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Book Description:
She never knew this demon world existed. Now she just wants to survive it.
Genevieve Drake never needed a man to come to her rescue. Not until the night of her twentieth birthday, when some dude nearly chokes her to death in an alley behind a New Orleans Goth club. And a hot stranger splits the guy in half, rips a monster from inside, and incinerates it into ash.
The hunky rescuer? Jude Delacroix—Dominus Daemonum, Master of Demons, now her guardian, whether she likes it or not. But she’s seriously beginning to like it.
Her would-be murderer turns out to be only the first of many minions of the demon prince, Danté, who has all kinds of lascivious and sadistic plans. Which means when the formidably beautiful Jude offers his protection, Genevieve has no problem accepting it.
For Jude and his fellow demon hunters tell her she is a Vessel, one who is born to serve the Light, but can be corrupted into a weapon of darkness. And to survive, she must trust a man whose unearthly eyes promise heaven…but whose powers unleash hell.
Warning: Contains a dark and brooding demon hunter who harbors even darker secrets, a snarky heroine who’s being hunted by every demon in the underworld, and a sadistic demon prince with a fancy for violent sexual encounters.
Forged in Fire was a good read. I've found my next go to book. I have read many demon books but this one took a different spin. Demons are actually the bad guys and just not another misunderstood creature. Genevieve is pushed into an existence she had absolutely no clue about with a sexy demon hunter Jude.
Genevieve thought that she had an overall good life minus her mom going crazy and killing herself. She was in school and having fun. On one night on the town with her best friend, Genevieve met her first demon. At first sight, she thought this man just had on contacts that made his eyes turn red so she just wrote it off. That's until dude got too handy and Jude came to the rescue. They had heat from jump. On the way back to her ride back home with her drunk friend Mindy with her date, they get attacked by said demon. Low and behold Jude comes to the rescue, AGAIN. This is the night that EVERYTHING changes for Genevieve.
Forged in Fire had me going through different emotions throughout the book. Some parts made me want to b***h slap Genevieve and just kick Jude in the balls. They are both very stubborn people but Genevieve takes the cake for being naive. Like chick, you have DEMONS after you and you still want to be Ms. Independent and not see that Jude has a major boner for you! Something happens to Genvieve that she should have known from jump was a set-up but nope that went flying right over her head. I loved the way Jude had to break it down for her about the way he felt. All I could think was oh my. While Jude is trying his hardest to keep Genevieve safe, chick still gets tagged by a demon that's a prince. This dude is off the chain evil. Genevieve did awesome trying to protect herself from him but it still comes down to a showdown with him and Jude. That was an OMFG fight. I wonder what's next for Genevieve and Jude.
Overall, Forged in Fire gets a sizzling wicked heart. This book is definitely shelf worthy and a read that will keep you entertained.
Get your copy:
About the Author:
Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.
Stalk Juliette here:
***
Check out this awesome excerpt:
I’d parked
illegally on the street, knowing full well I’d probably have a ticket on the
windshield when I returned. Campus cops were like sharks in bloody waters,
sniffing out offenders with notorious stealth. You never saw them but sure as
hell felt bitten when they got you. Dreading to see that I’d been attacked by
one of these predators, I rounded the corner, and my heart stopped.
Propped
beautifully against my silver 350ZX was my rescuer, R-and-B from last night.
Faded jeans fit snugly on his hips, and a gray T-shirt accentuated a perfect
upper body. His black hair fell just right across lovely dark eyes. With casually
crossed arms, he watched me approach.
Heart, please
stop pounding that way before he notices.
This was no
accident. He’d found me somehow. Should I be afraid? He didn’t look dangerous.
Well, not in a serial-killer sort of way. Hell, he looked good enough to eat.
Totally faking bravado, I stopped in front of him with one hand on my waist.
“Are you
stalking me?”
He didn’t
answer, eyeing me from bottom to top. His gaze paused at my throat, then
finally made its way to my eyes. Still mute. I hated awkward silences.
“Didn’t your
mother ever teach you it’s not polite to stare?”
That seemed to
jar him a bit. He straightened, his expression grim at best.
“I apologize. I
was—”
“Checking me
out. Yeah, I got that loud and clear.”
Damn, I was
brave. He cleared his throat, hiding a smile now.
“I was going to
say, examining you.” He gestured to my neck.
“Examining? Why?
Are you a doctor?”
“Of sorts.”
“What sort of
sort?”
“I have a
doctorate.”
No way. He
seemed too young to have a PhD.
“A doctorate in
what?” I asked skeptically.
“Philosophy.”
“Your
expertise?” I asked, noting the rather sarcastic lilt in my voice. He didn’t
bat an eye.
“My thesis was
on how weapons reflect the savagery and sophistication of a culture.”
That accent
again. Definitely European. But what country?
“Well, a PhD in
weaponry may give you some idea how to inflict injuries, but it doesn’t qualify
you to examine and diagnose them.”
“True.”
Ha! One point
for me.
“So…” I let the
word hang. “How could you possibly have a PhD in anything at your age?”
“I’m older than
I appear.”
A slow, slow
devastating smile. A fluttering in my stomach felt like a frantic flock of
blind birds. Re-lax, Gen. Thank God he spoke, because for the moment, my lips
had completely forgotten how to form words.
“I simply wanted
to determine whether you’d recovered from last night’s attack,” he said,
pushing off my car and coming closer.
Oh no. He was
going to touch me. Genevieve Elizabeth Drake, do NOT faint. He reached out and
gently folded back my hoodie. He lifted my chin and angled it so that he could
see the marks I knew were purpled along the left side. Why was I letting this
stranger get so close? Even if he was picture-book gorgeous. I pushed his hand
away and stepped around him to my car.
“I’m fine,” I
mumbled, pulling the keys from the front pocket of my backpack. “What I want to
know is how you knew where to find me. And why are you following me? It’s a bit
creepy, even if you did save my life last night.”
We’d now
switched places. I leaned back against my car. He stood there, examining me
again, thumbs hooked in the front pockets of those yummy jeans.
“Yesterday was
your twentieth birthday, wasn’t it?”
Okay. Double
creepy.
“How did you
know?”
My question
confirmed whatever idea he had in his head. I could see it in the nod and drop
of his perfect cleft chin.
Two girls
flitted by, engrossed in a conversation. One nudged the other when they caught
sight of him, ogling shamelessly. They giggled. Couldn’t blame them, but it
pissed me off for some reason. R-and-B gave them no real notice, turning back
to me.
“I think we
should go somewhere private to talk.”
Said the creepy
man to the little girl with a lollipop and a white van waiting around the
corner.
“Um, I don’t
think so.” I crossed my arms. “I don’t know you. And no matter what you did for
me last night, at this point, I don’t trust you.”
He shifted
weight to his other leg. “As you wish. We’ll talk here.”
“Not that I’m
ungrateful, but why were you following me last night? Into the alley?”
“I wasn’t
following you. I was following the demon.”
“Fair enough.
How did you know it was my birthday?”
“Last night, I
wondered but thought it impossible. I had not thought to meet another like you
in all my time as a…” He paused, glancing around and lowering his voice. “As a
Dominus Daemonum.”
I shook my head.
“Okay, hold up. Met one what before? And what the hell is a dominus
da-whatever-you-said?”
Dark enchanting
eyes kept me still, even with my saucy attitude. A face chiseled in stone
regarded me with care. I would never admit it, but I was afraid to move.
Something in those almost-black depths warned me what he spoke of now would
change my life forever. What’s more, I knew those words. They were Latin. But
the translation in my head didn’t make sense.
“The what is a
Vessel,” he finally said. “And a Dominus Daemonum is a Master of Demons.”
“Do you mean
like a…a demon hunter?”
He nodded. No
smile.
“That is what I
am,” he said.
“And what’s a
Vessel?”
“That is what
you are.”
****
Don't miss your chance to win:
Thank you for this awesome review! So grateful. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome. I loved Jude.
ReplyDelete~Celie
Wonderful to hear. Much more of him to come. ;)
Delete