Demon From the Dark by Kresley Cole

 

2 out of 5 stars.  This is Book 8 in Kresley Cole's Immmortals After Dark series. It is the story of the party-loving, hooligan witch Carrow and Malkom Slaine, a demon with a tortured past living in a blighted dimension.  Carrow is forced into luring Slaine into the hands of the sinister mortal organization creatively called "The Order".  Since Carrow happens to be Slaine's fated mate, she has no problem convincing him to follow her back to her plain of existence.  The complications arise because Slaine has MAJOR trust issues and of course Carrow must betray him.  Oh, the emo horror that ensues!

It is the third Kresley Cole I have read in a row over the last four weeks and I think that may have affected how I rated this one. Her books share enough plot components and reading this many in a row really emphasizes the elements they share.  Also most of her heroes are Alpha male types who say things like "My female, come" and are insanely over-protective and possessive.  While I see why this can be hot and it works pretty well in her books because her heroines don't just go meekly this isn't at all my idea of the perfect guy.  Malkom's overbearing alpha maleness is accentuated because he initially can not speak Carrow's language.  So there's a LOT of Tarzan-esque speeches and this was the third such fellow in a row and I was pretty well over it.  In the end I think he is one of the more conflicted heroes which ultimately creates one of the more authentic and believable emotional connections between the two romantic leads. However, there are also some lazy, sloppy deus ex machina-like story elements  to get them to that happy resolution and it weakens the overall story.  This is a disappointment because I feel like Cole is better then a lot of romance writers of avoiding them.  And I still didn't really like Malkom Slaine very much.

I do like Carrow however and she is particularly funny. I liked getting to spend a little time with Mariketa and Bowen again even though Bowen is just there to say things like "you'll no' be doin' such tings woman." (um... that's supposed to be representing a scottish accent... I apologize).  

So my final verdict is "It was okay".  Of the most recent three I've read, It was better then Kiss of a Demon King but not as good as Lothaire.  And I think its time to take a break from Ms. Cole.