Review: The Demon's Kiss by Lacey Weatherford

Title: The Demon's Kiss
Series: Of Witches and Warlocks
Author: Lacey Weatherford
Publisher: Global Authors Publications
Publication Date: 13 Apr 2010

Source: Loaned from the adorable Susan K Mann




Synopsis: From Amazon
Can someone else's past come back to bite you? After being drained of nearly all the blood in her body, novice witch, Portia Mullins, wakes up to find that her warlock boyfriend, Vance Mangum, has fled in search of his demon father. Determined to keep him from facing the evil alone Portia follows after him, unknowingly setting herself on the path of a new adventure that will take her, Vance, and their coven over international borders, into a foreign place where they will discover that the black magic which awaits them is far worse than they ever imagined. Portia finds herself tangled up in a web of lies and deceit in an other's quest for demonic power in the excitingly romantic second paranormal novel in the Of Witches and Warlocks Series, The Demon Kiss.

Review:
Following on from The Trouble with Spells Portia has developed into a really strong female character around which the rest of the characters seem to orbit. I love Portia as a role model even if she sometimes lacks 'common' sense which ultimately leads to dangerous situations.

Vance's conflict against his demonic nature is endearing. The deep bond he shares with Portia was heart warming to follow, especially shining through the narrative when Portia helps Vance cope with the physical pain it causes him to struggle against the demon raging inside him. The chemistry between these two literally crackles from the pages.  The way in which Lacey handles the physical side of the relationship as not to be rushed into and a true commitment adds to her abilities as a writer. It would have been all to easy to slip into eroticism with this but I feel it does the relationship justice (alongside the story as a whole) the way in which it was dealt with.

The character development across the board was stunning. All of the characters were developed uniquely yet made up the whole 'coven' if you will, each person had a specific role and no-one was a 'weak link' so to speak. I especially enjoyed the way in which the 'human' characters were included in the paranormal storyline. Playing a crucial role within the plot and their actions were pivotal to the action. Proving that a single person can make a difference even if they do not have 'special powers'. The group dynamics, character development interactions was just fantastic.

Some of the scenes were quite gory and scary for me (as I don't do gore or horror) but the beautiful romance and 'that' [ ; D ] romantic scene stole my heart and more than made up for the gore. The action is fast paced and really keeps you on your toes. There is a jaw-dropping cliff hanger of an ending - just be prepared to rush straight out and buy the next book.

This book is the complete package.

Seriously UK publishers you really need to scoop this writer up. She already has a 'cult' following [ : D ]