The Demon’s Fire (Blood Coven 2) by TM Smith-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 26, 2023

He’s not her type at all…

He’s a barbarian. Despite his sexy smile and hot body, nothing can smooth the brutish man’s ragged edges. Besides, demons need a daily dose of sex to live. Skyler Maxwell has no intention of becoming his food source.

She’s not his type at all…

She’s a buttoned-up, prissy human with frost in her veins. But Kole is stuck playing tour guide for the chief legal officer while she’s on Scath as a representative of the Alliance. He was told to “play nice.”

They are fire and ice…

With a bullseye on Skyler’s back, Kole is her best chance to stay alive. Trapped in a hostile environment, they survive mystical monsters and treacherous attacks. Despite the perils and their differences, their romance ignites, proving fire and ice are perfect together.

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REVIEW:THE DEMON’S FIRE is the second instalment in TM Smith’s contemporary, adult THE BLOOD COVEN erotic, paranormal/fantasy series. This is human and Chief Legal Officer for the Alliance Skyler Maxwell, and demon Commander Kole’s story line. THE DEMON’S FIRE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

SOME BACKGROUND: Thousands of years earlier, a powerful group of witches and warlocks, in an effort to protect the human race, divided the world creating three realms: Earth, Scath and Darque. The Blood Coven series focuses on the fight to keep the worlds physically separated in the face of some powerful people hoping to control one or all. The Aeternals are the overarching collection of breeds and supernatural species that inhabit the Scath and Darque realms, and the Alliance are the group of humans that monitor all supernatural activity on Earth.

Told from third person perspective, following several paths, and a recitation of journal entries, THE DEMON’S FIRE follows Skyler Maxwell, the Chief Legal Officer for the Alliance since the death of her father, a woman who wants to trace her late father’s journey between Earth and Scath. Requiring a ‘guide’, Skyler is assigned a reluctant male, Commander Kole, the man with whom Skyler will fall in love but a missing page from her father’s journals reveals a questionable journey in the Darque, a journey that will threaten our story line couple.

Meanwhile, the Alliance is continuing to search for any and all descendants of the Blood Coven Ancestry in the hopes of protecting those who may be targeted for their untapped powers. Someone is hoping to use the Blood Coven ancestors to open the portals between Scath and Earth, while someone else is hoping to destroy the Aeternals (the supernaturals) using the powers of the human hybrids. What ensues is the building but contemptuous relationship between Skyler and Kole, and the potential fall-out as betrayal and manipulation place Skyler and Kole in the direct line of fire.

The relationship between Skyler and Kole begins acrimoniously as Kole doesn’t want to play tour guide, and Skyler believes she is capable of journeying on her own but Skyler is completely oblivious to the rules, regulations and laws of the supernatural realms, laws that Skyler is often too quick to disobey. As Skyler and Kole begin their journey through Scath and the Dargue, someone else is hunting for our story line couple. The $ex scenes are erotic and intense.

Like the first book, THE FIREBRAND, there is a large and inordinate number of named and titled secondary and supporting characters: each realm has their own cast of creatures and breeds: vampires, harpies, nymphs, Amazons, witches, warlocks, elves, shifters, beserkers, demons, satyrs, djinn , humans and those humans who have descended from the original Blood Coven. An excel spreadsheet would be required to keep track of the names, character types, titles, and geographical areas.

THE DEMON’S FIRE is another complex, multi-levelled and layered storyline wherein the reader is pulled into a complicated world, divided by magic, portals and creatures of all sorts. The premise is detailed, elaborate, and intricate-the copious number of powerful and dynamic characters, geographical places and titles is often confusing; the romance is dramatic and provocative.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE FIREBRAND

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy