Eve of Chaos

Marked #3

by Sylvia Day, S.J. Day

From the #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of "Bared to You
"When Evangeline Hollis spent a night of passion with the darkly seductive Alec Cain, she had no idea that she'd be punished for it years later. Branded with the Mark of Cain, Eve was thrust into a life of hunting demons as penance.
Living with the Mark--and the two sexy brothers who come with it--was trouble enough. But then Eve ran over Satan's hellhound during training. Now Satan, incensed at the loss of his pet, has put a bounty on Eve's head, and every demon in the country wants to be the one to deliver her.
Meanwhile, Eve's formerly insatiable one-night stand is acting distant. Cain says he still wants Eve, and she believes him, but scorching hot sex isn't enough. Not after knowing what it was like to have more.
As Cain's role in Eve's life becomes more and more uncertain, Abel doesn't hesitate to step in.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Angels, Demons

384 pages, Library Binding

First published June 30, 2009

About the author

Acclaimed for her signature emotionally charged storytelling and the psychological complexity of her characters, Sylvia Day is a number one bestselling author in twenty-nine countries, with translations in forty-one languages and over twenty million copies of her books in print. Day is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, #1 Sunday Times, #1 Globe and Mail, #1 Der Spiegel, and #1 international bestselling author of over twenty award-winning novels, including six Sunday Times, ten New York Times and thirteen USA Today bestsellers. Visit the author at sylviaday.com

Reviews

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have two complaints about this book. First, you can never take Harbor Blvd. to Brookhurst St. The two run parallel and you have to turn somewhere to get from one to the other. Second, the ending is far, far worse than a cliffhanger. It's an ambiguous ending. ARRRRGHHHH!!!!!!

Other that those two flaws, the book was a worthy conclusion to the Marked series. It leaves a lot of room for a fourth volume though.

[Unabridged Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the heck?! You can't just finish a series like that! Who is it?! Agh!!!

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eve of Chaos is the third and installment in the Marked series by S.J Day. It was supposed to be a trilogy but I've read that S.J Day is planning more books in the series. Which I am excited about. The stories in each book can be somewhat similar but the quality in each book remains high. Each book is a great read, especially for those who love Urban Fantasy with romance and plenty of action. I went out and bought a three books at once and was glad I did. As for the characters, I like them a lot. Eve is a feisty, kick ass babe that doesn't take no for an answer, since being 'Marked' that only made her even more tough. But eve isn't just tough, she has a sensual side that both brothers can't resist. I find it hard to choose who I like more, Cain(Alec) or Abel(Reed). Both are tall, dark and mysterious. Not to mention, they are THE Cain and Abel. Eve finds herself torn between the two of them. Cain and Abel couldn't be more different. Each have their own side and personality that both work for them. I find myself feeling what Eve does, so I get confused on my favorite at times as well. For this book if I had to choose who I was routing for I found myself leaning towards Abel, when I was usually for Cain..but I'm not putting my money on just one at this point.:P


In Eve of Chaos Eve is having even more problems than usual. Since she killed Satan's pet Hell Hound in the previous book, he now has even worse plans for Eve, that she's not sure she can take. He's also put a bounty on her head, and every horrible demon in the greater Los Angeles area is now gunning for her. Eve just doesn't have it easy. The Archangel Raguel is being held captive in Hell by Satan awaiting rescue from the other Archangels and now there's a new Archangel, Cain. Cain was 'promoted' to Archangel when Raguel disappeared and is now running Raguel's spot in the North American firm. Ever since Cain became a Archangel, things are different. He's not himself, and he knows it. He's hearing voices in his head that are disturbing and wrong. Eve and Abel try to help, but it may not be enough. And now Abel is the only one Eve can count of during times of stress and importance, and even he has his fall outs. Eve is in over her head but doesn't back down. When her friends are on the line, she will get to the bottom of it. I hope there is more to come because book three ended with a sort of cliffhanger. Eve, Cain and Abel are a wicked triangle that has much potential. I hope there is more to come because book three ended with a sort of cliffhanger.

All in all, it's a great series. I like the different play with angels and demons, heaven and hell. I found it interesting and compelling. If your a Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance fan, you'll love the Marked series. Get into it!

[Ithlilian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much dialogue not enough plot. I started skipping through the same relationship drama and sex and then I wondered why I was even continuing. I really can only take so much of the same issue occurring over and over. No one is growing, nothing shocking is going on, and the overreaching mystery is not enough to keep my attention. The cliffhanger may tempt some people to continue, but it's not enough for me. The love triangle and characters simply don't appeal to me, but I do think if edited down and cleaned up a bit, there would be an interesting story here.

[Karley Essington · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5
Wow, this series went very downhill. I kid you not the whole series led up to 3 pages of rushed and chaotic action that was the "conclusion". It felt as if the author was trying to put all the loose ends in a box while closing it at the same time. Nothing made sense and I was bored the whole time. The last 2 chapters felt nothing like an ending. I tried so hard to like this book but it was not worth it.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this series!! It was something different than the same old vampire or werewolf book. The writing was fast paced . The series grabbed me from page 1 book one and didnt let go till the end. Ok , I admit it still didnt let you. I am eager for more!!!

[Jeanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate it when authors finish a series open-ended. Makes me so mad. If I wanted to write a story I'd have the imagination & talent to be a writer.

[Katherine Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't she just be with Cain on even days and Abel on odd days?????

[Michelle Leah Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:

I loved this book!

The book picks up where the 2nd book, Eve of Destruction, leaves off, with Evangeline trying to figure out how to deal with all of the crap on her plate, her boss missing and presumed dead, and Alec (a.k.a Cain) not at all himself.

When Raguel went missing, only a handful of people thought he was still alive given the fact that Cain was promoted to archangel (presumably to fill his void). Eve feels that she would KNOW if he was dead though, and is bound and determined to find and rescue him. Unfortunately, that's only 1 of her MANY problems. She is on the run from Satan (what's new, right!?) after recently running over his dog, her relationship with Alec (Cain) is getting worse and worse following his promotion and the strangeness he's exhibiting because of it, and she's not sure what to do with her growing feelings for Reed (Abel).

The entire book from beginning to end is chock full of action. There are some super sexy moments (something you don't always get in an Urban Fantasy), characters that you can't help but love and hate, and a tantalizing plot with hints and sub-stories that are utterly compelling.

Even though I generally don't like love triangles, the tension filled relationship between Cain (Alec), Eve and Reed (Abel) is essential to the plot of these books and thoroughly enjoyable in its own right (as surprising as I found that to be, personally). :)

As you may have noticed online, MARKED is listed in most places as a "Trilogy". Given the ending of this book it's just not possible... it would be utterly unfair to leave the reader with so many questions and jaw dropping awe. After a little research, I discovered that because of SJ's dual writing personality, there was more need for her time on her other series and therefore, these books didn't get picked up again. They have been re-released now with new covers and things, and thankfully, the follow-up novella Eve of Warfare that supposedly wraps things up a bit is still available in eBook format (yes I will be reading this ASAP!). There is actually another short story following that, Eve of Sin City, so us MARKED fans have a tiny bit more before we have to say adieu.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Eve of Chaos 5 Skulls and would recommend the entire series to Urban Fantasy fans far and wide. I think Paranormal Romance readers who enjoy plots rooted in religion would enjoy these books as well. There isn't a lot of romance, but when it's there, it's fabulous.

[Patti TheLoveJunkee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eve of Chaos jumps right back into the action, with Satan putting out a contract on Eve. This leads to a huge number of demons in the area, all gunning to bring her in. Cain and Abel are both doing their best to protect Eve, but Cain has been promoted and it's having a strange effect on him and they're still searching for the missing Angel - they know where he is but not how to get him back or what will happen to Cain if they do get him back. We meet more of the bad guys from Book One, and Eve is pissed about it. She's trying to rescue the angel, fight the bad guys, and work out her feelings for the brothers. Eve is not sleeping with either brother and both brothers are unhappy about it. She loves Cain but his new position makes it difficult for him to feel love for her. Meanwhile Abel's feelings for her have been growing stronger, and she eventually turns to him for comfort. In this book we also meet Cain and Abel's parents - Adam and Eve. Very interesting...
This book has intrigue, deception, and demons galore! I really enjoyed it. And the end - Ms. Day - how could you leave us hanging like that?!? Ohhhhh - I want to know who it was!!!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last full sized book in the marked series. Obviously this wonderfully entertaining series is being scrapped just because her new publishers want her to focus on new stories. BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

The book ends on a cliffhanger (which is explained in the novella Eve of Warfare)

But seriously- it was getting so good. Lots of hot sex with both winged brothers, and a tantalizing Sammael-original Eve plot that will never be explained unless Penguin gives us a break! I want to know what their story, is. As well as why Cain has black wings, and why Cain and Abel resemble him. *sigh* This would have been a five star book had it continued in vol 4.

Besides the unrivaled number of requests for new Crossfire novels on her FB page, this series seems to be the one most people inquire about. So Sylvia, if you ever read this- finish the story. I know it holds a special place in your heart, as well as in the fans hearts. Give us closure. Give us Cain. Give us Abel. And give Penguin a kick in the butt from me if they say no! I might give up agnosticism if you do... And you DO want to save souls, don't you? ;-)

[MyBookWorld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only reason this isn't a 5* read is because it's the end if the trilogy and there was a stupid big cliffhanger!!!! The novellas better tie up any loose ends lol!!!!

This one kick ass trilogy.... I know every one loves Cain but I am team Abel all the way!!! Boy does he get my blood pumping!!!!

Really hope the novella ties up some loose ends but please Sylvia Day if u ever read this pleaseeeeee consider another full length novel in the series please thank you lol...

[Gypsie Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put down and left a "hell of a cliffhanger!"

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh WOW! this one was really good!!! I really Love the whole aspect of heaven, hell, angels, serephim, deamons, etc etc...And of course the love triangle between Cain, Abel and Evangeline!!!!

[Kristy Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so disappointed with the way this ended! What the hell was that?

[Melanie Dirks · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a series that started with such promise, I was disappointed and frustrated with the ending of it. I didn’t like this book for many reasons.

Reason 1 - Eve. I used to like Eve. I thought she was confidant, smart, brave, and savvy. Now, I can’t stand her and it has to do with how she handled the brothers. She claims Alec is the love of her life yet she sleeps with his brother and is unapologetic about it. What pissed me off in particular is how she slept with Reed right after Alec broke up with her - not even a few hours went by. He broke up with her for a good reason although he went about it the wrong way. Again, that way wasn’t his fault considering he was being corrupted by a darkness that spawned in him when he became Archangel. What she did wasn’t fair to Alec nor was it fair to Reed. She admits to caring for Reed and that she is starting to fall in love with him too. However, she can’t remain faithful to him either, claiming Alec will always be there. That is an insult to Reed and considering how Eve’s the first woman he’s truly cared for, that was incredibly douchey of her. What bugs me even more is when she has the audacity to feel jealous of past lovers when it comes to the brothers or when Alec slept with someone else (against his will) when they were broken up. She has no right to feel that considering what she is doing.

Reason 2 - Alec. I absolutely hated what Day did to Alec in this book. It was a complete departure from who he is and she later explains that he was corrupted due to his connection with a corrupted Mark and him being an Archangel. I felt like it made no sense to the plot and was only done as an excuse to make Alec seem like a douche so that it was okay for Eve to sleep with Reed. It wasn’t okay. I also hated the Day made him sleep with someone else hours after he broke up with Eve. Day said Alec hated it and made it clear that the darkness in him was the reason why he did it. However, why even do that to him? He was essentially raped by the darkness in him that he had no control over. He admitted to that. Alec loves Eve and would have never done that to her. Again, I felt this was done to further a pointless plot and to make it okay for Eve to sleep with Reed. Wasn’t happy.


Reason 3 - The Ending. There was absolutely no resolution to this book. Who proposed to Eve? Is Eve going to commit to both brothers? Is Alec truly the son of Satan or Adam? Is Alec cured? Will Eve remain a Mark? What about Satan and the apocalypse? What about Alec’s demon ex wife coming back? What does that mean? I felt this book just left too much open. There needed to be resolution and I didn’t like that there wasn’t any.

While I’m a girl who loves a good love triangle, I hated this one. I also don’t mind multiple partners in a relationship if it’s well written. However, the fact that Alec and Reed are brothers added a whole ick factor wasn’t okay. Eve is selfish to string them both along, refusing to give up either but unwilling to commit. Both men take it and I don’t think that’s okay. I truly don’t think Eve was worth it.

I love Sylvia Day and her Crossfire series is one of my favorites. I expect deep emotional, mental, and sexual connections between her main characters and all that was missing from this series in my opinion. You had a female lead who I felt was emotionally abusive to the men who loved her and while the men acted in ways I wasn’t always happy with, they just took it. This is one of the few books I will not reread by her.

I’m just disappointed because her world and the plot had so much potential and I felt it went nowhere.

[Judah Kosterman · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re a supernatural bounty hunter trying to juggle a religious Japanese mother, a cover career as an interior designer, and the resentment of your fellow bounty hunters because your mentor/trainer/first lover was Cain (yes, THAT one, which means Abel’s in the mix, too), then – dang it – there’d better be awesome fight scenes, some epic guilt trips and fancy-footwork lying, at least a few missed deadlines, and a whole lotta awkward served up with the hottie brothers.

Nope.

Instead, after a promising opening chapter with a Japanese snow spirit, we get something akin to Nip/Tuck meets Mount Olympus, with the questionable bonus of mind reading. Our main trio (along with the reader) literally knows what each other is thinking and can summon each other over long distances. Interesting, but it’s a gift that only works sometimes (as in, when it’s needed for plot reasons, rather than following consistent rules). “All the other bounty hunters hate me” could go some very interesting places, but amounts to our heroine having no real friends at work. And while the sex is hot, it’s also conventional, with a shift from rough and lusty to slow and repeated standing in for love.

Does the author write teasing and flirting well? Yes. Does she take interesting theological stands which turn agnostics into heroes and Adam and Eve into rural, straight-shooting, potential in-laws? Yes. Does this installment neatly tie up some loose story ends while introducing a human priest we can root for and hurt with and hope to see return in a later work? Yes. And does the writing flow such that it’s easy to rip through 350 pages on a snowy February weekend? Yes. But none of that makes up for a plot driven not at all by our heroine’s life or circumstances, but rather by the craven whims of corrupted archangels.

Read this series as romance novels, and look for your supernatural thrillers elsewhere.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

After all of the craziness of the last book, this book was a bit of a letdown. Did I dislike the book? No, in fact I liked it, just not as much as the first two books. This book was a little too chaotic for me (see what I did there??)

Things get a bit "out there" in this book and we get to see cameos from Sammuel (or, if you haven't read this series yet, that would be the former angel now known as the prince of darkness).

What I did like was the fact that the brothers are somehow finding a way to be civil to each other as they are forced to share their time with Eve. As much as I REALLY don't like love triangles, I wouldn't be opposed to her just deciding to pick both of them. But what do I know? This book makes it hard to deal with Alec's new personality traits due to his ascension to Archangel. It felt like a punch in the stomach when he talks to Eve so bluntly about the fact that he doesn't love her anymore. I felt my loyalties changing from Alec to Reed, but then at the end...I was still flummoxed with who I wanted her with (see, that's why she should have just picked them both- even though they would never share.)

My frustration at the very end is with the fact that even though SD obviously had a TON more story planned for this series, apparently she changed publishers at this time (I think it was 2009) and this is the last full length book in this series. :( Man, what a complete bummer.

If I understand correctly, there are two novellas that come after this, hopefully this is her attempt to at least tie up a couple of the loose ends. I think the readers at least deserve that, since we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this book. I have both of them downloaded in my library, so we shall see...

[Mabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three novels in the Marked Series that I've read, this is my least favorite. I didn't like it that Eve can swap boyfriends when it is convenient for her. She can justify that Cain broke up with her so its ok for her to hook up with Abel. But when she learned that Cain and Izzie had sex, "she was still jealous and pissed off." And she looks at Izzie as "making a play with another woman's man." Hey, if you justified having sex with Abel because Cain broke up with you, why are you still thinking of Cain as your man?

This novel was first published in 2009. And if this is the last one, then there's too many unanswered questions. This is beyond a cliffhanger. This is an unfinished story which reminds me of the Renegade Angels Series. Beautiful stories that ended in limbo.

There are so many ways to end this series:
a) the brothers killed each other leaving Eve alone
b) Eve marries Cain and have a professional platonic relationship with Abel (minus the coveting her husband's brother part)
c) the brothers settle their differences and have a ménage a trois with Eve and all three lived happily ever after
d) Cain gets back with his wife. Eve ends up with Abel
e) Armageddon. They all died.

This series could end in so many different scenarios. I can accept any of those. Just don't end with -- What happens next??!! The questions in the reader's mind at the end cancels out the beautiful experience of reading the series.

[La La · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series ended as expected. A slight cliff hanger but you already kind of knew where the romantic portion of the story was going so I don't feel the need to read the novellas. I kind of wish throughout the series Eve would have stuck to her convictions romantically. In the middle of the book she came across as little wish washy and manipulative. She knew something wasn't right with Cain so she should have taken his breakup with a grain of salt instead of using it as an excuse to have second run at Abel. Also, I'm a huge believer you don't sleep with your ex's sibling or best friend. I would have just gone home and cried into my cornflakes. I was a little disappointed that Abel fell into. I thought he more conceited than that. At this point I kind of flipped through the rest of book to get to the conclusion.

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did enjoy the series over all but at about the middle of this book I started to really get annoyed with Eve. Her stringing both Cain and Able along in this back and forth can't make a choice situation got tiring. Then the book just kinda ended, with room for a lot more but it doesn't appear to be that there will be more. So many things left open and the things that were closed were rushed.

I just wish that Eve would have either followed through on being a one man woman, or tried to find some kind of polyamorus direction to make the situation honest, or accepted that she couldn't have either of them. Also whoever proposed at the end is dumb, Just felt like one of them trying to force the situation.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review goes for the ENTIRE series. Overall, I did enjoy the series. The second book was by far the best of the series. However, These books are very poorly written and edited. The amount of spelling errors or inconsistency in details was ridiculous. On top of that, the amount of details that were CONSTANTLY repeated was so annoying. We did not need to hear the SAME thing over and over, when more effort should have been put into the proofreading and editing. In the end I'm very glad to be done with the series. I feel like these books had so much potential to be great and they were just okay.

[Cognatious Thunk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I mentally two-starred this novel ages ago, when I first read it, I never bothered to record that fact. After all, I wanted to be fair. I jumped in mid-series and if I had read the books in order, I may have appreciated this novel more. Therefore, Eve of Chaos awkwardly lingered on my shelves for years, shuffled about as it incommodiously awaited the rest of its series. After years of it hanging about, I finally decided to just let it go. Consequently, I will never know how wonderful/terrible the series is, but I'm ok with that, since the reviews of the other books indicate that I wouldn't have liked them anyways.

[Tavia Tomasch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit.. i didnt know this was a series.. that said.. i was not a fan at first.. but once i start a book..i absolutely have to finish it.. im not the type that can just walk away.. im glad i didnt. The book was fun.. messed with my head a bit.. however.. my only complaint is tge ending.. like seriously.. i gate movies that cut off at the end..and i wont watch them until they all come out and i can have a marathon.. but now i read this book foesnt have a next book.. stupid stupud stupid...

[Nichelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just can’t finish this book or series. This is one of my favorite authors so giving her the benefit of the doubt I kept reading the first book. Next thing I know I am at the end of the book. I thought the next might be better but as soon as I started reading I remembered how bored I was with the storyline and characters. After five chapters, of the second book, I am calling it quits. I can count on one hand how many times I have done this.

[Kaira · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book in the series so far. Loved the story with all its secrets, twists and "back stabbing." The only thing that really bothered me is the ending, to be specific the last few sentences, why end us like that?

[Lisa Saurs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it...could have been better. Wish this book was twice as long and REALLY did not like the way it ended on a cliffhanger with no future novels in sight. Left me feeling short-changed.

[Chloe Macphail · Rating 3 out of 5]

parts of the book just washed over me. i dont know if thats because i havent read the first two books. parts of it i liked but felt like a slow read.

[Toni Tighe · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Marks #1 & #2, this book won't disappoint

[Rill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won't recommend wasting your time reading any of the series