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Caruthers Sisters #1
The Demon King and I
First in a terrific new series featuring wealthy paranormal party girls; from the author of the Charmed books.
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world; this world, that is. In her other world she's the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world; this world, that is. In her other world she's the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
303 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2008
10 people are currently reading
1023 people want to read
About the author
Candace Havens
70 books1,016 followersBestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA's, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Readers Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography “Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy” and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation's leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers, and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
December 5, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Nov08
I’m not a big fan of chick lit. Name dropping and descriptions of designer clothing just don’t do it for me. Having said that, there’s just something about Candace Havens writing that keeps me coming back for more. Her ‘Charmed’ series earned a spot on my keeper shelf for her snappy wit and different take on a witch who uses her powers for good and keeps a running tally of her potions, spells, and boyfriends. “The Demon King and I” is her first book in a new series about a family of female Guardians who keep Earth safe from creatures from other worlds. And I must say, if the other books in the series are as good as this one, my keeper shelf will expand once again!
Gillian is the oldest of four Guardian sisters. She’s the Assassin, born with the extra strength and ability to kill demons. She’s also a high-profile art gallery owner and lawyer. Does the good of the first cancel out the lawyer part ? She’s been very busy lately. What with finding her latest boyfriend boffing her gallery manager in her home, attending posh parties, investigating a string of murders whose only connection is herself, giving media interviews, and killing dimension-jumping demons, she hardly has time to eat a gourmet meal! Now she’s been summoned to meet the new demon king and she’s not exactly thrilled. The last several have been VERY hard to look at, assuming she knew which eye to look at, and most wanted to kill her right off. But this latest one is a bit different--he looks like Adonis with the body of Michelangelo’s David and he makes all her girlie bits sing. This could be trouble. The Demon King and the Demon Assassin…hmmm, doesn’t really give you a warm fuzzy, does it?
I liked this story almost in spite of myself. And now I just want to read about the next sister and her dragonman! Havens manages to be silly without resorting to stupidity…a very fine line indeed. There may be readers who don’t like her brand of humor, but it hits me just right. If I could make my own category for this one, it would be humorous chick paranormal. The name dropping is kept to a minimum and the ‘chick’ part is balanced out by the plot and the action. The heat between the main characters isn’t too bad either! And a few of the cast of secondary characters are intriguing too.
“The Demon King and I” grabbed me from the title and kept me with it’s droll humor and sexy banter. I enjoyed the solution of Gillian’s mystery, yet the author will reel me into buying the next book for the next piece of the overall puzzle. “Dragons Prefer Blondes” is scheduled for publication in July 2009 and yes, I’ll be waiting for it to hit the shelves!
I’m not a big fan of chick lit. Name dropping and descriptions of designer clothing just don’t do it for me. Having said that, there’s just something about Candace Havens writing that keeps me coming back for more. Her ‘Charmed’ series earned a spot on my keeper shelf for her snappy wit and different take on a witch who uses her powers for good and keeps a running tally of her potions, spells, and boyfriends. “The Demon King and I” is her first book in a new series about a family of female Guardians who keep Earth safe from creatures from other worlds. And I must say, if the other books in the series are as good as this one, my keeper shelf will expand once again!
Gillian is the oldest of four Guardian sisters. She’s the Assassin, born with the extra strength and ability to kill demons. She’s also a high-profile art gallery owner and lawyer. Does the good of the first cancel out the lawyer part ? She’s been very busy lately. What with finding her latest boyfriend boffing her gallery manager in her home, attending posh parties, investigating a string of murders whose only connection is herself, giving media interviews, and killing dimension-jumping demons, she hardly has time to eat a gourmet meal! Now she’s been summoned to meet the new demon king and she’s not exactly thrilled. The last several have been VERY hard to look at, assuming she knew which eye to look at, and most wanted to kill her right off. But this latest one is a bit different--he looks like Adonis with the body of Michelangelo’s David and he makes all her girlie bits sing. This could be trouble. The Demon King and the Demon Assassin…hmmm, doesn’t really give you a warm fuzzy, does it?
I liked this story almost in spite of myself. And now I just want to read about the next sister and her dragonman! Havens manages to be silly without resorting to stupidity…a very fine line indeed. There may be readers who don’t like her brand of humor, but it hits me just right. If I could make my own category for this one, it would be humorous chick paranormal. The name dropping is kept to a minimum and the ‘chick’ part is balanced out by the plot and the action. The heat between the main characters isn’t too bad either! And a few of the cast of secondary characters are intriguing too.
“The Demon King and I” grabbed me from the title and kept me with it’s droll humor and sexy banter. I enjoyed the solution of Gillian’s mystery, yet the author will reel me into buying the next book for the next piece of the overall puzzle. “Dragons Prefer Blondes” is scheduled for publication in July 2009 and yes, I’ll be waiting for it to hit the shelves!
November 18, 2019
Imagine this. Four heroic women with superpowers--the Caruthers sisters--protect Earth from dangerous paranormal beings who jump in through portals from various other worlds and dimensions. Each sister has the skills that specialize her for a particular kind of danger: Gillian ("Gilly") slays demons, Alex takes on dragons, Mira fights fae, and Claire goes after sea monsters; they are the Guardians, or Guardian Keys, and they appear to take orders from their formidable mother at their secret headquarters in Texas. And each one also has a mundane life and appears to the world to be wealthy and successful with no hint of weirdness, because all those dangers they keep us safe from are only myths, right?
So far so good, and it looks like a good set-up for a series of four novels, one for each sister--Gilly who keeps us safe from demons is the main character of this one (see title). Now I can see this working if the sisters are, say, CEOs who run enterprises through small armies of managerial staff and only have to show up in person at this or that decision time. But no. The sisters are celebrities. Alex owns a bunch of night clubs, Claire does ocean documentaries, and Gilly in particular is both a lawyer and an art gallery owner who directs humanitarian programs; in addition she's a fashionista who goes to charity balls and the like. In any case, they get lots of media attention, swarms of paparazzi, etc.
Again, I freely admit that when Gilly is at one of those highly public events and gets a message in her earbud that a demon has been sighted in Buenos Aires or Tokyo, she can just duck into a quiet spot, rub her wrist tattoos together, teleport to the spot, behead the demon with the sword (see cover) that she hides under her high-slit evening gown (see cover)--are you imagining this?--teleport back, and return to the ballroom, all in less time than it takes to go to the bathroom. Still okay, for those individual demons that occasionally pop up.
But as the back-cover blurb clearly tells us, in this adventure Gilly will face "a plague of murderous demons" that "plunges the earth into darkness," and she and her sisters will do this without missing that celebrity-rich event and without letting the paparazzi sniff anything unusual! To be fair, Gilly's first-person narration shares with us some of the annoyance and complications of balancing public attention and a secret war, much of it on other worlds. But I'm afraid it goes beyond what I can imagine, even in the kind of fantasy I love.
As the publishers tell us up front, Gilly meets the demon king Arath, lord of a world called Maunra and (as it turns out) possessed of superpowers that have not been seen anywhere for five centuries. She needs lots of intelligence and diplomatic skill to deal with him, and she's got what it takes--partly because she quickly discovers a personal connection that neither of them suspected. Paranormal romance to the rescue! And the enormous evil that threatens Earth is spreading over the whole universe, so you know they will combat it together (while working on their issues, of course).
I felt that Arath's character, seen from Gilly's point of view, was quite well developed. Gilly is a natural warrior and all the action scenes are exciting, though as you can probably surmise I just don't see her as a lawyer (that part is rarely in focus) or a gallery owner. The other characters are handled more superficially, except maybe for the sisters' only brother (and genius nerd) Bailey . This is an enjoyable read with lively dialogue and an interesting relationship that takes on some depth.
So far so good, and it looks like a good set-up for a series of four novels, one for each sister--Gilly who keeps us safe from demons is the main character of this one (see title). Now I can see this working if the sisters are, say, CEOs who run enterprises through small armies of managerial staff and only have to show up in person at this or that decision time. But no. The sisters are celebrities. Alex owns a bunch of night clubs, Claire does ocean documentaries, and Gilly in particular is both a lawyer and an art gallery owner who directs humanitarian programs; in addition she's a fashionista who goes to charity balls and the like. In any case, they get lots of media attention, swarms of paparazzi, etc.
Again, I freely admit that when Gilly is at one of those highly public events and gets a message in her earbud that a demon has been sighted in Buenos Aires or Tokyo, she can just duck into a quiet spot, rub her wrist tattoos together, teleport to the spot, behead the demon with the sword (see cover) that she hides under her high-slit evening gown (see cover)--are you imagining this?--teleport back, and return to the ballroom, all in less time than it takes to go to the bathroom. Still okay, for those individual demons that occasionally pop up.
But as the back-cover blurb clearly tells us, in this adventure Gilly will face "a plague of murderous demons" that "plunges the earth into darkness," and she and her sisters will do this without missing that celebrity-rich event and without letting the paparazzi sniff anything unusual! To be fair, Gilly's first-person narration shares with us some of the annoyance and complications of balancing public attention and a secret war, much of it on other worlds. But I'm afraid it goes beyond what I can imagine, even in the kind of fantasy I love.
As the publishers tell us up front, Gilly meets the demon king Arath, lord of a world called Maunra and (as it turns out) possessed of superpowers that have not been seen anywhere for five centuries. She needs lots of intelligence and diplomatic skill to deal with him, and she's got what it takes--partly because she quickly discovers a personal connection that neither of them suspected. Paranormal romance to the rescue! And the enormous evil that threatens Earth is spreading over the whole universe, so you know they will combat it together (while working on their issues, of course).
I felt that Arath's character, seen from Gilly's point of view, was quite well developed. Gilly is a natural warrior and all the action scenes are exciting, though as you can probably surmise I just don't see her as a lawyer (that part is rarely in focus) or a gallery owner. The other characters are handled more superficially, except maybe for the sisters' only brother (and genius nerd) Bailey . This is an enjoyable read with lively dialogue and an interesting relationship that takes on some depth.
August 6, 2009
Picked up this book on a whim, just needed a quick something that I could knock out in a few hours.
While Havens had a lot of good ideas with her first book in this series, her execution wasn't quite up to snuff. Random plot lines thrown together does not a book make, and in her case she didn't even have likable enough characters to keep me happy. Gillian's alright as female leads go (at the very least she doesn't complain too much) but I didn't get a good sense of what kind of a person she is. She battles/negotiates with an entire demonic universe... is a lawyer... an art collector/curator... and an international celebrity? As well as somehow finding time to become a master in twenty-whatever martial arts styles. I mean, come on now, this seems like a bit much, doesn't it?
Arath was also so moody there were times in the book that I didn't want him to come back whenever he ran off to deal with some conflict he psychically knew about.
In addition, so many details and subplots were thrown into the mix that I found myself skimming over huge blocks of text to finish it faster. Long-lost family members, red-carpet worthy fashion ramblings, random murders of supposed "close" friend and family members, it's all just too much for me to even begin to take in, let alone appreciate.
A good first try but I think simplicity is the key with this. Give it a shot if you like, but I'm going to forgo the rest of this series. I have other books I'd rather be reading
While Havens had a lot of good ideas with her first book in this series, her execution wasn't quite up to snuff. Random plot lines thrown together does not a book make, and in her case she didn't even have likable enough characters to keep me happy. Gillian's alright as female leads go (at the very least she doesn't complain too much) but I didn't get a good sense of what kind of a person she is. She battles/negotiates with an entire demonic universe... is a lawyer... an art collector/curator... and an international celebrity? As well as somehow finding time to become a master in twenty-whatever martial arts styles. I mean, come on now, this seems like a bit much, doesn't it?
Arath was also so moody there were times in the book that I didn't want him to come back whenever he ran off to deal with some conflict he psychically knew about.
In addition, so many details and subplots were thrown into the mix that I found myself skimming over huge blocks of text to finish it faster. Long-lost family members, red-carpet worthy fashion ramblings, random murders of supposed "close" friend and family members, it's all just too much for me to even begin to take in, let alone appreciate.
A good first try but I think simplicity is the key with this. Give it a shot if you like, but I'm going to forgo the rest of this series. I have other books I'd rather be reading
September 17, 2013
This book surprised me, and not in a good way. I've enjoyed the couple of Bronwyn books I've read so far, so thought I'd take a chance on this one. I had to go back and verify when this was published because it was so inferior to the other series that it made me wonder. Even though this book is newer, it feels a lot more amateur than the others. The plot is weak, the setting is shaky (with lots of frivolous add-ons that detract from the story), and Gillie's character is all over the map personality-wise. I just had a hard time taking it seriously--not least because it's a full-on Mary Sue with a leading man way too good to be true (and if you know me and my tolerance for wish-fulfillment, you know that that's saying something).
Anyway, you know all you need to by the cover: cheesy and unrealistic with a side of taking itself too seriously.
A note about Steamy: It almost made it all the way to the end without any steam. Only then there was a very short (almost perfunctory) sex scene. Gratuitous, really. And unsatisfying. And with a dash of hard to believe thrown in for good measure.
Anyway, you know all you need to by the cover: cheesy and unrealistic with a side of taking itself too seriously.
A note about Steamy: It almost made it all the way to the end without any steam. Only then there was a very short (almost perfunctory) sex scene. Gratuitous, really. And unsatisfying. And with a dash of hard to believe thrown in for good measure.
November 3, 2020
The Demon King and I is the first book to be released in the Guardian series,from Candace Havens, the author of the Charmed books. It's a terrificly witty new series featuring wealthy party girls with an interesting side job of being Guardians of portal to other worlds.
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world-- this world, that is. In her other world, she's the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
I really liked this book. It was funny in all the right places, it had spunk and it inspired an emotional connection as you get to know the characters. And I only have three words for Candace Haven, YOU. ARE. AWESOME. I an now a gun toting, yellow Jimi Choo show wearing fan of her’s. Well maybe not really but if I could afford it. I recommend it to anyone to read this one. Its light on the sex, heavy on the action and reaction. It is an absolute treat. If you liked this one you will love her next one called Dragons Prefer Blondes, which releases July 7, 2009.
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world-- this world, that is. In her other world, she's the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
I really liked this book. It was funny in all the right places, it had spunk and it inspired an emotional connection as you get to know the characters. And I only have three words for Candace Haven, YOU. ARE. AWESOME. I an now a gun toting, yellow Jimi Choo show wearing fan of her’s. Well maybe not really but if I could afford it. I recommend it to anyone to read this one. Its light on the sex, heavy on the action and reaction. It is an absolute treat. If you liked this one you will love her next one called Dragons Prefer Blondes, which releases July 7, 2009.
June 19, 2010
This is an absolute case of judging a book by it's cover, I saw the cover on a fellow bloggers I want to read list and thought.... oooooo that looks good.... and do you know what? It is! There I said it, I judged a book on a killer cover and discovered a killer book within the covers. I am not saying it is perfect, what I am saying is, it is a thoroughly good action pack read with characters who engage you and a romantic finish!
The Caruthers sisters are guardians, their birthright is to save us from all things which bump their way through various portals and try to bump us off. Four Guardians protecting us from the dangers in Four worlds, Fae, Sea Nymphs, Dragons and Demons. Gillian Caruthers is the eldest of the sisters and the Demon Guardian.
Not everyone in these other worlds is bad, but occasionally you do get jumpers who come through unauthorised portals to cause havoc, with an extra dose of murder and mayhem. The story begins when Gilly is summoned to the demon world as there is a new Demon King, and what a demon king... Arath is sexy, moody and powerful with a very shaded past. Not only that he believes that Gilly's father killed his mother.
This however is the least of Gilly and her sisters' problems as the portals go mad and their friends turn up murdered. Darkness is closing in, taking control in all of the worlds and they are our only defence.
A really enjoyable read, the looming darkness and 'who dun it' aspect of the book provide a great buffer for the slow burn of the romance. If you expect a erotica, don't, the attraction between Gilly and Arath is there from the start and the romance is a slow build as their attraction grows and they learn each other. There are sexy scenes in the book, but they do not run the story, on the other hand they compliment it.
Gilly is strong, physically and emotionally, her relationships with her sisters bring a smile to your heart and towards the end, her feeling for her family as a whole brought a tear as I rode the emotional roller coaster of their life with them. Arath is sexy and believable as a King. Certainly a character I want to see more of!
Candace Havens was a new author for me and I know I will be investing in more of her books. Dragons prefer Blondes is next in this series, but I also like the look of the Bronwyn the Witch series with Charmed and Dangerous!
The Demon King and I, a good read, fast paced plot with a mystery theme running alongside the romance, funny and charming with engaging characters both main and supporting. A book with hidden secrets I give it 4 frilly knickers, I mean 4 sparklies out of 5!
The Caruthers sisters are guardians, their birthright is to save us from all things which bump their way through various portals and try to bump us off. Four Guardians protecting us from the dangers in Four worlds, Fae, Sea Nymphs, Dragons and Demons. Gillian Caruthers is the eldest of the sisters and the Demon Guardian.
Not everyone in these other worlds is bad, but occasionally you do get jumpers who come through unauthorised portals to cause havoc, with an extra dose of murder and mayhem. The story begins when Gilly is summoned to the demon world as there is a new Demon King, and what a demon king... Arath is sexy, moody and powerful with a very shaded past. Not only that he believes that Gilly's father killed his mother.
This however is the least of Gilly and her sisters' problems as the portals go mad and their friends turn up murdered. Darkness is closing in, taking control in all of the worlds and they are our only defence.
A really enjoyable read, the looming darkness and 'who dun it' aspect of the book provide a great buffer for the slow burn of the romance. If you expect a erotica, don't, the attraction between Gilly and Arath is there from the start and the romance is a slow build as their attraction grows and they learn each other. There are sexy scenes in the book, but they do not run the story, on the other hand they compliment it.
Gilly is strong, physically and emotionally, her relationships with her sisters bring a smile to your heart and towards the end, her feeling for her family as a whole brought a tear as I rode the emotional roller coaster of their life with them. Arath is sexy and believable as a King. Certainly a character I want to see more of!
Candace Havens was a new author for me and I know I will be investing in more of her books. Dragons prefer Blondes is next in this series, but I also like the look of the Bronwyn the Witch series with Charmed and Dangerous!
The Demon King and I, a good read, fast paced plot with a mystery theme running alongside the romance, funny and charming with engaging characters both main and supporting. A book with hidden secrets I give it 4 frilly knickers, I mean 4 sparklies out of 5!
July 28, 2011
This was a really fun story! I haven’t read a lot from Candace Havens but she’s got a really fun voice. The oldest of the Caruthers sisters, Gillian, may just seem like a high society party girl but she’s actually hiding her family’s mission of protecting the world. Each of the Caruthers children is blessed with powers that lead them to different paths and Gillian’s specialty is in demons. Her strength and speed make her the perfect defense against demon’s entering our world. When on a diplomatic mission to meet the newest demon king, Gillian’s blown away by how human he seems, and how attractive he is. But she can’t become too distracted because demons are jumping over into the world at an astonishing rate and she and her sisters have almost too many battles too fight. But when the fight is brought to their home they have to find unexpected allies to win. I did wish there was just a little bit more world building. I had a few questions remaining about the various worlds that the sisters fought to protect. And in case you were expecting it, this story isn’t filled with a lot of smexy times. It is a fun, action story with a relationship building amid some pretty big obstacles. But overall a really enjoyable story and I’m excited for what comes next!
August 14, 2019
I probably wouldn't have bought this for myself - the thought of chick-lit PNR kinda squicked me, to be honest. Havens has since turned me around on the entire sub-genre, but more on that later! The Demon King and I turned out to be a really fun romp with an addictive plot!
While the writing is only so-so, Havens created some amazingly lovable characters. Sure they are slightly vapid and superficial - but there is real love in all of them. Despite being such a short novel, she fabulously creates a unique universe, a complex hero, and a kick-ass heroine. Heroines can be tough to love, expecially when they are as tough as Gillian. Smart Bitches Trashy Books claimed that you typically aren't reading a romance if the heroine is self-assured, sexually-satisfied, and content in her singledom. Well, Havens made Gillian all of theose things and still wrote a kick-ass PNR!
Bottom line? This is a super-fun book that I would highly recommend if you are looking for something light, fluffy and paranormal!
While the writing is only so-so, Havens created some amazingly lovable characters. Sure they are slightly vapid and superficial - but there is real love in all of them. Despite being such a short novel, she fabulously creates a unique universe, a complex hero, and a kick-ass heroine. Heroines can be tough to love, expecially when they are as tough as Gillian. Smart Bitches Trashy Books claimed that you typically aren't reading a romance if the heroine is self-assured, sexually-satisfied, and content in her singledom. Well, Havens made Gillian all of theose things and still wrote a kick-ass PNR!
Bottom line? This is a super-fun book that I would highly recommend if you are looking for something light, fluffy and paranormal!
January 14, 2020
Got this at a used books store for like 5 or below and thought it was going to be dumb fun. I only got to page 5 before i said nope.
January 24, 2020
The best!
I was looking for a book where the heroine fell in love with Lucifer and got so much more than I could have asked. While there is no mention of Lucifer here- the characters and plot will make you never put the book down. There was also an awesome set up for more books to come with the sisters- something always appreciated. We have all had to come down from that high of reading a good book and realizing there are no more in that universe.
World building was phenomenal and real. There were no inexplicable or ‘ impossible’ things...(Yes I know this is a paranormal book) but the plot and setting were real and threw you into a dizzying ride.
Only unrealistic thing is how she drank too much coffee and didn’t sleep enough. I feel like she slept a total of 42 hours in a story that spanned weeks.
I was looking for a book where the heroine fell in love with Lucifer and got so much more than I could have asked. While there is no mention of Lucifer here- the characters and plot will make you never put the book down. There was also an awesome set up for more books to come with the sisters- something always appreciated. We have all had to come down from that high of reading a good book and realizing there are no more in that universe.
World building was phenomenal and real. There were no inexplicable or ‘ impossible’ things...(Yes I know this is a paranormal book) but the plot and setting were real and threw you into a dizzying ride.
Only unrealistic thing is how she drank too much coffee and didn’t sleep enough. I feel like she slept a total of 42 hours in a story that spanned weeks.
March 27, 2019
I enjoyed the overall story but I don't think Arath had enough page time. it talked about how powerful he was and we got to hear Gillian's side of everything but we didn't get much insight into the demon king's thoughts or feelings. they also didn't get much page time together which was really strange for a romance. I mean I understand there was stuff going on but maybe they could have tackled things together? they saw each other fleetingly and just happened to fall in love that way? then when we finally get to the big sexy scene it just gets brushed over. like I said the world building was very good and I liked the characters but I wished there had been a bit more of the romance elements.
September 30, 2018
Ehhh... every time I got into a scene, the book did something that would immediately take me out of it. My suspension of disbelief was broken so many times. I really wanted to like this, it looked like silly fun, but it just came across as silly.
March 26, 2020
It was okay, but I happened to read the next one first, and I enjoyed it much more. This one felt a little "off", like it couldn't really find its pace. It was a good story, but if I'd read it first, I probably wouldn't have read the sequel.
August 30, 2023
Honestly, this would have been great as a 90s low-budget tv show with terrible cgi and a boundlessly fond cult following that would fund infinite present-day conventions, but it just doesn't work as a book. Still fun, though.
June 1, 2018
Good entertaining read.
September 24, 2021
A rushed ending detracted from decent story!
February 20, 2022
Well minus the terrible cover, that was actually surprising enjoyable!
May 6, 2022
3.5 stars 🌟
May 14, 2022
Very light story about sisters who protect Earth. This is the first one in this series. I enjoyed the story and am looking for the next book.
August 27, 2013
Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed with this one. It felt extremely rushed and lacked any kind of bulk or substance. At times I felt like I was reading the author's outline rather than a fully fleshed out story. The plot jumped from random event to random event, Gilliam made unfollowable leaps of logic, and the dialogue felt really stiff.
There were also an awful lot of descriptions of how awesome Gillian and her family were supposed to be, but precious little showing us that same awesomeness. Example, while having a contrived tender moment with Mr. Demon King he and Gilly are called back to his castle where he locks her in her room. We get to see her storm around a bit and get angry about being locked up and then be told, 'oh yeah, we were under attack.' (Um, why wasn't the warrior Guardian in that defensive battle again?)
She is then returned home, where said attack is reported and we, the reader, get to see her and her sisters decide which dress to wear to the ball. Leaving aside the whole, 'oh shit, the universe is seriously endangered and maybe we aught to blow off the charity public appearances' I'd be much more interested in seeing the outcome of a pitched demon battle than whether Gillian or her sisters chooses to wear a pink Carmen Marc Valvo or a coffee-colorer Zac Posen. But the latter seemed to be much more important, since it and other such scenes were the only ones that seemed to be related real-time.
This sort of issue reared its ugly head again and again. Even the final conclusion was spent telling the reader what had been discovered in the last days of the investigation instead of showing us the investigation. If I wanted a memo on the highlights of the events I would have chosen something bullet-pointed instead of a novel. The reader is given far, far more firsthand information about what characters are wearing, or driving, or what event they are attending than the actual fight scenes, romance, or mystery solving.
Further, I'm not certain how I'm supposed to really feel the tension of the universe almost being overrun by evil when it's of so little importance to the characters in question that they don't even bother to rearrange their social schedules. Yes, I did gather the fact that the Caruthers sisters lead this double life, but their (and the book's) strong focus on fashion and celebrity meant that nothing else felt important--least of which the supposed universe-wide war that was being waged.
Add to that the fact that I felt like the actual plot point that tied everything back to Gillian made little sense. There really isn't a way for me to address this without spoilers, but it was shaky at best. I saw no reason any aggression should have been directed at a single Guardian. I do see what the author was probably trying to infer, but it really didn't come across.
I also thought there were some inconsistencies. Arath, for example, didn't know who Jesus was or what seat belts were, but recognised Fall Out Boy, DVDs and Dancing with the Stars. What? Really?
Lastly, another side-effect of the bullet-point like plotting was that, with the exception of the fact that you know it's coming by virtue of what type of book it is, the romantic element amped up out of nowhere. I can't even call it insta-love because until the very end, where a perfunctory and very brief sex scene was shoe-horned in, there wasn't any love expressed. Sure Gilly told herself she was in love with this man she had spoken to a mere handful of times, but that's it. There was no sexual tension, no flirting, almost no whispered sweet nothings--she was just suddenly in love. Go ahead and check that bullet off, will ya?
Now all this isn't to say I hated the book. I like the idea of the strong female warriors. And since Gilly didn't do a lot of actual fighting she didn't pull any of the horrid heroine cliché moves, like falling and twisting an ankle so the hunky hero has to carry her home. All right, he carried her home. But at least it was after a fair, if rushed and unprovoked, rare fight scene.
There were also an awful lot of descriptions of how awesome Gillian and her family were supposed to be, but precious little showing us that same awesomeness. Example, while having a contrived tender moment with Mr. Demon King he and Gilly are called back to his castle where he locks her in her room. We get to see her storm around a bit and get angry about being locked up and then be told, 'oh yeah, we were under attack.' (Um, why wasn't the warrior Guardian in that defensive battle again?)
She is then returned home, where said attack is reported and we, the reader, get to see her and her sisters decide which dress to wear to the ball. Leaving aside the whole, 'oh shit, the universe is seriously endangered and maybe we aught to blow off the charity public appearances' I'd be much more interested in seeing the outcome of a pitched demon battle than whether Gillian or her sisters chooses to wear a pink Carmen Marc Valvo or a coffee-colorer Zac Posen. But the latter seemed to be much more important, since it and other such scenes were the only ones that seemed to be related real-time.
This sort of issue reared its ugly head again and again. Even the final conclusion was spent telling the reader what had been discovered in the last days of the investigation instead of showing us the investigation. If I wanted a memo on the highlights of the events I would have chosen something bullet-pointed instead of a novel. The reader is given far, far more firsthand information about what characters are wearing, or driving, or what event they are attending than the actual fight scenes, romance, or mystery solving.
Further, I'm not certain how I'm supposed to really feel the tension of the universe almost being overrun by evil when it's of so little importance to the characters in question that they don't even bother to rearrange their social schedules. Yes, I did gather the fact that the Caruthers sisters lead this double life, but their (and the book's) strong focus on fashion and celebrity meant that nothing else felt important--least of which the supposed universe-wide war that was being waged.
Add to that the fact that I felt like the actual plot point that tied everything back to Gillian made little sense. There really isn't a way for me to address this without spoilers, but it was shaky at best. I saw no reason any aggression should have been directed at a single Guardian. I do see what the author was probably trying to infer, but it really didn't come across.
I also thought there were some inconsistencies. Arath, for example, didn't know who Jesus was or what seat belts were, but recognised Fall Out Boy, DVDs and Dancing with the Stars. What? Really?
Lastly, another side-effect of the bullet-point like plotting was that, with the exception of the fact that you know it's coming by virtue of what type of book it is, the romantic element amped up out of nowhere. I can't even call it insta-love because until the very end, where a perfunctory and very brief sex scene was shoe-horned in, there wasn't any love expressed. Sure Gilly told herself she was in love with this man she had spoken to a mere handful of times, but that's it. There was no sexual tension, no flirting, almost no whispered sweet nothings--she was just suddenly in love. Go ahead and check that bullet off, will ya?
Now all this isn't to say I hated the book. I like the idea of the strong female warriors. And since Gilly didn't do a lot of actual fighting she didn't pull any of the horrid heroine cliché moves, like falling and twisting an ankle so the hunky hero has to carry her home. All right, he carried her home. But at least it was after a fair, if rushed and unprovoked, rare fight scene.
March 30, 2015
This was my first Candace Havens book and a good quick read. If this was her first book, then it is a very good effort.
Gillian is a Guardian who kills demons. Oldest of 4 sisters, her family basically keep earth safe from the creepy things in other dimensions. In addition to being earth's guardians, the entire family is high profile with Gillian herself a lawyer and gallery owner. Now there is a new demon king in charge who looks very human and very hot and they will need to combine forces to tackle the latest inter-dimensional problem.
This story had a lot of promise and I feel it could have been a lot better. The writer spent a lot of time on the world building in the first half and tried to show how the sisters maintain a balance between their public side as celebrities and the world saving side. However I really found the public part and discussion no which dress to chose and which colour matches really annoying. I guess chick lit paranormal isn't for me.
The romance part between Gillian and Arath wasn’t really developed - they wanted each other, but other than that, we weren't really shown how it suddenly led to love. The other characters didn’t really have a lot of depth although I really liked the relationship between the siblings.
A lot of the stuff in terms of loose ends were just told in the end and I would have liked to see it actually happen, since for me that was the more important part of the book. There were some instances where the wrong character name was used or some things the characters said were never discussed before and seemed to come out of left field.
However, as light fun reads go, this one made the grade. I'll probably read the next book to see if the series gets better and how the story progresses.
Gillian is a Guardian who kills demons. Oldest of 4 sisters, her family basically keep earth safe from the creepy things in other dimensions. In addition to being earth's guardians, the entire family is high profile with Gillian herself a lawyer and gallery owner. Now there is a new demon king in charge who looks very human and very hot and they will need to combine forces to tackle the latest inter-dimensional problem.
This story had a lot of promise and I feel it could have been a lot better. The writer spent a lot of time on the world building in the first half and tried to show how the sisters maintain a balance between their public side as celebrities and the world saving side. However I really found the public part and discussion no which dress to chose and which colour matches really annoying. I guess chick lit paranormal isn't for me.
The romance part between Gillian and Arath wasn’t really developed - they wanted each other, but other than that, we weren't really shown how it suddenly led to love. The other characters didn’t really have a lot of depth although I really liked the relationship between the siblings.
A lot of the stuff in terms of loose ends were just told in the end and I would have liked to see it actually happen, since for me that was the more important part of the book. There were some instances where the wrong character name was used or some things the characters said were never discussed before and seemed to come out of left field.
However, as light fun reads go, this one made the grade. I'll probably read the next book to see if the series gets better and how the story progresses.
November 1, 2014
Gillian is a Guardian and the oldest of her Guardian sisters, a lot rests on her shoulders. She is a liason to the demon planet of Maunra and is summoned by the new King for an audience. She didn't expect the find Arath to be so... human looking. Oh he was definitely scary, but he was as hot as he was scary, something she'd never thought about a demon before and it disturbed and disgusted her. She couldn't help her attraction to him anymore than she could not breath, it just happened and there was no stopping it - after a while, she stopped trying.
She has to work with Arath, along with her sisters to find who is trying to start a war between all the planets and stealing precious artifacts and jewels. As her friends start dying around her and the dreams she has of their murders keep coming, will she be able to stop the killer and the war before everything falls apart? Can she get Arath to feel the same way as she does about him before it's too late?
I thought this was an awesome book! I loved it as soon as I picked it up. I couldn't put it down and I read it in one sitting. Gillian is a formidable opponent in her own right, but she knows she isn't a match for Arath's power. He's so strong and yet has a gentle side, one he seems to only show to her, lucky for her too, since he saved her ass a few times. lol. I understand that their mother had to be a hardass, but I think she was a little overboard, just a touch... Other than that I loved the family dynamics and the interplanetary travel - very cool.
She has to work with Arath, along with her sisters to find who is trying to start a war between all the planets and stealing precious artifacts and jewels. As her friends start dying around her and the dreams she has of their murders keep coming, will she be able to stop the killer and the war before everything falls apart? Can she get Arath to feel the same way as she does about him before it's too late?
I thought this was an awesome book! I loved it as soon as I picked it up. I couldn't put it down and I read it in one sitting. Gillian is a formidable opponent in her own right, but she knows she isn't a match for Arath's power. He's so strong and yet has a gentle side, one he seems to only show to her, lucky for her too, since he saved her ass a few times. lol. I understand that their mother had to be a hardass, but I think she was a little overboard, just a touch... Other than that I loved the family dynamics and the interplanetary travel - very cool.
January 29, 2014
The Demon King and I is the first book to be released in the Guardian series,from Candace Havens, the author of the Charmed books. It's a terrificly witty new series featuring wealthy party girls with an interesting side job of being Guardians of portal to other worlds.
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world-- this world, that is. In her other world, she's the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
I really liked this book. It was funny in all the right places, it had spunk and it inspired an emotional connection as you get to know the characters. And I only have three words for Candace Haven, YOU. ARE. AWESOME. I an now a gun toting, yellow Jimi Choo show wearing fan of her���s. Well maybe not really but if I could afford it. I recommend it to anyone to read this one. Its light on the sex, heavy on the action and reaction. It is an absolute treat. If you liked this one you will love her next one called Dragons Prefer Blondes, which releases July 7, 2009.
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world-- this world, that is. In her other world, she's the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
I really liked this book. It was funny in all the right places, it had spunk and it inspired an emotional connection as you get to know the characters. And I only have three words for Candace Haven, YOU. ARE. AWESOME. I an now a gun toting, yellow Jimi Choo show wearing fan of her���s. Well maybe not really but if I could afford it. I recommend it to anyone to read this one. Its light on the sex, heavy on the action and reaction. It is an absolute treat. If you liked this one you will love her next one called Dragons Prefer Blondes, which releases July 7, 2009.
October 9, 2011
2.5 stars
had a couple of problems with the characters and plot.
Problem #1... the characters were far too "preppy"
The siblings in particular, they were far too nice and civil to each other. I mean seriously, they're siblings you'd expect a couple of quarrels every now and then but no. It's all: hugs, kisses, i'm always there for you. etc.
Problem #2... the story was just too neat
why? What do you mean? i hear you ask, well, whenever a problem arises all that have to do is pull out some uber-cool gadget and BAM and the prob is gone. Oh no! She's just been mortally wounded! No biggy, just use the handy healer to fix up all those wounds. It's just too easy. None of them even die! Sure, that's a bit morbid, but it keeps the story interesting :)
The only casualties were people who weren't even that essential to the plot. yep, they died. Oh look there's a link and then woopdidoo the good guys win.
Problem #3... She fell in love far too easily
She's just found out her lover has cheated on her... where's the outrage??? You'd expect her to hate all of male-kind for at least a while. Then all of a sudden- hello gorgeous new demon king
and the the next second she's in love. pffsshh!
Apart from these issues, the story was enjoyable at times and although the first book didn't quite knock me off my feet, there is hope for the series yet.
:)
had a couple of problems with the characters and plot.
Problem #1... the characters were far too "preppy"
The siblings in particular, they were far too nice and civil to each other. I mean seriously, they're siblings you'd expect a couple of quarrels every now and then but no. It's all: hugs, kisses, i'm always there for you. etc.
Problem #2... the story was just too neat
why? What do you mean? i hear you ask, well, whenever a problem arises all that have to do is pull out some uber-cool gadget and BAM and the prob is gone. Oh no! She's just been mortally wounded! No biggy, just use the handy healer to fix up all those wounds. It's just too easy. None of them even die! Sure, that's a bit morbid, but it keeps the story interesting :)
The only casualties were people who weren't even that essential to the plot. yep, they died. Oh look there's a link and then woopdidoo the good guys win.
Problem #3... She fell in love far too easily
She's just found out her lover has cheated on her... where's the outrage??? You'd expect her to hate all of male-kind for at least a while. Then all of a sudden- hello gorgeous new demon king
and the the next second she's in love. pffsshh!
Apart from these issues, the story was enjoyable at times and although the first book didn't quite knock me off my feet, there is hope for the series yet.
:)
June 3, 2010
It was fun and fluff time again in my reading repertoire. A friend of mine let me borrow two of the books in what I’m calling the Guardians series or the Caruthers Sisters series. I finished one of them today and really enjoyed it for a quick, fun read that got me from point A to B without bogging me down in details and plot. Plus, I’m coming off a Joe Hill mini-thon and needed something a little lighthearted.
Gillian Caruther’s is known to society as a business woman and art entrepreneur, but in her private life, she’s also a Guardian between the human world and Maunra, the world of Demons. When the new Demon King summons her, she expects to find a scaly creature that she may have to kill at some point. What she finds is a very studly man who not only has some very powerful magic but can also turn her on pretty quickly. Now the two of them have to work together to find out who’s killing Gillian’s friends before they come after Gillian or her family.
The plot was simple but the action was fun and the story had the perfect does of raciness. While this book may not win any literary awards, I liked it and am looking forward to reading other books in the series, as well as by this author.
Gillian Caruther’s is known to society as a business woman and art entrepreneur, but in her private life, she’s also a Guardian between the human world and Maunra, the world of Demons. When the new Demon King summons her, she expects to find a scaly creature that she may have to kill at some point. What she finds is a very studly man who not only has some very powerful magic but can also turn her on pretty quickly. Now the two of them have to work together to find out who’s killing Gillian’s friends before they come after Gillian or her family.
The plot was simple but the action was fun and the story had the perfect does of raciness. While this book may not win any literary awards, I liked it and am looking forward to reading other books in the series, as well as by this author.
August 14, 2010
Wow and I so want me some Demon King, Arath! He is a Demon and much more, o la la he has a body and he is super intense! I can not wait to see, I mean read more about him!
As to Gillian, the Guardian and the eldest Caruthers sister, she kicks some demon butt let me tell ya. She is very likeable and sexy, I mean come on that dress, those shoes and she weilds a sword! Oh Yeah!! The cover is Totally Rocking and is backed up with a Fabulous Herione and Hero!
The chemistry between Arath and Gillan is intense and you want them to be together. And the other characters introduced I am looking forward to getting to read their stories as well. This is a Great Debut of Candace's new series, a Must Have! So run out and get it today, you Will Not be sorry. But be warned you Will Be Hooked!
Big Kudo's Miss Candace and I enjoyed the day reading your book!
Would that be bad Candace?? or bad Chris?? Lol, it was well worth it!!
February 2, 2009
Blurb From Book:
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world— this world, that is. In her other world she’s the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
Excellent series debut from Candace Havens and I look forward to reading the next installment. The concise background, snappy dialogue and action are wonderful.
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world— this world, that is. In her other world she’s the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
Excellent series debut from Candace Havens and I look forward to reading the next installment. The concise background, snappy dialogue and action are wonderful.
October 27, 2009
This is the first book that I have read by Candace Havens, although I have all of the Charmed books. I enjoyed the book for the most part. There was a lot of talk about portals and different worlds and different demons that I often got lost and confused in. But I enjoyed the characters a lot. I really liked Gillian. I could sense a warmth from her and there was a scene where she goes through the Taco Bell, that while its an extremely tiny scene in the story, it made me like Gillian even more. And Arath sounded so hot! I could totally picture him as the way he was written and I liked that he had a hidden softer side to him. And I really liked the sisters. The next book in the series, Dragons Prefer Blondes, is centered around another one of the sisters. I look forward to reading it.
December 2, 2012
Seeing all the good reviews I expected more from this book. It delivered nothing that was promised. I hated the main character, as she doesn't have anything interesting to give to the reader. The book is a prime example of things that can go wrong when writing in the first person. Our "heroine" tells us how she has all the qualifications and experience, but we see no evidence of her leadership capability, no levelheadedness, no perception of diplomacy, there was nothing that would justify the background of a succesful lawyer/business woman/demon slayer. She is yet another Mary-Sue, unfortunately for us.
I will read the next book, because that is the book I wanted to read, but it is not beacause I was inspired by this one.
I will read the next book, because that is the book I wanted to read, but it is not beacause I was inspired by this one.
July 27, 2014
The Caruthers sisters are heiresses with privilege, wealth, beauty, and brains. But these party girls have something extra. As the Guardian Keys, possessors of an ancient family secret, they hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world? this world, that is. In her other world she?s the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
What an awesome read!!! This is the 2nd time I have read this book and it was just as good as the first time around!!
Gillian, the eldest, is a sensation in the art world? this world, that is. In her other world she?s the Assassin, a knockout who snuffs out dimension-jumpers who foul up her personal space. She never expected to join forces with one. But when a plague of murderous demons plunges the earth in darkness, she has no choice but to get a little help from a being who knows his stuff.
What an awesome read!!! This is the 2nd time I have read this book and it was just as good as the first time around!!
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