Demon Lord

Demonverse #2

by Margie McDonnell Welsh

Eight months ago after humanity found descendants of Fallen angels in its family tree, a backlash of fear and discrimination against the demon spawn ensued. To give mankind time to adjust without divine influence, God recalled His angels, and declared the world off limits to both angels and demons. Sahara Mancuso, appointed Caretaker for the demon spawn, and Senate hopeful, Judge Hampton, are fighting for Nephilim acceptance and political rights. But it's an uphill battle, and when a legion of demons break the rules and invade the world again, larger problems loom. Now nobody is safe, including Sahara, who is their prime target. Things get complicated when reformed Demon Lord and provisional angel Maxiel is sent to hunt and kill the invaders. He is a powerful ally, but God has set a time limit to eliminate the demons, and their numbers are mysteriously multiplying. Maxiel has sworn to save Sahara from the demons. But saving herself from the Demon Lord and temptation is harder, even knowing the risks to her life, Maxiel's immortal soul, and mankind's future. It doesn't help that Lucifer is actively stalking her, interfering with humanity, and trying to create a new Hell on earth. God wants mankind to evolve away from evil and Darkness, and He has a plan for it. The question is, what does that new jump in evolution look like, will anyone accept it, and can they do it quickly enough to avoid divine Armageddon?

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2020

About the author

I've always wondered where to start an author's biography. In truth I have been writing my entire life.

I’ll start with my professional writing career, which began at the age of twenty-four when literary agents Donald MacCampbell and his partner Maureen Moran found a home for my first romance novel and the next five.

Beloved Pirate - written under pen name Margie Michaels - (Second Chance at Love) Jove Publications 1981

Mirage - written under pen name Margie Michaels - (Second Chance at Love) Jove Publications 1982

Untamed Desire - written under pen name Margie Michaels - (Harlequin Temptation) Harlequin 1984

Banish The Dragons - Margie McDonnell - (Loveswept) Bantam Books 1987

Conflict of Interest - Margie McDonnell - (Loveswept) Bantam Books 1988

The Land of Enchantment - Margie McDonnell (Loveswept) Bantam Books 1988

The romance writing lasted a decade and it was an amazing time in my life. But as they say, life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans. Life happened, my plans were disrupted, and I left romance behind.

I spent the next two decades taking care of my four children (AKA my beloved demon spawn, the inspiration for the DEMON series), and my writing projects consisted of Star Trek fan fiction and fundraising stories for The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. Star Trek writing was fun. Writing for the foundation was rewarding. Eventually though I came back to my first love, novels, and though I’d outgrown light romance, urban fantasy and its dark secrets called to me.

With the help of my second husband and soulmate, I began to work toward that dream. A covid-19 diagnosis, and subsequent lockdowns, gave me lots of time and inspiration to work, resulting in the three urban fantasy novels in my new DEMON series:

DEMON SPAWN (Available on Amazon December 2020)

DEMON LORD (Available on Amazon December 2020)

A PLAGUE OF DEMONS (Available on Amazon January 2021)

DEMON FIRE (Available on Amazon in Fall 2021)

With any luck, our real plague will be over soon, but my demons, angels, Fallen angels, scrabblies, Nephilim and the humans populating my DEMONVERSE will still have stories to tell. I shall be happy to share their adventures with you.

In the meantime, if you'd care to learn more, please visit the DEMONVERSE facebook page and either of my two websites at:

facebook fansite for the Demonverse: -

https://www.facebook.com/margiemcdonn...

Websites:

https://mmwdemonverse.wixsite.com/online  

and

https://www.demonverse.xyz

Reviews

[Frieda Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demon Lord

I have a few small reservations about this book, but they are not the fault of the book or Ms. Welsh! Let me just say that I am old school. I was brought up to keep personal things, well, personal. Also, I am a Bible believing Christian. That said, that doesn't mean that I only read Biblically based writings! I enjoy fantasy amidst my very eclectic reading material. This story as a whole is enjoyable. The characters, well MOST of them, are likeable & I want to see what's going to happen next, to & around them! The children bring out the Mama Bear in me! The Doc, well, he just makes me wish I'd met someone like him before I met my ex! I'm far from perfect, but I think I deserved someone like him! As for the fantasy of this story, I thank God that we don't have this problem to face! This world has too many problems already! The connection is that our problems have the same sources as those in the book. Satan & humanity's imperfections. Like Sahara, I often wonder why God gave us Free Will. I often wish He'd've at least set a FEW limits!! This book, & it's predecessor, have got me thinking about such things even more than usual. Perhaps they will affect you this way, too. IDK! I would recommend these books to anyone who is steadfast in their Faith. Perhaps not to those who are new believers, or those who "follow the fads" as they come & go. I fear those folks might get confused between the fantasy & reality. However, for most mature people, I don't see any problems. If you ARE a believer & not sure, ask the Lord to show you whether to read them or not. Take His word over mine any day!!

[Ethel Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had posted this review May 30th, but you know what thought did.... Anyway better late than never as the saying goes.

I found the first book started slow while the back stories were being written, but then the pace picked up and I binge read Demon Lord.
Demon Lord picks up 8 months after where the first book ends and the pace is nonstop from cover to cover. Again the author brings the characters, the love and romantic interests, the back and forth between Light and Dark, Heaven and Hell to life in a way sure to meet anyone’s expectations. I didn’t find any paragraphs or sections that I skipped over because they were too much of this or that. (Some authors, unfortunately, feel the need to put gratuitous porn in to the books to get and keep readers interested – this author does not.) The romantic scenes feel natural and the scenes involving sex follow like smoke behind a carried candle. Both the romance and the sex fluidly fill in the spaces within, between and for the characters. Just as those physical and energetic portions build on the story, so does the angst surrounding forbidden love and dangerous liaisons. There is the madman who wants the woman he cannot have. The human and the Angelic who want that same woman. The Gardner who knows more than he’s willing to reveal, and who adheres to the first rule of “Free Will” to the point you may want to shake him! There are philosophical and historical discussions of who did what to whom, why, and how and who got hurt by the fall out. Throw in an unexpected pregnancy, riots, and various groups, both law abiding and not, and you have an unending roller coaster of a ride!
This is another book I read pretty much nonstop until it was finished. The Demon Lord reminded me (I’m old) of characters played by Errol Flynn, Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Yul Brynner and, for those of you who may not know who they were, Ron Perlman as Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast, and The Fonze from Happy Days. They were the “bad boys” your mother warned you about, instructing you to stay away from them because they’re “bad news” or “dangerous” or “trouble makers”. Guess what? You can hang out with this Demon Lord as much as you want and no one is going to tell you you can’t. This is your chance to drop the “good girl” or “good guy” role and walk on the wild side through Sahara’s eyes. If the Demon Lord is too tame for you, Lucifer can always be relied on to kick it up a notch or more!
It’s been a long time since I have been this caught up in a series of books. I am already looking at the third book and itching to get into it, so I am going to stop now. My advice to others is: Get the book! Read the book! Enjoy the read! These books are meant to be read and reread – they are just that good.
https://www.amazon.ca/Demon-Lord-Demo...

[Kirsty Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well the chaos continues for Sahara and her 'demonspawn'. One thing after another. Dr Alex is often caught in the middle and is falling for the Demon Moma, and her colleagues aren't helping her lol. I love this gang soo much its unbelievable- I can't wait for the next adventure

[Dekaydreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot as Hell!

Great storytelling: I'm hooked on this universe. Love the scrabblies, along with all the other inhabitants of this iteration of (un?)reality. All worlds are real - this one's a little frightening, and a whole lot of hot, sweet, fantastical, magical, wonderful -- and thought-provoking.

It also gives me a tiny bit of Twilight vibe, though better written. (For all its faults, I loved the Twilight book series, though the movies can go stuff themselves.)

I'm so glad I came upon Margie's Demonverse fully fledged, so I can leap through it without waiting. Think I would go crazed with suspense, but happily, I don't have to!

[Phil Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Another amazing adventure with the Demon Lord.

What can I say. When reading both books the author makes you feel as if you are actually living the adventures. You can almost feel part of the Caretakers family. Bravo another number one.

[Beatrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speak of the Devil and he’s sure to appear!

Demon Lord is the second book in the series, with events taking place eight months after the conclusion of Demon Spawn. I had enjoyed the first book, and was looking forward to the second, but I quickly came to realise that it was even better. For one thing, it drew me in quickly, because I was already familiar with the main characters, the humans, the Angels the Demons with their scrabbly minions and, of course, the Nephilim. It was more than that though, the actual text was very well written, suggesting that the author is building the excitement as the series moves forward.

More than that, I realised that this writer had grasped the ONE ESSENTIAL SECRET of writing about Demons. ... Let me just explain that. If we have a story which is only about Demons there is little to engage with. It would be like looking into a cage of baboons at the zoo, fun for a glance but with no lasting interest. On their own Demons are not much fun, and its only when demon-kind encounter human-kind that the excitement really begins.
When humans meet demons, we see schemes and plots, lies and deceptions, we struggle with thorny problems and we are entertained by impossible love affairs with risky encounters.
It’s quite a thing to find one’s self making ecstatic love to a demon-lord, even more scary to realise that this forbidden passion has broken has broken the rules which have stood for thousands of years and nothing, now, will ever be the same again!
But surely that’s exactly why people read books, to experience the thrills of a love affair which is both impossible and irresistible. That’s why demon love stories help us rise above our mundane everyday existence: “I felt like Schrodinger’s Cat, both alive and dead.”

Spare a thought for the demon lovers, they have their problems too;
“Given my inability to follow rules, this latest act of defiance and my ten thousand years as Lucifer’s right hand, the host will never welcome me back to heaven with open arms”

Much of the conversation is devoted to fascinating arguments on the concept of free-will among both humans and demons. There are also thought provoking passages dealing with the ways in which we treat outsiders in society and those who may be different from ourselves.
Meanwhile there is also space for a little human love interest so we might even see love triangles appearing where the human loves the human but that human loves the demon. Let’s face it, this is much more fun than the everyday gossip in the office.

But let me come back to the quality of the writing. There was one amazingly beautiful sequence in Chapter 8 where the human female protagonist, Sahara, merges her thoughts and feelings with a dying angel. It was quite unique, a special piece of writing of a quality not normally found in fantasy romance.

This was a lovely book. I am glad I bought it and I am glad that I read it.

[Sorina Ungureanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaking Clichés, One Demon at a Time!
I dove into “Demon Lord” the very next day after Sahara saved Maxiel from Hell—and lost him in the same breath. They felt so real to me, and I desperately wanted them to be together. But their reunion would have to wait.
Book 2 of Margie McDonnell Welsh’s Demonverse picks up eight months later. Maxiel, freshly returned from Heaven, and Sahara—the fierce “Demon Mama”—find themselves racing against time as Earth becomes overrun by demons. Meanwhile, God has forbidden both angels and demons from intervening. Humanity must now save itself.
Free will becomes a central theme in this installment. There's a powerful exchange between Sahara and the Gardener (aka God) that lingers long after reading:
“If you wanted perfection, why did you give us free will?”
“Free will is the opposite of perfection.”
Imagine a world where humans can no longer blame anyone else—where destiny is in their hands, and evolution depends solely on their choices.
Sahara has grown tremendously since the first book. She’s no longer lost or helpless (though she never really was—she just believed she was). Now, she’s a strong, determined woman—one who even manages to surprise God Himself. But saving the world isn’t her only battle. She also faces a heart-wrenching choice: Maxiel, the fallen angel who literally dragged her out of Hell and into the 21st century—and is undeniably her soulmate; or Dr. Alex, confident, warm, and deeply in love with her.
I’ll admit it—I’m Team Maxiel, even though I can see that Dr. Alex might be the “safer” choice. As for the love scenes? Pure poetry. Margie’s writing makes you “feel” the energy between the characters right in your chest.
This is one of those rare books where you truly don’t know what’s coming next. Margie McDonnell Welsh breaks every cliché and just when you think you know where the story is going—she turns everything on its head. (Hint: somewhere in there is a stunning, original take on “Beauty and the Beast”, but I won’t spoil where.)
I read Demon Lord much faster than the first Demonverse book—maybe because I was already immersed in this complex, sometimes shocking universe where angels, demons, and humans collide. And yes, in Margie’s world, you can bake cookies for God. Apparently, He has a sweet tooth. And honestly? I believe her. She writes like someone who knows angels and demons.

[Susan Baranoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance novel meets fantasy meets Dark Shadows meets the deadpan delivery of Bob Newhart as this book continues the story of our heroine, Sahara (aka The Caretaker) in her whacky life as a den mother in charge of a group home for kids who are born of human women that were fathered by defiant angels. All of the characters from Book 1 are present and accounted for and I can say unequivocally that heat between Sahara and Maxiel has not cooled, but it has morphed.

As the surrogate mother to this motley crew of kids, Sahara faces some of the expected trials of dealing with teens amped up by the kids also having special powers and being caught in the middle between Lucifer, The Gardener, angels, and demons, not to mention free will.

The cheeky writing style we look forward to from our author continues in this book. Please note it deals with adult themes and portions would be considered not safe for work.

Also - I NEED a kitty-blot!

52BookClub Summer Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt #2: Flames on the cover!

--- end review---

NOTE:
I would be remiss if I didn't mention a Trigger Warning for this book. I'm not usually big on those, but for anyone who has lost a loved one to drowning, beware. There are some pretty graphic descriptions. Skipping those several paragraphs will not change your understanding of the plot, it will just not trigger your PTSD. I was unprepared.

Chapter 9 - stop at “What the fuck?” pick up again at "My outrage-fueled courage failed completely"

Chapter 11 stop at "I stepped down feeling for the bottom step with my feet, and missed" pick up again at "I clinked my glass with his"

[Beth Hildenbrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choices suck, especially when you can't have what you really want.
In the Demon Lord our girl Sahara is battling more than Demons. This time she has to battle her hearts desires.
Maxiel is on earth trying to eradicate the Demons Lucifer set free while fighting to keep his distance from Sahara.
Dr. Alex is trying to help Lily while working on getting Sahara to fall for him.
Will Sahara get what she wants? Will they foil Lucifer's plot? Can Lily be saved?
Will the Judge win his Senate race? And what the hell does the Gardener plan to do about this mess?
Looks like you're going to have to read the book and find out!

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really pulled out some emotions in me. I don't like the gardener. I think I got too close to this book. I wanted to ask him why. I really bad a personal beef with that character because I think I was having a hard time separating my own religious trauma. And that's what made this story good. Because I was having such a hard time separating. This was a great read and I love the lore. Off to book 3

[Monsters Under · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idk who I like more, max of alex. Alex seems like the type of guy you want to take home to your parents and max definitely is not! The gardener was getting on my nerves a bit. I kind of wanted to punch him for real. Like why can't you just tell them what is up? It really goes with the whole, he works in mysterious ways thing. The spicy times were not over the top or overly boring and all in all it was a page turner. I really am enjoying these books

[Lisa Deerwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demon Lord picks up the story eight months after the events of the first book, and it doesn’t let up for a second. The world Margie McDonnell Welsh has built is rich with stakes, emotion, and supernatural turmoil as demons start to break through into Earth despite strict divine rules — putting everyone in jeopardy. The chemistry between characters — especially the tension between Sahara and Maxiel — is intense and beautifully written.

[Josephine Wrightson · Rating 5 out of 5]

need so much more …

This is the second book in the series by Margie McDonnell Welsh and I loved it. A thoroughly well written and intriguing book. It has lost none of the flow and gripping elements which keep you reading from the first. Alex or Maxiel —lol some may say both but I have to admit to still firmly being team Maxiel. So that said I’m going to have to read more. No, I need more, so much more. Well done, this is a book and series I would thoroughly recommend…

[Jack Koamos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank the gardener the series is complete because I need to jump into book 3! This one I caught into the theme that was free will. And the secrets were infuriating! And are you kidding me! I don't want to give spoilers but ARGH!! I need to go read book 3 now.

[Cindy Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another win

After reading the first book in this series, I planned on reading something different before going onto the second book. After three chapters of that other book, I had to give it up because the Demonverse was calling me. I started reading this 2nd book last night, and I actually dreamt about angels, demons, and scabblies when I went to bed. I spent the day today finishing this book, and plan on starting book 3 tomorrow.

[L.D. McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fate of the world is in the balance. One more slip into darkness could be the tipping point. Book 2 in the Demonverse series continues a slow burn, tortured romance, and a build up of tensions as Lucifer continues to plant his seeds of darkness on earth. The author has a magnificent writing style and expertly brings her characters to life. The second installment had me on the edge. Can there be a HEA for Sahara? Love, love, love the fallen angels!