Shadow Marked

Demon Bound #1

by Anna J. Evans

From the author of Skin Deep --a novel of passion, power, and paranormal suspense...

Samantha Quinn has been in the dark since age six, when her parents sacrificed her sight in a Satanic ritual. She is trying to get over her demonic past, but horrific lifelike visions haunt her. Her intuition gets stronger and clearer after a wild, adrenaline-fueled sexual encounter with Jace, her brother's childhood friend. And now Samantha is more tormented than ever by what she can "see"-and by what she felt in that forbidden encounter...

Samantha must now prevent the deaths she sees in her premonitions and protect her body from the same demon from her twisted childhood. Her dark curse reveals that Jace will be the next victim, and it is crystal clear that she must destroy the demon to protect her love.

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

308 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2010

About the author

Anna J. Evans started writing sexy books in her mid-twenties.

Within a year, Anna published her first books with Ellora's Cave and received her first Recommended Read. She has gone on to publish over a dozen books with Ellora's Cave, Samhain, NAL Heat, and Signet Eclipse.

These days, Anna divides her time between managing her pen names and her children (the children are generally more cooperative). She lives in the South with her husband, children, several dozen chickens, and all the stories still making their way onto the page

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a great deal of potential, but I just couldn't get into it. In the beginning I was mildly entertained with a few moments of great enjoyment here or there. But, by the end, any enjoyment I had was over. The end seemed like a hot mess. It was like a bunch of elements were thrown into it in the hope that it would work. It didn't.

I liked the fact that Samantha was blind. I thought it was nice to see a character shown to be confident and strong even with a trait that would traditionally be seen as a drawback. I liked how Samantha slyly put on revealing clothes and never let on that she knew what she looked like in them. I also like that she wasn't portrayed as a poor timid virgin waiting for a man to rescue her from her disability. She's had relationships, she's even had sex a lot more than once.

Samantha's interactions with her brother irritated me. I, personally, do not like to read about characters who humor their pushy, interfering relatives. Just like in real life, I just don't understand those people. This is your life? Why are you letting them act that way just to humor them? When she did try to stand up to her brother she came off as more of a petulant child than a grown woman. I swear I felt the walls closing in every time he was in a scene.

Jace was not a character I particularly enjoyed. He was one of those emo guys who whines and broods throughout the whole story. He was afraid he was too rough in sex to be with Samantha. I just wanted to slap him and tell him to get over it and man up. If you don't want to be with someone, don't hang around them. Quit being such a tease. The sex scenes were kind of hot, but they stopped before the finish so often it became really irritating.

I liked the thought of the world that was created. I wish sex wasn't used as the gateway for Samantha's ability though. I was on Jace's side when he got pissed about being used. The description of the demon's were interesting, but the role Stephen played seemed like it didn't really fit. Also, the girl who Samantha met at the end seemed to come out of nowhere.

I felt there were too many times of the world building not making sense. Add that to characters I didn't really enjoy... Well, I won't be reading the next book.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quote: "Do you want to die dirty and hungry and with a killer case of blue balls?"

Samantha Quinn has been blind since age six when her parents sacrificed her eyesight in a demon ritual. As Samantha has gotten older she has tried to forget that horrific night but her eyesight has been replaced with something else. Something sinister and evil. Samantha has terrifying lifelike visions of murder. When she has a hot and wild sexual encounter with her brothers best friend Jace...her dark gift increases with alarming results. For now Samantha not only "sees" Jace's death, she also sees her own possession by the same demon from her childhood. Samantha may be blind but she is hardly incapacitated. She is completely independent to her brother's high handed concern.

Jace Lu is a bounty hunter. Half Chinese and half Italian he is as gorgeous as he is dangerous. Jace hasn't seen Samantha in a long time but is amazed and angry at how attracted he is to her. As he tries to man handle her into leaving the deserted lot he found her in she infuriates him to the point where he has to show her who is in control. And after some panty ripping, hot, and nasty loving in front of God and everyone Sam realizes that she can see. Actually see. For a brief moment her interaction with Jace restored her eyesight.

It also triggers a vision in which she sees Jace die. Determined to save Jace she tries to explain it all to him but he thinks she's hallucinating and doesn't believe her. After a trip to see Sam's brother Stephan, Jace realizes that things are not what they seem and his need to protect her is getting stronger. Determined to leave her for her own good he finds he is unable to. As Sam becomes the target of more and more attempts on her life, Jace realizes that Sam's visions are real and she is in danger.

This is my first time with this author and I am very impressed. An incredibly dark and erotic urban fantasy, Shadow Marked grabs you by the hand and drags you through it's twisted portals. Sam is an enigma. After being blinded by her own parents during a demon summoning ritual, rather then wallow in self pity she has taken her life and made it her own. Independent and feisty she takes no crap from anyone. But she is not an alpha female but more the omega.

Jace is a rough and tumble bounty hunter with the face of an angel and a body made for sin. Jace likes to be in control of everything and keeps his heart barricaded behind a thick wall. Sam is the only one who can break through that barrier and make Jace lose his infamous control. Watching Sam and Jace navigate to and through a relationship is breathtaking. Or rather, it's watching Jace realize that loving someone doesn't mean he loses a part of himself but rather gains something much more precious.

Demons have become public and are somewhat "protected" by the government. Bounty hunters like Jace merely capture and relocate demons from over populated areas. But there are new demons are emerging like nothing that has ever been seen before and only a blind women, Sam, can see them. As Sam's past comes back to haunt her, she and Jace must race to stop an epic infestation of massive proportion.

I really don't want to say much more as the book has so many twists and turns it's almost impossible not to drop a spoiler. Well written and mesmerizing, I found myself not wanting it to end. Ms. Evans dark plot meshes well with the romantic side of the book; often taking the forefront. I would have loved a little more hands on action between Jace and Sam. The beginning had so much promise but then after that you sense their attraction more than you actually see.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be waiting for her second in this series, Demon Marked, which releases in January 2011.


Rating: 4.5/5

[Laurie Garrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is the first book I really didn’t look forward to write a review on. It wasn’t a bad book, I just couldn’t get into it like I wanted to. It has a really good world that was easily explained. I just more or less fond the story just there, nothing to even really get excited to write about. You know how you read a book and it will still stays in your mind after three days or so, well not this one with me. I’m still getting nothing.

I will have to say I loved the ideal that the heroine is blind. Samantha is a also very strong in other words, she doesn’t let her blindness get in her way and she is ready to take on a demon even though she can’t see them.

Her brother Stephen is really over protective so over protective it will make you mad the lengths he go to keep her with him, but she is to strong for him to win.

Jace, I didn't care for him. He is one that whines about how he cant have the girl (Samantha) just about the whole book, because he is ruff with women or he cant open that door to let it free. But yet he cant stay away form Samantha. I didn’t care for the romance in this book, there was only one good sex scene the other two just didn’t do it for me, the reason is because they don’t have full sex, so out of the whole book you get one good all out sex scene between them.

This book has a great new world and it has lots of fighting and excitement, but it seems to drag out before all the good excitement comes in. The back of the book pretty much sums everything up. I would like to say the last chapter was my favorite it was a really good ending. The is also an excerpt for the next book Demon Marked I am looking forward to reading it.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A blow-by-blow reaction to Shadow Marked:
Pages 0-200 = OMG Why does real life keep getting in the way of me reading this book? I am soo in love. *sprinkles erotic faerie dust*
Pages 200-220 = Wait a minute... Pages 220-END = What the hell is going on? When did everyone become too stupid to live? And what's with all the friggin' goo???

Shadow Marked was seriously disappointing. The first 2/3rds were just so great and the ending so terribly bad that I couldn't give this the 5 stars I'd been planning.

And truly, I loved the beginning. It was explicitly erotic with a touch of terrifying. The sex was just insanely hot - I was reading it on the tube and turned very, very red a few times. But I couldn't just leave it at home to avoid embarrassment - I was hooked.

For 200 pages, Evans was a GOD. Despite my reservations, she made me enjoy reading from a blind girl's POV (which should be confusing) and forced me to fall in lust with a domineering half-Asian, punk-rock Mafioso (which is just confusing). It was 200-pages of wonderful reading.

And then everyone goets covered in goo.

The epic final battle was just really confusing. And sticky. It took serious mental concentration to work out what the hell was going on. When I did, I couldn't help but think it was all quite contrived. And sticky. But what tipped the balance for me was the heroine Sam - more specifically, her reaction to a certain revelation. I just fundamentally disagreed with her and then stopped caring whether she got her HAE.

Not to mention everyone started getting covered in GOO. Which was a serious turn off, if I've ever read one.

The amazing start kept me from giving this 1.5 stars. When I think back on those first 200 pages of great reading, I can't regret reading Shadow Marked. But I still wish someone could come and ripped it out of my hands before I had finished it!

Bottom line? Shadow Marked is a cross between a steamy paranormal romance and a low-budget horror film. Despite a great start, it was very disappointing.

[Paige Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this book. The first chapter didn’t capture my attention immediately, but I kept reading because it was an interesting concept for me—a blind woman who battles demons—That’s pretty if you ask me. So I kept reading, hoping that it would get better. By chapter two, I literally could not put the book down – so much so that I made the family fend for themselves on dinner, just so I could finish reading.

The characters, Samantha and Jace, were really well-developed and I loved their interaction throughout the book. They’re so damaged and haunted by their respective pasts that it’s difficult for them to trust anyone, and even more difficult for them to accept a relationship between them. Their chemistry is off the charts hot (there’s one scene in an alley that had me running for some ice water to splash on my head).

Samantha (Sam) is a no-nonsense type of girl who can take care of herself despite the fact that she’s blind. She doesn’t have time for ridiculousness and doesn’t dole it out in return, she cares deeply for her friends and family, and is funny to boot. She’s really cool. Jace is totally on my Book Boyfriend list. He’s sexy, badass, tortured & broody, and still has the ability to be tender…all the delicious qualities I look for in a Book Boyfriend.

The supporting characters were wonderfully done. There were times when I hated Sam’s brother Stephen (which, to me, is the mark of a good author – if they can make me mad or make me sob, they’re doing their job correctly), and there were also times my heart tripped over itself because of something sweet that was said or done.

I did have two issues with the book… First, I felt as though some of the scenes (especially Sam’s visions) were a bit confusing. I didn’t know if it was a flashback, a vision, or if I’d missed something important, so I had to go back and re-read a paragraph once or twice. Second, the final battle scene seemed to drag on forever. Anna J. Evans has a wonderful way with words, but I think maybe she was a little too descriptive in this instance.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and it’s one that I would recommend to my friends. If you’re into paranormal romance (especially demons & blind chicks who can totally kick ass) this is the book for you!

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shadow Marked takes place in New York City but the world is not quite like ours is today. About twenty years ago there was an earthquake and it acted as a gateway for demons to escape from deep in the ocean. The escaped demons reek havoc on the people in New York City after dark. Do you get the feeling this is not going to go well??

On to the characters, Samantha or Sam became a victim when her parents involved her and her siblings in a demonic ritual when she was a little girl that left her blind. Jace, is her brother's best friend and he also happens to be a man that Sam has crush on since she was a teenager. Jace has his own history with the demons and is fearful of who is is deep inside always believing he is not enough. Stephen is the big brother who has always tried to care for Sam, but he has his own secrets and demons (a bit of a pun there).

So in case you cannot tell not a true fan of this book. The world building was incomplete and in the end it did not make sense to me. Throughout the story I felt like I was getting random bits of information that are supposed to clue me into the plot or make me care. Mostly it was just confusing and did not add up. Next the hot sexual relationship felt flat. I actually like the characters Sam and Jace but really a glimpse of sex here and sex there does not create this emotional bond. For me the emotional connection never came though.

Sam being blind did work for me. I liked that she wore sexy clothing and likes male attention. It was cool to read about a character who seems to draw strength on her other senses to balance out what would be seen as a disability.

The relationship with the brother, Stephen bothered me a great deal. He is pushy and wants her to do things his way to protect her. Yet it did not fit in with the guy who sacrificed everything for his sister.

To wrap this up the book had a great deal of potential, but there were too many issues for me to get into it. To give the book some credit parts of the book are quite entertaining and it is a fast read. However, by the end of the book I just did not care who did what or why. I had hoped she would tie up some loose ends at the end of the book so things would come together in an exciting conclusion, but I got more random bits of information and to me it ended up being a hot mess.

There is another book that comes out in 2011, it is unlikely I will read it. Hopefully she will clean up some of the loose ends.

[Daffodil · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much potential. It frustrates me that the book fell so far short of the possibilities. The characters were interesting but just didn't quite connect for me, individually or as a couple. The plot wasn't as tight as it could be. Action scenes tended towards confusing and the final showdown could have been stunning but instead the imagery invoked was confusing. So many little elements that only needed a little extra push, but they eventually added up to make this book barely the 3 stars I gave it.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I found this book by accident looking through the ebooks on my library's website and found it completely mind blowing. I finished it in about three days, and can't wait to get the next one in my hands. Even though there were two major plot lines, Anna J. Evans made them really easy to follow, and connected them in the end easily enough to make you want to keep turning the pages and not put the book down till you were done. I would recommend this book to a YA reader and and adult reader that enjoys reading about love, and demons.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Although not usually a fan of the fall in love and have sex after spending a few hours together this one worked. I think it was becasue they knew eath other even if they hadn't spent much time together prior to the events of the novel, which made it possible to believe the emotional connection as well as the lust one.

[J.W. Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I thought Sam and Jace were intriguing with their damage. I felt bad for Stephen, some of the time. The storyline with the demons and the Pandorian like box was interesting. The writing was more youth like but with adult language and scenes, the introduction of Emma was a smooth add in there. ready to read book 2 in the series to wrap it up

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Demons and sex. Good mix.

[Karen Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

4

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.75 stars

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The potential was there for this to be a good book, but just couldn’t get into it

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story-line & characters.

Spoiler - Considering how powerful these 'demons' are supposed to be, the MC's get off extremely lightly in the last battle of the book.

[Among The Muses · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the world making up Shadow Marked, the south part of Manhattan is nothing like it is today. An earthquake has stirred a diverse civilization of ancient demons from their dwellings deep within the oceans. The emergence of these creatures has cast a dark, dangerous, and deadly blanket over the lower part of New York City, leaving the residents that reside in the nightly walled-off urban zone to all but fend for themselves after sundown.

While most of the time, residents remain out of harms way, there are times when these horrific demons get a little too close to their human neighbors. Samantha Quinn is one of these people. As part of a horrible ritualistic sacrifice at the age of six, she is now blind and has an unwanted connection to a particular species of demon that many still believe does not exist. But despite the nonbelievers, and all the numerous hardships Samantha has had to endure, she exudes strength, determination, compassion, and a 'realness' about her that makes you immediately take a liking to her.

Jace Lu, her brother's friend, and the man that Sam has crushed on since she was in her teens, is the emotional opposite of her. He, too, has been effected by the creatures, but carries the emotional baggage around like it's a permanent backpack and buffer against getting too close to anyone. After awhile, it does tend to get old, but when events take place that causes Jace and Sam to come together in a very heated way, their connection is undeniable, and starts to break away some of his stone interior.

Together the two of them embark on a mystery to why all of a sudden, after nearly twenty years, Sam's connection to the demons is suddenly causing havoc in her life and to those people close to her. What they find is mystery, deceit, betrayal, pain, healing, passion, and love.

The chemistry between Jace and Sam is fantastic! It's hot, playful -- Evan's creates some wonderful banter between the two of them--, sensual and compassionate. While Sam's brother is an overbearing asshat, Jace treats Sam respectfully as an adult and doesn't dwell on her disability. They really do make quite the pair in this novel.

While overall, I was really pulled in to this very creative and unique paranormal tale, I just didn't feel the enthusiasm that I really did want to feel for it.

Without giving any spoilers away, sometimes I felt as though information that may, or may not, have been important to the plot or characters, was just thrown at me like it had been forgotten until that moment. The sexual tension and heated moments were definitely yummy, but to me there was only one 'great' moment between them, leaving me a little disappointed in the final coming together. And to me this is always important because I want to feel the emotional connection that they share at that moment. And, well, it just never came (pun intended).

The ending definitely had closure-- which is always major points for me. But, I was also left scratching my head a bit. At one point the heroine's feeling towards one event in particular was completely out of character-- at least imo. And, the sy-fy'ish' ending had me a little perplexed.

~*~Final Thoughts~*~

I know it probably sounds like I wasn't all that into this book, but in honesty, I really enjoyed the creativity of Evans storyline and plot. I feel like it was very unique to the world of paranormal and urban fantasy genre. It was adventurous, fun, mysterious, and sexy. I was thrilled to find the heroine blind, strong, sassy, yet compassionate. Evans has created a world that will immediately draw you in and have you looking at dark spots between buildings a little more closely afterward.

If you are looking for a quick, sexually charged PNR/UF read, then I would recommend this book to you. The second book, Demon Marked, in the Demon Bound series, is due out in January of 2011, and I will definitely be picking it up.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mix feelings about this book - I liked it - it had a pretty good story line - the sex was hot - and there was a LOT of sexual tension in this book :)

The world is full of Demons - They came out of caves far beneath the earth and adapted to their new homes within days - and everyone knows about them - These demons are protected from the City as a tourist attraction (cool)

When Jace was 8 years old - his father was possessed by a demon and ... ate his mother while Jace hid under the counter in the kitchen... watching :(

When Sam was 6 years old - her parents (demon worshipers) held some kind of a sacrifice thing with their cult and took her little baby sister - Emma, Sam, and her older brother Stephan and tried to sacrifice their bodies for these aura demons - The police came and took everyone to jail. Baby Emma was dead - and Stephan grabbed Sam's hand and ran into the woods to get away from the demons - One of the side effects - Sam is now legally blind - and the nightmares began....

Everyone has a bad childhood .. right? Yikes!

Jace is best friends with Stephan - Sam's oldest brother - With Sam was 14 and Jace at 20 - she was more the poor little blind sister figure.

A few years later, Sam grew up - and Jace had no idea when that happened -

Sam was out walking the streets one night when a Ju Du demon finds her. She has a great sense of smell and a 6th sense that helps her know when trouble is near. She's afraid - but she has a clear mind and knows what needs to be done.

Only this time - the Ju Du demon has the advantage - She loses her cane and trips on the sidewalk - the Ju Du Demon approaches fast - the only thing she can do is lay there and pray that his poisonous quills don't pierce her skin to paralyze her before he eats her alive!!!!!

Jace is walking down the road - he's a Demon bounty hunter. He makes a good living off these creatures - but this is Sam - His best friend's little sister - he could lose a lot of money if he kills the demon to save her life. Jace is not a good guy - he doesn't do things for other people - But there is SOMETHING about Sam .... he can't picture the world without her.


OK this is where the book starts - It's really an interesting world that Ann Evans has created - The description of the Demons is really unique. The way the story plays out is also unique. I haven't read anything like it. The history that sets up the ending ... again really unique.

I don't know - I enjoyed reading this book - I am just having trouble describing what I read. The first 200 pages were of Sam and Jace trying to fight off their feelings for each other - they had it bad - they never had a chance to second guess it - They were slammed with a love so intense that they didn't even know what was happening to themselves.

THEN Sam's dreams/visions become stronger and more detailed - and she KNOWS something bad is going to happen to Jace - so then the battle begins - These is where I really have trouble. Even the Author says " There is no other way to describe it" when Sam and Jace are fighting off the invisible Aura Demons who are trying to take over their body. It happens so fast - and there is a lot of ... slime and gooey stuff - and the feelings of evil - well ... "There is no way to describe it" really :) it happens pretty fast - and a LOT of information gets thrown around - so you have to pay attention.

SO yeah - that's this book - I would say it was a pretty good book. I waited 3 weeks for Demon Marked to come into the library before I read this book - so I will give Demon Marked a chance - but I'm not promising anything. Maybe because now I know about the world a little better it'll be a little more clear :)

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was intriguing. I loved to see a blind main character and she had some major personality. Unfortunately that is overshadowed by her stupidity. For Sam being so gung-ho "I do what I want and you can't control me", she sure never actually does that. She gives up every argument, lets both Jace and Stephen walk all over her constantly. She acts like she has to do everything herself when she can't do anything. I mean she is blind for one, and two she can't even get away from Jace throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. How is she going to fight a demon? Granted with Jace as the option to spend ones time with, I WOULD rather have done it myself. Plus all her internal complaing and monologues...it was boring. I wanted to start skipping paragraphs just to get on with the story.

Jace is a rude, controlling, complete jerk-off...and of course our male lead. (Trust me, I was censoring myself there) He is honestly disgusting. What does Sammy see in this guy other than his looks? He is constantly belittling her, trying to act like she's 10 and he's her father, waffling between thinking she's crazy or on drugs even when he has visual evidence but no, it's Mr. My-way-or-the-highway and god forbid he not act like a complete control freak 100% of the time. All they did was argue and have quasi-sex if they ever got through to the end of it. (which was barely ever). I would rather beat myself in the face than be with a guy like this.

Oh god, Stephen. If I even knew someone that treated me like that (let alone was related) I would have been repeatedly kicking them in their junk. There is a difference between over-protective and freaking psychotic. No one is so obsessed with their sister's "safety" that they try to have her medically declared mentally incompetent to keep her in his apartment. I would have moved out of the state he was in. He only got worse as the story went on. I did not care when he died. At all.

The sex scenes were okay I suppose, though most of them got cut off in one way or another. The partial scenes we DID get were well done

The pacing made no sense. This all supposedly happened within two days and that is just...no. Considering how some parts were dragging on and others with how much was going on, only two days doesn't make any sense at all.

The ending also made...no sense. Sammy came across as a total wimp even when she was pretty strong-willed throughout the novel. It was frustrating that she couldn't fight the evil herself at all. She just wanted to give in the whole time but BAM hearing Jace's voice and wait, she totally doesn't want to do that. Gag me with a spoon. Plus where the hell did a grimoire come from? Way to explain that vaguely in passing a few chapters later. The climax was also overly long. I just kept rolling my eyes and having that "get on with it" feeling because I got sick of the almost-but then something else happened circle it had going. Seriously, I was actually to the point of being frustrated that it WASN'T OVER.

Even the epilogue was nothing better. Jace was still a jerk-off who wouldn't let her do a single thing, Sammy let her walk all over him. The only difference, was that this time they were married. Hallelujah. So exciting./sarcasm.

I...can't think I'll be reading the second book in the series. If it's written anything like this and based upon the summary, it sounds just as frustrating.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I actually found by accident. My friend Susan, from Wastepaper Prose, and I were in Pennsylvania for an author event being held in a book store, so naturally we wandered around and browsed through the books. We eventually got back to the YA section, where we saw two copies of this book. Neither of us had seen it before, so we read the back cover. We were both intrigued and decided to get it. I had another book to finish before I could start this one, but I was anxious to see what this book had to offer.

After reading the first three chapters, I was pretty sure this book had been put in the wrong section of the store. If you read the first couple of chapters you will definitely see what I am talking about. The heat between the two main characters practically burns the pages. Peaked your curiosity yet? Well mine certainly was, but I had to know if this was really a YA title. I looked up the book and discovered that it is actually an adult paranormal romance. So, if you happen to have bookstores that for some weird reason thinks this is YA too, do not be fooled. It is very much adult, in a good way of course ;)

As for the content, I really enjoyed a paranormal angle I had not seen before. Demons walking the earth, reeking havoc, causing all sorts of problems for the human population. There is a catch here though, everyone knows about them. Actually, they not only know about them, but the government does not want to kill them off and uses them as tourist attractions. Weird right? I thought so too, but it completely worked.

The chemistry between the Jace and Samantha is explosive , especially in the beginning! Towards the end of the book it did fizzle just a little bit, but to be fair they were in the middle of a pretty major battle which tends to get in the way of alone moments. Watching Jace struggle to make sense of his feelings for Samantha throughout the story was beyond entertaining. He does not easily give into his emotions, but Samantha did a great job of pulling them out of him, willing or not. My favorite parts of the book were always inside Jace’s head and watching to his walls slowly crumble and give into Samantha.

The twists and turns the plot takes you through were fantastic! The book was like a big puzzle with all the pieces jumbled up leaving me scrambling to try and make my brain work to put it all together. I thought I had almost everything pieced together, but Anna did a great job of keeping me guessing and wondering who the enemy really was. The element of surprise in the book was alive and well, which made me very happy.

Overall I am glad I stumbled across this book, even if it was in the wrong section. It was a new spin on the paranormal, which is always refreshing and it left me wanting to read more in this world. Which is why I am looking forward to the next book which is called Demon Marked, due out January 4th, so I don’t have to wait long, yay!

[Ithlilian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so excited to review this because there were so many cliches that I just can't wait to point out. I really fail to see how getting verbally abused and pushed around is the fantasy of so many females that it is somehow appealing in this book. The main character Sam decides she wants to pretty much screw a guy that she's known of for a few years, but never really interacted with. She likes that he gets possessive and rude with her, and wants to have sex with him up against a wall in the middle of a dangerous alley. Ok then. There is cliche one, main female character all hot for Mr. Big Stuff tough and dirty demon hunter. Then we have cliche two, instalove! All the sudden both characters completely love each other! Fine, I'm used to it, there are only so many pages in a novel and whatnot. Then we have the main character completely trusting a practical stranger, we have powers gained by love making, we have the main character hiding things from her new mate and her mate getting really mad about it, we have the jealous/love triangle plotline, and oh so many more. But that's enough, I can hear you gagging already.

The thing is, I really liked this novel from the start. I liked the different types of demons and the explanation for their presence. I hated the generic silly map in the front of the novel, but I liked the description of the town and environment. I also was fairly interested in the main character being blind, and I enjoyed her backstory of demon sacrifice. I really liked this novel up until about 3/4s of the way in. When things started to be explained, there was such a dumbing down and overexplanation that I started to get irritated. The characters were speaking to the reader as if they were an idiot, and it wasn't necessary. Everything went downhill from there. I was able to push the romance aside and enjoy the world, but when everything came to a head at the end of the book realized I didn't care. When the big baddies were revealed I wasn't impressed, and I was barely able to finish reading this. There was definitely potential here but it was bogged down with the romance and the overexplanation. I want to mention something about showing not telling, but that's overused and silly, so I won't. As a romance this is decent, it is definitely sexy, and there is a good world behind it, but I do feel like the end wasn't as well polished as the beginning, and the world isn't unique enough for me to revisit it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot: 3.5 Stars
There were two main plot points that I really enjoyed about this novel: the main character being blind and the demons being scary and evil. I've never read a novel with a blind protagonist, and I've been reading too many paranormal novels lately where the demons are bad but sexy, or bad but not scary. The story had a lot of promise and I really enjoyed it, but the end was very rushed and confusing.

Pace: 2 Stars
The events of this novel barely take place over two full days, but it feels like forever. I'm not sure there was realistically enough time for everything that was packing into those two days. Normally I could overlook something like that and just assume it was a very action packed couple days, but for all the action squeezed into such a short span, it was a bit of a drag to read. There were times where the author gave us more details of the surrounding than was needed to get a visual, and other times when there wasn't enough. Altogether it was a bit disjointed for me.

Characters: 3 Stars
I felt as if I really got to know Jace and Samantha throughout the novel, and they really had well rounded personalities and depth, but most of the other characters were very flat and uninteresting. Outside of the two main characters, I also don't think we learned much about anyone else, unless it specifically played into the plot. There were also a few times in which I felt the author had Samantha doing or describing things that seemed like they'd be outside of the realm of possibility due to her lack of sight, but mostly did a good job conveying the issue.

Cover: 3.5 Star
I think the cover model is a good match given the description of Samantha we're given, especially since it was the only way to know what Samantha looks like for a number of chapters. It took so long for the author to give any sort of physical description of Sammy, that for a while I wondered if we'd ever learn what she looked like. Also, I felt that since Jace was such a big part of the story and about 40% of the novel was from his point of view, that he should've been on the cover also.

Overall: 3 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sensuality: 3 out of 5
Kink: vanilla

Well I finally was able to find this at Half Price Books after having it on my wish list for a long time. I don't remember reading anything by this author before. I thought the romance between the two was believable and was steamy and they didn't jump into bed together until the middle of the book. It doesn't matter to me how quickly they jump into bed as long as the author makes it believable and waiting made a lot of sense to these characters. However the interactions before they actually do it is really hot! It's pretty vanilla but still really hot.

The whole demon idea was a pretty unique one however it was not developed enough for me. We get a very weak description of what they look like (dinosaur like). Even the event that made the heroine lose her vision is very lightly described or gone into detail or it is spread out all through the book. I know sometimes readers don't like info dumps but we really needed more that what was given.

spoiler**********************************************************************************************************
I also thought that the whole Stephen thing should have been more obvious to the hero and heroine. Again this is given a little detail and I would have like to know more. I kind of think that this was a last minute thing because we are not given any clues through out the story expect he was gone a couple of times. I even think the way it ended would have been better if he hadn't died. It would have been interesting to see how he dealt with being a demon.

So overall the story was ok but the flaws kept me from giving it a higher amount of stars. I will read more by this author and this series. The next one is the younger sister which was a cool twist as well with her having to eat evil to survive (again this was a great story device but why do this and not the brother?).

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Demons walk among us, but closer to some than others. Samantha Quinn has felt almost inextricably tied to demons since childhood, when her parents sacrificed her sight and killed her infant sister in a demon cult ritual. The ritual also left Sam with an unwanted gift: premonitions of death. Sam’s visions gain strength and clarity after a surprising, erotic encounter with Jace Lu, her brother’s best friend. Then Sam has a particularly terrible vision, one that reveals Jace to be the demons’ next victim. Sam knows she has to save Jace, but to do so, she has to face a supernatural enemy connected to her bloodstained past.

Enter a demon-filled New York City in the fast-paced Shadow Marked, the first installment of Anna J. Evans’s Demon Bound series. Ms. Evans takes the traditional line that divides “good” from “bad” and then blurs it, which I greatly enjoyed. I also loved that, while Sam is blind, her blindness is treated as a simple result of what happened to her rather than as an easy plot point or ploy for likeability. The world of Shadow Marked is interesting and I don’t want to spoil it for readers by going into detail (the fun is in the surprises). What was missing for me was spark. Sam, Jace, and the supporting characters were lacking the usual depth of Ms. Evans’s characters. There seemed to be a disconnect between how the characters were acting and how Ms. Evans was trying to portray them. It was a bit disappointing, truth be told. Ms. Evans usually writes with such flair, but Sam and Jace weren’t memorable and I didn’t feel at all invested in their romance. I desperately wanted to feel something, but Shadow Marked just didn’t speak to me as Ms. Evans’s books usually do. Still, I did like the story and think there’s a lot of possibility in the Demon Bound series. Even though Shadow Marked may not have been the story for me, I still finished it wanting to read the next Demon Bound novel, Demon Marked.

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so this book was so not what I thought it would be. I found the second one at the library and decided to order this one through them. I can honestly say that the title caught my interest and that is usually enough for me.

I want to say that the sex scenes in here aren't bad but they started and stopped before I could even bat an eyelash. They had potential but, it was seriously lacking. Guess I have been spoiled by Laurell K. Hamilton and Jeaniene Frost in that aspect.

I loved that Sam was blind and that she had courage to do whatever she wanted instead of being pushed and shoved around by those close to her. That is a strong characteristic that many young children and some adults lack (too bad some younger kids can't read this/ wouldn't suggest it).

In general, I found myself skipping paragraphs in the end just because I couldn't stand it anymore. I got to the ending faster in my head than the author did. Not going to read the second one based off of this first one. I really want to say that I liked it but, to say it would be a lie. Good luck fellow readers!

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantasy/paranormal tale from the "Demon Bound" series and the author of "Skin Deep." It tells the story of a young woman who was offered as a sacrifice to demons by her Satanist parents when she was age six, thus losing her sight. Now as a blind person living in a world where demons are more visibly present, Samantha Quinn is still trying to assert her independence, live a full life, and find a way to live with her premonitions that have plagued her--premonitions of death, illness, or disaster for the faceless, unnamed persons in her visions. This is not really an easy book to read and has some very weird characters in it. It is a suspense tale of a sort, is a love story as well, and has a whole cast of characters that sometime become difficult to follow. Yet is it a well-written novel and certainly will be enjoyed by lovers of this genre.

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it but it wasn't what I expected, it was a quick easy read, but for some reason I didn't expect the sex to be so prevalent in it. Not that I don't like that, but it wasn't what I expected.

I really liked Samantha, loved that she was blind and wanted to do stuff on her own and not be held back. I also liked Jace from the start even though he was a bastard at the beginning. I found myself wanting to know more about Jace's bounty hunter family, that seemed like it would be fun, too bad we didn't get more of it.

I thought the demon part of the story was just so so.

I do plan on reading the next book, but won't rush to get it.

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samantha Quinn's parents used her in a cult ritual for demons and it cost her sight and her baby sister. She and her brother have been surviving in a world that has come to realize that demons are real but her powers surpass others and she can't quite convince bounty hunter Jace Lu that she is able to smell and channel aura demons. A plot to release even more demons into the world has the surprising side effect of partially and erratically restoring Samantha's sight, but the price may be too much for her to pay.

[Manda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to fight to get through this one...and I won't be reading the second. I didn't find any connection with the characters. The storyline to me was just so-so. Too much demon stuff for my liking. It sounded like it was going to be cool with the main female blinded since she was 6 by demon possession so she has to use her other senses on overdrive to make up for it. Oh well...can't like em all!

[Mary]

Wow, I hadn't finished the book but I am surprised at the context.
I thought it was a young adult book, but as I read into it I realized that it's not.

EDIT----
Decided not to finish the book. Wasn't feeling it.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars for this one - on the one hand, I really liked Sam and enjoyed the story in general, but on the other Jace's annoying, overbearing asshole character pissed me off so much I can't give it more than 3 in the end.