Saturday, January 26, 2008

REVIEW: Demon Night by Meljean Brook

Series Overview:
In Meljean Brook's Guardian series, demons, guardians, nosferatu, vampires, and perhaps a few other creatures from Hell, coexist with humankind, although for the most part, humans are pretty much unaware of their existence. In an extremely simplified explanation, the nosferatu are the most contemptible creatures of all existence who pretty much roam Earth in full bloodlust. Demons are sent to Earth from Hell to essentially deceive and tempt humans to sin and hopefully even cause their death. Demons are not permitted to actually kill humans... just manipulate them to 'cause' their deaths. Guardians were created for the sole purpose of protecting humans from the demons and nosferatu, and their priority is to preserve human life at all costs. For a more background information, check out Meljean's website, especially her new Guardians Primer and the Doyen Scrolls section. And to truly understand and appreciate the world and characters of this series, read the books! Each installment is a riveting story of danger and excitement that is brought to life by incredibly realistic characters.


Book Review:

Guardian Ethan McCabe, a.k.a. Drifter, has been living next door to his human female charge, Charlie Newcomb, as she has become the possible target of an organized vampire attack. From the onset of the novel, the attraction between Ethan and Charlie is subtle yet unmistakable as they interact from the safety behind the wall separating their apartment balconies. When circumstances bring them face to face, there is no denying the inevitable romance that develops between the Guardian and his charge. While Ethan is guarding Charlie, the newly established Guardian organization, Special Investigations, is trying to determine who or what is behind a series of serious disturbances within vampire communities around the globe. Making things even more complicated for the Guardians, Charlie's scientist sister, Jane, is immersed in research that unknowingly to her, has tremendous significance to vampires, demons and consequently the Guardians. The situation gets even more dire when the ultimate demon from Hell shows up. So as the Guardians attempt to find connections between all of these activities, and as the implications of Jane's research are revealed, the the story becomes more and more engrossing, and of course Ethan and Charlie fall deeper in love.

Demon Night is an intense novel teeming with incredibly real characters, fierce action, and undeniably heart wrenching plot twists. The love story of Charlie and Ethan is a wonderful blend of humor, tenderness, and passion. Charlie is a complicated character, one who has made some serious mistakes in her past that have been tremendously difficult to make amends for. Despite the odds against her, Charlie has survived and although she is vulnerable and somewhat insecure, she makes huge strides in developing her self worth which in turn strengthens her bonds with the people she cares about and gives her the confidence she needs to maintain control of her life. Ethan is a troubled cowboy turned Guardian, a combination that makes for a very sexy, easy going, reliable hero who takes your breath away with his relentless dedication to protecting Charlie and searching for what she truly needs. Of course, the way he talks and carries himself, and the way he kisses doesn't hurt his image much either.

Meljean Brook has a wonderful talent for seamlessly blending the overarching plot of the series with the story arc of the individual novel. She writes scenes that make your pulse race and your eyes widen. And just when you think the situation is stable, and a conflict is resolved, another plot twist has you right back on the edge of your seat. Meljean consistently delivers emotional intensity straight through to the very end of the story, and of course gives her characters the happily ever after they truly deserve. Demon Night is an exceptional novel that should not be missed. It will leave you amazingly satisfied yet wanting more, and fortunately, Meljean has two more installments in the Guardians Series expected before the end of 2008.

GRADE: A


One of my favorite sites to visit, The Good, The Bad, The Unread has an Exclusive Sneak Peak of Demon Night posted, where you can read the first four chapters of Demon Night.



Demon Night is the third full length novel in Meljean Brook's Guardian Series. To make the most of this series, check out all of Meljean's stories:

"Falling for Anthony" (Guardians, book 1) in Hot Spell anthology, November 2005
Demon Angel (Guardians, book 2) January 2007
"Paradise" (Guardians, book 3) in Wild Thing anthology, May 2007
Demon Moon (Guardians, book 4), June 2007
Demon Night (Guardians, book 5) February 5, 2008

Coming soon...
"Thicker Than Blood" (Guardians, book 6) in First Blood anthology August 5, 2008
Demon Bound (Guardians, book 7) November 2008

14 comments:

  1. Wow, great review. I almost didn't read it because I'm in the middle of Demon Moon, and I was afraid for anything to be ruined, but I couldn't help myself. I can't wait for this book to come out for us REGULAR people!

    Hey, I like your library shelf thingy.

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  2. Nice job!And I was THIS close to using that same photo of the feather when it occurred to me that I really needed some Russell Crowe...

    Meljean is awesome. I throw my rarely given A's in her direction. Such unbelieble depth to her characers. Real dialog. Amazing storyline.

    And CJ you can sign up to win a copy of the book. Autographed! With a book mark! Yay for shameless self promotion of my own blog.

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  3. Great review Christine! I'm really looking forward to this book. Next week I'm making a trip to Borders to see what books have come out early. Hopefully Demon Night will be among them. :)

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  4. Wonderful review.

    And here I thought I'd try one for that lj community, but...ummm...wanna write it for me??? ^__^

    I will have to look for MJB's books.

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  5. *buzzes in*
    Holy crap, Christine! Don't you think my TBR pile is big enough? Now you have to go and tempt me with another series. There just isn't enough time! *snort* This sounds like a great series and I will put it on my list. I'm finishing up Gideon right now (loved Jacob) and I've got Elijah waiting in the wings. I have to plow through some of these in order to make room for more books. *rubs hands ebilly* Thanks for the heads up. Muah!

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  6. Fantastic review! I love this series and I am looking forward for release day =)

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  7. Great review! I have no doubt that Demon Night will be as wonderful as her other books in this series - she's just awesome! Is it the 5th yet?

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  8. I so adore Charlie. She is one girl I would love to hang out with and get coffee.
    Even though Charlie and Ethan's romance is more subtle than the last few, their relationship was just so right and so together.
    Great book and another well written tale by a master storyteller.
    Also, a wonderful and insightful review. :)

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  9. Great review Christine! Demon Night and 3 other books will be in my hands tomarrow, guess which one I'll be reading first?! Meljean has yet to disappoint with her series, glad to read that DN will be not be an exception to that!

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  10. Great review Christine.
    Made me wanna check the books out again :)

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  11. Yes, yes, yes the book is grand! Ohhh and Demon Moon... le sigh lucky you Carolyn Jean.

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  12. Thanks for reading my review, everyone. I know you won't be disappointed with DEMON NIGHT.

    Meljean has built a complex world, and the fact that she has still kept all the rules governing her world tight and consistent AND that we're at the fifth story already-- is a true testament to her talent as a writer. Not to mention the fact that Meljean's characters are so REAL. They are as complex and flawed and real as the people I know. Well... except for the wings, and scales and fangs parts! lol

    I can't wait to hear what you all think of DEMON NIGHT when you read it!

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  13. Think I've got to agree with everyone else on the 'great review' comment! Really. You have me wanting to go out and begin this series.....(especially while waiting for Phury's book and some others). They sound just like the stuff I read! So, will you be doing reviews like this for lots of books and series? FYI, If you read Christine Feehan's Ghostwalker books, the new one, Predatory Game comes out 2/26. And if you like the Breed series by Lora Leigh, (one of my favs), then Dawn's Awakening comes out this coming Tuesday!
    Thanks again for the review. You got me interested! BTW, don't know I have this freaky ID, but this is from Lindsey.....Just wanted you to know I had posted!

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  14. Meljean has built a complex world, and the fact that she has still kept all the rules governing her world tight and consistent AND that we're at the fifth story already-- is a true testament to her talent as a writer.

    I couldn't agree with you more. Meljean did a fantastic job of keeping her story tight and her characters interesting. I absolutely adore this series.

    Just to echo everyone else, fabulous review. :)

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