Reviewed: February 26th, 2021
Release Date: March 5th, 2020
When occult-magnet Ruby falls victim to Demon Lord Drayvex’s viperous allure, she loses a sentient dark relic to his light fingers and appetite for power. Like calls to like. But when Drayvex himself loses the relic to a traitor to the throne, Ruby coerces him – the tyrant king with a soft spot for humanity – into helping her save her pokey old world village from becoming a ground zero of mass demonic carnage.
An excellent dark fantasy story with well developed characters, world building, and plenty of action. Who would know there were so many ways to kill a demon? What more could you ask for in a demon riddled fantasy romp with a bit of romance thrown in. And it’s the first book in a series.
As the demon lord, Lord Drayvex has dominion over all other demons, but I get the feeling he is bored! So he ventures into the human realm and is snared by the jewel in the necklace that Ruby, a young human woman is wearing, and there is something else about her he can’t quite place.
Having stolen her necklace he should just leave, but for some reason he can’t, and as the story progresses, he gets drawn into protecting Ruby and then her village. Even though you know the demon lord, Drayvex, is an egotistical monster, you can’t quite help liking him as he tries to understand emotions for the first time. Ruby is a smart and sassy heroine; smart enough to be scared of monsters and sassy enough to stand up to Drayvex. She is also stubborn, and very good at getting under Drayvex’s skin. You do cheer her on, Drayvex does need his ego deflating, but maybe not when he is battling traitorous demons.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that is well written and slowly draws you in as the story unfolds. I’m glad it is a series and looking forward to the next book.
Rachel Hobbs lives in soggy South West Wales, where she hibernates with with her bearded dragon and her husband. By day she is a dental nurse at a small local practice. By night, she writes. Her debut novel SHADOW-STAINED is the first in a dark fantasy series for adults, inspired by her dark and peculiar experiences with narcolepsy and parasomnia. She’s since subjugated her demons, and writes under the tenuous guise that they work for her. Fuelled by an unhealthy amount of coffee, she writes about hard-boiled monsters with soft centres and things that go bump in the night.
You can find Rachel on various social platforms via: https://linktr.ee/authorrachelhobbs
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If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my book which is available in eBook or paperback: Sentinals Awaken. My second novel Sentinals Rising is currently on pre-order and releases March 17th 2021. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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