Shadow Marked by Anna J. Evans
May 4, 2010
Urban Fantasy
Paperback, 308 Pages
NAL Trade


Reviewed by Tori


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

Recent Reviews:
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Thanks Tori!