Demon Crossings by Eleri Stone
Paranormal Romance
E book
January 2, 2012
Carina Press
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “Not a god at all, only a man. “
Grace is a private investigator who’s specialty is missing children. She has a very special gift that allows her to “see” the child and zero in on their location. Her boss doesn’t ask a lot of questions and that suits Grace just fine. When her boss hands her an assignment, she knows within minutes where the child is. Grace heads to Ragnarok, Iowa to find the child and bring her back, only to find herself involved in a car accident with a strange animal. When she is rescued by a gorgeous local, Grace realizes that something about this town isn’t right. Grace immediately senses that Aiden, her rescuer, needs her. She gets flashes of him, a child, and overwhelming grief, but Aiden wants Grace gone from the town. When circumstances force Grace to stay, Aiden reluctantly accepts that Grace may be exactly what he and the town needs.
Demon Crossings is a dark intense paranormal romance that brings Norse mythology into the modern world. A character driven story that hands us two broken and resigned protagonists who each feel that they are destined to remain alone. Set in the small town of Ragnarok, Iowa, we find the descendants of the Aesir. Centuries earlier, their ancestors escaped to Earth after their home, Asgard, was destroyed by war. These descendants are now responsible for guarding the portals between Asgard and Earth from demons who are bound to kill them. Since their magic is tied to Asgard, they have to remain in areas where the portals are the weakest in order for them to survive.
The storyline that starts out smooth and steady as we meet out protagonists and get background and set up of the story. You don’t often see Norse mythology in PNR (or at least I don’t) and I enjoyed how Ms. Stone is able to seamlessly incorporate it into the storyline without making it seem like a history lessen. The romance holds sway over the main conflict and at times almost suffocates it with the emotional turmoil of our main characters.
Our hero, Aiden is their leader. The Odin. Born into the position, Aidan is a somber man whose life has been planned out for him since birth. An arranged marriage brought him the love of his life; his daughter and for awhile he was happy. When she is kidnapped, Aiden risks his life over and over to find her but after a year passes, he is forced to admit his daughter may be gone for good. He tries very hard to be the man the town wants him to be yet there are parts of him that wants to do nothing more then cast it all aside and do whatever it takes to find his child. The yoke of responsibility is a heavy weight around his neck and controls his every waking moment.
Grace is an emotionally closed woman. Abandoned as a child, she has severe trust issues. The tough persona she shows the world hides a deep vulnerability. Grace just wants someone to love her for herself but doesn’t believe herself worthy of that love. When she meets Aiden and discovers his secrets, she feels like she has finally come home. Though scared and disbelieving of what Aiden tells her of his life and the town, Grace shows remarkable courage in dealing with it all.
The sparks leap off the pages when Aiden and Grace first meet. There is no denying the attraction between them but neither of them feel they are able to give what the other wants or needs. Especially Aiden. Towards the middle of the story I was beginning to get tired of his indecisiveness towards Grace. It slows the story down as we watch him go back and forth. We are privy to both their thoughts but Aiden has when it comes to voicing his thoughts and desires. It’s understandable in that he has a lot on his plate but he has some past issues that he uses as excuses to avoid commitment.
The ending is a mixture of action, suspense, and revelations as Aiden and Grace are both forced to acknowledge and accept their greatest fears and desires. Ms. Stone wraps it all up nicely, leaving us to ponder a few scenes and the possibility of a sequel.
Overall Rating: C
Recent Reviews:
Grave Tells – 4.5/5
Goodreads
Kindle l Nook l Carina Press
I normally stay away from detective stories, but the norse mythology has me intrigued. I might have to check this one out. ;)
I enjoyed it. The h/h relationship was drawn out and over emotional but I liked the story set up and the plot.
I love mythology in books! Great review Tori. Looks like a good one!
Thank you. I love mythology too.
Nice review, I would have liked some more story, am not that fond of emotion rich feeling-stuff.
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