A Brush Of Darkness by Allison Pang
Urban Fantasy
January 25, 2011
Paperback, 384 Pages
Pocket

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: ”If an incubus masturbates, does that make him an incu-bator?”

After spending the last six months trying to accept the fact her mother is dead and her dancing career is shattered, Abby finds herself locked in a contract as a Touchstone. When her Fae employer goes missing, Abby must rely on a mysterious and sexy incubus and a mini unicorn with an underwear fetish to guide her through the OtherWorldly.

As Abby‘s investigation lead her further into this dangerous world of WoW playing daemons, Armani dressed fairies, and PETA card carrying pixies-she finds herself unable to distinguish between friend or foe. And the wrong choice could trap her there forever.

Abby knows nothing of the OtherWorldy except that a contract between a Touchstone and a paranormal allows them to stay in the mortal realm. When her employer, the powerful Protectorate Moira, disappears with only a note, Abby thinks nothing of it until the very smexy incubus Bryston walks into her bookstore demanding to see Moira. Bryston shares with Abby that fae are disappearing all over. When a good friend of Abby’s disappears, Abby’s submerged deeper into the worl dof the paranormal. Love, hate, fantasy, and deception all mix together in an explosive arc as Abby is forced to confront her past and her dreams in order to save her friends and her own life.

A Brush Of Darkness is an wickedly funny and dark urban fantasy that engulfed me from page one. Blissfully snarky characters and vivid world building enchants us as we are introduced to Abby and the OtherWorldy. The premise isn’t a new one but the path Ms. Pang takes us down to tell her story is a wholly entertaining and unique blending of wit, charm, mystery and fast paced action.

Abby, our protagonist, is a human thrown into a paranormal world and forced to learn and deal with it on her own. Full of snark and sass; she holds her own against the unknown. Plus, she loves bacon. That’s a clincher for me. I like that she is as ignorant of this world as we are, so we learn with her as she travels the crossroads and learns of the duplicity and her standing in this supernatural world. Her background is given freely throughout the story and blends well into the arc.

Bryston, our smexy incubus is a curious mixture of standoffishness and vulnerability. The walls he has in place around him are high. You can sense the indecision that rages through him though when he’s with Abby. He throws her to the wolves then in the next breathe races to save her.

The chemistry between them is blazing hot. I like that Bryston warns Abby of what he is-an incubus. He IS sex and love is not an option for him. Regardless, they heat the pages up as they dance around each other, waiting to see which one will fall first.

The entire cast of supernatural characters are rich in personality; each a compelling selling point. Amazing when you consider the size of this cast. We get a little bit of everyone in here from Fae to angels. Plenty of secrets and agendas that keeps us guessing and on our toes.

Phineas has to be my favorite as the jaded mini unicorn. A BACON eating unicorn. Be still my little transfat congested heart.

The main conflict is wrapped up tightly in a web of suspense and deceit that unravels slowly in to a climatic finale that answers most of our questions but leaves enough open to guarantee this reader will be getting book two of this series.

A Brush Of Darkness is a fabulous addition to the urban fantasy genre and I recommend to everyone who loves snark, humor, mystery, and a huge dollop of romance in their paranormal diet.

Rating: A

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