Demon Marked (Guardians #7) by Meljean Brook
September 6, 2011
Paranormal Romance
Paperback
Berkley

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “The Guardians are proof that the universe likes to reward those who sacrifice themselves for others-but I’ve never been interested in that martyr bullshit. So… we have to get that reward some other way. Me? I lied, cheated, and killed my way into it. I paid for it in blood…and I would have paid more if I had to. But I’d be damned before I let that price be our lives or my soul on that field.”

Demon Marked is the 7th installment in Meljean Brooks dark and captivating Guardians series. We met our hero, Nicholas St. Croix in Demon Blood . Not a primary character then, in here we find out more about Nick and what his interest is in the Guardian/Demon war.

Nicholas is a volatile tortured man. He has waited six long years for revenge against his “mother. Psychologically hurt as a child by a demon, Madeline, inhabited his mother’s body, he trusts no one and keeps his emotions buried deep never allowing anyone to get close to him. When he grew to adulthood, he set in motion his plans to destroy his “mother” but she was always one step ahead of him. When Madeline attempts to kill him and his lover Rachel dies as the result, Nicholas’s plans for revenge reach a new level and he vows nothing will stop him until he or she is dead. When a woman appears at his lover’s old apartment, Nicholas is elated, thinking Rachael is back. Ash is the exact replica of his lover, Rachel, only when Nicholas kisses her, he realizes that she is a demon.

Ash wakes up in a hospital not knowing who or what she is. She spends three years in the psychiatric facility trying to remember anything that may explain why she is there. When she breaks into her Doctor’s office and reads his notes, she realizes that he has been keeping her there and he’s known all along. Ash escapes and uses what feels familiar to guide her to Rachel’s apartment. There she comes across Nicholas St. Croix. When Nick realizes she is not Rachel but actually a demon he decides to use her to find Madeline. He forces a bargain on Ash. If she helps him find Madeline he will help her with her memories. Nick and Ash start out rocky. He refuses to trust her as she is a demon but Ash is the strangest demon he has ever met. She exhibits no known demon tricks and seems to genuinely want to help him. The more time they spend together results in some interesting changes. Nick realizes that she is as much a victim in this as he is and his feelings slowly begin to change towards her. He goes from wanting her dead to just plain wanting her.

I absolutely love Ash. Her mannerisms crack me up. She has no memories but also no emotions. She is like a glass that has been emptied. She has no filters and no idea how to act ‘human’. Witnessing her developing a personality is hilarious. She tries very hard to make Nick laugh and like her and presents it all in a package of charming innocence and naiveté.

“I didn’t say it wouldn’t be effective. It’s just not original. And if I think it’s cliché, when my only experience with demons is what seems familiar from books and movies, then the whole ‘killing a boy’s dog’ thing must really be tired.

An odd way to come around to it, but she wasn’t wrong. “So it is,” he agreed.

“I’d rather be a clever demon. Perhaps that’s why it is taking so long to come up with a plot against you. My standards are too high.”

When she gets it in her head that she has to see Nick naked, I found myself choking with laughter.

“What is your plot, then?”

“To tell you about all the dried semen in this room. I’m hoping it makes you feel skeevy enough to take another shower, and that gives me another chance to see you naked.”

“Why do you want to see me naked?”

“Because you don’t want me to see you naked. I want to know why. I also think that I’d like looking at your ass, and I want to see whether you lied about your not-monstrous genitals. For all I know, the truth is that you really only have one leg, but prop yourself up with a dragon-sized penis.”

“I don’t.”

“So you say, but it’s difficult to trust humans who aren’t bound by a demonic bargain to tell the truth.”

Nicholas has had it rough and you can not blame him for his prejudices. I really like that even though he hates demons with a passion, he doesn’t see the Guardians as the automatic good guys. A conversation with Taylor about Rosalia that sums up the whole situation:

“How is Rosalia?”

“Concerned about you.”

“ Ah yes. The mother to everyone.”

“Better then your mother.”

“Is she? She lies, she manipulates. I don’t see the difference personally.”

That is the beginning where we begin to see that while the much older Guardians believe the means will always justify the end, the younger Guardians have a problem with that. They don’t believe that automatic sacrifice is an acceptable price to pay in this war. The younger Guardians are dragging the older Guardians in to the present; questioning and demanding answers, whether they want it or not. That’s what I love about this series. Good and evil are not clearly defined. They all walk a fine line. There are rules that must be followed (interesting rules that are further explained in here) in every interaction and the Guardians bend and manipulate those rules just as much as the demons.

In Demon Marked, Rosalia goes to her friend, a priest, and tries to gain absolution for what she has done and will do.

"I’ve forced a good man onto a path with me. I cannot win without his help. But he has not offered it. I am using him."

"So you are no better then the demons."

"I’d like to think I have better intentions…"

"I imagine you do like to think that. But if the suffering of even one good man is needed to gain victory, it is not a true victory."

Right there is the gist of this book. No matter what the prophecy has foretold or what the Guardians have foreseen, everything comes down to free will. No matter what side of the war you stand on-good or bad-how you choose to conduit yourself is what actually determines the purity of your soul. Frankly, I find the older Guardians to be almost as bad as the demons-in fact worse-because they use duplicity to achieve their goals all while hiding behind their self righteousness. With Lucifer and the demons you know they’ll lie, cheat, and steal and that makes them more honest.

I am enamored with this whole series and it continues to enchant me with each new storyline. Ms. Brooks world is dark and violent; filled with deception, betrayal, and death, but it’s the characters that really draws me into this series. Three dimensional with viable personalities that all have the ability to support their own storylines. Fast pacing and a steady storyline keeps Ash and Nick rolling along in a believable timeline and allows their romance to bloom naturally and realistically. It isn’t easy for them-each carrying some heavy baggage. Not a lot of visible sexy time in here but the dialog between them makes for some heavy, emotional scenes.

The continuing misdirection on Ms. Brooks part keeps you on your toes as you try and often fail, in figuring out who to trust and who not to. We see many old face in here; Lillith, Khavi (who needs a serious take down) , and Taylor. Especially Taylor. I cannot wait for her and Michael’s book, which I hear is the next in the series. We’ve all been waiting and I have no fear that it will disappoint.

All in all, Ms. Brook’s Guardians series is an action packed PNR that uses taunt suspense and intrigue to keep you hooked till the last page. As long as Ms. Brook keeps writing-I’ll keep reading.

RATING: B+

Recent Reviews:
Fiction Vixen – A
Rosario’s Reading Journal – A-
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