Title: The Demon’s Door
Author: Ari McKay
Publisher: Torquere Press
Pages/Word Count: 42000 Words
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb: When Thomas Carter discovers his grandfather’s hidden journals, detailing the old man’s fight against the supernatural, he knows he’s found his true calling at last. Yet when he sets out to stake a local vampire, he quickly learns that the difference between Good and Evil is very different than what he had believed.
Julian Schaden is at first amused when Thomas tries to destroy him, but he quickly recognizes Thomas for what he is: a Demon Hunter, a supernatural being who exists to hunt and destroy the soulless. The two are drawn together as Julian teaches Thomas the skills he will need to survive, and attraction intensifies to something deeper. But when a major demonic manifestation looms at Halloween, will they have the strength to face it, when failure might condemn them both to an eternity in Hell?
Review: The Demon’s Door follows twenty-five year old demon hunter Thomas Carter and three hundred year old vampire Julian Schaden. Right from the start, the personalities of both jump off the page. We experience Thomas’s innocence and naïveté, and Julian’s dour nature. Thomas has been sheltered, not even aware of his demon hunting nature. Julian has lived so long he can’t help but view life through jaded lenses. Somehow, sweet Thomas convinces Julian to train him to be a demon hunter (I know, a vampire teaching a demon hunter…crazy, right?). But supernatural creatures, those who were turned or born, are not demons. They have souls. It’s the creatures who reside in the underworld, across the veil, the soulless, who are demons. Sometimes humans and paranormals have to band together when a demon threat becomes too great.
The fact I could explain all that shows how strong the world building was in this story. I love a book that creates rules so vivid and imaginative that I can’t help but get sucked into it and live through the characters’ eyes.
At first meeting, it seemed Thomas and Julian couldn’t have been more mismatched, but through the story, the evolution of their feelings for one another grows. As Goldilocks would say, not too fast, not too slow, but their feelings grow at just the right pace. And when they finally act on those feelings…watch out, because this author doesn’t pull punches on sex scenes.
Along with great world building and strong characters, the plot line moved at a steady pace, amping up to a raging crescendo and ending with a satisfying conclusion that leaves the door open for a sequel (please?), but wraps up this particular story perfectly.
My only complaint is that the story wasn’t longer. There was so much depth to the characters, the plot, and the world that I think another twenty to thirty thousand words would have fleshed everything out. There could have been more ebb and flow to the relationship. The action plot (including the background histories of the two main characters) could have been developed a bit more. Side characters could have played a bigger role in the story. All of this because I just simply wanted more.
That said, the story was absolutely wonderful. I’ll definitely be reading other books by this author.
I recommend this one for all you paranormal erotic romance lovers out there.
You can buy The Demon’s Door here:
