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Imaginative!
“At eighteen, Evangeline `Eve' Hollis had a crush on leather-clad bad boy Alec Cain, which resulted in the loss of her virginity in a one-night stand. Afterwards, he left her at the motel, and never returned. However, she can forget neither him nor their one-night stand, though she is angry at how he used her.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-28.
Ten years later, Eve went for a job interview. While in the building, she saw someone who looked a lot like Alec, at least in the face. Before she knew it, she was forced into the stairwell, where the Alec look-a-like intimately assaulted her...with no protest from her. During this time, he pressed the red-hot Mark of Cain into her arm and suddenly he changed; his clothes fell away to reveal a muscular body with rich golden skin and huge white feathered wings, which embraced her. That was all she knew until she awoke on the floor of the building with her clothes in perfect order and people all around, some offering assistance. Going home, she looked up the Mark of Cain and found that it was the mark given by God to Cain as protection from harm while he wandered the Earth as punishment for killing his brother Abel. She has seen this mark before...on Alec Cain.
After showering, Eve heard someone at her door. However, the one person she never expected was Alec Cain. He looked like her lover from earlier in the day. However, Cain always calls her Angel, unlike everyone else. He knew what happened to her and told her that she couldn't be alone since it was not safe. Alec also told her that she would need him. Though she argued with him and even held a gun on him, Alec was not fazed. Then the fever took her over. Thus began her, ironically, seven days of suffering.
He had walked away the last time to keep this from happening. Alec was determined, this time he was not walking away. He would be there for the long haul; Alec was in love with Eve. Now if he could just get Eve to forgive him. He also has another problem; his brother Reed Abel is the one who gave Eve the mark and he is fascinated with her. Eve has become the newest bone of contention between Cain and Abel in the longest sibling rivalry ever.
EVE OF DARKNESS, the first book in the MARKED series, is a steamy, action-packed urban fantasy. I absolutely loved it! Eve, a long time agnostic, has to deal with a celestial administrative system...a system that treats her rather poorly, even sending her off to fight for God without training. Despite this, she is valuable to them in keeping the brothers in line. She feels affection for both brothers, but Cain is the one she keeps close. Author S. J. Day does a terrific job of bringing her characters to life; you almost expect them to step right off the page. Brimming with sizzling love scenes, an apocalyptic theme, action-packed battles between good and evil, a spunky heroine, hunky heroes and plenty of imagination, this is one urban fantasy you will not soon forget. Run out and grab your own copy of EVE OF DARKNESS. While you are at the store, you may want to pick up the two other books in this series, EVE OF DESTRUCTION and EVE OF CHAOS.
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Clever and Brilliant!!
“I decided to take a chance on this book because the synopsis was a little interesting. As soon as I was about 1/4 into the book I knew it would be a series that I would continue to read. The book starts off with action and excitement. Then it dies down for a while, then starts up again, then dies, then starts up again towards the end. Does the action fluctuate in the book? The answer is yes it does, but it keeps you interested and that is what makes a great book.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-09-03.
I love the characters. I especially like Eve. She is such a strong character, but not so strong that she is stubborn and annoying. I also like Alec (Cain). He is so complex, and even though you learn a little of his character, he still remains a mystery. Reed is another favorite. If you really think about it he is more like his brother than he thinks. The tension between the two is always an entertaining aspect of the book. I'm definitely interested in this series and I can't wait to see what part of the story unravels in the next book.” -
5 of 8 members found this review helpful.
I would call it the worst book ever....
“...but there are two sequels.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-08-26.
So, this is possibly the worst book sold by Wal-Mart, and you must remember they sell romance novels turned out by housewives with a valium in one and a pen in the other, with titles like, "The Millionaire's Mistress," and the forgettable, "Baby Daddy Billionaire," so this is turly saying something.
Nary a page is turned without us being reminded of how desirable Eve is, or how nice her car, or condo or coach bag is. Eve ain't no Buffy. She's whine, annoying and self pitying. Also, the characters never say anything. They "bite out," whatever they are saying. Someone should have been hired to have fixed this piece of drivel up, if it had to be published at all.” -
3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
I don't mind some sex, but if you have a great idea--USE IT!
“Evangeline Hollis, more often called "Eve", gets dropped between a brotherly feud of Biblical proportions. Well, actually, the two brothers are Biblical. Going by "Alec Cain" and "Reed Abel", the famous sibling rivals now have a lot more to fight over: including Eve. Eve, meanwhile, happens to fall into their world by acting as a temptress or "apple" (as in forbidden fruit) that neither brother can resist. Thus, Eve becomes "Marked" and must spend her life banishing demons from the Earth.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-08-25.
Overall, I have to say that I like the idea of EVE OF DARKNESS much more than how the story is told. I rather like the idea of angels, demons, and Biblical stories used in urban fantasy. However, the problem comes in that this story would much more comfortably fit under "paranormal romance" than "urban fantasy". Nearly every plot point turns back to the heavy attraction between Eve and the brothers...and lots and lots of sex. It almost seems that Day steps back from exploring the interesting elements she already has going for her in the story (angels, brother rivalry, a girl drawn to two men) and instead covers with throwing more and more sex or new elements at the reader. I'd happily give up the werewolves that appear at the end for some more development.
In the end you'll like or hate Eve depending on how you react to passages like this (all over) in the book:
"I will get you out of this," he said, struggling against his body's reaction to the sight of her. He was so hard it hurt.
Her gaze dropped and her lips parted in a silent gasp. She pointed viciously at his erection. "Put that thing away! It's gotten me into enough trouble as it is."
EVE OF DARKNESS is full of good ideas, but the execution leaves the entire story lacking. I'm torn between giving the second volume a try and saving my money. On one hand, the possible rivalry between the brothers could be great--if only Day would delve into the relationship fully. (Har har, and by "developing relationship" I don't mean the sex everyone seems to be 'delving' into all the time.) Still, the idea is so original that I almost want to hope that the second book in the series would, perhaps, manage to find a better balance than EVE OF DARKNESS.” -
9 of 11 members found this review helpful.
Interminable Darkness
“I'll begin with the assumption that anyone reading this is a fan of either detective fiction, fantasy fiction, or otherwise the alt-world fiction of the sort that presumes the existence of hidden realms of vampires, demons, wizards, werewolves and the like *among us* -- undetected by us ordinary mortals save for the few who guard us from unknown perils.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-08-17.
"Eve of Darkness" purports to be fiction of that kind. But if you're looking for a gripping, smart, funny, page-burner, stick with Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Charlaine Harris and the like. Eve of Darkness is not their equal. Not by half. Instead, it's juvenile trash. Poorly written, unimaginative, and mostly a vehicle for delivering badly written porn. Did I mention that it's badly written?
Here's the premise. A woman has a sexual encounter with an angel on an elevator. After we've endured the gasping throbbing 'his engorged manhood her throbbing wetness multiple gasping orgams' of it all, we learn that sex with an angel "marks" a person. The Mark becomes an enforcer in heaven's legions, which are organized and run rather like a criminal enterprise; within that enterprise, "people" (or things) frequently interact by, you guessed it, having wet, sticky, tawdry, badly written sex. Did I mention that this novel is badly written?
Anyhow, "the change" that makes one "A Mark" has the principal effects of giving one superpowers, that allow them to fight baddies. It also makes them very horny. That plot device serves as a mechanism for introducing, all too frequently, yet more episodes of 'her gasping need, his thrusting desire' etc ad nauseam sex.
By now we're not surprised. Indeed, we're bored. I was bored by Chapter 4, but felt I needed to read the whole novel to "give it a chance." I'm writing this review so that you, the reader, won't feel the need to sacrifice yourself on the altar of fairness.
It's a cliche that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Were I to substitute a picture for a thousand words of "Eve of Darkness," the picture would be a grainy, smudgy, stained page ripped from a crude porno magazine found in a gutter.”
