Eve of Darkness (edit title)

• Rated 4 stars

“Eve of Darkness (Marked, Book 1) by S.J. Day
Mass Market Paperback - April 28, 2009
4 stars

S.J. Day's new series Marked is: fresh, imaginative and high octane. It blends a hunky hero to die for and a gutsy heroine, thrown into circumstances that are enthralling as well as nail-bitingly suspenseful.

There is a war going on, but most humans don't see it. The Marked are those special chosen and/or cursed to fight these unholy terrors and save humanity.

Evangeline has never been religious; she has a good life and is content. The only thing she doesn't have is a man. The problem is that after she met Alec, no other man has matched up to him and she knows none ever will. Alec left her after one night and completely ruined her for any other man.

When Eve is unexpectedly attacked, years later, by a man that looks eerily similar to Alec, she finds her life irrevocably changed. She is now `marked' and dragged into a world of good and evil. Suddenly, the real Alec comes to rescue her and Eve discovers that he too is `marked'. Because Alec cares for her, she has been targeted as his one vulnerability. Ironically, he left to save her from his dangerous life, but there is no fighting destiny. Now Eve has a fast learning curve in this new game of life or death. Even as Eve is drawn to Alec, she knows he's not healthy. The only sane thing to do is try to reverse the `mark', even if she dies trying.

From the first page, this book pulled me in! It is a fast thrill ride that NEVER lets up. I particularly enjoyed how Eve explores this new world of: angels, demons, shifters, etc. The novel is filled with mystery and shady characters that will leave you wondering where they and the story are leading.

For those who love Urban Fantasy and dark paranormals romances, this series is sure to please your palate. However, I do have to caution for those readers that enjoy a pat ending, this is the first of the Marked series and the author does leave the ending at a HUGE cliffhanger. Luckily the next installment is coming soon. If you can't stand the stress, I would suggest waiting to read all the books at once, if you can wait!

Reviewed by Steph from Bookaholics Romance Book Club ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Religion is real in S. J. Day's Eve of Darkness.

Cain and Abel are pseudonymously known nowadays as Alec Cain and Reed Abel. Lifelong brothers and enemies, they have lots to fight over, including Evangeline Hollis. Agnostic Eve has been Marked as a sinner, and has gone from interior designer to demon-killer-in-training. Alec and Reed want her to accept her fate, but Eve wants the mark removed and her life back. God, however, has other plans.

The first chapter is a stunner, combining the normalcy of a football game with...what lurks in the men's toilets. The rest of the novel is six weeks of backstory, with flashbacks to ten years ago when Alec deflowered Eve. Though the publisher has labelled this urban fantasy, more likely it'll appeal to paranormal romance fans because of the relationship stuff going on. Brothers fighting over a woman: Alec and Reed seriously need to get over themselves, and play nice for the sake of humanity. Okay, for Heaven's sake. (I really didn't want to make a pun in this review, but look what you made me do.) Mind you, if they haven't grown up properly during the however many thousand years they've been alive, they're hardly going to start now.

I'm not entirely sure why Eve was Marked. Since sinners are drafted to kill demons, her sin must be...rooting Reed in the stairwell after they just met, and maybe didn't know each other's names. I'm not quite clear on that, or maybe because she "tempted" both brothers. I must have forgotten this detail, or it wasn't explained well enough, which is a problem when your protag is a "chosen one" - readers want to know why.

The series concept seems so obvious in hindsight, it's actually a surprise that no one thought to do it before. The author's angels and demons are well-crafted and original, as is the worldbuilding. But then when witches and werewolves come into the picture...it seems a bit kitchen sink. The dogs and Eve communicating via thought seemed a little too easy, but I'd just come off reading Jeanne C. Stein's first two novels, where vampires communicate that way. Seems too much like telling than showing.

I like Eve's relationship with neighbour Mrs Basso. It's nice for Eve to have a friend, and Eve's mum Miyoko is really intriguing. Born in Japan, she later became a naturalised American, but I'd love to read about American life through Japanese eyes. It gives me hope that S. J. Day will move on to feature other religions, such as Shogun and Shinto (if I remember eighth grade social studies correctly, which I probably don't). Eve is a breath of fresh air in that she's biracial. Usually in paranormal fiction characters are half-vampire or half-werewolf, so it's just splendid to have someone who's human on both sides with parents from different countries. This may make it easier for readers to connect with Eve, and urban fantasy protags can definitely do with more ethnicity. (It goes without saying that Eve is hot: particularly on the cover of the upcoming second book in this series, Eve of Destruction. Just so you know.)

Overall the concept seems better than the execution thus far, but now that the backstory is out of the way we can get to the good stuff. We haven't met God yet, or Lucifer. And since there are other firms in the world, hopefully we'll have some international action. There are a lot of possibilities, so this series could end up longer than just the three (so far) contracted novels. I hope so.”

• Rated 5 stars

“I had the pleasure of receiving an advanced reading copy of EVE OF DARKNESS at the RWA National conference in San Francisco. Wow, what a great start to what I know will be an amazing series. Day has mixed her urban fantasy with biblical references, tight plotting, exciting action, and a hero...or two... you won't soon forget. Eve manages to be a kick-as--and yet human and vulnerabl--heroine. I would highly recommend this book and I can't wait for the next in the series!”