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Blood of the Demon (Kara Gillian #2)

by Diana Rowland (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 3,395 ratings · 200 reviews

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL, MAN AND DEMON, SHE’S ABOUT TO FACE THE ONE THING SHE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE.

Welcome to the world of Kara Gillian, a cop with a gift. Not only does she have the power of “othersight” to see what most people can’t even imagine, but she’s become the exclusive summoner of a demon lord. Or maybe it’s the other way around. The fact is, with two troub...more

Paperback, 369 pages

Published February 23rd 2010 by Bantam

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Apr 12, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Autant l'auteure prend son temps dans le 1er volume pour planter le décor, et l'ambiance, ici on rentre tout de suite dans le bain. L'univers est posé, et très bien traité. Rowland réussit à lui donner corps tout en alliant un mélange de lieux communs (absence de grande originalité dans la description des classes de "démons"), et de règles qu'elle tisse habilement avec sa griffe.

Alors que chez d'autres, les personnages sont stéréotypés, figés, et nous surprennent rarement au cours de leurs avent...more Autant l'auteure prend son temps dans le 1er volume pour planter le décor, et l'ambiance, ici on rentre tout de suite dans le bain. L'univers est posé, et très bien traité. Rowland réussit à lui donner corps tout en alliant un mélange de lieux communs (absence de grande originalité dans la description des classes de "démons"), et de règles qu'elle tisse habilement avec sa griffe.

Alors que chez d'autres, les personnages sont stéréotypés, figés, et nous surprennent rarement au cours de leurs aventures, avec Kara on a une héroïne humble, simple et qui n'est pas dévorée par la vanité au point d'en devenir agaçante. Elle est en pleine formation, et par conséquent ne détient pas de pouvoirs ou connaissances absolus. D'ailleurs, elle n'hésite jamais à remettre en cause ses croyances, notamment en ce qui concerne la 1ère opinion qu'elle peut se faire sur les gens, étant piètre juge de caractère. Elle doute d'elle même, un peu trop peut être, mais ayant été pendant longtemps une solitaire, cela parait logique vu qu'elle n'avait pas grand monde pour lui renvoyer une image valorisante d'elle. Cela ne peut que la rendre aimable. Je suis conquise par sa petite personne, et déplore qu'il n'y en ait pas plus des comme elle.
Puis, son entourage aussi est agréable. On assiste à la formation de liens entre eux tout en découvrant en même temps qu'elle leur petite histoire, et plus lentement, leurs secrets. La dynamique de sa relation avec Ryan est mignonne, par contre, je n'apprécie pas encore comment elle se dévergonde avec Rhyzkahl. Jusqu'à ce que l'auteure invoque un jour une raison à ces scènes incongrues, elles me déplaisent, et ne s'inscrivent pas à mon avis dans la ligne de conduite de Kara.
[ Bien que la ressemblance soit légère, cela ne va pas sans me rappeler les rapports particuliers entre le couple Charley Davidson/Reyes de Darynda Jones, que j'apprécie beaucoup, et ne peux que recommander à ceux/celles qui ne connaissent pas encore cette série.
[book:First Grave on the Right|11357769]
Second Grave on the Left
Third Grave Dead Ahead
Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet ]

De même, je déplore un peu que les coupables soient si faciles à deviner. Cela m'ôte un peu une partie du fun, mais rien de trop méchant.

Cette série, qui ne laissait rien présager de bon de prime abord, me plait de plus en plus, et c'est avec un grand plaisir que je la poursuis dans l'attente de révélations très croustillantes.
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Jun 02, 2010 Alisha rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of police procedurals with a paranormal twist

Unlike book 1 (Mark of the Demon), I had no doubt in my mind when it came time to assign a rating to this book. It was a solid piece of paranormal detective fiction.

Speaking of which. I give it the classification of "paranormal detective fiction," but I must say, the main mystery of the book is heavier on the "detective" part than the "paranormal" (for the most part, that is). The biggest paranormal element of the book--and the series, for that matter--comes from Kara Gillian's being a demon sum...more Unlike book 1 (Mark of the Demon), I had no doubt in my mind when it came time to assign a rating to this book. It was a solid piece of paranormal detective fiction.

Speaking of which. I give it the classification of "paranormal detective fiction," but I must say, the main mystery of the book is heavier on the "detective" part than the "paranormal" (for the most part, that is). The biggest paranormal element of the book--and the series, for that matter--comes from Kara Gillian's being a demon summoner. This means that she is exposed to lots of the preternatural, but it's something that is not known to the public at large. That said, the main mystery is very well laid out with plenty of clues and some good red herrings to keep one guessing. I didn't "figure it out" until I was quite close to the resolution...a good sign, in my view. :o)

And Ms. Rowland knows her forensics! Some of the more fascinating (albeit creepy) scenes involve the medical examiner and crew. Lots of attention is paid to accuracy and detail, and it pays off in quality.

I didn't want to alter the book description listed in the book data above, since it's the one provided by the publisher. But I have to point out that the description is not quite accurate. The main misrepresentation is the fact that Kara does not spend the book being Rhyzkahl's personal summoner: rather, she tries to decide whether she wants to be such, after Rhyzkahl makes the offer very early on in the book. And I suppose it's worth mentioning that this whole "demon" notion as portrayed in the book is not "heaven and hell" related, but rather from another dimension. Like an Otherworld of sorts. But anywho. I digress.

This (presently "most recent") installment of the series has less sensuality overall than did the first book. I'm perfectly fine with this, not because of an aversion to it (quite the contrary!), but because I felt the first book added the element rather randomly and inexplicably. The progression of the romantic element here is slower, more deft and believable. Ms. Rowland takes her time developing the relationships this time.

That all said...I still feel fairly disconnected from the character Lord Rhyzkahl. It's clear enough that there's meant to be a love triangle developing that includes him, but he's still such an unknown; and I'm not talking "Barrons-from-Fever-series" mysterious, here. ^__^ It's like the reader (and Kara, for that matter) is being told to invest in- and respond to this character, without any discernible reasoning as to why. I want to feel something for him--affinity, dislike, ambiguity, anything--but it's tough.

Overall, I really dug this book, particularly the "mystery" elements. I'd gladly recommend it to others who like UF. I get the feeling that the author is really focusing on the overall development of the series... it's clearly building up to some great stuff, and I can't wait to continue following along.(less)

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Jan 11, 2011 Sheyla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Is it bad that I root for the Demon on this one?

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Apr 22, 2013 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons

Oh my god! This book was even better than the first of the series! After the events of the previous book, Kara Gillian is back for another adventure. But this time there are so many things that she has to deal with: too many dead bodies for this small town in Louisiana, the comatose state of her aunt, the weird relationship that she has with the FBI agent, Ryan and the even weirder with the demonic lord, Rhyzkahl. It’s not an easy job to summon the demons!

I think that I understood better Kara in...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Lesley rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

This second book in Rowland’s Demon series is basically the same as the first with a few key differences. First, the mystery isn’t as easy to figure out. I would consider this a good thing if the suspects weren’t so easy to confuse with one another, thus making the mystery unnecessarily complicated. Secondly, suddenly almost every character either finds out about and accepts the supernatural or has some kind of supernatural gift themselves, which just seems ridiculously unrealistic. Las...more

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May 23, 2013 Meigan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Any reservations I had about not continuing on with this series are out the window. All of the misgivings I had with the first book in the series were totally forgiven with this book.

Kara Gillian is back to work after a month long LOA from her "death". She now has 2 homicides to work on, which (again!) both have arcane ties. Her aunt is still in a coma, and she needs to figure out how to get her essence back. Rhyzkahl is also back with a proposition for Kara.

This book had a more natural humor....more

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Jan 07, 2013 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: police-procedural, urban, fantasy

Second in the Kara Gillian urban fantasy series about a demon summoner who happens to be a detective in Beaulac, Louisiana.

My Take
It's a nightmare of deaths, seemingly unrelated, but once that thread is found...it just keeps unraveling.

I am enjoying this series in spite of the too-easy adjustments Rowland makes and some of Kara's stupid actions. And that's saying something! One of Kara's inanities is her fear of telling Ryan how she feels. What? Is she twelve? It's just annoying. Then there's al...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: demons-angels, pnr-uf, witch-magic-fae, challenges-2012

Doing this re-read cause Book #5 comes out shortly. I've dropped it 1 star from my previous read, just cause.

Kara Gillian is a homicide cop in Beaulac Louisiana, who also summons demons from an alternate plane. She has worked hard at learning how to control the arcane.

Her plate is full when 2 murders happen where the souls of the deceased have been ripped out and consumed, not that anyone else can see that.

Kara needs help, but her Aunt is unconscious and in care (her soul was stolen in the firs...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Marcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I read the first book and liked it in a guilty-pleasure sort of way, but found myself in no hurry to read this one. In fact, it sat on my to-read pile for half a year, patiently waiting its turns.

Maybe it's because I went in with such low expectations, but it was much better than I remembered. There were a lot of great lines, and I caught myself smiling at the humor a fair bit. I kind of loved the various demons Kara summoned, as well, and would love a whole book focusing just on those character...more I read the first book and liked it in a guilty-pleasure sort of way, but found myself in no hurry to read this one. In fact, it sat on my to-read pile for half a year, patiently waiting its turns.

Maybe it's because I went in with such low expectations, but it was much better than I remembered. There were a lot of great lines, and I caught myself smiling at the humor a fair bit. I kind of loved the various demons Kara summoned, as well, and would love a whole book focusing just on those characters. The author has quite a background in law enforcement, and that history really informs her writing. The procedural aspect of the novel is more believable than any other urban fantasy I can think of offhand, and it's clear the author actually knows what she's writing about.

Here, have some vague spoilers. (view spoiler)(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kara Gillian has a new case - there are more bodies piling up and while they seem to have natural causes (or common murder causes, anyway) there’s something more about the bodies. They’re completely ripped of all their essence, all their life force unnaturally torn away - and its getting worse. She’s again faced with investigating the murders as a police detective, but also using her arcane abilities and somehow passing that under the mortal authorities’ radar.

Worse, she has so few people to tur...more Kara Gillian has a new case - there are more bodies piling up and while they seem to have natural causes (or common murder causes, anyway) there’s something more about the bodies. They’re completely ripped of all their essence, all their life force unnaturally torn away - and its getting worse. She’s again faced with investigating the murders as a police detective, but also using her arcane abilities and somehow passing that under the mortal authorities’ radar.

Worse, she has so few people to turn to, so little sources of information. Her aunt is in a coma and the only one who can tell her what is happening - stop the killer and bring her aunt back - is Lord Rhyzkhal, the sexy and powerful demon lord. Who, in turn, has his own agenda. He wants Kara to be his summoner, to give him a toe-hold in the world. And even a taste of his knowledge gives Kara abilities and knowledge far beyond what she had before.

But even with all these complications it gets harder when other strange demonic creatures push themselves into her reality - and Ryan, her friend, confidant and FBI agent seems to be keeping more secrets than she realised.

To start with something I love about this series - we have more excellent class commentary. While the last book showed us expertly how easily and quickly the poor are neglected and forgotten by law enforcement, here we saw the other side of the coin. The rich expecting kids gloves and gentle treatment. The power of being rich and influential and connected is showed again and again in this book. The power and ease of being a corrupted judge, of looking after one’s own, of protecting your own little clique and circle are repeatedly referenced. At the same time the point is strongly made that the same levels of drug abuse, domestic violence et al all happen in these wealthy subdivisions as in poorer areas, but they’re much better covered up. But, again it is done without lecturing or infodumping.

Kara Gillian is still a fascinating character. She is intelligent, has powerful amounts of common sense. She has a temper but it flares when appropriate and not completely unrealistically and foolishly. She is driven and drives the story, she’s overwhelmed by the sheer amount she has to deal with, but she does deal with it. I don’t think I’ve found many protagonists in this genre who are as human as Kara Gillian. As real - and as lacking in tropes that make me want to throw my e-reader down in disgust. One problem that has creeped in is a continuation of her discomfort over sleeping with Rhyzkhal which is coupled with Ryan’s disgust over her assignation with the demon - and her desperation for his approval. On the one hand I can see why Kara would seek friendship and approval since she has been alone a long time and very few people know about the Arcane - but at the same time her desperation for his approval and his judgment are more than a little skeevy making. Especially when she then decides to get revenge on Ryan’s judgmental attitude - by having sex with Rhyzkhal and feeling bad about it. I also don’t like her condescension and assumption of plastic surgery to most of the attractive women she meets, it’s a little, well, catty and again related to sexual shaming.

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Jan 28, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inhalt

Nach eine Ruhepause kehrt Kara Gillian zu ihrem Job und somit in den Alltag zurück, doch es bleibt nicht lange ruhig. Als die Leiche eines Kollegen gefunden wird, deutet alles auf einen Selbstmord hin, doch Kara sieht mehr: Sie erkennt nur noch Seelenfetzen, wo eigentlich ein Rest lebensenergie sein sollte. Aber ein Tod kommt selten alleine und so werden nach und nach weitere Tote aufgefunden, die alle eine Verbindung habe: Nur noch Seelenfetzen.
Um diese Fälle lösen zu können, ist Kara die...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vaginal-urban-fantasy, urban-paranormal

I forgot this series, EEP! I downloaded them all, including the newest one, so I'll be caught up by Monday. REALLY ENJOY THIS! I think there are MANY Urban Fantasy heroines who feel forced, who are just tough because the genre says they need to be tough, and insecure because the genre SAYS they should be. I really like this main character because I believe that she just IS those things. And the demon world she's built is REALLY interesting, I think the lore is well thought-out without getting to...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban, fantasy, angels-demons, mystery, read-in-2011, twitter-author, paranormal

I loved this second book in the series as much as the first, Rowland has an a wonderful touch with her voice for Kara and I can't imagine anyone not loving her. She's smart, a bit sassy workout being at all obnoxious, vulnerable without being weak, just a great heroine. And Rowland's background as a police officer and morgue technician really shows in the work. The way that she seamless integrates the police and CSI work with the paranormal world that she's created is remarkable, it feels comple...more I loved this second book in the series as much as the first, Rowland has an a wonderful touch with her voice for Kara and I can't imagine anyone not loving her. She's smart, a bit sassy workout being at all obnoxious, vulnerable without being weak, just a great heroine. And Rowland's background as a police officer and morgue technician really shows in the work. The way that she seamless integrates the police and CSI work with the paranormal world that she's created is remarkable, it feels completely real. Watching the investigation unfold is like watching a paranormal Criminal Minds or CSI, except it's the "real" thing, not the flashy TV version, she has to do all of the paperwork and slog through hours of surveillance videos, and go to autopsies and try not to scratch her nose while she has bone dust on her gloves; its not glam! And trying to sneak a peak at the arcane essence of the deceased at a crime scene or explain why a victim should be part of a homicide investigation and not be considered suicide can be pretty challenging when it's based on viewing things no one else can see. Tricky!

The mystery in this one was a little jumbled, but it wasn't important, it provided the framework for the character development, which was terrific. Not only did Kara grow in her relationships with Ryan and Rhyzkahl (has anyone noticed how similar their names are? Is that part of Ryan's big secret somehow?), but she also grew in her abilities as a summoner. Jill and Zack were also somewhat expanded as characters and I hope to see more of them in the next book, Kara needs friends. It can't all be about work, as much as the work stuff, both the police and the arcane, are super well done and fascinating. But a girl needs a bit of balance, and not just from donuts and Oreos.

Usually I'm not a big fan of love triangles, but I do like this one. For one thing, despite yet another romance novel looking cover, it does not in any way take over the book. (I'm glad the cover of book three finally reflects the UF kick-butt nature of the store, it's much better marketing for the book). She's attracted to these guys but there's no relationship yet. Both have major secrets and she's wisely wary of them. Strangely, the demon is in some ways safer to her now because at least she knows the rules with him. Even if he does leave her feeling empty. But Ryan keeps blowing things. And he keeps coming back, but as a friend. Hmm. We'll see about that, Mr
So jealous of the demon he can't see straight.

So, smart police procedural with an arcane twist. I could have just said that, huh?
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Aug 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Summoner/Detective Kara Gillian returns in Blood of the Demon, or, playing off the common nickname for the book's predecessor, Mark of the Demon, CSI: Demonology 2. This time around, Kara investigates the strange murder of a rich and powerful member of her southern Louisiana town. The trophy wife is the obvious suspect, but, once Kara discovers that the victim's essence was ripped out, the arcane come into play. The mystery unfolds in exciting, action-paced twists that thicken with each page. As...more Summoner/Detective Kara Gillian returns in Blood of the Demon, or, playing off the common nickname for the book's predecessor, Mark of the Demon, CSI: Demonology 2. This time around, Kara investigates the strange murder of a rich and powerful member of her southern Louisiana town. The trophy wife is the obvious suspect, but, once Kara discovers that the victim's essence was ripped out, the arcane come into play. The mystery unfolds in exciting, action-paced twists that thicken with each page. As the body count rises and more victims have their essences ripped out, Kara must get to the bottom of the crime while juggling a growing relationship with her partner and the continued attention of a sexy demon lord.

Even better than Mark of the Demon, Diana Rowland spins a wonderful and exciting tale. Rowland's writing abilities have certainly sharpened since her previous novel, as has her ability to overcome some of the small issues in the Mark of the Demon. The summoning world becomes more strongly developed, and the characters' relationships and personalities grow. I particularly liked Kara because -even more than other female characters out there, and more-so than in the previous novel -I felt like I could relate to her somewhat. She felt like a realistic character rather than the perfect butt-kicking heroine or angsty character who was always complaining about something. Kara exhibited a wide range of real, believable emotions that made her a multi-dimensional character.

Kara's relationship to the sexy demon lord Rhyzkahl also progresses (and I was concerned that this wouldn't happen for the sake of keeping mystery for no real reason). I would have liked to have seen a stronger focus on it though and hoped for answers to all the questions surrounding Rhyzkahl -but at least the steamy romance scenes helped make up for it!

A noticeable improvement from the previous novel, Blood of the Demon is perfect for fans of paranormal romance and police procedural. Can't wait for the next book in the series. (less)

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May 13, 2011 Grace rated it 2 of 5 stars

You know, it just feels like Rowland slacked off on this one. The murder-mystery bit's well sketched out, and I guess the demony bits are still fine, but what rubbed me the wrong way here was characterization.

A lot of the characters turn into two-dimensional plot points. Their behaviours and moods don't seem particularly organic, and sometimes their dialogue looks like this:

Guy: "[Pop culture reference that will be outdated in far less than a decade]"
Girl: internal thought about boys worthy of "...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

No Sophomore Slump Here ~ Blood of the Demon is Excellent
Beaulac, Louisiana's favorite homicide detective Kara Gillian is back in book two of the Kara Gillian series, and what a treat it is for readers! In this second book, which is perhaps even better than the first, Kara's just trying to be a good cop and a decent summoner of demons in the essence-absence of her aunt and mentor, Tessa, after dying...for a little while (courtesy of the demon Lord Rhyzkahl - the "little while" part, not the "dyi...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Nicola O. rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first two sentence of this book:

The demon was little more than a mist of fog and teeth, barely visible to normal sight. It coiled in slow undulations in the backseat of my Taurus as I drove through the night, the tires of the car humming on the asphalt in low rhythmic counterpoint to the movement of the demon.

Right from the beginning, Rowland makes me smile at the thought of a demon in a Taurus, at the same time that she sets an vividly atmospheric scene. I love the juxtaposition of the fami...more

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Dec 30, 2011 BamaGal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-uf

I read the first book of this series, Mark of the Demon a while back, and liked it 'okay'. I was ambivalent about the book, and had no real thought one way or the other of continuing the series. While whittling down my massive tbr pile this week, I decided to give book 2 a shot.

I enjoyed this one a great deal more than the first book. It wasn't perfect by any means, but interesting enough to make me want to keep going with the series. I actually liked the police procedural part of the book more...more

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May 01, 2010 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons, urban-fantasy

Blood of the Demon is the second book in Rowland's paranormal series starring demon-summoning homicide detective, Kara. With a great crime mystery and a touch of steam ,this book was every bit as good as the first.

This time, unlike her mundane compatriots, Kara can tell that a series of seemingly unrelated suicides have the same arcane signature - some entity is tearing the life force from the bodies and gobbling it down. Along with the crime investigation Kara is desperately trying to get her...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Lola rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy

Another case draws Kara Gillian in involving Brian, a narcotics detective, his supposed suicide and his wife. A second murder tells her there is more involved as both cases have their 'essences' consumed. Kara has the gift othersight and the ability to summon demons only a few knows. I liked the UF aspect and how the author knows her stuff without too many plot-holes, but draws more questions with so many things hinted but unanswered. There are definitely more we need to learn about, especially...more Another case draws Kara Gillian in involving Brian, a narcotics detective, his supposed suicide and his wife. A second murder tells her there is more involved as both cases have their 'essences' consumed. Kara has the gift othersight and the ability to summon demons only a few knows. I liked the UF aspect and how the author knows her stuff without too many plot-holes, but draws more questions with so many things hinted but unanswered. There are definitely more we need to learn about, especially involving the next book.

I enjoyed reading from Kara's POV so far, she's a nice mix of being internally vulnerable and keeping up her tough image. Sometimes, I think she's frustrating, bitchy and just a tad immature when it comes to technicalities and selfishness. Kara is straddles the line of a good bitchy attitude and an annoying bitch. On the other hand, I like how she navigates through investigations, demons and just her general friendships and relationships. She's human and this shows when she struggles with the line between demons and humans. And the attraction with more-than-he-actually-seems FBI agent Ryan and the demon Lord Rhyzkahl. I'm glad that the relationship with Ryan progressed to friendship and maybe just a little more. I really loved him here. Ryan has skeletons in his closets and Kara won't push but there is something going on with him. Between them, Kara always manage to ruin a moment with her mouth and retaliates in an immature way always thinking, "why do I care about his approval/thoughts?" I have to admit, I do hate her sometimes when its moments like these and how she acts. It's frustrating.

There's a big sacrifice Kara does for Ryan, but even what she did pretty much pushes for people wanting Rhyzkahl and Kara together. It just got really complicated. Fans for Rhyzkahl would be happy. Me, I'm rooting for Ryan. Even Kara knows Rhyzkahl has an agenda going on involving something big and her. I guess the book moved things along and complicated more. The dynamics changed, everything for Kara's situation. There are some scenes that are just unbelievable and should have been focused on but were glossed over. Jill's involvement, a spoilerish one with the plot and two more. As for the supernatural part of the story, we definitely advance with more questions and knowledge on demon (which slightly scares me) and learn about Kara's world. Ms. Rowland knows her stuff; the world-building is fantastics. Summoning demons, the contracts, connections, powers, etc. More on suspense and action all together makes it great. Rowland knows when to leave hints, just enough action that doesn't exhaust the characters and readers, makes us wonder more on relationships and secrets. She also squeezed in time for characters to build (although I think Kara has yet to grow - only a bit in this book) with each other. I really liked the pace of the story without lingering or overloading too much.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but certain factors and Kara's immature bitchiness appearing at times made me rate it a 4 stars. (less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, august-december-reading-challenge, awesome-heroines, demons, hawt-heroes, magic, police, romance, supernatural, urban-fantasy, hot-sex-scenes

This one moved a bit of a slow pace. There were a couple of times where it almost felt like the investigation had been forgotten. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it as much as book 1. There's just so much to be learned and discovered about these characters. Doesn't hurt that Rhyzkahl is sexy as fuck, either.

You know, I'm still completely Team Rhyzkahl, but I really, really want to know wtf is up with Ryan. The demons can't stand his ass. Finally, at the end of this book, Rhyzkahl reveals why. Wtf...more This one moved a bit of a slow pace. There were a couple of times where it almost felt like the investigation had been forgotten. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it as much as book 1. There's just so much to be learned and discovered about these characters. Doesn't hurt that Rhyzkahl is sexy as fuck, either.

You know, I'm still completely Team Rhyzkahl, but I really, really want to know wtf is up with Ryan. The demons can't stand his ass. Finally, at the end of this book, Rhyzkahl reveals why. Wtf did Ryan do to break an oath? He seems to have some history with the demons, but he sure as shit doesn't remember any such thing. He did so many things in this book that displayed the fact that he has some serious freaky things going on with him. I have to know what these things are! And Zack, too. He says that he doesn't know that much about Ryan, but I don't believe that shit. Also, for having some bit of clairvoyance (why does it seem to only be attuned to Ryan?), he knows more about demons that it seems that he should. These two have me very curious.

Kara is still learning as she goes along. She's doing a pretty good job of it, though. I enjoy reading about her. I hope her insecurities don't continue to grow, though. Especially where Ryan is concerned. She has some cute moments with him, but she always seems to doubt herself as a woman in his presence. Their relationship seems so high school some times. I know Kara doesn't have a ton of experience with men, but what about Ryan? I really want to know what's going on in his head where Kara is concerned because he sure seems to be into her as more than just friends. One of them needs to make a move or they need to stop flirting so much. Sometimes, it's cute. Other times, I want to roll my eyes.

I did not see what was going on with this case coming. That really threw me for a loop. But (view spoiler). I'd really like to know that. Was it related to her investigation or was it something else?

Another thing I didn't see coming was Carl. Talk about a shock! Tessa has some explaining to do. Especially considering her beefed up security and that portal. I hope that gets hashed out in the next book.

Gonna continue right on into book 3.(less)

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Apr 07, 2012 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kara Gillian has returned from the dead (literally) and from the events of the first book in the series with still no way to get her beloved Aunt Tessa's essence back into her comatose body nor a mastery of her summoning skills.

When she comes across a fellow police officer whose essence has been ripped from his body, she starts on the trail of a murderer who will cause her to test her summoning skills to the limit in order to stop the arcane killings.

Politics and police officers and murders, oh...more Kara Gillian has returned from the dead (literally) and from the events of the first book in the series with still no way to get her beloved Aunt Tessa's essence back into her comatose body nor a mastery of her summoning skills.

When she comes across a fellow police officer whose essence has been ripped from his body, she starts on the trail of a murderer who will cause her to test her summoning skills to the limit in order to stop the arcane killings.

Politics and police officers and murders, oh my! What Kara does best is follow forensic evidence, and there is a lot of that here. Theorizing and finding clues and doing the political dance one has to in a police department when one is a female detective trying to hide her secret, demon-summoning powers from all and sundry.

With the help of her FBI agent "friend" Ryan, helpfully relocated in her area on a special task force, Kara follows the tangled trail of the killer through many twists and turns that had me guessing (and bit confused with all the sleeping around between multiple marriages) until the end.

Kara is very likeable and believable (except when she does that 'instant Rhyzkahl' passion) and fun to hang out with, even if she does seem slightly still overly-concerned with the amount of stomach flab on each minor character.

We get inklings of Ryan's secret past and hints he is much more than he seems. We get deeper into demon society and the character of Lord Rhyzkahl with a set up at the end that guarantees the next book will focus on the relationship between him and Kara.

A fun romp, but sometimes plot points turned on forced "non-asking" to string along tension, which sometimes didn't quite ring true all the time. (I could ask the demon lord why my FBI buddy Ryan seems to be able to wipe human memories and is hated by lesser demons, but no, I don't want to hear it from him).

This Book's Snack Rating: A tasty bag of Lay's sour cream and onion chips for the interesting flavor of police procedure and demon-development laid atop serviceable chips.(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

EDIT: I LOOOOVE THIS BOOK, THIS SERIES. NEVER MIND THE OPINIONS I GAVE BELOW. <3<3<3<3<3

(view spoiler)...more

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Aug 26, 2011 mlady_rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre__urban_fantasy, genre_sub__demons_or_angels, genre_sub__witches_psychics, fiction__part_of_a_series, author__diana_rowland, pov__first_person_female, 2011, fiction__speculative, format__mass_market_pb

I'm loving this series. Good mix all around. I was reading the praise for the first book before starting this one and apparently the author has been a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene investigator, and a morgue assistant. Makes the mystery part all the more realistic. It shows. That part of the story never seems awkward, which is more than I can say for another series I'm thinking of, where the author doesn't have that sort of background.

On the paranormal s...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Reed rated it 4 of 5 stars

It has been a long time since I read and enjoyed the first book in this series--my hazy memory tells me I'd dropped it not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I'd heard that Diana Rowland had been dropped by her publisher. With no more books in the pipeline, I forgot about the Kara Gillian series and moved on.

Luckily I noticed someone on Goodreads recently commenting on book 4 or 5 (Felicia Day perhaps?) and how much they continued to enjoy the series.

Enough said. I grabbed book two and am qu...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.25 stars.

There are spoilers from the first book, Mark of the Demon.

The gang’s all back for the second book in this series! Essences are being ripped from people who are dead, though it’s not certain whether or not that is the reason they’re dying or if it’s simply occurring after the death. Of course these just seem like run-of-the-mill deaths or suicides to the cops, with her othersight, Kara knows the truth about what’s happening.

Luckily, Ryan’s been temporarily transferred to Beaulac, which...more 4.25 stars.

There are spoilers from the first book, Mark of the Demon.

The gang’s all back for the second book in this series! Essences are being ripped from people who are dead, though it’s not certain whether or not that is the reason they’re dying or if it’s simply occurring after the death. Of course these just seem like run-of-the-mill deaths or suicides to the cops, with her othersight, Kara knows the truth about what’s happening.

Luckily, Ryan’s been temporarily transferred to Beaulac, which means Zack has been too, and Captain Turnham is now Chief Turnham, since the old chief turned out to be a deranged serial killer. Also, Crawford is now Kara’s superior after having been promoted to sergeant in the massive shuffle that occurred following the former chief’s demise.

I was surprised by some things that happened early on, though pleasantly so, as now it seems Kara will have someone else she can turn to for support. Rhyzkahl also wants more from Kara, which while seemingly benefiting her, has to have even more of a benefit for the demon lord, though you’re not sure exactly what that is.

While this story lacked some of the action of the previous book I felt there was definitely more of a mystery this time around, mostly because you didn’t know why the killer was killing and just when you think it might be someone, bam!, they’re dead too.

I normally hate love triangles and there isn’t even one in this series because Ryan and Kara haven’t even done anything (so far anyway) and he goes out of his way to let her and everyone else know they’re just friends, but I still feel like there is one and I can’t figure out who I like better. Obviously we have no idea what Rhyzkahl’s motives are and demons are tricky, if not inherently evil, but there’s just something off about Ryan and I’m hoping we find out what their deals are. Soon. One thing I love about this book is that the secondary characters are just as good as the main characters, even if they’re not in it too much.

Love the writing, characters, mystery, banter, crime scene descriptions and basically everything about this series and am already reading the next installment, Secrets of the Demon.
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Jul 15, 2011 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, pn-demons, adult

The second installation in the Kara Gillian series made me just as excitable as the first. I absolutely love love love this series. Did I mention I love this series? I don’t know WHAT it is about this series but I love absolutely everything about it. This is me, reading this series:

In ‘Blood of the Demon’ Kara is investigating a series of suicides where the individuals essence wasn’t released from their body the way a normal death would; their essence appeared to have been ripped forcibly from t...more The second installation in the Kara Gillian series made me just as excitable as the first. I absolutely love love love this series. Did I mention I love this series? I don’t know WHAT it is about this series but I love absolutely everything about it. This is me, reading this series:

In ‘Blood of the Demon’ Kara is investigating a series of suicides where the individuals essence wasn’t released from their body the way a normal death would; their essence appeared to have been ripped forcibly from their body and Kara can’t figure out why or who could have done this. Rhyzkahl has requested that Kara be his ‘summoner’ where she would have access to his power and knowledge, she would just be required to summon him often. Kara begins realizing that there is in fact more than meets the eye with Ryan; but he’s not being as forth coming with information as she would like him to be. Kara’s Aunt Tessa remains in a coma as a result of the Symbol Man’s last summoning with her essence seemingly lost. Without her Aunt, Kara is left to learn on her own and it’s really awesome to see her grow as a summoner in this book.

The one irritating factor I had with the book which resulted in the 4 stars (since I still really liked it) was the Ryan and Kara relationship. I have wanted Ryan and Kara to be together from the very beginning. I LOVE those two. So. This is an adult novel; however, when Kara denies the fact that Ryan likes her, when Kara gets jealous at Ryan for lame ass things, or when Ryan does something but Kara justifies it in her mind as him being ‘just a friend’, I feel as if I’ve stepped into a Young Adult novel. And trust me; if I wanted to read a YA novel type relationship I’ve got plenty of books to satisfy that. But here I am reading a nice Adult novel and I feel like I’ve stepped into the YA Twilight Zone.

The ending? Ah! It made me go all ‘OMG Excited Cat’ all over again. Anyways, bottom line. You need to read this. I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s totally awesome and… well I love it. :D
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Jan 18, 2012 Vanessa Ranco rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Blood of the Demon" is the second book in Diana Rowland's Kara Gillian series. The story is told from Kara's perspective - a police officer who is also a summoner of demons. Just like the first book in the series, the balance between police procedural/mystery, character development, world-building and romance was excellent in "Blood of the Demon".

"Blood of the Demon" is really fast-paced, the reader is pulled in right from the start. I found the mystery in this book even better than the first...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Denice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: angels-demons, paranormal-challenge

Okay, the story gave me a headache. There were so many people who were murdered, that when they are used in the same paragraph I don’t know who is who. And eating essences? Really? Can’t she (the suspect who I can’t remember the name) have any conscience not to eat the essence of dying people and not to kill them? And banging your son’s wife is so not good. Any person who hears that kind of story will definitely gag. And also, killing people just to keep your name clean is really embarrassing. Y...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Ratkin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Think of it more as "three and a half stars." I read the first book in the series, and then segued directly into reading the second (this one). I like main character Kara Gillian, her environment, and the main supporting characters (including a few cops, a few Feds, a BFF crime scene tech, an assortment of demons, an acerbic aunt). For reasons I won't give away, the aunt gets only one line in this book, btw.

What lessened my enjoyment of this book was that I felt the plot got just a little too c...more

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About Diana Rowland

Diana Rowland worked as a bartender, a blackjack dealer, a pit boss, a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene investigator, and a morgue assistant, which means that she's seen a lot of weird crap. She won the marksmanship award in her Police Academy class, has a black belt in Hapkido, has handled numerous dead bodies in various states of decomposition, and can't ro...more

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Quotes from Blood of the Demon

“You’re all angles and elbows right now.” I gave him a sour look. “You certainly know how to make a girl feel sexy.”
He grinned. “Well, how about: If anyone can make an oversize polyester uniform look hot, it’s you.” — 4 people liked it

“I was relieved to see some color come back
to his face after he ate, though he still had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept for a week. I thought I had the monopoly on those.” — 4 people liked it

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Blood of the Demon (Kara Gillian #2)

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