Shadow Marked (Demon Bound, #1)

Jun 14, 2013 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-read, why-are-you-in-love-with-this-jerk, third-person, demons

The premise was intriguing. I loved to see a blind main character and she had some major personality. Unfortunately that is overshadowed by her stupidity. For Sam being so gung-ho "I do what I want and you can't control me", she sure never actually does that. She gives up every argument, lets both Jace and Stephen walk all over her constantly. She acts like she has to do everything herself when she can't do anything. I mean she is blind for one, and two she can't even get away from Jace throwing...more The premise was intriguing. I loved to see a blind main character and she had some major personality. Unfortunately that is overshadowed by her stupidity. For Sam being so gung-ho "I do what I want and you can't control me", she sure never actually does that. She gives up every argument, lets both Jace and Stephen walk all over her constantly. She acts like she has to do everything herself when she can't do anything. I mean she is blind for one, and two she can't even get away from Jace throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. How is she going to fight a demon? Granted with Jace as the option to spend ones time with, I WOULD rather have done it myself. Plus all her internal complaing and monologues...it was boring. I wanted to start skipping paragraphs just to get on with the story.

Jace is a rude, controlling, complete jerk-off...and of course our male lead. (Trust me, I was censoring myself there) He is honestly disgusting. What does Sammy see in this guy other than his looks? He is constantly belittling her, trying to act like she's 10 and he's her father, waffling between thinking she's crazy or on drugs even when he has visual evidence but no, it's Mr. My-way-or-the-highway and god forbid he not act like a complete control freak 100% of the time. All they did was argue and have quasi-sex if they ever got through to the end of it. (which was barely ever). I would rather beat myself in the face than be with a guy like this.

Oh god, Stephen. If I even knew someone that treated me like that (let alone was related) I would have been repeatedly kicking them in their junk. There is a difference between over-protective and freaking psychotic. No one is so obsessed with their sister's "safety" that they try to have her medically declared mentally incompetent to keep her in his apartment. I would have moved out of the state he was in. He only got worse as the story went on. (view spoiler)

The sex scenes were okay I suppose, though most of them got cut off in one way or another. The partial scenes we DID get were well done

The pacing made no sense. This all supposedly happened within two days and that is just...no. Considering how some parts were dragging on and others with how much was going on, only two days doesn't make any sense at all.

The ending also made...no sense. Sammy came across as a total wimp even when she was pretty strong-willed throughout the novel. (view spoiler) Gag me with a spoon. Plus where the hell did a grimoire come from? Way to explain that vaguely in passing a few chapters later. The climax was also overly long. I just kept rolling my eyes and having that "get on with it" feeling because I got sick of the almost-but then something else happened circle it had going. Seriously, I was actually to the point of being frustrated that it WASN'T OVER.

Even the epilogue was nothing better. Jace was still a jerk-off who wouldn't let her do a single thing, Sammy let her walk all over him. The only difference, was that this time (view spoiler) Hallelujah. So exciting./sarcasm.

I...can't think I'll be reading the second book in the series. If it's written anything like this and based upon the summary, it sounds just as frustrating.(less)

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Jul 26, 2011 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-paranormal-romance

Okay, so this book was so not what I thought it would be. I found the second one at the library and decided to order this one through them. I can honestly say that the title caught my interest and that is usually enough for me.

I want to say that the sex scenes in here aren't bad but they started and stopped before I could even bat an eyelash. They had potential but, it was seriously lacking. Guess I have been spoiled by Laurell K. Hamilton and Jeaniene Frost in that aspect.

I loved that Sam was...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars

Plot: 3.5 Stars
There were two main plot points that I really enjoyed about this novel: the main character being blind and the demons being scary and evil. I've never read a novel with a blind protagonist, and I've been reading too many paranormal novels lately where the demons are bad but sexy, or bad but not scary. The story had a lot of promise and I really enjoyed it, but the end was very rushed and confusing.

Pace: 2 Stars
The events of this novel barely take place over two full days, but it f...more Plot: 3.5 Stars
There were two main plot points that I really enjoyed about this novel: the main character being blind and the demons being scary and evil. I've never read a novel with a blind protagonist, and I've been reading too many paranormal novels lately where the demons are bad but sexy, or bad but not scary. The story had a lot of promise and I really enjoyed it, but the end was very rushed and confusing.

Pace: 2 Stars
The events of this novel barely take place over two full days, but it feels like forever. I'm not sure there was realistically enough time for everything that was packing into those two days. Normally I could overlook something like that and just assume it was a very action packed couple days, but for all the action squeezed into such a short span, it was a bit of a drag to read. There were times where the author gave us more details of the surrounding than was needed to get a visual, and other times when there wasn't enough. Altogether it was a bit disjointed for me.

Characters: 3 Stars
I felt as if I really got to know Jace and Samantha throughout the novel, and they really had well rounded personalities and depth, but most of the other characters were very flat and uninteresting. Outside of the two main characters, I also don't think we learned much about anyone else, unless it specifically played into the plot. There were also a few times in which I felt the author had Samantha doing or describing things that seemed like they'd be outside of the realm of possibility due to her lack of sight, but mostly did a good job conveying the issue.

Cover: 3.5 Star
I think the cover model is a good match given the description of Samantha we're given, especially since it was the only way to know what Samantha looks like for a number of chapters. It took so long for the author to give any sort of physical description of Sammy, that for a while I wondered if we'd ever learn what she looked like. Also, I felt that since Jace was such a big part of the story and about 40% of the novel was from his point of view, that he should've been on the cover also.

Overall: 3 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment. (less)

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Jul 30, 2010 Among The Muses rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, demons

In the world making up Shadow Marked, the south part of Manhattan is nothing like it is today. An earthquake has stirred a diverse civilization of ancient demons from their dwellings deep within the oceans. The emergence of these creatures has cast a dark, dangerous, and deadly blanket over the lower part of New York City, leaving the residents that reside in the nightly walled-off urban zone to all but fend for themselves after sundown.

While most of the time, residents remain out of harms way,...more In the world making up Shadow Marked, the south part of Manhattan is nothing like it is today. An earthquake has stirred a diverse civilization of ancient demons from their dwellings deep within the oceans. The emergence of these creatures has cast a dark, dangerous, and deadly blanket over the lower part of New York City, leaving the residents that reside in the nightly walled-off urban zone to all but fend for themselves after sundown.

While most of the time, residents remain out of harms way, there are times when these horrific demons get a little too close to their human neighbors. Samantha Quinn is one of these people. As part of a horrible ritualistic sacrifice at the age of six, she is now blind and has an unwanted connection to a particular species of demon that many still believe does not exist. But despite the nonbelievers, and all the numerous hardships Samantha has had to endure, she exudes strength, determination, compassion, and a 'realness' about her that makes you immediately take a liking to her.

Jace Lu, her brother's friend, and the man that Sam has crushed on since she was in her teens, is the emotional opposite of her. He, too, has been effected by the creatures, but carries the emotional baggage around like it's a permanent backpack and buffer against getting too close to anyone. After awhile, it does tend to get old, but when events take place that causes Jace and Sam to come together in a very heated way, their connection is undeniable, and starts to break away some of his stone interior.

Together the two of them embark on a mystery to why all of a sudden, after nearly twenty years, Sam's connection to the demons is suddenly causing havoc in her life and to those people close to her. What they find is mystery, deceit, betrayal, pain, healing, passion, and love.

The chemistry between Jace and Sam is fantastic! It's hot, playful -- Evan's creates some wonderful banter between the two of them--, sensual and compassionate. While Sam's brother is an overbearing asshat, Jace treats Sam respectfully as an adult and doesn't dwell on her disability. They really do make quite the pair in this novel.

While overall, I was really pulled in to this very creative and unique paranormal tale, I just didn't feel the enthusiasm that I really did want to feel for it.

Without giving any spoilers away, sometimes I felt as though information that may, or may not, have been important to the plot or characters, was just thrown at me like it had been forgotten until that moment. The sexual tension and heated moments were definitely yummy, but to me there was only one 'great' moment between them, leaving me a little disappointed in the final coming together. And to me this is always important because I want to feel the emotional connection that they share at that moment. And, well, it just never came (pun intended).

The ending definitely had closure-- which is always major points for me. But, I was also left scratching my head a bit. At one point the heroine's feeling towards one event in particular was completely out of character-- at least imo. And, the sy-fy'ish' ending had me a little perplexed.

~*~Final Thoughts~*~

I know it probably sounds like I wasn't all that into this book, but in honesty, I really enjoyed the creativity of Evans storyline and plot. I feel like it was very unique to the world of paranormal and urban fantasy genre. It was adventurous, fun, mysterious, and sexy. I was thrilled to find the heroine blind, strong, sassy, yet compassionate. Evans has created a world that will immediately draw you in and have you looking at dark spots between buildings a little more closely afterward.

If you are looking for a quick, sexually charged PNR/UF read, then I would recommend this book to you. The second book, Demon Marked, in the Demon Bound series, is due out in January of 2011, and I will definitely be picking it up.(less)

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Jun 23, 2010 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-police-mystery-private-invest, assassin-killer-bounty-hunter, contemporary, deaf-mute-blind-mad, demons, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, read-2010, romance, series, sucked

This book had a great deal of potential, but I just couldn't get into it. In the beginning I was mildly entertained with a few moments of great enjoyment here or there. But, by the end, any enjoyment I had was over. The end seemed like a hot mess. It was like a bunch of elements were thrown into it in the hope that it would work. It didn't.

I liked the fact that Samantha was blind. I thought it was nice to see a character shown to be confident and strong even with a trait that would traditionally...more This book had a great deal of potential, but I just couldn't get into it. In the beginning I was mildly entertained with a few moments of great enjoyment here or there. But, by the end, any enjoyment I had was over. The end seemed like a hot mess. It was like a bunch of elements were thrown into it in the hope that it would work. It didn't.

I liked the fact that Samantha was blind. I thought it was nice to see a character shown to be confident and strong even with a trait that would traditionally be seen as a drawback. I liked how Samantha slyly put on revealing clothes and never let on that she knew what she looked like in them. I also like that she wasn't portrayed as a poor timid virgin waiting for a man to rescue her from her disability. She's had relationships, she's even had sex a lot more than once.

Samantha's interactions with her brother irritated me. I, personally, do not like to read about characters who humor their pushy, interfering relatives. Just like in real life, I just don't understand those people. This is your life? Why are you letting them act that way just to humor them? When she did try to stand up to her brother she came off as more of a petulant child than a grown woman. I swear I felt the walls closing in every time he was in a scene.

Jace was not a character I particularly enjoyed. He was one of those emo guys who whines and broods throughout the whole story. He was afraid he was too rough in sex to be with Samantha. I just wanted to slap him and tell him to get over it and man up. If you don't want to be with someone, don't hang around them. Quit being such a tease. The sex scenes were kind of hot, but they stopped before the finish so often it became really irritating.

I liked the thought of the world that was created. I wish sex wasn't used as the gateway for Samantha's ability though. I was on Jace's side when he got pissed about being used. The description of the demon's were interesting, but the role Stephen played seemed like it didn't really fit. Also, the girl who Samantha met at the end seemed to come out of nowhere.

I felt there were too many times of the world building not making sense. Add that to characters I didn't really enjoy... Well, I won't be reading the next book.(less)

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May 10, 2011 Dawn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books, pnr, angels-demons

Shadow Marked takes place in New York City but the world is not quite like ours is today. About twenty years ago there was an earthquake and it acted as a gateway for demons to escape from deep in the ocean. The escaped demons reek havoc on the people in New York City after dark. Do you get the feeling this is not going to go well??

On to the characters, Samantha or Sam became a victim when her parents involved her and her siblings in a demonic ritual when she was a little girl that left her bli...more Shadow Marked takes place in New York City but the world is not quite like ours is today. About twenty years ago there was an earthquake and it acted as a gateway for demons to escape from deep in the ocean. The escaped demons reek havoc on the people in New York City after dark. Do you get the feeling this is not going to go well??

On to the characters, Samantha or Sam became a victim when her parents involved her and her siblings in a demonic ritual when she was a little girl that left her blind. Jace, is her brother's best friend and he also happens to be a man that Sam has crush on since she was a teenager. Jace has his own history with the demons and is fearful of who is is deep inside always believing he is not enough. Stephen is the big brother who has always tried to care for Sam, but he has his own secrets and demons (a bit of a pun there).

So in case you cannot tell not a true fan of this book. The world building was incomplete and in the end it did not make sense to me. Throughout the story I felt like I was getting random bits of information that are supposed to clue me into the plot or make me care. Mostly it was just confusing and did not add up. Next the hot sexual relationship felt flat. I actually like the characters Sam and Jace but really a glimpse of sex here and sex there does not create this emotional bond. For me the emotional connection never came though.

Sam being blind did work for me. I liked that she wore sexy clothing and likes male attention. It was cool to read about a character who seems to draw strength on her other senses to balance out what would be seen as a disability.

The relationship with the brother, Stephen bothered me a great deal. He is pushy and wants her to do things his way to protect her. Yet it did not fit in with the guy who sacrificed everything for his sister.

To wrap this up the book had a great deal of potential, but there were too many issues for me to get into it. To give the book some credit parts of the book are quite entertaining and it is a fast read. However, by the end of the book I just did not care who did what or why. I had hoped she would tie up some loose ends at the end of the book so things would come together in an exciting conclusion, but I got more random bits of information and to me it ended up being a hot mess.

There is another book that comes out in 2011, it is unlikely I will read it. Hopefully she will clean up some of the loose ends.(less)

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Dec 19, 2010 Meaghan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book I actually found by accident. My friend Susan, from Wastepaper Prose, and I were in Pennsylvania for an author event being held in a book store, so naturally we wandered around and browsed through the books. We eventually got back to the YA section, where we saw two copies of this book. Neither of us had seen it before, so we read the back cover. We were both intrigued and decided to get it. I had another book to finish before I could start this one, but I was anxious to see what...more This is a book I actually found by accident. My friend Susan, from Wastepaper Prose, and I were in Pennsylvania for an author event being held in a book store, so naturally we wandered around and browsed through the books. We eventually got back to the YA section, where we saw two copies of this book. Neither of us had seen it before, so we read the back cover. We were both intrigued and decided to get it. I had another book to finish before I could start this one, but I was anxious to see what this book had to offer.

After reading the first three chapters, I was pretty sure this book had been put in the wrong section of the store. If you read the first couple of chapters you will definitely see what I am talking about. The heat between the two main characters practically burns the pages. Peaked your curiosity yet? Well mine certainly was, but I had to know if this was really a YA title. I looked up the book and discovered that it is actually an adult paranormal romance. So, if you happen to have bookstores that for some weird reason thinks this is YA too, do not be fooled. It is very much adult, in a good way of course ;)

As for the content, I really enjoyed a paranormal angle I had not seen before. Demons walking the earth, reeking havoc, causing all sorts of problems for the human population. There is a catch here though, everyone knows about them. Actually, they not only know about them, but the government does not want to kill them off and uses them as tourist attractions. Weird right? I thought so too, but it completely worked.

The chemistry between the Jace and Samantha is explosive , especially in the beginning! Towards the end of the book it did fizzle just a little bit, but to be fair they were in the middle of a pretty major battle which tends to get in the way of alone moments. Watching Jace struggle to make sense of his feelings for Samantha throughout the story was beyond entertaining. He does not easily give into his emotions, but Samantha did a great job of pulling them out of him, willing or not. My favorite parts of the book were always inside Jace’s head and watching to his walls slowly crumble and give into Samantha.

The twists and turns the plot takes you through were fantastic! The book was like a big puzzle with all the pieces jumbled up leaving me scrambling to try and make my brain work to put it all together. I thought I had almost everything pieced together, but Anna did a great job of keeping me guessing and wondering who the enemy really was. The element of surprise in the book was alive and well, which made me very happy.

Overall I am glad I stumbled across this book, even if it was in the wrong section. It was a new spin on the paranormal, which is always refreshing and it left me wanting to read more in this world. Which is why I am looking forward to the next book which is called Demon Marked, due out January 4th, so I don’t have to wait long, yay! (less)

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Aug 30, 2010 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fantasy/paranormal tale from the "Demon Bound" series and the author of "Skin Deep." It tells the story of a young woman who was offered as a sacrifice to demons by her Satanist parents when she was age six, thus losing her sight. Now as a blind person living in a world where demons are more visibly present, Samantha Quinn is still trying to assert her independence, live a full life, and find a way to live with her premonitions that have plagued her--premonitions of death, illness, or disaster...more

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May 13, 2010 Paige Prince rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: request

Initially, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this book. The first chapter didn’t capture my attention immediately, but I kept reading because it was an interesting concept for me—a blind woman who battles demons—That’s pretty if you ask me. So I kept reading, hoping that it would get better. By chapter two, I literally could not put the book down – so much so that I made the family fend for themselves on dinner, just so I could finish reading.

The characters, Samantha and Jace, were real...more Initially, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this book. The first chapter didn’t capture my attention immediately, but I kept reading because it was an interesting concept for me—a blind woman who battles demons—That’s pretty if you ask me. So I kept reading, hoping that it would get better. By chapter two, I literally could not put the book down – so much so that I made the family fend for themselves on dinner, just so I could finish reading.

The characters, Samantha and Jace, were really well-developed and I loved their interaction throughout the book. They’re so damaged and haunted by their respective pasts that it’s difficult for them to trust anyone, and even more difficult for them to accept a relationship between them. Their chemistry is off the charts hot (there’s one scene in an alley that had me running for some ice water to splash on my head).

Samantha (Sam) is a no-nonsense type of girl who can take care of herself despite the fact that she’s blind. She doesn’t have time for ridiculousness and doesn’t dole it out in return, she cares deeply for her friends and family, and is funny to boot. She’s really cool. Jace is totally on my Book Boyfriend list. He’s sexy, badass, tortured & broody, and still has the ability to be tender…all the delicious qualities I look for in a Book Boyfriend.

The supporting characters were wonderfully done. There were times when I hated Sam’s brother Stephen (which, to me, is the mark of a good author – if they can make me mad or make me sob, they’re doing their job correctly), and there were also times my heart tripped over itself because of something sweet that was said or done.

I did have two issues with the book… First, I felt as though some of the scenes (especially Sam’s visions) were a bit confusing. I didn’t know if it was a flashback, a vision, or if I’d missed something important, so I had to go back and re-read a paragraph once or twice. Second, the final battle scene seemed to drag on forever. Anna J. Evans has a wonderful way with words, but I think maybe she was a little too descriptive in this instance.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and it’s one that I would recommend to my friends. If you’re into paranormal romance (especially demons & blind chicks who can totally kick ass) this is the book for you!(less)

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Jun 20, 2010 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars

A blow-by-blow reaction to Shadow Marked:
Pages 0-200 = OMG Why does real life keep getting in the way of me reading this book? I am soo in love. *sprinkles erotic faerie dust*
Pages 200-220 = Wait a minute... Pages 220-END = What the hell is going on? When did everyone become too stupid to live? And what's with all the friggin' goo???

Shadow Marked was seriously disappointing. The first 2/3rds were just so great and the ending so terribly bad that I couldn't give this the 5 stars I'd been planni...more A blow-by-blow reaction to Shadow Marked:
Pages 0-200 = OMG Why does real life keep getting in the way of me reading this book? I am soo in love. *sprinkles erotic faerie dust*
Pages 200-220 = Wait a minute... Pages 220-END = What the hell is going on? When did everyone become too stupid to live? And what's with all the friggin' goo???

Shadow Marked was seriously disappointing. The first 2/3rds were just so great and the ending so terribly bad that I couldn't give this the 5 stars I'd been planning.

And truly, I loved the beginning. It was explicitly erotic with a touch of terrifying. The sex was just insanely hot - I was reading it on the tube and turned very, very red a few times. But I couldn't just leave it at home to avoid embarrassment - I was hooked.

For 200 pages, Evans was a GOD. Despite my reservations, she made me enjoy reading from a blind girl's POV (which should be confusing) and forced me to fall in lust with a domineering half-Asian, punk-rock Mafioso (which is just confusing). It was 200-pages of wonderful reading.

And then everyone goets covered in goo.

The epic final battle was just really confusing. And sticky. It took serious mental concentration to work out what the hell was going on. When I did, I couldn't help but think it was all quite contrived. And sticky. But what tipped the balance for me was the heroine Sam - more specifically, her reaction to a certain revelation. I just fundamentally disagreed with her and then stopped caring whether she got her HAE.

Not to mention everyone started getting covered in GOO. Which was a serious turn off, if I've ever read one.

The amazing start kept me from giving this 1.5 stars. When I think back on those first 200 pages of great reading, I can't regret reading Shadow Marked. But I still wish someone could come and ripped it out of my hands before I had finished it!

Bottom line? Shadow Marked is a cross between a steamy paranormal romance and a low-budget horror film. Despite a great start, it was very disappointing.(less)

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May 23, 2010 Tori smexys_sidekick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-for-smexybooks, arc

Favorite Quote: "Do you want to die dirty and hungry and with a killer case of blue balls?"

Samantha Quinn has been blind since age six when her parents sacrificed her eyesight in a demon ritual. As Samantha has gotten older she has tried to forget that horrific night but her eyesight has been replaced with something else. Something sinister and evil. Samantha has terrifying lifelike visions of murder. When she has a hot and wild sexual encounter with her brothers best friend Jace...her dark gift...more Favorite Quote: "Do you want to die dirty and hungry and with a killer case of blue balls?"

Samantha Quinn has been blind since age six when her parents sacrificed her eyesight in a demon ritual. As Samantha has gotten older she has tried to forget that horrific night but her eyesight has been replaced with something else. Something sinister and evil. Samantha has terrifying lifelike visions of murder. When she has a hot and wild sexual encounter with her brothers best friend Jace...her dark gift increases with alarming results. For now Samantha not only "sees" Jace's death, she also sees her own possession by the same demon from her childhood. Samantha may be blind but she is hardly incapacitated. She is completely independent to her brother's high handed concern.

Jace Lu is a bounty hunter. Half Chinese and half Italian he is as gorgeous as he is dangerous. Jace hasn't seen Samantha in a long time but is amazed and angry at how attracted he is to her. As he tries to man handle her into leaving the deserted lot he found her in she infuriates him to the point where he has to show her who is in control. And after some panty ripping, hot, and nasty loving in front of God and everyone Sam realizes that she can see. Actually see. For a brief moment her interaction with Jace restored her eyesight.

It also triggers a vision in which she sees Jace die. Determined to save Jace she tries to explain it all to him but he thinks she's hallucinating and doesn't believe her. After a trip to see Sam's brother Stephan, Jace realizes that things are not what they seem and his need to protect her is getting stronger. Determined to leave her for her own good he finds he is unable to. As Sam becomes the target of more and more attempts on her life, Jace realizes that Sam's visions are real and she is in danger.

This is my first time with this author and I am very impressed. An incredibly dark and erotic urban fantasy, Shadow Marked grabs you by the hand and drags you through it's twisted portals. Sam is an enigma. After being blinded by her own parents during a demon summoning ritual, rather then wallow in self pity she has taken her life and made it her own. Independent and feisty she takes no crap from anyone. But she is not an alpha female but more the omega.

Jace is a rough and tumble bounty hunter with the face of an angel and a body made for sin. Jace likes to be in control of everything and keeps his heart barricaded behind a thick wall. Sam is the only one who can break through that barrier and make Jace lose his infamous control. Watching Sam and Jace navigate to and through a relationship is breathtaking. Or rather, it's watching Jace realize that loving someone doesn't mean he loses a part of himself but rather gains something much more precious.

Demons have become public and are somewhat "protected" by the government. Bounty hunters like Jace merely capture and relocate demons from over populated areas. But there are new demons are emerging like nothing that has ever been seen before and only a blind women, Sam, can see them. As Sam's past comes back to haunt her, she and Jace must race to stop an epic infestation of massive proportion.

I really don't want to say much more as the book has so many twists and turns it's almost impossible not to drop a spoiler. Well written and mesmerizing, I found myself not wanting it to end. Ms. Evans dark plot meshes well with the romantic side of the book; often taking the forefront. I would have loved a little more hands on action between Jace and Sam. The beginning had so much promise but then after that you sense their attraction more than you actually see.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be waiting for her second in this series, Demon Marked, which releases in January 2011.

Rating: 4.5/5
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Feb 04, 2012 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars

So, I found this book by accident looking through the ebooks on my library's website and found it completely mind blowing. I finished it in about three days, and can't wait to get the next one in my hands. Even though there were two major plot lines, Anna J. Evans made them really easy to follow, and connected them in the end easily enough to make you want to keep turning the pages and not put the book down till you were done. I would recommend this book to a YA reader and and adult reader that...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-fantasy, fiction-demons, fiction-paranormal, fiction-urban-fantasy, xx-newly-published-in-2010, xx-2012-reads

3 stars for most of the book until about 3/4 in where I started to get lost and skipped some pages.

The good points: The blind main character was quite well written and Samantha Quinn showed a lot of spunk to fight for her independence and has not let her horrific childhood dampen her spirit. Jace was a nice contrast for her as the bad demon hunter that she has known for a while and wants to get to know better. The author certainly brings on the heat with these two in a few paragraphs.

Also good...more

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Apr 02, 2011 E. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Samantha Quinn's parents used her in a cult ritual for demons and it cost her sight and her baby sister. She and her brother have been surviving in a world that has come to realize that demons are real but her powers surpass others and she can't quite convince bounty hunter Jace Lu that she is able to smell and channel aura demons. A plot to release even more demons into the world has the surprising side effect of partially and erratically restoring Samantha's sight, but the price may be too muc...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I'm so excited to review this because there were so many cliches that I just can't wait to point out. I really fail to see how getting verbally abused and pushed around is the fantasy of so many females that it is somehow appealing in this book. The main character Sam decides she wants to pretty much screw a guy that she's known of for a few years, but never really interacted with. She likes that he gets possessive and rude with her, and wants to have sex with him up against a wall in the middle...more I'm so excited to review this because there were so many cliches that I just can't wait to point out. I really fail to see how getting verbally abused and pushed around is the fantasy of so many females that it is somehow appealing in this book. The main character Sam decides she wants to pretty much screw a guy that she's known of for a few years, but never really interacted with. She likes that he gets possessive and rude with her, and wants to have sex with him up against a wall in the middle of a dangerous alley. Ok then. There is cliche one, main female character all hot for Mr. Big Stuff tough and dirty demon hunter. Then we have cliche two, instalove! All the sudden both characters completely love each other! Fine, I'm used to it, there are only so many pages in a novel and whatnot. Then we have the main character completely trusting a practical stranger, we have powers gained by love making, we have the main character hiding things from her new mate and her mate getting really mad about it, we have the jealous/love triangle plotline, and oh so many more. But that's enough, I can hear you gagging already.

The thing is, I really liked this novel from the start. I liked the different types of demons and the explanation for their presence. I hated the generic silly map in the front of the novel, but I liked the description of the town and environment. I also was fairly interested in the main character being blind, and I enjoyed her backstory of demon sacrifice. I really liked this novel up until about 3/4s of the way in. When things started to be explained, there was such a dumbing down and overexplanation that I started to get irritated. The characters were speaking to the reader as if they were an idiot, and it wasn't necessary. Everything went downhill from there. I was able to push the romance aside and enjoy the world, but when everything came to a head at the end of the book realized I didn't care. When the big baddies were revealed I wasn't impressed, and I was barely able to finish reading this. There was definitely potential here but it was bogged down with the romance and the overexplanation. I want to mention something about showing not telling, but that's overused and silly, so I won't. As a romance this is decent, it is definitely sexy, and there is a good world behind it, but I do feel like the end wasn't as well polished as the beginning, and the world isn't unique enough for me to revisit it.(less)

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Aug 28, 2011 Kimberly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, review, covers-i-adore, romance, read-2011

My review is cross-posted from Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-r...

Demons walk among us, but closer to some than others. Samantha Quinn has felt almost inextricably tied to demons since childhood, when her parents sacrificed her sight and killed her infant sister in a demon cult ritual. The ritual also left Sam with an unwanted gift: premonitions of death. Sam’s visions gain strength and clarity after a surprising, erotic encounter with Jace Lu, her brother’s best friend....more My review is cross-posted from Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-r...

Demons walk among us, but closer to some than others. Samantha Quinn has felt almost inextricably tied to demons since childhood, when her parents sacrificed her sight and killed her infant sister in a demon cult ritual. The ritual also left Sam with an unwanted gift: premonitions of death. Sam’s visions gain strength and clarity after a surprising, erotic encounter with Jace Lu, her brother’s best friend. Then Sam has a particularly terrible vision, one that reveals Jace to be the demons’ next victim. Sam knows she has to save Jace, but to do so, she has to face a supernatural enemy connected to her bloodstained past.

Enter a demon-filled New York City in the fast-paced Shadow Marked, the first installment of Anna J. Evans’s Demon Bound series. Ms. Evans takes the traditional line that divides “good” from “bad” and then blurs it, which I greatly enjoyed. I also loved that, while Sam is blind, her blindness is treated as a simple result of what happened to her rather than as an easy plot point or ploy for likeability. The world of Shadow Marked is interesting and I don’t want to spoil it for readers by going into detail (the fun is in the surprises). What was missing for me was spark. Sam, Jace, and the supporting characters were lacking the usual depth of Ms. Evans’s characters. There seemed to be a disconnect between how the characters were acting and how Ms. Evans was trying to portray them. It was a bit disappointing, truth be told. Ms. Evans usually writes with such flair, but Sam and Jace weren’t memorable and I didn’t feel at all invested in their romance. I desperately wanted to feel something, but Shadow Marked just didn’t speak to me as Ms. Evans’s books usually do. Still, I did like the story and think there’s a lot of possibility in the Demon Bound series. Even though Shadow Marked may not have been the story for me, I still finished it wanting to read the next Demon Bound novel, Demon Marked.(less)

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Mar 03, 2011 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have mix feelings about this book - I liked it - it had a pretty good story line - the sex was hot - and there was a LOT of sexual tension in this book :)

The world is full of Demons - They came out of caves far beneath the earth and adapted to their new homes within days - and everyone knows about them - These demons are protected from the City as a tourist attraction (cool)

When Jace was 8 years old - his father was possessed by a demon and ... ate his mother while Jace hid under the counte...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alpha-male, apocalyptic, cop-miliary-special-forces, demons, friend-to-lover, paranomal-rom, psi-powers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Sensuality: 3 out of 5
Kink: vanilla

Well I finally was able to find this at Half Price Books after having it on my wish list for a long time. I don't remember reading anything by this author before. I thought the romance between the two was believable and was steamy and they didn't jump into bed together until the middle of the book. It doesn't matter to me how quickly they jump into bed as long as the author makes it believable and waiting made a lot of sense to these characters. However the int...more

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May 25, 2010 Laurie (Bitten by Paranormal Romance) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

I believe this is the first book I really didn’t look forward to write a review on. It wasn’t a bad book, I just couldn’t get into it like I wanted to. It has a really good world that was easily explained. I just more or less fond the story just there, nothing to even really get excited to write about. You know how you read a book and it will still stays in your mind after three days or so, well not this one with me. I’m still getting nothing.

I will have to say I loved the ideal that the heroi...more

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Feb 05, 2011 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-going-to-read

I found this book title through Barnes and Noble in the YA section so I thought it would be a safe read however it is definitely not a YA book. This book is adult, there is way too much adult content, vulgarity and swearing for it to be YA. So I figured I needed to warn any youth who might want to try it. I have had a few bad spells with books being this way recently so I skimmed through it first to make sure I did not get into something I did not want. I found more crap than I would ever be wil...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Daffodil rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

So much potential. It frustrates me that the book fell so far short of the possibilities. The characters were interesting but just didn't quite connect for me, individually or as a couple. The plot wasn't as tight as it could be. Action scenes tended towards confusing and the final showdown could have been stunning but instead the imagery invoked was confusing. So many little elements that only needed a little extra push, but they eventually added up to make this book barely the 3 stars I gave i...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Manda rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had to fight to get through this one...and I won't be reading the second. I didn't find any connection with the characters. The storyline to me was just so-so. Too much demon stuff for my liking. It sounded like it was going to be cool with the main female blinded since she was 6 by demon possession so she has to use her other senses on overdrive to make up for it. Oh well...can't like em all!

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Jun 30, 2011 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this one. Although not usually a fan of the fall in love and have sex after spending a few hours together this one worked. I think it was becasue they knew eath other even if they hadn't spent much time together prior to the events of the novel, which made it possible to believe the emotional connection as well as the lust one.

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Jul 30, 2012 Denise rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars for this one - on the one hand, I really liked Sam and enjoyed the story in general, but on the other Jace's annoying, overbearing asshole character pissed me off so much I can't give it more than 3 in the end.

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Jan 06, 2011 Gina added it

I only could get through about 4 chapters of this book before I gave up.
Jace pisses me off. I don't care if he identifies as an "alpha male," to me he's just a thick-headed asshole.

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May 07, 2011 Darcy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, demons, pnr

I liked it but it wasn't what I expected, it was a quick easy read, but for some reason I didn't expect the sex to be so prevalent in it. Not that I don't like that, but it wasn't what I expected.

I really liked Samantha, loved that she was blind and wanted to do stuff on her own and not be held back. I also liked Jace from the start even though he was a bastard at the beginning. I found myself wanting to know more about Jace's bounty hunter family, that seemed like it would be fun, too bad we di...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Angela rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was a pretty okay story line, but I just couldn't get into it. It really didn't catch my attention like some books.

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Sep 23, 2010 Lori {Romancing the Dark Side} rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2010, demons, urban-fantasy, nocturne-reads-reviews, my-favorites

Great action packed paranormal urban fantasy!

You can find my review at:
http://paranormal-romancejunkies.webs...

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Mar 05, 2013 MIAO rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons

the idea of demons out and about killing humans is what got me interested but at the end of the book i felt cheated. i did not like the connection between the 2 main characters, it just seemed forced... i won't be reading book 2

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Nov 02, 2011 Karen Desmond rated it 4 of 5 stars

4

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title link	preview: Shadow Marked
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Shadow Marked (Demon Bound #1)

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