Demon's Delight

Tale of the Demon World #4

by MaryJanice Davidson, Emma Holly, Vickie Taylor

Between day and night, between the living and the undead, between human and immortal there is a passion that crosses the boundary--magnetically pulling together pairs who seem to have nothing in common. Now, four of today's most thrilling authors explore the delight that ensure when opposites come together...

This book contains 4 short stories:

1. Witch Way by MaryJanice Davidson
* Can a witch and a witch-hunter find common ground..without killing each other first?

2. Street Corners and Halos by Catherine Spangler
* Meet Rachel, hooker and vampire, plying both trades after hours until she meets Gabriel on the night shift. He's an angelic emissary on a mission to prove Rachel still has a soul, and to save it. But she offers him a mortal temptation he never expects...

3. The Demon's Angel by Emma Holly
* A beautiful scientist in the realm of the Demon World falls in love with a human male she has experimented on--and is changed forever...

4. Angel and the Hellraiser by Vickie Taylor
* Zane is hell-bent on danger--the more he eludes death, the bigger the rush. The he awakens from a near-drowning not only alive, but in the caring arms of a beautiful angel. But the ethereal Rosemary is driven by her own desires--and full of surprises.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Anthologies, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Demons

313 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2007

About the author

MaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

www.maryjanicedavidson.org
@MaryJaniceD

MaryJanice's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/maryjanicedav...

http://us.macmillan.com/author/maryja...

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am baffled by these "stories"

The first one is just ridiculous. The premise doesn't hold up for more than two minutes. The girl Rhea has only just found out about a curse that means she must kill and be killed by a witch...she thinks it's idiocy and it's a new idea to her. AND YET when Chris comes to her home she is like a brainwashed moron trying to kill him when she herself thought the whole thing was a joke and then all of a sudden she's talking about being trained for this for years...it just felt so dumb. Also the fact that her "solution" is to let this guy she just met impregnate her. This, people is why you don't homeschool!

#2 is even more grotesque. So, this vampire girl turned during WWII at Dachau concentration camp is now a "mind hooker" with a damaged vagina to whom God sends an angel to make sure she learns how to cry and embrace her sexuality...so God wants her to have sex. It really sounds like I am making it cruder than it is, but I'm really not. Seriously the angel fingers her to heal her...I can't make this crap up you know. I pretty much read this with dropped jaw. So, this "angel's" mission from God was to f@#! this girl so she would choose life and he's had other missions that failed...I am disturbed to think the other missions mean he's God's gigolo? I mean really flabbergasted here.

more to come when I am able to uncross my eyes...

Ok onto #3 This one is following in the creepy footsteps of the others. Some scientist is tasked with taking a human subject and doing gene mods on him, so they look for one that "won't be missed" yeah that makes them a horrible race. I mean if the humans are struggling that much you could probably just find a volunteer...no really, but then that would ruin the premise of them accidentally taking a businessman. I'm sorry but if they want someone who seems healthy and strong why go to a seedy dump where the malnourished and impoverished are? Then to knock the guy out they give him an aphrodisiac???!!! I'm at a loss here. I'll stop there because the rest of it is just silly.

#4 probably the least offensive, the angel of death is sent to earth to learn the value of life...so God wants to show the angel of death what an asshole he can be by ripping people away from life and that there is a reason why people don't want to die. Yes, that was what I took away from it.

[Brutally Honest]

1. Witch Way by MaryJanice Davidson
* Can a witch and a witch-hunter find common ground..without killing each other first?

- An... interesting short story. The heroine is of course completely insane, because she didn't even know about her witch hunter family until a week before meeting Chris and still ends up wanting to kill him? Uhm, wtf?? - 2 stars

2. Street Corners and Halos by Catherine Spangler
* Meet Rachel, hooker and vampire, plying both trades after hours until she meets Gabriel on the night shift. He's an angelic emissary on a mission to prove Rachel still has a soul, and to save it. But she offers him a mortal temptation he never expects...

- This story was almost too much for me, I was actually crying at some points (the Shema part for one...). Also, that last line in the blurb is incredibly far-fetched, since as readers we never get any kind of notion of what Gabe is thinking at any point. Also the idea that she turns back to human but has no trouble getting used to not having superhuman strength, among other things? That would certainly throw me for a loop. All-in-all, kind of lame. - 2 stars

3. The Demon's Angel by Emma Holly
* A beautiful scientist in the realm of the Demon World falls in love with a human male she has experimented on--and is changed forever...

- to be read

4. Angel and the Hellraiser by Vickie Taylor
* Zane is hell-bent on danger--the more he eludes death, the bigger the rush. The he awakens from a near-drowning not only alive, but in the caring arms of a beautiful angel. But the ethereal Rosemary is driven by her own desires--and full of surprises.

- to be read

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witch Way: The Goodmans (witch hunters) and Meres (witches) have been fulfilling an ancient and fatal curse for four hundred years. Now Rhea Goodman and Chris Mere meet up and decide that it's time for the curse to end.

Lots of action and interesting premise, but a little hard to understand.

Street Corners and Halos: Rachel is a psychic vampire who masquerades as a hooker in order to feed. One night she comes across Gabriel, an angel sent to redeem her. He has one week in order to prove to her that life is worth living.

Very dark story, with a fulfilling ending.

The Demon's Angel: In an alternate history, Khira is a Yama scientist who is experimenting with DNA manipulation. She needs a human to test on, and kidnaps Harry to act as her test subject.

Strange premise, and stranger characters.

Angel and the Hellraiser: Rosemary is the Angel of Death who finds herself trapped in human form as she accompanies daredevil Zane, whose soul can go either way.

A little weak, especially compared to the others in the book.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Demon's Daughter loved the Victorian feel - and our hero who wanted a girl who was more enamored of him than her fainting couch.

Hot Spell (anthology)same world but not 'Victorian' in the way DD was

Prince of Ice not my favorite, sort of feudal Japan crossed with China's Forbidden City

Demon's Delight (anthology)Demon scientist is trying to develop the ability to 'upgrade' the body - again a piece of technology that will probably reappear should the characters of Demon's Fire get another book.

Beyond the Dark (anthology)this one is set in the distant past [think Ancient Egypt:]- this introduces a piece of 'technology' that appears in Demon's Fire

Demon's Fire (the sequel to Prince of Ice)and in my opinion much more enjoyable, linked to Demon's Daughter.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

4 short stories or novellas. The first is short by MaryJanice Davidson, usually one of my very favorites. It was pretty lame for her, but I did like the brief exploration of the idea of whether it's possible to do right through violence or intolerance. I flipped through the other stores, including one by Emma Holly, who I usually like, but didn't enjoy any enough to read them completely.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witch Way - MaryJanice Davidson: witches and witch hunters - their families have been killing each other for generations, going back to Salem... until one witch hunter wants to put an end to it... and his witch agrees...

The Demon's Angel - Emma Holly introduces a beautiful scientist to the realm of the Demon World...and an irresistible male she has experimented on. A WELL CONSTRUCTED SHORT STORY of an interesting world, genetic manipulation, and wings... and alien parents who want to be human, and throw in hahahas.

Angel and the Hellraiser = Vickie Taylor throws a hell-bent man (plane jumper) into the arms of a beautiful dark angel of death who is driven by ethereal desires of her own.

Street Corners and Halos - Catherine Spangler gives a vampire prostitute a last chance at redemption when an angelic hunk asks for 7 nights to prove to her there is more - and mostly he shows her fun and self forgiveness.

[Konstantine Partalas]

realized i’m not gonna finish this book because it’s been terrible so far. read the first story - awful, read half of the second one - boring, read parts of the third story - should’ve been first, haven’t read the fourth.

this book did provide me with one of my new favorite quotes, thank you Emma Holly

“The huge head pounded like a heart from the blood that had forced its way into it and its lust-widened slit was weeping pre-ejaculate.”

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories were very intriguing. The characters were very likeable and fun. Great storylines, a bit too much sex for me though.

[Knight Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were pretty fun. My favorite was Street Corners and Halos.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy these stories. MaryJanice Davidson's "Witch Way" was humorous, but not in a fun way. It struck me as more ridiculous than anything and, considering it was the first of the four stories in this anthology, almost put me off reading the other three. The second story, "Street Corners and Halos" by Catherine Spangler, was a little better but still fell flat for me. I just didn't like Rachel very much and Gabriel seemed too weak to me. The third story, "The Demon's Angel" by Emma Holly, was my favorite of the collection, though even it didn't wow me. I am interested in reading more in the series, though, since it's a part of one and the world and its inhabitants seem worthy of further exploration. The final entry, "Angel and the Hellraiser" by Vickie Taylor, also left me feeling dissatisfied. Rosemary's character was a good one, but Zane just bothered me on some level. Finding out why he did what he did helped improve his image, but then the cheesy ending went and ruined it for me.

I also didn't like the cover. The colors were disturbing, as was the image. Why is the woman gray? And why does she have horns? None of the female characters in the book had horns. And why is her hair sticking up? If she's supposed to be underwater, her hair should be auburn. (Rosemary was the only female ever underwater, and her hair sure was auburn.)

All in all, I am very sad to say that this is one anthology I would not have regretted not reading had I not read it.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a very mixed read.

The first, Witch Way, was by Mary Janice Davidson, nothing incredible. A witch and a witchhunter meet, their families have been killing each other for years, will these two follow in their families footsteps. Will they kill each other? Guess and you won't be far off the mark.

Street Corners and Halos by Catherine Spangler, an angel meets a vampire hooker and tries to change her life. Pretty predictable, readable though.

Emma Holly in The Demon's Angel, writes about a demon world and a scientist who kidnaps a regular human to experiment on. She finds herself in love with him and her world and assumptions have to change. I enjoyed this one.

Vickie Taylor's Angel and the Hellraiser was another story that was okay, Zane has been eluding death for a while but it's about to catch up with him and he has nowhere to go. Rosemary is an angel who falls in love with him and finds herself changed by the experience.

They're interesting stories, the worst of the pile is the MJD one but I would try more by the other authors. They showed promise.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 4 short story paranormal romances.

The first, by Mary Janice Davidson, reminded me of why I used to love her Queen Betsy series, before it turned depressing. The hero is a witch, one of a long line cursed to reincarnate until he gives his enemy his powers. The heroine is his enemy, a witch hunter of a long line, doomed to die as she kills this incarnation of the witch. Neither likes this situation, and they end up together, breaking the curse. The chemstry was really good for such a short story.

The story by Emma Holly is part of her Yama erotica series, and by far the best story in this collection. It involves a female Yama scientist kidnapping a human male to experiment on him.

The Catherine Spangler story was an angel-vampire story that I found forgetable. Very touched-by-an-angel.

The Vickie Taylor story was a guardian angel story featuring a female angel and male stuntman with only a few days to live. Meh.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was in my camping stuff. I started it on the Labor Day weekend trip. Thought I had one more long weekend of camping last year, but I was wrong. Life inserted itself into the camping plans so I wasn't able to pick it back up until this past weekend. This means I've got to rely on memory for the first half of the book. I can't have been wowed by the first half because I would have brought it in the house with me to finish reading. I read the last 2 stories this weekend. It's a split.

The last story just didn't work on any level for me. I don't see the whole love thing in it. The sex scene wasn't anything either. It's paranormal chick-lit. I expect either love that seems real-ish or good sex scenes. Both would be cool, but I expect at least one.

The story prior had more of the latter. And I remember little enough about the first part of the book that I won't bother with any detail.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many others I picked this book to read because it included a novella by Emma Holly. I love her books. This was interesting but not as fulfilling as her other works. It is always nice to return to the Yama world.

I was pleasantly surprised by the other works.

Mary Janice Davidson's work was fun and had a reversal of roles. It gave an interesting way to break a curse. Not great but fun.

Vickie Taylor's submission was not bad. An Angel of Death who did not understand the humans' fight for life. Ending was starting to be emotional but became pushed for a quick HEA.

Catherine Spangler was an unknown author to me. She is not forgettable. Her novella was innovative, haunting and beautiful. Worth the whole book. It alone would get four and a half stars. I have to look for more of her stories.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book. I really liked that there were 4 different stories. The only downfall is that I wanted to read more! I gave a rating of 3/5 to Witch Way by MaryJanice Davidson. I always love her writing! I gave a 4/5 to Street Corners and Halos by Catherine Spangler. She is a new author to me and I will definitely be looking her up to see what else she has written. I gave a 2/5 to The Demon's Angel by Emma Holly. To me, this was more sci-fi than paranormal. There was a whole new world with new words and I just didn't enjoy it. I gave a 4/5 to Angel and the Hellraiser by Vickie Taylor. This story actually made me cry and she is another author that I will be looking up!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witch Way - 3 Stars - Overall good sotry though the characters relationship could have been better developed, but I'm sure there is only so much you can do with 60 pages.

Street Corners and Halos - 4 1/2 Stars - Compelling

The Demon's Angel - 4 Stars - As usual Emma Holly's blend of intrgue and humor kept me glued to the page

Angel and the Hellraiser - 3 3/4 Stars - It took a while for the story to pick up but when it it was good.

[Kathy Davie]

MJ Davidson's Witch Way was cute.
Emma Holly's Demon's Angel (Tales of the Demon World, 4).
Catherine Spangler's Angel and the Hellraiser made me cry.
Vicki Taylor's Street Corners & Halos was sweet!

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this for Emma Holly's demon world story. I love the demon world series from Ms. Holly. It's sexy and so erotic. I do like Mary Janice Davidson, but all her stories are starting to run into one another. Still this was a decent anthology to read.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book, I really only read the Vickie Taylor story, but the others were okay as well

[colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

read 06.15.07

[Pet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing world she's created here!

[penelopewanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here as a ring.

[Booklover, Indianapolis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[VMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 4 paranormal romance novellettes; I read it for the Yama "demon" story by Emma Holly. The MaryJanice Davidson story in it was also fun.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the four stories, I liked the first one (Witch Way) the best. The others just didn't grab nearly as much.

[LeeAnn G · Rating 3 out of 5]

As strange as the cover but good read.

[Aine]

Read:
"Witch Way" by MaryJanice Davidson

[Mags · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed he Demon's Angel and Angel and the Hellraiser...did not like Witch Way at all felt indifferent to Street Corners and Halos. Quick read.

[lk]

junk - her undead series is not good nor funny

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a review of Emma Holly's short story, The Demon's Angel:
Not great. Love scenes featuring winged men in midair are more humorous than sexy.