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Demons in Exile Series #1
Desert of the Damned
While working on an environmental project in the Arizona desert, research scientist Amy Weston finds herself caught in the war between two men. Dante Akanto lures her into the desert to explore the dark side of her passions, pleasuring her in ways she never thought possible with his bizarre sex games. And park ranger Jake Montag has a compelling mysticism and powerful sensuality that's impossible to resist.
But the two men, demon and shapeshifter, are engaged in a supernatural fight between worlds. Amy and her high level of life force energy is the key. Dante's world and his immortality depend on claiming her as his own. The choice Amy makes between the two men will affect both her world and her future.
Reader Contains scenes of mild bondage.
Publisher This book is loosely based on a short story previously published elsewhere.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2008
12 people are currently reading
405 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Kulig
37 books192 followersNew York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Kathy Kulig has published more than a dozen titles, spanning multiple genres of steamy romance: paranormal, contemporary, and suspense.
Her non-fiction work has appeared in magazines, newspapers and various on-line venues including Woman's World, USA Today, and Bustle Magazine.
When she's not writing she enjoys long walks on the beach, traveling, mountain biking, hiking, movies and reading.
She resides in coastal South Caroline with her husband.
Her non-fiction work has appeared in magazines, newspapers and various on-line venues including Woman's World, USA Today, and Bustle Magazine.
When she's not writing she enjoys long walks on the beach, traveling, mountain biking, hiking, movies and reading.
She resides in coastal South Caroline with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 15, 2010
4 1/2 stars
I really enjoyed this one. Again the Indian and demon folklore is really excellent and not to be missed. I so enjoy how Kathy writes her steamy sex lines, they are written to draw you in to enjoy the two characters together. I really liked the interesting cast of characters Kathy has going on in this book. I look forward to reading more on them in the future.
Few spoilers
As Amy’s new life in Arizona is just starting out. She really wants to go back home. Amy has been somewhat seeing her boss Dante they have been playing sex games, but the games are not pleasing her like she would like him to. Plus the sex games he’s playing is starting to scare her, especially when she wakes up and finds things on her body that wasn’t there before she went to bed, so she knows this is more than just dreams. When she tries to break it off with Dante he just wont take no for an answer. Dante really doesn’t like it when he sees her and Jake together.
Jake is a shape-shifter mountain lion. Animals start coming up dead. His granddad Bill tells him a folk tale about the Coyote and Badger, he also tells Jake the enemy wont stop at animals the humans will be next. It takes a while for Jake to figure out the folk tales are read and he needs to do something to stop the demons.
My only reason for 4 ½ stars is I really miss a glossary for the demon side they kind of get confusing who is who.
I really enjoyed this one. Again the Indian and demon folklore is really excellent and not to be missed. I so enjoy how Kathy writes her steamy sex lines, they are written to draw you in to enjoy the two characters together. I really liked the interesting cast of characters Kathy has going on in this book. I look forward to reading more on them in the future.
Few spoilers
As Amy’s new life in Arizona is just starting out. She really wants to go back home. Amy has been somewhat seeing her boss Dante they have been playing sex games, but the games are not pleasing her like she would like him to. Plus the sex games he’s playing is starting to scare her, especially when she wakes up and finds things on her body that wasn’t there before she went to bed, so she knows this is more than just dreams. When she tries to break it off with Dante he just wont take no for an answer. Dante really doesn’t like it when he sees her and Jake together.
Jake is a shape-shifter mountain lion. Animals start coming up dead. His granddad Bill tells him a folk tale about the Coyote and Badger, he also tells Jake the enemy wont stop at animals the humans will be next. It takes a while for Jake to figure out the folk tales are read and he needs to do something to stop the demons.
My only reason for 4 ½ stars is I really miss a glossary for the demon side they kind of get confusing who is who.
November 25, 2024
Almost a decade and a half have passed since I added this to my TBR list. Times have changed as has my tastes. Ellora Caves used to be the epitome of erotic literature. They were a respected boutique publishing firm that several of the authors I loved came from. It is interesting how time passes and just as the temple in this story crumbled, so too did Ellora.
This story is probably more a 2 star with it being okay. It was peppered with spicy sex scenes mixed with the paranormal. At times a bit cheesy, it was not bad. The characters were a bit flat. The big bad guy turned out to be neither big nor that bad. Foolish perhaps, but revenge does that to people. Dante is no exception. This is a story for demon sympathizers and paranormal romance fans.
This story is probably more a 2 star with it being okay. It was peppered with spicy sex scenes mixed with the paranormal. At times a bit cheesy, it was not bad. The characters were a bit flat. The big bad guy turned out to be neither big nor that bad. Foolish perhaps, but revenge does that to people. Dante is no exception. This is a story for demon sympathizers and paranormal romance fans.
September 2, 2022
Finished Reading January 17, 2014
1.75 stars
Book Rejected
This was supposed to be erotic. But I remember how Very disappointing the so called 'Sex Scenes' were. Nearly fade to black.
Also, the entire story is Very jumpy. Very disjointed.
I had a really hard time finishing it. If I started reading it now I would dnf it.
Prch Amz January 28, 2014
1.75 stars
Book Rejected
This was supposed to be erotic. But I remember how Very disappointing the so called 'Sex Scenes' were. Nearly fade to black.
Also, the entire story is Very jumpy. Very disjointed.
I had a really hard time finishing it. If I started reading it now I would dnf it.
Prch Amz January 28, 2014
August 6, 2013
How did we end up here
If I remember correctly I picked this one up at my very first BEA trip back in 2009. I didn’t really know who any of the outlying publishers were outside of the Big 6 and I noticed Ellora’s Cave had a lot of nifty swag at their booth. Not to mention they kind of threw the book at me since the author was doing a signing. Needless to say it’s taken me a little while to get to it but hey, I got to it.
Okay, book. You've got 50 pages. Go!
Nipples and pussy and cocks right from the get-go. Sold. I was in the mood for porn and I got porn. The whole set-up was nominally intriguing with the demons and the Indian folklore and whatnot. It was plain the author was trying to get a solid plot in with all the crotch-smashing going on and what was wedged in there was interesting nonetheless. I’ll keep reading.
What worked . . .
Aside from the porn?
Amy doesn’t bend to Dante’s will willingly. At first she’s all sorts of confused about it because when he mind-fucks her she thinks she’s just being weak when that’s not the case at all. When she finds out that Dante legit has mind control over her she’s done. There is no back and forth, no “oh but he’s so handsome” going on. He’s a dick that’s effectively been raping her without going anywhere near the psychological repercussions of all of that. This is porn, people. We don’t delve in porn. I will take Amy keeping Dante at a distance and recognizing him for who he is over falling for his shit despite the fact that he’s been manipulating her into sex games any day. Just don’t think about it and it won’t hurt so much.
I liked the Anartia world Kulig built and the Indian mythology that she wraps into the story to bring the two otherwise different worlds together. While it was still sexy times over here there was actually something other than sex motivating me to keep reading. I was genuinely intrigued by what was going on outside of the smashing.
What didn't work . . .
Meh, the writing left a bit to be desired. It was very mediocre and she relied on a lot of the same descriptors to get her through a lot of the sex scenes. Nipples were more often than not pointed peaks. It got to a point where I just kept picturing Madonna’s cone bra and was done with it.
The style wasn’t very fluid and created a lot of jerky, unsure storytelling that hampered the flow a bit. Sentences were rather abrupt and sometimes lighting characters cigarettes for them. If they were removed it wouldn’t have slowed down the story any and they definitely read like filler words.
The whole book read to me like an author that was a bit unsure of her writing abilities and so she had to rely on more clichés than not and action that only stymied the scene instead of enhanced it.
And in the end . . .
Despite the less than stellar writing I had a grand old time reading DESERT OF THE DAMNED. It was just downright fun and really my first solid introduction to anything that could be considered erotica (excepting Labyrinth porn fanfiction, we won’t go there). If the book were longer I think I would have had more issues with the writing style but it was short, sweet and delivered exactly what I was expecting.
Let’s face it: I’m not going to go into erotica expecting WORDS. I’d also expect it to not be entirely made of shit either. Really, I’m not going into erotica for the literary experience, okay? So if it keeps me entertained and gives me the sexy times I’m looking for it met my expectations. And Kulig did that with this one. I got something far more than PWP (that’s porn without plot) and I actually got a pretty decently developed world that I wouldn’t mind reading more about if I’m to be honest. And I’d like to think I’m always honest. I’d definitely read more of Kulig’s work because I think she tells a pretty good story.
And despite the pointed peaks, her sex scenes aren’t that bad either.
If I remember correctly I picked this one up at my very first BEA trip back in 2009. I didn’t really know who any of the outlying publishers were outside of the Big 6 and I noticed Ellora’s Cave had a lot of nifty swag at their booth. Not to mention they kind of threw the book at me since the author was doing a signing. Needless to say it’s taken me a little while to get to it but hey, I got to it.
Okay, book. You've got 50 pages. Go!
Nipples and pussy and cocks right from the get-go. Sold. I was in the mood for porn and I got porn. The whole set-up was nominally intriguing with the demons and the Indian folklore and whatnot. It was plain the author was trying to get a solid plot in with all the crotch-smashing going on and what was wedged in there was interesting nonetheless. I’ll keep reading.
What worked . . .
Aside from the porn?
Amy doesn’t bend to Dante’s will willingly. At first she’s all sorts of confused about it because when he mind-fucks her she thinks she’s just being weak when that’s not the case at all. When she finds out that Dante legit has mind control over her she’s done. There is no back and forth, no “oh but he’s so handsome” going on. He’s a dick that’s effectively been raping her without going anywhere near the psychological repercussions of all of that. This is porn, people. We don’t delve in porn. I will take Amy keeping Dante at a distance and recognizing him for who he is over falling for his shit despite the fact that he’s been manipulating her into sex games any day. Just don’t think about it and it won’t hurt so much.
I liked the Anartia world Kulig built and the Indian mythology that she wraps into the story to bring the two otherwise different worlds together. While it was still sexy times over here there was actually something other than sex motivating me to keep reading. I was genuinely intrigued by what was going on outside of the smashing.
What didn't work . . .
Meh, the writing left a bit to be desired. It was very mediocre and she relied on a lot of the same descriptors to get her through a lot of the sex scenes. Nipples were more often than not pointed peaks. It got to a point where I just kept picturing Madonna’s cone bra and was done with it.
The style wasn’t very fluid and created a lot of jerky, unsure storytelling that hampered the flow a bit. Sentences were rather abrupt and sometimes lighting characters cigarettes for them. If they were removed it wouldn’t have slowed down the story any and they definitely read like filler words.
The whole book read to me like an author that was a bit unsure of her writing abilities and so she had to rely on more clichés than not and action that only stymied the scene instead of enhanced it.
And in the end . . .
Despite the less than stellar writing I had a grand old time reading DESERT OF THE DAMNED. It was just downright fun and really my first solid introduction to anything that could be considered erotica (excepting Labyrinth porn fanfiction, we won’t go there). If the book were longer I think I would have had more issues with the writing style but it was short, sweet and delivered exactly what I was expecting.
Let’s face it: I’m not going to go into erotica expecting WORDS. I’d also expect it to not be entirely made of shit either. Really, I’m not going into erotica for the literary experience, okay? So if it keeps me entertained and gives me the sexy times I’m looking for it met my expectations. And Kulig did that with this one. I got something far more than PWP (that’s porn without plot) and I actually got a pretty decently developed world that I wouldn’t mind reading more about if I’m to be honest. And I’d like to think I’m always honest. I’d definitely read more of Kulig’s work because I think she tells a pretty good story.
And despite the pointed peaks, her sex scenes aren’t that bad either.
August 19, 2013
Desert of the Damned is one of those stories that took me completely by surprise with where it was going. The blurb made me think that there would possibly be a ménage. That is not how things worked out though. So please be aware that with this multiple partner erotic romance you’ll get a happily ever after that has you cheering and an anti-hero that has you salivating for more of him. The
Native American mythology that tale is immersed in was a wonderful addition to this tale.
Dante has limited time on the Earth plane. His mistress that he has bound himself to in a deal with her brand of devil has him gathering the much needed energy that will hold her world together. Dante has found various means of gathering this energy, though he favor one that will leave you fanning yourself wanting while wanting him to take things further. Oh yes, Dante will leave you hot and bothered.
His current means of procuring this energy is Amy. She has no clue what is really going on with her lover. His brand of loving leaves her wanting more and questioning what is really going on in their quasi relationship. Things at work are getting just as crazy. She a lab rat has been tasked with a field research assignment to find out the reasons behind the odd occurrences in the desert she calls home. Her job is made all the more easier with the partnering of one very sexy park ranger, Jake.
The strange happening in the desert has Jake hoping that the situation is not as bad as it looks.
His grandfather who clings to his Native American roots and beliefs consistently warns Jake that there is a great danger in the desert, an otherworldly danger. He wants Jake to embrace the side of his heritage that he views as a curse to get to the bottom of it before things escalate to the point that it is humans affected, not just the animals.
With a grandfather who is not afraid of doping his grandson with Peyote and some interesting uses for a bear skin rug this first installment in Kulig’s Demons in Exile series is a great read for lovers of paranormal romance who want the erotic kick with a side of Coyote mythology. I LOVED granddad Bill and I hope to see more of him in the next book.
Native American mythology that tale is immersed in was a wonderful addition to this tale.
Dante has limited time on the Earth plane. His mistress that he has bound himself to in a deal with her brand of devil has him gathering the much needed energy that will hold her world together. Dante has found various means of gathering this energy, though he favor one that will leave you fanning yourself wanting while wanting him to take things further. Oh yes, Dante will leave you hot and bothered.
His current means of procuring this energy is Amy. She has no clue what is really going on with her lover. His brand of loving leaves her wanting more and questioning what is really going on in their quasi relationship. Things at work are getting just as crazy. She a lab rat has been tasked with a field research assignment to find out the reasons behind the odd occurrences in the desert she calls home. Her job is made all the more easier with the partnering of one very sexy park ranger, Jake.
The strange happening in the desert has Jake hoping that the situation is not as bad as it looks.
His grandfather who clings to his Native American roots and beliefs consistently warns Jake that there is a great danger in the desert, an otherworldly danger. He wants Jake to embrace the side of his heritage that he views as a curse to get to the bottom of it before things escalate to the point that it is humans affected, not just the animals.
With a grandfather who is not afraid of doping his grandson with Peyote and some interesting uses for a bear skin rug this first installment in Kulig’s Demons in Exile series is a great read for lovers of paranormal romance who want the erotic kick with a side of Coyote mythology. I LOVED granddad Bill and I hope to see more of him in the next book.
November 11, 2010
This is one of the first erotic romances that I have picked up and I gotta say it got me blushing. The sexual energy was jumping off the pages and the story took off right at the first few pages. Wow, I knew it was going to be a good read. Amy was a very likeable character and I loved reading about the indian folklore and the realm of Anartia. Dante was a little confusing. I couldn't tell if I liked him or hated him. Part of me wanted some good to come from him because I detected that he wasn't really evil though he played the role of the adversary to Jake in this book. Dante sounded very sexy and he had some inner turmoil with the way his life worked out and the choices he was forced to make for the demoness. Jake was a scorcher, hot and very sexual and a shifter. Not the kind of shifter I am used to reading about, it had it's own twist that I thought intriguing. We saw sparks with Amy and Jake right away and I loved watching them fight their sexual attraction at first and then loved it even more when they finally gave in to it. Amy was having mixed emotions because of the sexual games Dante was playing with her and Jake was nervous of who and what he was and had a bad breakup in the past because she discovered what he was. I think maybe things moved pretty quickly and heated up even quicker. I can't wait to get ahold of the next book in this series and am hoping that possibly I will get to see Dante again in the next book or maybe he get's his own???
January 26, 2014
Shape shifters and Shamanism, 2 of my favorite things
I think the rating is more for the way the story makes you feel. It's easy to know who Amy is and it becomes clear that she is important in some way. It's not as easy with Dante. It's understood by the third or fourth chapter that he is somehow linked to the paranormal world, but you get this strange vibe from him. I know that you shouldn't be able too really get vibes from a character in a book, but you will.
I really am at a loss for words trying to convey the feeling I had when reading about Amy and Dante. I guess having the creep factor, and being able to have readers feel that when reading about the way Dante and Amy interact, is a great accomplishment.
When Amy starts feeling wired around Dante (and it starts the same time you get the creeps), Jake comes into the picture. Jake has a grandfather that's a Shaman; he's been trying to teach Jake the shamanic ways. The chemistry between Jake and Amy is intense, but Dante doesn't want to let her go (for more than one reason).
When Jake realizes that Amy is in danger, he is ready to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. However, before he can help Amy, he has to come to grips with his past, embrace his gifts, and trust in the old ways.
I didn't quite like how the story unfolded, but the vibes I got during certain scenes and from certain people made this book a fantastic read.
I think the rating is more for the way the story makes you feel. It's easy to know who Amy is and it becomes clear that she is important in some way. It's not as easy with Dante. It's understood by the third or fourth chapter that he is somehow linked to the paranormal world, but you get this strange vibe from him. I know that you shouldn't be able too really get vibes from a character in a book, but you will.
I really am at a loss for words trying to convey the feeling I had when reading about Amy and Dante. I guess having the creep factor, and being able to have readers feel that when reading about the way Dante and Amy interact, is a great accomplishment.
When Amy starts feeling wired around Dante (and it starts the same time you get the creeps), Jake comes into the picture. Jake has a grandfather that's a Shaman; he's been trying to teach Jake the shamanic ways. The chemistry between Jake and Amy is intense, but Dante doesn't want to let her go (for more than one reason).
When Jake realizes that Amy is in danger, he is ready to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. However, before he can help Amy, he has to come to grips with his past, embrace his gifts, and trust in the old ways.
I didn't quite like how the story unfolded, but the vibes I got during certain scenes and from certain people made this book a fantastic read.
January 23, 2014
First time reading this author...
Amy works at a lab and is having an affair with her boss. He is a coyote shifter and needs chi to help his demoness keep her world. When he makes her climax her chi is the strongest but he can't actually have sex with her or it taints it. So she breaks it off with him but he still needs her. Amy meets Jake a forest ranger who is a shifter too. He protects her from the coyote and is afraid to tell her about him. But she knows something is different about him. When Dante(coyote shifter) takes her back to his world, Jake must trust his grandfather and the other shaman to help get her back.
Demons, coyote, mountain lions, bears, and a sexy research scientist. Sex and other worlds will keep you reading.
Amy works at a lab and is having an affair with her boss. He is a coyote shifter and needs chi to help his demoness keep her world. When he makes her climax her chi is the strongest but he can't actually have sex with her or it taints it. So she breaks it off with him but he still needs her. Amy meets Jake a forest ranger who is a shifter too. He protects her from the coyote and is afraid to tell her about him. But she knows something is different about him. When Dante(coyote shifter) takes her back to his world, Jake must trust his grandfather and the other shaman to help get her back.
Demons, coyote, mountain lions, bears, and a sexy research scientist. Sex and other worlds will keep you reading.
February 1, 2014
An ok freebie. I liked the basic story line and the characters, but the story didn't really pull me. There wasn't so much feeling to this as it felt like this was supposed to be more about the scenes. I liked the paranormal aspect and the mythology slant but the 'bad' characters were more a part of this and kinda made the book feel crude and mean. I won't read this again and since it was free, you pretty much get what you pay for it. There were good spots and the good side characters definitely help make up for the others. The ending was good though. This was kinda dark and not much to my taste. Not short but no long either. Pretty much a 'there' book' and for something just to read when nothing else would be available. Good Luck
April 10, 2015
This book just had way too much going on in it to make any sort of sense! World building was non-existent, and it jumps right in to what is supposed to be erotic reading. Sadly, my confusion with the plot distracted me too much to get event the remotest thrill with the sexy bits. I didn't enjoy Amy as a heroine at all, she kept whining about Florida too much for my tastes, and I couldn't respect Dante at all, as he came across too much like a rapist and user for my tastes. Not to mention, Jake wanted to have nothing to do with who he really was entirely too much for what he wound up doing in the book. All in all, a disappointment that I will be deleting from my Kindle library.
Read
January 27, 2014This book fell flat for me. The main character aggravated me. The story felt forced and the ending rushed. A lot of things in this book didn't make sense. Like Norwegian shapeshifters changing shapes exactly like Navjo skinwalkers, magical beings not believing in magic, victims being made into bad guys. The sex scenes were steamy but because the story wasn't that good I just started skipping them. This of course is just my opinion and I'm sure others have enjoyed this story.
June 26, 2013
I have a fondness for mythology and folklore. I love how the trickster folklore, the anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks, was weaved into this hot love triangle. The shifter relationship between Amy and Jake had a lot of tension and romance. Everything you'd expect from an erotic romance was delivered with well written sensuality and characterization.
May 29, 2014
Amy has been carrying on a weird relationship with Dante, but she cannot remember all of it. Dante is using her to collect chi for his mistress. Jake has special power that allow him to shift into different animals. These two both thought their secrets were crazy but together they made sense and saved them.
March 12, 2016
3 Stars
This book started hot and heavy and stayed that way. I wasn't sure what to expect from it since it was a new author for me and the book was good for an erotic quick read. The only things that was tiring was Gwyllain's attitude (if no one liked her why didn't they rebel or kill her) and that parts were repetitive.
This book started hot and heavy and stayed that way. I wasn't sure what to expect from it since it was a new author for me and the book was good for an erotic quick read. The only things that was tiring was Gwyllain's attitude (if no one liked her why didn't they rebel or kill her) and that parts were repetitive.
January 26, 2014
I wanted to like this story but there were just too many gaps and holes in it. Loose ends like Dante, Sienna and Truly. Once they were introduced into the story, I expected them to have some significance or resolution. Editing is an issue as well. Nice try but it misses the mark.
January 25, 2014
Normally I love shape shifter, demon, paranormal books. However, for some reason this book just did not suit me at all. From the very beginning I just could not get into it there was just something about it that I found weird.
January 2, 2015
Trying to finish it but failed eventually. The storyline attracts me but the tempo is a bit slow. Can't decide if there will be ménage. I like Amy. But Dante took too many pages in his immortal land so bye-bye for now!
January 27, 2014
I really enjoyed reading, but after witnessing more than 5 typos, it was a bit turn-off for me....like it was a careless rush job to write that book.
January 28, 2014
Interesting mix of shifters. One is demon-based, the other is animal skin-based. Alternate dimension.
Read
February 4, 2014Boring and repetitive. Only read about 35% just couldn't get into it
March 15, 2014
I loved the Arizona desert setting, however I didn't find the demon dimension worked so well. An enjoyable read.
April 8, 2014
Cool idea with a good execution. Something was just off that kept it from being more than 3 stars.
April 25, 2014
I would give this story 3.5 stars.
The story was unique and interesting, but there was a great deal of potential that was missed.
The story was unique and interesting, but there was a great deal of potential that was missed.
September 4, 2019
Review
Good stand alone, definitely in the 18+ category, a little but too much repeat of a few details but otherwise a good afternoon read
Good stand alone, definitely in the 18+ category, a little but too much repeat of a few details but otherwise a good afternoon read
June 19, 2014
Not a bad book. Steamy romance and an interesting plot.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews