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Blood of the Demon

(Kara Gillian #2)

Diana Rowland (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 9,440 ratings · 404 reviews

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

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

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ebook, 369 pages

Published February 23rd 2010 by Bantam

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May 03, 2010 Alisha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of police procedurals with a paranormal twist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jan 11, 2011 Sheyla ✎ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

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Oct 31, 2017 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, urban-fantasy, fantasy, 2017-shelf

I see character development on the rise.

I mean, sure, it's fun and all to come back from the dead, deal with a co-worker's murder/suicide, get courted by one the kings of hell (or whatever PC version you want to call it since demons aren't really evil, they're just morality-challenged), or just try to live your life without having to use the arcane version of Google because the price is just too high.

Or is it?

Despite everything, Kara seems to be hanging on by her fingernails as she explores the ...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Felicia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-paranormal, vaginal-urban-fantasy

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

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Jan 06, 2020 Denisa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cute, relaxing, giddy, interesting, fun, uf-or-paranormal

The story from this book? Meh.
The overall plot though... that's a different story!

We finally get to know more about everyone (but it's definitely not enough, still). It made me curious about what comes next, so I'm sticking to this series.

Yeah, the main char has her moments of weakness (view spoiler).
Still, it's fun and I like it. Wor ...more

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Jun 04, 2015 Jen Davis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Woo-hoo! That was a fun ride.

This second installment of the Kara Gillian series takes things up another notch, with the growth of our title character. What I really like about the way Diana Rowland chose to move Kara’s arc forward is that she didn’t opt to make our heroine more powerful. In most urban fantasies, that’s how things go. The heroine gets more uber-awesome with every book. But here, instead of expanding Kara’s powers, Rowland expands her understanding of the world around her, filling Woo-hoo! That was a fun ride.

This second installment of the Kara Gillian series takes things up another notch, with the growth of our title character. What I really like about the way Diana Rowland chose to move Kara’s arc forward is that she didn’t opt to make our heroine more powerful. In most urban fantasies, that’s how things go. The heroine gets more uber-awesome with every book. But here, instead of expanding Kara’s powers, Rowland expands her understanding of the world around her, filling in the readers at the same time.

After the events of the last book, Kara is still reeling from everything that happened. She died and came back to life. She has an uncertain connection to Rhyzkahl. She has questions about Ryan… and her aunt is in a coma. It’s been a few weeks and now Kara must return to work, just in time for a questionable murder-suicide involving a fellow cop. That would be bad enough on its own, but the officer’s essence has been ripped away, showing a clear link to the arcane. And he’s only the first victim.

Kara needs to figure out how to get her aunt’s spirit back in her body at the same time she needs to solve her arcane related cases. And she has to do it without her mentor helping her. What’s a girl to do except seek a little demon knowledge, right? But demons don’t work for free. Kara has to decide whether Rhyzkahl‘s price is worth paying to get the answers she needs.

The mystery here is well done. I really enjoyed watching Kara unravel it all. It has a paranormal edge, yes, but she connects most of the dots with good police work and intelligence. I like the fact that her skills as a cop are every bit as important as her skills in the arcane. It’s even more impressive when you think about what a mess her life is and all the other stressors she has working against her.

I’ll admit to being kind of lukewarm on Rhyzkahl and Ryan in book 1, but here, I am so much more intrigued by them both. Obviously, I don’t really see Rhyzkahl as a love interest, but Rowland has set these guys up to be so enigmatic and charismatic, I just want more, more, more of them both!

I appreciate that despite her summoning skills, Rowland makes Kara really feel like an every-woman kind of character. She worries about her weight. She hates going to the gym. She gets lonely. She struggles with her self-esteem. And she makes some questionable choices. But I forgive her because Rowland makes me understand the feelings that drive her actions. I really felt more invested in her this time around, and more connected to her romantic struggles.

This is a really good blend of police procedural and urban fantasy, with just enough of a romantic element to satisfy me. I am so glad I started this series.

Rating: B+ ...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Bonnie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pn-demons, urban-fantasy

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

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

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

The one irritating factor I had with the book which resulted in the 4 stars (since I still really liked it) was the Ryan and Kara relationship. I have wanted Ryan and Kara to be together from the very beginning. I LOVE those two. So. This is an adult novel; however, when Kara denies the fact that Ryan likes her, when Kara gets jealous at Ryan for lame ass things, or when Ryan does something but Kara justifies it in her mind as him being ‘just a friend’, I feel as if I’ve stepped into a Young Adult novel. And trust me; if I wanted to read a YA novel type relationship I’ve got plenty of books to satisfy that. But here I am reading a nice Adult novel and I feel like I’ve stepped into the YA Twilight Zone.
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The ending? Ah! It made me go all ‘OMG Excited Cat’ all over again. Anyways, bottom line. You need to read this. I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s totally awesome and… well I love it. :D
...more

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May 02, 2015 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, audio-2015

I enjoy a good whodunnit murder mystery, and that's precisely what BLOOD OF THE DEMON was, but with a paranormal edge. I'm still not entirely sure what's up with Ryan (although I do have a few guesses), and the Rhyzkahl thing was inevitable, so even though Kara's path is a tad predictable there's still a sizable chunk of unknowns to keep listeners engaged. Liv Anderson is definitely a narrator that I would recommend, especially when paired with Diana Rowland's writing style. ...more

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Nov 13, 2009 Katie(babs) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Diana Rowland brings us back into the world of demonology and police mystery with Blood of the Demon, the sequel to her very enjoyable Mark of the Demon featuring Beaulac, Louisiana homicide detective Kara Gillian. Kara has the power to summon demons from another realm to help her on hard to solve supernatural murder cases. Kara is recovering from being on leave after a month. She died and was brought back to life after working a very dangerous case involving a serial killer called the Symbol Ma Diana Rowland brings us back into the world of demonology and police mystery with Blood of the Demon, the sequel to her very enjoyable Mark of the Demon featuring Beaulac, Louisiana homicide detective Kara Gillian. Kara has the power to summon demons from another realm to help her on hard to solve supernatural murder cases. Kara is recovering from being on leave after a month. She died and was brought back to life after working a very dangerous case involving a serial killer called the Symbol Man. Her dear aunt Tessa, who taught Kara to summon demons, lies in a coma, and it looks like she won’t be coming out of it anytime soon. But life goes on for Kara and that means another murder to solve. Unfortunately this case deals with the death of a police officer she knows.

Brian Roth is found dead at his house in what looks like to be suicide by his gun. This gruesome sight doesn’t sit well with Kara not because of the way Brian killed himself or the note he left where he admits to killing his wife through kinky sex play gone wrong, but his essence, known better as his soul, is gone and has been violently ripped out of his body. This means someone has the power of the arcane, the ability to summon demons and use their powers for their own needs, just like Kara can. As Kara digs deeper, more bodies start piling up with missing essences. Included is Brian’s wife Carol, who is also found murdered, her essence torn from her body. These killings are all connected in ghastly ways and it is up to Kara to stop this killer.

Kara has more than a few friends to help her as backup. There’s Special Agent Ryan Kristoff who worked with Kara before on the Symbol Man murders. Ryan knows about the arcane and what Kara is capable of. They also have established a friendship that Kara wouldn’t mind taking to the next level. But Ryan doesn’t give her any signs, so she keeps her feelings to herself. Ryan has transferred down to Beaulac along with his partner Zack Garner,who Kara fondly thinks of more as a California surfer then special agent. Zack also knows about Kara’s powers and it seems Ryan has a secret ability, but isn’t willing to share it with her.

Not only does Kara have human support, but of another, more dangerous individual. His name is Rhyzkahl, a very powerful demon lord Kara summoned by mistake on her last case. Usually when a demon lord is summoned, the one who does the summoning doesn’t survive. Rhyzkahl let Kara live and has built a connection with her. When they first met, she ended up having mind blowing sex with him, which allowed him into entering her dreams. For some reason Rhyzkahl still appears in her dreams, even though this connection was severed. Kara knows she shouldn’t turn to Rhyzkahl for help, but he’s the only one who can give her answers. Plus, she gets a thrill whenever she’s with him. Unfortunately because Kara needs his help and he knows it, he wants something in return. Rhyzkahl wants her as his summoner, which is a kind of consort. He would come to her periodically, under a certain amount of restraints to keep him under control. Kara would have a whole new world of knowledge at her fingertips and a demon lord at her disposal, who not only can help her on tough to crack cases, but also give her pleasure as an extra incentive. And since Kara is lonely and a bit vulnerable, mainly because of Ryan’s disinterest, she’s open, but with some concerns.

Rhyzkahl has a plan and is very vague when answering Kara’s questions. And because of this, she becomes more indebted to him. Ryan becomes enraged when finds out how often Kara calls Rhyzkahl and how intimate they are. There’s one blazing hot demon sex scene where Rhyzkahl claims and plunders Kara. Her friendship with Ryan starts to crack. Kara wants that something more with Ryan, but he keeps her at arms length. Plus the need to summon is in her blood and it continues to build where she doesn’t want to stop. Kara is walking a fine line where she has no choice but to turn to other ways to catch this killer who consumes human souls where they may not be able to be stopped.

Blood of the Demon is an excellent page turner with a nice combination of paranormal suspense and crime fiction. Diana is very skilled at writing many twists and turns with a mystery that keeps you guessing until the very last page. So many characters in this story have secrets and Ryan has a big one. We are given bits and pieces at what he’s capable of, but nothing is certain or fully revealed in regards to him. Kara is pretty much an open book, a welcome observer for the reader. This is a woman who lives and breaths her job, but also has a very dangerous hobby that will most definitely lead to some perilous situations in the future. The way Diana ends things are thrilling and shocking. Kara can’t help herself and turns to Rhyzkahl. He manipulates things for his own enjoyment. This demon lord is a selfish one who has a bigger plan for Kara. But that plan is very much unknown. But because of Kara’s promise to Rhyzkahl, she has now been backed into a corner and he has more of a hold over her than ever before.

Many readers will be rooting for a stronger romance between Kara and Ryan, but again there’s Rhyzkahl who Kara should stay away from, but gives into her desire and needs. He’s somewhat ambiguous in his regard to her, but I do believe he cares for her. Ryan has a lot of work to do on his end to claim Kara’s heart, because at this moment Rhyzkahl is one up on him.

Diana has a great combination that appeals to many different types or readers. The way she has ended things with Blood of the Demon has me very anxious for the next release. This is one author, who has proven with her sophomore release, she isn’t a fluke and full of book win. ...more

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Oct 04, 2020 Mike Finn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, 2020-halloween-bingo, urban-fantasy, urban-fantasy-series

Engaging Police Procedural mystery amplified by the involvement of the demon realms and a well thought through system of magic.

'Blood Of The Demon' is the second book in Diana Rowland’s series about Kara Gillian, a Police Detective in Beaulac, Louisiana who has a talent for summoning demons. The novels are a mix of police procedural and a magic system involving summoning demons, beings from a parallel plane of existence, spiced a little bit of sexual frisson.

I read the first book. ‘Mark of the D Engaging Police Procedural mystery amplified by the involvement of the demon realms and a well thought through system of magic.

'Blood Of The Demon' is the second book in Diana Rowland’s series about Kara Gillian, a Police Detective in Beaulac, Louisiana who has a talent for summoning demons. The novels are a mix of police procedural and a magic system involving summoning demons, beings from a parallel plane of existence, spiced a little bit of sexual frisson.

I read the first book. ‘Mark of the Demon’ back in 2014 and, although I enjoyed it, it didn’t light me up the way the Angel Crawford books did and it's taken me a while to get to the second book.

I thought this book was stronger than the first, mostly because there's a fairly complicated and engaging murder mystery to solve. Most of the book is straight police procedural made more complex by the involvement of demons of various kinds who Kara Gillian can't even tell anyone about.
The magic system is original and well thought through and there are hints that it will continue to evolve with the series.

The action scenes are very well done. The scene where Kara is in danger of drowning which was very vivid. The police procedural things are very down to earth and believable and the plot was complicated enough that it took quite a while to work out who had done what.

The only thing that didn't work for me was the scene where Kara has sex with the Demon Lord. It was so badly written, it made me reach for the fast forward on my audiobook. The sex wasn't gratuitous, it made sense both for the story and for the characters, but it read like amateur erotica. It was supposed to be a power exchange scene with the Demon Lord as the Dom and Kara as the willing Sub, except none of the participants, including the writer, seemed to have their hearts in it. If we'd had had the lead-up and the analysis afterwards with only a few words in between, not only would we not have mussed anything but I wouldn't have felt as if I'd wandered into a different novel for a while. ...more

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Aug 12, 2021 Emily Crow rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: inter-library-loan, american-south, read-in-2021, fantasy-and-sf

Now I can’t wait to read the next one!

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Aug 21, 2014 Ronda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another great book from Diana Rowland about Detective Kara Gillian and the mysteries of detective work and paranormal. I loved this!

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Sep 26, 2014 ★ʜɑʋɘɳ★ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-paranormal, publication-earlier, i-liked-it, genre-fantasy, genre-urban-fantasy, genre-romance, creatures-demons, genre-adult, creatures-other-magic-users, 3-stars

I enjoyed it quite a bit! But: Kara is quite a noob, pretty boy Ryan is boring and so not an Agent, and the plot reveal was rather weak.

Also, I'm with the demons. Duh. ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Bunnycore rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, massmarket-paperback, paranormal-romance, 2017, 3-bunnies

The Good, The Bad, The Well

Let's begin..

The Good

we are learning more about Ryan, I mean there are still secrets but I am getting the know the FBI agent a little more. Kara is growing and well let's just say Rhyzkahl. He is just a sexy bad guy. Why not 4 or 5 stars you may ask? Well because of as much as I love these books. They start out slow and can't hold my attention for long. They turn out to be my side book. That is why. I love it but I don't 4 to 5 star love it. That is my deciding facto ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 Rachel Joy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I am totally falling in love with Ryan, and I really wish that Kara would catch up already.
Rowland is quite skilled in creating her own urban fantasy world in the swamps of southern Louisiana. I particularly enjoy the way she is taking her time with the relationship between Ryan and Kara, because what's the rush, right? We've got lots of time in the books to come to cultivate something truly meaningful and I am taking pleasure in the building up of anticipation and speculation.
I am enjoying this ...more

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Dec 03, 2013 Diane rated it liked it · review of another edition

I wanted more Rhyzkal and more arcane demon action in general. It dragged a little with all the police procedural and I found it a little confusing when things were revealed. As a matter of fact, I'd say this isn't purely Urban Fantasy, but also Paranormal Mystery. Anyways, the first book was great, I like Kara, and I want to see what happens with Rhyz. ...more

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Apr 03, 2014 Regina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-uf, listened-to-audio-only, only-listeneed-to, favorite-series, audio-also-listened-to, have-in-audio

I am having a lot of fun with this series. The characters are well written and wonderfully developed. The world is interesting and there is decent sexual tension. Oh, and the characters are not cookie cutter. I am mixed as to wishing I had started this series earlier and being thankful I have it to read right now. By the way, the audio is well done.

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Oct 08, 2017 Melinda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I am quite enjoying this series. Lots of police procedural detail, good plot lines and mystery, nice mix of paranormal, good world building and interesting characters. Lets see where book 3 takes us...

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Feb 21, 2010 Lola rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance

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

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

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

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

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Nov 12, 2009 Wicked Lil Pixie (Natasha) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Blood of the Demon, the second book in the Kara Gillian series, follows Kara a Homicide Detective who also happens to be a Demon Summoner. This time around, Kara is still trying to find her Aunt Tessa’s missing “essence” which she “lost” in book one (Mark of the Demon). She is also trying to come to terms with dying & being saved by Demon Lord Rhyzkahl as well as her attraction to him which has been manifesting in her dreams. There is also something arcane going on in the town of Beaulac, Louisi ...more

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Apr 10, 2015 Kira rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, love-triangle, urban-fantasy, demons

I didn’t like this as much as Mark of the Demon. So much of the story focused on the love triangle. And I hate love triangles. Although the characters are adults, the romance has a childish YA feel. Kara is smart but acts like such a dumbass around men. She does stupid crap like run into the arms of one guy when the other pisses her off. Most of Kara’s thoughts focus on how she feels about the men, and frankly I don’t give a shit. I’d rather know more about the mystery or the world building.

The ...more

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May 13, 2011 Grace rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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

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

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

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May 29, 2016 Boundless Book Reviews rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sara-s-reviews, urban-fantasy

When I find a series that I really love, it’s hard not to chew through it. I have to stop myself from devouring the entire thing in just a week or two, so naturally after I finished Mark of the Demon, I went directly to the second book in the series Blood of the Demon.

In this story Kara finds a fellow officer dead from an apparent suicide; but not all is as it appears, his essence is missing. That one mystery starts a slew of other murders and mysteries, all stemming around the mysterious creat ...more

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Dec 31, 2014 ๖ۣۜSαᴙαh ๖ۣۜMᴄĄłłiƨʈeʀ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: quick-n-easy

I really do like this series, but I can't decide if I like the main character, Kara. She's socially awkward, slightly emotionally immature but realistic on many other levels. She lacks confidence and shouldn't. Her debatable love interest, on the other hand, irritates me. It makes absolutely no sense for adults to pretend like they are not interested in someone, especially if you are someone like Ryan who is good looking, smart, and successful. His confliction and inner turmoil concerning the ma ...more

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Jul 12, 2009 Inara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novels-gods-angels-demons-devils, novels-romance-paranormal, novels-paranormal, novels-paranormal-investigation

The Kara Gillian series is officially now one of my favorite series!

An exciting plot, a likeable heroine, a demon Lord to die for, a second future love-interest, humor (I loved the umbrella defense scene) so what´s not to like here? Kara struggles with her tattered self-confidence, her traumatic experience and doesn´t always make very wise decisions what makes her a very believable and likeable heroine in my opinion. Her partner special agent Ryan Kristoff has secrets of his own and I´m very cur ...more

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Aug 19, 2015 Katherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, super-series, my-series-of-2016, my-series-of-2015, audio-books

Kara Gillian is a detective by day and she summons daemons by night.

The story begins, when Kara summons a daemon first time after the accident, where she died and come back to life.

The story is interesting and I was intrigued who or what killed the (wo)men.

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Jan 03, 2016 Gary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

they keep getting better second book in and hooked into the series five stars all round

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Jun 30, 2019 Valerie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Book 2 definitely different from book 1

Liked. Good plot. Good characters.
Although.....this segment really didn't focus so much in the Lord demon (I'm not going to try spell the name!)

It was more on Kara. And Ryan. And murder. Lots of murder. Good mystery. ...more

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Mar 30, 2019 Epicbookaddict rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Good mystery, detective story with a side of hot demonic lord and a FBI agent who is more than he seems.
Happy Reading

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Aug 18, 2019 Sarah Leenart rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This series has really got in it's stride for me now and I loved hearing more about Kara, her world, her growing relationships, both platonic and otherwise. her conflicted feelings were a little irritating at times but she has been practically a recluse forever and is just beginning to enter the world of really interacting with other people. I also really enjoyed the police procedural feel to this one. This was an audio listen for me, which was also an excellent production, well read and I reall ...more

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About Diana Rowland

Diana Rowland

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

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Kara Gillian (9 books)

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Quotes from Blood of the Demon

“You’re all angles and elbows right now.” I gave him a sour look. “You certainly know how to make a girl feel sexy.”
He grinned. “Well, how about: If anyone can make an oversize polyester uniform look hot, it’s you.” — 10 likes

“I was relieved to see some color come back
to his face after he ate, though he still had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept for a week. I thought I had the monopoly on those.” — 5 likes

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