I got a copy of this book since it’s the Jan selection for DearAuthor book club.
Blurb:
For two thousand years, Lilith wrought vengeance upon the evil and the damned, gathering souls for her father’s armies Below and proving her fealty to her Underworld liege. Bound by a bargain with the devil and forbidden to feel pleasure, she draws upon her dark powers and serpentine grace to lead men into temptation. That is, until she faces her greatest temptation — Heaven’s own Sir Hugh Castleford…
Once a knight and now a Guardian, Hugh spent centuries battling demons — and the cursed, blood-drinking nosferatu. His purpose has always been to thwart the demon Lilith, even as he battles his treacherous hunger for her. But when a deadly alliance unleashes a threat to both humans and Guardians in modern-day San Francisco, angel and demon must fight together against unholy evil — and against a desire that has been too long denied…
Who will be the first to succumb?
What worked for me:
World building. It’s superbly done. Also Lilith is a fun character and totally unapologetic about many naughty things she’s done.
Hugh balanced Lilith very well although I thought his contemporary self (Fallen version) not as interesting as the Guardian version. But then maybe it’s just me.
Demons who live in our world as senators, law enforcement agents, etc. That was very cool. And I liked the whole thing about Carthage. Yes…salt is neato! Love them Romans.
Spoiler alert: Finally Hugh & Lilith getting together at the end! Yay! 
I really wanted them to be happy together so I was thrilled, especially since it looks like paranormal romance label doesn’t guarantee HEA these days.
What didn’t work so well for me:
Pacing & setting / descriptions — a bit uneven, especially because there was very little description. I know, it’s funny because I don’t normally care for detailed descriptions, but since it’s a new strange world Brook is building, I would’ve loved to be able to see it. And it’s same for the contemporary SF setting she used for the second part of the novel. I really didn’t get any sense of the place. It could’ve taken place in NYC and I don’t think it would’ve made any difference.
Lucifer — He didn’t come across as a worthy arch-villain. The torture stuff he did was…I don’t know…just kinda blah. The frozen soul thing didn’t strike me as being horrific, and unfortunately, Lucifer felt like a caricature to me. And because I didn’t find him fascinating or particularly evil / sinister (the way I did with Hannibal Lecter or Zatar or James Moriarty), I never felt that Lilith and Hugh were in any danger. I actually found his archenemy demon more interesting, and I’m not sure if that’s what Brook intended.
Finally — I don’t think that the cover conveys the tone of the book. If it weren’t for DearAuthor, I don’t think I would’ve picked this one up based on the cover.
Overall: Good. Very solid for a debut novel. I think it’s definitely worth reading for any paranormal romance fans.
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