EVE OF DARKNESS

Author: S. J. Day ISBN: 9780765360410 5/2009 PARANORMAL Publisher: TOR

Cursed by God, hunted by demons, desired by Cain and Abel... All in a day's work. For Evangeline Hollis, a long ago fling with a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks just became a disaster of biblical proportions. One night with a leather-clad man of mystery has led to a divine punishment: the Mark of Cain. Thrust into a world where sinners are drafted into service to kill demons, Eve's learning curve is short. A longtime agnostic, she begrudgingly maneuvers through a celestial bureaucracy where she is a valuable but ill-treated pawn. She's also become the latest point of contention in the oldest case of sibling rivalry in history... But she'll worry about all that later. Right now she's more concerned with learning to kill while staying alive. And saving the soul she'd never believed she had.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The first book in S.J. Day’s Marked novels, EVE OF DARKNESS, began at the ending. Chapter One is the event that Chapter Twenty-one leads into, while Chapter Two begins the story the six weeks leading up to Chapter One. I’m not sure why the book began this way; I think it would have been perfectly fine if it had began at Chapter Two, but maybe it's because the author didn’t want to end on a cliffhanger (though technically it still does).

Evangeline Hollis is your typical late 20’s professional—she wants to move on to bigger projects (she’s an interior designer), find the right man and forget all about that night of passion ten years ago that just about ruined her for all men, period. Unfortunately, the job interview she arrives at isn’t what she is expecting, and the possible hallucinogenic sex in the stairwell with her past lover’s face (but not attitude) and wings just sent her over the cliff.

If a parent ever wanted to point out why having a random one-night stand can lead to bad consequences, they should hand this book over to their daughters. I’ll give Eve credit; she doesn’t so much regret having the one night stand so much as regret that it landed her in the middle of the world’s oldest sibling rivalry. Abel, or Reed (Reed Abel is his name), is likeable, honestly. More than likeable. He truly wants the best for Eve, even though it means he’s going to live another load of centuries in abject misery to achieve it.

His brother Cain, or Alec (Alec Cain), however, has no idea what he wants. One minute he wants Eve like there’s no tomorrow, the next he doesn’t want her because his goal is more important than banging his brother’s new woman. Unfortunately, because His divine will is darkly humorous (and that’s being nice), Cain and Abel are both stuck with Eve. For one, she’s temptation to sin and he forgets all his plans; for another she’s the sin that will keep him bound for all eternity.

There’s a lot of biblical references included throughout. A short appendix at the end at least explains some of it, which is wonderful for anyone not really up on their Christian mythology. I’m not sure you can call this a sacrilegious book—God is very obviously revered as a Divine being and Father to Us All, but pretty much the rest of the bible is open game. Especially the Archangels.

I look forward to the next book, EVE OF DESTRUCTION (due out in June) and the concluding book, EVE OF CHAOS (due out in July).

Alexandra Cenni