A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

WHERE DEMONS FEAR TO TREAD

Author: Stephanie Chong ISBN: 9780778312475 9/2011 PARANORMAL Publisher: MIRA

Where Demons Fear to Tread by Stephanie Chong
"Welcome to Devil's Paradies."
The arch demon's voice was low and deep. His fingers caressed her through the fabric of her dress.....
"Your soul—or his, Serena. Choose."

Fledging guardian angel and yoga teacher Serena St. Clair dares to enter Devil's Paradise nightclub on a mission—to retrieve the wayward Hollywood "It Boy" she's assigned to protect. But she's ambushed by the club's owner, arch demon Julian Ascher. The most powerful demonic in Los Angeles, Julian is handsome as sin, a master of temptation who loves nothing more than corrupting pleasure-seeking humans. He won't release the lost soul Serena is supposed to guard. Unless she accepts his dangerous wager....

After the disastrous way his human life ended, Julian vowed that no woman would get the better of him again. Yet this sexy-sweet angel, smelling of fresh ocean air and happiness, triggers centuries-old feelings. Now, their high-stakes game of seduction, where angels fall from grace and where demons fear to tread, will lead them either to an eternity in hell...or a deliciouslv hot heaven.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: 4 Rose Read

WHERE DEMONS FEAR TO TREAD was an up and down sort of novel for me.  I wouldn't say that this was hugely religious, but because of the nature of who Serena is, the topic comes up a lot.  I wasn't comfortable with that.  I did appreciate that Chong didn't espouse the belief that in order to be 'good' you had to be pure and innocent of all evil.  Believe me, if that was the criteria, there would have been huge issues for Julian and Serena.

What worked for me was the gradual... 'compromise' I suppose that both Julian and Serena go through together during the course of the novel.  Through their association with each other they reach a middle ground, one that works for them individually and together as a couple.  Plus, Gabriel wasn't a brat in this book, which is always rather nice to see.  He was much more 'Keep the light in your heart and things will be overcome' than 'Thou be dutiful and pure, let nothing sully thy soul'. 

I really wanted to know more about Luciana, another demoness who has a grudge against Julian (rather deserved, all things considered; like I said, it's a really good thing you don't need a pure soul to be 'good' in this book).  I had a hard time disliking her, despite the fact she helped do some truly awful things and was gunning for Julian.

Serena occasionally got on my nerves, though it wasn't really her fault.  She's given some vague, misleading information from a person she trusted, and it makes her feel real confused.  Honestly, I was a little confused because it took Chong longer than I would have liked to explain the difference between 'angelic' and 'demonic'.  You have to remember where demons come from to truly understand what Gabriel's getting at when he gives Julian a pep talk, but that's at the end.  Before all of that, Julian and Serena kind of flail about, certain that they are BAD and irredeemable because of this or that reason.

The core message, however, is one I can get behind: What's in the past, is past.  You can't change it, so don't dwell on it.  It's what you do in the future that truly matters.

Alexandra Cenni

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