About The Care and Feeding of Demons

edited by M. Rode
148 pages / 59000 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-843-2, 1-60370-843-X
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc, epub, Sony-optimized pdf

Spells gone wrong, hunters becoming the prey, anything can happen when demons leave Hell and come to play on earth. Humans and demons team up together and bring the heat in this anthology about unlikely lovers.

The Care and Feeding of Demons gives you nine urban fantasy stories that look at the explosive relationships between humans and demons. From demon hunters who hook up with the very creatures they stalk to hunters and demons pairing up to take on a bigger threat, or from a long time couple who has to deal with interspecies love to a pair of human lovers who make a deal with a very shady character, this anthology is sure to delight the little devil in all of us.

Stories include:
Absolutely Magic by Julia Talbot
Reasonable Force by Meredith Shayne
Hungry by Glyn Soiti?o
Cool Heat by Taylor Lochland
A Calling for Pleasure by JL Merrow
Screamin' Demon by Kiernan Kelly
A Perfect Target by Winnie Jerome
The One Who Comes in the Night by Kate Roman
Payday by Sean Michael

Review

Lee Benoit, author of the Servant of the Seasons Chaser series, writes: I’ve been a fan of urban fantasy for ages, so I had high expectations of this new anthology that places one element of urban fantasy -- demons -- front and center. Suffice it to say that these nine stories featuring the ultimate bad boys did not disappoint.

In Absolutely Magic by Julia Talbot Damon is an out, proud demon hunter who doesn’t scruple at the occasional -- or not so occasional -- roll in the brimstone with the enemy. When that enemy is a purveyor of sex magic, the stakes (and other things) rise dramatically. Talbot delivers with her trademark ability to make us care for characters dressed in shades of grey.

Reasonable Force by Meredith Shayne gives us grieving priest and demon hunter Daniel who’s in over his head when demon Korim turns the tables. Theirs is no easy, breezy love, and Shayne builds to a surpassingly satisfying climax in which loyalty rather than lust prevails.

Glyn Soitiño offers a delicious twist on the enemies-as-lovers trope in Hungry. Rafael is a demon whose long time lover, angel Dominic, has been too distracted by work to keep his incubus out of trouble. When Rafael bids for Dominic’s attention by expanding the horizons of two unsuspecting humans, Dominic faces the fact the Rafael needs Dominic to feed his sense of security as well as his other appetites in this gently humorous tale.

Crackling humor and snappy dialogue keep Cool Heat by Taylor Lochland galloping through the delightful story about demon hunter Jason, whose curiosity about sex demons leads him to summon Kirhal, an incubus with a conscience and a romantic streak a mile wide. Kirhal’s idea of dating rocks Jason’s world, as do the lessons he learns about degrees of evil; I thoroughly enjoyed the warmth and wit of their very unusual romance.

A super-powered succubus is preying on bisexual men and paranormal detective Lars is struggling with his attraction to the prime suspect in A Calling for Pleasure by JL Merrow. But Rael the male succubus isn’t quite what he seems, and Merrow’s cheeky turns of phrase and rapid-fire plotting kept me grinning all the way to the sweet, explosive climax.

Screamin' Demon by Kiernan Kelly gives us Mick, a demon hunter with a chip on his shoulder and Azarian, a demon with a difference. If the hard-boiled dialogue and spitfire world-building don’t hook you, the plot twists will keep you guessing right up until the steamy end.

More than demons inhabit Trent’s city in A Perfect Target by Winnie Jerome -- he’s friends-with-benefits with a half-giant and an incubus. It turns out said incubus, Adrian, is more than just a dancer -- he’s got a past, and it’s caught up with him. Trent meets him for a last hurrah -- can he make a bid for something more? This sizzling story is all about the love.

The One Who Comes in the Night by Kate Roman is a surprising tale of courage and love. Lonely human Drew never thought to want more until the cursed Blaise began to visit his dreams. Drew’s desperate act of bravery and Blaise’s leap of faith both come achingly alive in Roman’s evocative prose.

The final story in the anthology is Payday by Sean Michael, and Michael’s fans will thrill to the twist here: Temperamental painter Alan and his compliant lover Mark made a deal with a very hot, very masterful demon, and now he’s come to collect. Power exchange was never like this!

Readers new to the demon-bearing brand of urban fantasy will find a rich sampling in this nicely rounded anthology, while established fans of the genre will find much to relish in the twists and turns available here. Tales of good and evil are never better when both extremes are so deliciously ambiguous as in The Care and Feeding of Demons. Enjoy!

Sample

From Absolutely Magic
By Julia Talbot

"Demon hunter, not demon fucker. Hunter. Not fucker. Got it?" Damon's boss slammed a huge case file down on his desk, glaring at him, looking like nothing so much as Wilford Brimley on crack. "This makes what, six--"

"Eight."

"Eight! Eight that you've had to have sex with in the line of duty? In the line of duty! Who in hell has sex with a demon to bring them down?"

"Hey, this job has very few perks." Damon started counting the detriments of the job down on his fingers. "No hazard pay. Singed clothing. Lots of slime. I figure if there's an attractive demon I might as well enjoy him before I send him back to Hell."

"It's bad for our reputation."

"As what? We're not exactly the kind of place you look up on Dunn and Bradstreet."

"We still have to prove that we can pull the trigger or do the damned spell when we have to."

Damon let his feet slam to the floor, rolling off his desk. He stood, looming over his boss so fast that the man backed up a step.

"I never, ever have trouble sending their asses to Hell. No matter what I do to said asses beforehand."

His boss stared at him for a long moment, something weird flashing in those mossy old eyes. "One day, you'll meet one you can't let go of. Then what the hell are you going to do?"

Damon just sneered. "I do the dumping, Boss. Don't you worry. The demon who can snare me doesn't exist."