Rating: 4 stars
Buy Links:  Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Ryan’s sister is dying of cancer and Ryan would do anything to help her. Unfortunately, Maggie’s case is terminal and she is leaving behind a young daughter. Ryan is desperate to help and decides to take a gamble he isn’t sure he even believes in — making a deal to trade his soul for Maggie’s life.

Zavier is a Collections Demon. His job is to arrange for the trading of souls in return for a wish, then to come back five years later to collect the soul for Corporate South. Zavier hates his job and does his best to bend and stretch the rules as much as possible to help the poor fools who agree to the terms. But his boss has caught on and Zavier is under tight scrutiny. If he doesn’t start delivering on those souls, he is in big trouble of the kind only Corporate South can provide.

When Ryan summons Zavier to make the deal for his sister’s life, Zavier immediately senses something familiar about him, but it takes a while to figure out what. When he finally learns the truth, everything Zavier thought he knew about his past comes crashing down. He is determined to do anything to save Ryan, but Ryan is equally determined to trade his soul to save Maggie. And with his boss hot on his trail, Zavier may find his own life is at stake as well. Now they must hope they can figure out a way to save both of their lives and have a future together.

So this is one of those books where I can’t go into too much detail for fear of spoiling the plot. The story behind Ryan and Zavier’s connection is very clever and creative and slowly is revealed throughout the book and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone. So I know I was a little meager on the details here but hopefully you get the gist of what is going on.

What I really enjoyed most about Demon of Mine is the really creative and well developed world building. That is so critical to a good fantasy/paranormal and Vause does a great job putting a new spin on the “sell your soul” story. I loved the clever touches (Corporate North and Corporate South) and her twist on the demon world, contracts, and selling of souls. It is well developed, but also easy to follow, and the story has a light and fun tone despite the somewhat dire circumstances these guys face.

Both Ryan and Zavier are likable guys and we can’t help but want them to make it. Even as a demon Zavier is clearly a good guy. Both men have sacrificed of themselves and continue to do so throughout the story. I did wish for a bit more here though. I wanted to understand Ryan a little better. Here is a guy who is giving up his life for his sister, yet we don’t really learn anything about what drives him. Yes, lots of people love a sibling, but how many would exchange their life for someone else’s? I wanted to understand more about Ryan, his relationship with his sister, and what would make him take such extreme measures. I also didn’t feel like we get a lot of relationship development between these guys. They have a history, so it isn’t exactly instalove, but it isn’t exactly people who know each other well either. And almost any relationship they once had is told only in brief flashbacks, so we aren’t really privy to much detail here. I could see the actions they were each taking and the sacrifices they were making, but I didn’t feel the emotional connection between them as strongly as I wanted. And finally, I am not so convinced that either of these men learned the lessons they were supposed to by the end of the book.

Despite these issues, I did really enjoy this story. I think Vause has made a really fun, creative world here and set us up with a great series. I am loving the future pairing we get a hint of in this story and am really looking forward to more. If you like a good fantasy/paranormal with lots of creativity, definitely give this one a try.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.