Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner

From the Publisher:
The Barnes & Noble Review
Kate Connor used to be a demon hunter: Now she's a stay-at-home mom, a "glorified chauffeur for pep squad practice and Gymboree play dates." But when a demonic assassin shows up at her suburban home minutes before an important dinner party, the retired Hunter is forced back into action to save her town -- and her freshly baked mini-quiches -- from the invading fiend and his army of the undead.
Kate's husband and her two kids don't know anything about her demon-killing past -- and she wants to keep it that way. So while doing what supermoms do -- raising an inquisitive two-year old, dealing with a teenage girl's myriad of social issues, supporting an overworked husband running for county attorney, etc. -- Kate also finds time to unravel the mystery behind the sudden ghoulish invasion. It seems a master demon named Goramesh has come to town in search of an invaluable religious artifact secreted in a much-storied cathedral. But in order to obtain the relic, Goramesh must first find a suitable human subordinate…


The character of Kate Connor is an appealing mélange of Laurell K. Hamilton's sexy, butt-kicking vampire executioner Anita Blake, Sex and the City's super-cool column writer Carrie Bradshaw, and the women of ABC's Desperate Housewives, whose lives revolve around domestic intrigues like potty training, teenage curfews, PTA meetings, bake sales, neighborhood gossip -- and scandalous secrets. Fast-paced and strikingly clever, this lighthearted romp through suburbia will appeal to romance, mystery, and fantasy fans alike. Paul Goat Allen

My Comments:
What more can I say after all that?! Lots!

Anita Blake has become way too slutty for me. I don't enjoy LKH's books that at one time were the end all be all, nothing could ever compare this is the litmus test for all other paranormal fiction. Whew. That was a mouthful!

Mary Janice Davidson's characters while funny at times have become just too snarky and mean! I can't relate at all to characters who are bitchy just because. The plots grew thinner as the protagonists grew meaner. It's hard to care about characters who are too shallow to know any better. And this is the only author I have ever written to who never replied. *sniff* I know. My feelings almost got hurt there for a second.

Ah, but Julie Kenner's heroine was ultra relatable (okay, so that's probably not a real word). Right down to the play dates, teenagers starting high school, Fiesta Ware, husband's work schedule, toddler trauma and eating a sleeve of thin mints and Diet Coke at noon because she forgot to eat breakfast. The characters were real! (Well, except for the demonic ones.) What a treat! There was a real plot! And it actually made sense! I was riveted.

I really enjoyed Julie Kenner's website as well and discovered I actually have a lot in common with her. For me, it made the reading experience that much more enjoyable. It's always slightly disappointing for me to discover my favorite author is against most of the things I hold dear. How refreshing to discover the opposite in this case.

I'm thrilled to have the next book in this series "California Demon" waiting for me on my To Be Read Shelf, and the third in the series, "Demons Are Forever" is due out in July.

Keep It Or Pass It On?:
Oh, I'll be keeping it. I'll lend it to friends, but for now I want to keep it available for re-reading at a later date!