Bedeviled

Maggie Donovan was living a normal life until the day she finds a demon eating her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. She somehow manages to kill the demon, but her day is not done being strange. A gorgeous fairy warrior appears in her kitchen and tells her she is destined to grow her latent fairy powers and defeat, Mab, the Queen of Otherworld. Culhane has been waiting for Maggie for centuries. Mab has been ruling Otherworld with an iron fist and her defeat at Maggie's hands will set them free. But he has to talk the stubborn Maggie into it, first. As much as she infuriates him, he can't help but be attracted to her spirit. Neither one wants to like the other, but they need each other if they are to defeat Mab. While overall, I enjoyed Bedeviled, at times I felt like I was reading two different stories: one, a fun, chick-lit style romance and the other, a more serious paranormal romance. When told in the point of view of Maggie, it was full of silly asides, sarcasm and humorous moments. When told from Culhane's perspective, it was more solemn. I realize that it may have been done that way to kind of highlight those differences in the characters, but it was distracting. But it was fun watching them struggle to do their duty as they fight the attraction between them. However, I enjoyed the story, and the subplot involving Maggie's sister. I will be looking for the continuation of the story, BEGUILED, coming out in August, 2009. Niki Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

It all started when Maggie Donovan decided to dump her boyfriend, Joe. Little does she expect to encounter a monster eating Joe! Maggie doesn't think, she acts, and the monster ends up unexpectedly dead. There's just one catch... now Maggie has the power of the Fae running through her and every demon wants her dead. Worse, she finds she is supposedly the fulfillment of a prophecy that leaves her stuck training with a cranky pixie named Bezel when all she cares about is keeping her family safe. Culhane, a gorgeous Fae warrior, keeps distracting her but does he really have her best interests at heart? Maureen Child creates vividly drawn characters and the ones in BEDEVILED are no exception. Maggie is an awesome heroine as she's full of spunk but very down to earth. She reacts just the way one would expect when faced with all the Fae craziness invading her world and it's just hysterical to read. I especially like the fact that she sticks to her guns and doesn't just give in because someone tells her it's destiny or that she has to. Bezel is a great sidekick and I can't help but hope we see more of him. And who can't help but love Eileen and her endless quota of completely off the wall facts? Having said that, Culhane is a very different sort of hero. He's not your typical romance hero at all as the story veers away from some of the traditional romance aspects. Don't get me wrong, Culhane's motivations are definitely well-intentioned and it's hard not to admire him... and yet there are some moments where a good smack would have helped him as well! Maureen Child writes a fantastic tale that is sure to keep readers captivated from the very first page. From the world building to the character development, BEDEVILED has all the elements of a phenomenal story. Highly recommended! COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I loved the interaction between the characters. It was fast, furious and flawlessly delivered. Maureen, you rock!

Well, I gave this book five stars because I wrote it, so why not? I usually don't do this, post reviews of my own books, because it's just a little odd, I know, LOL! But, as much as I love the review Harriet posted (thank you Harriet!) I just had to clarify something......there are NO worms in this book, LOL! Ew. Worms. No, no, no...Still, hope everyone enjoys it!

Maggie Donovan goes over to her soon to be former fiancé's office to return him is ABBA CDs and his classic Star Trek DVDs only to walk in on a nightmare. Something female from a horror flick is dining on poor nice Joe Erickson before turning to chow on Maggie. She grabs the bi*ch's pendant and uses it against the carnivore, which enables her to survive the demonic assault, but inhales a strange powder that gives her astonishing powers. Otherworld Fae warrior Culhane feels his hundreds of years waiting impatiently for the right woman which has finally occurred. He believes Maggie, who has Fae blood in her, is destined to fight and defeat the evil Queen Mab. However, in spite of her libido deserting her with her attraction to Culhane, she rejects the Fae until attacks on her human family begin. She knows she must confront Mab who has everything going for her in a one on one battle except for Maggie's grit to keep her loved one safe from the malevolent witch. Maggie owns this wonderful urban fantasy although some might argue she adapts to her off kilter new world disorder too easily. She is terrific as the chosen one (at least Culhane's chosen one), which she believes only places a bulls-eye on her chest for Queen Mab to send her worms to attack her. Readers will enjoy the opening gamut as the Child universe is established in a way that the heroine feels so BEDEVILED she would empathize with Alice falling through the looking glass. Harriet Klausner