Review: Eve of Darkness by S.J. Day

Title: Eve of Darkness Author: S. J. Day Format: MM Available Formats: Kindle / Barnes & Noble eBook / Sony eBook Page Count: 344 Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance Publisher: Tor Pub. Date: April 28, 2009 ISBN-13: 9780765360410

This book was a completely random buy for me. While shopping in my bookstore, I was having trouble deciding on a new book. I offered to let my husband choose one out for me based on the covers (I was a little curious to see what he'd choose). Well, I ended up with Eve of Darkness!

Evangeline Hollis, more often called "Eve", gets dropped between a brotherly feud of Biblical proportions. Well, actually, the two brothers are Biblical. Going by "Alec Cain" and "Reed Abel", the famous sibling rivals now have a lot more to fight over: including Eve. Eve, meanwhile, happens to fall into their world by acting as a temptress or "apple" (as in forbidden fruit) that neither brother can resist. Thus, Eve becomes "Marked" and must spend her life banishing demons from the Earth.

Overall, I have to say that I like the idea of the story much more than how the story is told. I rather like the idea of angels, demons, and Biblical stories used in urban fantasy. However, the problem comes in that this story would much more comfortably fit under "paranormal romance" than "urban fantasy". Nearly every plot point turns back to the heavy attraction between Eve and the brothers...and lots and lots of sex. It almost seems that Day steps back from exploring the interesting elements she already has going for her in the story (angels, brother rivalry, a girl drawn to two men) and instead covers with throwing more and more sex or new elements at the reader. I'd happily give up the werewolves that appear at the end for some more development.

In the end you'll like or hate Eve depending on how you react to passages like this (all over) in the book:

"I will get you out of this," he said, struggling against his body's reaction to the sight of her. He was so hard it hurt. Her gaze dropped and her lips parted in a silent gasp. She pointed viciously at his erection. "Put that thing away! It's gotten me into enough trouble as it is."

Quick and Dirty: One Night Stand.
Eve of Darkness is full of good ideas, but the execution leaves the entire story lacking. I'm torn between giving the second volume a try and saving my money. On one hand, the possible rivalry between the brothers could be great--if only Day would delve into the relationship fully. (Har har, and by "developing relationship" I don't mean the sex everyone seems to be 'delving' into all the time.) Still, the idea is so original that I almost want to hope that the second book in the series would, perhaps, manage to find a better balance than Eve of Darkness.