Review: Blessed by a Demon's Mark by E.S. Moore

In a job like this, there’s no retirement plan

 Kat Redding’s life is dangerous enough when she’s hunting the rogue vampires who prey on Pureblood humans. But now that Kat is thinking of getting out of the killing business, she’s faced with a slew of new problems. Like the demon Beligral, who offers help at an escalating cost, and the werewolf cult with whom she’s entwined professionally and personally. And then there’s Countess Baset—the terrifying vampire who wants Kat to become her personal assassin.

 It’s no wonder that Kat has been seeking refuge in the mysterious town known as Delai, a place where she can shed her Lady Death persona and live a life that’s as close to normal as she’s ever known. But even in this haven, something feels askew. Delai is a little too serene. And the more she discovers, the more Kat realizes that the only choice left to her is not whether to do battle, but which side she’ll risk her life to defend…

Review:

Kat Redding is a vampire that's trying to gain control of her life, but it isn't easy considering that she is like a magnet for trouble, attracting anything and everyone that wants to hurt her or those that she loves. Blessed by a Demon's Mark starts out where the events in Tainted Night, Tainted Blood left off, but you get the gist of who's who pretty quick if you're reading out of order, and that feeling of missing something vital is explained early on.

So Kat returns home to the place she shared with Ethan only to find a werewolf named Jeremy living there too. Apparently he was sent by the local packmaster, Jonathan, to protect Ethan since everyone believed Kat to be dead. She isn't happy with the arrangement and she's angrier still to learn the reason why Ethan needed protecting in the first place. Levi and the town of Delai is not what it seems and to make things even worse, another vampire wants to hire Kat as her personal assassin. She dons her Lady Death persona and the wild ride of blood and guts begins!

Picture an angry Bo from Lost Girl and you have Kat, a fierce combination of power and beauty, she tends to choke down her emotions, fighting first and asking questions, or apologizing, later, usually way later. She isn't very likeable at first, coming across as prickly and stubborn, as a woman that uses her words with equal force as her actions, oftentimes hurting her friends without knowing how not to. After you get more involved in her backstory it's easier to understand why she acts like such a bitch, why she shields herself from emotional attachments, and why her friends stick around. Kat might be rough around the edges but her feelings run deep.

The Kat Redding series is a solid urban fantasy that gives readers a mix of worldbuilding and action, with a teensy dollop of emotion to give balance. Kat and her friends are not necessarily warm and fuzzy, although most are fuzzy at times, but they are a solid group with realistic feelings. One unique aspect of the world is the hierarchy and mythology of the vampires themselves, which aren't your drink from a blood bag type vampires. These are violent, uncontrollable bloodthirsty creatures that you don't want to mess with.

~Anna Dougherty

Stop over to the author website here.

Kat Redding Series:

To Walk the Night

Tainted Night, Tainted Blood

Blessed By a Demon's Mark