Book Review: Demon's Curse by Alexa Egan

Demon's Curse

By Alexa Egan

Release Date: December 26, 2012

Source: Publisher

Summary: A fast-paced and captivating debut—the first in the dark and sexy Imnada Brotherhood series about shape shifters in Regency-era England.

A rising star on the Covent Garden stage, Bianca Parrino believes she has everything she wants. Independence. Wealth. And a life finally free of her violent, abusive husband. But when her close friend, Adam, is murdered, and Bianca is suspected in his death, she is unwittingly drawn into the search for his killer, and soon must question everything she believes—about her friend, about herself, and about a world she never knew existed.

A member of the mysterious race of shape-shifting Imnada and part of an elite military unit, Captain Mac Flannery gathered intelligence during the Napoleonic wars. As a result of a savage massacre, Mac and the men he served with are cursed. Now one of them has been found murdered, and Mac suspects the existence of the Imnada has been discovered at last. His only link to unearthing the truth is the beautiful actress who turns up unexpectedly at Adam’s funeral.

Before long, Mac has more to contend with than Bianca’s overt mistrust, his ill-fated attraction to the haughty and beautiful actress, and his ongoing search for an end to the curse. Because Adam’s killer is back, and Mac is next on his list.

Review: I don't think I've read that many paranormal historical romance books, so I was really excited to try this one out. I like paranormal and I love historical romance, so I figured this book had to be a great read. 

Mac Flannery isn't your ordinary Captain, he's part of the shape-shifting Imnada, meaning he can shape shift any time he wants. But when one of Mac's friends and fellow Imnada kills an entire family in order to protect their secret, Mac and three of his friends are cursed so now they are forced to shift every night at sundown. What once was a gift is now a horrible curse that prevents the men from ever living a normal life. And now that they're cursed, they're cast out of their clan, cutting Mac off from the woman he was going to marry and the only family he has ever known. The only answer Mac can find to fixing his life is finding a cure for the curse, but when one of his fellow cursed Imnadas is found dead, Mac learns he was close to finding a cure and is lead to Bianca, an actress with a troubled past of her own. Can Bianca really help Mac get back to his clan? 

I really loved how there was way more to this story than the romance. Don't get me wrong, the romance was awesome, but it was nice to have actual substance and a goal the characters were striving for. I was kept wondering how Mac was going to find this mysterious cure or if the cure even existed in the first place. The villains were really interesting too and I loved being able to see some chapters/excerpts from their point of view. The whole paranormal aspect with shapeshifting was also a great part of this story; it wasn't your usual werewolf story, but a species that was a lot more interesting. They had a whole history and had to keep their race a secret because the other paranormal creatures thought they had gone extinct. 

So overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were some parts that were slow, but you pretty much get that in every book. The romance was great and the paranormal side of the story was even better. If you're a fan of historical romance and paranormal, you should definitely give this book a try. Now I can't wait to see what the author has in store next with the Imnada Brotherhood.