Demon's Mercy

Rebecca Zanetti

Jan 2019 · Dark Protectors Book 9 · Lyrical Press

About this eBook

A fairy falls in lust with a vampire-demon she’s meant to kill in this paranormal romance from the New York Times–bestselling author of Fallen.
 
Duty meets desire . . .
 
Mercy O’Malley hates killing people. So when she’s assigned to take out Vampire-Demon Logan Kyllwood, she lures him to a seedy bar in Scotland—then decides to kidnap him instead. How can she cold-bloodedly end all that heat, those green eyes…that ripped body?
 
Unfortunately for Mercy, attempted murder and kidnapping are just foreplay for the Kyllwood brothers. Logan may be the youngest of the bunch, but death and violence are already a way of life.  Now he’s ready to complete a painful, terrifying ritual to become one of the Seven, dedicated to protecting this world from the most dangerous evil it’s ever known. But first he has to deal with a blackmailing Fae, a ransom demand and his own pounding need for the last female he ever should have fallen for….
 
Praise for the Dark Protectors Series

“Sizzling sex scenes and a memorable cast.”
—Publishers Weekly on Claimed
 
“A fast-paced, excitement-filled explosion of action…Zanetti keeps getting better.”
—RT Book Reviews on Marked, 4.5 Stars Top Pick

Ratings and reviews

4.25 stars--DEMON’S MERCY is the ninth instalment in Rebecca Zanetti’s contemporary, adult DARK PROTECTOR paranormal, fantasy romance series. This is vampire/demon hybrid Logan Kyllwood, and fae Mercy O’Malley’s story line. DEMON’S MERCY can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing premise throughout. SOME BACKGROUND: A thousand years earlier, a number of immortal warriors went through a ritual that, if they survived, hardened their bodies against attack, a ritual meant to create a group of Seven known as The Shield. The Shield was created to protect the world from an evil race of vampires known as the Kurjans, their sect group known as the Cysts, and ultimately a rogue warrior once considered a friend- Ulric-a male of immense power. To protect the human race, Ulric was captured, and along with two of the Seven, was encapsulated in one of three spheres for all eternity. As the warriors search for the ‘Keys’ to perform the ritual, the Lock must be protected in order to take down the evil that is hoping to take over the world. Told from several third person perspectives including Mercy and Logan DEMON’S MERCY focuses on Logan’s search for one of the Keys, a supernatural or enhanced female who, together with two other Keys, will open the lock to save the Realm but all does not go according to plan when Logan finds himself the prisoner of a female Fae, Mercy O’Malley, the woman who would one day be his fated mate. What ensues is the back and forth, escape and recapture between Mercy and Logan, and the potential fall-out as the Fae have sided with the Kurjans and the Cysts, against the Realm. Mercy O’Malley has known all of her life that she is destined to help save her Fae world. As one of only a few remaining Fae of mating age, our heroine finds herself promised to someone else as she slowly falls in love with our leading man. Logan Kyllwood knows Mercy is his fated mate, the mating wrong is never wrong, but Logan struggles to convince Mercy that trust is earned, even though neither one is willing to accept the other at face value. Meanwhile Sam Kyllwood is taken hostage and thrown into a hell dimension where the portals open for a revealing surprise. The relationship between Mercy and Logan is acrimonious at best. Mercy and her fellow Fae females have been assigned to take down and destroy our leading hero in the belief the Seven are a threat to the world. The palpable sexual attraction between Mercy and Logan is immediate; the $ex scenes are passionate and seductive. There is a large ensemble cast of familiar and colorful secondary and supporting characters including Logan’s brother Sam Kyllwood, Garrett Kayrs, and seven year old Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood, and her bestie Paxton; Zane and Janie Belle, Ronan and Faith Karys, Quade Kayrs, Benjamin Reese, demon-vampire and Viking Ivar Kjeidsen, and Scotsman Adare O’Cearbhaill. We are introduced to Mercy’s fellow Fae warriors Sandy and Trina, self- proclaimed King Niall, and president Alyssa Dawn. The world building continues to focus of the search for the Keys: the fight against the Kurjans and the Cysts; the protection of the Realm; and Hope’s foray into the dreamworld. The seven members of the Shield prepare for war one battle at a time, knowing one or two of their own may be lost forever, encapsulated in an effort to keep Ulric behind proverbial bars. DEMON’S MERCY is a story of family, friendship, survival and blood. The fast paced premise is engaging and intriguing; the characters are strong, sassy and inspiring; the romance is spirited and moving. DEMON’S MERCY is a sexy, spicy and startling story line sure to please the supernatural lover in all of us.

Demon’s Mercy by Rebecca Zanetti Dark Protectors #9 What fun to see what is happening with some of my favorite characters! In this book vampir-demon-hybrid Logan Kyllwood meets his mate and what a time they have as Mercy O’Malley tries to convince Logan and the rest of the protectors that she is right and they are wrong. What is the issue? Oh...just the world as we know it and how to keep it from spinning away into nothing or perhaps if it stays being overtaken by evil that nobody wants to have in charge. There is chemistry between the two and neither trusts the other – with good reason – and there is intrigue and some people that are not on the same page and others that are sure their page is the only one everyone should be on. This was a fun, action-packed, steamy story with two strong characters that found their way to one another AND it left me wanting to find out what will happen in book ten...I can hardly wait! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Lyrical Press for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4-5 Stars

Okay, so I was going to say that this novel/novella is the ninth in a series and you have to have read a few of them to be able to distinguish the various characters. But then I looked and actually I have only read one previous book in this series - I have however read several of the spin-off Realm Enforcers series. If you like your paranormal heroes built like tanks, with super-human powers, a bossy nature and an affinity to motorbikes and guns then this series is for you! Logan Kyllwood is a vampire-demon hybrid. He is about to perform a mysterious and allegedly highly dangerous ritual to become one of the Seven, a secret group of hybrids sworn to protect the world from an evil imprisoned in a different dimension. He has tracked down a young woman who is one of three mysterious 'Keys' and struck up a conversation with her in a bar. What he doesn't know is that he is the victim of a sting operation. The young woman is actually a fairy (they prefer to be called fae), a species previously thought to be a myth, and she is determined to stop Logan from becoming one of the Seven by kidnapping him. This has literally everything. Demons, hybrids, fae, oracles, transporting, dimension travel, ancient prophecies, mating rituals, BDSM games, dark rituals, vikings, scotsmen, cute moppets, the list goes on. I said recently that I think novellas is the way to go with paranormal, short enough to maintain the interest but long enough to encompass plotting, double crosses, fights, mating and important meetings! Honestly this had so many things that I normally loathe about the paranormal, the bossiness, the way the women capitulate and agree that they will obey the men all the time, the way the men ride rough shod over the women, the way they threaten (and often do) to smack their butts. And yet I enjoyed every second of this novella. My only gripe is that the end kind of fizzled out with lots yet to be resolved - not quite a cliff-hanger but most definitely a to-be-continued. Nevertheless, I am eagerly looking forward to the next books. I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

About the author

Rebecca Zanetti is the award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over eighty romantic suspense, dark paranormal, and contemporary romances, many of which have also appeared on the Publishers Weekly, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple bestseller lists and sold millions of copies worldwide. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and New York Times Book Review and received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Kirkus. Previously an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner, Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body—all in the name of research. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and can be found online at RebeccaZanetti.com