The Demon's Daughter (Berkley Sensation) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Emma Holly is one of the hottest cutting-edge writers in today's market. She's gaining a strong fan base for her sizzling Romantica tales (Strange Attractions, Personal Best and her Black Lace books) to her Paranormals (Catching Midnight, Hunting Midnight and the novella in Hot Blooded) and Victorian Era (Beyond Innocence, Beyond Seduction). Frankly, I think Emma Holly can¯and does¯write anything she wants and does it unlike any writer around. Her writing is frank, open and she loves to walk on the wild side.

This time she ventures into another Paranormal tale that is both exciting and very original. It has the feel of another series, and one I will be looking forward to when they tales come! The range of Holly's writing is amazing, her deeply drawn characters and strong plot really set her above others Romantica writers. She succeeds while others often don't make the bar, because her works are well researched, and she gives such heart to her heroine and hero.

Set in the Victoria era, Inspector Adrian Philip of Securite Service, is more than a typical policeman, he is the keeper of peace between demons and humans. He has accepted implants in his body that enable him to have incredible strength, and to assume the powers of a demon for short periods. By accepting this role of protector of both, he belongs to neither. Adrian is an outsider in both worlds.

When Adrian seeks a missing boy, he is attacked by a local gang. Using his demonic implanted powers, he escapes. After using the powers, he is weakened and collapses in a courtyard of Roxanne McCallister. Roxanne is also an outcast, a half-breed, part demon, part human. She takes Adrian in and treats him. Adrian is very attracted to Roxanne, but knows no woman will want him. Proof of this is his former wife had walked out on him because of his not quite human state. Roxanne desires Adrian, but is unaware of his demon enhanced state. Being a half breed, she fears no man or demon would want her either. As Adrian recovers under Roxanne's tender care, he falls in love with her, yet tries to resist a relationship that could interfere with his police career, and ultimately will leave him hurt when she rejects him.

In true Emma Holly fashion, the love scenes are beyond erotic, but she never loses a firm grasp on what makes Romance work. Her fantasy world works, because she strongly roots it in reality of caring people that linker in the readers mind long after you put the book down.

Another keeper for my Emma Holly shelf! They are racking up very fast, and each one so special.

Emma Hollys "The Demon's Daughter" beschreibt ein alternatives London zur Zeit von Königin Viktoria. Bei einer Arktisexpedition wird die Existenz einer weiteren intelligenten Spezies entdeckt. Die Yama leben unter der Erde, sind den Menschen sowohl in Stärke als auch Technologie überlegen und verfügen über ein striktes Klassensystem. Zur Sicherung der Landesgrenzen schließt Königin Viktoria einen Pakt mit den "Dämonen", im Zuge dessen es zur Bildung von Yama-Enklaven in den Städten der Menschen kommt.

Adrian und Roxy sind Außenseiter in einer Gesellschaft, in der Standesdünkel und Klassengrenzen unüberwindlich scheinen. Adrian ist Polizist und durch seine Implantate, die ihm bei Bedarf die Stärke eines Dämons geben, in den Augen vieler ein Verräter seiner Art. Roxy ist Künstlerin und die uneheliche Tochter einer berühmt-berüchtigten Sängerin. Als Adrian bei privaten Ermittlungen verletzt wird, pflegt Roxy ihn gesund. Beide sind voneinander fasziniert und lassen sich auf eine Affäre ein, wohl wissend, dass diese nur von kurzer Dauer sein kann. Dann trifft Roxy erstmalig ihren Vater, einen hochgestellten Yama-Diplomaten. Eigentlich sind Menschen und Dämonen genetisch nicht kompatibel, so dass Roxies Existenz unvermeidlich die Aufmerksamkeit der Yama-Regierung auf sich zieht. Die geht in ihrem Bestreben, das Rätsel, das Roxy darstellt, zu lösen, nicht gerade zimperlich vor, und Adrian hat alle Hände voll zu tun, sie vor den immer aggressiver werdenden Nachstellungen schützen.

"The Demon's Daughter" ist athmosphärisch dicht und nimmt den Leser schnell gefangen. Avvar, das alternative London wirkt wie eine Mischung aus Charles Dickens und Philip K. Dick, gleichermaßen rückständig und fortschrittlich. Die Yama in ihrer Andersheit sind faszinierend, wenn ihre Beweggründe auch im Dunkeln bleiben und es kaum gelingt, Sympathien für sie zu wecken. Die gehören dagegen Adrian und Roxie, die in ihrer Unentschlossenheit und Verletzlichkeit überzeugen, und deren Liebe mit den auftretenden Schwierigkeiten zu wachsen scheint.

I haven't read any books by Emma Holly before and I thought I'd give this one a go. When I started it I was initially rather perturbed - it seemed like I had bought a book which was erotic fiction, not something I enjoy reading. However, I persevered and I'm glad I did. There was much more to this book than it first seemed and I thought it was very well written - I just wish there was less sex and more of the rest of the plot as that plot was actually very good.

Adrian Philips is a police Inspector in a world that's sort-of like Victorian London but slightly different. There are Bow Street Runners, gas lighting, the Queen is on the throne - but this place is actually a different country in a different world where, 30 years before, a race of other people were discovered, called Demons. The demons have started to live with the humans but there is significant distrust between the two communities. Although the demons actually have a lot of modern technology (such as cars, communication screens etc) and the humans are still in 19th century levels of technology, the demons keep a lot of their technology away from the humans.

Adrian Philips, however, is the beneficiary of some demon technology, some implants that enable him to have super-human strength when he calls upon it. This is very useful for his job as a police inspector but because he has used some demon technology his colleagues shy away from him. He works the difficult beat looking for missing persons in a dodgy area of town - some young boys seem to have gone missing and people think that the demons are taking them to feed upon their life force (something which demons can do).

Adrian finds himself rather battered after a fight and ends up being looked after by Roxanne McAllister, an artist and the illegitimate daughter of a famous opera singer. She has taken in two boys from the streets, Charles and Max, and has given them a home and made a family. She looks after Adrian for a week and nature takes its course as one would expect in a novel like this - except that there's no future in it. Roxanne is from the lower classes, her personal history makes her an outcast, and Adrian is warned to sever connection with her or his job is at risk. So he does.

Roxanne has always wondered why she is so strong and when coming face to face with a demon diplomat she discovers the answer - he is undoubtedly her father, although everyone knows demons and humans can't breed together. This adds one more obstacle in the way of a relationship between her and Adrian, especially when her father tries to initiate contact with her. When she ignores this she finds Max has been removed from her care and later she and Adrian are nearly kidnapped. What is going on with her father and the prince of the demons. Is there any possible future with Adrian despite their different social levels? And what about the fact she's half a demon, surely this makes her completely beyond the pale?

What's good about this book is the way that two caring people learn to deal with the issues that initially seem too big to get past. Although there's a lot of sex in this book there's also a lot of character building, plot unravelling and a lot of consideration of how two very different races might settle in to living together just 30 years after the discovery of each other. I would recommend this book if you don't mind reading about sexual scenes because the rest of the book makes it well worth the effort.