A FIEND IN NEED

Author: Maureen Child ISBN: 9780451223074 3/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: NAL/SIGNET

It's only been a month since single mom Cassie Burke unexpectedly became the hottest demon killer in town—and already there's a price on her head and a website calling for her murder. Then a sizzling hunk of a faery shows up on her porch in need of protection. Cassie's happy to help because, after all, he is an expert love slave. Plus, he gets along great with her teenage daughter—a heroic feat in itself. After a few not-quite-chaste nights, Cassie knows why Queen Vanessa wants him back so badly—and why she's planning an all-out attack on her. Suddenly Cassie's wondering if she can fend off an entire city of demons—and if a little faery tail is even worth it...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I read this book in the waiting room at my dentist's office. Let's just say I got a couple of strange looks, but they were all worth it. I know there were a bunch of people who passed me who wished they were riveted to a book instead of heading in to see the doctor.

A FIEND IN NEED by Maureen Child isn't the first book to feature a single mom, demon-slaying woman whose cleaning business brings her in contact daily with all sorts—including demons. It seems Cassie is surrounded by demons, or half-demons, everywhere she goes. Part of her family legacy is that she turns into a Demon Duster (demon killer) on her thirty-second birthday. Since her mother didn't live long enough to take up her powers this comes as a small shock to Cassie, but she's learning to adapt.

While Cassie deals with the idea she's become the target for every greedy demon around she finds a handsome faery on her doorstep. Grudgingly she agrees to let him stay with her and her sassy teenage daughter. Brady, the faery, is a sex slave to a Queen who is just another in a long line of those who would rather see Cassie dead than alive. Life, not smooth to begin with, becomes even more tangled when Cassie finds her man in a compromising position with a three-breasted female. Remember, this is a paranormal romance! All sorts of beings pepper Cassie's world!

Cassie is a great heroine, with guts and stamina that go far beyond the realm of ordinary women. Brady is so wonderfully perfect he's going to make every woman who reads this book long for a faery of her own. Let's just say he sure knows how to wake a woman up! And Thea, Cassie's daughter, is so normal in this other-than-normal world that she provides a balance to the entire story.

I was glued to the pages, and loved every minute of A FIEND IN NEED.

Kay James