This book had a good mix of paranormal romance and mystery with demons, ghosts, and dragons thrown in. I liked the interaction between characters Aisling, Jim, Drake, Tiffany and Nora. I also liked how Aisling figured out the Guardian murders while trying to keep her dignity intact.

This is the 2nd book in the Aisling Grey, Guardian series. My review of book 1, You Slay Me, can be found at this entry in my blog.

The story takes place in Budapest. Aisling is there to attend the GODTAM conference (Guardians, Oracles, Diviners, Theurgists and Mages) in the hopes of finding a Guardian mentor so she can learn more about her powers and how to control them. As usual, she’s accompanied by her demon Jim, a lovable, if a bit mouthy and troublesome, big black Newfie dog.

Her mate Drake, wyvern of the Green Dragon sept, whom we also met in You Slay Me, has followed her there, moving his scheduled “peace talks” with the other 3 dragon septs to the same city where Aisling is… because as his mate, Drake claims, she’s an important part of the sept.

Of course, trouble also follows Aisling everywhere she goes, and “trouble” makes a grand entrance in Budapest, as it did in France. Aisling finds herself in some pretty hot water—both literally and figuratively—and has promised to help the Otherworld police, the L’au-delà, find out who’s been killing some of the Guardians so she herself isn’t charged of the crimes. She’s always just popping up in the wrong place at the wrong time it seems!

Where the story goes a bit overboard for me at times is with some of the romance scenes, and the mushy gushy way that Aisling sometimes goes on about Drake like a love-sick school girl with a crush. It’s like “gag-a-rama”! ;) But this is something that bugs me about a lot of MacAlister’s books, including the Dark Ones series. Fortunately, the rest of the story is often interesting enough to keep me reading… I just hate too much romance in my books without something to even it out.

Despite all Aisling’s troubles, everything works out for her in the end… well nearly everything. A few things left unresolved leave the reader anxiously looking forward to the next book in the series, Light My Fire to find out what happens next. (Fortunately, that book is already waiting here on my shelf, though it might be several months before I can get to it.)

5.2005
4/5 Stars
Second in new series about Aisling Grey, Guardian of the portals of Hell (Amadon). Other characters include Drake, her dragon intended, Rene, the mysterious taxi driver, and Jim, her demon in Newfoundland dog form. Very funny, a good addition to the series.