Rating: 4🌈
Demon Inside is a new action/adventure paranormal story by H.L. Day, a author whose fantasy fiction I’m enormous fan of. Day’s ability to create the kind of interesting, damaged characters that appeal to readers is exactly why I find Day’s stories so intriguing.
Jude Campbell is a perfect example. Haunted by visions of demons no one else can see since birth, he’s been in and out of psychiatric hospitals and doctors care for most of his life. Placed there for his “own good” by his parents, and even himself.
Jude is an emotional wreck of a man when Day dumps us into his life.
Dante Moretti enters into Jude’s messy life when he needs help the most and least expects it. Dante is a being that shouldn’t exist, a half demon. How he came to be is slowly revealed, along with the other parts of Dante’s life. That’s a priest, Father Rory, who assists him in his mission. A mission which isn’t terribly clear to the reader or Jude for that matter.
That’s one of my issues with the story. There’s a lack of framework for all the demonic creatures and activities that are occurring. Yes , we get Asmodeus, and the neat element of dream creation/talking, but real depth about the structure and behaviors? No. I felt something was missing.
I enjoyed the fast paced narrative, the idea of the characters made to fit together (although that wasn’t as fully developed as it could have been). Jude and Dante were a sexy, enjoyable duo who had a short time to pull together and learned to care about each other. Day did a great job in getting that accomplished.
The ending was swiftly built up and action packed. It was left open just enough for Day to write a sequel if it was ever desired.
Until then, I’m recommending Demon Inside by H. L. Day as a fun, fast paced paranormal adventure!
Buy Link:
Description:
The forces of darkness are gathering, and only two men can stand in their way.
Jude Campbell can see demons. His psychiatric history says it’s all in his head, but he knows they’re out there. Watching. Waiting. Biding their time.
Dante Moretti is the half demon child that should never have been born. He might exorcize demons, but the dark urges from his demon side are growing stronger, and he knows the day will come when he’ll lose himself to them completely.
When Jude’s time runs out, Dante is tasked with keeping him alive. Jude might be temptation personified, but for Jude’s sake, Dante won’t give in. Only, being together is changing them, in ways neither could possibly hope to understand, and it’s no longer clear who is saving who.
Destiny has come calling. And love could be its prize.
Demon Inside is a 94k action/adventure paranormal MM novel. It features a demon king who can enter dreams, two flawed main characters who don’t have the happiest of backgrounds, a priest sidekick, secrets that go way back, and plenty of steam.
Content warnings: violence and murder, past mentions of sexual assault (not of the main characters), and mentions of psychiatric difficulties and medication use.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 