Where Demons Fear to Tread (The Company of Angels, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jun 12, 2011 Steph rated it liked it

Shelves: series-book1, author-웃, series-ongoing, arc-netgalley

Where Demons Fear to Tread is the first book in Stephanie Chong's new The Company of Angels series. When I saw this book was about angels and demons I had to read it. I am loving all the angel v. demon novels coming out this year. It's always fun to read about the ultimate good v. evil battle, especially when the lines between the two blur a bit.

In this story, we meet Serena, an selfless angel who has never been jaded by love and an arch demon, Julian, who excels at his job of gathering souls of Where Demons Fear to Tread is the first book in Stephanie Chong's new The Company of Angels series. When I saw this book was about angels and demons I had to read it. I am loving all the angel v. demon novels coming out this year. It's always fun to read about the ultimate good v. evil battle, especially when the lines between the two blur a bit.

In this story, we meet Serena, an selfless angel who has never been jaded by love and an arch demon, Julian, who excels at his job of gathering souls of the wicked. Serena's charge is Nick Ramirez, a hot, new celebrity. When she follows him into Devil's Paradise, the club owned by Julian, her job becomes a whole lot harder. Serena sees Julian and recognizes him as a demon. Even though demons and angels do NOT mix, she's drawn to him. This scares her. When Julian spots her he MUST have her. Can true love save an arch demon?

Sadly, as honorable as Serena's selflessness and willingness to sacrifice herself was, I just could not relate to her. I hunger for strong, kick-ass heroines who know what they want. Serena was the polar opposite. However, Stephanie did a good job presenting her in a way one may visualize a pure, naive angel. Parts veered too far into the religious zone for my liking.

However, Julian's character was well-rounded, wicked, but hot. He is the best demon he can be and thrives on damning souls to Hell. But, the sight of Serena has him second-guessing himself. Again, a little hard to swallow, but his character is written in a way that pulled me to his side, hoping he was able to have what he wanted.

Poor Nick. He's been assigned an angel for a reason, but he seems to get the short end of the stick here. He just wants to be loved. But, instead the demon trying hard to corrupt him and the angel assigned to save him find love. Doesn't seem right. I'm all for an angel and a demon HEA, but at the cost of a human life?

Overall, I felt Stephanie did a wonderful job of presenting the wickedness of demons. The story was a quick read and the romance was hot. My full rating is 2.5 stars, but I rounded up to 3 because of Julian.

This was a Mira ARC provided to me by Netgalley ...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Carlyn rated it really liked it

Serena is a new guargian angel, after dying when she saved two children and attempting to save their mother. She is charged with saving the soul of Nick, a young upcoming actor. Nick is loving his new found fame and attention, which he never recieved from his parents. He goes to Devil's Paradise where sinning is expected and encouraged, especially since it is owned by an Archdemon called Julian. His job is to deliver souls to hell and corrupting people is his speciality. When Serena goes into th ...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Lisarenee rated it really liked it

Note: I read the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book.

"I'm just a yoga teacher." She remained still as he circled around her.

"You may be trying to pass yourself off as such. I think we both know better. Let's discuss that in a moment. But since you insist that you're just a yoga teacher..." She could feel his hot gaze running the length of her. He completed his turn in front of her. "Would you say your body is your temple?""

She nodded once, almost imperceptibly, afraid to move.

"Then let me c Note: I read the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book.

"I'm just a yoga teacher." She remained still as he circled around her.

"You may be trying to pass yourself off as such. I think we both know better. Let's discuss that in a moment. But since you insist that you're just a yoga teacher..." She could feel his hot gaze running the length of her. He completed his turn in front of her. "Would you say your body is your temple?""

She nodded once, almost imperceptibly, afraid to move.

"Then let me come in and worship."

In a world where Guardian Angels and Demons live under the radar, Julian is the ultimate in temptation. As an Archdemon, he's corrupted thousands of souls. After a couple hundred years a guy can get board. That was when Serena St. Clair walked into his nightclub and life. What could be more challenging than corrupting a Guardian Angel? Julian will pull all his dirty tricks to accomplish his task, including threatening to corrupt her brother and her current assignment, Nick. The stakes are high, for what price can you put on one's soul?

This is the debut book for Ms. Chong and I must say she definitely picked the right profession. I so enjoyed this book. Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down until I finished. The heat between Serena and Julian seemed unearthly hot. The story line was fun and the characters were all likeable. Her supporting characters were just as intriguing as the main characters and it's my hope we'll be seeing more of them in forthcoming sequels. I could find no website for Ms. Chong, so I'm uncertain, but since Amazon put 'The Company of Angels' behind the title, I'm assuming this will be a series.Yay! I look forward to seeing more of the world she's created. Oh, and if you're wondering why the series would be called 'The Company of Angels', it's because Serena works for the Company - "a group of Guardians, whose vast network stretched around the globe. They worked in units of a few dozen individuals each, more united than anything demons had ever managed to organize." I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses.

If you like to read more of my reviews, please visit my blog at:
www.seducedbyabook.com ...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Mrs. Badass rated it liked it

Shelves: own-but-not-read-yet, netgalley, urban-fantasy, demons, paranormal, aug-2011-release

Stephanie Chong is a good writer. I was sucked into her writing skills. I had issues with this book though. Mostly the characters, and how they did 180's at the drop of a hat. More in Depth review coming soon.

Julian reminded me of an Anne Stuart hero in the beginning. Maybe that's why I didn't like him, connect with him, or root for him. (view spoiler) ---that is not a knock against Ms. Chong. Jus ...more

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