Title: Eban (The Heckmasters, Book 2)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Published: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 9781619226340
Categories: Romance, Paranormal & Alternate Worlds,
Paranormal
Blurb:
If love can’t save them, there will be hell to pay.
Grateful for his mother’s human blood that cools the dark
fire of his demon father, Eban Heckmaster has set up a medical practice in New
Mexico territory. But there’s no hope of living a normal life until he rids
himself of a seductive demon that’s been pursuing him.
Vanquishing it won’t be as simple as sharpening his
demon-hunting sword. The clever creature is hiding inside his best friend’s
head, and she has no idea of the havoc she’s been wreaking, especially with his
body.
Beryl suspects Eban knows why she’s been waking up with no
memory of where she’s been or what she’s done, but he’s not talking. But when
she inevitably learns what he’s hiding—or rather, what’s hiding inside her—she
wonders if her love for him is real, or an illusion created by the demon’s
lust.
Eban is losing the battle to hold his rising desire in
check. There may be only one way to extricate Beryl from the beast entangling
her mind. Call upon his demon blood…and offer it as a sacrifice.
Product Warnings
Contains a half-human,
half-demon doctor who can heal anyone except himself, and a woman who’d blush
if she could remember the sensuous torture she’s been inflicting on him. Could
make you wonder if you should start listening to the voices in your head…
Review:
Eban by
Allison Merritt
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
This is the second book in The Heckmaster's series. I absolutely loved it!
Eban Heckmaster is a fantastic character. I liked him from the first time I met him in Wystan, the first book in the series. He is the middle sibling of the three Heckmasters' and is the doctor of the family. He has always wanted to get away from Berner, the demon riddled town that he and his two half-demon brothers protect from "The Pit", a portal to and from Hell. But after meeting Beryl Brookshier, who arrived with Rhia and Sylvie Duke, he knows that the war with evil is far from over.
Beryl Brookshier is a character that I liked, but didn't really know much about when I first met her in the first book of the series. She has been extremely ill and under the care of Eban. But, she has no idea that she has a demon imp, who also happens to be a lust demon, attached to her brain like a parasite. Can she overcome it's hold, or will she be doomed to die?
This is a fantastic supernatural/paranormal romance! Set in the late 1800's, this book quickly swept me up and carried me away. The story is told through various points of view, which made it very interesting. There is excitement, danger, mystery and suspense mixed in with the hot romance. The three Heckmasters make a formidable team as they tackle the evil escaping from hell.
This story continues on from the end of Wystan, but follows Eban and Beryl as they struggle to come to terms with events after the battle with Noem, though Wystan and Rhia are now married and on their honeymoon. I also loved meeting Wystan and Tell again, as well as Rhia and Sylvie. I also found it interesting to see things through the eyes of the lust demon, Rosmar. She brings a sense of fun mixed with deadly poison to the tale. I did like her because, although she is a demon, she is trying to atone for her sins by working with the Grey Side (demons who oppose total dominion of Earth by Astaroth - the deadly demon trapped in The Pit by the Heckmasters' father). But, she also has her own agenda and is hoping to tempt Eban into unleashing his demon side to help her. But Eban is not a pushover, though he does do something rather dangerous and sets off a chain of events that could mean the end of Berner, if not Earth. This introduces us to another character, who happens to be an angel called Eliakim. What his role is or will be remains a bit of a mystery, but I really liked this enigmatic angel. He brings the might of Heaven with him, and is definitely a warrior to avoid if you're a demon.
The story is full of twists and turns, with one that I didn't see coming and I felt sorry for the Heckmaster brothers as they had to make a difficult decision regarding a loved one. I did find some of the story, especially where Eban threatened to speak Tell's real name, to be a little humorous. Okay, having a curse on your spoken name is not meant to be funny, but the way Eban taunted his brother with it reminded me of how, when my sisters and I were younger, we would call each other names just to get a rise out of them. Siblings can be cruel and I felt sorry for Tell. However, it made me curious to find out what his real name is!
The end of the story doesn't finish on a cliffhanger, but it made me feel sad because I wanted to keep reading about Berner and her inhabitants. This series has taken me on an unexpected journey, but I am loving the roller coaster ride. I guess I shall just have to wait impatiently for Tell's story now.
Allison Merritt has written a wonderful paranormal/supernatural romance. Her characters come alive on the page and her descriptions of the scenes made me see them in my mind's eye with ease. I love her writing style, which is fast paced and exciting. I also love the flow of the story; the scenes flowed seamlessly from one to another. I think this author has found another fan! I would love to read more of her books in the future.
Due to scenes of an explicit nature, I do not recommend this book to younger readers under the age of 16. However, I highly recommend this book if you love erotic wild west type supernatural romances filled with sexy half-demons, or paranormal romances with strong, likable characters. - Lynn Worton
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Excerpt:
Eban Heckmaster dreamed of becoming tangled in a river of
gold. Soft and silky upon entering, it turned deadly within moments. He
couldn’t breathe as it filled his nose. It bound his wrists, his ankles,
blocked his vision. So much and so warm, sweat broke out across his body.
He’d die cradled in a gilded nest.
And he was fine with that.
Anything was better than living with the knowledge that his
brother had taken the woman Eban loved as his bride hours ago.
Eban’s lungs ached for breath and his eyes shot open.
Startled by weight settling on his abdomen, he tried to sit up, but two small
hands held him down. Thanks to his demon blood, it only took a moment to adjust
to the dark. In the nonexistent light, he peered up at Beryl Brookshier’s
angelic face. She gave him a wicked smile as long strands of wheat-blonde hair
tickled his bare chest. He sucked in a breath when he realized she was naked
and a sheet was the only thing separating her from his raging erection.
“What are you doing?”
The second the words were out of his mouth, Eban knew he
wasn’t talking to Beryl.
“Ravish me, Ebaneezer.”
The demon used Beryl’s voice and body, but the thing talking
to him was far from human. The notion of taking its head off and sparing
himself a lot of trouble was tempting. If not for the real Beryl’s trusting
green eyes and bashful smile.
“That stopped being funny the first time you got naked in
front of me.”
She caressed his cheek. “You were dreaming. I was trying to
make your dreams more pleasant.”
He slapped her hands away. “You thought you’d tempt me into
bedding you and then letting some other parasite into my brain. That’s not
going to happen, Rosemar.”
“You want this body. Why deny it, Heckmaster?” The lust
demon glowered at him, her irritation creasing the smooth face she borrowed.
“Get off me.” He pushed her away, then grabbed the sheet as
she slid off his chest. “What I want is for you to vacate it, leaving Beryl’s
mind intact so I can get out of Berner.”
Her pique faded, replaced by a sultry smile. “We’ve lain
awake at night imagining the coupling. This body twined around yours, the
friction of skin on skin. Hard muscles meeting soft curves. Lips
touching…lips.” Her green eyes brightened mischievously. “Miss Brookshier has
quite an imagination.”
He tensed, flushing at her descriptions, but revulsion held
his desire at bay. “She’s there with you, right now?”
Rosemar waved a hand. “She’s locked away, but she’s not as
innocent as you seem to think. This body is familiar with masculine touch.”
Eban suppressed a groan. “It’s none of my business. Nothing
I’m interested in exploring.”
“Your body suggests otherwise. A simple sexual escapade
isn’t a lifetime commitment.” She twisted a strand of hair around her finger,
pouting while she batted her eyelashes.
“It is where demons are concerned. You can’t stay in there forever,
you know.” He sat against the headboard, trying to ignore the way she pressed
her breasts forward.
“Can’t I?” The wicked grin returned. “You can’t get rid of
me without killing her. You know that.”
“We’ll see.”
Anger sparked in Rosemar’s eyes, sharper and meaner than
human emotion. “I don’t know why you care. She doesn’t mean anything to you.”
Pain stabbed Eban’s chest. He turned his face away, trying
not to think about Rhia’s hazel eyes, her soft Virginia accent, or the way she
laughed when he said something funny. Beryl was an attractive woman now that
she was beginning to gain weight after her long illness, but she wasn’t the one
he loved.
“You’re wasting time thinking about her.” Rosemar sounded
bored.
“I’m not going to let you kill an innocent woman by wearing
her body down to nothing.” He glowered, but nothing seemed to frighten Rosemar.
Even Wystan, who’d beheaded his share of parasite demons, had no effect on this
one.
“I was talking about Rhia.” She put a warm hand on Eban’s
shoulder. “Seere orchestrated their meeting so the three of you could defeat
Noem. Without Rhia and Wystan, there is no Berner. There’s no Heckmasters. No
future.”
Eban shrugged her hand off. He closed his eyes, sifting
through memories of the battle with Noem and his legion of lesser demons. Years
ago, Eban had tried to make a normal life for himself in another city while
getting his doctor’s degree, but his younger brother Tell had called him back
to treat a vicious wound Wystan had obtained at Noem’s hand. Tell and a weather
deity had run Noem out of town that time. Eban had stayed, putting his dreams
away. They’d been guarding a sealed portal to Hell for as long as he could
remember, but Astaroth, the reigning prince, constantly sent his minions
through gaps in the seals, offering them great rewards for bringing the
Heckmasters back. Their father’s redemption had doomed the three of them to
remain in this cursed town forever, fighting monsters until they died.
Then when it seemed like Rhia Duke would give Eban the
chance to escape, she went and fell in love with his boneheaded brother. Worse
than that, she’d unwittingly allowed Noem to drive her right into Berner, where
he planned to capture her and give her to Astaroth. In the fight, Wystan had
been gored by a minotaur, but he’d used his demon blood to overcome death and
save the day—with Seere’s help, because the normally neutral Gray Side couldn’t
keep their noses out of Heckmaster business.
Rosemar claimed she was inhabiting Beryl’s body at Seere’s
command, and she’d proven herself useful in a fight, but none of the
Heckmasters trusted her. It was clear that no matter what her orders, she had
her own motives for choosing Beryl as a host.
Angry when he should be grateful—he didn’t really want Wys
dead—Eban balled the sheet in his fists. “I doubt Wystan and Rhia would be too
happy to know Seere thinks he’s God now.”
Rosemar chuckled. “We all aspire to godliness, don’t we? You
by playing doctor, me by manipulating feelings. That’s what makes us so perfect
for each other.”
She ran her finger over her lips and rose, swaying her hips
in an exaggerated manner as she left. Eban swallowed hard.
He’d always known demons would be the death of him, but he’d
never imagined it would be at the hands of one who looked like Beryl.
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About The Author:
A love of reading inspired Allison Merritt to pursue her
dream of becoming an author who writes historical, paranormal and fantasy
romances, often combining the sub-genres. She lives in a small town in the
Ozark Mountains with her husband and dogs. When she's not writing or reading,
she hikes in national parks and conservation areas.
Allison graduated from College of the Ozarks in Point
Lookout, Missouri with a B.A. in mass communications that's gathering dust
after it was determined that she's better at writing fluff than hard news.
Social links:
Giveaway:
Tempted by Elisabeth Naughton
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