Review: Carpe Demon

Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner
3.5 stars

Reasons for reading: My husband spotted it at Barnes and Noble and thought I'd like it based on the blurb on the cover from Charlaine Harris: "Shows you what would happen if Buffy got married and kept her past a secret. It's a hoot."; New-to-Me author for the Triple 8 Challenge

From the back cover: "Lots of women put their careers aside once the kids come along. Kate Connor, for instance, hasn't hunted a demon in ages. . . That must be why she missed the one wandering through the pet-food aisle of the San Diablo Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, he managed to catch her attention an hour later - when he crashed into the Connor house, intent on killing her. Now Kate has to clean up the mess in her kitchen, dispose of a dead demon, and pull together a dinner party that will get her husband elected county attorney - all without arousing her family's suspicion. Worse yet, it seems the dead demon didn't come alone. . . It's time for Kate Connor to go back to work."

First line: "My name is Kate Connor and I used to be a Demon Hunter."

My thoughts: Being Buffy fan, I just couldn't resist the premise of this one. And it really delivered - Kate may not be as young as she once was, but she's still got what it takes to fight evil. The book mixes the supernatural battle with Kate's hard-won domestic bliss, as she struggles to parent Allie, her mall-crazy teenage daughter from her first marriage (to a fellow Hunter) and Timmy (who's a real cutie - I'm a sucker for well-done cute kids in books), her toddler with her new husband Stuart. Oh, and to be a helpmeet to her ambitious husband as he strives to get elected. There's action, secrets, surprises, holy water is flung about, and Kate learns that she alone can save San Diablo from Goramesh, the Decimator.

I'm not sure if I'll read the rest of the series - I can't decide if the novelty will hold out for more than this book, but it might. Either way, this one was definitely fun on its own.