Title: A Watched Demon Always Boils
Author: Katherine Halle
Publisher: Torquere Press
Pages: 26
Characters: Lane, Greg
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance
Kisses: 3
Blurb:
Lane is a professional photographer hired by Greg to do a photo shoot and magazine spread about his restaurant in hopes of making his business more profitable. Trouble is Greg’s got a demon on his back, literally. Now Lane must race against time to save Greg from the demon and convince him that Lane isn’t crazy; he wants to help Greg.
Take one stubborn chef, a determined photographer, mix in an evil demon and a slightly crazy best friend, and watch it come to a boil, every time.
Review:
When Lane stopped by Greg’s restaurant for the first time, he overheard Greg telling his head waiter that he needed to do something that would generate some press about it. Greg hoped he could think of something that would bring more patrons to dine there. Seeing an opportunity he couldn’t resist, Lane promptly introduces himself and offers his services as a professional freelance photographer to do a spreadsheet of the restaurant and of Greg himself. Greg readily agrees and two weeks later, Lane finds himself taking pictures of Greg and the everyday happenings at the restaurant. Two weeks later, Lane spent an interesting and eventful day taking pictures of some of the crazy antics that goes on there and of the handsome Greg.
Lane’s pretty pleased with the way they turned out, but is surprised when he thinks he sees a dark shadow hovering over Greg in some of the pictures. Hoping it’s a fluke, he meets with Greg and takes more profile pictures of him, promising him some good pictures to pick from, and the promise of a home cooked supper from Greg himself. When Lane returns home and develops the pictures, he realizes that there is an ominous figure hovering over Greg and he immediately knows that Greg is in danger. Since Lane also has the gift of being able to spot and photograph demons, he’s also teamed himself up with his friend, Lexie, and they hunt demons. As Lexie and Lane make plans to hunt and kill the demon that is haunting over Greg, he hopes they will be in time to save the chef that has wormed his way into his life.
I really enjoyed this short story. It was very fast paced and I liked the characters that the author created. I personally thought that the premise of the story was unique and interesting, but I really wish the story had been longer. Because it is a short story, there isn’t much of a backstory for any of the characters, and even though we get to know Lane a little, Greg himself was more of a mystery. There also aren’t many scenes in the story with Greg and Lane together, but it is obvious when they are around each other, there is a strong chemistry between them. Having said that, I think Lane acted a little gun-shy when it came to starting anything with Greg. There is no kissing and they barely touch in this book, so if you are looking for a heavy romance, this is not the short story for you to read.
BUT, it does end with the possibility that Lane and Greg will start to see each other, so there is the definite hope that they might act on the attraction they feel for each other. It’s very obvious the men really like each other and could easily be both friends and lovers. I really wish this had been a full-length novel. There is so much that could be said about Lane, Greg, hunting demons and even Lexie. I really hope that one day the author decides to write more about them. I really liked this author’s writing style. She has a creative voice that kept me interested in the book; I just wish they had been more of it. If you are looking for a quick, fun and interesting tale of a sexy chef and a demon hunter, this would be a good story to pass the time with.
Reviewed By: Gabbi
