Product Description

Cursed by God, hunted by demons, desired by Cain and Abel... All in a day's work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53727 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 368 pages

About the Author
S.J. Day's resume includes a variety of odd jobs ranging from amusement park employee to POW interrogator. S.J. is now a full-time novelist.

Customer Reviews

"Marked" series book 1
"Eve of Darkness" is the first book in SJD's fantastic new urban fantasy series. Evangeline (Eve) Hollis has never forgotten the man she gave her virginity to; however Alec Cain left her heartbroken when he disappeared from their hotel bed and her life. Ten years later, no other man Eve has met has ever matched what she felt for Cain, until she encounters a dark stranger and finds herself getting down and dirty with him in a parking garage. Initially unaware the new man in her life is none other than Cain's brother Reed Abel, Eve soon finds herself not only torn between two men but also having to adjust to a new life and its accompanying danger. Like Cain and his brother Abel, Eve's actions have "marked" her and changed her into something no longer mortal; a "Mark" able to identify Infernals (demons) in the human world and destroy those that step out of line.

This is a great book and a cracking introduction to a new series; however there were some down sides. I was initially left confused by this book's first chapter and actually believed I was reading book 2 in error; however SJD quickly explains this as the reader is taken back to events six weeks prior. Also I can't actually understand why Eve was "marked"; after all (imo) sleeping with a man she loves and another she lusts for hardly warrants the damnation of her soul.

Now negatives aside, I'd like to rave about the things I did like. Cain may have killed Abel in the Bible yet in SJD's new world he is definitely the golden boy. Despite the fact he committed the world's first murder and remains somewhat of a rogue he receives his orders directly from God; whilst his brother Abel, although diligent in following the rules appears more of an underling. The hierarchy of angels and their organisation of "Marks" who combat Infernals in the hopes of redeeming their souls are well fleshed, and in fact the few archangels we do meet (there are seven in all; one attached to each continent) hardly come across as benevolent, caring beings. Each one, intent with their own schemes to catch God's eye and his good graces are more mafia businessmen (and women) than crusaders for the side of good.

The dynamics between Eve, Cain and Abel are interesting as she struggles with her attraction to both of them, whilst they in turn; enemies for millennia, fall in love with the same woman. The variety of Infernals Eve and co. encounter are clever, original and with plenty of powers to keep the Marks on their toes and ensue a variety of action packed battles scenes. I am left eager to read the other books in this series and luckily it isn't too long a wait until I can get my eager mitts on "Eve of Destruction" and "Eve of Chaos", as both are scheduled for release in June 09.

Great addition to the supernatural thriller / urban fantasy genre
Eve of Darkness is an interesting take on a new genre... fans of Keri Arthur, Laurell K Hamilton and Kim Harrison should like this new series about our heroine Eve who gets caught up with Abel and Cain and recruited as a Mark - fighting demons and other "baddie" supes. Only 4 stars purely because the first chapter is a flash forward and very confusing - you are left wondering if you have suddenly picked up a sequel. The author does go back and explain it all, just hang in there! Be interesting to see how it all plays out, especially the love triangle between Eve, Abel and Cain and if the archangels who currently rule are really as holier than thou as they should be.

Eve and Cain - a recipe for trouble
Evangeline Hollis is a young woman leading an ordinary, mundane life: she has a successful career as an interior designer, a condo, a car - all the trappings of success, and yet she feels dissatisfied, and unfulfilled. Ten years earlier, barely out of high school, she shared a single night of passion - her first - with the mysterious Alec Cain, a man with whom she felt an immediate and intimate connection, but who was gone from her bed by morning. Despite this, no other man has been able to move her in the same way since, until an encounter with the equally attractive and charismatic Reed Abel drives her to another singular act of passion - one that is to have unimagined, and unimaginable, consequences.

For Cain and Abel turn out to be the Biblical brothers: Cain doomed to walk the Earth hunting and killing demons to expiate his sin, and Abel, now an angel, Marking and managing sinners to join the fight against the Infernal - and Eve is the latest recruit to bear the Mark of Cain. Suddenly, she finds herself thrust unprepared into a new, and dangerous, world: where the legions of the damned and the celestial mix with mortals, and engage in a delicate dance that can erupt into violence at any moment. If she wants to survive, Eve has no choice but to join in and learn how to protect herself, from both the Infernals who seek to harm Cain through her, and the machinations of the archangels who command God's forces on Earth. All while struggling with her own emotions, as with her Marking, Cain returns to her life with the same animalistic magnetism, tempered now by a determination to protect her, and to resume his centuries old quarrel with Abel, who has designs on her of his own, and remains an enticing temptation.

In Eve of Darkness, S. J. Day has created a new take on the old story of the battle between Good and Evil being fought on Earth. It's something that has been tackled before by many authors - supercharged holy warriors fighting demons, while needing to keep it secret from humanity, and seeking their own redemption, is hardly new - but to this she adds Old Testament figures, and the character of Eve herself. She's a familiar Urban Fantasy protagonist: courageous in spite of herself, unfailingly pure-hearted, afflicted by complex feelings for an improbably gorgeous man, who harbours his own complex feelings in return, and in some ways cleverer and more cynical than beings centuries older than herself. Following her as she adjusts to her new life as a Mark, and looks for a way to be free of it, is one of the pleasures of the book, and is perhaps the main reason why it might be worth buying the second volume of the series, Eve of Destruction.

I've noticed that another reviewer has questioned the logic of the book's central premise - that the Lord would damn someone to the life of a Mark for a minor indiscretion - and that's something I echo: it does seem unlikely. But then, one shouldn't over-analyse books like this and, after all, the God of the Old Testament was not above tormenting the innocent to test their faith, or achieve His own ends - just look what happened to Job - and I can't help thinking that there's more to Eve's marking than meets the eye: as the characters are fond of remarking, `There is no coincidence where the Lord is concerned.'

In any case, Day keeps the plot moving, liberally spicing the book with both action and sex, and writes reasonably well, if not quite at the standard of one of the queens of the genre like, for example, J. R. Ward. Reading it is an undemanding, but enjoyable way to pass a few hours, and there are enough loose ends, and interesting hints left at the end to make one want to buy the next in the series, but not enough make you want to camp out in front of your bookstore to get hold of it!